Seventh: Chapter 4 - Monster

 

"I was terribly tired, but after waking up, I endured the sleepiness and ate breakfast.

The breakfast served at the inn didn't look particularly appetizing, but it was warm, and perhaps because my body needed it, it tasted good when I ate it.

Seeing me like that, Novem looked relieved.

'You seemed awfully tired yesterday, but you look fine today, don't you? Your complexion isn't bad either.'

Since waking up, I've been completely dependent on Novem.

I even let her help me wash my face, brush my teeth, and set my hair. Several times, I heard the First Generation's voice shouting at me, mostly telling me not to rely on Novem.

For some reason, they seem to be quite concerned about Novem."

"It's not just the First Generation.

From the Fourth Generation back—the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Generations—they all seem to be somewhat lenient with Novem.

As for the Fifth Generation and onwards, perhaps because Novem's family is a vassal house, they don't say anything even when she's taking care of me.

'I still feel a bit tired, but I guess I'm better than yesterday. We'll be traveling all day today, so maybe we should finish our shopping and wait for the wagon at the entrance.'

'Yes, that's right. We have a water bottle, so we'll need to buy preserved food and consumables.'

Novem is prepared, but I hardly have any luggage. Even the merchants said I was too lightly equipped for travel.

'We should buy everything we can here, and in the next town, we'll need to look for weapons too.'

I'm currently unarmed.

In Zel's hut, there were things like a鉈 (nata - a type of cleaver/hatchet), but no knives. It's probably not a good idea to carry such things around, so I plan to buy them somewhere.

'Do they have sabers?'

Novem makes a slightly difficult face. She probably remembered the saber I used to have.

'I think they'll have them if they're not masterpieces. However, I can't really comment on the quality of weapons...'

Novem looks apologetic, but she originally studied holy-attribute magic. Unlike me, she's solely focused on being a full-fledged magic user, a complex and difficult holy-attribute magic user at that.

Though, she can use other magic as well."

"Didn't you bring your staff? The staff Novem had was a magic tool, wasn't it?"

A magic tool is a weapon that has a skill sealed within it. It's used when an individual wants to use multiple skills, as they usually only possess one.

Nowadays, these are more common than orbs.

"I apologize. I left that at the Fox's family home. As it's something that could be called a family heirloom, I felt it would be presumptuous for me to take it. However, even if my magic isn't on par with your Lord Lyell's, I have still studied it. I will prove myself useful."

"Oh, is that so?"

The Five Greats and Two Heavens.

That's the foundation of magic.

In addition to the Five Great attributes—Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning—there are two attributes known as the Two Heavens: Holy and Dark.

Among nobles, it's not uncommon for many to be proficient magic users. However, nowadays, most magic users come from the upper classes; some nobles, especially those from knightly houses, cannot use magic.

While each individual has a preferred attribute, a magic user can generally handle all attributes.

Novem, however, is simply trained as a specialist.

'How admirable... what a good girl,' the First Generation's voice was heard. Knowing that Novem was from the Fox's family, who they had been indebted to, he was clearly showing favoritism.

Piecing together the stories from the First Generation and others, the Walt family apparently owes an extraordinary debt to the Fox's family.

However, perhaps due to the changing times, the Walt family now treats the Fox's family as vassals. This seems unforgivable to the First Generation and the others.

Especially the Second and Fourth Generations, who were apparently greatly indebted, keep loudly telling me to take good care of Novem.

'Lyell, maybe you should try a bit harder yourself. You're relying too much on Novem-chan,' the Second Generation said, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

(Wait, if they've been indebted for generations, it's not just me who's relying on them...)

Unable to talk to my ancestors in front of Novem, I let their words pass through me and continued the conversation.

"Today, we're stopping by a nearby village, and then we'll reach our destination town, right? Should we just walk out of the territory from there?"

Novem showed reluctance at my suggestion.

"That's fine, but if possible, let's depart with a group of merchants. The two of us alone will stand out and become targets."

It seems my idea was a bad one. Even the First Generation interjected.

'Why don't you even know such basic things?! This guy is too much of a spoiled brat. Walt family men are supposed to be more wild!'

But the Second Generation retorted to that opinion.

'Shut up! You're not wild, you're an idiot!''You! What kind of attitude is that towards your father! Let's take this outside!''We can't go outside, you idiot!'(Ugh, they're so noisy...)

Before departing, I went to the inn town to buy the necessary tools for my journey.

We left the inn town, spent a night in a village, and arrived at the next town the following day.

This town, located on the edge of the Walt family's territory, served as a crucial transit point connecting the Walt lands with other territories. Because of its strategic importance for defense, a fort was built nearby, and the town had a larger number of soldiers than other settlements.

We reached the town in the evening. The merchants immediately came to thank us, as we had helped them in a village we stopped at along the way. Novem, in particular, was very efficient in her assistance. I, on the other hand, did very little—mostly just watched.

"Thank you for helping us in the village," one merchant said, handing me some copper coins. "No monsters appeared, but please take this as payment for your efforts."

"Thank you very much," Novem replied, even though I was the one who received the coins.

"You've certainly found yourself a very attentive young lady, brother," another merchant commented. "I'm quite envious!"

"Ah, um..." I mumbled a vague reply, which prompted the Fourth Generation's voice to erupt.

"You should have said something more charming to boost Novem-chan's affection! Couldn't you have said something like, 'She's too good for me!'?"

But then, the Fifth Generation quietly mumbled in response.

"You just can't settle down unless you say that, because Mom gave you such a hard time, can you? Honestly..." (What is with these guys? Are these really my ancestors?)

It wasn't that I didn't want to acknowledge them, but I certainly had a few things to say.

"If you're heading for your destination, Dalion, there should be a wagon to the royal capital from a large city. You'll be safe once you get there, but please be careful. While the Walt family is thorough with monster extermination, there are many dangerous places in other territories."

After thanking the merchants for their explanation and parting ways, Novem and I decided to look for an inn.

We didn't have time to shop today, so we planned to spend two or three days at an inn to prepare.

This was because of a problem with me—or rather, with the orb.

Apparently, the orb's skill slots were filled when a skill manifested in me. The Third Generation said that after encompassing eight skills, the orb had become a "Sacred Orb" (宝玉 - Hōgyoku).

Until now, it had only been used to utilize skills, but the ability to converse with my ancestors, the previous users, was also a new effect of the Sacred Orb.

(For me, it's just noisy...)

However, the Sacred Orb wasn't perfect. Conversing with my ancestors and using skills, naturally, required a driving force.

This consumed my magic power.

(The reason I've been feeling so tired lately is because of the unfamiliar journey and the Sacred Orb.)

In other words, the reason for my constant fatigue was that my magic power was being consumed every time my ancestors spoke up. Like dust accumulating to form a mountain, it added up.

"Lord Lyell, how about this place? The price seems reasonable for the facilities."

Novem found an inn, and I decided to follow her lead. Truthfully, I couldn't tell the difference between good and bad inns; they all looked the same to me.

"I hope they have a bath."

"I'm sorry. This is also the type of inn where you borrow a bucket for hot water."

As Novem looked apologetic, the Fourth Generation got angry.

"You're always asking for luxuries like that!" (Stop it. If you yell so loudly, my magic power will just keep draining.)

The sensation of having my magic power consumed by others was truly unpleasant. It was taxing both mentally and physically.

I fell asleep at the inn and found myself in the familiar room I had been summoned to before.

This room, which appeared when summoned inside the Sacred Orb, seemed to be a created image. It was where I conversed with my ancestors, yet it also felt like I was dreaming.

The usual noisy crowd of ancestors was present, but today, it seemed there was an important discussion.

"I've been thinking, and I actually have an idea—" the First Generation began, but the Second Generation cut him off.

The First Generation, with his "barbarian style," sulked a bit, annoyed that his opinion wasn't being heard.

"More importantly, shouldn't we decide on some rules for our conversations? At this rate, it looks like Lyell is going to collapse."

Perhaps concerned about my magic power, my grandfather (the Third Generation) agreed with the Second Generation's suggestion.

"You guys are too loud! What if our grandson collapses?!"

It seemed my ancestors were just memories recorded in the Sacred Orb, and skills themselves. It wasn't as if a part of their souls remained. They were, in fact, dead.

However, they continued to exist within the Sacred Orb as records and skills. Apparently, they appeared in their prime and retained their personalities, making them seem no different from when they were alive.

Then, the Third Generation spoke.

"Let's choose a moderator. Marks, you do it."

At this, the remaining six agreed, likely because no one else wanted the role.

"No objections. Good luck." "Sounds good." "Agreed." "You... you guys are just dumping this all on me!"

The Fourth Generation was furious, but couldn't change the flow of the discussion. And perhaps because he was naturally a worrier, he reluctantly accepted the role.

The rule-making continued thereafter.

"If we use individual names like 'Father' or 'Grandfather,' Lyell will get confused, so let's unify it by calling ourselves 'First Generation,' 'Second Generation,' and so on."

When the Third Generation spoke, there were no objections.

"Then, considering Lyell's limited magic power, let's aim for minimal conversation."

"...Are you subtly insulting me?"

The Fifth Generation stated bluntly. In fact, the Fifth Generation felt the most merciless.

"Because it is limited, isn't it? It's absurd to hit your limit after using magic just a few times. That's a level unusable in actual combat."

My ancestors told me my magic power was meager as the rule-making concluded. Honestly, after training quite a bit, being told it was "limited" felt like an insult.

"Hey, listen up, all of you! I'm the First Generation of the Walt family, for crying out loud! I'm important!"

At that point, the First Generation finally snapped at the group who wouldn't listen to him.

Hearing this, the Second Generation scoffed. It seemed there was a long-standing feud between the First and Second Generations.

The Fourth Generation, acting as moderator, adjusted his glasses and granted permission for the First Generation to speak.

"Since we need to be mindful of magic power consumption, please keep it brief, First Generation."

"...You could at least add 'sama.' Oh, anyway, my business concerns Lyell's sister. Was she a perfect and enchanting young lady? Lyell, I have a question."

"Yes."

The First Generation's unusually serious demeanor made me listen intently as well.

"Isn't your sister, for her age, remarkably beautiful, even exquisite? To an almost irregular degree. I bet men flock to her."

Hearing that, I pondered for a moment. For a thirteen-year-old, "seductive" certainly was a fitting description for my sister.

Naturally, though our parents wouldn't admit it, there had been numerous marriage proposals. Some even came from the heirs of prestigious houses.

"Yes, that's right. For her age... and this isn't just family bias, but she was beautiful. More than cute, she was genuinely stunning and beautiful."

"I see. And you also mentioned that the atmosphere of the mansion was strange. It was normal until you were ten, wasn't it? Then it suddenly changed, you said."

I nodded silently. It was a painful memory, recalling how I desperately tried to get attention and how those efforts went unrewarded.

"No doubt about it!"

Then, the First Generation slammed his fist on the table and boldly declared a fact about my sister.

"Your sister—Celeste—is a monster!"

"...Huh?" "...Ugh." (Collective groan/reaction from other ancestors)

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned awkward. The serious mood had made everyone listen intently, and this was the result.

The Fourth Generation declared the end of today's meeting.

"Alright. We've set the rules today, so that's enough. We'll avoid daily meetings, but we'll contact Lyell from our side when we want to hold one."

"Ah, yes, please do that!"

I rejoiced at the thought of less magic power consumption. The others, hearing "disband," also began to leave the room. I assumed they could leave because there was a door, but it seemed they each had their own rooms.

"That's all, good work everyone." "Good work!" "Later~" "Haaah, I thought they were more serious than usual, but it came to this."

As they each returned to their rooms, the First Generation fumed.

"Listen, you guys! I'm serious! She's really a monster!"

Wanting to leave myself, I found I could vanish from the spot. I gave my final farewell and decided to disappear.

"Ah, well then, good work everyone!"

"You guysss!!"

The First Generation's yell echoed through what seemed to be the conference room.