Chapter 81

Chapter 81

After reaching Sword Expert, I gradually reduced my intake of Elixirs.

Now that I had reached a certain level, the effects of Elixirs had weakened, and their efficiency had fallen. Instead, I continued buying Elixirs for Leo and had him take them.

It was so he could reach the Expert level even one day sooner.

“Um, the price of Elixirs is strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“The price is skyrocketing.”

At Leo’s words, I visited the Auction House, and what he said was true.

Compared to when I had first started buying Elixirs, the price of the same Elixir had leapt up to double.

“Why did the price suddenly rise this much?”

While looking around at the goods in the Auction House, I asked a merchant, and he answered.

“The supply is low.”

“Why? They aren’t natural products. Magic Towers make them, so the quantity should be the same.”

“The ducal house is buying them up indiscriminately... so the number of Elixirs released into the market is low.”

“The ducal house?”

“I mean Grand Duke Agares. Lately, hasn’t he been buying up every Elixir he can find? From what I hear, it isn’t only Elixirs. He’s also buying various Artifacts and high-quality equipment, so rumors are going around that he may be founding a Knight Order or preparing for war.”

Except for the few who lived in the Imperial Court, Agares was the richest man in the Empire. Since he poured money into the market and bought things up, the prices had no choice but to rise.

It seemed Agares had been stimulated by the incident at the Academy and the journey back to his territory. The moment he returned to his territory, he opened his purse.

I roughly understood why the price of Elixirs had risen. Since I had bought a supply in advance, there was enough to feed Leo alone for a while. What I was curious about was Agares’s intention. Even if one bought Elixirs, there was a limit to how much could be consumed in a short period of time.

So even if he was going to buy Elixirs, it would be better to take his time and buy them at the proper price. Why was he doing this?

Well, that much was none of my business.

After confirming the matter at the Auction House, I returned to the Academy.

Quite a long time passed without any particular incidents, and Agares returned to the Academy. His outfit had changed greatly.

He wore rings on every finger joint, and around his neck hung a pretty necklace set with gemstones that did not suit him.

“Are those all Artifacts?”

“Yes. If I am to protect my body, is this not necessary? I have also placed various magic on my clothes.”

“You must have spent a great deal of money.”

“That is right. It was far more expensive than I expected. Still, seeing their performance, the prices were not completely absurd. I must endure this much.”

“What happened with the matter in your territory?”

“It was resolved better than I could have asked. It was a good thing I entered the Passage back then and caused havoc. The number of worthless things appearing in my territory has clearly decreased. If not for that, I would not have gone out of my way to return here.”

Hearing his story, I became curious about something. Why did Agares attend the Academy? No, why had he enrolled in the first place?

Jefrin had followed Bishot.

Ian had followed Katein’s dying wish.

Kartea also had the justification of forming connections with noble children.

But Agares had nothing like that.

“Your Grace, why did you go out of your way to enroll in the Academy?”

He burst out laughing.

“I understand why you asked that question. Are you asking why I came all the way here just to live alone, apart from others?”

“Something like that.”

“It is not as though I necessarily wanted to be alone. At times, if people approached me, I treated them normally. But the problem is not me, it is them. They all fear me, so why would I want to keep them close?”

“I understand. But if you were going to remain alone like that, would it not be better to focus on governing your territory?”

“Hmm. It seems you want to drive me out of here.”

“That is not it. I was simply curious.”

He shrugged.

“I too need to marry and produce an heir.”

Ah.

Yes, so that was why.

As a bonus, I also remembered why he had taken an interest in Bishot.

It was because she did not fear Agares, yet drew his interest through various elements.

The possibility of him and Bishot ending up together was not zero.

Even though Agares had lost his martial power, he was still the Lord of a renowned family in the Empire. Considering the relationship between him and me, even if he did not hire someone to attempt an assassination, he could pressure my territory.

I had to be careful.

To Agares, marriage was a vague matter. He needed a child in order to continue the family line and pass down the territory, and because it was something everyone did, he vaguely assumed he too would naturally find a match.

It was not an urgent matter either.

He had an Immortal Body. He would not suddenly fall ill and die, nor would he be wounded in clashes with Demons or Demonic Beasts. Naturally, until his lifespan ran out, he could always have children and govern his territory.

The situation had changed. He had broken his contract with Amadeus.

Now, during seasonal changes, he would sometimes suffer from colds, and if he fell and struck his knee, he might bleed.

Even though he did not tremble in anxiety because his contract with Amadeus had been cut, nor fear an attack that might come someday, he understood the situation.

It was time to start thinking about marriage. It was then that he met Bishot. He had seen her with Raphael a few times, so his eyes went to her without him realizing it. Their eyes met, and Bishot avoided his gaze.

Bishot also knew Agares.

He was the Grand Duke of the North, followed by ominous rumors.

Looking at his sharp face, she knew the rumors made no sense, yet she thought she could understand a little why such rumors spread.

She changed the direction she was walking to avoid Agares.

It was because he had a friendship with Raphael. Seeing this, Agares thought she was afraid of him.

And coincidentally, there was an attack at that time. It was the first time since Agares had returned to the Academy.

It was not a serious attack. It was merely to confirm whether Agares had reconnected his contract with Amadeus.

As the attacker passed by, he grazed Agares’s hand with paper coated in metal. A red line was drawn across the back of his hand, and blood seeped out.

There was no poison on it, nor did it leave a wound that could not heal. It was merely an attack meant to check whether the wound healed.

However, Agares understood the intention contained in it.

This was not some mistake, but a Declaration of War. It was the act of identifying where to stab before striking at his weakness. He had to make an example out of him.

“I apologize! I was in a hurry....”

The attacker acted as though he had not meant to do it, but Agares smiled faintly.

He grabbed the attacker by the throat and pulled him in. Compared to before, his Raw Strength was pathetic, but after eating Elixirs until his stomach nearly burst and increasing his mana through his family’s Mana Refinement method, he had reached the level where he could subdue a Civilian.

Agares struck the attacker’s jaw upward with his fist. The attacker’s teeth collided and broke, and he collapsed where he stood.

“I will investigate who is behind you, but first, I will make you honest.”

“I will speak! I will tell you everything! So please!”

Agares took out the thin Dagger he had prepared for times like this. He drew it and began slicing the attacker’s skin thinly. The attacker screamed with all his strength. It had only been a shallow cut left on the back of Agares’s hand after paper grazed it.

Because the target was Agares, when the attacker first received the proposal, he had been frightened and afraid. However, he had been promised an enormous reward for this one task alone. Judging it an opportunity that would never come again, he had accepted.

But what was this? Why was Agares responding so harshly just because he had left one wound, a thin line on the back of his hand from grazing him?

Agares continued slicing the attacker’s skin thinly with the Dagger. The attacker screamed with all his strength. At the sound, Bishot turned her head. Her eyelids opened wide, and her pupils contracted.

“What is happening here?”

“I was attacked by surprise. I am retaliating.”

Bishot’s gaze fell on the attacker. The attacker instinctively sensed that this was the only chance that had come to him. He shook his head like a madman.

“No! That is absolutely not true. I bumped into him while passing by with documents. It is true that wounding the Grand Duke is a sin deserving death. But I swear before God, I absolutely had no intention of wounding the Grand Duke.”

Bishot looked at the wound left on Agares and let out a hollow laugh. A child falling while walking would be hurt worse than this. There was only one red line drawn on the back of his hand. Even without any particular treatment, the bleeding had stopped on its own, and a scab had formed.

“Grand Duke, in my view as well, it is unreasonable to call that wound a surprise attack.”

“Go on your way. I will handle this matter myself.”

Agares found Bishot bothersome. Even in his own view, it was difficult to say he had been attacked just because sharp paper had grazed his hand as it passed.

Moreover, the attacker’s assigned mission had ended there. He had not launched a follow-up attack, so saying he had been attacked would only look ridiculous to others. But it was certainly a stepping stone meant to kill him.

However, he could not say that he had lost his power, nor could he explain how the attacker had tried to harm him.

Bishot spoke in a calm tone.

“I will not say Your Grace’s judgment is wrong. But an innocent person may be created by this, so I think it would be better to leave this matter to the military.”

“Hmm.... I thought you were afraid of me.”

“I am the kind of person who says what must be said.”

“Interesting. Speak more. Why should I do that?”

Agares’s eyes shone. He was curious how far Bishot would interfere, and how far she would risk discourtesy.