Chapter 76 - 3: A Completely Different World

Chapter 76: Chapter 3: A Completely Different World

Among the glorious deeds of Victor Rockwell, the most widespread story currently circulating in the Light Kingdom is undoubtedly how he single-handedly defeated a High-level Demon and assisted the local Church in rebuilding the disaster-stricken area.

For those three months, he ate and lived among the victims, showing none of the airs of a Mage. It reached the point where many victims, despite seeing his iconic Magic Robe, would mistake him for a Church Priest because of his words and actions. They often called him a Divine Messenger, one who saved them from their suffering.

After the disaster, the local Church extended an olive branch, but he refused without hesitation. When he left, he didn’t even accept the slightest payment from the Church or the people.

This act of absolute, selfless dedication only strengthened the people’s conviction that he was indeed a Divine Messenger.

Although Victor himself denied it many times, the title inevitably spread, becoming more renowned with each of his public appearances.

As far as the King knew, the Church’s leadership had been trying to bring him into their fold, to have him join the Holy Order. Victor, however, had no interest. He had made no promises beyond stating that they could cooperate amicably in the future.

The Church didn’t hold a grudge against him for this, nor did they try to manipulate public opinion. Whether Victor was a member of the Holy Order or not, his reputation was already well-established.

’Having such a powerful individual out in the world, spreading the glory of God for free? Why wouldn’t they be happy with that?’

The thought flashed through the King’s mind.

He maintained a gentle smile. "Mr. Rockwell, when did you arrive in Hillflan? I’m surprised I hadn’t heard a single word about it."

"I arrived not long ago."

Victor had no desire for pleasantries. "I’m visiting because I’m interested in the Royal Family’s collection. I’ve heard the Royal Court library contains a number of texts related to Demons. I was hoping Your Majesty the King might grant me permission to access them."

The King was taken aback by this request.

He hadn’t expected Victor to come for such a reason, but on second thought... it was perfectly logical.

There had been similar rumors before. It was said that Victor Rockwell was a research-oriented Mage, and that his enthusiastic participation in the post-disaster reconstruction was just a pretext to stay behind and study the lingering effects of the vanquished High-level Demon.

His subsequent close cooperation with the Church was also because the Church was the institution with the most experience in dealing with Demons.

The Light Kingdom was different from other nations. Its most distinct feature was that its line of succession and historical records had remained unbroken since the Great Cataclysm of ages past.

Victor’s information was accurate.

The Royal Court did indeed possess a collection of top-secret archives containing a vast amount of knowledge about Demons.

However, these texts were the most guarded of secrets. Besides the reigning King and his heir, no one had the authority to view them.

The King had never quite understood this rule. He had looked at the texts himself but gave up after casually flipping through a couple of them.

’They read more like travelogues and random musings. I don’t see any value in them. Probably just things jotted down by previous Kings or Great Mages in their leisure time.’

Besides, in the last hundred years, large-scale Demon attacks had become rare, not just in the Light Kingdom, but across all human territories.

The King was even beginning to think those cruel and filthy creatures were probably extinct.

But his personal feelings were one thing. The rules, however, could not be broken so easily.

"Mr. Rockwell, as you know, those texts are a guarded secret of the Light Kingdom. It would not be an exaggeration to say they are part of our Kingdom’s very foundation..."

The King’s eyes narrowed. "And since ancient times, the rule set down by our ancestors has been that only the successive Kings and their heirs have the right to consult the Royal Court’s secret collection."

His words were firm, but his tone was not entirely serious. Instead, it held an obvious, probing quality.

Victor had spent years traveling and didn’t interact with people much, but he wasn’t completely naive to the ways of the world.

He nodded. "I understand. If there is anything Your Majesty requires of me, I will certainly not refuse."

The King laughed heartily. "A young genius like you, Mr. Rockwell! It’s not just me; even the Church has been eagerly awaiting the day you might join them!"

"However..."

His tone shifted. "I do, in fact, have a matter where I require your assistance. As you know, I am not getting any younger, and I must find a worthy successor among my children."

"While the Light Kingdom does not glorify martial strength like the Hess Empire, a successor must possess formidable Magic Talent."

"For a long time now, I have wanted to find a tutor for Leo and the others, but I’ve yet to find a suitable candidate..."

The King’s thinking was simple.

If Victor were to teach the Prince and Princesses, he would have to reside in the Royal Court, and it would be difficult for him to leave the position for at least a year or two.

A powerful Mage was valuable enough to win over on his own, to say nothing of the immense prestige he held within the Kingdom.

If he could be persuaded to stay, the Kingdom would gain some leverage against the Church.

If all else failed... well, the King was quite confident in his two daughters’ beauty.

For a man like Victor, marrying him to a Princess and granting him a noble title was not out of the question for the King.

Of course, Victor knew what the King was scheming.

He disliked dealing with Nobles, but those texts were crucial to his research.

He contemplated for a moment before saying to the King, "I would like some time to consider."

"Of course, that’s no problem at all!"

The King appeared quite generous, giving him ample freedom.

He took the opportunity to suggest having someone show Victor around the Royal Court, so he could familiarize himself with his future work environment. Victor agreed with a nod but declined the guide the King offered to dispatch.

He was more accustomed to being alone.

...

「Meanwhile.」

Within the Royal Court, in a remote and dilapidated hut.

Lilia was inside, studying Magic.

She needed to go find food, and she certainly couldn’t just stroll out with her current face.

If she wasn’t recognized, she might be able to find a chance to sneak a couple of pieces of bread from the kitchen. But if she was...

Lilia had a feeling nothing good would come of it.

So, before heading out, she decided to first improve her own abilities.

In this lifetime, she hadn’t studied Magic, nor had she even participated in an awakening ceremony. After all, at six years old, she was still living in an orphanage, crammed into a small hut with six or seven other children. There was simply no opportunity for testing.

But in her previous lifetime, she had studied systematically at two major Magic Academies.

Although her low talent limited the Magic she could master, when it came to theory, she was confident she wouldn’t lose to anyone.

’...No wonder Victor always said that to master Magic, the most important and simplest step is to first sense the free-roaming Elemental Particles...’

Lilia glanced around her.

’So this is what the world looks like through the eyes of someone with A-level talent...’