“Don’t speak nonsense!” The minister for the army, Robert, slammed his hand on the table and shouted loudly, “Prime Theo’s accomplishments are enough to make him the new Red Tower Master! He reached the 7th Circle before the age of thirty and defeated one of the empire’s Seven Swords!”
“I can see that, Minister!” The minister of domestic affairs, Jerome, argued back, “I admit that his achievements are huge, but giving a Prime-level magician the title and estate of an earl might cause ripples in the currently stable political situation. We don’t know what the Empire is planning, so should we be fighting internally?”
“What are you talking?about?! The foundation of this kingdom is based on awarding merits and punishing faults. Why should we not reward a hero just because of nobles playing politics?!”
“Uh, this man is like this until the end!”
After Theo had finished his story and received permission from Kurt III to leave, everyone was in a state of shock. However, they then exploded into fierce debate.
They were split into two camps. Robert’s camp wanted to publicize Theo’s achievements and give him a huge reward, while the other side led by Jerome thought it wasn’t a good time to publicize it. It was very intense because neither side was wrong.
The person in question had managed to reach the 7th Circle in unprecedented speed and killed one of the Empire’s Seven Swords. There was no way Meltor would neglect this type of person. At the same time, it was also true that a massive reward would cause political upheaval. High ranking magicians generally weren’t part of the political scene nor sought fame, so the nobles had never felt hostile or tried to oppress them.
However, that balance could be overturned once Theodore Miller arrived on the scene.
It’s hilarious that this problem only exists because his merits are too big.?
Kurt III was laughing inside as he listened to the debate. His feelings were closer to Robert’s but a king had to take everything into consideration. Jerome was correct in that the Empire hadn’t shown any reaction yet, and publicly rewarding Theo might spark a retaliatory offensive.
“Stop,” Kurt III spoke sternly, and everyone fell silent. “I understand your opinions about Prime Theo. The words of both the minister of the military and the minister of domestic affairs are reasonable.”
Problems at a kingdom’s level were rarely cut and dry. It was common for both sides to be correct, leaving him to make a decision. Kurt III had guided the kingdom for a long time, so he was accustomed to this kind of decision.
He closed his eyes for a moment as he sat on the throne.
Then he said, “Listen carefully!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“At 9 a.m. tomorrow, invite Baron Dennis Miller to Manavil to be conferred the title of earl. Once his heir takes over the title, Theodore Miller will become a marquis. It is the same for his estate. Until that happens, Prime Theo will be treated as an honorary marquis. Understood?”
“We will follow Your Majesty’s words!” The other people bowed as they admired Kurt’s judgment.
Earl and Marquis weren’t simple titles in Meltor. They were ranks where nobles could step into official affairs and discuss the administration of the state. What would happen if a famous magician of the 7th Circle received this position? The nobles might not have as much power as other countries, but they would unite in order to avoid losing more power. They would try to find a way to balance Kurt III’s strengthening influence.
But it isn’t a problem to be concerned about right now.
Kurt smiled coldly at the ministers. Since Kurt’s rule began, the nobles’ influence had continued to shrink, and the arrogant ones couldn’t afford to do anything due to the conflict with the Empire. However, everyone in this room had sensed it. The long war with the Andras Empire was nearing its end. Meltor would either win and unify the north, or be completely defeated. Whatever the result, there was no way for the nobles to escape losing power.
Theo didn’t care about power or wealth, but he willingly accepted the noble title in order to move his family to the safer capital region.
“Okay, it has been decided. Prime Theo will be rewarded according to the Tower Masters’ judgment. I hope you don’t argue about the decision.”
“We will follow Your Majesty’s will!”
From the minister of the military to the minister of domestic affairs, no one argued. In fact, Jerome was only worried that Theo would cause unnecessary confusion in this country. He didn’t actually want to prevent Theo from getting a good reward.
The king smiled at the unanimous agreement. He turned to Blundell. “That reminds me, Blue Tower Master.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Blundell responded.
“What is the current state of the Red Tower Master? Has her border patrol finished yet?”
“It seems like it. Based on yesterday’s report, she will be back in a week.”
Veronica always seemed selfish, but she was actually quite sincere. Just as Blundell had done last year, Veronica was touring the border with the empire. However, when Kurt heard the answer, a question came to his mind.
“White Tower Master,” Kurt called out.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Has this news reached Veronica?” Kurt meant Theo’s return.
Orta immediately understood and nodded. “It’s likely. I told my intelligence service that conveying the news to her was top priority.”
“This…”
“Hah…”
Blundell and Kurt sighed deeply at the same time.
“… I guess we’ll see her in three days.”
“This old man thinks so as well.”
The two men thought about how ridiculously ecstatic Veronica would be once she heard the news and looked at each other. The news of the emergence of a new 7th Circle magician and the death of one of the Empire’s Seven Swords… how much of a storm would that cause? Things would only become worse once Veronica returned to the capital.
They couldn’t help but feel a headache brewing.
At that moment, Orta whispered in Kurt’s ear from where he was standing.
[Your Majesty, there was a request from the Yellow Tower Master.]
Kurt glanced at him, and scratched his chin in a gesture to tell him more.
[It is a request for a meeting with Prime Theo. How should I deal with it?]
“Hrmm.” This time, Kurt couldn’t hide his confusion.
The mysterious Yellow Tower Master had kept quiet even when the throne had changed hands, so Kurt couldn’t guess the reason for his sudden interest in Theo. However, the Yellow Tower Master was different from the other Tower Masters.
Kurt didn’t answer and nodded before raising his voice, “Everybody listen up.”
As all eyes concentrated on him, Kurt firmly declared, “Apart from the promotion of Prime Theo and Baron Dennis Miller, I will strictly prohibit everyone from approaching him for the time being. He is a hero who achieved great merit. I want him to rest comfortably.”
“We will follow Your Majesty’s words!” 𝒃𝒆𝒐𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Orta understood the hidden meaning behind the command and smiled faintly. This was Kurt’s answer to the Yellow Tower Master’s request. It was the consideration of Kurt III, who stopped any meetings so that Theo could rest comfortably for the time being.
***
On the other hand, Theo returned to his room after the meeting with the top brass of Meltor.
“Hah, did I make any mistakes?”
He wasn’t a hero who was good at talking. Theo had reached the 7th Circle, but he was still a young man in his early twenties. He couldn’t remain completely calm when facing the king and two Tower Masters. He was already thinking himself lucky that he didn’t stutter while telling his story. Besides, what good was it to regret what had already happened?
Theo relaxed slightly as he looked at the room he hadn’t seen for more than a year.
“It’s clean?”
Someone had looked after his room. Theo had cleaned his room before leaving, and it looked exactly the same as back then. There was no dust on the bookshelves, while the bed had a fragrant scent like the sheets had been washed and dried in the sun.
He changed his clothes and flopped onto his bed without any hesitation. He felt like he could fall asleep instantly if he just let himself. All the tension which had unknowingly piled up was being released.
I really am back.
In retrospect, it had been an absurd adventure from beginning to end. He had encountered enemies as soon as he crossed the border. There had been an unexpected windfall at the underground auction, and he’d interfered with the Orcus Company and its warlocks. Then he’d run to the Pirate Archipelago, stumbled across Aquilo, and fought against Superbia.
What about the way back? Nobody could’ve anticipated meeting a sword master with a god-sword. It was a crisis that even nine lives wouldn’t have solved.
“… Ah.”
He felt his tension melt away at the familiar scent of his bed. His body was about to melt into the bed itself.
From tomorrow, life in the magic tower would begin again. He had to meet Sylvia and look at the magic formulas and theories which had been developed during his absence. Even though he hadn’t met her today, he had to say hello to Veronica…
However, Theo’s thoughts trailed off. His eyelids slowly fell to cover his bright eyes, and his breathing settled. The expressionless face that masked his age relaxed as he fell asleep, leaving a sleeping Theo that did fit his age.
[… Horororong…]
Mitra suddenly appeared on his white pillow and started quietly snoring. She had been sleeping ever since they had left the Soldun Kingdom. Theo hadn’t realized it, but the leaves and stem of her bud had grown a little longer. An ancient elemental was different from ordinary elementals, and her growth was still continuing.
Mitra groaned into the pillow as she slept.
[Hoiii… Horong?]
It might be a coincidence, or maybe it was caused by her drool.
Wuuong…
The bud of the sleeping Mitra twitched, and split into two. The seed of the world tree had been planted in an ancient elemental, and a flower was now growing from the bud.
However, the sleeping Theo didn’t know it yet.