NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
The next day, after a hearty breakfast, I was waiting around aimlessly when a carriage arrived in front of the Magic Tower.
It was a massive carriage, almost the size of a van. The Harker Clan’s exclusive carriage, pulled by four horses, was adorned with a splendid blue fabric and was undoubtedly fitting for a noble family.
“The carriage is at least at a 19th-century level,” Jeongjae muttered. He knew it was almost pointless to compare technological advancements between this world and Earth, yet seeing such an impressive carriage made him think, ‘Isn’t it about time for cars to emerge?’
The carriage was covered with a gigantic blue cloth that obscured the interior, and the emblem of Count Harker, a white cross, was boldly displayed on it. Just as Jeongjae was about to speak to the coachman in front of the carriage, the fabric that blocked the window magically lifted, revealing Count Harker’s face.
“What are you doing? You may board.”
“Ah, thank you for your kindness.”
Jeongjae, who had meant to ask the coachman if it was possible to board the carriage, hurriedly turned towards Count Harker.
As he opened the door and entered the vehicle, Jeongjae took a seat right next to the Count. The interior of the carriage was just as spacious as it appeared from the outside, allowing them to sit comfortably apart from each other.
Jenis was sitting to the left of the Count, waving her hand in greeting to Jeongjae. He waved back and then bowed his head in respect to the Count.
“Thank you for accompanying me today. It has greatly reduced the trouble of heading south.”
“Not at all. It will be an honor for our clan to have a hero like you in my carriage.”
Count Harker replied in a dignified manner. As a central figure in the swirling political landscape, he was not someone who merely lived off a good reputation.
Especially among the royal faction, he was often labeled a ‘traitor’ or an ‘ambitious man,’ with accusations claiming that his advocacy for an elected monarchy and leadership of local nobles was merely a guise to appoint himself as Emperor and bring about the downfall of the Audrich Empire.
Yet no one could deny the fact that Arthur Harker was a figure with enough weight to unite most nobles, and without him, the Imperial Assembly would undoubtedly fall into greater chaos.
“It will take about two days to reach Harker Castle. However, we’ll cross into my territory today, and I will take responsibility for your lodging there.”
“Thank you. I’m not sure how to repay you.”
“Just govern Harriet’s Territory well. Oh, and please take good care of my daughter. Have you already heard the news?”
“Yes. I was told that your daughter will assist me.”
“Jenis earnestly requested it. When this child sets her mind to something, it’s hard for me to refuse.”
The Count chuckled as he stroked his white beard. Jenis was beaming a smile and clenching her fist behind the Count.
Jeongjae, who wasn’t particularly sociable to begin with, felt anxious that he might run out of topics to discuss. Although he was used to high-status treatment and exchanged daring words with the Crown Princess Rose, there was an aura of ‘noble refinement’ about Count Harker that made him feel even more distanced.
As he pondered what to say, he noticed that the carriage moved smoothly without any jerks, and even though he had seen the curtain drop when they entered, the scenery outside was clear.
Putting all the details together, it was evident that powerful magic was placed on the carriage.
“There is hardly any bumpiness in this carriage. It even has a transparency spell on the windows. Earlier, the Count mentioned we would arrive in two days, but considering the horses might tire, this speed is extraordinarily fast. It must have a speed-enhancing spell on it, right?”
“It’s the work of my daughters. To hear you say it’s of high quality makes me feel my effort in raising her as a wizard was worthwhile.”
“Is all of this truly Jenis’s handiwork? Every single detail?”
Jeongjae asked in pure astonishment. Jenis peeked her head out from behind the Count and responded.
“Of course, Professor! That’s not all! I’ve also placed various spells like space expansion, collision mitigation, presences detection, automatic counterattacks, and trap escapes in it! This carriage could even survive and escape in the battlefield! I’m confident about it!”
At this point, Jeongjae’s curiosity was genuinely piqued.
“May I take a look?”
Jeongjae asked the Count. Here, ‘look’ of course meant to inspect each spell placed on the carriage.
“Ask the wizard. I’m not well-versed in magic. As long as the carriage is comfortable and fast, I don’t see why we’d need to consider counterattacks.”
“Can I take a look at the magic circle?”
Jeongjae turned this time towards Jenis to ask. She nodded with a slightly nervous expression.
“Of course! This is my own creation that I crafted while working on my graduation project! You probably won’t find much to criticize, Professor! Just a little bit!”
The confident words of Jenis began to waver.
“Probably not too much, right, Father? Huh?”
“Don’t ask me. How would I know such things?”
While Count Harker groaned with an appropriate response, Jeongjae spread a small scouting magical circle with both hands to examine each spell affixed to the corners of the carriage one by one.
This magic was used to verify whether there were any traps in suspicious places, and it was also useful for checking if the protective spells set by their side were functioning correctly.
Of course, the ability to create such small spells and hold them in both hands to use like a magnifying glass was a feat that required considerable skill. Jenis couldn’t hide her admiration as she watched Jeongjae peering into her magic.
“Perfect.”
Jeongjae remarked after inspecting every corner of the carriage. Jenis instantly blushed, and the Count inquired with interest.
“If it’s perfect, what does that mean?”
“It means the configuration of the magic is exquisite. It’s like a well-assembled cathedral. If the speed-enhancement spell were even slightly stronger, it would burden the horses; if it were any weaker, maximum efficiency would not be reached. What I’m saying…”
Jenis bent her head and fidgeted, not expecting such praise. Jeongjae thought she looked a bit cute while continuing to explain to the Count, who was still interested in his daughter’s praise.
“Generally, when casting a speed-enhancement spell, one tends to make the mistake of only considering the weight of the carriage and the passengers’ and cargo’s weight. If you add all sorts of defensive and utility wards as you did now, it incurs additional mana burden by itself. In fact, I don’t even need to explain it at length. Just by looking at this magic, I realized how much I had been doing wrong up until now.”
“You’ve done wrong? In what way?”
“I thought that just because one genius followed my lecture, it didn’t mean that my lecture was flawed. It turns out that other genius was special. I might be offending your daughter by saying this, but she had an understanding that was unusually high. I had made mistakes all along!”
“No! Professor, you haven’t done anything wrong! I always enjoyed listening!”
“So the issue is that only you could enjoy it.”
The Count, who had been listening to their conversation, laughed louder than before, evidently pleased by the praise of his daughter’s talent.
“It’s hard for a genius to associate with the ordinary. With your level of talent, it’s understandable. The biggest flaw is failing to notice what is wrong!”
“It seems I’ve gained too much talent in mana.”
Jeongjae admitted to himself. High mana comprehension and an extraordinary capacity for mana were blessings he had received since crossing into this world. However, acquiring talent came with its own cost.
“But if that’s the case, you need to study a bit. The position of a lord is to deal with numerous ordinary people, and it is also their duty to embrace those who are even less than ordinary.”
“I’m not worried about that.”
Jeongjae chuckled.
“After all, I’m also an ordinary person, or even less than that, as a lord. Isn’t your daughter the one who might have a problem with having too exceptional talents?”
“Our daughter? She’s currently just stuck in her studies. I have no doubt she will grow thanks to your experience in the field.”
“I will do my best, but please don’t have excessively high expectations.”
“No! I’m expecting it! Just like at school, I expect you to help her grow!”
Jenis interrupted their conversation. The Count gently stroked his daughter’s head.
“Don’t burden the Baron, Jenis. Even without saying that, he is more than prepared to guide you.”
While I wanted to say that the burden was the same for both the Count and his daughter, I couldn’t bring myself to say such words.
Jeongjae was checking the various protective spells placed on the carriage using scouting magic again when he spoke up.
“By the way, with such strong protective magic, we shouldn’t have to worry about robbers or wild beasts. For ordinary bandits, just sitting here would probably scare them off.”
“That’s a significant issue. I’m talking about bandits.”
The Count said. Jenis nodded along.
“I didn’t set this up just to pass the time. I’m aware of the struggles of the brave hero. Recently, the conscription and mobilization of soldiers have been giving lords a headache in several ways.”
“It’s been said that as the soldiers to maintain order diminish, it’s become hard to stop bands of thieves from running rampant.”
Jeongjae nodded. The Count shook his head, indicating it wasn’t just that.
“The bands of thieves are even increasing. Those who refuse conscription and run away hide in mountains or forests and turn into bandits, making it difficult for us to intervene. In such cases, sometimes even the nobility cooperate, making it even harder to catch them.”
“That’s indeed a significant issue.”
“Well, we can discuss the obstacles we need to overcome later, but be a little prepared. Villages are in agony due to a lack of able-bodied men, and there are several places where we can only look on as troops to deal with the escaped thieves dwindle.”
War devastates a country. The social systems of this world remain stuck between medieval and modern times. However, due to the existence of the insurmountable enemy known as the Demon King and his subject, the situation of war resembles total war, as seen post-Napoleon wars.
The contradictions arising from the aggressive conscription of state-scale levels, which might be feasible only in nation-states, are forced upon this feudal society through the powers of the Hero and the Imperial Assembly, and these issues cannot be resolved as long as the war continues.
With this in mind, Jeongjae felt melancholic once again. Shouldn’t he concentrate on ending this war quickly? For that purpose, shouldn’t he consider any means necessary?
“Forget it, forget it.”
Jeongjae said as he tried to push away the vivid image of mushroom clouds that had freshened in his mind.
He had inadvertently muttered it to himself, but neither the Count nor Jenis inquired about its meaning. They may have sensed that Jeongjae was indulging in very personal and private anguish.
After that, while occasionally dozing off and sometimes engaging in light conversation, Jeongjae and his party continued traveling south.
They stopped to have a packed meal at one point and took breaks to rest the overworked horses thanks to the speed-enhancement spell. Fortunately, there were no attacks from monsters, wild beasts, or thieves.
The carriage continued to flow past the Imperial Family’s directly governed territory, crossing over into the domain influenced by the Harker Clan. If there’s one saying that could be prevalent this land, it would be, “The Emperor is Caprice, and the King is Harker.”