assistirfilmes Chapter 44 – Prestige (1)
Chapter 44 – Prestige (1)
Chapter 44 – Prestige (1)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 44 – Prestige (1)
Swordmaster Cain.
He was now walking through a vast corridor with a weary face.
“Meeting the Emperor is always exhausting.”
He had just come from a private audience with the Emperor.
He had reported on the results of the mission he was given.
As he trudged through the empty corridor, someone called out to him.
[You look like you’ve been through a lot.]
There stood a person dressed in luxurious clothes.
Garments adorned with so many jewels that even a prince would find them beyond his reach.
It was as if he were the ruler of this world.
But Cain spoke bluntly.
“What’s your latest gimmick? You usually walk around in rags.”
[I intended to, but my damn disciples insisted that I show some respect in front of the Emperor.]
He chuckled.
The sound of his jaw clashing echoed.
[When did wizards start caring about etiquette?]
“Isn’t it a sensible decision? If you appeared before the Emperor in those rags, you’d be executed in the square. Didn’t the guard give you a murderous look?”
Cain spoke indifferently.
“If you weren’t the Master of the Magic Tower, you’d probably have been beheaded ten times over in the square.”
The Grand Magic Tower.
The place where all the world’s magicians and secret arts practitioners gathered.
The person standing before Cain was its master.
“What brings you here this time?”
[Just the usual regular check-in. I’d let my disciples handle it, but they pushed me to do it myself.]
The Tower Master grumbled.
Cain gave a bitter smile.
“Meeting the Emperor isn’t exactly enjoyable.”
[What about you?]
“I was delivering the results of my mission.”
[Ah, you’ve worked hard.]
“There are plenty of people stronger than me. Why am I the one who’s always summoned?”
Cain was a superhuman-level warrior, a Swordmaster.
But he wasn’t exceptionally strong among them.
He was actually on the weaker side.
There were plenty of people stronger than him.
The Tower Master laughed.
[That’s because the stronger ones are usually free from obligations. Even the Emperor can’t easily command them. But you’re different. You’re still tied to your kingdom. You’ve given up family, love, and life, but not your loyalty to your country.]
“Mind your own business.”
Cain frowned.
The Tower Master’s words were spot on.
His country was a vassal state of the Empire.
If he didn’t follow the Emperor’s orders, his country would suffer.
This wasn’t a concern for most superhuman-level warriors.
They had no loyalty or patriotism.
But not Cain.
He had given up everything, but he couldn’t abandon his patriotism for his birthplace.
That’s why the Emperor used him without hesitation.
‘Damn.’
This old man was always a nuisance.
Cain grumbled.
“Why don’t you manage the Tower instead of meddling here?”
[The disciples are managing the Tower well enough. An old man like me should retire and find some hobbies.]
“So you’re making me miserable for fun?”
[Your reactions are entertaining.]
“Get lost.”
Cain said calmly.
The Tower Master laughed as if he was enjoying himself.
[Don’t be so angry. Teasing you is one of my few pleasures. Someone with your kind of obsession is unique and quite valuable. So, did you achieve anything?]
“I got some results, as usual.”
[You went to the Silent Forest this time, right?]
“Yes.”
[How was it?]
“A maddening place. The rules of this world don’t apply there. It’s a terrible place.”
Cain shook his head in disgust.
His mission from the Emperor was reconnaissance of the Forbidden Lands.
“You can’t hear any sound. Even when you scream, there’s no echo. Not even mystical detection works properly. Every time I turned around, soldiers had disappeared. I almost died several times. I never want to go back.”
Cain couldn’t understand.
Precious manpower was being wasted in the Forbidden Lands.
The Tower Master chuckled.
[I’d like to know what’s in his head too. I’ve seen many people, but none as peculiar as him.]
“Anyway, I have no intention of giving the Emperor the information he wants. Besides... if it’s that Barbarian, there will be conflict.”
A Barbarian who moves as he wishes.
And an Emperor who wants to seize everything.
There would inevitably be conflict.
And his kingdom would be caught in the middle.
There was no reason to inform the Emperor.
[That’s quite an interesting statement.]
The Tower Master’s blue eye sockets glimmered.
[You think that a single Barbarian could cause problems against the Emperor.]
The Emperor was the ruler of the Empire.
And the Empire was extremely powerful.
They were attempting the first conquest of the Forbidden Lands in thousands of years.
Even the Tower Master couldn’t completely refuse the Emperor’s orders.
That was the power of the Empire.
Yet now Cain was saying that a single Barbarian could defy the Emperor’s command.
After a moment of silence, Cain spoke.
“...I don’t know. I can’t gauge how strong he is. But I felt one thing.”
Cain looked at the Tower Master.
The man who had studied magic for hundreds of years, the pinnacle of all magicians.
The one who evaluated the worth of things.
“When I saw him, it felt similar to when I saw you.”
The Tower Master scratched his jawbone with interest.
Cain’s words were simple.
“Is he of the Hero class?”
“I don’t have the ability to determine that.”
“But you felt something. A Barbarian from the White Snowfield.”
A blue light shimmered, indicating curiosity beyond.
“It must be quite valuable. Overflowing, even.”
“You. Surely not.”
Cain furrowed his brow.
* * *
After defeating the demon, Ketal’s daily life remained unchanged.
He still resolved miscellaneous tasks and enjoyed the scenery of the village.
And a few days later, after things had settled to some extent, the lord summoned him.
Ketal rose early and headed towards the lord’s residence.
On the opposite side, a woman approached, carrying a basket full of vegetables.
Ketal didn’t pay her much attention.
The reason was simple.
Everyone in the village who had seen him before had always paused and made way for him.
It would likely be the same this time.
Ketal walked on without much thought, and the woman glanced at him.
The woman trembled slightly.
That was as Ketal had expected.
But what happened next was different.
After briefly looking at Ketal, the woman continued walking forward.
She didn’t avoid Ketal.
“Huh?”
Ketal was momentarily surprised by her actions.
She was the first person who hadn’t avoided him after looking at him.
Ketal walked on, a little bewildered, as they passed each other.
“Oh!”
Then, in an instant, the woman stumbled on a stone.
As her body leaned forward, Ketal moved reflexively.
“Are you okay?”
Ketal grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling.
“Oh, um....”
The woman looked at Ketal’s hand, then Ketal let go.
He thought she would scream and run away immediately.
Although there had been occasions when he had helped people before, they had always run away without exception.
But this time, his expectation was off.
The woman quickly gathered her belongings and bowed to Ketal.
“Th-thank you.”
Ketal nodded dumbly as the woman hurried away.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]