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Volume 2 Chapter 3 Part 2

「I would not want to end up getting myself into any turmoil either. My preferred lifestyle is to live gracefully and splendidly. 」

「Unfortunately, that might be difficult to do from now on, since the closing of the borders between Waldrind and Artuk is only going to strengthen the hate between these two countries. 」

Waldrind has repeatedly invaded Artuk in the past, but these invasions have all ultimately amounted to nothing, because the invaders were always repelled by Artuk’s deep forests and the guerilla warfare tactics of the country’s soldiers that this country was so famous for.

However, Artuk never invaded Waldrind, not even in retaliation, because when it comes to combat capabilities, they would be no match for the heavy knights of Waldrind in open combat.

And it seems that Vilar intended to dedicate himself to being the shield of the Fantasia Union.

Poetry Union. Why he decided on something like that, Margaret does not know to this day.

(I will soon be twenty-five…)

Vilar has decided to cancel his contract with every contracted Mage who has turned twenty-five years old. The reason was so that the female mages that he made contracts with could still have a reasonable chance at living a normal, happy life after the period of their servitude was over: find their precious significant other, get married, have children, things like that.

It was one of Villars’ aesthetics. He was always especially fond of the ideal of a man and woman who love each other being united and running a happy family. Perhaps it is exactly because of that that he never took a single concubine for himself, not to mention a legal consort even though Vilar himself was already 30 years old.
Rumors were constantly circulating among the female students of the Magic University that he made it a habit to lay his hands on every girl that he invited to be his contracted Mage, but these rumors were all baseless and were not an accurate representation of how things really were with him, and as far as Margaret was aware, he never even laid a single finger on any of his maids.

It is not that he is completely uninterested in the members of the opposite sex though. He often invites women to share food or drink with him, but as soon as he sees that his femal companion has gotten herself drunk beyond the boundaries of reason, he will immediately send such a woman back to her room, and if such a woman tried to seduce him, he would never spoke a single word to her ever again.

Villar also has his personal ideal of a woman: his mother, the daughter of Jurgen Kraische and the older sister of Mathias Kraische. Margaret has never met Vilar’s mother in person, but she has seen one of her portraits, and she had heard enough about her from the stories that Vilar was telling her that she could confidently say that she possessed rough understanding of what kind of person that woman was. Most importantly, whenever Vilar was talking about her, he always looked like he was genuinely happy. Some of the hings he was saying were probably glorified to a certain degree, but there was no doubt in Margeret’s mind that Vilar Constance’s mother must have been a good person and a wonderful woman.

(Even if I do get a chance at a proper life…)

Margret is from Dartania. She grew up as a Shaman in a tribe that worshiped fire as sacred force of nature in the eastern part of the small continent. Even though she was a Shaman, who are somewhat looked down upon in the current Mages Association, she still managed to remain on relatively friendly terms with them, as a result of which she was allowed to study magic at the Magic University. But when her contract with Vilar is going to end, so will her life as a regular Mage once she goes back to her hometown, where she will assume new responsibilities as her tribe’s Shaman. As for Vilar’s precautions and considerations, they were futile when it came to Margaret, because in order to tend to the sacred fire, the Shamans tasked with its preservation needed to remain pure and untainted.
Originally, he should have returned to her tribe sooner, but he had to delay those plans because of her contract with the Earl of Artuk.

She was angry and frustrated when she was forced to sign teh contract near her graduation time, but as she continued to serve Villar, she became more and more interested in this eccentric Lord. She had no sympathy for his unique aesthetics, but she also had no complaints about continuing to serve him. But no matter how much time has passed Villar would not compromise when it came to his aesthetics.

Margaret does not doubt the competence of the three Mages who remained in her entourage. However, Siluca’s talent seemed to be even more exceptional than theirs. If it is her, then she might as well be able to see the things around her from exactly the same perspective that Vilar sees them, but she is still very young, and there are going to be many dangers waiting for her on the road ahead of her.

(Well, you seem to be doing fine for now, both of you.)

Margaret addressed Siluca and her Lord in her heart.

* * *

Two days after leaving the Werewolf village, Theo arrived at the castle of Baron Eugen Niklae. He told the gatekeeper about the purpose of his visit, and as soon as he was allowed entrance, he immediately went to the castle.

Eugen greeted Theo while sitting on the throne in the throne room while slightly shaking the toes of his crossed legs.

The baron was about forty years old. He has a beard that lined the contours of his angular face. His body looked hard and without much fat, and his arms and legs are like logs. Standing beside him is a woman wearing a robe that looks like a Mage, so that was probably his contracted Mage. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties.

「I have been entrusted with the protection of the north since the time of the previous head of the Constance family, so you should have come to me first and foremost! 」

Eugen suddenly yelled at Theo. It would seem that the orders from Vilar have already arrived here.

「Your anger is justified… 」

Theo nodded solemnly.

「But since this is an emergency situation, we decided to prioritize visiting the forts and villages along the border, but now that we are done with that, the heavy knights of Waldrind should have their eventual escape route cut off, which means that you can take command now, Lord Eugen. 」

「You are telling me to take the lead? Did Lord Vilar made you his representative? 」

Eugen asked quizzically.

「Even though he made me act as his representative, it’s more like a liaison. Now that Lord Villar’s orders have been spread throughout this area, my role here is as good as finished, since fighting against a dozen of the heavy knights of Waldrind is going to be too heavy of a burden for me alone. 」

「Don’t flatter me! I heard that you fought spectacularly against the heavy knights of Waldrind in Selvis!! 」

Perhaps annoyed at Theo’s modesty, Eugen yelled again.

「That is why I know their strength and the fear they induce in the hearts of the soldiers. Also, we could only last so long against them because we have barricaded ourselves in our castle, but this operation would require fighting them in open combat. Because of that, we have no choice but to ask you, the Baron who has a lot of actual combat experience with the heavy knights of Waldrind, for help. 」

Theo said smoothly. However, it is not a flattery or a lie, those were the words coming straight from his heart.

The reason why he was asked to be a representative is that the words of a new low-ranking Knight would not move the senior subordinate Lord. However, if he just assumed command of everything, that would only win him Eugen’s antipathy. Therefore, he had decided from the beginning that he would devote himself to being a liaison.

Considering his rank, age, reputation and the tales of his bravery, Theo decided that handing the command over to him would be for the best, since he was known to be a stubborn but honest leader.

Therefore, Theo decided not to apologize or make excuses, but to get straight to the heart of the matter.

「Certainly, I have fought the Knights of Waldrind many times before. 」

Eugen spoke in a subdued tone, even as his mouth twitches.

「I have heard that Lord Vilar’s predecessor also gave you many letters of appreciation, medals, and rewards on multiple occasions. 」