Ch.127Soul School (1)

# The Outcome of the Duel. After the Mid-Level Warrior Who Reached ‘The Realm,’ ‘Red Meteor’ Droop Bazilit, Became My Subordinate.

“I, Droop Bazilit, swear my loyalty to the Great Warrior as a martial artist.”

‘…Is this right?’

Regardless of my common sense frantically raising objections after returning from being temporarily overwhelmed by my combative nature, I could barely contain my joy at somehow having acquired a capable mid-level warrior as my subordinate.

In any case, this ‘Red Meteor’ Droop Bazilit was undeniably a warrior possessing power ranking among the upper echelons of mid-level warriors.

If I had to classify him, he would be equivalent to someone worthy of being called a ‘Knight Commander’—a powerful figure that the vast majority of great nobles don’t have even a single one of in their service.

“…Lord Alzar, are you truly certain about this?”

Of course, separate from Droop’s personal pride as a warrior, Charlotte, unaware of this, couldn’t help but express concern due to his being an ‘Orc’—a race with a poor social reputation.

More precisely, while she clearly recognized Droop’s nobility as a warrior, her reasonable suggestion was that her own awareness of this fact and how others would view Droop were completely separate issues.

Considering the narrow-minded thinking of humans, recruiting Droop certainly wouldn’t be politically advantageous.

However, this was merely the logic of ordinary people that applied only in typical situations.

“Charlotte. Would anything change for me because of such perceptions?”

“…Ah.”

Our family has no close relatives who could claim inheritance rights, and moreover, I am the definitive future lord (successor) who doesn’t even need to compete for succession rights.

In other words, not only is there virtually no risk of my reputation suffering from accepting an Orc as my subordinate, but even if this became known in social circles, it seems unlikely that I would face any disadvantages.

“Administrator Charlotte. Have you ever attended social parties outside the domain?”

“…Yes, I have.”

“Good. Then what kind of people were those empty-headed nobles you saw at such social parties?”

“…Ah.”

While the nobles of the Holy Empire tend to be closer to strict military men… with a rigid, stone-like quality that loves discipline and order, the nobles of the Kingdom of Frank, a land of knights and romance, generally exhibit strongly romantic tendencies.

For these nobles, sacrificing one’s life for chivalry or romance is considered exemplary behavior, and in Frank’s noble society, romance (adultery) is so common that it doesn’t even qualify as gossip.

Therefore, would these blue-blooded individuals of the Kingdom of Frank, who are so despised by the Holy Empire as to be called an ‘animal kingdom,’ show contempt or disdain toward the notion of ‘an Orc who pledged loyalty after defeat in a duel’?

Especially when they themselves are no different from those blinded by romance (adultery) and the spirit of chivalry?

I could be certain. I could declare with confidence. I could proudly proclaim right here that the possibility of this becoming an issue was as likely as finding a pure elf.

Anyway, after resolving this matter, there was hardly any room for further complications.

“Droop Bazilit. I was just thinking of visiting the magic tower for some business….”

“Yes, I would be more than willing to accompany you if you command it.”

Could it be that the saying about Orcs being susceptible to the logic of power wasn’t unfounded? With Droop bowing his head to follow me despite our agreement being merely verbal, we prepared to depart for the magic tower, our original destination.

According to him, he had been wandering alone in search of strong opponents as part of his training, so he was happy to accompany me since he had nowhere particular to go anyway.

He added that while he had sustained himself as a free mercenary, he had lived without any goal other than vaguely pursuing strength, so he didn’t seem particularly dissatisfied despite being forcibly subjugated by me.

However, there was one minor issue in this situation….

“The shield…. I’ll carry it until it can be repaired.”

That issue was, naturally, his ‘folding blade tower shield’ that I had smashed with my club, which had been my secondary weapon.

Since it was destroyed during a battle we had agreed upon, there wasn’t really any need to assign blame, but once he had become my subordinate, repairing his broken equipment became my obligation.

And it was at this moment.

“Hmm….”

“…Lord Falten? Is something the matter?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just… may I try repairing it myself?”

“You, my lord? Well, I have no objections.”

When I yielded to Lord Malakai Falten’s suggestion and conveyed the request, the mid-level magician, the Trainmaster, pointed his staff toward the folding shield with a satisfied smile….

[You, metal, I command you to return to your original form!!]

Using the ancient language that was used among magicians almost as frequently as the common tongue of the three continents, and which I had also learned as part of my education, he completed the magical incantation.

I would later learn that this magic was known as ‘Metal Restoration.’

-….Woooong.

The moment the spell was completed, the torn and crumpled shield gradually began to transform back to its original form, as if time were being rewound.

Even I, who had lived a life practically addicted to various stimulating mass media in my previous life and was thus relatively desensitized to such things, couldn’t help but be inwardly amazed. How much more impressed must the two (Pierre and Droop) be, who were hardly accustomed to such sights?

….Well, Charlotte, being a magician herself, seemed surprised in a different way—specifically, she appeared unable to hide her amazement at the perfection of the spell.

And Lord Malakai Falten, secretly enjoying everyone’s reactions, was just the cherry on top.

※ ※ ※

After everyone’s momentary amazement at Trainmaster Malakai Falten’s mysterious magic.

Having finished our business, we finally arrived at our original destination—the nearest branch of the magic tower where the Metal School was located, the stronghold of the Soul School.

It was a massive ancient castle built across a valley and cliff, well-hidden in the nearby mountainous region.

The branch of the magic tower, covered by conical tower roofs, domes, or triangular cathedral-like roofs, all made of purple-dyed tiles… how should I put it? Overall, it gave the strong impression of being nothing particularly special.

Of course, Pierre, a frog in a well who had never seen such a massive ancient castle in his life, seemed quite impressed, but from my perspective… it was rather chaotic.

Dozens of towers of varying thickness and height with distinctive conical roofs.

Circular corridors with impressive large dome ceilings.

And large, beautiful rectangular stone buildings.

Each element on its own seemed quite admirable, but forcing them together made it feel less like a meticulously designed structure and more like a forcibly assembled chimera.

To make matters worse, the roofs weren’t an elegant deep purple but rather a somewhat bright and light purple.

Looking at this peculiar, even alien amalgamation that embodied imbalance and uncertainty, I suddenly noticed something strange.

‘…Huh?’

Thinking back, wasn’t that feeling of the castle being forcibly pieced together… a bit too strong?

At first it was just a suspicion. Then it became doubt. And after a brief moment, it finally became certainty.

Indeed, even for a minor school, but still maintaining the school structure within the large organization known as the magic tower, wouldn’t they have some hidden technique to make themselves stand out?

The Life School had made its base on an archipelago of floating islands, each with artificial ecosystems (other worlds). I’d heard that the Space School had hidden their base in the gaps between dimensions.

Furthermore, the Metal School had outright purchased an entire free city with money to use as their base, and the magic tower headquarters was a tower so tall that its highest level was obscured by clouds.

Therefore, my conclusion was that the ancient castle housing this school gained some unnamed magical effect through its very structure.

In a world where a certain level of technical mastery naturally imbues mysterious power, architecture would be no exception. Perhaps the chaotic layout was designed to harness power without additional enchantments through the castle’s structure itself.

Regardless, clearly recognizing that this was recreated through magical power, I now strode purposefully toward that unknown ancient castle.