Chapter 83 : Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“So that was the story……”

As Bex’s report concluded, Eddie, who had his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

He was in the middle of an examination by Gail because his body was feeling a bit chilly.

The cause was Hendricks, who had gotten scared and bailed on their meeting.

After waiting for three hours on the cold floor of the training hall, Eddie returned, and deciding he couldn't let it go, he summoned Bex.

He asked him to find Hendricks, with one request.

Not to get too close even if he found Hendricks.

To just assess the situation from a distance and come back.

Hendricks was a druid, and despite his young age, his bond with nature was strong.

If he could understand the words of the Rakan tribe’s mana beast and sense its movements, he would surely detect Mystic’s approach in an instant.

“If he thinks he’s being watched, he might really run away then.”

To the concerned Eddie, Bex nodded his head as if to say not to worry.

He had served as Leodimir’s carrier pigeon for decades and was a master at concealing his presence.

And a few hours later.

The story he heard about Hendricks was much heavier and more complex than he had thought.

“Haaah……”

Eddie let out a deep sigh.

At that, Gail, who was examining him by his side, furrowed her brow in response.

Eddie’s energy, which had been fine despite the severe pain in his side, was beginning to become unstable.

‘His energy used to recharge just from a simple reunion with Bex…….’

Was Hendricks' story so tremendous that it could emotionally shake Eddie like this?

Gail couldn’t quite understand and tilted her head in confusion.

Of course, it was natural that she couldn't understand Eddie's reaction.

Even as Leodimir's disciple, she didn't know the detailed circumstances of the incident 64 years ago.

She only knew the superficial details of the incident.

She had no way of guessing the complex emotions Eddie was feeling right now.

‘To think that the events of that time are still affecting the druids.’

Eddie's expression darkened further as he recalled the past.

As a result, his energy dropped even more, and Gail, finally deciding it couldn't be helped, looked back at Parita.

Parita nodded and poured hot water into a teacup.

Then, she mixed a little bit of strong liquor into the steeped Kairemonti.

A strong liquor, over 50 degrees, that Eddie enjoyed drinking in his past life.

It was something a child’s body shouldn't drink, but it was what Leodimir had entrusted to Parita, calling it ‘the last resort for the master’s peace of mind and body.’

The sweet aroma of tea leaves and the sharp scent of alcohol quickly filled the room.

Watching his grand-disciples take good care of him even without Leodimir, Eddie found some comfort.

He should probably cheer up a bit, if only for their sake.

The reason he hadn't called Leodimir here was also born from that sentiment.

His eldest disciple was already old and busy enough these days with the accident investigation committee work.

He didn’t want to deprive him of his early morning sleep over a trivial matter.

But.

‘This matter is a bit… overwhelming to ponder alone.’

What was burdensome was burdensome, and Eddie rubbed his dry face with a sigh.

As if to comfort him, Bex nudged Eddie's cheek with his head.

Eddie chuckled and stroked Bex’s head.

Then he opened Bex’s leather bag and put a small something that had been on the bedside table inside.

It was the shrunken body of the homunculus he had brought from the dormitory.

“When you arrive, take it out and place it next to the secret arts. The Minuelleb should also be released by the time you get it to the Pantheon.”

At Eddie’s words, Bex nodded, spread his blue wings, and flew out the window.

His blue retreating figure heading for the Pantheon was as reassuring as Leodimir’s.

“Here you are, Lord Edmund.”

“Mm. Thank you, Parita.”

Eddie took a sip of the special Kairemonti that Parita had brought.

As the alcoholic kick spread with the aroma of the tea leaves, he finally felt his head clear.

‘As expected, there's nothing like this for chasing away stray thoughts.’

Eddie took another sip of the special tea and set the cup down.

After collecting himself, he once again challenged the problem that had been cluttering his mind.

“Parita.”

“Yes, Lord Edmund.”

“Could you tell me what you know about what happened to the druids while I was gone?”

“I believe it would be more beneficial for you to hear it from the Headmaster when morning comes, rather than from me.”

“I know what you're concerned about. You're worried that because you are a beastman, you won't be able to convey the druids' story objectively.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Parita was a wolf beastman.

Beastmen, who are close to nature, were also close with druids, who are likewise natural mana users.

Her perspective would likely be mixed into the explanation she gave Eddie.

Eddie knew that too.

“That’s why I'm asking.”

“Pardon?”

“Negative public opinion can be gathered from anywhere. A neutral opinion, as you said, I can hear from Leo.”

“Ah…”

“So right now, I want to hear the story of someone who has seen the situation from the druids' side.”

It wasn't even persuasion, just a clean, concise explanation.

Behind Parita, her tail came into view.

The fine fur of the gray wolf beastman shone faintly in the moonlight filtering through the window.

Revealing her tail meant Parita's heart had moved in a positive direction.

Parita took a step closer to Eddie and began her explanation.

“The situation for the druids, which had just been stabilizing, changed… after His Majesty the current Emperor ascended to the throne.”

Parita recalled past events with a rather dark expression.

Eddie listened without interrupting her once until she finished her story.

The druids were once hated because of ‘that incident’ in the past, but after decades had passed, the atmosphere of hatred had softened considerably.

However, according to Parita, the druid problem began to resurface about four years ago.

Around the first year after the previous emperor died and the current emperor ascended the throne.

Unlike the previous emperor, who had meticulously looked after even the smallest minority groups, the current emperor was a man who had his hands full just looking after his own sickly body.

The emperor, who spent more time lying in a sickbed than on the throne, had almost no opportunity to display his political abilities.

The imperial authority naturally weakened, and power gradually became dispersed to various places.

And the representative force that grew in size by taking advantage of that gap was the empress' family, the ‘Dallie’ family.

Before being the empress' family, the Dallies were a representative anti-nature family that had discriminated against beastmen and druids for generations.

As the Dallies' power grew, the situation for natural mana users worsened.

The beastmen were slightly better off, as they were not small in number and were recognized as a formal mana user lineage.

And above all, though they were of nature, they were unrelated to the incident 64 years ago, so they were not so easily attacked.

But the druids were different.

As a very small minority, they lacked the power to stand against the anti-nature faction.

Worse, the influence of the incident 64 years ago remained, making it difficult to rely on public sentiment.

These unfavorable conditions intertwined, and the druids became the scapegoats in the imperial power struggle led by the Dallie family.

The Dallie family's goal was to keep the Dowager Empress and the Penrose family, who were the real power holders in the imperial court, in check.

The Dowager Empress and Penrose were trying to stabilize their power by maintaining the policies of the late emperor, and to keep them in check, they had to overturn the late emperor's policies.

That was why the Dallie family targeted the anti-nature public opinion.

“It started with a statement from the Dallie family.”

‘The law for aggravated punishment for hate crimes against druids should be nullified.’

It was a claim the Dallie family made in unison with other anti-nature families.

It was to overturn the late emperor's will that the 'incident 64 years ago' should be left in the past.

And naturally, The druids who opposed that statement held a protest.

“That was exactly what the Dallie family had induced.”

“There must have been agents provocateurs hidden in the protest to instigate violence, and they gave the anti-druid factions a reason to be angry.”

“That’s right. In the end, the protest led to an armed conflict, and the incident from 64 years ago resurfaced. Just as the Dallie family intended, the bill was nullified.”

“Haaah……”

Eddie let out a pained groan-like sigh.

He could guess what happened after that without asking.

Those who were incited and deceived would have put forward the pretext of just revenge.

Since it was an ambiguous period of time and some victims of the incident 64 years ago were still alive, it would have been even easier to sway public opinion.

Hate crimes against druids would have surged again, and in the midst of that, Hendricks must have lost his family.

Eddie tilted his glass as if to down the strong liquor in frustration.

“How long after the late emperor passed away did this happen?”

“Based on the Dallie family's statement, it was about a year.”

“So you’re saying the number of druids dwindled to 200 in just a few years. Before I died, there were over 5000……”

“……”

“Was the situation similar for the beastmen?”

Parita silently twitched her ears.

One of her half-severed ears gave a half-severed twitch.

The scapegoats were the druids, but since they had incited anti-nature public opinion, the beastmen must have also suffered undeserved harm.

Eddie didn't ask further and buried his face in his palms.

A hollow laugh formed on his lips.

It was absurd and empty.

‘Are you telling me all of this happened because I didn't properly subdue that guy back then?’

A self-deprecating laugh continued to flow out.

This series of tragedies.

It might seem like these were simply events that occurred in the five years after the late emperor's death, but in reality, that wasn't the case.

If one were to trace the origin of all these events, the place one would eventually reach was Eddie’s school days.

There was ‘that day, 64 years ago’.

‘It seems Noah’s matter wasn’t the only thing I needed to take responsibility for.’

As his energy hit rock bottom, the pain in his side grew more intense.

But thanks to that, the stray thoughts in Eddie's mind slowly began to clear.

‘Get a grip. First, I need to build my strength and achieve my revenge. Fulfilling my unfinished responsibilities is something to do after that.’

Finishing the work he couldn't complete in his past life also required strength.

Eddie pushed the guilt out of his mind.

His eyes, having regained their cold composure, shone sharply once more.

“Parita, thank you. Your story was a great help in understanding the situation.”

“I am glad that I could be of help to you, my lord.”

“When morning comes, tell Leo everything about the situation so far. And add one instruction as well.”

“Please speak.”

“Assign Mercury to watch Hendricks closely so he doesn't run away. If he tries to escape, then catch him and bring him to the Pantheon.”

“I-is that alright?”

At the rather drastic instruction, Parita and Gail’s eyes widened in surprise simultaneously.

But Eddie continued to speak calmly.

“Trying to gain Hendricks on this occasion was me overreaching. I was too impatient, trying to achieve several things at once.”

But there was no giving up.

Eddie had already played his card and had no intention of taking it back.

Because it was true that Hendricks, a druid, was a very desirable asset as an ally.

Especially if the ‘heretical forces’ were what he thought they were…….

“Lord Edmund?”

“…It’s nothing. Anyway, I’ll postpone his recruitment until after all the current issues are resolved.”

Eddie stopped his thoughts and finished giving his instructions.

If he was caught while trying to escape, he would inevitably become more frightened.

However, now that Eddie knew Hendricks' story, he had gained a powerful weapon to persuade him.

“He’s worth not giving up on. In a sense, he and I might be able to share the same goal.”

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