Chapter 94 - Promotion (1)

The way back to Telema School was solitary.

The captured branch director was left with Bong-sik as a hostage.

We plan to return him to Shadow Hand only after erasing his memories or otherwise removing the information he had gathered.

Nominally, we claimed we'd keep him hostage until confirming Shadow Hand's movements after meeting with Grand Duchess Fiona—but it was a reason no one would believe.

Valen probably knew this but seemed willing to let it slide rather than make trouble.

However, he did secure a promise of survival.

From Valen's position, abandoning his subordinate must have been uncomfortable.

However, what I was thinking about now wasn't such a secondary concern.

The Grand Duke's succession.

After the Grand Duke's death.

Who would sit in the next Grand Duke's seat?

Until now, I vaguely thought the heir first in succession would naturally inherit, but my conversation with Valen completely changed that thinking.

An anti-heir faction is forming. Backlash against the heir acting like he's already become Grand Duke too soon. Has power gone to his head?

Whatever the heir's reasons for moving like this.

One thing was clear.

The newly formed anti-heir faction would naturally seek out Fiona.

Because only Fiona could stand against the heir as successor.

The First Grand Duchess holed up in the Abyss' depths was never even in consideration.

Finding her who-knows-where and bringing her back to the city would be work enough, and even if brought back, it was uncertain if she'd even want the Grand Duke position.

Better to bet on the Second Grand Duchess, Fiona, who was already in the city.

Everyone would think the same.

My concerns have only grown.

I sought out Valen to reduce worries and compress future directions but instead came away with more concerns.

Still, this is better.

This was like a vaccination.

If I'd been suddenly caught up in succession disputes while knowing nothing, I couldn't have handled either side.

Not getting involved wasn't an option.

I had already spread my connections with Fiona quite widely.

And I'd need them going forward.

It's not an immediate problem anyway. The Grand Duke is still alive. The Abyss Worshipers should remain the priority.

Among them... the Cult of the End.

Though I wasn’t an immediate practical threat to them, I represented a variable that threatened them.

The ability to cross spaces that only the Cult reportedly possessed even now.

By closing their shortcuts, I had proven I could interfere with that.

They must suspect that much as well.

Once it was confirmed they might lose their absolute positional advantage, they were likely to try eliminating me first.

I need to prepare two things for that. 

My own strength, and a group willing to fight against their collective for me.

Viola advised the latter.

She judged my current affiliation, Telema School, insufficient.

Even Master-rank Explorers couldn't handle the Professor, a Cult executive.

So I needed to find an organization with even stronger fighters...

For that, I have three options.

Frontier Guild, where I had the deepest connections currently.

Enigma Guild, whose member offered to scout me.

And the City Guard, if I approached with the mindset of truly sharing life and death with Fiona.

"Ah... my head hurts."

"What does?"

"Huh?"

An unconscious mutter escaping my complicated thoughts.

A response I assumed wouldn't come suddenly echoed back.

I let my guard down too much.

With such self-reproach, I quickly tried to assume a defensive stance.

But seeing the questioner's face, I awkwardly froze.

"Alexandra?"

"It's been a while."

A languid eye-smile greeted me.

§

"You carry that around?"

"Ah, this?"

I slightly lifted Axis that Alexandra pointed to.

"You know. It's essential."

"Hmm, true. That's at least an A-rank artifact. If modified for control rather than that method, it might have even approached S-rank. Low output is a flaw, but it is a spatial-type."

"...I'm grateful."

My comment was sincere.

The more I used Axis, the more I deeply appreciated how well-made it was.

"I wasn't fishing for thanks, but I'll gladly accept."

Alexandra shot back playfully, chuckling as she lifted her glass.

For reference, I bought it.

"So, did you come looking for me?"

"Hmm? No."

Whether true or not, Alexandra curled her lips with slight surprise.

"You've grown more self-conscious while I haven't seen you?"

"...Isn't it too coincidental to be chance?"

"What is?"

"Though it's the same East District, Alexandria School is in the Inner City. I don't think you'd have reason to come to the Outer City."

"I had business."

Alexandra stirred her teaspoon idly, closing her mouth as if further explanation would be difficult.

"I'm not trying to press you."

"I know. So? What were you talking about earlier?"

Curiosity.

One-sided curiosity wanted others to satisfy their interest while keeping their own stories hidden.

Why does this unchanged aspect make me feel more comfortable?

Rather, such a personality made me think it might be okay to share secrets.

After I briefly summarized the explanation.

When the story roughly ended, Alexandra tapped her glass with the teaspoon, making a ting sound.

A signal indicating she'd finished organizing her thoughts.

"One. You're worried about the Grand Duchess due to conflicts surrounding the Grand Duke succession. Two. You're worried the Cult of the End will identify and target your magic."

Though extremely abbreviated, it was mostly correct.

As I nodded, Alexandra tilted her head as if not understanding and blurted out.

"Do you really need to worry about that?"

"Huh?"

"It hasn't even happened yet, right? Is there any need to worry about things that haven't occurred?"

As expected of a hedonist who lived for today only.

A vague thought crossed my mind that maybe I had chosen the wrong person to consult.

"Anyway, that's what I think. The time to worry about the former hasn’t arrived yet, as for the latter… just join Frontier. I don't recommend Enigma. They're a guild in name only, almost purely individualistic. They'll definitely retaliate if attacked, but won't accompany you anywhere.”

"Frontier is... how do I say it, unbalanced? I rejected their recruitment offer thinking of other classmates, so going there now because my situation is bad... plus, having to follow guild regulations after joining also feels wrong."

Alexandra responded listlessly to my words, "Such privileged concerns."

An irrefutable point.

Wanting an organization's protection while disliking being bound by its rules.

It was truly cherry-picker talk.

As I lowered my head, feeling slight self-loathing, Alexandra's next words pierced my crown, "In that case... wouldn't it be better to create one yourself?"

Huh?

§

It was a simple matter.

If what was lacking was power, just gather it.

The succession dispute that might come someday?

That too changed with power.

If real armed conflict occurred, power itself would become the only legitimacy.

Same with the Cult of the End issue.

There was only one thing lacking.

"So, I'm going to create a guild."

"Suddenly?"

"A guild?"

The talk of guild creation sounded quite strange, Rei and Leaf just blinked their big eyes, lukewarm without particular reaction.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Seriously."

"Um... Roman, I keep asking because I really don't understand. We don't even meet the guild creation conditions?"

Never thought I'd receive such worried questioning from Rei.

But she was absolutely correct.

Currently, we didn't meet the requirements to create a guild.

"Guild creation conditions. First, a minimum of 8 members. Second, the representative must be a Senior-rank Explorer or higher. Third, a deposit of a million Rupe guild guarantee with the Union. Right?"

"Of those, we can only manage the last one?"

"And that's almost all our assets... probably."

Including me, we three shared our financial situations.

Maybe Leaf added that final "probably" because someone might have undisclosed funds.

"The first condition is easy. We can bring in classmates."

"True. Dual membership between schools is taboo for mages. But dual membership between school and guild isn't a problem."

"Then the representative...?"

"If it's not you, Roman, the strategy of bringing in classmates won't work, I bet. The school side has those guys, right? The Alexandria trio. They won't move even if Fiona or Arthur calls."

"I know."

The guild's representative, the guild leader, must be me.

However, the Union restricted the representative's Explorer rank to Senior or above as a guild creation condition.

Well then.

I just needed to earn it.

If we were going down anyway, promotion was essential.

We had already explored the Second Floor, the Novice's limit.

To go further, we need to either meet various conditions for temporary permission, find some hidden shortcut, or get promoted to increase our limit.

What needed to be done hadn't changed.

"I'll take the Senior promotion examination."