Volume 19 Chapter 11 Return
After that, the delegation arrived at Marquis Tagard's territory without facing any particular interference. They stayed for about 2 weeks and successfully formed a defensive alliance between the Tagard family and the Sylvester Kingdom against the Prentis family. After that, they safely returned to the Sylvester Kingdom.
For Al, the tension of not knowing when an attack might come continued, but the nights were meaningful as he could hear the opinions of Lord Zora and other knights' magicians.
Then, 3 days after their return, Al was summoned along with his brother Gustave by Serena, the third daughter of Margrave Rain.
"Gustave, and Alfred, thank you for your hard work on this mission," said Serena.
"Yes."
Gustave replied nervously in the reception room of the Margrave's castle.
Al followed suit and bowed his head.
"I received praise from His Highness Theodore for Alfred's achievements. The magicians of the Marquis Prentis family had no choice but to remain silent. Our knight commander, His Excellency Viscount Eugene, was also pointed out for the incompetence of the magic unit, which left him with a complicated expression, but the Margrave Rain family managed to maintain their dignity."
Al scratched his head, unsure of how to respond.
He had no confidence that defeating 2 magicians had significantly impacted the enemy's strength. Rather, he felt that they simply had not been able to prepare a countermeasure against the Anti-Magic Field spell used by Prince Theodore.
Serena smiles as she sees this and continues speaking.
"His Highness Theodore said that the magicians of the Sylvester Kingdom still have many shortcomings compared to those of the Tempest Kingdom. He mentioned that those who participated in this mission and actually experienced battle need to train together. I agree with him. Unfortunately, it seems that His Excellency Viscount Eugene does not feel this urgency as much, so it's uncertain how much awareness will change within our Margrave Rain knights."
After saying this, Serena smiled wryly.
Is that so...
Among the magic troops, the magicians who remained with the mission, rather than Baron Melvin and the others, were quite a bit younger than Al, yet they offered to speak to him as equals and seemed eager for reform. However, it appears that the organization is not functioning well.
"So, there won't be an immediate outbreak of war?"
Gustave asked.
He was quite concerned that his squad would be away from duty for about a month and a half for treatment, which meant he might not be able to participate in the war.
"That's right. It's up to Prince Theodore's judgment, but even if war breaks out, it will take time to prepare. Marquis Tagard seems quite eager to rush things, but we can't mobilize the knights immediately. We need to gather a lot of supplies for the expedition. Besides, the Marquis Tagard family has that impressive fortress, so they can wait a little longer."
The fortress Serena mentioned is a stronghold with a long stone wall that guards the entrance to the Marquis Tagard territory.
The Marquis Tagard territory is located in a basin surrounded by steep mountains, and there are only 2 mountain passes that serve as entrances: one to the east and one to the south.
These mountain passes are named East Valley Pass and South Pass, each featuring a fortress with walls over 10 meters high, stretching several kilometers along the mountain ridges: East Valley Fortress and South Pass Fortress.
Since the two fortresses were built, it seems that the Marquis Tagard territory has never allowed an enemy invasion. Al, as a member of the delegation, remembers passing through one of the two fortresses, the East Valley Fortress.
He was awed by the massive stone walls built along the mountain ridge and couldn't help but express his admiration.
With such defenses, even the Marquis Prentis family would struggle to breach them.
It seemed that Serena had a similar impression.
"So, the reason I called you both here is about the reward Prince Theodore mentioned. Alfred, I should tell you in advance, please give up on the magic bag."
As expected.
Seeing how quickly the delegation used it, they must have realized its usefulness right away.
That bag can carry a significant amount of food.
There's nothing more convenient for troop operations.
Seeing Al nod in understanding, Serena smiled, looking relieved.
"I can't say for sure if this will be a good substitute, but it's almost certain that Gustave will be appointed as a knight. Also, regarding this alliance, there's a spell passed down from the Marquis Tagard family, and I've decided to offer it to you, Alfred."
A new spellbook?!
Al couldn't help but smile.
"It includes the 'Soften Stone' spell, the 'Soften Metal' spell, and the quick 'Magic Missile' spell. The Quick Shield spell was also offered, but since I believe you've already learned it, I left that one out."
As Serena continued speaking, Al's smile became a bit awkward.
He already had magic tools that could use the first 2 spells, and he had actually paid 15 gold coins to acquire the quick 'Magic Missile' spell during his stay in the Marquis Tagard territory.
"From the looks of it, have you already learned all 3? Sir Jillian, the heir of the Marquis family, proudly mentioned the 'Soften Stone' and 'Soften Metal' spells, claiming they are 2 special spells from the Marquis Tagard family, so I thought they were quite rare..."
Jillian!
I see, Serena was talking directly to Jillian.
What kind of person is he?
Al had never spoken directly with Jillian, but from what he saw while Jillian welcomed Prince Theodore with a handshake, he noticed that Jillian had golden hair with a hint of red, similar to Nora's. He looked slightly slender and seemed kind with his bright smile.
Seeing Al's smile change as he started to think about something else, Serena's expression turned disappointed.
"Actually, I obtained a quick 'Magic Missile' spell during my stay in the Marquis Tagard territory. So, I will only take the 'Soften Stone' and 'Soften Metal' spells."
Al hurriedly made an excuse, and Serena nodded as if to say she understood.
"Got it. Please tell me later how much you got them for. I will add that amount to the allowance Lord Duran promised."
Al nodded.
By the way, Lord Duran said he would pay enough for the medical expenses.
As Al thought about going to collect that later, he noticed Gustave looking at him with a disapproving gaze.
Al believed this was common sense for adventurers, but it seemed there would need to be a discussion later.
"And there's one more thing I'd like to discuss. It's about the iron mine discovered south of Channing Village. Baron Marlow has submitted a request to the knights for an extermination mission and a permit to establish a settlement. The attached investigation report states that, judging by the samples taken from the mine, it seems to be a very promising source of iron. But this is about the base that Alfred showed us before, which is considered problematic because the mages of the Marquis Prentis family are providing food and support, right?"
Al nodded.
Ozbert had probably submitted the samples to Baron Marlow's subordinates on behalf of Gustave and reported what he had seen.
At the same time, Al consulted with Lord Duran.
"I think they are likely the same. You mean an extermination request, not a support request?"
Gustave asked, sounding a bit puzzled.
If Baron Marlow is a noble with considerable power, he must have knights and guards under him.
When it comes to extermination requests, the knights would take the lead in defeating the enemy.
It seemed he was wondering if it was a mistake and should have been a support request instead.
"The report also mentioned the presence of an unknown magician and barbarians who are thought to be Lamia. Baron Marlow seemed worried about a lot of things. So this is what happened."
"Is that so..."
Gustave thought for a moment before replying.
"Well, I was thinking of appointing the Channing family as the overseers of the iron mine as this prize, but what do you think? It seems that His Highness Theodore also feels a bit guilty about not being able to give the magic bag, and from our earlier conversation, it sounded like the spellbook wasn't that impressive for Alfred either. Of course, we need to deal with the Barbarians, but for Alfred, that shouldn't be a problem, right? If he does well as the overseer of the iron mine, becoming a Baron someday isn't just a dream."
"Um, do you think His Excellency Baron Marlow would agree to that?"
Gustave asked, a bit excited.
Becoming a Baron is quite an exceptional matter.
"If it's about the subjugation request, it can't be helped if we can't lead the development. Still, the overseer probably thought it would be fine on his own, but that's unfortunate. I will ask my father to talk to Baron Marlow. After all, the 'Carrier' route from the iron mine will go through Marlow's town. Considering the trade rights, he should be agreeable. Don't worry, my father is easy on me."
As they listened to the conversation, Al was thinking about something else.
He wondered if he could manage against Barbarians like Goblins, and also Magicians and Lamias.
He didn't really know how powerful the Lamias were as Barbarians.
However, it was indeed a pleasant surprise to be regarded so highly.
When he heard that the Channing family might become Barons, he felt he couldn't hold back his cooperation, but he hesitated a bit about the matter of about 2000 gold coins that he could consider his own.
If he think of this as a request, it might be okay to get his hands on some of that money.
"Alfred, what do you think? Do you think you can beat them?"
Al slowly raised his head in response to Gustave's question.
"I will try my best, but I don't know what kind of power Lamia has, so I can't say for sure. Could you give me some time?"
After thinking for a moment about Al's answer, Serena nodded in agreement.
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