"Master, what are you thinking about?"
"Hm? Oh, Zoe."
When I looked up, the familiar maid was standing beside the serving cart, watching me with a strangely worried expression.
Lately, I had been seeing a lot more of her.
After I bought out her entire flood-ravaged home village, she offered to do whatever she could to repay the favor, so I increased her duties around the estate.
Perhaps out of a sense of gratitude, she worked diligently and had grown remarkably attentive to the smallest details. Having her look after my daily needs wasn't bad at all.
Even now, as I sat lost in thought in the mansion's great hall, she remained by my side, attending to me.
"You've heard that I was appointed the chief examiner for the upcoming Knight Selection, right? I was just thinking about the best way to handle it."
"I see!"
"Do you know much about the Knight Selection?"
"Yes! It is the sole gateway to success for us commoners. Everyone who has confidence in their skills trains day in and day out aiming for it."
"I figured. Well, that's why I've been pondering the best way to run it... Are there challengers from your village, too?"
"Yes, one person from my village goes every year."
"Is that so? Well, since I did away with the preliminaries this year, as many people as want to can come."
"...Yes."
Zoe's hesitant response caught my attention.
"What is it?"
"I am terribly sorry!"
"I'm not upset. Just tell me what crossed your mind."
"It is nothing major. The reason only one person goes from our village isn't because of the preliminaries—it's because of the travel expenses and lodging costs in the Imperial Capital."
"Hm?"
"Prices are high in the capital. It takes donations from everyone in the village just to cover the living expenses for that single person. That is why..."
Her expression clouded with mixed emotions.
I see. So that was how it worked.
"...Is that common? Villages pooling their money together just to send one person?"
"Yes. And because they bear the hopes of the entire village, everyone takes it extremely seriously—"
"All right, then let's get rid of that."
"—Eh?"
Zoe blinked in confusion.
"Get rid of... what, exactly?"
"The travel and lodging costs. I want to select from as large a pool as possible; I can't stand the thought of missing out on talent over something like that. All right, I'll personally cover all food, clothing, and shelter for every applicant while they're staying in the capital."
"C-Can such a thing even be done?"
"It can."
I declared flatly.
"I'm the one responsible for this Knight Selection. It's simply a matter of me footing the bill. I can decide that right here and now."
"That's not what I meant... That will cost an enormous amount of money..."
"Someone, come here."
At my call, a male servant entered the room.
I ordered him to investigate the number of vacant houses currently available in the capital.
If buying up every vacant house I could find was enough, great; if not, I would just build new dormitories.
Then there was food. Depending on the headcount, I might need to procure enough supplies to sustain an entire village or small town.
Which grain merchant has ties to the Thirteenth Imperial Prince Mansion again? I searched through my memories.
"Master... that's incredible..."
Beside me, as my mind raced through logistics at full speed, Zoe was simply left dumbfounded.
☆
On my way back from visiting the grain merchant.
Having secured a firm commitment that they would supply a steady quantity of food throughout the Knight Selection, I headed home thoroughly satisfied.
As always, all kinds of people bustled about the capital's main thoroughfare.
Was there hidden talent among them, too? The thought made me want to stop each and every passerby to talk to them.
Suddenly, the pedestrians came to a halt one after another, parting to the left and right.
Through the path that opened up, a carriage rolled into view.
A carriage given right-of-way that brought the crowd to a standstill, bearing that crest...
"Is that you, Noah?"
The carriage pulled up beside me and stopped.
Once the horses ceased their neighing, a young man leaned out from inside.
"Brother."
I gave a polite bow on the spot.
Oscar Ararat.
His Majesty's eighth child, and my older brother.
Naturally, he was an imperial prince as well. That was why the pedestrians had cleared the way so quickly.
Oscar, reputed to be the kindest among the imperial princes, spoke to me with a gentle expression.
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
"Just strolling around. What about you, Brother?"
"I'm on my way to Cobalt Street. Say, Noah, why don't you come along?"
"...Understood, I'll join you."
Having no particular reason to refuse, I accepted his invitation.
The coachman promptly lowered the footstool, so I climbed inside and took the seat across from Oscar.
The moment I boarded, the coachman flicked the reins with practiced ease and set the carriage in motion again.
"I heard the news, you know. Noah, you were chosen to oversee the upcoming Knight Selection, weren't you?"
"You have sharp ears, Brother."
"His Majesty was praising you endlessly. I wonder how many years it's been since I saw His Majesty look so happy."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. At least, it's the first time since you were born, Noah."
"I see."
I chatted with Oscar about the Knight Selection.
I had complimented Oscar on his sharp ears, but he didn't seem quite on His Majesty's level.
He knew about the appointment itself, but it appeared he didn't yet know that I was already taking action to guarantee food, clothing, and shelter for everyone traveling to the capital.
Then again, His Majesty's information network was unnervingly abnormal to begin with.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the mouth of another broad avenue.
"We walk from here on out."
"Is the carriage not going any further?"
"This is a place where you enjoy treasure hunting on your own two feet, after all."
Oscar smiled innocently.
Though he was already a young man, a boyish smile suited him remarkably well.
We stepped down from the carriage and made our way into Cobalt Street.
Cobalt Street was a district densely packed with antique dealers.
Some operated out of established storefronts, while others sold their wares from open-air stalls.
Antiques from all over the Empire gathered here, but alongside them came a flood of counterfeits.
In this little quarter where the priceless and the worthless mingled, using one's own discerning eye to uncover genuine treasure was considered a proper aristocratic pastime.
"Have you ever been here, Noah?"
"I've heard plenty about it, but this is my first time actually visiting."
"I see."
"I hear it can be quite expensive."
"Not necessarily. If you bring around ten thousand Rien, that's enough to get by. Even if you happen upon a real bargain, it's plenty for a down payment."
"I see."
An adult male in the capital earned an average of ten Rien a month.
Ten thousand was by no means a small sum, but encountering a genuine treasure naturally required at least that much.
I strolled through the district with Oscar.
We popped into shops to examine potential finds and browsed the merchandise displayed on the street stalls.
"They even have paintings."
"Yeah. Though most of the paintings are fakes."
As Oscar replied, the enthusiasm he had shown when we first arrived was already fading.
Unable to find any treasure, his mood was visibly deflating.
Well, it wasn't as if real treasures turned up so easily anyway.
Thinking that to myself, I casually picked up an item from a stall and inspected it.
I didn't really have an eye for antiques or art.
As a general rule, the proper storefronts seemed to carry somewhat decent goods, while the open-air stalls looked full of junk.
Though that might have just been my own bias talking.
With those thoughts in mind, I reached for a book sitting on the stall.
It was an ancient-looking volume with a thick cover.
"—!"
In that instant, my hand froze.
"What's wrong, Noah?"
"...How much for this?"
"That'll be three Rien."
I pulled the requested coins from my pocket and handed them to the stallkeeper.
Then, I stared intently at the book.
"What's the matter, Noah? Why are you glaring at it with such an intense look?"
"..."
"What about that... wait, let me see that for a second, Noah."
As if suddenly realizing something, Oscar caught my wrist and scrutinized the old tome.
His sudden reaction made me the one wondering what was going on.
"Brother?"
"This is... yeah, no doubt about it. Noah, this is a real treasure."
"A treasure?"
"Yeah. This is a grimoire by Grand Mage Andrea. The original manuscript, no less."
"..."
"How did you know this was an authentic piece? That's incredible, Noah."
Smiling back at Oscar, I looked down once more at the old volume—the grimoire.
I hadn't known it was a treasure; I had simply noticed a change the moment I picked it up.
――――――――――――
Name: Noah Ararat
Ararat Empire, Thirteenth Imperial Prince
Gender: Male
Level: 1 / ∞
HP: F Fire: F
MP: F Water: E + SS
Strength: F + F Wind: F + F
Stamina: F + F Earth: F
Intelligence: F Light: F
Spirit: F Darkness: F
Speed: F
Dexterity: F + F
Luck: F + F
――――――――――――
It was my status.
The display that constantly lingered in the corner of my vision had shifted.
A "+" had been added to Wind.
It was undeniably thanks to this book, which was why I had handed over three Rien to secure it immediately.
As I studied the grimoire while we walked, Oscar kept talking beside me.
"It seems to have been written quite late in his life. Depending on the contents, it's easily worth at least a thousand Rien. Man, that's amazing. Finding the real deal on your very first visit to Cobalt Street, and from an open-air stall of all places!"
"...I feel something."
"Eh? Feel what?"
I stopped in my tracks.
Holding the book in one hand, I drew Leviathan and drove its tip into the cover.
"Noah?!"
Ignoring Oscar's shock, I plunged the magic sword deep into the tome.
Leviathan had told me.
I had found it bizarre that my status increased merely by holding the grimoire.
A "+" only ever appeared on my abilities when I brought human beings under my command.
While I was puzzling over that, Leviathan informed me that a soul was sealed inside the pages.
Wanting to see this soul for myself, I thrust the blade into the book just as Leviathan directed.
The moment I did, a dark shadow erupted from the tome.
The emerging silhouette took the shape of a man, but his eyes were pupil-less voids of pure white, and an ominous, suffocating aura surged from his form.
"No way! A forbidden tome that sealed the author's own soul?! Run, Noah! That man was a master of wind—"
Before Oscar could finish his warning, I moved.
What spurred me into action was Leviathan, my mad dog and loyal hound.
The instant the entity materialized, Leviathan aimed the most intense hostility it had ever displayed directly at him.
So I struck without hesitation. In a single flash of the magic sword, I decapitated the manifested figure, and on the backswing, I unleashed Leviathan's ultimate skill—that towering pillar of water.
The severed head traced an arc through the air alongside the torso still anchored to the grimoire.
The blast of water obliterated them both in a single sweep.
The "+" vanished from my status.
It was a shame to lose it, but since Leviathan's hostility was practically a warning of mortal danger, I figured this was the right call.
"Come to think of it, Brother, you were shouting something earlier. What was—Brother?"
When I turned around, Oscar was staring at me with his mouth hanging open, completely dumbfounded.
"What is the matter, Brother?"
"When... when on earth did you get so strong?"
My brother was genuinely, utterly stunned.