Chosen by the Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 36. The Catalyst (3)

In the dream, Elaine was sitting on the throne.

She was half-lying down, and her posture towards the throne looked exceedingly arrogant.

Thanks to that, I felt I could distinguish the time periods of the dreams.

Full of life meant her days as the Grand Heir.

Arrogant like that meant her days as the Grand Duke.

-Why did I live so diligently.

Grand Duke Elaine lamented.

It wasn't a monologue. Harad was standing beside her.

I could distinguish the Harad in my dreams as well.

The Harad who was with Grand Duke Elaine was slightly bigger.

-The title of Grand Duke was mine anyway.

-Suddenly boasting about your silver spoon?

-Yes. A spoon you do not have.

Even knowing that the House of Iagar had been wiped out.

Grand Duke Elaine did not hesitate to speak harshly to Harad.

-Must be nice.

Harad, standing beside her, seemed unimpressed.

It must have meant they were that close.

-It wasn't that great. This spoon was such a burden.

Elaine said, tapping the armrest of the throne.

It was a light motion as if shooing away a fly, but the throne made a thudding sound.

-What is this measly throne.

-That’s disrespectful.

-What problem could there be in me being disrespectful to myself.

In the dream, Elaine seemed quite accustomed to the position of Grand Duke.

I thought of Grand Duke Aratus.

He did not care about the opinions of his family or vassals. Grand Duke Elaine seemed to be beyond that.

-If I had the chance, I would want to tell my past self that I am greater than Serzila.

Harad's gaze, looking down at Elaine, turned cold.

-What.

-You know.

-Isn't it the truth. I am the only Serzila born with heavenly power.

Though born in Serzila, I was different from Serzila.

I was special from the moment I was born.

That was why the cliché, overused pressure was exceptionally great.

-Why did I act like an ordinary Serzila.

Grand Duke Elaine looked down on Serzila.

-There was no need to care. Whatever I did, the North would have followed me.

Grand Duke Elaine was arrogant.

But in my eyes, it was quite plausible.

It seemed that no matter what that Grand Duke did, the North would have no choice but to like her.

-What’s the point in telling me that?

-What do you mean, what's the point. I should tell myself to live however the fuck I want. Since the title of Grand Duke is mine no matter what I do.

-But you are not living however you want right now, are you, Your Grace?

Grand Duke Elaine did not care about the opinions of her family or vassals.

However, she cared about the opinions of everyone else besides them.

-What can I do, that is the nature of this position.

Elaine regrets the time she acted as the ideal Grand Heir, yet she plays the part of the ideal ruler.

-That is why I want to tell myself. The hardship begins after ascending to the Grand Duke’s seat, so enjoy yourself to the fullest before then.

-…….

-Well. It’s not like I'm the type of person who would actually live recklessly just because I said so.

Elaine tilted her head back and looked up at Harad.

Her hair tickled Harad's side.

-Still, I suppose I can play with you more.

-Not tormenting me?

-It was like that at first. But you enjoyed it later on, didn't you. And, I was the one who got criticized more.

-You did a lot of things to deserve it, Your Grace.

At Harad's words, Elaine chuckled.

-Still, it's a relief. That I can act however I want in front of you.

-I don't like it, though.

-Please understand, my one and only friend.

……Friend.

“Friend.”

Waking from the dream, I savored that word several times.

* * *

Fire drew letters in the air.

It started with Elaine, followed by names she remembered…… and ended with Ellen.

There was no special meaning. However, Harad’s gaze as he watched the fire sank inward.

In terms of body parts, it was the heart, and to put it simply, it was within the mind. The Otherworld calls it the mindscape.

It is a space that every mage possesses.

However, the size of that space differs for each mage.

It's a difference in potential, Harad knew.

It is like how the growth of a beast is affected by the size of its cage.

If one takes or overworks the heart, mana increases.

An increase in mana means the Origin within this space grows larger.

There is a limit to that growth.

This space signifies that limit.

The Origin cannot become larger than this space.

‘That's a mage's perspective.’

From the Origin’s perspective, it is different.

It can grow as large as it wants.

If the space is insufficient, it can simply spill out.

However, in that case, the mage is no longer a mage.

Perhaps the word ‘demon’ arose from that.

It was a different case from Jesult.

He wasn't consumed by his Origin because his space was insufficient. His space just wavered, and the Origin popped out. Because space is the mind.

This is why the public image of mages is cunning.

Mages with excessive greed or shallow reason were mostly consumed by their Origin and disappeared.

It was a problem to be mindful of at all times.

In Harad's case, he only needed to be conscious of the latter.

That was because his space was so vast that its end could not be fathomed.

On the other hand, the sun that existed solitarily within that space was small.

Of course, size is relative.

It was small compared to the space, but recalling when he had just regressed, it had grown a lot.

Back then, its diameter was only as tall as Harad, but the sun floating before his eyes now was the size of the annex.

‘It's a bit bigger than the annex. Slightly smaller than the Grand Heir’s mansion.’

Elaine’s mansion was the second largest building in the Inner Fortress.

Compared to his past life, he still had a long way to go, but still, this much was remarkable growth.

Even more than Harad had expected.

‘Why?’

Harad recalled the number of magical beasts and mages he had absorbed so far.

The sun was larger than his calculations.

‘Because I ate the same fire?’

Because he absorbed an Origin of the same lineage?

Harad furrowed his brow. It was a principle he had never heard of in his past life.

‘There was no talk of this when that ice-wielder ate the lake.’

All dissatisfaction becomes one.

Harad recalled Herbis’s words.

Perhaps those were not simply the words of a fanatic.

In any case, it was an unexpected gain.

At this rate, he would reach the 4th Rank within a year or two.

The more mana one possessed, the lower the efficiency of heart devouring became.

That was a kind of truth that even the regressor Harad could not escape.

It would still take time for the projection of his Origin to be perfect without side effects.

‘It would be faster if I caught a mage from the Red Tower.’

Soon, Harad erased that possibility from his mind.

From what he heard from Ios and Herbis, mages belonging to the Red Tower were rare.

Just like on the continent, in the Otherworld, mages with fire as their Origin were rare…….

“Ah.”

Breaking out of his mindscape, Harad let his mouth fall slightly open.

There was a delicious smell.

It was the smell of grilling meat, but it was strange.

It was a smell that should not be coming from Harad’s annex.

Harad, as if possessed, opened the door and went down to the first floor. The lights were on. And some maid was using the kitchen.

The maid took a step back.

It was a motion as if recoiling from a sudden heat, and the heat here was Harad. Their eyes met.

“Y-You're awake?”

“……Who are you?”

It wasn’t the maid who always brought his meals.

That maid never used this kitchen in the first place.

“I-I-I’m Hiren.”

“A unique name.”

It was a name he did not remember.

Harad had memorized the names of everyone residing in the Inner Fortress.

In that case, she must be an enemy.

“Alright, Hihihiren. Where did you come from. The Ivory Tower?”

A flame ignited on Harad’s hand.

It was a trap. The plan was to burn Hihihiren to a crisp the moment she became conscious of this fire.

‘It might not work.’

He didn't feel any Aura.

She was either an ordinary person or a mage.

‘Of course, it must be the latter.’

If her Rank was lower than his, she would burn; if it was higher, she would not. Either way was fine.

This was the Inner Fortress. If the commotion grew, the Grand Duke would notice.

Harad’s eyes narrowed.

He intended to read her Rank as soon as Hihihiren manifested her magic.

“H-Heeik!”

Hiren’s body trembled.

‘Vibration?’

There was a mage who could cause earthquakes. Her name was not Hihihiren.

Crucially, he could not feel any mana.

“Are you not a mage?”

“I-I’m a maid……”

“I’ve never heard of a maid named Hihihiren.”

“It’s not Hihihiren, it’s Hiren……”

“Ah.”

Harad waved his hand and extinguished the fire.

“You’re Hiren, who works at the Grand Heir’s mansion.”

“Yes, yes. Yes!”

“Alright. What is it?”

“……The Grand Heir told me to work here starting today……”

“Ah.”

Harad recalled last night.

He had told the story about his grandfather’s friend.

Harad’s grandfather had passed away before he was born.

‘She must have had a dream.’

What kind of dream?

He had a rough guess, but conviction was forbidden.

He would have to ask when the opportunity arose.

“Thank you, but it's fine. I will speak to the Grand Heir myself.”

Hiren did not move.

She stood in place, her legs trembling.

“A-Are you going to eat me?”

“Me, eat you? Why?”

“You’re a de-demon…… no, a mage, aren't you.”

“Mages don’t eat humans.”

“I-Is that so?”

“That’s right. We eat mages.”

“Hi-Heeik!”

Hiren collapsed as if fainting.

The trembling in her legs spread throughout her body.

Then, the door suddenly opened.

“Hiren?”

It was Elaine.

“Oh. You're up early.”

That Grand Heir approached with a smile.

* * *

I did not come empty-handed.

I was carrying so much stuff that I couldn't see in front of me.

“These are daily necessities. These are clothes.”

Looking roughly, there were clothes of all kinds.

There were more than when he lived comfortably in Iagar, and there were even formal clothes mixed in that one would wear at a ball.

“They said your clothes are always the same. Ah, I heard it from the Intelligence Bureau.”

It was a blatant display of goodwill.

It was on a different level from when I had gotten him out when he was imprisoned by the guard.

That was only natural.

For someone possessing the seal of Serzila to be in prison was an absurd treatment.

“This is for living expenses. I heard you were always treated to drinks.”

I handed Harad a pouch.

That pouch was quite heavy.

A smile was constantly on my face.

I looked extremely relieved.

Hiren just gaped with a surprised face.

That Grand Heir and a mage? Anyone could see that was what her face said.

Harad first sent Hiren away.

For some reason, that process was not easy either.

“It is the rule of the Inner Fortress to have a maid in the annex.”

“I am more comfortable alone.”

I refused several times before finally giving in.

As soon as permission was granted, Hiren ran outside.

“Rumors will spread.”

“It’s fine. It was His Grace the Grand Duke who let you in here.”

Even knowing that fact, I had not met with Harad.

‘The expression ‘I made a point not to meet him’ would be more accurate.’

That was our relationship.

“Did you have a dream or something?”

“Ah, I see. We are still in that kind of relationship.”

I smiled bitterly.

Harad was the type to ask if you had a dream as a greeting to someone he was awkward with.

At least, that's what I knew.

“I did. A very strange dream. For now, let’s have breakfast.”

I spoke as if we would definitely eat together.

No, it seemed I actually intended to.

I sat at the table.

On the table was the food Hiren had prepared.

“Not eating?”

“I was planning to eat with Kubel. Would you like to join me?”

“Hmm, my apologies. I cannot ignore Hiren’s sincerity.”

I used the food Hiren prepared as an excuse.

I didn't look as completely relieved as before. It seemed something awkward remained.

‘This is as far as it goes for now.’

Harad thought it must mean that while he was acceptable, Kubel was not yet.

People don't change easily.

If someone immediately starts living however they want just because they were told to, they're not a person but a beast.

‘No. Even a beast wouldn't do that right away.’

Moreover, the catalyst was a dream, wasn't it?

It would be strange to change immediately.

‘For now, it’s probably just that kind of dream.’

Harad knew Elaine very well.

Even if she had resolved to abandon the ideal Serzila, she wouldn't be able to express it openly to the outside world.

Elaine was not the type of person to change so quickly.

‘If she were that kind of person, she would have lived however she wanted when she became the Grand Duke.’

That Grand Duke was softer on the inside than she appeared.

It would take time for Elaine to let go of her ideals.

Today was the beginning of that time.

‘It’s not ‘still’, but ‘already’.’

Harad sat down opposite Elaine.

At that, Elaine’s face brightened slightly.

“What was the dream about?”

“Hmm. Hmm…… it’s a secret.”

“……”

“It was a dream related to a silver spoon. That’s all I’ll say.”

At those words, Harad took a bite of food and bowed his head deeply.

His hidden eyes were shining with a peculiar light.

It was because he had realized what dream Elaine had.

So…….

‘Dreams can be guided.’

Of course, the guiding property would not be very high.

After all, they had spent so many years together.

But the fact that it was possible had meaning in itself.

Isn't this moment proof of that?

Harad had not expected to be having a meal with Elaine so soon.

Of course, he had been thinking of breaking Elaine’s obsession since he regressed.

However, the opportunities had not been suitable. As proof, the story of his grandfather and his grandfather's friend was rather impromptu.

No, it was greed.

‘There were some forced points.’

That was a story that, no matter how you looked at it, was aimed at Elaine.

But in the end, it worked.

‘It wouldn't have worked on me.’

It was fortunate that the opponent was the young Elaine.

The still inexperienced, careless, and simple Ellen.

‘Being shameless is a good thing.’

It was also thanks to the conviction Ellen possessed.

The conviction that her disguise through the magical item would not be discovered.

“Did you always eat like that? With your head buried in the table?”

“I tend to do that in front of people I’m awkward with.”

Hiren’s food was extremely delicious.

“You, do you have time today?”

“I do.”

“Today is the hunting day. If you're alright with it, I'd like to go with you. What do you think?”

“Sounds good.”