Wizard Stone - Chapter 716



Only Krnovel

716. People don’t change easily,

“Wow, that’s ridiculous.”

“This is a scam.”

“What? Roy cheated?”

“No, you did it. What do you think makes you so pretty that Roy would cheat you and give you gold? Three golds at that!”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not a scam.”

I was also very surprised when I checked it myself.

I thought Eredin would get first place and Tali would get second place, but it was the opposite. I never thought Tali would get the highest score.

Even if you take out the 3 points from Dian, she was still first place. She received that many 2s and 1s.

“How can this be?”

“What on earth have you done?”

“What are you doing? You just do well as usual. Be honest, okay?”

“Oh, shit.”

“You, if you do something like that one more time… … .”

“What if we do it? Let’s go out together?”

As Tali put her hand on her scabbard as if she was glad, all the mercenaries who had been criticizing her quietly backed away.

No matter what, it’s impossible to fight Tali.

Perhaps voting is also a fitting outcome.

It’s only natural that skilled mercenaries are popular.

Plus, Tali is the only female among them. The mere fact that she is a female mercenary is enough to earn her points.

In fact, Tali was the only one who received equal marks from both boys and girls.

Although, there is a peculiarity that he likes monster byproducts… … .

If you think about it, it’s not a big deal. Also, liking breasts is a natural thing for men.

Oh, it’s a girl.

anyway.

It’s not like I was chosen for no reason.

No, but… … .

“If you live honestly, it will all come back to you. You guys should do well too. It might be hard for you like me, but you should at least do something similar.”

Looking at that scene, I’m a little worried. I wonder if I can really leave Dian to Tali.

Well, I guess I can’t help it now.

“Roy, where are you?”

“Go get some rest.”

Of course, I wasn’t really going to rest.

I’ve been busy managing things so far, so I just wanted to have some personal time.

For example, something like magic training. I haven’t been able to do any proper training because I’ve been busy with the graduation exams.

It was the same whether I practiced alone or with others.

I continued to make and hand out fire swords, but that was it. It had already been over ten days since I had trained with Luna and Millie.

Should I suggest that we practice together for a while?

“Luna.”

“Oh, Roy. That’s good timing. I was going to call you anyway.”

“Me? Why?”

“Luisa wants to see you.”

“who?”

“This is the lord’s wife.”

“Oh, Louisa Tilly?”

“This is Luisa Arpen.”

“Yes, Luisa Arpen. Why did she do that to me?”

“Well, maybe we should talk about it?”

“What are you talking about… … .”

“I don’t know about that. If you have time now, go and see.”

“Um. Shall we go together?”

“I’ve already seen it. I just got back from drinking tea.”

“okay?”

They met occasionally before going to Segemor, and it seems they started doing it again.

To be honest, it wasn’t a good thing.

I’m leaving anyway, so coming here now and becoming close with you again will only make it harder to break up.

That’s also why he reduced the frequency with which he visited Simon.

“Are you waiting now?”

“Yes. He’ll still be in the living room.”

“okay.”

After calling Eredin and telling him that I would be away for a moment, I headed straight to the lord’s residence.

As Luna said, Luisa was still in the living room.

“ma’am.”

“Are you here?”

Louisa gestured for him to sit down and then offered him some tea. Roy took a polite sip before speaking.

“It’s been a while.”

“Didn’t you see me in the garden a few days ago?”

“No, I mean just the two of us talking.”

“Oh, how long has it been?”

“It’s probably been about three years.”

It was probably around that time, right before I signed the contract with the Territory Wizard. That means I don’t have much contact with Louisa.

Oh, there is one.

“Are you in touch with Vivian?”

“I do. I just got a letter a few days ago. I don’t do it that often though.”

Actually, I hadn’t been able to contact you until just recently. It was because I had to ride the bus almost every day.

“We should get married soon. As soon as the contract is over, will you go straight to Count Tilly’s house?”

“… … I’m thinking about it.”

“Marriage? Or a contract?”

“Both.”

Of course it’s a lie.

In particular, I wasn’t even considering the contract at all. It was almost a done deal that I would be leaving when the contract ended.

The only question was where to go.

“That’s unexpected. I thought I would end up going to Count Tilly’s house.”

“… … It almost sounds like you want me to go.”

“No way.”

Louisa smiled as if to say, “How could that be?” and drank her tea.

But that was only for a moment.

“To be honest, I’m a little confused.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Is it better for your Highness to stay or to leave?”

… … Are you serious?

Are you saying that you want to stay unconditionally, but are also thinking about leaving?

“Actually, I heard a story two years ago. I’ve held it back until now, but I think I have to ask you now. It might be sudden, but I’d like you to answer.”

“… …What do you mean?”

“Hmm. Do you remember when Baron Arpen passed away?”

“I remember.”

“Good. It’s about that incident. By any chance, before that happened, did you know that Baron Arpen was going to be assassinated?”

Roy couldn’t answer.

It’s certainly sudden. I never expected a question like this to come up.

Of course, I didn’t know what to say in response.

How much time has passed like that?

“Are you Bowser by any chance?”

“no.”

Roy frowned as if he was offended. I don’t know about anything else, but he couldn’t stand being treated like Bowser.

“I heard that Bowser has a drug that can control people at will.”

“That’s bullshit.”

It’s literally bullshit and nonsense. He knew better than anyone that the medicine was fake.

“I guess so?”

“yes.”

“Actually, I thought so too. Then it can’t be true that they raised the Baron, right?”

“Did they raise me?”

“Yes. They say that they were the ones who taught magic to the Baron.”

“How dare you… … .”

The words, “Why did you say such nonsense?” rose and fell in my throat.

Because suddenly one person came to mind.

Is this Jake’s story?

“… … No, right?”

“no.”

It’s true that he learned magic from Jake, but it was most likely before Jake became Bowser.

Also, I didn’t learn much. At most, I learned a little bit of theory and one worm spell.

“thank god.”

“… … Don’t you think that’s a lie?”

“Yes. I know you might be offended by this, but Your Highness, you are very obstinate. I thought you would know right away if I lied.”

“But what if, just in case, it really was Bowser?”

“Then it would have been a big deal. Not just for Arpen, but for the entire kingdom. After all, Bowser is the best fighter in the kingdom.”

… … When I hear it, it sounds a bit scary.

When I thought about what it would have been like if Elihal had been Bowser, the answer quickly came to me.

“Really not?”

“No. How come you didn’t hear that? Did Bowser say that too?”

“Yes. Actually, I heard that too.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Who could it be?”

“… …Are you by any chance the lord?”

“yes.”

“How and when did you find out, Youngju?”

“I heard that Bowser received something like a letter. I don’t know exactly when, but it was probably around the time the Baron first got back from Harvey.”

You just got back from Harvey?

“… … And yet you signed a contract with me?”

“Actually, I was curious, so I asked. When I did, the Baron said that even if he had known about it, there would have been nothing he could have done at the time. And he also said that he would never have thought that he would really kill me.”

That’s right.

But that alone doesn’t explain it.

Unless Piren wanted the former Baron Arpen dead or something.

“I don’t think so.”

“… … What do you mean?”

“What are you thinking now? Florence is not so wicked as to plan such a thing.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. Unless you’re doing it on purpose.”

In fact, the Piren I encountered upon returning from Harvey was very different from before I left.

I used to think they were just acting to look that way, but now I’m starting to get confused about what their real selves are.

That’s why Florence has maintained its appearance for so long.

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. To be remembered as a good lord and a good father.”

“… …Is Florence dead?”

“We’re all going to die someday. Everyone dies someday, right? It’s just that Pirene realized that fact a little early.”

“Are you talking about the death of Baron Arpen?”

“Hmm. I think I realized it a little later than that. I think it was after Simon was born. Why, there’s a saying that a man changes when he becomes a father.”

Roy nodded in agreement. I don’t know if it’s true that becoming a father changes things, but it’s clear that nothing has changed since Baron Arpen died.

No, rather, it would be more correct to say that it has gotten worse.

Not only were homes confiscated, but support for orphanages was cut off, and even the treatment of mercenaries was persecuted.

What’s more, he even flirted with Mila.

That is why I suspect that the death of Baron Arpen or his marriage to Louisa was not the direct trigger for the change.

Of course, the fact that it changed with Simon’s birth was equally unsettling.

Before that, he was like a loser.

“… … Just in case, do you think things won’t suddenly go back to how they were? There’s a saying that people don’t change.”

“It’s true that people don’t change easily, but more than anything, people change easily. Before I got married, I only thought about how I could get Arpen to join the royalist faction. I told you, didn’t I?”

“yes.”

I remember hearing it clearly. I’m sure we talked about something like that before, when we were just the two of us talking.

In the past it was like that, but now I only think about Arpen, Piren, and Simon.

And indeed, that’s what Louisa was doing.

The fact that he was called a traitor and even went to war with the Tilly family is proof of this.

In other words, it could be said that it has changed more than Florence.

Thinking about it that way, it suddenly made sense why Florence had changed. Luisa must have noticed this too, as she naturally moved on to the next topic.

No, now we get to the main point.

“If Baron is not Bowser, then the story is simple. I want to extend the contract.”

“Blood… No, did the lord agree?”

“Not yet. But I will agree. Right now, Piren is, what should I say? He is caught up in a strange sense of duty that he must put aside his personal feelings for the sake of the territory. To exaggerate a little, I think the Baron would even try to contract Bowser?”

It certainly seems like there is something like that.

It’s as if he had said he would not send the Solar Church back for the sake of the people who were not Simon.

“hmm.”

“What would you like to do?”

“… … I will not renew my contract.”

“Have you made up your mind?”

“yes.”

It’s also a bit uncomfortable to know that Pirene knew about the death of the former Baron Arpen that I mentioned earlier, and above all, the Solar Cult was big.

No matter how much I thought about it, I never wanted to live in a place where there was a solar ecclesiastical temple.

“That’s too bad.”

Contrary to what I said, I don’t feel that regretful. Maybe I had anticipated this decision all along.

The fact that we moved on to the next story right away is proof of that.

“Do you remember what we talked about when we captured the Ogre? If we extended the contract, we could restore the profits from the Fire Mine to their original level, and even if we broke the contract, we could maintain it as it is now.”

“I remember.”

“Just because our contract is over, we don’t want to cut ties with you, Baron. We’ll leave the house as is.”

“What if I go to another area?”

“Yes. If you are the Baron, you can go anywhere quickly by riding your familiar, right? So you don’t need to take care of all the things you do here. For example, the graduation exam you are taking now. I don’t think the Baron will stop after this graduation exam. Arpen will continue to provide convenience.”

“How do you say that?”

“Hmm. The only thing that comes to mind right now is the Kobold Mine. I’ll just leave it there and not develop it further. I don’t know much about mercenaries, but I don’t think there’s a monster better for beginners than the Kobold. Of course, I think wizards are no exception.”

In short, the Cobalt Mine will continue to be available for graduation exams.

It may have been done with the intention of absorbing mercenaries and magicians from the beginning, but it wasn’t a bad story anyway.

It was certainly not a bad place for a mercenary who had just become one to experience fighting monsters.

As Roy, there was no reason to refuse.

“great.”

“Hmm. Also… … I can’t think of anything else right now. If there’s anything you want, just tell me.”

“All right.”

“Then… … Ah, this is a different story, but I heard that among the students who came this time, there is someone who can use ice attribute magic.”

“Are you talking coldly?”

“Yes. I would like to hire that guy.”

“Are you talking about a spiritual wizard?”

“That depends on his abilities. For now, the goal is to keep the Ogre Ice going even after the Baron leaves. Is that okay?”

“I’m just supervising the graduation exams. I don’t care where he goes. Let’s talk about it separately.”

“all right.”

After finishing the story, Roy returned home and went straight to bed.

My head was still complicated.

It was nice that the contract story was over, but the rest of it still didn’t make sense.

I never thought you’d ask something like that out of the blue.

Is it because the contract is almost over? Or did you just happen to mention it while talking to Luna?

Or has Bowser been up to something again recently?

I think that might be the case.

In that case, I can’t let my guard down either. I don’t know if he’ll come to me out of nowhere and do something like that.

Even if we couldn’t do the same thing as we did to Florence or Luisa, we decided to at least guard against things like sniping, poison, and arson.

Starting tomorrow, right away.

And coincidentally, that very evening.

There’s a fire.