âDonât speak nonsense!â The minister for the army, Robert, banged his hand on the table and shouted loudly, âPrime Theodoreâs accomplishments are enough to make him the new Red Tower Master! He reached the 7th Circle before the age of 30 and defeated one of the empireâs Seven Swords!â
âI can see that, Minister!â However, the minister of domestic affairs, Jerome, argued back, âI admit that his achievements are huge, but giving a Prime-level magician the title and estate of an earl might cause ripples in the currently stable political situation. We donât know what the empire is planning, so should we be fighting internally?â
âWhat are you saying? The discipline behind this kingdom is to award merits and punish faults. Why should we not reward a hero just because of the nobles who are playing politics?!â
âUh, this man is like this until the end!â
After Theodore had finished his story and received permission from Kurt III to leave, the remaining people had been in a state of shock. However, they then started a debate.
The people around the table were split into two groups. There were those like Robert who wanted to publicize Theodoreâs achievements and give him a huge prize, while the other side led by Jerome thought it wasnât a good time to publicize it.
It was very intense because neither side was wrong.
The person in question had managed to reach the 7th Circle at a young age and kill one of the empireâs Seven Swords. Meltor couldnât be allowed to neglect this type of person.
Likewise, the oppositionâs opinion was also correct. Up till now, high ranking magicians hadnât been part of the social circle, nor did they cling to fame, so the nobles had never felt hostile or tried to oppress them.
However, that balance could be overturned with the appearance of Theodore Miller.
âIt is a funny story because his merits are too big.â Kurt III laughed inwardly as he watched the debate.
His thoughts were closer to those of the minister of the military, but as the ruler of the country, he had to consider both sides. As Jerome said, the empire hadnât revealed everything yet, so Kurt couldnât make a decision which might be a seed for a feud.
âStop,â Kurt III spoke in a stern voice and everyone fell silent. Then he continued speaking, âI understand your opinions about Prime Theodore. The words of both the minister of the military and the minister of domestic affairs are reasonable.â
It was as he said. In this world, it wasnât always the case that only one side was correct. It was common for both sides to be correct and for him to have to pick one. Kurt III was devoted to the administration of the kingdom every day, so he was now accustomed to this.
He closed his eyes for a moment as he sat on the throne.
Then he opened his mouth and said, âListen carefully!â
âYes, Your Majesty!â
âStarting tomorrow at 9 a.m., invite Baron Dennis Miller to the city where he will become an earl. Once his heir takes over the title, Theodore Miller will become a marquis. It is the same for his estate. Before that, Prime Theodore will be treated as an honorary marquis. Understood?â
âI will follow Your Majestyâs words!â The other people stood up and bowed while admiring Kurtâs smart judgment.
In Meltor, âearlâ and âmarquisâ werenât just simple titles. They were the ranks where nobles could step into official affairs and discuss the administration of the state. What would happen if a magician of the 7th Circle who was also a famous person entered this position? The nobles might not have as much power as other countries, but they would unite in order to avoid losing more power. They would lead a counterattack against Kurt IIIâs strong power.
âBut it isnât a problem to be concerned about now,â Kurt thought as he smiled coldly at the ministers.
Since Kurtâs rule began, the forces of the nobles had continued to shrink, and the arrogant ones couldnât afford to do anything due to the conflict with the empire.
However, everyone in this room sensed it. The long war with the Andras Empire was nearing its end. The Meltor Kingdom would win and unify the north, or be completely defeated. Whatever the result, there was no way for the nobles to escape losing power.
Theodore was someone who didnât care about power or wealth, but he willingly accepted the noble title in order to move his family to the safe capital region.
âOkay, it has been decided. Prime Theodore will be awarded a prize, and the tower masters will take care of it. I hope you donât argue about the decision.â
âWe will follow Your Majestyâs will!â
From the minister of the military to the minister of domestic affairs, no one argued. In fact, Jerome was only worried that Theodore would cause unnecessary confusion in this country. He didnât actually want to hinder Theodore from getting a good reward.
The king smiled with satisfaction at the unanimous agreement. Then Kurt turned to Blundell and said, âThat reminds me, Blue Tower Master.â
âYes, Your Majesty,â Blundell responded.
âWhat is the current state of the Red Tower Master? Has her border patrol finished yet?â
âIt seems like it. Based on yesterdayâs report, she will be back in a week.â
Veronica always seemed selfish, but she was actually quite sincere. Just as Blundell had done last year, Veronica was returning after touring the border with the empire. However, when Kurt heard the answer, a question came to his mind.
âWhite Tower Master,â Kurt called out.
âYes, Your Majesty.â
âHas this news entered Veronicaâs ears?â Kurt meant Theodoreâs return. Orta immediately understood and nodded. âPerhaps it has. I told my intelligence service that conveying the news to her was top priority.â
âThisâŠâ
âHahâŠâ
Blundell and Kurt sighed deeply at the same time.
ââŠI guess she will be back in three days.â
âThis old man thinks so as well.â
The two men thought about how crazily Veronica would behave once she heard the news and looked at each other.
The news of the emergence of a new 7th Circle magician and the death of one of the empireâs Seven Swords⊠how much of a storm would that cause? Additionally, it would become worse once Veronica returned to the capital.
They couldnât help getting a headache at the thought.
At that moment, Orta whispered in Kurtâs ear from where he was standing next to the two troubled men. [Your Majesty, there was a request from the Yellow Tower Master.]
Kurt was confused by the sudden words and scratched his chin in a gesture to tell him more.
[It is a request for a meeting with Prime Theodore. How should I deal with it?]
âHrmm.â This time, Kurt couldnât hide his confusion.
The mysterious Yellow Tower Master had kept quiet even when the owner of the throne changed a few times, so Kurt couldnât guess the reason for his sudden interest in Theodore. However, the Yellow Tower Master was different from the other tower masters.
Kurt didnât answer and nodded before raising his voice, âEverybody listen up.â
As all eyes concentrated on him, Kurt firmly declared, âApart from the promotion of Prime Theodore and Baron Dennis Miller, I will strictly prohibit everyone from approaching him for the time being. He is a hero who achieved a great merit. I want him to rest comfortably.â
âI will follow Your Majestyâs words!â
Orta understood the hidden meaning behind the command and smiled faintly. This was Kurtâs answer to the Yellow Tower Masterâs request. It was the consideration of Kurt II, who stopped any meetings so that Theodore could rest comfortably for the time being.
* Â Â Â Â * Â Â Â Â *
On the other hand, Theodore returned to his room after the meeting with the top people of Meltor.
âHah, did I make any mistakes?â
He wasnât a hero who was good at talking.
Theodore had reached the 7th Circle, but he was still a young man in his early 20s. He couldnât be calm when facing the king and two tower masters. It was fortunate that he didnât stutter or stop talking while telling his story. Besides, what good was it to regret what had already happened?
Theodore relaxed slightly as he looked at the room he hadnât seen for more than a year.
âItâs cleanâŠ?â
Someone had looked after it. Theodore had cleaned his room before leaving, and it looked exactly the same as back then. There was no dust on the bookshelves, while the bed had a fragrant scent like the sheets had been washed and dried in the sun.
He changed his clothes and lay on top of it without any hesitation, feeling like he could fall asleep right then. All the tension which had unknowingly piled up was being released.
âI really am back.â
In retrospect, it had been an absurd adventure from beginning to end. He had encountered enemies as soon as he crossed the border.
There had been an unexpected windfall at the underground auction, and heâd poked the Orcus Company and its warlocks. Then heâd run to the Pirate Archipelago, stumbled across Aquilo, and fought against Superbia.
What about the way back? Nobody couldâve anticipated meeting a sword master with a god-sword. Even with nine lives, it was a crisis during which he couldâve lost everything.
ââŠAh.â All his tension was released as he lay down on the familiar bed, with his tired body feeling like it was melting into the bed itself.
From tomorrow, life in the magic tower would begin again. He had to meet Sylvia and look at the magic formulas, theories, and incidents which had newly developed in the kingdom. Even though he hadnât met her today, he had to say hello to VeronicaâŠ
However, Theodoreâs thoughts lasted up to there. His eyelids moved down slowly and covered his blue eyes. Then his breathing settled as he stopped thinking such complicated thoughts. The expressionless face, not suited for his age, relaxed as he fell asleep, leaving a sleeping Theodore that did fit his age.
[âŠHorororongâŠ] Then Mitra suddenly appeared on his white pillow and snored while sleeping. She had been sleeping since leaving the Soldun Kingdom. Theodore hadnât realized it, but the leaves and stem of her bud were longer than before. An ancient elemental was different from ordinary elementals, and her âgrowthâ was still continuing.
Mitra groaned into the pillow as she slept. [HoiiiâŠhorong?]
It might be a coincidence, or maybe it was caused by her drool.
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WuuongâŠ
The bud of the sleeping Mitra moved. It split in two, and something grew from the center. The seed of the world tree had been planted in an ancient elemental, and a flower was now growing from the bud.
However, the sleeping Theodore didnât know it yet.
Current schedule:Â 6 chapters a week to match the authorâs release rate.
I have also updated my  to reflect my new novels. Every tier has early access to a certain number of unedited chapters and the chapters will be updated after I finish releasing the chapters for the day.