The morning of the next day, the first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was the tremendous result of 100 percent on the ‘Chaos Meter.’
“…Wow.”
So this number was possible after all.
Thinking about it, it made sense. It was because I had swallowed the power he transferred until my stomach was about to burst.
The amount was incomparably greater than what I received the first time, so toward the end I tried to escape, saying I couldn’t do it anymore.
‘Th-that’s, haa… now, stop, enough…’
‘It’s not enough. It seems like a bit more will go in.’
‘No, it won’t go in anymore… mmph.’
‘See? You swallowed more.’
I quickly shook my head to scatter the scenes floating cloudily in my mind. It might just be my imagination, but it still felt like a heavy sensation was piled up around my solar plexus.
Still, thanks to that, I was able to spend the day without worrying about nosebleeds or fainting. There was also no chronic headache, dizziness, or fatigue following me around, so it was an utterly refreshing morning.
In a satisfied mood, I washed and changed clothes, when suddenly my reflection in the mirror caught my passing gaze.
“Hm?”
What’s this?
When I undid the buttons I had fastened, a half-naked young man standing blankly was reflected in the mirror. In the middle of this body that had become quite familiar to my eyes, unnecessarily pretty…
‘A mark?’
A pattern the size of one and a half finger joints, shining in gold, was engraved there. It was something I had never seen before.
I tried pressing it firmly with my fingertip and examining it from various angles, but there wasn’t much I could figure out. All I learned was that it was close to being engraved like a tattoo, and there was no pain even when I pressed it firmly.
I definitely hadn’t seen it until yesterday, so it seemed related to what happened in the dream last night…
After pondering for a while, I put my clothes back on before long. It didn’t seem like I could figure out anything more by worrying about it further.
‘It doesn’t look particularly harmful either.’
I should ask if he knows anything when I meet him again later.
That was about the extent of my impression.
That’s what I thought.
But once I recognized that pattern, it kept circling in my mind. It was quite simple to be a family crest, yet it didn’t feel like a meaningless symbol either, so I wondered if it might be a mark used by magicians.
My younger sister wouldn’t have conceived something like this. Naturally, I didn’t think of it either. Then where on earth did this symbol originate from…
“Your Imperial Majesty?”
I raised my head while scribbling the pattern I saw in the morning from memory with a quill pen.
My aide who had brought a pile of helpful books and documents, Albert, was looking down at me with a puzzled gaze.
“Are you interested in the Tower’s emblem?”
“What… What did you say?”
He glanced at the doodle located in a corner of my document.
“What you drew.”
“This is the ‘Tower’s emblem’?”
“…You didn’t draw it knowing? It’s slightly different from my memory, but it’s still similar. It should be engraved on several of the north’s treasures too.”
The answer came from an unexpected place. I carefully put down the quill pen.
“Explain what that is.”
The learned Albert didn’t disappoint my expectations this time either.
“I don’t know it in detail either, but it’s one of the north’s ruins. It refers to an ice tower said to be built in the northernmost region, in the land of eternal snow.”
“The land of eternal snow…”
I brought over the map I had placed beside me and spread it out. It was a military map meticulously marking all regions of the north that had become the Grand Duchy of Betius as of yesterday.
Not only the villages near the castle but also mines, gorges, and even magical beast habitats were all marked. Those dense markings became increasingly sparse the farther they were from the castle, and in the northern part of that map, there was an empty place painted white.
The northernmost point beyond the snowy plains. An unknown region where even the magical beast habitats that had been marked here and there with scissors marks couldn’t be identified. The land of winter that never melts, which humans gave up ruling.
“There doesn’t seem to be much research on it.”
“Probably so. Most of it is just stories passed down orally.”
“For example?”
“Stories like it being a twin tower with the Tower in the southern desert region, or that a pure white beast lives there…”
Albert said while searching his memory.
“There’s also a saying that when night deepens, evil things descend to dig up burial sites and drag away the dead. Perhaps because of that, there’s a custom in the north of adding bars and nailing them to coffins when burying.”
“Hmm.”
“There are also sayings that it’s the source of tremendous magical power, and that invaluable treasures too numerous to count are piled up like a mountain. There are legends about rare plants growing there too.”
“Anyone would be tempted.”
Albert answered with a slight smile.
“So few return alive that it’s difficult to even muster recklessness.”
“How brutal.”
I nodded and put away the map.
I had a hunch that the thing that appeared again in my dream might be related to the Tower. Because the ice breaking beneath my feet and the existence with only white outlines visible somehow matched quite well with the eerie rumors surrounding that Tower.
I should ask about this later too. Having organized my thoughts that way, I asked Albert.
“By the way, saying you’re amazing isn’t enough. When did you learn all this?”
Traditions, geography. From customs to history, there’s nothing you don’t know, so now it’s reaching the point of being marvelous.
“I’d believe you if you said you were from the north.”
Albert bowed his head with a still-smiling face.
“My grandfather was from the north. I thought there might come a day when I’d come to this land too, so I looked into various things, and I’m just delighted to be of help.”
“I should raise your salary more.”
“Your words alone are enough thanks.”
“Since it’s not just words, be even more grateful.”
I replied indifferently and stood up.
Billy, who had just brought the items I ordered, widened his eyes.
“Where are you going, Your Imperial Majesty?”
“It’s about noon now. I need to take care of the afternoon schedule.”
“If you’re speaking of the afternoon schedule…”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I’m going to the training grounds.”
Billy followed behind me in a fluster. Each time he moved, the items in his arms clattered. They were light leather armor and a wooden training sword.
“Th-the training grounds… Surely, you’re not going to use these items yourself, Your Imperial Majesty?”
“Is there a problem? I should have told you to bring armor I could wear.”
“I did bring them, but…”
“Then that’s fine. I’ll use them myself.”
Ding. With a cheerful sound, a notification came that my ‘Chaos Meter’ had dropped to 95 percent. Being fully filled was satisfying, but living like a proper person to this degree while the meter didn’t drop easily made me even more pleased.
It would be nice if I could solve things by just sitting at a desk and playing with a quill pen, but unfortunately, the north wasn’t land that could be managed that way.
The most important thing here was strength. Because this was barren and dangerous land where magical beasts held more initiative than humans.
‘That’s why there were records of the strongest person of the time managing the castle.’
I narrowed my eyes while recalling the contents of reports I had checked here and there in the carriage.
The land that hadn’t had a proper leader for some time was truly a lawless zone. There was a guard unit, but it was also said to have operated haphazardly without proper support. With insufficient manpower and supplies, and even lacking a system, people dying in droves every year was a natural result.
Billy tilted his head and asked carefully.
“Even if you train, wouldn’t armor be unnecessary? Since Your Imperial Majesty is a magician…”
“Ah, that.”
Since Achille’s setting in the story is as a magician, there should be quite usable magical power in this body.
The problem is that the body’s owner has changed.
“I’ve lost confidence in using it well like before.”
If I learned, I could probably do well, but somehow it didn’t seem like I’d have talent for it.
What I was good at was something else.
“So I’m thinking of making use of my major.”
“Your major? What are you good at?”
‘Master, Master! Show us the triple kick!’
‘I finished jump rope, Master!’
‘I want to break boards too! Me too!’
‘Master, do the dangling thing for us today too!’
“…Kicking?”
I was… a taekwondo instructor.
