Chapter 151 : Chapter 151
Chapter 151. I Have Something to Tell You (2)
“I never dreamed that Brother Prah would suddenly come up at this point.”
The Young Master’s fighting spirit rose again. The figure that had been intimidated by the Princess was nowhere to be seen.
“It seemed to me that you were only keeping the First Young Master in check right now. I believe the true Hidden Dragon is the Second Young Master.”
“True, he has been far too quiet lately. He has not come out of his room at all, using his illness as an excuse. Have you perhaps heard something?”
“There are a few things.”
I briefly rose from my seat and headed toward the display cabinet placed on one side. When I opened the door of the cabinet, which was made of wood and glass, alcohol in luxurious bottles was displayed inside.
I was not particularly fond of drinking, but that did not mean I was so inflexible that I would remove something simply because it had been placed there.
I took one of the stronger bottles among the displayed drinks, pulled it out, and shook it toward the Young Master.
“How about a drink?”
“It must be a serious enough story that I need to get drunk.”
As always, he was quick on the uptake.
“It is serious. But that is a separate matter. Somehow, you look exhausted, Young Master. Would it not be good to borrow the power of alcohol at a time like this? I know very well that currying favor with a superior is no easy task.”
“Hahaha. This is why I like you. You are honest.”
I took two glasses and returned to my seat. As I had been taught, I opened the bottle skillfully, filled the Young Master’s glass first, and then filled my own.
The Young Master proposed the toast first, and I raised my glass and clinked it against his.
The Young Master emptied the alcohol in his glass in one gulp without even breathing.
“Khah!”
To think he would down such strong alcohol in one shot. It seemed the Princess had tormented him quite a lot.
For some reason, I also felt like drinking today, so I took a sip. It was alcohol strong enough for me to know exactly where my esophagus and stomach were located.
“Do not drag it out. Speak. I am drunk enough.”
One had to acknowledge that he was impatient. I smiled broadly, took another sip of alcohol, and placed the glass on the table.
“Do you remember the auction held at Noblesse just before I came to the Royal Capital?”
“Of course I remember that. I did not attend, but I heard the First and Second Brothers participated. They said it was a fierce stage with the Fountain Pen at stake.”
“That is correct.”
Perhaps because I answered too simply, the Young Master glared at me with a dissatisfied expression.
“So what about it? Do you want to point out that I did not attend?”
“That is not it. You must have had your circumstances. In any case, you probably have not heard why the Second Young Master attended the auction, have you?”
“I have not. I only heard that he tried to bid on some strange decorative object and failed.”
It seemed the fact that it had been ‘Diablo’s Chalice’ had not been conveyed to him. I was about to explain that part, but the Young Master spoke first.
“But is there anything more to hear? In any case, my brothers were trying to make the Fountain Pen their own and inherit legitimacy, were they not? It was absurd, but still.”
I shook my head. Interest appeared in the Young Master’s eyes.
“In truth, the Second Young Master had his eyes on an item called ‘Diablo’s Chalice.’”
“Not the Fountain Pen?”
“He did not even participate in the bidding for the Fountain Pen.”
I could practically hear the Young Master’s mind turning rapidly from here.
However, he would not be able to find the answer. I was the only one who knew the answer, because I had the power to see the Status Window.
“First, have another drink.”
GLUG.
I filled the Young Master’s glass, which had become empty at some point. The Young Master calmly drank the alcohol. Judging by the way he downed hard liquor as though it were whisky, he seemed terribly curious.
When he set down the glass, I quietly revealed the truth.
“The Second Young Master is a Mana User.”
“A Mana User?”
It must have been completely unexpected. He had probably thought that some private or public problem would come out, but instead, the evaluation that he was a Mana User had been given.
“Ha, a Mana User. A Mana User? Hahahahaha! Even a passing dog would laugh. You would not have arranged this meeting just to joke with me.”
“It is certain. The Second Young Master is a Mana User.”
“……Are you serious?”
“What reason would I have to tell a lie here and now?”
“Damn it! That makes no sense!”
I had never lied until now. And we had decided to ride in the same boat.
“If he is a Mana User…… surely the reason he has been quiet lately is not because he is trying to stage a rebellion, is it?”
“I do not think so. If he is the Young Master Prah I know, he probably has no interest in the Succession Order at all.”
“What is your basis?”
“The fact that he showed no interest in the Fountain Pen at all is decisive. And has he ever actively stepped forward until now to compete for the Succession Order?”
“Who else knows this fact?”
“I am the only one who knows.”
“How did you find out?”
It was the question I had been waiting for. I raised my Mana and formed a simple Hand Sign. Blue Mana flashed brilliantly.
The instant the Hand Sign was completed.
WHOOSH!
A bright red flame rose. The Young Master, who had been pouring alcohol into an empty glass, froze in shock. The magic unfolded before his eyes was the ‘Fire’ spell.
I waved my hand and used the Fire spell even more brilliantly before him. It was not an offensive spell, but it was more than enough to attract a person’s attention.
“How fascinating. What kind of trick is that?”
Did he think I was a member of a Circus Troupe? I smiled and made the flame grow more splendidly.
“It is not a trick. It is Magic.”
“Magic……?”
SNAP!
When I snapped my fingers, the flame vanished in an instant. To show him that it had not been a trick, I raised both hands and pulled back my sleeves.
Naturally, there was nothing there.
And that had only one meaning. The Young Master, who realized that belatedly, bit his lip.
“What the fuck…… You were not an Aura User but a Mana User? And a Mage, on top of that?”
“I apologize for deceiving you. I had no intention of deceiving you deliberately, and there were complicated circumstances that were difficult to explain. Please understand.”
“Ha! This makes no sense. There are two Mana Users in our house?”
A Mana User, and a Mage who could freely handle that Mana under certain laws, was an extremely rare existence. They were not people one could see in ordinary life.
Therefore, the fact that not only the Second Young Master but even I was a Mana User must have been astonishing.
“Hahahaha…….”
The Young Master grasped his glass with a trembling hand. Only now did his eyes seem to say that he understood why I had recommended strong alcohol.
“Truly, truly absurd…… Dilen. I knew there had to be something about you. Not Aura, but Mana? Hahahaha! Then are you from the Mage Tower?”
“No. I do not belong to any organization.”
“Then how can you use Magic? Even if you are a Mana User, does one not become a Mage only after inheriting magical knowledge from the Mage Tower?”
“You may not believe this, but after I fell from the balcony and lost my memory before, I became able to use Mana. And I learned Magic by myself.”
“What?”
“It may be hard to believe, but it is true.”
Because of the successive shocking stories, the Young Master ultimately could not close his mouth. Even though he was cold-headed and analytical, he could not gather his thoughts in the face of what was unfolding before his eyes.
Seeing his reaction, I realized anew just how remarkable Mana Users were.
“……Tomorrow, I should throw myself off a balcony three stories high.”
Had he finally come back to his senses? Since he was joking, it seemed I could move on to the next subject.
“Do you accept that the Second Young Master is a Mana User?”
“Yes. I have heard that Mana Users can sense each other’s power, so I accept it.”
“However, that direction is somewhat ambiguous.”
“Why are you suddenly talking about direction?”
“Young Master Prah is not learning ordinary Magic. He is learning Dark Magic.”
CRASH!
The table was shoved aside, and the bottle and glasses placed on top of it fell and shattered. Young Master Hamel had sprung to his feet with his eyes blazing.
“There had better not be even the slightest lie or exaggeration in those words.”
His presence was terrifying. It was enough to overwhelm even me, a Mana User.
“I have no reason to lie to you in this situation, Young Master. More importantly, even if it were a lie, I believe you could use it in a direction advantageous to you.”
“Evidence?”
“The evidence is that the Young Master purchased ‘Diablo’s Chalice’ at an extremely high price.”
I briefly explained the process to the Young Master. There had been competition, but in the end, I, who had thrown money around, obtained the Chalice. After that, the Young Master paid an enormous sum of twenty thousand gold and took the Chalice back.
I also added an explanation of Diablo’s Chalice’s function. It was an item used as a medium for Dark Magic and Necromancy, and its potential could not be accurately understood.
“My guess is that ‘Diablo’s Chalice’ is probably a medium for placing curses or performing Necromancy. It certainly reacts to Magical Power. After winning the bid, I once touched the cup, and it reacted to my Magical Power.”
After hearing that process, a grinding sound came from the Young Master’s hand. He was hiding his rage so fiercely that the veins stood out.
“Look at this damned bastard! He used twenty thousand gold to commit this lunacy. And Necromancy, on top of that? I cannot forgive this.”
The Young Master picked up the bottle rolling on the floor, put it to his mouth, and gulped it down. After emptying its contents completely, he wiped his lips.
“But what will happen if the Church finds out about this?”
“It will become troublesome. Holy Knights will be dispatched, and they will turn the castle and mansion upside down.”
“We must avoid that situation at all costs.”
The Young Master quietly nodded.
“So, what is your plan?”
“Regardless of the Succession Order, I believe the Second Young Master must be handled in a rational direction.”
I took a letter from my breast. It was something Eluna had delivered together with the Fountain Pen. I revealed the identity of that letter.
“This is the item list that Young Master Prah’s side requested from the Metis Merchant Company. If you look closely, they seem like ordinary items, but there are many Magic Materials. I hear some of them are difficult to obtain.”
“Why did he ask you to procure the materials?”
“It means that since we took the enormous sum of twenty thousand gold in exchange for handing over ‘Diablo’s Chalice,’ we should show some sincerity.”
“Hahahahaha!”
The Young Master laughed, but his brow twisted. With a strange expression, he tilted his head.
“So?”
“We at Metis intend to obtain all these items for him.”
“You are going to help him commit illegal acts?”
“Surely not. I intend to cast Location-Tracking Magic on them and reveal where the secret space where the Second Young Master enjoys his hobby is located.”
The secret space was the stage for Dark Magic and Necromancy. I did not know where it was. I heard such places were usually caves or secluded areas, but we would have to find it first.
“Do you think it is inside the mansion?”
“I do not think so. If it were, I would have felt that gloomy Magical Power while working as a Butler. Since I have not felt it, it should be outside the mansion.”
“After that, is the scenario to make it public and drive him out of the house?”
I firmly shook my head.
“That is not my duty. After that, how about you step forward personally, Third Young Master? It would have the effect of punishing one as a warning to many.”
“It is a good plan.”
The Young Master smiled with satisfaction, and with a slightly worldly air.
“Making it public certainly is not a good idea. It will be troublesome if those Church bastards get involved. Therefore, we must handle it secretly within the house. Leave that behind-the-scenes groundwork to me, and you focus all your strength on procuring the materials.”
“I will obey your command.”
“The drink was good!”
The Young Master left my room.
I called a maid and had her clean the room, then laid myself back down on the bed.
“Now all the preparations are complete. It would be good if only the Princess’s birthday party passed safely.”
I quietly closed my eyes.