Chapter 17 - Exemption Mission and Non-Mages (2)
A northwestern city within the Elsyde territory.
Leopold.
A place quite inconvenient to reach, requiring a long journey along unpaved roads. A small city geographically isolated, surrounded by large mountain ranges.
And a place quite familiar to Enoch. Especially this mansion before his eyes.
「Leopold Administrator's Mansion」
It was a very large mansion.
Old but exuding a classic atmosphere, a luxurious place equipped with a large garden and villas.
Enoch smiled faintly at the familiar scenery.
A place he had visited many times in the game.
It was not significantly different from the mansion of five years later.
"The appointed time is approaching, young master,"
Lien said in a clear voice from beside him.
Enoch glanced sideways, looking at her standing respectfully by his side.
Since agreeing to cooperate at the banquet, Lien had not left his side at all.
'I didn't even expect Lien to accompany me on this exemption mission.'
It was a bit unexpected that she would follow him to the mission site. But from his perspective, there was no reason to refuse Lien's company.
Lien was a mage of at least the 10th rank. There would be no more powerful assistant than her.
There was no reason to refuse help.
Including the Main Houses and numerous magic prestigious families of the Empire, all the exemption missions that had existed until now had ended in failure.
'The main reason for the failure of most exemption missions is death.'
That meant that the subjects of the exemption mission were assigned incredibly difficult tasks.
Therefore, it was originally such a harsh mission that one would wonder if they should even bring along the Follower Families.
Naturally, the more people accompanying the mission, the better.
'And... it was me who received the exemption mission without even consulting Lien, who I had agreed to cooperate with.'
Since the exemption mission was so dangerous, it was obvious that Lien would not have agreed to it in the first place.
But for him, staying in the family through the exemption mission was necessary in many ways.
So it was Enoch himself who took on the exemption mission without Lien's knowledge.
Therefore, since they had agreed to cooperate with the common goal of ensuring Enoch's safety, there was nothing he could say about her accompaniment.
In fact, he was the one who acted arbitrarily first.
Rather, from his point of view, there was no reason to refuse her company, so he couldn't ask for more.
But that was separate from the other thing.
Enoch was becoming increasingly curious about this maid named Lien.
'I had roughly expected it, but I didn't think she would be this sincere in protecting Enoch's safety.'
Enoch recalled his life over the past few days like a revolving lantern.
When eating in the room, when studying the necessary knowledge, and even in the moments of sleeping and waking up, Lien was always by his side, watching him coldly.
Literally, Lien was always stuck to Enoch's side.
Of course, she was a beauty on the outside, but seeing her act so blindly for Enoch was sometimes eerie.
'...Of course, Lien's purpose is to protect Enoch's body, so her actions are understandable.'
A maid who tries so blindly to protect Enoch's body.
Come to think of it, even before she began to suspect him, she seemed to be quite attached to Enoch.
'What kind of relationship did the original Enoch and Lien have?'
No matter what, it seemed far from simple loyalty.
Enoch glanced at Lien, hiding a slightly puzzled expression.
He had been thinking about it for a while, but he didn't know what had happened between Lien and Enoch in the past that made her act like this.
Moreover, the fact that Lien was an excellent mage of the 10th rank amplified his curiosity even more.
Surely the servants of the Fortress, such as maids and butlers, had set quitting times.
But for her, who was always attached to him like a shadow, there seemed to be almost no personal time.
'But...'
Enoch thought about Lien for a moment, then glanced at her walking beside him now.
The biggest question he had been thinking about since earlier.
Enoch brought up the words he had been trying to ask her long before arriving here.
"Your, attire?"
A black dress with a pure white apron.
As always, Lien's attire was still a maid uniform.
Of course, it was her work uniform at the family's Fortress, where she worked, but to insist on wearing that outfit even outside.
But Lien asked back coldly as if there was no problem.
"Is there a problem?"
"...No."
Enoch decided to just ignore it after hearing Lien's cool, emotionless tone, wondering where to even begin pointing out.
Well, perhaps it wasn't that strange to walk around the streets in a maid uniform in this world.
'Especially around these residential areas, it might feel even more natural.'
Indeed, female employees in maid attire were often seen walking around the mansions here and there.
"Thank you for your hard work on the long journey. It is an honor to meet a member of the esteemed Elsyde family."
Some time after arriving at the mansion.
A man entered the reception room and greeted them.
A man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. From his luxurious formal attire and refined demeanor, it was clear that he was a quite sociable person.
"I am Oscar Wise, the administrator of the small city of Leopold."
"I am Enoch Elsyde."
"...I have heard a lot about you. I didn't expect a direct descendant of the Elsyde family to come for this matter."
He said, outwardly showing polite respect.
But Enoch did not miss the subtle expression that briefly crossed his face.
'He's looking down on me.'
Well, even if it was a small city, he was the administrator of the Elsyde territory.
It would be more unnatural if he had never heard of Enoch.
Elsyde, the center of countless magic prestigious families in the Empire, scattered throughout the Empire.
A Main House that had been at the pinnacle of the Empire for a long time, producing many elite combat mages, and a focal point where high-ranking mages, whose ranks most imperial citizens could never reach in their lifetime, gathered in droves.
Most of the events that take place here become huge topics of conversation even for ordinary people.
Who in the Main House is in what relationship with whom, what kind of work they are doing, and what kind of evaluation they have received.
Even all the trivial matters within the family are reported to the public in considerable detail through the media.
Because those news become the basis for determining the family's "reputation."
What about Enoch, the only non-mage among the direct descendants who will be responsible for the family's future?
"I heard that you have already received the details about this matter,"
The administrator asked with a smile.
Enoch nodded, recalling the directive containing the details of this mission.
-
「The Whereabouts of the Missing」
Recently. At an orphanage where non-mage children of Leopold City gather, several children have gone missing.
The methods of abduction cannot be determined because the perpetrators have left no evidence or traces.
The search and rescue operations conducted by the dispatched personnel of Elsyde have already failed twice.
In addition, a major incident occurred in which the 13th rank mage of Elsyde, who was dispatched to the mission last time, went missing.
Since time has already been delayed, the fate of the abducted children is uncertain.
Therefore, prioritize the rescue of the recently dispatched mage. Investigate the fate and rescue of the abducted children as a secondary priority.
「Recommended Magic Affiliations: Search, Tracking, Purification, Defense」
-
He knew all of it, but roughly summarizing it would be this much.
'To blatantly prioritize the rescue of the Elsyde-affiliated mage who went missing during the rescue operation, rather than the kidnapping of the orphans, which was the original cause of this mission.'
How brazenly they reveal it.
Well, the principle of action of the Main Houses, called the pillars of the Empire, is only thorough self-interest.
There would be nothing strange about prioritizing the missing 13th rank mage over the missing non-mage orphans.
'Although not comparable to Lien's 10th rank or higher, a 13th rank mage is quite skilled.'
It is the Empire's Main Houses' specialty to put a price on life according to the skill of the mages.
They would never abandon such talent in exchange for non-mage orphans in a mere backwater city.
In the end, blood is always thicker than water.
The fact that it is a world where mages live does not make it any different.
Enoch suddenly asked the administrator.
"But... what is the reason for running an orphanage in this mansion, at your own expense?"
The administrator looked outside the reception room.
The wide garden spread out below the window.
There, several children were seen laughing and playing under the protection of a supervising teacher.
"Non-mage children who are left on the streets must have a place to eat and sleep."
Oscar muttered with a pitiful expression.
"Children with magical talent have a way to be taken care of by the Empire somehow. But children without magical talent are not accepted by anyone. This place was created for those children."
In other words, the children of the Leopold Orphanage were not just simple orphans on the streets.
Children who were thoroughly alienated from the Magic Empire's system.
Boys and girls who could not use magic, born to be abandoned from the start.
Of course, not all non-mages are left on the streets, but a significant number of children end up that way.
Enoch was already well aware of these facts.
"I don't know why they kidnapped children who were ostracized from society for not having magical talent. And what happened to the Elsyde-affiliated mage who went missing while trying to rescue those children... My heart feels heavy whenever I think about it."
Oscar said with a somber expression.
"I would be relieved if they just asked for a ransom. But there has been no contact from the kidnapper who abducted the children. This makes me even more anxious."
As he said, in the Atlas Magic Empire, the greatest value was magical ability.
Even Enoch, the son of a count, was despised for being a non-mage.
Therefore, logically, there was no reason for the kidnapper to abduct children who did not even have any magical talent.
The purpose of the perpetrator, who has kidnapped them and has not even demanded money, is completely unknown.
"...I hope those poor children are safe..."
But there was almost no hope in Oscar's voice as he muttered that.
Since the mages who were first deployed to the mission had already gone missing and even time had been delayed, it was already a foregone conclusion that the abducted children had little chance of being alive.
'...That's what actually happened.'
And Enoch already knew how the mission, which had reached the point of the original work, was portrayed.
「The abducted children meet a tragic fate.」
「The missing mage was never found.」
「......Thus, five years passed.」
In the original story, five years pass without finding the children and the missing mage.
'According to the official history, this mission is originally after the disappearance of the 13th rank mage. Several more search attempts to find him fail. And then the family leaves it abandoned until the time of the original story.'
In the Elsyde Main House, this mission is actually in a rather ambiguous position.
If we look at it coldly, this missing persons case is a problem that would be solved in an instant if some high-level mages from Elsyde came.
But the reality does not flow so simply.
Elsyde is in a position to be responsible for all the territories it oversees.
It is common for higher-ranking mages with excellent mission performance capabilities to be pulled out or assigned to more urgent and important missions.
Therefore, in the end, they have no choice but to prioritize the dispatch of excellent personnel to more urgent problems than the disappearance of orphans in this remote small city.
Dangerous magical beast extermination or maintenance of public order in conflict zones that cannot be resolved by the imperial army alone.
Or, they have no choice but to give priority to dispatching personnel to high-value missions requested by those with political interests.
'Therefore, the only ones who have the capacity to take on such missions are mages with mid-level positions in the family at best...'
Even then, the mid-level mage in the family who was a 13th rank mage dispatched to this case went missing.
Even the personnel dispatched additionally to find the missing person all fail to find even a clue to rescue and complete the mission.
Due to such a worst-case precedent, even the applicants who wanted to take on this mission disappeared from the family.
In other words, it means that it is stamped as a difficult mission that is difficult for even mid- to low-level mages to apply for, not mages with outstanding mission performance capabilities who are assigned to other urgent missions.
It is calculated that supporting other missions would be more beneficial for them to increase their achievements than this difficult mission in which the advance party has only repeated failures.
As a result, for these reasons, the case of the missing orphans is left unattended until the original story flows for several years.
The world is infinitely cruel to the alienated, and ironically, it was no different in this world where magic exists.
'And after that, this incident spreads to a big incident in the original story.'
Enoch looked out the window for a moment.
A small city that seemed peaceful came into view.
But the scenery of the street, overlaid with his memories, was a complete hell.
Enoch could already hear the screams he had seen in the original story like tinnitus.
-Kkyaaaaaaak!
-Save me! Please, help me here...!
Five years from now.
Not long after the original story begins.
[Magical Beasts] that suddenly appeared in Leopold destroy and ravage the city.
'Magical Beasts originally appear naturally.'
The heteromorphic and powerful monsters that originally appear in the remote regions of the Empire or the sea are called Magical Beasts.
Most Magical Beasts take the form of beasts or plants.
But the ones that appeared here were different.
'The Magical Beasts that appeared in Leopold. Unlike the Magical Beasts in the remote regions of the Empire that naturally appear, they were creatures with a completely different 'human' form.'
The [Magical Beasts] that appeared here were, surprisingly, monsters with a hideous appearance that was half human and half beast.
People whose limbs were torn apart and eaten by such unprecedented Magical Beasts cried out.
Buildings collapse, and children trying to run away are crushed without a trace.
Only screams and blood splatter, the original city.
That was the future of Leopold that Enoch knew.
'...In terms of in-game standards, it was a mission that boasted extreme difficulty.'
「EP. 43: Magical Beasts Created by Experimentation」
[Magical Beasts] pour out suddenly and endlessly from the underground of the small city.
This city is destroyed by violent experimental subjects who attack with massive quantities and power, to the point where even numerous high-ranking mages who were urgently dispatched to resolve this sudden disaster struggle.
'That incident is directly linked to the route where Enoch dies in the official history.'
And those [Magical Beasts] created by such experiments spread throughout the Empire for some reason and 'tracked down and attacked the direct descendants of Elsyde.'
The first victim was a non-mage who had been disowned by the Elsyde family at the time.
It was Enoch.
'That's why I had to solve this incident first. Because it is related to Enoch's death flag.'
In the original story, it was not revealed for what purpose the 'Magical Beasts' were created. And why they attacked the direct descendants of Elsyde in particular.
At that time, he had only moved according to the quests of the original story.
However, having become Enoch Elsyde.
In the current situation, only one thing was certain.
Through this mission, which is the beginning of the experimental [Magical Beasts] being created, he had to remove Enoch's death flag in advance.
'And in the original story, the place where Magical Beasts are created by experiments is...'
At that moment, cutting off his recollection, the administrator spoke in a polite tone.
"Enoch-nim. I am sorry, but I must go back to work now. If I leave the office for too long, there will be many delays."
He added with a rather apologetic look.
"However, I have prepared some items that may be helpful in carrying out your mission. From now on, my butler will guide you to the mansion's storage."
Enoch nodded, and the administrator bowed and left the room. The butler bowed.
"I will guide you from now on."
He walked for a long time, following the butler's guidance.
Finally, when he reached the top of the mansion.
He walked to the huge door at the end of the hallway and deployed his mana, flowing it into the door.
Clatter, click!
The sound of complex mechanical locks being released was heard from the entire door, and the heavy iron door opened.
Numerous types of artifacts were revealed before Enoch's eyes as he entered.
"These are the items that the administrator supports for your mission. Please choose what you want to use."
Enoch nodded.
Of course, the more artifacts, the better.
But artifacts that do not suit him or are unnecessary for this mission are just increasing unnecessary baggage in the end.
That's why all he needed this time was just one.
Enoch ignored all the other artifacts on display in the showcase and picked something up.
"That's...!"
The butler looked at him with a slightly astonished expression.
To pick 'that' out of all the different types of artifacts.
"Are you, are you really okay with that?"
Enoch nodded at his words.
Enoch glanced at the artifact he had chosen and put it in his arms.
'Everything else is useless.'
After all, Enoch, who is a non-mage, cannot even use the other items. In the current situation, there is no other answer but 'this.'
"Do you have any questions or need any supplies..."
Enoch shook his head briefly to the butler in a flustered tone. Ignoring the butler looking at him with a slightly strange expression, he left the door.
Lien naturally followed him behind him.
While walking down the deserted hallway, she glanced at him and asked quietly.
"What are you trying to do?"
"First, gather evidence."
Since he already knows how this incident will unfold, he naturally knows how to solve it.
'That's why I'm just doing the things that need to be done step by step right now.'
Just because you know how to untie a knot doesn't mean the order in which you untie it changes.