Ch.28Chapter 28 – Meeting with the Imperial Chancellor, Bergen Stahler (1)

The Little Giant.

That was the feeling I had when I met Bergen Steiler.

Bergen Steiler was slightly shorter than me, perhaps due to his advanced age.

But despite his small stature and aged face, what emanated from Bergen Steiler was not a sense of being “easy to deal with” but rather a sense of “strength.”

I was already surprised that such an intimidating presence could come from a small elderly man, but the strength I felt in his grip when we shook hands told me that he was certainly not an old man to be taken lightly.

“Welcome. I am Bergen Steiler, the owner of this mansion and the Chancellor of the Gelebrio Empire.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Elder Chancellor. I am Pathos, an ‘Ability User’ who runs Pathos’ Repair Shop.”

I used the title “Elder Chancellor” rather than simply “Chancellor” as the butler had instructed me.

“Heh heh heh. I see Heron has informed you properly.”

Chancellor Bergen then laughed heartily while patting my back with his free hand.

“Ho ho ho. Young man, there’s no need to be so tense already. Relax.”

Though he told me to relax, I couldn’t ease my tension at all.

I couldn’t relax because I had heard from the butler just how remarkable the person standing before me was.

He had told me that everything would be part of a test, and that I should never let my guard down until the test was over.

“Do you know something? I know why you’re so tense.”

“Pardon?”

When Chancellor Bergen said he knew why I was tense, cold sweat instantly ran down my face.

“Relax. You’ve already spoken with Heron on your way here, haven’t you? What did he tell you to call me?”

“He instructed me to address you as ‘Elder Chancellor.'”

Chancellor Bergen nodded and spoke.

“That’s exactly it. Butler Heron is like my arms and legs. The fact that he told you the proper way to address me means he considers you a trustworthy person.”

“What?”

I was startled by Chancellor Bergen’s words. What would have happened if the butler hadn’t told me how to address the Chancellor?

“Heron properly informing someone how to address me at their first meeting has only happened three times since I took him in. That includes you, of course.”

Wow, seeing Chancellor Bergen speak like this, I felt I should bow in gratitude to Heron.

I didn’t know why he had taken a liking to me, but at least it meant the butler had a good impression of me.

“Thank you for your favorable consideration.”

“Hmm. How humble. These days, young people only live to show off their own excellence, but it’s refreshing to meet someone with proper manners through and through.”

Bergen seemed pleased with my attitude and patted my shoulder.

“You’ve passed the test. From now on, relax and follow me comfortably.”

“Yes, understood.”

Despite Chancellor Bergen’s instruction to relax, I became even more tense, trying hard not to show any signs of letting my guard down.

As I followed Chancellor Bergen into the mansion, I noticed the disciplined posture of the servants around us.

Moreover, the sculptures, artworks, and antiques decorating the mansion were clearly of immense value, even to someone like me who knew nothing about such fields.

Indeed, I could feel that what the butler had told me and what Bergen himself claimed—that he was the second-in-command of the Empire—was by no means an exaggeration.

I followed Chancellor Bergen into the mansion and arrived at what appeared to be a reception room.

“This is where I receive my guests. I only bring truly favored guests here. Usually, I meet people outside the mansion.”

Oh, his words made me feel increasingly intimidated.

What had I done to make him like me so much?

I hadn’t done anything special, yet he kept showing such obvious favor toward me, which actually made me anxious.

Following Chancellor Bergen’s gesture, I sat on the sofa in the reception room, and he sat across from me.

“Your name is Pathos, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You left Oak Village for Belsalem, met a merchant group while traveling, helped them with your ability, and in return received compensation from Archenium to open your shop. Then you got caught up in some incident and found yourself in a difficult situation. Is that correct?”

“…!”

I got goosebumps from Chancellor Bergen’s words.

We had clearly never met before, yet he knew my history in considerable detail, if not exhaustively.

“Surprised? I also know this: you are an Ability User with the power to fix anything, and you are someone who can speak the name of the Great Goddess without receiving divine punishment.”

He even knew what ability I possessed and that I could speak Epitrina’s name without punishment.

How on earth did he know all this information?

“Are you surprised? Well, I suppose you can’t help but be.”

Chancellor Bergen took a sip from the teacup that a maid had filled with tea.

“I am the Chancellor of this country. Above me is only His Majesty the Emperor, and no one else. Do you know what that means?”

“I have some idea. I suppose it means that informants throughout the Empire are at your disposal, Elder Chancellor.”

“A very accurate answer. I am the Chancellor of this country. The position of Chancellor allows me to easily handle all information coming in from across the Empire. For someone like me, obtaining information about a single person is easier than drinking cold tea.”

He continued his story.

“I am very interested in you. That ability of yours is not one that should be limited to running a repair shop. However, I cannot understand why you set up a repair shop near Glesius Academy. That aspect intrigued me.”

“Why is that? I would appreciate if you could enlighten me as to why my opening a repair shop has sparked your interest, Elder Chancellor.”

“Heh heh heh. Ability Users are beings who try to show off their abilities to others and use them to increase their value. But what did you do? You merely opened a shop. I found it puzzling. I couldn’t understand why an Ability User would travel such a long distance just to open a mere shop.”

It seemed that my decision to open a repair shop because I wanted to meet the heroine of Erasto Chronicle was incomprehensible to the Chancellor.

“Well, after meeting you, I can somewhat guess the reason. But it would be impolite to pry into that here. Follow me. I invited you today to see your ability.”

With those words, Chancellor Bergen rose from his seat.

I also stood up and followed him as he moved somewhere, and soon we came out to a small clearing behind the mansion.

Several people were standing in the clearing, and at the center were various objects.

There were small household tools, military weapons, and strange-looking instruments that looked like they might be used by magicians.

Some were things I had repaired before, while others I was seeing for the first time.

“I’ve heard your ability allows you to fix anything. If there’s anything you need to use your ability, please tell me.”

“Do you have a hammer? Not too large, but a hammer of appropriate size would be good.”

Since I hadn’t brought any tools with me, I asked the Chancellor if he could provide a hammer.

The Chancellor turned his head and nodded up and down.

A moment later, a hammer of a size appropriate for holding in one hand was presented to me.

It was slightly larger than the hammer I had found at the place where I met Epitrina, but it was actually more comfortable to grip and swing.

I took the hammer and approached the objects.

Most of the items were in poor condition. But I supposed that was why the Chancellor wanted me to fix them.

I chose the item that would create the biggest impact when repaired.

It was an expensive-looking sword.

Holding the hammer in one hand and the sword in the other, I struck it exactly three times.

With a faint glow, the sword was repaired, and I could feel the Chancellor’s gaze change as he watched me.

“Truly… remarkable. An ability that’s hard to believe even when seen with one’s own eyes.”