Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 124
Only Noblemtl
Episode 124 Bloody New Moon (8)
About ten days from the day Terti made the request until the new moon was destroyed.
During the day, he pretended not to know anything and went out to play diligently, and at night, he was always ready to track me down, so he slept lightly, so he couldn’t help but be tired.
Even if physical fatigue can be covered by the miracle of vitality, mental fatigue cannot be completely relieved.
“I had fun?”
“It’s not like I didn’t enjoy it either… But I had to keep worrying about that.”
“Anyway, it was fun!”
I don’t know if it was a difference in mindset, or a difference between the planner and the simple executor, but Lilia seemed to be having a lot of fun.
Anyway, Galen rested and washed away his fatigue. He intentionally rarely came out of the annex.
“Lilia, please don’t go anywhere and rest with me.”
“yes!”
Taking turns with those two people, Elisa and Terti took a break from the outside air.
I had been keeping myself aloof as much as possible, fearing that even the slightest chance of being recognized by the new moon, so you can imagine how frustrated I must have been during that time.
By the time everyone in the group had recovered their condition.
On the third day after the waning moon was swept away, Colin came to the inn in person.
“The cashing has been completed, Galen.”
The amount is approximately eight thousand three hundred gold coins.
It seems that the business of killing people is a booming business. It was a rather large sum of money to keep in one’s personal safe. It was not something that the richer Galen would say.
It was much faster than the task of disposing of treasures from the ruins.
In the first place, there was no way the rich would pay in such strange ways. All they had was gold coins, bills of exchange, and jewelry that were easy to buy or sell, so at best, it was a job that could be completed in a day.
Still, there was a reason why Colin came three days later.
“The investigation is almost in its final stages.”
“Did it end well?”
“Yes. The testimonies of the captured assassins were effective. In particular, the most skilled female assassin was said to know a lot.”
“It was good that you were kept alive!”
Lilia, the one who subdued May without a single scratch, was pleased. Colin added.
“During the search of the mansion, we found dozens of corpses of warriors who had undergone rigorous training, numerous traps set up in the mansion, and even a warehouse containing various secret weapons and poisons. These are definitely not items that would come out of an ordinary merchant’s house.”
“Because it’s the headquarters of the Assassins.”
“We have also recovered some of the various ledgers, as well as the Bloody Moon’s token that Lord Galen handed over. Of course, detailed investigations will continue in the future, but the general consensus so far is that the Moon has been destroyed.”
“It would have been annoying if I had doubted you until the end, but I’m glad you didn’t turn away from the truth.”
Galen nodded.
It was as intended.
Even if the Draup family that rules Ruata tries to exaggerate or downplay the incident, it is impossible to manipulate it because the church is inevitably involved because of Lilia.
On the other hand, from the perspective of the Ruata Diocese, it was somewhat tricky to actively intervene because Lilia was a pilgrim and not a member of the diocese.
Since both sides are keeping each other in check, they cannot add their own opinions and have no choice but to focus on objective facts.
“Because of that, I have something to tell you, Galen… … .”
“What is it?”
“Both the Diocese of Ruata and House Draup have requested a meeting with Lord Galen.”
“I guess the branch manager has been contacted.”
“yes.”
The only person Galen ‘officially’ revealed his location to was Colin.
Basically, what he meant was that if you wanted to talk, go through Colin.
Since they found out about this place through separate background investigation and didn’t just barge in, I can give them both points.
“A three-way meeting?”
“No. They were separate requests. Of course, we were aware of each other’s requests.”
“You don’t think the church and the Draup family are on good terms, do you?”
“Not at all. Just plain bad.”
It is an open secret that most prestigious families have an uncomfortable relationship with the church, as the greater the family’s power, the more they find church interference annoying.
The situation seemed similar in Ruata.
But since both sides called for Galen at the same time, whichever side went first, the other side would feel bad.
“The problem is… … .”
Colin, whose voice had been slurred, finally spoke.
“To be honest, it seems like both sides are fond of Galen.”
“Yes? Why?”
“I guess that’s because I’m an outsider.”
As Lilia tilted her head, Galen turned his gaze to Colin. Colin hesitated slightly and then nodded slightly.
Since he was affiliated with the upper ranks of Kalia, which was closely related to the church, it seemed that it was difficult for him to speak carelessly as a branch manager.
But the reason I ended up telling him was because Galen was a VVIP guest.
“Whether it was an outsider or not, it ended up solving a problem… … .”
“There is no rule that says you will always be praised for doing good deeds.”
If there were only people like Lilia in the world, there would be no need for laws, but unfortunately that’s not the case.
“Well, that’s an expected reaction, so don’t worry, Branch Manager?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Please give me a call. I’ll go and see you tomorrow.”
“Which side should I put it on?”
“Both. I’ll meet Drauph in the morning. I’ll go to the church in the afternoon.”
“Oh, I understand. I will convey that.”
Colin, who was answering, still had a look of worry on his face.
Although I appreciated the thoughtfulness, it was a worry that didn’t need to be there.
There was no way things wouldn’t work out.
Even if it didn’t work out, Galen had the power to force it to work out.
* * *
The next morning.
The Draup family was very kind enough to send a carriage directly to the inn.
The carriage carrying Galen and Lilia was headed to a magnificent mansion located in the city center of Ruata.
“The house is really big.”
Lilia got out of the carriage and looked around, expressing her feelings.
It was natural for her to react like this, as she had met people from prestigious families but had never been to their homes.
On the other hand, Galen, who had stayed at Oceanus’s home for a long time, was calm.
“The branch manager said that this place is only called a branch office, but in reality it is the main house. It has to be big.”
The real home of the Draupes, located in another city, remained only as a kind of symbol of where the family first began.
Since the most prosperous city within their sphere of influence was Ruata, this branch was practically the center or something.
“Please come inside, you two.”
The old butler greeted the two men politely.
I was led to the reception room and was munching on some snacks.
Two men from Choro came in.
“Nice to meet you.”
Judging by his gray hair and the wrinkles around his eyes, he was at least fifty years old, but his body was incredibly good. His muscles were ‘rugged’ and on a whole other level than Galen’s, who was just ‘slim and good-looking’.
It would be ridiculous to insist that you are not a warrior when you have such a well-trained body.
In fact, the Draup family was a renowned warrior family that held heavy weapons as their specialty.
“I am Konrad, the head of the Draup family.”
“This is Kuntz Olshi, the general.”
“My name is Galen, a gold-ranked mercenary from Abaca.”
“I am Lily, the bishop of the Diocese of Abaca!”
There was an exchange of names along with brief greetings.
Konrad and Kunz were indifferent, as if they had already figured out Galen and Lilia’s personal information.
Of course, this side also knew the other side. The two were real brothers, and although they were old, they were the Golden Warriors, the core force of the family.
Galen spoke first.
“I didn’t know that the head of the household would come forward himself.”
“It’s such a sensitive issue that I can’t just pass it on to my subordinates.”
Conrad twitched the corner of his mouth.
“I’m not good at beating around the bush, but is it okay if I get straight to the point?”
“The sooner the better for me.”
“How refreshing. If you do, I ask, Duke Galen. What are you planning?”
“Decorating?”
Galen tilted his head to the side with an expression that said he did not understand English. Conrad’s eyes became fierce.
“After looking into it, I found out that you are a water magician.”
“yes.”
“There is evidence that the base was briefly engulfed in flames, and the building was soaking wet despite it being a clear day, so you must have been involved.”
“you’re right.”
“But all the witnesses unanimously mentioned a powerful wind spell that sealed off the base. Doesn’t that mean there’s another golden wizard?”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t be a jerk. Also, there must be someone skilled enough to track down the assassin and find his hideout, and someone capable of finding the secret passage leading to his hideout.”
There is. The problem is that they are all one person, not separate people.
“Even if we leave the latter aside, there are two golden wizards and a bishop. What are you planning to do with all that powerful force?”
“If anyone heard me, they’d think I was plotting something.”
Galen said calmly.
“I have a personal grudge against the Moon. Back in my immature days, I got involved in it and almost died.”
“… Are you saying that you attacked the last moon for that reason?”
“Can’t I do that?”
Conrad was speechless for a moment.
Usually, when an assassination occurs, people try to find the mastermind behind it, but they don’t think about blowing up the assassination group itself. Finding them is nearly impossible.
But Galen actually found it and blew it up, so there was nothing to say.
“Or do I need to get permission from Draup to clear the waning moon?”
“… That’s not what I meant. But you should know that we’re in quite a difficult situation because of you.”
“It would be embarrassing to lose face.”
It is normal for a large corporation that is around the age of 18 to receive orders from multiple cities and spread smokescreens, so it is impossible to pinpoint the location of its headquarters.
Elisa had only reached Ruata after following the trail of the contractor from her hometown of Oceanis.
It was fortunate that the base was right in Ruata. If it had been in another city, the tracking itself would have been extremely long.
Anyway, that’s why I don’t get cursed at just because I didn’t notice the existence of the Assassins until now.
However, it was a loss of face for a noble family to have a mercenary passing by and subdue a large-scale assassination group hiding in their capital.
How incompetent must you be to hear people say that you didn’t even know you had to be a mercenary.
“If you say that you did it purely out of personal grudge, without any ulterior motive.”
“That is true.”
“Then there’s no problem with helping us clean up the mess? Since we suffered damage because of you guys.”
“I’m not sure if it’s ‘because of us’… Well, let’s say it is. What do you want?”
“I have no intention of belittling your accomplishments. I just want to add that we secretly assisted in the process.”
“For example, this expedition was actually part of a request?”
“You’re not a mercenary, are you? It wouldn’t be so strange if you were hired by us, right?”
In simple terms, it meant that they wanted to quietly change what had been a solo operation into a joint operation.
Galen smiled and nodded coolly.
“Only if you meet three conditions.”
The answer came so readily that Konrad and Kunz were on guard. What on earth were the conditions?
“Can I hear your conditions?”
“First, please declare the fact of the subjugation of the last moon in the name of Draup.”
“That’s something that should be done.”
“Second, as you may or may not know, I robbed Danju of his safe.”
“You mean the safe that had the symbol of the waning moon as its key?”
“Yes. Can you confirm that we have secured it and that it is ours?”
“It is yours since it is what you obtained.”
“Thank you. Lastly, please announce that this expedition was a joint effort with the church.”
“…What?”
Konrad’s eyebrows quirked. Galen shrugged.
“You just want to add a spoon to what’s already been done. You’re saying let’s add one more spoon.”
“That’s a bit… Is it really necessary to involve the church?”
“I don’t think it’s something you should say openly in front of Your Excellency the Bishop.”
Lilia was eating snacks and leaving the conversation entirely to Galen, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t listening.
Conrad quickly coughed at the sight of Lilia staring intently and added:
“What I meant was that things would get complicated for no reason. If it were to be split 50-50, the church wouldn’t like it either… … .”
“I’ll take care of that. If you don’t like it, should we go with the church-only request instead of the half-and-half?”
“No, listen here. Duke Galen.”
“It’s not a fight over vested interests. It’s an honorable act of subduing the worst assassination group in the southeast. Even if we split it in half, it would be profitable enough.”
But who doesn’t know that? If you don’t split it in half and eat it all yourself, you get twice as much, so that’s why you do it.
Conrad and Kunz, who came from noble families with aversion to church engraved in their genes, felt even more aversion.
Galen shook his head as he looked at the two people’s expressions full of trepidation.
“Instead, I will give you a gift.”
“gift?”
“I told you that I raided Danju’s safe. I found some interesting books there.”
Galen took a book out of his bosom and placed it on the table. It was a newly made book with a tea-like feel.
“hmm……?”
Conrad’s expression, which had been blankly staring at the book, hardened before long.
The background investigation data of the contractor made in the last moon. The cover of this copy book was untitled, but the family name written on the cover of the original was Draup.
His trembling hands, like a pot lid, half-crumpled the book.
“Perhaps it’s because the base of the New Moon is here, but the information about the Draup family is particularly detailed.”
Galen leisurely accepted Konrad’s burning gaze and said.
“I understand. I don’t think there’s a noble family that’s spotless and clean.”
“This is… an outrageous accusation.”
“That could be true. I’m not from the Southeast, so I don’t know if it’s reliable or not. I don’t care.”
Of course, the sentence omitted the question, “Do other people feel the same way?”
Galen smiled and asked again.
“What would you like to do?”
* * *
Elisa’s escort chief, Rad, had been feeling both uncomfortable and anxious for the past month.
It was an undeniable fact that he, a member of the Royal Guard, was a talented person with both skill and loyalty.
His ‘loyalty’ was not purely towards House Oceanus. To be precise, it was loyalty towards his eldest son, Lius, who was almost certain to be the next head of the family.
Although he did not do a thorough job of guarding Elisa, it was not because he wanted to protect Elisa, but because of Lius’ instructions.
If you want to stay close and keep watch, you have to work hard to protect them anyway.
Elisa wasn’t stupid either, so she noticed it and tried to steer clear of him, but nothing special happened.
It was about a month ago that Rad’s daily life, where he would grumble about when he would be replaced and even do mercenary work that was not in his fortune, suddenly changed.
Suddenly, a guy who was clearly a servant of Gerbon in the past came and started talking nonsense about becoming a golden wizard.
A young woman in pale blue clothes, claiming to be a bishop, hovered around Elisha, and after a while an old man appeared and said he was an additional escort.
From then on, Elisa openly distanced herself from her existing escorts, and Rad had no choice but to follow Elisa wherever she went without sharing any information with her.
Of course, I continued to report all of this to my parents, but since we were so far away, all I got back was an order to just watch.
Maybe even his family didn’t understand what was going on. Even Rad himself felt doubtful about what he was saying while writing the report.
It was a day of frustration and anxiety as the situation grew increasingly out of control.
Then one day.
For the first time in a long while, Elisa called all of her former escorts together in one place.
“You’ve all heard the rumors going around these days, right? Something to do with the new moon.”
“yes.”
The escorts nodded, having more free time and thus more opportunities to hear rumors.
Since the parties involved in the rumor were next to Elisa, attention was naturally drawn to them.
It was an absurd story that they had separated in Nigerte and met again in Ruata, and had destroyed the strongest assassination group in the southeast in just a few days.
Since it was something that the church and a prestigious family, who were enemies, jointly announced, it could not be dismissed as a strange rumor of unknown origin.
“It all really happened, and these two people obtained some very important information from the base of the last moon.”
“You said it was important information… …?”
Elisha looked at Galen instead of answering. Galen took a book out of his bosom and held it out to her.
“This is an item that has been guaranteed by both the church and the Draup family.”
Of course, they did not guarantee that the contents of the booklet were true. In the first place, they did not even know the contents of the booklet.
Only when someone asks for the source, he can guarantee that it came from the vault of the new moon.
But the escorts didn’t know the details, and it wasn’t important right now anyway.
Rad, who was handed the booklet, wondered what it was and read it on behalf of the group.
Before he could even turn a few pages, his face turned pale.
“Oh, Miss? What the heck is this… … .”
“Leeus Orabeoni, no. Tell Leeus straight.”
Elisa said coldly.
“If you can explain it, then do it.”