Chapter 28: Please Give Me Your Daughter (2)

Elvio answered with a puzzled look.

“A matter concerning Chesa? I wonder if there is any need to bring up such a topic at this point, right before the joyous occasion.”

“Just hear me out first.”

I gazed steadily at Elvio.

The Utland ducal house wielded influence nearly comparable to the royal family of a small kingdom.

If I married Chesa, the duke would use his immense authority to grant me a modest territory and a suitable title.

It would be to keep our couple as close as possible.

Given the circumstances, this was surely something already agreed upon in advance with my father, Foden.

And here our interests diverged.

I do want Chesa, the duke’s daughter, but I have no desire to waste precious time as Elvio’s vassal.

I need to begin preparations to roam the entire Prima continent and actively intervene in the original story.

To obtain the outcome I desire, I must present a condition more appetizing to Elvio than Chesa’s succession rights.

“Before getting to the main point, there is a child I would like to introduce to Your Grace.”

“An introduction? How intriguing.”

“Come here, Sotiro.”

At my words, Sotiro, who had been standing behind with Linia, stepped to my side.

I explained to Elvio, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“A boy I happened to take in as a subordinate. He possesses extraordinarily rare qualities as a mage.”

“My name is Sotiro U Tigres.”

As rehearsed, Sotiro bowed deeply to Elvio.

“Tigres? Could you perhaps be from that beastman tribe in Safaria?”

“Y-yes, Your Grace. I am a mixed-blood between the tiger tribe and humans…”

A great human lord knew of the Tigres tribe.

Greatly encouraged by that fact, Sotiro suddenly began promoting himself.

“Ahem.”

I let out a deliberate cough to cut off his runaway enthusiasm.

Sotiro flinched, closed his mouth, and took one step back.

“Please forgive my subordinate’s rudeness, Your Grace.”

“Haha, there is no need to apologize so much. He is exactly like a boy his age; it was rather pleasant to see.

So, what exactly does that boy have to do with Chesa?”

As the conversation progressed, Elvio’s tone grew increasingly serious.

He had noticed that my expression, sitting face-to-face, had hardened.

“May I ask Your Grace one question?”

“Hm, very well.”

“I have heard that Your Grace desires blood kin who can achieve greatness as mages.

I have also heard that you have spared no means to that end.”

A sneer unintentionally slipped into my words.

Elvio’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly at the detection.

Yet, as befitting a seasoned noble, he immediately composed his expression.

As expected, the thickness of his mask is on a completely different level from a greenhorn like Litton.

Eugenics-based breeding experiments are his greatest shame.

No one in the kingdom with any sense would dare speak of it aloud, but if it ever became public, it would be an issue big enough to shake the entire kingdom.

Even in the original novel, when describing Chesa’s appearance, there was a mention that “she resembles the races living in the central region of the Prima continent,” despite Elvio’s wife being from a count family in the northern Croa Kingdom.

The reason this has not become a major issue until now is simple:

First, Elvio’s wife comes from one of the weaker count families.

Second, she is an imbecile who cannot tell left from right.

Among the nine children under Duke Utland, how many were truly born from the legal wife?

It was one of the minor debate topics among readers during the serialization of Parts 1 and 2.

I said to him.

“I can guess what you are thinking, but I believe Chesa is still too young to become a mother.”

“Hm. I do not quite understand what you are trying to say.”

Elvio slightly lowered his voice.

“Though it is a blemish upon the family, since you are my future son-in-law, I will speak frankly. Chesa has a fatal flaw as a mage.If she cannot function as a national asset of the kingdom, then bearing as many children as possible from an early age is surely the proper way to contribute to the family’s prosperity, is it not?”

I, who inherited the blood of an ancient martial house and high elves, and who appears to others as a Twelve Hero–class sword genius.

Chesa, who possesses two S-grade traits, even if somewhat excessive.

If many children were born between us, surely one or two extraordinary talents would emerge.

Seeing Elvio not even trying to hide that expectation, I shook my head.

“My opinion differs.”

“How interesting. Continue.”

“I believe Chesa still has many talents yet to bloom. I have spoken with her several times about the future, and she shows no sign of wanting to give up the path of a mage. Am I wrong?”

Elvio swallowed a groan.

Of course, he showed no sign of being easily persuaded; he was merely pondering how to coax his naive future son-in-law who knew nothing of politics.

But since I am not as naive as he thinks, it is time to reveal the cards I hold.

“Your Grace. Would you take this child… Sotiro?”

“What did you say?”

“Sotiro possesses the qualities to master the ‘multiple ring formation’ that Your Grace once researched.

You may check his mana circuits yourself.”

At my words, Elvio forgot to manage his expression and widened his eyes.

Multiple ring formation.

A special mana circulation method that forms multiple rings around the mage’s lifeline, the mana heart, and multiplies spell output through their resonance.

By the setting, Elvio had been researching ring formation since his boyhood days when he first entered the Crimson Tower.

Yet even after decades, he had achieved little; he currently wore only two rings beside his heart.

Forming three or more rings was theoretically possible but carried far too much risk.

However, Sotiro possessed the talent to embody it.

Thanks to the S-grade trait, Dual Magic Core Heart (S).

The owner of Dual Magic Core Heart forms a mana field twice that of an ordinary person around the heart, thereby doubling the effectiveness of ring circulation.

In the novel, by the time Sotiro confronted the protagonists in Part 2, he had formed five rings; the amount of mana he could use at once was several times that of other mages of the same level.

Of course, there were risks: mages with multiple rings recovered mana very slowly and had considerably lower magic resistance.

The rings around the heart also resonated slightly with external mana, increasing the risk of internal injuries compared to normal mages… further details omitted.

To roughly compare it to an RPG, he becomes a nuker specialized in burst damage but with severe MP shortage.

Though sustainability is lacking, his instantaneous explosive power was described through characters in the story as not falling short even when compared to Tristan Alabre, the “Heavenly Chant Master,” one of the Triple Stars.

For reference, Tristan’s level in the story was 60.

Despite the considerable risks, being able to bridge a gap of over 10 levels in pure firepower makes it an extremely useful trait.

Having examined the area around Sotiro’s heart with the observation trait Mana Eye (B), Elvio suddenly exclaimed in admiration.

“…I-it’s true!”

Strong greed filled his eyes.

Exactly the reaction I expected.

And the moment his judgment clouded with desire was the perfect time to land the finishing blow.

“Moreover, Sotiro possesses a mana-recovery constitution that can compensate for the shortcomings of multiple-ring mages.”

“I-is that true?”

Elvio hurriedly checked Sotiro’s blood vessels at my words.

Soon his body trembled with joy.

“It seems everything you say, Aiden, is indeed true.

To think such an ideal candidate for ring formation exists… heh heh, hahahahaha…”

Perverted old man.

He looked like he was about to die of happiness.

Of course, the mana-recovery trait I mentioned was none other than the Vitality Storage Body (S-) newly gained by feeding him the element crystal earlier.

Though it is a time-limited trait, essentially deceiving the duke, he would only realize he was tricked after the trait disappears.

And three years from now, I will have risen to a position where Elvio wouldn’t even dare think of revenge.

“Though an illegitimate child, Sotiro carries blood considered extremely noble among beastmen.

It is up to Your Grace, but bringing him into the family through marriage would not be a bad choice.”

Elvio already had two unmarried daughters besides the eldest who was married off and Chesa.

And with Sotiro’s talent bound by an engagement, it was only a matter of time before he became a central figure in the ducal house.

With my support, he might even push Elvio into the back room as a senile old man and control the entire house at will in the near future.

Elvio’s eyes turned gravely serious.

“…Remarkable, Aiden. I had thought you were still an immature boy.

Yet now I see you possess the capability to lead a conversation on equal footing with me.”

It was no longer merely the fond gaze he had shown his future son-in-law until now.

There was admiration, and even a hint of wariness.

He asked me.

“…There is one thing I am curious about.”

“If you are wondering how I know the secret Your Grace has kept hidden, circumstances prevent me from answering.”

At those words, Elvio quietly stared at the Circulation Church’s relic hanging around my neck, the Fortune Wheel Amulet (S).

With his vast knowledge, he would recognize what the item was and let his imagination run wild regarding the source of my information.

“Since you say you learned it through personal connections, I have no intention of prying further.

In truth, only an extremely small number outside the family know of my ‘research.’

However, I am simply curious why you would hand over a talent like Sotiro to the Utland house just to have Chesa.

What exactly do you see in that child?”

A very important point.

I know Chesa possesses potential in the late 60s, but to Elvio she is merely an unscratched lottery ticket.

“My childhood friend and peerless beauty of a fiancée wishes to become a mage.

As a man, is it not a request I must grant?”

In short, I told him that no calculation or profit motive was involved in this negotiation; I acted purely out of emotion.

At my answer, Elvio gave a wry smile.

He was probably thinking something like, A hot-blooded youth is hopeless.

“Very well. I accept the proposal.”

Hearing the confirmation, I clenched my fist.

Everything after that proceeded smoothly.

“I still have personal matters to discuss with Sotiro, so I will send him to the Utland house in about two weeks.”

“You are making me anxious.”

Elvio did not hide his regret.

For someone who had researched ring formation for decades, he must feel like a starving man before a feast.

“…When will you send Chesa to me?”

“You may take her to the grand duchy right now. We have not even held a proper engagement ceremony yet, but I leave all matters concerning the marriage entirely to you.I will inform the grand duke as well.”

With this, Chesa’s custody was completely entrusted to me.

There remained no obstacle to bringing her along on my journey.

I turned back and said.

“You heard him? Let’s go together.”

“………”

Amethyst eyes trembled.

Chesa, suddenly told by her father to pack her things, nodded with a dazed expression.