Ch.559The Next Morning

Ophelia seemed a bit flustered to discover that most of the information she had uncovered was already known. She had apparently hoped these details would serve as an excuse for shattering Isabella’s soul, but that ship had sailed.

Of course, I had no intention of scolding Ophelia. Without her, interrogating Isabella would have been impossible in the first place.

Besides, learning that Feirius could mobilize other races was quite a significant discovery. Conversely, this meant we could potentially track Feirius and his apostles by investigating these other races.

While it might not be immediately helpful, it was useful information for the future.

It also confirmed that Nidhogg was indeed buried beneath the sewers.

I wasn’t sure if the beast could awaken on its own without Isabella’s help, but now that we knew for certain where the corpse was buried, we needed to find and dismantle it as quickly as possible.

So that even if it did resurrect, it would do so as a cripple without wings, legs, or tail—only to die again immediately.

Still… I couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed.

—-

According to Ophelia, what she gained from tortur—I mean, interrogating Isabella wasn’t limited to knowledge or information.

Repeatedly experimenting with manipulating souls had apparently allowed her to reach greater heights in the art of soul manipulation.

The problem was that advancing in soul manipulation had no tactical significance whatsoever.

“What exactly are you going to use soul manipulation for…?”

“Um… well…?”

Ophelia seemed at a loss for words as she simply continued burning the Mana Herb in her mouth.

If we were some evil organization, it might make sense, but since we were essentially the opposite, soul manipulation was a magic with few practical applications.

A magician from an imperial viscounty openly displaying soul manipulation would cause as much controversy as me devouring someone in the middle of the street.

“How about your other magic besides soul manipulation?”

“I’ve improved my mana efficiency, but the power itself hasn’t changed much. I haven’t had the opportunity to build strength since defeating Isabella.”

Fair enough. She couldn’t have gotten stronger while locked away in her laboratory doing strange experiments. Not much different from Jahan, who had been confined to the mansion doing nothing but training.

“Hmm… then you should start participating in monster subjugation too. Build combat experience, increase your mana capacity, gain reputation. Staying buried in the basement all day will only lead to stagnation.”

I instructed Ophelia to hunt monsters under the Baron of Median name, just like the Rose Knights.

After all, I had hired her to utilize her magical abilities in combat, not to keep her as a permanent researcher.

“I don’t mind the subjugation itself… but who will take care of Claire while I’m gone?”

That was indeed a problem.

A close associate of a witch presumed dead, with severed hands and feet, unable to move properly on her own. To make matters worse, she had regressed to an infantile state, leaving Ophelia as her only caretaker.

“Can’t you just put her in that preservation fluid or whatever? Like you did before.”

“That still requires periodic maintenance. If something unexpected happens and my return is delayed, problems could arise.”

So we needed to find someone else—someone who wouldn’t be shocked by the laboratory or Claire’s condition, who would remain loyal and tight-lipped.

…I did have one subordinate who met those conditions.

“Ophelia. About maintaining the preservation fluid—does it have to be done by a mage?”

“Not necessarily. You just need to remove impurities and add nutrients. Why, are you offering to do it?”

“No, but I have a suitable subordinate. Hush, a half-fairy I brought from the Holy State… He follows me faithfully despite fearing me. And he knows how to keep secrets.”

Having worked for the Council of Dream Utopia, he wouldn’t be shocked by Claire’s condition, and if I warned him to keep quiet, he wouldn’t speak carelessly. There couldn’t be a better candidate.

“A half-fairy. You managed to find quite a rare species… Anyway, this isn’t something to decide hastily, so I should meet him first. Can I see him now?”

“Not right now. He’s passed out drunk after being victimized by Pernei. I’ve laid him down in the reception room, so you can meet him tomorrow.”

Ophelia looked dubious but seemed reluctant to refuse my suggestion, so she eventually nodded.

—-

After finishing my conversation with Ophelia, I left the basement and headed to my chambers in the mansion.

Since Isabella was the original owner of the mansion, my bedroom was naturally the one she had used.

Of course, I had no desire to sleep in a room permeated with bodily fluids and aphrodisiacs, and the mere thought of lying in her bed made my skin crawl. So I had everything replaced, from the furniture to the wallpaper.

It was still excessively luxurious, though.

When I left the remodeling to the staff, they filled the room with high-end furnishings, insisting that the head of a viscounty deserved such luxury.

An ivory velvet-curtained bed, tables and shelves adorned with gold and jewels, a mirrored vanity, and even a werebeast leather sofa.

There were even two portraits of me hanging on the wall behind the bed, painted by who knows who.

“Ah, sister! Are you done with your talk?” Lena greeted me cheerfully from where she was rolling around on the massive bed in the center of the room.

“More or less.”

I stubbed out my cigarette in the ashtray on the table, took off the uniform I’d received from the imperial palace, hung it on the rack, and sat on the bed in my underwear.

I was too lazy to change into nightclothes. Though physically fine, I was mentally exhausted, and if I lay down now, I’d probably fall asleep immediately.

It was a bit early for bed, but… I’d be busy again starting tomorrow, so getting a good night’s sleep tonight wouldn’t be a bad idea.

…After one more cigarette.

I loosened the bandages around my chest slightly, took a cigarette from the pack beside the bed, put it in my mouth, and cracked open the window by the headboard.

A cold breeze rushed in.

It’s a bit chilly. Maybe because I took off the werebeast fur.

Still sitting, I pulled the blanket around me like a cloak, and Lena slipped in, leaning against me.

“…It’ll smell like Mana Herb.”

“I don’t mind! The priests used to smoke a lot too!”

Lena grinned broadly, pressing the back of her head against my chest as if using it as a pillow.

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I’d smoked in front of Lena, so there was no need to worry about it. As long as I didn’t blow smoke in her face.

I held Lena like a doll, wrapped in the blanket with just my head turned toward the window, savoring my last cigarette before bed. Though with the wind blowing inward, it didn’t make much difference.

“What are you going to do tomorrow, Lena?”

“Hmm… I haven’t decided yet. What about you?”

“Me? Well, I…”

I chatted with Lena until my cigarette had burned away completely. A sense of comfort and drowsiness washed over me at being back home.

Though strictly speaking, this place was hardly what I’d call home either.

After adding another cigarette butt to the ashtray, Lena returned to her own bed and lay down. I closed the window and lay down in mine.

Lena seemed to want to sleep together, but that was a wish I couldn’t grant. According to Frider, my sleeping habit was to tightly embrace whatever was within reach.

If I let Lena sleep in my bed, I might wake up alone the next day.

“Yaaawn… Good night, Lena.”

“You too, sister…”

It didn’t take long for my consciousness to drift into dreams.

Though I had worried about having nightmares since this had been Isabella’s room, despite having removed all traces of her, fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.

—-

After waking up, everything was hectic. I had to attend a council meeting in the morning, so I had to get ready immediately after rising, and even after the meeting ended, there was still much to do.

I had to issue action guidelines to my companions, introduce Hush to Pernei and Ophelia (now sober), visit Asha’s workshop to have my armor repaired, and collect armor for the other Thousand Sword members.

Plus, there were academy matters to attend to.

“What? All the scales are broken? What on earth did you fight?”

Asha gaped in disbelief at the condition of the armor I handed her.

She clearly couldn’t imagine how scales capable of withstanding even a Master’s slash could be damaged to this extent.

“I fought a monster that destroyed an entire city. If it weren’t for your armor, I’d be dead.”

“That’s the highest praise for a blacksmith, but… sigh… this is troublesome. I can’t increase the durability any further with the current materials.”

Asha looked at me as if certain I would return with the armor shattered again.

In reality, considering what was to come, her prediction was likely accurate, so I just smiled awkwardly without responding.

“I have spare scales in storage, so the repair itself won’t take long. About an hour. Do you want to wait here?”

“No, I need to visit the imperial palace. I’ll come back when I’m done.”

I left my winter armor with Asha and loaded the other Thousand Sword members’ completed armor into the carriage.

Millia’s, Demian’s, Ophelia’s, Leonore’s, Nigel’s, and Jahan’s. All were protective gear with the same self-repair function as mine.

“Oh, and if you have leather to spare, could you make something like this?”

I also ordered new pants while I was at it.

Unlike my existing leather pants that reached my ankles, these would be hot pants that exposed my thighs entirely. It was the maximum compromise to effectively utilize the Blessing of Fire.

Since I couldn’t go around completely naked, I thought I’d at least shorten the pants.

Hersella objected, calling it vulgar, but it was absurd to hear such criticism from a woman who walked around wearing only a tank top on her chest, so I ignored her objection. Performance was more important than appearances, after all.

“Such short pants… It’s not impossible, but they wouldn’t be suitable for horseback riding, would they? And with your legs completely exposed, you’d be more vulnerable to injuries.”

“That won’t be a problem. I recently acquired a blessing that toughens my skin. I don’t need it now, but I want to wear them when the weather gets warmer.”

“I understand. I’ll make a prototype with Champion leather first, then create the proper product using dyed Rurik leather.”

“Great, thanks.”

After ordering other consumables that needed replenishing, such as daggers, I left Asha’s workshop and headed for the imperial palace.