Chapter 159

Cornelius Merhes, the Four-Star Mage.

Dean of the Cordis Imperial Academy of Magic, one of the two administrators of the Fiftieth Imperial Succession War, adopted son and top disciple of Hermai Merhes.

A man who held just about every grand title a mage could have.

Born with magical talent, he met the best master and rose through the ranks without any particular difficulty.

Everyone said he would walk a smooth path in life, and he himself thought so too.

That's why he couldn't help but reminisce.

‘How did Cornelius end up here?’

Only sighs escaped him.

Despite his troubled heart, he had to disembark from the ship.

He forced a smile and waved his hand.

The fervent welcome of the West greeted him, but it was not welcome at all.

Whether they were pro-Empire or anti-Empire, from the West's perspective, Cordis was an incredibly advanced nation.

Having been suppressed for a thousand years, their admiration had only grown larger.

Even an outcast Second Imperial Princess, even the now-outdated former dean of the Imperial Academy of Magic, just seemed amazing in the West.

‘Head of the Princess's marriage delegation? It's no different from exile.’

He stroked his mustache.

It was as neat as it was seven years ago, but it wasn't as stylish. It was strange, even though his appearance was the same.

‘No, it's a real place of exile. If this isn't exile, what is……?’

The Second Imperial Princess, Santia Hostanio, had come to marry into the Guidone family.

So she will live here from now on.

Cornelius Merhes had to assist her from now on.

So he will live here from now on.

Outside the Empire! In this backward place!

For the rest of his life!

For the mustached mage who had lived his entire life only in Lutilium, the capital of the Great Empire, it was a truly terrible story.

Assisting her was a nice way of putting it; he was no different from an attendant.

Right now, behind him stood the head lady-in-waiting.

Was her name Nana?

She effectively held a similar position to him.

He had heard she was also from a prestigious family, but to have a similar rank as a mere head lady-in-waiting, from the perspective of someone who was once the dean of the Imperial Academy of Magic, it was beyond sad and heart-wrenching.

‘Where did it all go wrong.’

He thought deeply, giving only a cursory wave to the welcoming people of the West.

He was definitely doing well.

His life was unfolding very smoothly.

It was like that until seven years ago.

‘The Succession War! That damned Succession War was the problem!’

Following his master Hermai Merhes, he had accepted the position of administrator for the Succession War without hesitation.

After all, managing the Imperial Succession War was one of the greatest honors a Cordis mage could enjoy.

It was a tradition that had been passed down since the time of Sen Sorti.

‘For taking a bit of pocket change… right, it wasn't exactly pocket change.’

Recalling the past when he had accepted tokens of sincerity from the three princes and princesses, he felt embarrassed.

He cleared his throat and stroked his mustache.

He wasn't one to lack self-awareness even before, but after experiencing life's hardships, his self-reflection had become much quicker.

‘Damn it, I had to act up at the end, saying I'd protect my beliefs, and ended up falling out of His Majesty Ferbias's favor…….’

Horrified by the talk of starting a Grand Convergence, he had rebelled, only to be brainwashed by Ferbias's Ars, the ‘Prince’s Eye Priceps occuls’.

He had destroyed the central management of the Succession War with his own hands and was still taking responsibility for it.

No matter that he was brainwashed, it was his hands that had done the deed.

Since the one who brainwashed him was the current emperor, there was nowhere to complain.

‘Master is heartless too. His disciple is being exiled to this distant place, and he doesn't even see me off…….’

If there were no people around, he wanted to cry.

The sea of the Bururade Peninsula was warmly beautiful under the strong sunlight, just as he had heard, but it offered no comfort.

His situation, which was no different from being left all alone, his life plans that all had to be discarded, he could only sigh at the bleak future ahead.

‘Ah, won't a rope descend from somewhere.’

Cornelius Merhes's sigh only deepened.

‘Isn't there a rope somewhere that can save this Cornelius?’

***

I mingled with the crowd and observed Cornelius.

The mustached mage's reluctant smile revealed his situation well.

‘He must have really fallen out of Ferbias's favor, Cornelius Merhes.’

The dean of the Imperial Academy of Magic meant he was one of the top ten mages in all of Cordis.

If he hadn't incurred Ferbias's wrath, he would have no reason to come all the way to the West.

‘The unexpected Cornelius.’

It was different from before the regression.

And that made it all the more welcome.

‘Things might just get unexpectedly easier.’

***

Cornelius Merhes received the treatment of a distinguished guest.

He was served in the next best room and with the next best food after the Second Imperial Princess, who still hadn't shown her face.

However, it was far from enough to satisfy the mustached mage.

He had received this level of treatment countless times when attending formal banquets in the Cordis Imperial Palace.

“If there is anything you lack……”

“Ah, yes, I'll let you know anytime.”

The butler of the Guidone family kept bowing.

“It is a true honor to form a bond with the Cordis Imperial family.”

“Yes, yes, I'm very tired, so could you let me rest?”

“…Ah, I was rude. Please rest comfortably.”

Cornelius dismissed the butler with a rather cold voice.

He felt a little sorry, but his fatigue took precedence.

The people of the West showed an excessively deferential attitude even to Cornelius and for good reason, as he was a Four-Star Mage.

This meant he was on a similar level to the court mages of the great powers in the West.

Of course, no matter how well he was treated here, he wasn't particularly pleased.

“Head Lady-in-Waiting Nana.”

He opened his mouth to the lady-in-waiting standing beside him.

If he was the head of the marriage delegation, Head Lady-in-Waiting Nana was the head of the ladies-in-waiting.

“Has Her Highness the Princess already retired for the night?”

“Yes. Just now. She seems to be tired.”

“Then we can also rest. You should go and rest as well.”

“I shall.”

Nana left the room with light steps.

Cornelius found her way of speaking somewhat unpleasant.

No matter that she was from a prestigious family, no matter that she was the head lady-in-waiting serving the princess!

To speak so informally to him, who was once the dean of the Imperial Academy of Magic!

‘Was there such a head lady-in-waiting in the Imperial Palace?’

Cornelius tilted his head.

He had seen her face somewhere, but he couldn't remember well.

It seemed she wasn't a lady-in-waiting.

He pondered for a moment but soon shook it off.

It's not like there were only one or two ladies-in-waiting in the Cordis Imperial Palace.

Besides, it wouldn't be strange if she was from the outside, for example, a person from the Hostanio family.

He had many worries and had no mental capacity to spare for trivial questions like the origin of a head lady-in-waiting.

Cornelius once again began to sink into serious contemplation about his own future.

“Damn it. Will I ever be able to return to Lutilium, no, to the Empire……”

He was a mage.

Among them, he was closer to a scholar.

At the Imperial Academy of Magic, he had used expensive materials and expensive equipment to his heart's content, but he wouldn't be able to do so here. It was just bitter.

He had no worries about his master.

There were few things as futile as worrying about Hermai Merhes.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps.

Soon, it was followed by a knock.

“Who is it?”

“It is I, the butler of Guidone.”

“You just left and came back so soon.”

The mustached mage asked.

“What is it?”

“There is a guest who urgently wishes to see you, Head of the Delegation……”

“I'm tired from just arriving from a long journey.”

“I told him so, but he is very insistent……”

Cornelius stroked his mustache.

He had only seen him for a moment, but the butler of the Guidone family was not a clueless man.

He wouldn't have wanted to bother Cornelius either.

Yet, the fact that he was being bothered meant that the guest was a person of higher status than he thought.

‘If I'm going to be in the West for a while, it wouldn't hurt to build connections with such people.’

He was a man who had mastered weighing gains and losses.

That's how he would have been able to pull off the feat of receiving sincerity from three princes and princesses at the same time.

“Let's hear a name at least.”

“He is a man named Shion.”

“First time hearing it.”

He had familiarized himself with the major figures as he was coming to the West.

The name was not on the list provided by the Cordis intelligence agency.

“He is the son-in-law of the Verchello family.”

“Verchello? The prestigious family of the Bururade Peninsula?”

Cornelius tilted his head.

“It was a family that represented the West, but didn't it already fall?”

“Not exactly.”

It was an unfamiliar voice.

A young man, no, someone who looked closer to a boy, opened the door and entered.

Cornelius frowned deeply at his rude behavior.

“The current family head worked very hard and proudly revived the name of Verchello.”

“And you are?”

“Shion. The husband of Serena de Verchello, the head of the Verchello family.”

“You have a pretty face.”

“Thank you, Elder Cornelius.”

The word Elder didn't sound bad.

Cornelius felt inclined to forgive the other's rudeness.

“So you're Shion.”

He pulled out the chair in front of him.

He didn't touch it directly; he just flicked his finger, and the chair moved on its own.

It was an easy task for a Four-Star Mage.

“Sit.”

Shion locked the door and walked over.

Even though he locked the door, Cornelius felt no threat.

He just thought he was about to have a secret conversation.

A Four-Star Mage had reason to be fearless.

“Let's hear it. What brings you here?”

“You're in a hurry to get to the story.”

Shion smiled brightly.

He took out a small pouch from his bosom.

“First, please accept this. It is a small token of my sincerity.”

“Hey! What do you take me for!”

Cornelius flew into a rage.

“I came here as the head of Her Highness the Princess's marriage delegation! Are you trying to tarnish the nobility of my mission? If so, you've got the wrong person!”

“I think I got the right one. Your hands are very busy.”

“Kehem, well, since it's a token of sincerity, I should at least check what's inside.”

Still hasn't kicked the habit.

I muttered inwardly. Cornelius was pretending not to, but the corners of his mouth were slowly rising.

His tone of voice was even starting to sound melodic.

“Let's seeee… what kind of sincerity……”

The mustached mage's eyes widened.

Golden raspberries poured out from the pouch.

The craftsmanship was exquisite.

“…Oh, how did you know I like gold?”

Cornelius smiled broadly and tucked the gold into his bosom.

There was no trace of hesitation.

“You're a friend who knows a thing or two. You have the right attitude for asking a favor.”

He reasoned with himself.

If he was in exile, he should at least have money.

In fact, if he had money, even the West wouldn't be so bad.

He knew the Empire was preparing for a calamity, but surely they wouldn't kill him, the disciple of Hermai Merhes.

“What is the favor? With a token of sincerity like this, I think I can gladly listen.”

“Then I won't be shy.”

I said in a whisper.

“I wish to see Her Highness the Princess.”

“…What?”

Cornelius was perplexed.

And then he was enraged.

“Ha……!!”

His face contorted, and he took the golden raspberries out from his bosom.

“Get out of here with this!”

The pouch flew through the air, and the gold rolled on the floor.

As if responding to the Four-Star Mage's feelings, turquoise orbs floated around him.

“You country bumpkin of the West! Did you think you could see Her Highness the Princess just by bringing a lump of gold? How shameless! In the Empire, your head would have been cut off immediately!”

The Four-Star Mage's presence was not to be taken lightly.

An ordinary person would not be surprised to faint on the spot.

He said, panting heavily.

“…Some upstart fool, do you take the Cordis Imperial family for a joke?”

“I do.”

The regressed prince smiled sweetly.

Cornelius turned his head as if he had heard something unbelievable.

I continued, unfazed.

“I know the Cordis Imperial family well. So I also know well how ridiculous they are.”

“…Have we, by any chance, met before……?”

Cornelius felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

That blond hair, those blue eyes, he had definitely seen them somewhere.

But where was it?

When was it?

It was a memory buried deep, but why did it have to be buried so deep.

“Well now. I wonder?”