CH 70

Chapter 70

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : Summit Meeting, Part 1 — Information Exchange

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

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At the same time, Miriazar was in the midst of—— she was sipping tea in a carefree manner. She was in the private office of Tetrastin, the head of the Magic Association. Magic books are piled up on the bookshelves and also scattered on the floor. The head of the Magic Association, himself seated at an opulent desk, had also assigned Miliazar a rather good-quality sofa.

「Fuu～ This had bring me back to life. As one would expect from the head of the Magic Association, you have a fine selection of teas, Tetrastin.」

「I am honored by your praise, Miliazar. Although, it was Richey there who brewed this for me.」

「Thank you very much.*」(TN : In raws, she uses a phrase that is common to be a response to the teamaker.)

Richey bows with a bow. Her long red hair is tied back in a single bun, and her appearance still retains a certain cuteness. But someone would guess that she is about 17 or 18 years old. She tend to keep her eyes down and never assert herself. What an example of a wench compared to our rude wenches, Miriazar. What an example of a maid compared to Miliazar’s rude wenches. She deftly moves books scattered on the floor without losing her graceful gesture.

However…

「Why do you make them work in those tight, short skirts? I thought it’s that『suit』thing that’s all the rage these days? And to add mother-of-education silver-rimmed chain glasses?」

「Eh, but it’s my hobby, you know?」

「You… You’ve turned out to be a fine pervert, haven’t you?」

Tetrastin giggles at Miliazar’s comment.

「I’m not going to go into details about people’s sexuality. She just happen to be dressed that way today, but some days I dress her myself, you know?」

「…Wait a minute,『Some days you dress her yourself』?」

「Ahh, well, I change her clothes depending on the day. Sometimes she’s a maid, sometimes she’s in a string swimsuit, sometimes she’s in a bunny…」

「What the hell is that?」

「It’s my hobby!」

「Why do you say that with so much confidence!? Why is such a pervert the head of the Magic Association?」

Before her is Tetrastin, the head of the Magic Association. He has already held that position for more than 40 years. The Magic Association holds elections for the head position every five years, which already means eight consecutive terms. At the present time, when the internal structure of the Magic Association is formed by diverse factions, it was very unusual for Tetrastin, which was factionless, to be the head for such a long period of time because of its nature, but there are many different considerations involved. Of course, there is no doubt that he is quite good himself, but they will talk about the various circumstances again.

However, compared to his long tenure, Tetrastin looks like a boy. His stature is about that as Miliazar, but his age is unknown. One theory is that he is over 100 years old, but all they know is that he has been a member of the Magic Association for at least 60 years. However, it is not unusual in the Magic Association to be of unknown origin, so even he can be the head. In fact, if the origin is from some aristocratic family, the association’s political color will become stronger, and there are many possibilities that this would be socially unacceptable.

At any rate, no one would think that these two person are the heads of their respective organizations. From the outside, the scene was little more than two well-bred children chatting over tea and snacks. The content of their conversation, however, is not something one would expect a child to talk about.

「So, it’s time to get serious, Miliazar. Even though this is my private room, it is not necessarily seen by anyone in the association. You wouldn’t want your face to crack, would you? There are only a handful of people in the Magic Association who know who you are.」

「Then maybe it would have been better to meet them outside.」

「Outside, I always have to have an escort from one faction or another because of obligations. Unlike you, I don’t have a personal bodyguard like the Lazaars. I have the guards here, but they’re not always trustworthy. Besides, you never know where you’ll find a messenger or a far-sighted magician. I can still put up wards in my private room and feel more secure there.」

「You’ll have a hard time of it, too.」

「That’s mutual. So, what is it that you want to discuss?」

Tetrastin is poised comfortably as he sips his tea gracefully. He is a boy, but his dignity is enough.

Miliazar also puts his tea on the table and starts talking.

「First, let’s talk about the recent unusual frequency of Archfiends. Are you on to something?」

「In that case, why don’t you start by showing off your cards?」

「Hmph, fine I guess. It is certainly not the time for unnecessary gamesmanship. I just had our Lazaar defeat an Archfiend, and it was a kind of Archfiend I had never seen before. It is said that the creature was a mixture of ore, evil spirits, and human beings. I have never seen such a kind of fiend in my 1,000 years of life. Then, the only thing I can think of is…」

「Or from the southern continent.」

「That is a possibility. I, too, have rarely ventured into the southern continent, and I would not be surprised if there are undiscovered creatures like that. But there are two questions. First, why did it suddenly appear in Midlands? And in the west, a creature similar to an Archfiend, but completely different, was identified.」

「The former question could be that some drunken person sent them there by means of transference magic. But what does the latter mean?」

「I have heard that most of the torso was similar. The legs, however, were of various kinds, including those of horses. Yes, it was like a cross between various creatures.」

「It must be synthetic chimeras…」

「What do you know about it? This must be the field of witchcraft.」

「Hmm…」

Tetrastin also clicks his teacup on the table and folds his hands back in his lap.

「I don’t have direct knowledge of this, but it’s a matter of record, but it’s said that there were mages who studied such chimeras in the past. However, the research was so blasphemous to life that the mages were conquered by the Magic Association, and their deaths have been confirmed.

Do you suspect, as a possibility, that someone is taking over that research and creating an Archfiend?」

「I see it as such.」

Miliazar leans forward.

「If so, it is no wonder that the Archfiends appears in many different places and in many different forms. But if that’s the case, given the frequency of these occurrences…」

「I’m sure there’s already a large production location somewhere.」

Tetrastin answers with his fingers to his temples, as if to say, “Good grief.”

「Good grief… Even the power struggles within the association have been intensifying recently. The people who have parted company with us are showing some kind of suspicious activity… As soon as there is peace, this is what happens. What a bunch of busybodies.」

「You seem to be having a hard time.」

「I totally envy your church. I should have had a more unified chain of command. This is the result of me, who has no power behind myself, making various concessions in order to become the head of the organization. I have to say that it was a total failure. But if I had imposed a more oppressive regime, the Magic Association would have lost personnels…」

「That’s just a consequence, isn’t it? I am glad you are the head of the association.」

「Will you marry me, then?」

Tetrastin turns his serious gaze on Miriazar. However, Miliazar is unmoved.

「I don’t know why you’re talking about that…」

「No, I’m still waiting.」

「Didn’t I say no to this 50 years ago?」

「I still can’t give up on a woman as good as you.」

「Are you saying that because you know my situation?」

「So you’re older than, a demon, and a divorcee? It doesn’t matter. They say you should always look for an older wife even if she’s wearing gold sandals.」

「You even know that I am divorced, and you say that to me? Well, as a woman, it’s a nice offer. But I’m not in the mood for it right now.」

「Is it because you manipulated your old husband?」

「There is that, too. Certainly we will never love another person as much as we did. Then…」

She suddenly thought about Miranda. She thought about how she told Miranda to move on, but then she wondered about herself. It reminds her of the face of her own good man, but what would he say? She imagined Miliazar might tell her to put her own happiness first, but she also want her to be a little jealous.

「（A maiden’s mind… I think I am too old to say that. It seems I still have some of those feelings as well, Randy… I want to see you.）」

She tried to remember a little bit of the past. It was the second happy memory for Miliazar. However, she held back, afraid that she would cry in public if she remembered the old days as she were now.

「Let’s just say I’ll hold off on a reply for now. I appreciate the offer, but I’m not in the mood for it right now.」

「So, when the problem of frequent Archfiend outbreaks is resolved, will you think positively about it?」

「Hmm. There is one more problem, but that will be taken care of at the same time… Well, at least I’ll think about it.

What’s the matter with you? You look like a pigeon that’s been hit by a peashooter.」

「No, I didn’t expect such a colorful response…」

「Is that a complaint?」

「No, I’ve waited 50 years for that much, no problem. And that’s all you want to discuss?」

「There’s one more thing.」

Miliazar’s eyes become even sharper.

「Do you know a girl named Alfiris?」

「That’s the kid that Aldorius took care of. I remember that incident because it was shocking. Aldorius was also a mage I had my eye on. I thought he would eventually become my right-hand man.」

「It was before that. Why isn’t Alfiris protected by the association? How could someone with that much power be undetected by the Association?」

「About that…」

Tetrastin gets a stern look.