Chapter 128
The words that came out of Arc Witch Merle’s mouth were different from her true intentions, and the phrasing was lacking in many ways, making it easily misunderstood.
Christina and Irina, who didn’t know anything about Merle’s personality, blinked rapidly in surprise in response to the kingdom’s strongest mage making a sudden confession to their friend.
On the other hand, Lenia, whose mouth was still full with all the lamb, chicken and fish, was simply happy that yet another woman had seen her respected father’s charm.
In Lenia’s eyes, although Merle was a human who had not yet ascended to higher dimensions, she still possessed superior spiritual energy and magic power, for a human.
If compared to Christina, Christina would probably win in terms of spiritual energy, but in terms of just the amount of magical power, Merle was overwhelmingly superior. In other words, the quality may be lower, but she will win in quantity.
Among the people closest to Dran, the only ones who could win against Merle would be Ryoukichi or Dramina.
While Lenia, Christina and the others reacted in that way, all the surrounding nobles and wealthy merchants who were deeply interested in Dran’s future surely couldn’t remain calm upon hearing Merle’s declaration.
Dran showed extraordinary combat ability at the Magic Tournament, and although he was a step behind Nell and Phenia in terms of flashiness or visual clarity, he was still one of the strongest among the Magic Academy students. Even compared to the Imperial Court mages, most of the people there considered him to be the next strongest after Merle.
With someone as powerful as Dran under their command, one could revolt against the royal family, though there probably wasn’t anyone who would do something so outrageous. But having him on your side would most likely be a great advantage in an emergency.
Considering the chances of him being scouted by either Ente Forest via Olivier’s backing, or by Phenia or Nelneshia’s families, they were all thinking about reaching out to him as quickly as possible, but Merle’s actions were outside of their expectations.
Not to mention, Merle had requested him to have a relationship with her. Those who didn’t know her very well were greatly shocked, and their minds went blank for a long while.
The only possibilities that came to their minds was that Merle, as a mage of the Imperial Court, had called out to him for the purpose of recruiting him to the court.
If she succeeds, then the Arkrest Royal Family’s magical military strength, which already included Merle, would leave all the other noble families even further behind.
The second possibility was that as the strongest mage in the kingdom’s history, Merle could be aiming to have a child with Dran, the most promising prospect of the new generation, in order to give birth to an even stronger mage.
There were several people who thought that Merle had simply fallen for Dran, but those who were particularly close to her and knew her personality had come to two different conclusions.
The first was that since Dran was soon approaching a marriageable age, and was extremely close in strength to herself, the chances of him feeling inferior to her as a mage and divorcing her were low, so she had placed her sliver of hope on him and reached out to him.
And then the second was that Merle had gone on for a very long time without a partner who was her equal in strength, and had never been able to show her true power around anyone. Wishing to have a partner to let that power out with, she had called out to Dran with the hope that he would be able to keep up with her. But the correct answer was that Merle, who only had brutal interpersonal negotiation skills, had simply made a slip of the tongue
Hamel, who knew this correct answer, thought: Aww, man, you’ve really done it now, Merle… And amazed by her friend, who never disappoints, she quietly whispered to her so she would understand the meaning of what she’d just said.
After hearing that whisper, a hundred different emotions flashed across Merle’s face, and was truly a sight to behold. And Sperion, who was watching Merle and Dran’s interaction with great interest, would later spread the story of what happened to everyone he knew.
*
Humu, based on the Arc Witch’s appearance and the words she just said, she looked like an adult woman who had just confessed to a much younger boy, but when considering that she was looking at me as a participant of the Magic Tournament, it’s hard to imagine that this would be the case.
I should refrain from taking her words at face value. The people around us were causing a faint stir, and many of them were confused and had no idea how to react. But for the strongest Arc Witch in the county, I got the impression that she was somewhat out of it, just like the time when she was commentating for the tournament.
Merle had caused this current situation, and sticking by her side was Hamel. Hamel, not wearing her court jester makeup, looked a little panicked, but she couldn’t hold back a smile as she whispered something in Merle’s ear.
As I thought, maybe Merle had made a slip of the tongue, perhaps due to impatience or nervousness? After hearing what Hamel whispered, Merle’s face first went blue, then white, and then red; truly a blur of emotions.
「Ah, no, no, y-you’ve got it wrong, Dran! Um, by “I want you to be in a relationship with me,” I didn’t mean that I wanted to get married or anything like that! I, um, um, I was amazed by y-your abilities, so I just meant, “Can we duel together, just once?” Okay!?」
Right, that’s what I thought. Considering that she was simply observing me during the tournament, any romantic feelings were nonexistent.
Upon learning the truth, Lenia looked disappointed and her expression made a complete 180 from just earlier, and she seemed displeased as she chomped down on the bones of the roasted deer meat, breaking them one by one and swallowing them. Her large plate was filled with about twenty bones, but they all disappeared quickly.
Christina looked clearly relieved, and she used her left hand to start filling her empty plate with fish meunière, one after another. At the same time, she used her other hand to open new bottles of wine, whiskey, and brandy, as if she was preparing to empty them all out herself. Take it easy there.
It was understandable since Merle and I had gathered a lot of attention, but upon seeing Lenia and Christina overeating and overdrinking, Irina and Phenia’s eyes went round. They won’t gain weight even if they eat that much, but those two’s body constitution is something that women all over the world would be envious of.
Merle’s business with me was slightly tinged with political reasons, but in a way, it was problematic for the others in the same status as her, which caught even more attention from everyone around us.
The kingdom’s strongest mage, expected to become the second Arc Witch, had just approached a newcomer and requested a match, so of course they would all get excited.
And because she acts as a military force that keeps the surrounding nations in check, if Merle is defeated by me, then the Kingdom of Arkrest would gain a second living weapon.
Humu, defeating Merle in battle would become problematic. At any rate, we’ve gathered too much attention here. For now, I’ll try my best to have us to change locations.
「I understand your request. I cannot stay in the royal capital for long, but did you perhaps have a place and time already decided? With all due respect, I am rarely able to come to the capital, so it would be helpful if I could have a bit of your time now」
「Ah, ahh, you’re right, I’m sorry! Of course you’d be troubled if I approach you out of the blue like this. Um, let’s see, I’m free right now, but you’re right, you have your own circumstances too. I’m just being selfish, but I’d be grateful if you accept」
Humu, so this was haphazard and unplanned?
「Please excuse me, but I assumed for someone as esteemed such as yourself, it would be necessary to prepare a place with safety measures in order to have a match. Do you have such a place?」
「Ah, yes, I do! A special place made for times like this has already been prepared, so even if I let out all my power there, it’ll be fine. I received permission beforehand, so I can use it at any time」
Merle smiled brightly like a child as she boasted proudly to me. She hasn’t drunk any alcohol yet, but the rise and fall of her emotions were intense. Maybe she was so nervous, her emotions were a little unstable?
「I see, if it’s you, then it’s only natural that you have a place that you can use at any time. If the location has been resolved, then I would like to have the match as soon as possible. Immediately after this would be the best time for me」
I would think that immediately would be too soon, but when I spoke honestly, Merle had a different reaction from what I expected. Her eyes began to shine and sparkle like stars, and she brought her face in close to mine without any hesitation.
「Is it really okay!? Then, then, then, let’s go right away! I’d welcome a match with you at any time, Dran!」
Ah, it’s fine. I was grateful, but it would be troublesome with others watching, and I’d like to propose some conditions of my own as well.
If Merle gets to have a duel with me, then she should accept a few conditions. Anyway, in terms of teaching Merle that it’s a wide world out there, there are other options who could win against her besides myself.
「Oh, you’re not too tired from the tournament, are you? Have you recovered from your fatigue? As far as I can tell, your magic energy appears to have returned」
「Please don’t worry. I am in perfect condition. But I want to change my clothing, and explain the situation to my familiars, so would it be alright if I went back to my room momentarily?
Also, if you and I will be having a match, then I am certain many would be interested in seeing it, but you must have some tricks that you don’t want to reveal to everyone, and I’ve already had my fill of attention from the tournament.
If possible, even if there are people who would like to observe, I’d like to limit the audience to our selection.
This would be both of our familiars, and people of our choosing. I understand that normally, it would be unforgivable for me to state my opinion like this to you, but I hope you listen to my request with a tolerant heart」
My opponent was the strongest mage in this kingdom’s history, after all. No matter how promising of a newcomer I may be, a commoner like me couldn’t ask for things from her so impudently.
When I tried to bow my head to her, Merle panicked and pushed my shoulders to stop me, shaking her head left to right. I had heard that she was indifferent to the customs and behaviors of nobility, and it seems like it was true.
「No, no, no, don’t bow! It’s fine, it’s fine, I was too inconsiderate, I understand that now! Your words are most important, Dran.
Th-Then, let’s make it so the only ones allowed to watch are the ones you and I approve. Also, Dran」
Her panic completely disappeared, and Merle smiled with a combination of cheeky childishness, like a child in front of the toy they wanted, and an air of intimidation that took my breath away.
「What is it?」
「Dran, you intend on making me show my hand, I see. So I can take that to mean you have confidence that you can?」
「Yes. I hope you will be satisfied to your heart’s content.」
「Fufufu, really? I’m so happy, it’s been so long since I last fought seriously」
So she can make a smile like this. As I thought, she had a lot of resentment and frustration built up in her heart, and it would be bad if she didn’t let it out. She was thankful, and this was for the sake of the kingdom’s future, so I’ll lend a hand.
「Now, now then, the time and place is…」
When Merle told me the time and place, I nodded back. We shouldn’t put off the troublesome things, we should get them out of the way first.
「Yes, understood. So once again, I would like to confirm first, we won’t be telling anyone about our match, and even if there are people who would like to spectate, they can observe only if we allow them first, and we will be limiting the number as much as we can, is that right?」
It would be one thing to let the other representatives of the Magic Academy or the upper echelons of the kingdom observe Merle’s match with me, but since she was essentially the most important person to the kingdom’s defense, there were many things I would have to be careful of during our fight.
If I end up being forced to take up Merle’s spot, I would become tied down by various obligations, and that just doesn’t align with my wishes.
「Yes! Yes! Thank you, Dran. I’m really glad you said that. I’m sorry I interrupted you so suddenly while you were talking with your friends. I’ll definitely make it up to you. Ooh, I’m really looking forward to it, yahoo!」
Just like when I heard her during the time of the tournament, Merle let out a rare shout of delight, which gained the peculiar and pitying gazes of the people around us, and then she turned her back on me and walked away with a spring in her step.
I watched with warm eyes as Hamel chased after Merle, swept up by her pace, which was different from the usual.
Ugh i hate how this novel has fallen. From a clear concise story to a jumbled mess that jumps around and skips events. The most intolerable part to me is the chapters that are not linked via plot. Like, this chapter and the one before it. In no way is there any continuity to be found.