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"Baron Musou" Chapter 30: Departure
🕑 Added 2023-06-05 10:45:06 +0000 UTC"Did you say to leave home now?"
Lucius was seated at the table as usual, preparing for breakfast.
But the words that came out of Robert's mouth were different from usual.
"Yeah," Robel nodded firmly.
"No, Father. It's so sudden, I don't understand the meaning at all."
In this world, there is no compulsory education.
Usually, nobles have private tutors to acquire knowledge and education.
Therefore, it is customary for children to reach adulthood without leaving home.
There are cases where they leave home to pursue higher education at universities, but even among nobles, only about one in a few become university students.
By the way, the commoners receive education through gatherings similar to terakoya in Japan, and the cost is usually borne by the feudal lord.
"No, it's not that I want to do it... but it's a royal decree."
"The royal decree, the one from the other day?"
"Yeah."
"What does that have to do with leaving home?"
"Do you know that most of the monsters around here are suitable for being ridden as mounts?"
There is a bias in the habitat of monsters.
For example, in the northern region, many monsters form contracts through the rider magic core residing in their left hand.
Similarly, in the western region, monsters with gunner magic cores residing in their right hand, in the eastern region, monsters with white-eye magic cores residing in their eyes, and in the southern region, monsters with singing mouth magic cores residing in their mouths are more abundant.
The culture of riding beasts in the north was not decided by the nobles, but was naturally formed from the habitat of monsters.
"Yeah, I heard that before. But that doesn't mean there are none around here, right?"
"They are present, but in small numbers. It seems His Majesty is assuming a contract with a Grade 1 monster."
"Grade 1? It sounds like it will be difficult to find."
As the rank of monsters increases, their population decreases.
In the already scarce northern region, there are few monsters that correspond to magic cores other than the rider magic core.
"So, it means we have to search for something that may or may not exist. His Majesty has commanded us to go to each region and find the appropriate monster for the ritual. That's why we have our titles."
"I see. So you anticipated this happening."
The royal decree was issued.
They had been thinking about how to obtain the ritual, but they never thought that the king himself would take care of it.
"But the location is the problem."
"Where is it?"
"First, the eastern region."
Emily couldn't help but interject.
"The eastern region!? But there's a conflict with the empire..."
"It'll be fine. Lucius, who is not yet an adult, won't be sent to battle so suddenly."
"Are you really sure...?"
Emily's eyes filled with worry.
According to Father's explanation, even though the royal decree was issued, the four major noble families of the east, west, south, and north were reluctant to accept Lucius.
The reason was the evil dragon that had become the cause of this incident.
Although the decree had been issued, there was no lord who wanted to welcome an evil dragon into their territory.
Moreover, he was the son of a baronial family with no connections or ties to anyone.
If he were to go out of control, it would be a disaster.
Naturally, there was heated debate.
Even the Duke of the western region, a member of the current king's family, refused based on the security of the capital.
The southern region, which was the country's granary, declined because it was in the midst of autumn harvest and couldn't spare any resources.
Of course, on the surface, they were still in the process of coordinating the timing.
As a result, the eastern region, which had no clear reason to refuse, was forced upon them.
Moreover, in the eastern region, which was plagued by conflicts with neighboring countries, there was even a judgment that if things got out of hand, it would be better to deploy it in battle.
The most recent large-scale battle occurred two years ago.
It was the battle in which Olivia's brother died.
Since then, the two countries had been in a standoff, and there had been only small-scale skirmishes between them.
"Robert, are you really at your wit's end? What if a battle breaks out and someone like the Empire's War Emperor attacks...?"
Emily was still worried, but Robel couldn't accept it either.
"We can't go against the royal decree."
To the bewildered mother, Lucius also spoke up to reassure her.
"It's okay, Mom. It just means I'll rely on other nobles until I make a contract like Olivia did, right? It's not a big deal."
He made a joke, but it could take several months to form a contract with the ritual. Moreover, it's not a local move within the same state, so it would take time for a round trip.
Also, there is a limited time period for obtaining the ritual.
Both nobles and commoners don't live solely for the sake of the ritual.
They would have to manage it within the scope that doesn't significantly affect their lives.
If they miss the harvest season this year, they may not be able to return home for over a year.
The faces of the two parents stiffened.
"I really hope there won't be anything like the last time!"
"Lucius, please, I'm begging you."
Lucius felt the intense gaze of his parents.
They really don't trust me at all.
"Well, I'm sure it'll be fine. We'll have a proper ritual this time."
Lucius raised his left hand.
"But you haven't familiarized yourself with the magic power yet. Don't overdo it."
Even though they have formed a contract, people and rituals are originally separate beings.
Their magic powers are housed in the same body. Depending on how you look at it, it can be considered a distorted state.
Therefore, it is necessary to gradually acclimate their magic powers to each other and make them the same.
If the magic power is not acclimated, the consumption of magic power required to use the ritual formula increases, and the amount of magic power required to maintain the manifested state becomes enormous.
By gradually mixing the magic powers of both parties through the magic core, the acclimation naturally progresses.
"It's okay. I have more magic power than ordinary people, so I can use the dragon's ritual to some extent. But... about the ritual..."
Lucius sighed.
The ritual that made the evil dragon the ritual had three formulas.
Magic power detection, dragon's flame, and pressure black (temporary).
Magic power detection is something that can be obtained with almost any monster as a ritual, but the remaining two are unique powers of the evil dragon.
The dragon's flame is a formula possessed by the founder of the Dragon family, Lucius's ancestor, who also had a dragon as a follower.
Pressure black (temporary) is a formula that absorbs and crushes everything in the surroundings, but it is still a provisional name because it is a formula with no precedent, according to the Orléans family.
Lucius doesn't care much about the name.
The problem lies in these two formulas.
They are difficult to use in any case.
No matter how much they try to suppress it, they have high killing power, so they can only be used when it is permissible to kill the opponent.
Of course, such opportunities are rare. It's better not to have them.
"Well, I was able to form the contract at the age of ten. It's just the beginning."
"Well, that's true."
Nobles form a contract with monsters at the age of ten.
There are exceptions, but many nobles have reasons to do so.
As mentioned earlier, it is to acclimate their magic powers.
To firmly bind the magic power of the ritual, it is best to complete the contract by the age of sixteen, when they reach adulthood.
If they form the contract too late, they won't be able to fully unleash the power of the ritual after reaching adulthood.
It is said that they cannot fulfill their duties as nobles, but to be frank, it means they would be taken lightly.
However, that is a story for nobles who are primarily involved in politics.
In families like the Dragon family, which manages the habitat of monsters, it becomes an even more serious problem.
That's why Robel gave Lucius the ritual at the age of ten.
He probably didn't imagine that it would become an evil dragon.
"Well, for now, I'll go to the eastern region."
"What's wrong? You seem more positive than I expected."
"Well, it's a good opportunity to broaden my horizons, and honestly, I didn't know about the situation and all."
This is a good opportunity to learn about the country.
Moreover, there is a place called Mount Croulon in the eastern region, where the evolution of the ritual has been reported.
And Tacto territory, where Olivia was assigned, is also in the eastern region.
There are goals to go for survival and a girl who he wants to be of help to. These are also reasons to be positive.
"I see. Although it's not as common now, in the past, sons of senior nobles used to travel through the four states before and after reaching adulthood. It will surely be a good experience."
Robel smiled mischievously.
"That's right. And Olivia of the same age is doing her best alone, so I should at least go and make a contract, right?"
"...To express contracting with a Grade 1 monster as 'at least,' that's probably something only you would do."
"Compared to the evil dragon, well, you know."
"Well, yeah. Anyway, you don't need to be too formal, but keep a moderate sense of tension when facing monsters."
"With all my heart and soul, right?"
Lucius repeated the words he had been told many times.
"If you understand, then it's fine."
Robel and Emily still had a worried expression while laughing.
"Are you really going to be okay..."
"Well, maybe it's a good timing. I hope it's just needless worry, but I can't really come to terms with the evil dragon incident. I feel a bad omen drifting in the northern region."
Even though dragons had been found for the first time in a hundred years.
It was recorded that dragons had appeared during a period of turmoil.
They burned down a country exhausted by war.
Robel seemed to foresee some kind of disturbance in the northern region.
"Father, Mother, and Matilda, please take care. If anything happens, I'll come flying back with the evil dragon."
Lucius comforted them, and Robel responded while looking into the distance.
"That's something to look forward to, but the next day, there will be a storm of complaints from the lords who were flown over."
Emily scolded them while laughing.
"Please stop it for real."
The father and mother, who were forcing themselves to smile, only increased the anxiety.
They couldn't help but pray for the peace of the Silverheart territory.
As Lucius left the mansion with his parents, the carriage passed through the territory, heading for the royal capital.
The silver-haired boy in the carriage looked out the window with a nostalgic feeling.
Even though he is still in the territory, Lucius had a premonition that he might not be able to return for a long time.
As they left the territory, he saw the familiar gate of the mansion behind him, and Lucius felt like he was truly leaving home.
