Chapter 12 - What a Perfect Opportunity

Human memory is finite and unstable.

However, just as one does not forget to breathe, there is always at least one thing a person will remember without fail.

In Ferda's case, it was the targets of his hatred.

It was not just names, but a list of the people he hated and wanted to take revenge against—in other words, a hit list.

To fuel his hatred, he had dug into their achievements.

To exact his revenge, he had kept a close eye on their flaws.

'Thinking about it now, it was a ridiculously absurd thing to do.'

Moreover, thinking back on the reasons for his hatred, it was full of paranoia.

It was petty enough to make him blush.

'Regardless, having returned to the past, they have become good pieces of information now.'

Ferda clearly knew the strengths and weaknesses of those who would become powerful figures in the future.

Talented individuals who made him wonder, 'If they had done this kind of work, wouldn't they have done it much better?'

Those individuals who would have achieved great success had they turned their eyes toward their other talents a little sooner.

'There are plenty of outstanding individuals.'

Too many, in fact.

Trying to recruit every single one of them was practically impossible.

The number of coveted individuals alone exceeded a hundred, and he didn't even think they would all be able to work together harmoniously.

'I need to set my priorities first.'

Now the fiancé and proxy of the Grand Duchess, Ferda considered what was needed.

'The entirety of Valdrova's territory is currently in a state of neglect.'

The Grand Duchess did not step forward personally, instead leaving autonomy to the lords.

Since there was no one to monitor the lords, public sentiment had largely turned sour as a result.

'I should focus on looking after the livelihoods of the people.'

Ferda's tasks were decided just like that, but executing them would not be as easy as deciding them.

It was frequent for a monarch's interference with local lords to cause backlash or even spark civil wars.

'That issue has been resolved smoothly, so it doesn't matter.'

When Ferda first sent the letters, he naturally expected the higher-ups to push back.

Of course, that expectation missed the mark spectacularly, and Ferda received letters pledging loyalty from the remaining fourteen lords.

'It seems Luri's act of decapitating him and hanging his head on the castle gate worked perfectly.'

Since the lords had realized they must not ignore Ferda, he decided to leave them alone for now.

'I'll leave the internal affairs at that for now, so is it time for external threats?'

The most prominent ones were the monsters and demonic creatures causing chaos.

The Grand Duchess's territory was the far eastern region, situated adjacent to the lands corrupted by the Demon King.

This region adjacent to it was also seeing the corruption gradually spread.

'One of the primary causes of that is demonic creatures.'

Demonic creatures forged by or corrupted with demonic energy were the kind of monsters found everywhere.

They were creatures occasionally seen even on the central continent, so naturally, they would appear far more frequently in the far east, which bordered the Land of Demons.

'The existence of demonic creatures corrupts the land.'

The longer demonic creatures lingered, the faster the land's desolation accelerated.

They were entities that prevented life from blooming and corrupted even existing living creatures.

That was why, no matter where you went, requests for subjugating demonic creatures were always processed as emergencies.

'If we can reduce the casualties and land corruption caused by those demonic creatures...'

Naturally, food supplies would increase, and the public's livelihoods would recover.

If Valdrova, the master of the house, blocked external threats, Ferda was to take charge of internal threats.

'What's needed to do that is, as expected, technology.'

The top priority was preparing means for not just well-trained soldiers, but also civilians to hunt demonic creatures effectively.

Setting that as his standard, Ferda pulled out the names of figures from his hit list.

The individuals he narrowed it down to in this way totaled four people.

"Therefore, we must recruit these individuals as our top priority."

Luri, looking at the paper Ferda handed her, checked the names.

- Burnel Marquis

- Zed Swallow

- Echidna Philiaz

- Hellus Phobidas

Luri frowned the moment she saw them.

"You've written down the names of humans I've never heard of or seen before."

"It's understandable that you don't know them. They're individuals who haven't distinguished themselves yet."

"I told you to recruit talented personnel; I didn't mean for you to call your neighborhood friends over to play government officials."

Luri's gaze sharpened.

The Dragon Fear laced with Luri's emotions was wrapping around Ferda.

'There is definitely a change.'

Ever since completing the engagement ceremony, the effect of the Dragon Fear had definitely weakened.

Still, it was as unnerving as ever.

A girl who looked about fourteen years old was glaring at him; it would be weirder if he felt nothing at all.

"Do I look like the kind of person who would do such a thing to you?"

"It's precisely because you don't look like that kind of person."

"You're speaking in contradictions."

"Anyway, would you at least tell me about these humans? Excluding Hellus Phobidas, the other three are people I have never heard of or seen."

Hellus Phobidas was a mage known as the Sage of Water.

It was publicly known that kings and lords cherished him because the advice he gave was incredibly wise.

"I guarantee you, the three names above Hellus Phobidas are more important."

"So go ahead and explain."

"This Burnel Marquis, whom we need to seek out first, lives in a city called Escolaia."

Upon hearing the city's name, Luri asked reflexively.

"Is he a scholar?"

"Yes."

Escolaia was a city located in the mid-eastern part of the continent, known as the city of scholars.

Just as the only reason to go to a poultry farm was to find chickens or eggs, Luri was able to tell he was a scholar right away.

"You know that scholars have titles, right?"

"I heard they receive one when they graduate from the academy. What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it. Because this guy received the title 'Complete Mess'."

"Are you planning to turn our castle into a complete disaster? Revealing your true colors right after getting engaged is not a good choice, you know."

Since a scholar's title dictates their life, avoiding negative words is the norm.

But being openly called a 'Complete Mess' meant that even the people around him couldn't stand him.

"There is a reason he received such a title. It's because he attempts things that others do not."

"There must be a reason why scholars don't attempt those things, shouldn't there?"

"Of course. But he is someone who attempts them relentlessly."

"Doesn't that make him an idiot?"

"He's a man with conviction."

"So, a stubborn idiot."

He couldn't deny it.

Because Ferda had also thought he was an idiot when he first saw him.

Walking his own path without caring about the glares of those around him, he had seemed both pathetic and noble.

'A stubborn idiot like that eventually succeeds.'

Even if everyone cursed him saying it wouldn't work, even if they criticized him for wasting time, the solitary path he earnestly walked would eventually shine.

At that time, he had always voiced this regret:

["If only I could have researched a little more, I would have been able to create so much more by now."]

It was only natural.

'What fool would invest in something with no chance of success?'

It was the same even for a noble with enough wealth to throw money into the air.

They wouldn't want to become the moron who supported an idiot with the title 'Complete Mess.'

However, Ferda knew this man.

"So, what does this human research?"

In the future, he would be—

"Mana stone refinement and power source processing methods utilizing the corpses of demonic creatures."

—the pioneer who would usher in the era of magi-engineering.

* * *

In the center stood a sky-piercing World Tree called the Tree of Knowledge, and surrounding it were five Great Archives.

It was easy to assume that it would be a place where not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate due to being beneath a tree, but since the Tree of Knowledge grew no leaves, it was essentially no different from a massive pillar.

In the city beneath that pillar, instead of the typical smell of dampness and mustiness, the scent of coffee and black tea wafted so thickly it was almost overpowering.

Countless people accustomed to that smell moved about busily.

They moved in a way that somehow turned every walking space into a circular flow of traffic.

Though their destinations varied from person to person, all of them had three books tucked under their arms and a piece of freshly baked toast clamped in their mouths.

"There are a lot of people."

"It's the gathering place for all scholars and their employees, so it can't be helped."

"I really don't understand why they would want to live in such a cramped place."

"They say they are searching for a greater value than simply settling for the present."

"I don't understand it."

"Neither do I."

Ferda and Luri slowly looked around the street.

Even just within their field of vision, hundreds of people were moving about, bumping shoulders with one another.

All of them wore black robes, and nine out of ten were wearing glasses.

"So, we have to find a single person here?"

"That's right."

"It'll take more than a month."

If it were a hidden object game, the difficulty would be close to extreme.

It would be a lie to say it wasn't daunting.

With so many people coming and going, street vendors were also bustling about along the walls.

They mainly sold finger foods that could be eaten easily.

They could see the large crowd of people buying items one by one as they brushed past, moving like a flowing river.

'The street vendors might know.'

Ferda thought this and looked at Luri.

"..."

Her eyes were quite different from what he usually saw.

Her businesslike, expressionless face.

It was a new expression from her, who rarely showed any emotion unless she was angry.

She was quietly staring at a street vendor selling candied fruit.

In her wide eyes, her silver irises sparkled.

After staring like that for a long while, her slender throat bobbed up and down.

GULP.

The series of actions she displayed meant only one thing.

"Do you want to eat that?"

"... What do you take me for?"

Luri narrowed her eyes and grumbled.

It was a more flustered reaction than usual.

"I simply thought the street vendor over there might know something."

"I thought so too. It would be good to go ask."

Ferda headed toward the street vendor with Luri.

Luri's eyes were fixed on the candied fruit.

"Excuse me."

"Ah, a young lord and a cute little maid lady. What can I get for you?"

"We're looking for someone. I'm hoping you might know them."

"A person? People are a dime a dozen around here, people! There are tens of thousands of four-eyes here, and thousands just buy my honey-candied fruit skewers. How on earth am I supposed to remember every single one of them?"

The vendor wore a strange, expectant smile.

Ferda lowered his gaze to the candied fruit behind the glass case.

"Do you think your memory might return if I bought some of those skewers?"

"Haha, I'd be grateful if you did! Still, let's hear the story first. Who are you looking for?"

"A scholar called 'Complete Mess'."

The vendor's eyes went wide.

"Ah, you mean Complete Mess? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"Do you know him?"

The vendor grinned, baring his yellowed teeth.

"Over hundreds of thousands live in this city. But among them, if you don't know where the man called 'Complete Mess' lives, you're a spy. Grab anyone on the street and ask. They probably all know."

"Then I suppose there's no need to buy the candied fruit after all, is there?"

"...!"

Luri, who had just been listening to the conversation, suddenly flinched and trembled.

"Still, wouldn't it be nice to show a little sincerity and buy some? Judging by your appearance, you look like a wealthy lord... Such snacks can be enjoyable from time to time, you know? I'll give you three skewers for five copper coins."

"He is right. If a favor was shown, it is important to provide an appropriate reward."

Luri subtly interjected, taking the merchant's side.

If a favor was shown, it was only proper to respond in kind.

Ferda agreed with that much, so he purchased three honey-candied fruit skewers.

"Eat up."

He handed the sticky, honey-covered clusters to Luri.

"Are you not having any, Lord Ferda?"

"I'm not a child."

"Hah? I'm not a child either, you know?"

"I know."

"Then isn't it ridiculous that you're giving them all to me? You're treating me like a child, aren't you? Are you going to lie through your teeth?"

"So, do you not want to eat them?"

"..."

Looking incredibly frustrated, Luri still accepted the skewers Ferda was holding.

As if she had been waiting for this, Luri popped a honey-slathered fruit right off the skewer and ate it.

Her silver eyes sparkled even more brightly.

'So she was capable of making an expression like this.'

Ferda had wondered if Luri was someone whose emotions had dried up completely, just like his own.

But seeing her act like the child she appeared to be, he felt oddly relieved.

Stuffing the honey-candied fruit into her mouth endlessly, Luri's cheeks bulged out like an autumn squirrel.

Conscious of Ferda's gaze, she rolled her eyes.

Her silver eyes narrowed into slits as she pulled the cup closer to her chest.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not giving you any."

"I'm not eating it."

* * *

All living creatures have hierarchies, and if there are wealthy people, there are also impoverished people.

Escolaia, built under the ideology that everyone is equal before knowledge, was no different.

Even in Escolaia, there were affluent neighborhoods and, at the same time, slums.

And even within those slums, there was a separate section where the absolute poorest lived.

A place where sunlight barely reached, reeking of sewage and rat droppings.

A place where the constant stench made people afraid to even carelessly open a door.

The place where Burnel Marquis lived was exactly that kind of place.

Luri couldn't hide her astonishment as she looked at a window positioned even lower than her own height.

"It's a wonder people manage to live in a place like this."

"Humans can live in more places than you'd think. I found out they can even sleep in a bathroom."

"Did you live like that at House Rosnova?"

"It was even more of a hell back then."

It was back when he had no money, when he was extorted of every penny by his money-grubbing master.

It was then that Ferda learned a person could sleep even in a bathroom reeking of shit and piss.

"Does it look like he's inside?"

Luri nodded at Ferda's question.

"I do sense a presence."

CRASH!

A chaotic noise echoed from beyond the window.

Hearing that sound, she added a remark.

"And it seems like quite the commotion is going on."

"So there's a prior guest..."

Going in right now meant getting swept up in the trouble.

"What a perfect opportunity."

Clasping his hands behind his back, Ferda headed straight down the stairs.