Rebirth of the 8th-Circle Mage

Chapter 158 - An Unexpected Preparation (1)

“Alfred’s here?”

Eisen was surprised by Vedican’s report.

Why did Alfred come to see him?

This was the first time he came to see Eisen since the power of the Three Great Families got separated.

Eisen laughed so hard that the Adam's apple in his neck was visible.

“Hahaha! Since I’m a Marquis now, I get to see something like this! Go and greet him politely. I’ll treat him well since he came as a guest!”

Eisen was truly pleased with the situation.

The one with the most sense of urgency was bound to reach out first.

Eisen felt an odd sense of victory when someone who never would’ve visited him in a million years came to see him.

Naturally, Eisen greeted Alfred in the living room.

After his succession as a marquis, Eisen had spent a lot of money further embellishing the living room in order to show off his health and honor. However, unlike the bright living room, Alfred’s face was dark.

Not caring what Alfred looked like, Eisen greeted him with a big laugh.

“Hahaha! Well, well… What’s gotten into you, Alfred, that you came all this way to see me?”

His greeting was full of ridicule.

Alfred glared at Eisen as if he were about to kill him and called his name.

“Eisen.”

“What is it?”

“I’m here to challenge you to a battle.”

“...What?”

The word battle rang in Eisen’s ear.

Wondering if he misheard it, Eisen rubbed his ears and asked again, “I think I heard you wrong. What did you just say?”

“I said let’s have a battle. It doesn’t matter if we fight as knights or have a Fief War. Eisen, if you have even a shred of conscience left, accept my challenge.”

“Conscience? Hahaha!”

Alfred was dead serious. If he didn’t do this, he genuinely felt like the rage would kill him.

However, Eisen merely laughed because there was no need for him to go through such trouble in this current situation.

“And if I refuse?”

“Have you forsaken your pride as a knight?”

“Isn't it you, the spiritualists, who speak of embracing knightly pride only when you need it? Yet, when the moment comes for you to truly act, you run away from your duty, claiming that you’re not knights. Am I mistaken?”

Eisen replied to ridicule with more ridicule.

With a red face, Alfred shouted, “Shut up! Eisen, did you really think I wouldn’t know if you hid it?! You had Terion and Oscar distribute that damn drug to my sons, not to mention the Central Aristocratic Association.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I only gave out the cigarettes as gifts. You guys smoked it because you wanted to, right?”

He was right, but for Alfred, those were just a bunch of frustrating facts.

Eisen was also no longer stupid like he had used to be. Of course, Henry had given him a full explanation before leaving for Shahatra just in case, but apart from that, it was true that Eisen had become smarter. As a result, because Eisen truly cared about Henry, he decided to bear the responsibility for everything that Henry did, as if he had done it himself.

Alfred gritted his teeth and said, “You’re talking nonsense now that you’ve earned a title that doesn’t even suit you.”

“Well, isn’t it better than becoming a retard with only one arm?”

“Eisen!”

Bang!

People often resorted to such baseless criticism when they had no counterarguments in a dispute. Such insults would eventually turn into a competition of who could hurt the opponent more with words.

This was Alfred right now.

During his entire journey to the Shonan region, Alfred’s anger showed no signs of subsiding, and on top of that, he had drunk three bottles of alcohol on his way there.

On the other hand, as Eisen rose to the rank of marquis, he had become wiser and his temper had calmed down a lot due to Henry’s guidance.

Eisen calmly watched Alfred get up from his seat and angrily kick the desk.

“Alfred, if you summon a spirit right now like your son did, I’ll consider this an official attempt to harm me and report it to the emperor.

“You…!”

Alfred no longer wanted to cause a mess that would do him no good.

“Ha…”

Alfred sat back down.

Eisen smirked and said, “So you want to fight me in a battle?”

“If I don’t do that, I feel like I might actually tear you apart.”

“Why don’t you try to see if you can?”

“You…!”

“Shut up and listen. Since we’ve known each other for a long time, I’ll offer you a special chance, just this once.”

“What?”

Alfred was physically unable to do anything, so all he did was vent his anger with a bunch of violent words.

However, Eisen comforted Alfred as if he were handling a fierce hound, seemingly being the one in control.

“I said I’ll give you a chance, Alfred. However, what a laughing stock would we be if we, the Three Great Families, fought a battle merely because you want to take out your anger on me.”

“Why does that even matter?”

“It doesn’t matter to you, but I’m in a position where things like that matter. So, put the Ilyan Mine of yours on the line. If you do that, then I’ll accept your challenge.”

“W-what…!”

The Ilyan Mine was the largest mine in the Etherwether region among Alfred’s estates.

This mine yielded significant funds, and the steel extracted from it, which was stronger than ordinary steel, was regarded as the best.

“Cut the crap, Eisen!”

Bang!

Alfred slammed the table once again.

Eisen squinted and said, “Why? Are you not confident? Didn’t you challenge me to a battle because you wanted to take your anger out on me and you were confident that you’d win?”

He lightly provoked Alfred.

Eisen had definitely matured. He was no longer just an old man or a perpetual count; rather, he was living up to his nickname, the hidden gem.

Alfred’s face turned bright red.

Realistically, Eisen wouldn’t lose anything if he declined the challenge, and because of that, Alfred was well aware that Eisen was being patient with all of his unreasonable complaints. Alfred was angry, but he didn’t want to agree to his conditions just like that.

After making up his mind, Alfred opened his eyes wide and said, “Very well, but on top of the Ilyan Mine, I’ll also put the Schollerion Field and Maroon Gorge on the line.”

“What?”

Eisen was surprised because the Schollerion Field was one of the very few best granaries in the Eurasian empire. As for the Maroon Gorge, it was located on one of the major trading routes of the empire, which meant that it was necessary to pass through it.

People called these two and the Ilyan Mine the Three Golden Sites of the Etherwether family because of how profitable they were.

“But Eisen, put your vassal on the line in return,” said Alfred with a confident expression.

He was talking about Henry’s life!

Alfred was somewhat aware that Eisen had started developing rapidly ever since he appointed that nasty vassal of his, Henry, but of course, he wasn’t entirely sure.

He had only speculated it based on the rumors that the soldiers had spread right after the subjugation, and the fact that Henry was in charge of the trade with Shahatra.

‘How dare that vassal humiliate me!’

Most importantly, Alfred clearly remembered Henry offering an alternative solution to avoid the worst outcome for his sons.

Thus, Alfred provoked Eisen by betting his Three Golden Sites.

Eisen frowned as soon as Alfred mentioned Henry.

“Put your vassal’s life on the line, Eisen! Don’t tell me your vassal is more valuable than the three lands I have!”

To an observer unfamiliar with the context, Alfred's actions might have seemed like an extravagant wager. However, for a gambler, winning this bet seemed like a potential solution to all their problems.

With a frown, Eisen slowly closed his eyes.

‘Crazy bastard!’

Being childless, Eisen held a genuine affection for Henry, considering him one of his most cherished and valuable treasures.

These were Alfred’s three sites that even Arthus coveted, therefore, Eisen thought it was acceptable to compare them with Henry, whom he loved the most.

However, Eisen was getting angry.

‘He must be out of his mind.’

He disliked Alfred's obvious condescension and his arrogant belief that he would undoubtedly win, which was proven by his betting on the Three Golden Sites.

A battle was not a barter, but a bet on honor.

Eisen also didn’t think in the least that he would lose to Alfred.

He valued knightly supremacy.

“Okay, let’s do it then.”

The indifferent Eisen concluded that there was nothing to lose in this bet, and he was confident that he was going to win.

‘Henry, I’m sure you’d be upset if you found out about this, but… This is an offer I can’t refuse.’

He thought that Henry would undoubtedly be heartbroken if he found out that he had put his life on the line for this battle. However, it was too late to back down now since they’ve talked this much about it.

Not for a moment did Eisen think he would lose this match.

“Rather, I think Henry would be pleased with this, too, since this means I consider him as valuable as the Three Golden Sites.’

Having already made up his mind, Eisen kept telling himself that he was doing the right thing. The more he immersed himself in these thoughts, the more his outdated and misguided beliefs resurfaced, overshadowing the enlightened perspective that Henry had instilled in him.

“Bring me the pen and paper!”

Eisen accepted Alfred’s request to battle.

All that was left now was to tell the emperor and Arthus about this and decide on the date, place, and the method of the battle.

Alfred held the pen and said, “We can set the date later, but I hope we can make this battle into a Fief War.”

“As you wish.”

The two signed several pages of the battle agreement document and stamped their fingerprints on the back.

“Keep that vassal of yours nice and healthy.”

Alfred took the agreement document and left the living room.

The moment he left Eisen’s mansion, the Fief War became an irreversible thing, like an arrow that was just shot.

* * *

“...That’s why I’m going to start learning illusion from you, high priest Viram.”

Henry had eventually received permission from Herarion to learn illusion.

Viram was just finishing his prayer ceremony when Henry came to deliver Herarion's orders. Viram frowned as soon as he heard Henry, but soon regained his composure.

‘I’m sure His Majesty knows what he’s doing.’

Viram was over seventy years old, whereas Herarion had lived less than a third of his life. Nevertheless, he still respected the young Khan’s choice.

Besides, Henry had saved Selene when she was in a coma, so Viram chose not to express his dissatisfaction.

“Alright.”

It was fortunate for Henry that Viram easily agreed to teach him.

The two soon arrived at the Khan royal library.

‘Library?’

The library was filled with a variety of books. On one side of the library there was a desk and a blackboard large enough to be used for teaching.

Viram pointed at them and said, “This is where His Majesty used to take his classes.”

“I see.”

“In reality, it’s not hard to learn the art of illusion itself. However, in order to understand the concept of illusion, you must gain a lot of knowledge. So, I will start by teaching you the history of our Shahatra dynasty and the desert.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll start the lesson now.”

Thud!

The lesson began and Viram tapped the floor with the huge cane he was holding.

Whoosh!

Henry and Viram’s surroundings suddenly turned pitch black.

Viram’s illusion needed for the class had started.