[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 50
"ier? What kind of unlucky squad nas themselves after a failed empire?"
Zaik muttered under his breath as he entered the Dungeon Guild in the capital.
Despite Lioness’s suggestion to let bygones be bygones, forgetting the beating he’d taken wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Unable to vent his frustration directly, he chose instead to gripe about the na “ier.”
Behind him, one of his knights chuckled.
"Haha. Didn’t you once say you’d na your child ‘Ernstine’?"
"Ernstine was an emperor, a legend. ier is just a failed empire that crashed and burned."
"True, I’ve heard of people using Ernstine’s na occasionally, but ier? Never."
"Exactly. Nas like that bring bad luck."
Despite his complaints, Zaik dutifully submitted a request to the ier Civil Squad.
He glanced at the draft of the E-rank dungeon suppression request originating from the Starn Barony and smirked mockingly.
"Starn folks, huh? They usually only send F-rank requests. Guess they’re really desperate now."
"Yes. I heard a dungeon portal appeared behind the baron’s manor."
"That would place it right near the barony's castle."
"Indeed. A disaster for such a small town."
"So they rushed to bump it up to E-rank."
"Normally, the Count Baldur family would assist a vassal house in situations like this..."
"My father would never do that after seeing my condition."
Zaik Baldur. Once celebrated for his accomplishnts and the apple of Count Baldur’s eye, Zaik had been humiliated by Kaylen of the Starn family during their last encounter.
This had enraged Count Baldur.
"Yes, that’s true. The count had initially considered holding the Starn family accountable, but since Kaylen severed ties with them, that plan fell through."
"Right. There’s no justification for it anymore."
"Instead, the count ordered everyone to ignore the Starn family entirely. That’s why they didn’t dare reach out for aid and submitted this request to the guild instead."
The dungeon’s appearance near their territory was practically a calamity for the Starn Barony.
With monsters constantly spilling out, the town around the baron’s castle couldn’t function normally and had to focus all its efforts on defense.
For a small fiefdom like the Starn Barony, sustaining such a state of ergency for long was impossible.
"If only the headship had gone to the second son, who shares Baldur’s blood. It’s a pity."
"Isn’t it already a given that the second son will inherit? The first son cut ties with them, after all."
"You can never predict how things will turn out."
Zaik casually chatted with his knight as he finished filling out the paperwork at the Dungeon Guild’s counter. Handing the forms to a clerk, he was promptly questioned.
"Excuse , sir, but the reward amount you’ve listed here... it’s significantly higher than standard rates. Could this be a typo?"
"No, that’s correct."
"...Understood. In that case, we’ll process the deposit based on this amount."
"Here you go."
Zaik handed over a check from the Oblaine Ducal Estate. As the staff mber processed the request, they asked him a final question.
"Would you like to leave any ssage for the designated Civil Squad, ‘ier’?"
"Let them know that the Lioness wishes to et with them."
"Understood."
With that, Zaik finalized the request and left.
Not long after, deeper within the Dungeon Guild, soone entered the branch manager’s office.
Kaylen was at the Dungeon Guild when he overheard the ntion of the Starn family’s request.
Kaylen’s recent ventures had turned him into a veritable dungeon-conquering machine, bringing back a steady stream of mana stones and gold after each expedition. Yet, his ultimate purpose wasn’t rely wealth—it was funding Myorn’s ambitious research.
The Goal: A Universal Mana Suit
Myorn, the Dwarf Queen, had set her sights on creating a mana suit that could be used by anyone, not just isters. Initially, her project attracted nurous investors, drawn by her reputation as a powerful Spirit Mage and master blacksmith. However, as her prototypes failed to deliver on expectations, the funding dried up, forcing her to continue her work alone.
In those desperate tis, Myorn had wished for only one thing:
"If only I could focus on my research without worrying about money..."
That’s when Kaylen had appeared. At first, Myorn had only hoped to gain experintal data from a Sword Master. Financial assistance had never even crossed her mind.
Kaylen entered the workshop with his usual confidence.
"I brought the mana stones."
"Wow, you’re already back?"
"Yes. Lately, we’re even receiving requests near the capital."
His newfound Guardian Spirit made Kaylen unstoppable in the dungeons. However, the Guardian’s power ca at a cost, and Kaylen was keenly aware of its limitations.
"How’s the research coming along?"
"…It’s been four days since you last asked," Myorn sighed.
"Research is like that—sotis one breakthrough can change everything," Kaylen said with a grin.
"This is the fourth ti you’ve said that."
"And I’ll keep saying it until you see results," Kaylen teased.
Myorn groaned at his persistence.
"Kaylen, we don’t know how much longer the Guardian will last."
"I know."
"It might not survive the next expedition. The mana reserve is already down to 35%."
"That low already? Well, you have been dungeon diving non-stop."
"After this mission, I’ll need to return the Guardian Boots to the Fairy Tower. They’ve been loaning them for free, but who’s to say they’ll let borrow them again?"
"They wouldn’t cut you off now, not when we’re so close to a breakthrough."
"Never say never. That’s why speed matters, Myorn. We can’t afford delays."
Myorn rubbed her temples in frustration. "Mana suits aren’t built overnight. You need to give ti—"
"Understood. Just don’t forget, we’re running out of it."
Though so called her suits “junk” behind her back, no one dared insult Myorn to her face. Her dual mastery of spirits and smithing demanded respect. In the past, she’d worked with high-ranking Tower officials and even royalty. Yet none of them had ever pressured her as Kaylen did.
"I’ve never t anyone so insistent..."
Myorn shot a weary glance at Kaylen, who was now chatting animatedly with her assistant, Alkas.
"Alkas, how did the experint go?"
"Since the mana suit isn’t finished, we’ve only been running preliminary tests. But this ti, the output has significantly increased!"
"Hmm. Significantly, you say? That’s still not good enough."
"Ah, is that so?" Alkas stamred.
Kaylen’s unyielding drive was both a blessing and a curse, and Myorn couldn’t help but feel overwheld. Yet, deep down, she knew he was right. Ti was a luxury they could not afford.
Kaylen noticed Alkas’s enthusiasm about training but couldn’t help comnting.
“You’ve been so focused on participating in experints lately that your swordsmanship hasn’t progressed much. Since there’s so ti before the mana suit is complete, join on the next dungeon raid. I’ll help with your training.”
“O-oh…! Yes! Thank you very much!”
Hearing this, Myorn approached Kaylen.
“I’m coming too.”
“But Myorn, don’t you need to complete the mana suit?”
“I have nothing to do right now. The suit is in the stage where I just have to wait for the magic circle to absorb mana.”
“There’s always sothing to do if you look for it—”
“No, really. There’s nothing left. I also want to observe how a Sword Master fights to broaden my understanding.”
“Hm...”
Kaylen studied her expression. She wasn’t simply trying to shirk her work.
“Besides, you promised to help enhance my Spirit Magic. You should give so pointers.”
Kaylen flinched at her words.
Myorn’s connection to Kaylen and Kaina wasn’t fully clear, but with her carrying the Myorn family na, Kaylen realized he might have been too detached from her personal growth.
“…Fine. You can join us on this dungeon raid.”
“Really? You an it?”
“Yes. However, this dungeon is a bit far, so we’ll need a carriage.”
“Where is it located?”
“Near the Starn Barony.”
Rustle.
Unfamiliar with the Starn Barony’s location, Myorn unfolded a map and was startled.
“This is really far. Almost at the border!”
“Yes, it’s in a very remote area.”
“…Are you going because it’s your hotown?”
“The rewards are excellent. They specifically requested the yer Extermination Squad.”
“…Master, this slls suspicious.”
The Starn Barony—Kaylen’s hotown—was isolated and underdeveloped. Dungeons in that region were typically categorized as F-rank, and the usual protocol was to survive until they could seek assistance from the Baldur Count’s estate.
Yet, requesting the yer Extermination Squad with a promise of ten tis the usual paynt? It was anything but ordinary.
“I know. The Starn Barony doesn’t have the resources for such requests.”
“The young lord Zaik likely holds a grudge against you. What if this is a trap?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve received word that soone from higher up wants to et.”
“By higher up… do you an the Oblaine Ducal House?”
“Yes. Let’s start preparing for the journey.”
Kaylen reflected on the Starn Barony. Though it was a severed tie, he felt it was worth visiting once to settle things properly.
"This is for the best. I’ll use this opportunity to finalize everything."
Inside the carriage en route to the Starn Barony, Alkas marveled at their transportation.
“This carriage is massive! And so spacious inside. It’s far grander than anything I saw while working at the Count’s estate.”
“I built it myself. With my body, I need the extra space,” Myorn explained.
“Ah, so it’s a Dwarven-made carriage. Impressive.”
Myorn, with her hedgehog-like fur bristling, settled comfortably in the spacious carriage she had designed for practicality. Kaylen, glancing around, brought up a topic.
“That fur—did the forr Dwarf Queen ever talk to you about it?”
“Yes,” Myorn replied with a chuckle. “She said it grows to train fire mana.”
“Exactly. Fur naturally grows for insulation. But a Dwarf Queen’s fur serves another purpose—it traps heat completely.”
As a master of both fire and earth spirits, the Dwarf Queen’s abundant fur strengthened her internal heat.
“Normally, when one achieves the ability to summon a supre fire spirit, all that fur vanishes.”
“A supre spirit? I can’t even summon a high-tier one yet… that’s impossible for ,” Myorn admitted.
“Understandable. Did Queen Kaina leave behind any training thods for enhancing fire spirit magic?”
“She did, but they’re based on the assumption that the summoner can already handle high-tier fire spirits. I’ve stalled at interdiate, so I can’t use them.”
Kaylen realized the challenge was greater than anticipated.
Queen Kaina, as a Dwarf Queen, had effortlessly controlled high-tier fire and earth spirits. In contrast, Myorn could summon only interdiate-tier spirits, likely due to the diminishing mana in the atmosphere.
“And my own capabilities have dropped,” Kaylen thought.
Compared to the days of Emperor Ernstine, Kaylen’s current body was significantly weaker. Not only was his mana reservoir smaller, but his balance among the six elental swords was also disrupted. His water and light mana were abundant, but his fire mana was suppressed entirely.
“With fire mana completely overwheld by water, the Fla Sword of the six can’t assist in amplifying Myorn’s firepower as it should.”
Kaylen realized that finding an alternative solution was essential.
As he contemplated, his gaze fell on the mana suit Guardian, resting near his feet.
The Guardian was a water-aligned mana suit.
An idea sparked in Kaylen’s mind, and his eyes glimred with intrigue.
"There’s another way after all."
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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