Chapter 51: Guest of the Archduke

Silvia quietly admired everything she had witnessed—the two men’s battle, their conversation, and the recruitment process.

First, she was stunned that the Archduke’s skill far exceeded anything she had imagined.

Then, she was twice as shocked to discover that his knowledge was far more extensive than she had thought.

And finally…

“…he perfectly arranged the hierarchy.”

She was amazed three times over at how deftly he had manipulated the Archmage.

This man was like an onion, layers and layers peeling back to reveal even more inside. That was exactly who the Archduke was.

It was no wonder Ilya, who introduced herself as the Archmage, felt such strong curiosity toward him.

“Let me assign you a room.”

Only after those words did Ilya’s face brighten.

She had finally gained assurance that she could stay here.

“Understood.”

Silvia approached Ilya.

“Please follow me.”

“Al… alright.”

Ilya began to hasten her steps behind Silvia.

Inside the inner fortress.

The sight of the child walking alongside the Archduke’s secretary caught everyone’s attention.

Yet, no one dared ask any questions.

Rumors had long spread throughout the inner fortress about just how ruthless the seemingly docile Archduke’s secretary could be.

Even knights would not approach her first.

Ilya followed Silvia like a baby bird. After about five minutes of walking, a large door appeared.

Silvia opened the door and said,

“This will be your room going forward.”

Nodding, Ilya scanned every corner of the room.

Compared to the dungeon where she had lived without any furniture, this was an impressively well-furnished space.

“Th… this is a nice room.”

If she had assumed the form of the old woman, she wouldn’t have stuttered like this.

The old woman’s appearance was like a solid shield and shell to Ilya.

Even when dealing with the stingy merchants of the guild, she could smile cheerfully, crack jokes, and—more than that—skillfully negotiate.

Facing humans without that shell was extremely difficult for Ilya.

It was almost easier to develop a new magic formula than to face them as herself.

Ilya composed herself. When facing the Archduke—even this young girl—there was no room to show weakness.

“This is one of the best furnished guest rooms.”

The moment Silvia finished speaking,

Ilya’s brow involuntarily furrowed just a little.

The term ‘guest’ implied someone who would leave someday. It had an unpleasant nuance she couldn’t shake.

Yet, she didn’t argue.

The word wasn’t wrong—at least not yet.

‘The interior is spacious enough to quickly set up my experimental tools…’

Ilya opened an extradimensional space.

Although she had lived in the dungeon, essential materials and tools were usually carried in an extradimensional space.

While basic defenses were covered by magic, the difference in security with and without an owner was massive.

The moment she casually gestured her hand, the cozy room that seemed perfect for a young girl transformed completely.

Not only were dozens of experimental tools neatly arranged, but all kinds of materials were hanging everywhere.

Between the door and the walls, geometric patterns began spinning—security magic circles.

To an untrained eye, this would definitely look like a mage’s laboratory.

After showing the magic at a wave of her hand, Ilya looked toward Silvia.

“Hmm! What’s your name?”

“Lawrence.”

“Not that. Your real name.”

‘…Silvia.’

It was obvious she didn’t want to reveal her gender.

That was understandable.

Ilya herself had lived hiding her true form as a half-blood doppelganger-human.

“May I ask what your role is?”

“I am the secretary.”

Secretary.

It was a term for someone who used their mind.

A woman disguised as a man serving as the Archduke’s secretary—it piqued a small spark of interest in Ilya’s heart.

Just as she was about to ask more,

Silvia spoke first.

“Are you finished unpacking?”

“Huh? Yes. All done.”

“Then let’s get moving.”

“Is something the matter?”

“We should introduce you around. The Archduchess will be waiting.”

“Th-then, I’d like to change my appearance a bit, like before…”

“You mean the form of the old woman?”

“Y-yes.”

“Before that, I need to ask a few questions. Can you freely change your appearance?”

“…No. I’m a half-blood, so I can only change my own appearance to some extent. And there are only a few forms I can take.”

Teenage, twenties, middle-aged, and old woman—there were roughly four major forms Ilya could assume.

“So it wasn’t magic?”

“To completely transform by magic, one must be above Rank 9. I am only a Rank 8 mage.”

“Did you use the old woman’s form for public activities?”

“Mostly, yes. There were some middle-aged appearances too…”

“Then that’s impossible.”

“Why not?”

“The Archduke is currently under surveillance from all sides.”

In such a situation, if a suspected high-rank mage were to join, suspicions would only intensify.

Moreover, the Archmage before her was not fully on the Archduke’s side yet. At most, she was still just a guest.

There was no reason for the Archduke to take such a risk for Ilya.

Ilya instantly understood the implication.

“Then I must use another appearance instead of the old woman’s form.”

“I would prefer you use a form that few people know.”

“There aren’t many of those age ranges…”

At most, between her teenage and twenties appearances.

Only the early youth form, similar to her current appearance, remained as a viable candidate.

Having spent a long time in the dungeon, aging was mostly shown by using middle-aged or elderly forms.

Most who knew those forms were still alive today.

“Then I’ll just use this form.”

Teenage or twenties?

Among the two, Ilya preferred the former.

At that age, she had lived receiving the warm love of her family.

Even while living alone in the dungeon, she usually took that form.

Only when meeting others or going outside did she change to the elderly form.

“Very well. Publicly, we will introduce you as a guest invited by the Tower of Magic.”

A guest invited by the Tower of Magic.

For Ilya, the Archmage, that was an absurd notion.

But as a ‘guest,’ she could not object.

A guest was simply someone who could be kicked out at any time if they became a nuisance.

“Very well.”

“Then let us go to the Archduchess first.”

“The Archduchess… you mean the Archduke’s biological older sister from earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

The two entered the Archduchess’s office.

Elena’s eyes sparkled as she saw the blonde girl standing beside Lawrence.

“Lawrence? Oh my! Who is that adorable child next to you?”

At those words, Silvia glanced at Polton, the Archduchess’s guard knight.

“Could you please step outside for a moment?”

“Yes.”

Polton left the office, and Silvia began introducing Ilya. There was no reason to hide the truth even from the Archduchess.

“So… this person is actually… an Archmage?”

“Yes. Please treat her according to her apparent age when you are with others.”

Elena’s eyes shone brightly.

What she liked most was cuteness.

Ilya’s appearance, looking barely ten years old, perfectly matched her tastes.

She would respect her when alone but publicly…

‘…I must definitely try to pat her head.’

Elena’s eyes glimmered with determination. Seeing this, Ilya shivered for reasons unknown.

Meeeeh!

Grasping the reins of the mountain goat tightly, Polton gazed at the massive outer fortress.

‘We’ve finally arrived!’

Thanks to the fast mountain goat, he had reached Uldron in just eleven days.

Riding toward the inner fortress,

‘Williams Inome!’

This was the perfect opportunity to take him down.

Passing the inner fortress’s checkpoint in a single breath, he tied the mountain goat and hurried to the Archduke’s office.

Knock, knock.

After politely knocking,

“Archduke, it’s Poforens!”

He called out loudly, and soon the door opened.

“Good to see you made it here.”

“Haha! I couldn’t stay still after hearing the news. Archduke, may I take a closer look at that emblem?”

“Go ahead.”

He gestured toward a finely crafted mechanical device.

Examining the printer carefully, Poforens nodded.

“Just as I thought. That guy’s skill is real. It’s definite!”

“That guy?”

“Williams. He’s the one who supplies weapons to the royal family.”

The way he spat the name out suggested a bitter rivalry with Williams.

“Surely that’s not a personal grudge influencing your judgment?”

“Oh no! Archduke! Though I dislike that guy, I know the value of my own life! I wouldn’t lie to you. It’s absolutely true! I swear on my hammer!”

A hammer’s oath.

Among dwarves, it was a vow that must be kept.

Though steeped in capitalism, it seemed their oaths hadn’t vanished after all.

“Would you also look at this crossbow?”

Ethan handed Poforens a crossbow.

It was one used by the mercenaries during the print shop raid.

Poforens examined it carefully and nodded.

“This is a very intricate crossbow. It seems crafted by our own kin.”

“I think so too.”

Ethan nodded and asked,

“Do you know anything about the Naraxus Cult?”

“The Naraxus Cult? That’s the group of crazies worshipping dragons, right? I heard they’re rampant in the kingdom’s north and south…”

“Right. It seems those guys are connected with the dwarves.”

“What? Really?”

Poforens’ eyes widened.

“Aren’t dwarves just a group that takes any job for money?”

At that, Poforens waved his hands frantically.

“Absolutely not! Though we may seem stingy and miserly to you, Archduke…!”

“But?”

“We have principles! Who in their right mind would take a job from a group related to dragons?!”

Poforens raged wildly.

The reason was simple.

When dragons and humans waged war in the past,

those mad dragonkin didn’t just attack human lands.

They sent armies into all kinds of other races’ territories, laying waste and massacring countless kin.

That was crossing a line.

“Damn right they crossed it! Those cursed bastards…”

Grinding his teeth, Poforens suddenly brightened.

“Could it be… Williams is involved with that cult?”

“Seems that way.”

“You bastard!”

Bang!

Poforens stamped his foot fiercely.

“I’ll contact the Kingdom Council immediately! They won’t stand for this either…”

“Wait. Kingdom? Not a tribe?”

“Excuse me?”

“Weren’t dwarves originally a tribal people?”

“That changed a long time ago. It’s been over ten years already. The Kingdom of Ameria, duh. Have you never heard of it?”

Amazing.

Among the most insular of their own kind were the dwarves.

Yet here they were, establishing a kingdom.

Things that would never have happened in a past life were now happening all too often in this one.

Just like now.