WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈
Chapter 133: Royalty Descends
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Chugota’s enormous body shook wildly in midair.
As a result, the Destruction Beam aimed at us, or more precisely, Hailit Langrey, went wide.
What kind of power was that?
Booom!
Even through the storm, the blast rang out clearly.
A stone pillar struck by the stray Destruction Beam collapsed in a heap.
That kind of power made my spine tingle. Chugota was crazy, but she was also an incredibly powerful wyvern.
‘How did I do that?!’
I had unleashed wind magic powerful enough to grab and shake that incredible monster.
I checked my mana just in case, but my output had not returned to normal.
That spell had manifested with roughly one hundredth of my usual mana.
Then perhaps my intermediate magic could easily tear a Named Monster apart with a single blow...
-Not a chance. Not with mere intermediate elemental magic.
‘Then what was that just now?’
-...Hmm.
Even Pelerian could not give a clear answer.
Hidden power bursting forth in a crisis was a classic development.
Maybe terrifying potential was lying dormant inside me.
But I was not given time to investigate.
Chugota regained her balance and prepared another Destruction Beam.
“Kugagaaak!”
Wyvern Mom pounced on her.
Wyvern Mom must have thought Chugota had stolen me.
I was actually down here.
“Hide!”
Langrey immediately shoved me into her backpack.
It was not a particularly large backpack, but I was sucked inside with shocking ease.
The inside was a zero-gravity space.
It was filled with all sorts of odds and ends...
I could tell what kind of space it was.
‘I’m inside a Subspace!’
All I could do now was hope Langrey escaped safely.
* * *
While a storm raged somewhere in the Mountain Range, there were regions warmed by sunlight and gentle spring breezes.
The kingdom’s distant capital, Solion Impel, was one such place.
Spring sunlight shone upon Emerald School, the kingdom’s most prestigious academy.
Perhaps because the windows had been left slightly open, the scent of blooming magnolias drifted into the reception room.
What an elegant fragrance. Ah, magnolia.
Zetarov, a young professor who enjoyed literature, had been in a good mood lately because of it.
The atmosphere would have been even better if Zetarov recited a verse of poetry.
But Zetarov could not make a fool of themself before guests.
Zetarov adjusted their glasses and casually raised their gaze.
A father and son sat on the sofa across from Zetarov.
There were countless boys and girls who wished to enter Emerald School.
Naturally, this year’s admissions quota had already been filled and decided.
Still, not everything could go according to plan.
Emerald School had prepared a generous number of additional admissions slots.
The boy before them was an applicant, and the man beside them was his father.
What was interesting was that the boy did not look nervous at all.
He sat calmly, with his hands neatly folded together.
His father, on the other hand, kept touching his fingernails as if anxious.
He was about to shake his leg, then stopped short in surprise.
Zetarov smiled gently.
“As I said, there is no need to be overly nervous just because this is an interview. We are not assigning scores yet. As a member of the Admissions Office, I merely invited you for a cup of tea.”
“...Ah, I-I see.”
The student’s single father, Royle Riddle, smiled awkwardly.
He looked very, very unsophisticated.
It could not be helped. Royle Riddle truly was a country bumpkin.
Zetarov had lived among Solion Impel’s wealthy class their entire life. They could tell just from Royle Riddle’s manner of speaking and accent.
“Yes, your son is exceptionally bright.”
“Ha ha, hahahaha! Thank you. You should say thank you, boy.”
He was beaming over a single compliment for his child.
There were often cases like this. Someone who had suddenly become rich wanted to enroll their child at Emerald School.
However, most admissions tracks required an enormous donation. Even after paying it, many applicants still failed the entrance examination.
Zetarov smiled as they looked over the open file.
‘But how did he receive an evaluation like this?’
Roil, head of the newly established Riddle Merchant Company.
His name had quietly spread through Solion Impel’s business circles.
Once an ordinary wagon merchant, he had suddenly acquired capital and expanded his business.
Even then, no one paid much attention to the Riddle Merchant Company.
Then one day, Red Anvil Mine on Calea Mountain, which had been closed, reopened.
Dwarven mines, especially Red Anvil Mine, produced tremendous value.
It caused a massive stir in Solion Impel’s business circles.
Every merchant with quick judgment and daring rushed to Kalea City.
Even regularly importing forks from the dwarves would have brought in a substantial profit.
But what the merchants heard there was astonishing.
Zetarov read an article attached to the file.
「...‘We already signed a contract. With the Riddle Merchant Company. Huh? I don’t know the details. Anyway, that’s how it is, so why are you pestering me?’
All the dwarves said the same thing.
Every merchant who rode in relays at top speed testified to it.」
It was not a lie.
No one knew how, but Royle Riddle had already secured exclusive distribution rights from the dwarves.
It was an exclusive contract to distribute the entire mine’s production through the Riddle Merchant Company.
How he had obtained such a contract so quickly was a mystery.
Dwarves were neither philanthropists nor idiots who only understood metal.
If a single merchant company exclusively handled everything produced by that mine, the kingdom’s three largest merchant companies would become four. It was that enormous a business.
But Royle Riddle made a different move.
「However, Mr. Roil, head of the Riddle Merchant Company, made a different decision.
He shared the right to handle Red Anvil Mine’s products with the Merchant Association, accepting only extremely reasonable commissions.
In these times, when the Antitrust Law has become a dead letter, this is a rare example of generosity and fairness.」
He boldly distributed his exclusive rights among other merchant companies.
In fact, his commission was often less than two percent of sales. Considering the immense value of dwarven goods, it was truly a “generous” decision.
Unless he had realized the business was too large for him to handle and panicked.
‘It can’t be either of those.’
Roil’s innocent, unsophisticated face made both seem plausible.
But Zetarov thought neither was true.
Instead, there must have been meticulous and daring calculations behind it.
The first groups Roil shared distribution rights with were the Merchant Association and two of the continent’s three largest merchant companies.
He offered weapons and other choice products for lower commissions.
Those with less influence paid higher commissions and received the rights to sell cheaper goods.
Thanks to that, the Riddle Merchant Company gained “power.”
As long as the largest powers wished to preserve this contract system, Roil’s power would not crumble.
He had also gained an immensely powerful network by lending valuable things to others.
That was precisely what a newly established merchant company needed most.
It was far more valuable than a massive amount of capital.
To be accepted and recognized by the established powers...
‘Ah, I let my thoughts wander too long.’
Roil was already looking at them with an uneasy expression.
Zetarov looked at the final section of the file.
「...This concludes Impel’s Sun’s Person of the Month feature. We wish Mr. Riddle and his merchant company continued prosperity.
-Baumet Writers」
Baumet Writers, a journalist from an infamous gossip rag, had written such a favorable article.
He had even kindly included an illustration of the Riddle Merchant Company’s snake emblem.
Zetarov did not know how much Roil had paid him off, but this alone showed Royle Riddle’s ability.
“Amaen...”
And there was another interesting fact.
“Without a doubt, he is a magical genius.”
“Ah...!”
That calm, good-natured boy who did not take after his father...
He truly was a magical genius rarely seen even at Emerald School.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
“This is merely my opinion, so it will not affect whether he is admitted. Please do not think too much of it, hahaha.”
“Of course.”
Royle Riddle was so happy that tears welled in his eyes.
Zetarov smiled.
‘His admission is practically guaranteed.’
Amaen Riddle.
His enrollment in the first year of the Middle Comprehensive Course was confirmed.
‘Who was next?’
Who was the next student after Amaen Riddle?
After seeing the father and son out, Zetarov searched through the files again.
* * *
Emerald School taught many subjects.
Future talents who would lead the kingdom needed diverse qualities, including scholarship, art, and politics.
However, Emerald School fundamentally pursued people accomplished in both literary and martial arts.
It also provided practical education in magic, swordsmanship, hunting methods, monster studies, archery, and more.
There were various admissions tracks for additional applicants, including one for martial talent.
However, applicants for the martial talent track were extremely rare, likely because Emerald School’s standards were so high.
Ordinary talent was not enough to gain admission.
This time, however, things were slightly different.
The outcome had been decided before the interview even began.
‘A daughter of House Martein.’
That House Martein. The family once ruled by the Tiger Marquis.
Although the marquis had been swept away and killed in the Monster Wave, and much of the territory had been scorched, House Martein remained a powerful family.
And it was precisely because of that tragedy that Rania Martein’s admission was a foregone conclusion.
The girl at the center of the tragedy.
A young lady who lost her mother in Greylim Territory, then lost her maternal grandfather in Martein Territory, where she had fled.
Then she had suddenly become a leading candidate to inherit Martein.
The Admissions Office could not refuse her. The donations they had received from Martein alone were enormous.
‘Still, I hope she can show me something.’
Like Amaen Riddle had done that morning.
Rania stood there with a slightly nervous expression.
She wore simple sleeveless clothes like those worn by boys who ran about country villages.
She was still short, and her body had not yet fully grown, but her arms and fists were covered in scars.
They were scars every Martein warrior possessed.
Two knights stood beside her.
“Miss, don’t be nervous. Just do as well as you usually do.”
“If you get in, you’ll be able to live here in Solion Impel.”
Oliver and Jarein, was it?
They seemed fairly close to her.
From what Zetarov had heard, Rania Martein did not have a particularly high chance of inheriting the marquisate.
“I’m ready.”
“Oh, let’s see it.”
Even then, Zetarov did not expect much.
Rania clenched her fist and gave a battle cry.
“Hah!”
A gust suddenly blew.
Rania’s skin turned faintly red.
Her hair fluttered as martial energy poured from her body. That appearance was unmistakably...
“E-Explosive Throwing Method!”
The Martein Marquis’s signature technique.
Explosive Throwing Method.
Rania Martein had mastered that skill.
This alone told Zetarov everything.
‘She is another kind of genius.’
Even if she had not been a Martein, they should have accepted her.
Now they understood why she had applied through the martial talent track.
They had met two successful applicants and two geniuses in a single day.
Zetarov smiled, then their expression stiffened again.
Looking at the time, it seemed Zetarov needed to conduct one more additional interview.
What was more, the applicant would not be coming to them. Zetarov, the interviewer, had to go find the applicant.
Zetarov disliked the situation, but there was nothing to be done.
‘What time was the carriage to the Royal Palace?’
Zetarov thought about that even as they smiled and praised Rania.
* * *
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of the campfire burning was pleasant.
I was cradled in sleeping Langrey’s arms.
“Mmm...”
She was quite the sleep talker.
Still, at least she was not using me as a pillow.
Sigh.
Escaping the Demonic Realm while avoiding the Wyvern Queens amid a raging storm must have been an enormous adventure.
I was glad I had not seen it firsthand because I was inside the Subspace.
The Subspace had been more comfortable than expected. I felt relieved, thinking Isil was probably doing well in there too.
Hang in there for just fifteen more days, Isil.
It had now been fifteen days since I began evolving.
By the time Hailit took me out of her Subspace backpack, we had already left the wyverns’ territory.
She was certainly an impressively capable human.
I did not think I could have escaped like that.
‘I hope Wyvern Mom and Chugota did not fight too badly.’
They had probably fought viciously.
Still, it probably had not become a battle to the death.
As far as they knew, I was a dead child, while Wyvern Mom had three hatchlings to protect.
Fortunately, we had escaped all the way here.
Moreover, Hailit was taking me to Solion Impel.
I had wanted to visit at least once anyway. What an opportunity.
I had no idea how to open the Royal Bank vault.
But I thought this human, Hailit, might help me.
‘Did she seriously not recognize me?’
It was shocking.
I thought she had recognized me and rescued me.
But that was not it. She treated me as a “taxidermied wingless wyvern hatchling covered in crystal.”
Why did I feel so betrayed?
I cast aside the useless thoughts.
I could think about that later.
For now, I should focus on evolving.
Not long ago, the message I had been waiting for appeared.
「The evolution process has passed the halfway point.」
「The trait ‘Crown’ evolves into ‘Royalty.’」
I was royalty from now on.
More precisely, a prince.
──────────────
【Little Prince Serpent Lv. 1】
【Epithet】 Urooros, Heart-Eating Snake
【Traits】
[Indomitable], [Relentless Growth], [Royalty]
──────────────
My body had changed a little.
According to Pelerian, I still did not look alive, but the contents inside the crystal had congealed and thickened.
That horrible Hailit woman had shaken me around wildly once before.
Even so, I apparently still did not look alive.
──────────────
【Skills】
▸ Crown
[Seizure Lv. 4]: [Elastic Rampage Lv. 1], [Overcoming Lv. 2], [Domination Lv. 1], [Connection Lv. 1]
▸ Magic
[Intermediate Elemental Magic]: Fire Lv. 1, Earth Lv. 1, Water Lv. 1, Wind Lv. 2
[Transparent Hand Lv. 15], [Lightening Lv. 5]
▸ Techniques
-
──────────────
I could use magic again.
However, I lacked the mana to use Crown skills, so I still could not bring myself to use the Crown of Connection.
If possible, I could escape from Hailit too...
“Who’s there!”
My heart nearly dropped out of my chest.
Hailit sprang up.
With me tucked under her arm, she brought one hand to her waist.
Then humans cautiously emerged from behind the nearby trees.
There were more than ten of them.
“Hehehe...”
Every one of them looked fierce.
I thought they might be bandits, but...
“You bastards!”
Hailit was delighted to see them.
“Did you come to meet me?”
“Bwahahaha, we heard the Guildmaster was coming, so we came out to greet you.”
The rough-looking people were all hunters.
Moreover, they seemed to be Hailit Langrey’s subordinates.
“We’ll enter the city in just one more day. Why come all the way out here?”
“It’s been a while. What’s that?”
“Oh, this?”
Hailit held me high.
“I brought back a treasure!”
“Wooooow!”
The hunters crowded around.
Every one of them praised my appearance.
“Wow, what is this made of? It’s crystal, but it doesn’t seem like ordinary crystal.”
“It’s a malformed wyvern hatchling that died in Heaven-Defier’s dungeon. It looks like it got caught in a crystal-transmutation petrification trap.”
“Ah, that rare trap that turns creatures into crystal statues!”
“It’s opaque, so it’s hard to see, but if you look closely, the inside is incredibly grotesque.”
“Right? Isn’t it amazing?”
“Yes! It’s amazing!”
That was a bit too much praise.
Their admiration went on without end.
Honestly, was I strange for not disliking it?
‘Ahem. Hm.’
Do not touch royalty so carelessly.
And a few hours later.
I entered Solion Impel in grand style.
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