WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Made Magic Easier by Changing the Formula ◈
Chapter 36: Becoming a Noble
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“An imperial envoy came from the Imperial Capital?”
Braen’s expression hardened as he came down from the mountain.
Trouble showed in the breath escaping through his thick beard. It was the instinctive aversion of an old soldier who had spent a lifetime on battlefields and seen more than enough arrogance from high nobles.
“I don’t know what this is about, but don’t worry. As long as this old man is still standing, no one can lay a hand on you.”
“It can’t be bad news, so don’t worry, Grandpa.”
Braen tilted his head at my overly calm attitude.
“Then you knew they would come here?”
“I expected it, but I wasn’t certain. It’ll probably be good news.”
I scratched my head.
‘They came sooner than I expected.’
Submitting a petition did not mean it would definitely be approved.
I had no way of knowing what news they had brought.
Still, if the Emperor’s envoy had come?
The center of the village square was occupied by Imperial Guards in gleaming silver plate armor.
A banner embroidered in golden thread, bearing a dragon clutching an orb.
It was living proof that a representative of the Emperor of the Granz Empire was here.
A middle-aged man in a crimson uniform and a hat adorned with silver tassels stood with an imposing air. In his hand was a thick parchment scroll, firmly sealed with a golden chain.
“What could this be about?”
“Hans didn’t do anything wrong, did he?”
“I don’t think so. The atmosphere doesn’t look that hostile.”
The villagers stood far away, whispering among themselves without daring to enter the square.
For commoners who trembled at the sight of even low-ranking tax officials, an imperial envoy was no different from a figure out of myth.
“Are you looking for me?”
I calmly pushed through the crowd and stepped into the square.
“Hans!”
An urgent voice called out behind me.
It was my mother, Roni.
Still wearing her apron, she hurried after me, wringing the hem of her clothes in pale hands. My father, Carter, had even forgotten to lock the fabric shop’s door as he rushed over to stand beside me.
His ragged breathing carried immense fear.
An imperial envoy only came to a commoner’s home when the family had committed a crime grave enough to warrant their extermination. Their reaction was understandable.
“Oh! Are you Hans?”
The envoy finally spotted me and roughly tore open the scroll’s golden seal.
Rip!
The sound of the seal tearing shattered the square’s silence.
“Commoner Hans, step forward and receive the Emperor’s decree.”
At the words “the Emperor’s decree,” Roni covered her mouth with both hands.
Carter’s eyes shook violently.
‘It’s good news, so don’t worry.’
I smiled to reassure them, then walked up to the envoy.
And I offered a proper bow.
I already knew how one should behave in a situation like this.
I moved my left foot half a step back, straightened my upper body, and lightly placed my right hand over my chest.
I lowered my head, but kept my gaze on the envoy’s toes rather than the ground.
The etiquette Imperial nobles used before the imperial family.
“Commoner Hans receives the Emperor’s decree.”
The envoy’s eyes widened.
“...For a commoner from a mountain village to know such etiquette.”
It was an unconscious murmur.
“Even if one has studied it beforehand, most people make mistakes from nervousness the first time... Yet not even the slightest lapse...”
Then the envoy cleared his throat and composed himself.
“Ahem. I will deliver the Emperor’s decree.”
The expression on his face as he looked at me had changed considerably.
“The underground purification magic circle of Bellat, the Empire’s vital military city, was contaminated by a deadly curse from an enemy nation. When the drinking water of tens of thousands of citizens turned to blood, and the entire fortress faced the threat of silent annihilation.”
As the envoy’s voice rose, the villagers of Ruber Village looked increasingly confused.
A curse? A purification magic circle?
They were words too vast for them to understand.
“The knot of that curse, which renowned mages of the Magic Tower and high-ranking advisers would have needed a month to unravel, was perfectly mended by Commoner Hans in only half a day. He restored the magic circle and saved the city from the jaws of death.”
“Ah...!”
Roni’s eyes grew so wide they looked ready to pop out.
Carter stared at me with his mouth hanging open as if his jaw might fall off.
“Furthermore, he faced two elite scout units of the Kingdom of Kran, who had secretly violated the Empire’s border, and eliminated them alone. He seized a confidential map containing the enemy’s deep infiltration route and presented it to headquarters, thereby raising the Empire’s prestige.”
There was now undisguised admiration in the envoy’s voice.
“For these reasons, the Emperor highly praises your unmatched achievements and extraordinary talent...”
As if checking the main point of the decree he was about to deliver, the envoy slowly traced the next line of parchment with his fingertip.
“The Emperor grants Hans the title of an officially recognized Imperial Baron.”
“Waaaah!”
The square erupted like a kicked beehive.
Some people even slapped their own cheeks because they could not believe it.
It was already a miracle for a commoner to become a noble house’s retainer, but this was an official Imperial noble personally appointed by the Emperor.
“Bwahahahahaha!”
Braen burst into hearty laughter.
“I knew this would happen! Haven’t I always said this brat was no ordinary fellow?”
Only then did Roni seem to relax. Her legs gave out, and she barely managed to cling to Carter’s arm.
“Our Hans... a Baron...”
Carter looked back and forth between the envoy and me with a completely dazed expression.
Then the envoy formally rolled up the scroll.
An attendant opened the silk case they had been carrying.
Inside lay a silver signet ring.
“To commemorate your great achievements, the Emperor personally grants you a surname with which to establish a house.”
“...!”
A surname.
It was the exclusive possession of nobles, proof of lineage and history.
Ellen Valderk.
Sophia Bergen.
Felix Bergen.
But I was Hans, Carter’s son.
That had been my entire name all my life, and no one in the generations before me had ever possessed a surname.
“Hans, listen!”
The envoy pointed to the ring in the case and solemnly proclaimed.
“From this day forward, you are the founding ancestor of House Arsein. This noble name, which begins with you, shall be engraved in the Empire’s history for generations to come.”
‘Arsein.’
I quietly rolled the name around in my mouth.
‘Hans Arsein.’
A name with a surname felt unfamiliar, as though I were wearing someone else’s clothes.
But something swelled in my chest.
The envoy immediately took the ring and placed it on the ring finger of my right hand.
The cold sensation of silver pressed against my skin.
The crest of House Arsein was clearly engraved on the underside of the ring.
One needle, one thread, and the magical knot woven by them.
It was a design that perfectly captured the identity of a repairman.
The envoy smiled.
“Surprised? The Imperial heralds heard how you saved Bellat by sewing the purification magic circle with magical thread and needles, then designed it.”
A seal engraved with the house crest.
From now on, the moment I stamped this crest on a document, it would become the official seal of Baron Arsein, protected by the laws of the Granz Empire.
‘I’m a noble now...!’
The tangible proof of my new status beneath my fingertips.
That was the signet ring.
“And lastly.”
The envoy took one more item from the case.
“The Emperor has formally ratified Marquis Hargen’s guarantee of your identity.”
An identification token stamped with the Emperor’s enormous red seal.
It meant the Emperor had ratified my exemption from all conscription and mobilization orders.
With this, I had become completely free to travel anywhere in the Empire without being drafted into war.
“...Baron Arsein. There is a message from Marquis Hargen.”
Just before the envoy’s procession left the village, one of the attendants discreetly approached me.
“A grand victory celebration will be held at Bellat Fortress. Marquis Hargen wishes to receive the hero who saved the city with the highest honors, and asks that you make haste to headquarters without delay.”
* * *
On the way home, Roni kept tightly holding my right hand.
“Hans...”
Her voice grew thick with tears.
“Did you really save that huge city? Did you defeat those frightening knights?”
“I was just lucky, Mother.”
“Luck, my foot.”
Roni finally laughed through her tears.
Tears and laughter mingled on her face... the most overwhelmed expression I had ever seen in her life.
Carter gripped my shoulder with his thick, callused hand.
That hand was trembling violently.
“When your mother...”
After swallowing several times, he finally managed to continue.
“When your mother was pregnant with you... we didn’t have enough money to add even one storage room behind the fabric shop. Every night, we lay there sighing, wondering how we could raise a child in such a cramped place.”
I looked into Carter’s deeply lined eyes.
“The child raised beneath such a poor father has received a surname directly from the Emperor and become a noble.”
His eyes had turned red.
I could feel pride and joy so immense it seemed as though it would tear his heart apart.
“I became who I am because of you and Mother. I’ll make sure you both live comfortably from now on.”
“Comfortably? We’re already doing well enough, so don’t worry about us. I’m simply so proud of you.”
Carter finally wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Embarrassed, Braen, who had been walking behind us, cleared his throat.
“You’ve only become a Baron. Why are you making such a fuss?”
Though he said that, the corners of Braen’s mouth were nearly reaching his ears.
“It seems I caught some fine meat today because I knew this would happen.”
He threw an enormous chunk of meat onto the ground.
Thud!
It was meat from a upper-grade demon beast, a Bloodhorn Bear.
“Bwahahahaha! Everyone, gather around! My grandson has become a Baron, so we’re throwing a feast! Eat your fill! When else will you get to eat upper-grade demon beast meat?”
His voice rang out like thunder.
* * *
Early the next morning.
Braen and I headed for the old well behind the village.
“You said you even received a recommendation for admission to the Amos Magic Tower. It is time for you to leave this small village, Hans.”
“Before that, as promised, I’ll release the twenty-year grievance you have bound to this well.”
“There is no need. I cannot remain tied to traces of the past forever. Marquis Hargen of Bellat has invited you, so go quickly and do not delay.”
“I actually already solved it.”
“What?”
Braen flinched and turned toward me.
“I came by to examine it whenever I had the chance.”
Whenever I passed this well over the last two months, I had inspected it.
Finding the point where twisted dimensions met and tracing hidden veins of mana.
To me, it was no different from an exciting game.
Whoosh.
With a wave of my hand, the bottom of the well split apart and revealed stone stairs.
“Let’s go, Grandpa.”
Braen’s face filled with shock and emotion.
“Oh! These stone stairs. Back then, I descended them with Garnen. No one has uncovered this secret since Garnen... Your mind truly is exceptional.”
As we went down the stairs, a broad underground stone chamber came into view.
Perhaps because time inside the barrier had stopped completely, the space was so clean that the passing decades felt meaningless.
And in one corner of the chamber.
A human figure had been preserved atop the cold stone floor.
“...Garnen.”
Braen collapsed before them, weeping.
“You died to save me then. Only now... only now have I come to find you.”
The legendary mage who had been left alone in the darkness twenty years ago.
Their remains were quiet, as though they were only sleeping.
“I’m far too late. I’m truly sorry.”
I quietly stepped back three or four paces.
This was a time for the old soldier’s long-held grievance and sorrow to wash away. There was no place for me to intrude.
Braen did not speak for a long while.
He simply sat beside the remains of a friend, untouched by so much as a speck of dust, running rough hands over their clothes.
A little later, we respectfully gathered Garnen’s remains and carried them out of the well.
We buried Garnen on a sunny hill behind the village.
When we returned to the underground stone chamber, Braen picked up something enormous lying in the depths of the space.
A heavy, massive battle axe that looked capable of crushing even steel like a walnut shell.
It was [Tellus], Braen’s other self, which he had been forced to leave behind in this barrier twenty years ago.
“It was here... my other self!”
Braen tightly gripped the axe’s handle.
Hummm!
The moment the axe blade resonated with a low sound.
Fwoosh!
A fierce aura glow dyed the blade red.
“Only now does it feel as though my hand has returned to its rightful place.”
Braen smiled with satisfaction and slung the axe over his shoulder.
“But what are you looking at, Hans?”
Braen asked when he saw me staring at one wall.
“It looks like this wall is hiding something.”
Braen tilted his head.
“That cannot be! Even Garnen did not discover anything... Don’t tell me there is some secret door there?”
“I’m checking. If there was such a frightening monster here, it must have been guarding something.”
“You mean there could be treasure?”
“I don’t know whether it’s treasure or not.”
The moment I selected several points along the wall and injected mana into them one after another.
Rumble!
The stone wall on the opposite side suddenly split apart, revealing a passage.
Braen’s eyes went wide.
“A passage like this existed! You found what even Garnen could not!”
“Let’s see what’s inside.”
“Very well. Since we don’t know what may be in there, I will lead. Follow behind me.”
Braen raised Tellus and strode into the passage.
But there were no monsters.
Instead, a massive wall of light blocked the passage ahead.
Fwoosh!
Countless strands of mana.
Dazzling knots of light formed a lattice, densely sealing off the passage.
“Stop, Grandpa. It’s a trap.”
“A trap?”
“Yes. Leave it to me.”
[High-Precision Vision]
A total of sixty-four knots.
Once one knot was untied, its vibration would carry to the next.
An extremely advanced magic trap that would twist the entire phase and erase the intruder if the order was even slightly wrong.
The corners of my mouth rose into a curve.
‘This looks fun.’
My heart raced.
Nothing thrilled me more than dismantling a meticulously constructed magic formula.
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