Became a Medieval Fantasy Wizard-Chapter 344

TL/Editor: raei

Status: 5/week mon-fri

Illustrations: none

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"Come, eat to your heart's content!"

Duke Roxlan didn't ask Ian anything at all.

He simply offered him the best seat and piled up mountains of food.

"..."

Ian slowly sampled the food the Duke had provided.

The taste itself wasn't particularly remarkable. Just typical medieval fare found in any noble's residence—oily and rich in flavor.

Ian checked for any traces of poison or drugs, but couldn't find anything suspicious.

Genuinely, the Duke simply wanted to feed Ian well.

"Thank you for your invitation, Your Grace."

"Priests of Heaven's Faith are always welcome."

The Duke extended equally warm greetings to the priest and Takarion.

Except for one person.

Maria.

"..."

The Duke examined Maria with an icy gaze that rivaled a vampire's, then pretended to lose interest and turned away, disappearing somewhere.

Ian felt the stares of nobles pouring over them.

Most nobles remaining in Duke Roxlan's banquet hall were, naturally, the Duke's people.

The Duke had invited Ian's group to a place where many people would see them.

'...He wants rumors to spread.'

This was a trap set by Duke Roxlan.

The Duke had only heard that Ian was traveling with a Silverwind survivor, but hadn't yet confirmed whether it was true.

The news could be real or fake.

But regardless of its authenticity, rumors about Ian and Maria would begin spreading the moment they appeared here.

The Duke would keep truly important information to himself while letting vague rumors circulate among others.

With his information advantage, the Duke could easily "determine" the truth behind the rumors.

This was likely Duke Roxlan's method of handling information and gossip.

'They said he was cunning.'

Playing games right from the start.

No wonder the Emperor disliked meeting Duke Roxlan.

"Maria. Don't mind the others. Let's just focus on eating."

"Yes."

"Eat what you like, but don't overindulge."

Ian quickly surveyed the banquet hall as he thought.

Outside, they talk of war, yet here the nobles feast extravagantly?

That impression wasn't entirely wrong.

The Duke's purpose in hosting this banquet was likely to strengthen the bonds within his faction.

Regardless of what happened outside, hosting a large banquet like this was an excellent way to demonstrate their stability.

While also raising the loyalty of nobles in his faction.

"I haven't seen your face before! Who are you and where are you from?"

A noble approached Ian, swirling a glass of wine.

Nothing unusual for a banquet setting.

Ian couldn't tell whether this person approached out of simple curiosity or on the Duke's secret orders.

"Me, sir?"

"Yes! You! Is that your lover beside you? Or family?"

"..."

He must have been an influential noble, as all eyes immediately turned toward them.

Everyone was now looking at Ian.

If Ian had been a naive countryside wizard with no immunity to noble society, he might have felt intimidated in such a setting.

But Ian was an experienced wizard.

Being the center of attention was so familiar to him that it had almost become tedious.

"She's my apprentice."

"Apprentice?"

"I'm a wandering wizard, and she is my disciple."

"Ohhh...!"

The nobles' eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the word "wizard."

Wow! A wizard!

The larger the battlefield, the more significant a wizard's presence becomes.

A skilled wizard could completely alter the flow of battle.

With combat against Duke Fargar looming, every wizard was a welcome addition.

"As expected of Duke Roxlan...!"

"However he managed it, he's brought a wizard to our side!"

Ian didn't spoil the mood by saying, "I'm not actually on your side."

Naturally, Ian had enough social awareness to avoid that.

"Duke Roxlan is indeed an admirable lord."

This banquet hall was crawling with pro-Roxlan nobles.

Without hesitation, Ian chose the most appropriate response.

Namely... praising the Duke!

"It's only natural for people to follow someone so admirable."

"Hahaha! This fellow has quite a silver tongue!"

When Ian made pro-Roxlan comments, the nobles were predictably pleased.

Duke Roxlan? Great!

A wizard? Great!

A wizard who admires Duke Roxlan? Super-great!

"Come here and share a drink with me!"

"Not so fast! Wizard, have a drink with me first!"

With practiced skill, Ian shared drinks with the nobles and engaged in trivial conversations.

Working as a wizard had improved his conversational abilities.

His talent for discerning others' intentions and understanding them without misinterpretation had reached an exceptional level.

A wizard communicates with all things.

Humans were no exception.

"Where on earth did you learn to speak like that?"

"I learned everything from Lady Eredith."

"Eredith? Eredith Manskal?"

"The fire wizard!"

Captivated by Ian's eloquence, the nobles lost track of time as they chatted.

Someone who communicates well receives good treatment wherever they go.

From a distance, the priest and Takarion watched Ian mingling with people, quietly impressed.

"He's truly sociable, isn't he?"

"That's wizards for you."

Ian was an INFP.

According to the latest pseudo-science theory of MBTI, Ian's introverted personality meant he shouldn't be capable of proper conversation with others.

Yet here he was, chatting freely with nobles.

Pseudo-science is pseudo-science because it doesn't fit reality.

He might suffer the side effect of being drained later, but when he put his mind to it, Ian's eloquence could captivate multiple people.

This was precisely why one shouldn't carelessly listen to a wizard's words.

As Ian conversed with the nobles, he observed the Duke from the corner of his eye.

...The Duke was clearly examining Ian as well.

'Cunning old man.'

Ian thought while maintaining his smile.

The banquet continued day and night.

Drunken people appeared everywhere regardless of time or place, keeping the castle atmosphere elevated. freēwēbnovel.com

Anyone watching might think it was a New Year's party.

Whether this was a morale-boosting banquet or a last supper remained to be seen...

But with everyone engaged in noisy conversations, paradoxically, private spaces emerged.

Ian stealthily made his way to the room the Duke had assigned him.

Duke Roxlan was already waiting for him there.

"Welcome."

"Thank you kindly, Your Grace."

Ian found himself responding sarcastically without meaning to.

But it couldn't be helped.

He had spent the entire day on edge, dealing with drunken nobles.

Carefully weighing how much information to reveal to whom.

Meanwhile, Duke Roxlan?

Using age as an excuse, he'd been relaxing comfortably in his room.

Ian could tell.

The reason the Duke had confined Ian to the banquet and left him there all day—

It was a shallow tactic to mentally exhaust Ian and gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Not a strategy befitting someone of ducal rank.

But Duke Roxlan had no qualms about employing underhanded methods.

The Emperor's words were absolutely right.

Though he smiled on the surface, Duke Roxlan was truly a despicable noble.

"Forgive me. Given the circumstances, we needed a banquet to boost morale."

"I seem to have intruded at an inconvenient time."

"Far more inconsiderate is someone acting on their own without sending me a single message first."

Duke Roxlan smiled, revealing his canine teeth.

"Don't you think?"

"..."

Ian had no desire to engage in verbal sparring with the Duke.

Honestly, he felt like he might collapse from exhaustion.

The Duke's intention had succeeded, one could say.

"Well... I've heard the gist of the story."

The Duke looked back and forth between Ian and Maria.

After a brief silence, the Duke spoke.

"I hear you're marrying that girl?"

"...Yes."

Duke Roxlan snickered.

It was clearly a sneer.

"Did you court her knowing her birth, or were you simply captivated by that pretty face?"

"That's a question not worth answering."

Duke Roxlan paused briefly, glaring at Ian for just a moment.

Few nobles could talk back to the Duke's words.

Even those in the Duke's circle probably couldn't properly voice a single criticism to him.

Given the Duke's personality, he was unlikely to tolerate unpleasant counsel willingly.

But Ian wasn't someone who needed to worry about such things.

The Duke had just been called "impertinent" for the first time in ages.

But Duke Roxlan quickly composed his expression.

His change in demeanor was as swift and natural as changing masks.

"How we met isn't important."

"Haha. Yes... that's right..."

Duke Roxlan tapped his long fingernails together as he spoke.

"What matters is that the girl is the rightful heir to the Silverwind title. Isn't that right?"

"Of course."

"Haha... hahaha...!"

"?"

When the Duke suddenly started laughing, Ian grew concerned about his health.

He already looked emaciated. Was something wrong with him?

After laughing for quite some time, the Duke said:

"You truly know nothing."

"..."

"Well, it's your ignorance that allowed you to bring that girl before me."

Ian frowned.

Something wasn't right.

Duke Roxlan knew something that Ian didn't.

"I'll teach you something special."

The Duke spoke in an eerie voice.

"That girl is not the rightful heir to Silverwind."

...Shit.

What the hell?

"If you're asking whether she's a descendant of Silverwind, then yes. She is Silverwind. I can tell. But she is not the 'rightful' heir."

Ian was slightly dumbfounded.

The Duke wasn't some kind of Silverwind detector. How could he arbitrarily decide who was legitimate and who wasn't?

Still, it was a story worth continuing to hear.

"If she's not the rightful heir..."

"It's simple logic."

Ian inwardly sighed.

Being a medieval person himself, Ian understood what the Duke meant.

Naturally, the rightful heir to a title would be the noble's child.

...But in medieval times, there existed children who weren't legally recognized.

Commonly known as [bastards].

"That girl is Silverwind's bastard."

Duke Roxlan said with a snicker.

"A bastard-survivor!"

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