A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 50. Evernatton (2)

* * *

The harsh cawing of crows jerked him from sleep.
Dezir Armang rubbed his bleary eyes and sat up. He reached for the water left at his bedside and drank, but the taste was stale and unpleasant. Sleep still clung to him.
He slid from the bed and made his way to the washstand. When he splashed his face with near-frozen water, the fog finally lifted from his mind.
Eight days had now passed since he’d entered the Level 4 Shadow World. In real time, that meant eight hours.
Dezir had finally entered the Main Quest. The difficulty was considerable, but progress had been smooth.
“The remaining problem is the vagrant situation.”
He prepared to leave without ceremony and made his way toward Wilhelm’s office.
As he passed through the castle corridors, he suddenly stopped and looked out a window. Someone was building a snowman.
“Lirika, good morning.”
“Good morning, Dezir!”
Lirika, waving at him from below, seemed far brighter than when he’d last seen her.
“What are you doing out there?”
“Making a snowman! Do you want to help?”
“I need to prepare breakfast.”
“Oh, that’s right!”
As if the reminder had jogged her memory, Lirika clapped her hands.
“Since you’re heading to the kitchen anyway, I’ll come with you.”
“Thank you, Dezir!”
Lirika came bounding toward him with quick, light steps, clutching a small snowman in her hands.
“I’m going to put it in the kitchen as decoration.”
“Won’t Jephran mind?”
Lirika smiled with genuine innocence—a girl born from the vagrant life.
Dezir had once half-jokingly recommended her to Jephran when the cook complained of short-staffed hands, thinking the girl could at least fetch rations from the kitchen.
But Lirika’s skill with her hands proved unexpectedly deft, and she’d taken over as Dezir’s successor in the kitchen.
Of course, because she lacked strength, Dezir still handled the heavy work of hauling provisions.
“But why are you going to the kitchen? Didn’t you haul the ingredients last night?”
“I need some tea.”
“Tea? Didn’t the Lord say you didn’t need to bother?”
“Perhaps, but sometimes words and intention aren’t the same thing.”
When Dezir and Lirika arrived at the kitchen, the stout-faced Jephran greeted them.
“Where were you playing around until now, Lirika!”
“Hehe, I was making a snowman!”
“You’ll catch cold if you play too much! If you get sick, I’ll have an awful time of it, you hear?”
Dezir’s mood suddenly darkened.
‘Was this man always like this? Why is he being so kind to her?’
Memories of those difficult years welled up unbidden, and before he could stop himself, he spoke.
“How can you treat Lirika and me so differently?”
“Because Lirika, unlike you, is ridiculously cute.”
There was nothing to say to that.

Dezir took his tea from the kitchen and headed toward Wilhelm’s office. Unlike his previous visits, the office now had a small desk set up beside Wilhelm’s own.
“Good morning, my Lord.”
“Good morning to you.”
Dezir set the tea before Wilhelm and sat at his own desk.
Just as in the real world, his desk was buried under stacks of documents—only here they existed to be processed rather than hidden away. His role was to handle whatever he could at his level and pass the remainder up to Wilhelm.
Most of the documents concerned the territory’s management. Working through them, Dezir naturally gained increasingly detailed and objective understanding of the domain’s situation and that of the Sung Kingdom as a whole, steadily building his knowledge.
One crucial piece of information he obtained this way was an accurate map.
In reality, most records had been lost when the Shadow World encroached upon the entire Sung Kingdom. Maps were no exception.
In those days, maps had been scarce to begin with. Since magic was underdeveloped, creating detailed cartography required considerable effort. Moreover, with primitive printing technology, maps—like most printed materials—were a privilege available only to the wealthy.
Thus, the only maps of the Sung Kingdom that existed in reality were constructed from fragmentary estimates based on the memories of those who had Cleared the Shadow Worlds connected to the kingdom.
The map Dezir had confirmed as a scribe was far more precise and detailed than such reconstructions.
From what the map showed, Evernatton occupied the kingdom’s most forward position—a true shield against invasion.
‘Still, the territory is only modest in scale.’
Compared to other domains, it couldn’t be called particularly large.
‘Yet it maintains forces on the level of a major territory.’
The military force was so disproportionately bloated relative to the territory’s size that one wondered if it was even sustainable.
‘Could it be due to its geographic position at the frontier?’
The Knights especially — their numbers were significant enough, but most were skilled combatants of Knight-rank ability.
Thanks to the sizable forces and exceptional Knights, battles with Esteban had mostly ended in victory; it was said that the battles directly commanded by Wilhelm had never once known defeat. He was a remarkably capable commander.
‘The territory’s operations aren’t poorly managed either.’
Evernatton had actually turned the problem of its disproportionate military forces—excessive for a domain its size—into a primary revenue source.
Every territory near the border lived under the threat of Esteban, and Evernatton was the only domain with enough military strength to counter such threats.
Wilhelm exploited this advantage by dispatching the territory’s Knights to nearby domains and collecting subsidies in exchange, thereby financing his operations.
It wasn’t merely subsidies. As the reputation of Evernatton’s Knight Order spread throughout the north, merchant guilds began arriving with confidence, and the economy flourished as a result.
‘And yet, despite all this, problems still remain in this territory.’
Namely, the Vagrants.
Vagrants were mostly people of unknown origins. Among them, there could well be criminals of questionable character mixed in.
Any lord ruling a territory would naturally prefer not to accept Vagrants.
Wilhelm, however, was an exceptionally benevolent lord, and he accepted every Vagrant who came to his territory.
‘Accept Vagrants, and food supplies and public order are bound to suffer.’
The territory’s current food reserves were adequate. Considering the Vagrant population would likely grow, provisions were tight—but still manageable without undue strain.
‘Since food isn’t a problem yet, what I need to examine is the security situation……’
Dezir reviewed a chart documenting crimes within the territory. Since accepting the Vagrants, incidents had increased sharply. The discontent among the residents was considerable.
As Dezir’s gaze traced down the chart, it halted at one point.
Crime had dropped dramatically starting the day after they began the Shadow World.
There seemed little need to ponder the cause deeply.
‘This must be Azest’s doing.’

* * *

Dezir left the Lord’s Castle, crossed the drawbridge, and made his way toward Knight Order Headquarters.
Upon arriving at his destination, Dezir approached the Knight standing guard at the entrance and gave his name.
The guard welcomed him warmly.
“Dezir! The commander has been expecting you.”
Following the Knight’s guidance, Dezir entered the building and went directly to the second floor.
The second floor appeared to be the barracks where Knights lodged—multiple doors lined the corridor, each bearing the name of the Knight residing within.
Dezir climbed one more floor and stopped before the door at the far end. A voice carried from inside.
“Why aren’t you taking action!”
A woman’s voice rang out, passionate and sharp.
“That is not a decision for you to make.”
The reply came from Azest.
At Azest’s measured tone, the woman only grew more agitated.
“Commander, if this situation continues, our food will dwindle and crime will rise. This cannot go on!”
The woman was speaking of the Vagrant problem.
“Preventing exactly that is the role of our Knight Order.”
“The solution is obvious. There’s one cause: all of this stems from the Vagrants. They shelter under the lord’s protection while consuming the territory’s food stores and contributing nothing. Every problem began the moment the lord accepted them! They must be expelled from the territory!”
“That was disrespectful, Deputy Commander Eyullan.”
At Azest’s cold, measured voice, Dezir flinched.
The authority in it was immense. Eyullan, too, had visibly lost her confident bearing.
“I… I beg your pardon……”
“Do you possess the authority to diminish the lord’s compassion?”
“I… I allowed emotion to cloud my judgment. I apologize.”
Azest continued in the same measured tone.
“I will give your opinion further consideration. You are dismissed.”
“Understood.”
Heavy footsteps approached. Dezir pressed himself against the wall to let her pass.
Eyullan emerged from the room and came face-to-face with Dezir. She spoke.
“Who are you?”
“Dezir Armang.”
The moment Dezir answered, Eyullan fixed him with a contemptuous gaze.
“A Vagrant, putting on airs……”
Dezir heard clearly the words she muttered under her breath.
She passed by him with a face flushed red with frustration, as if she regretted not slitting his throat this very moment.
Once her footsteps had faded into the distance, Dezir entered the room. Azest greeted him warmly.
“Good to see you, Dezir. It’s been a while.”
“When did you become Commander?”
“I was Commander of the Knight Order from the beginning. I’ve been pursuing the Main Quest since the start.”
“What an unfair advantage.”
Dezir, who had suffered through years of drudgery beginning as a kitchen assistant, pouted playfully before breaking into a smile.
Azest offered a faint smile in return and gestured for him to sit.
“There’s been talk throughout the territory that you brew tea quite exceptionally.”
“I’ll bring some the next time I visit.”
“I look forward to it. I’ve been missing your tea.”
Resting her chin on her palm, Azest gazed at him with a smile that seemed like a work of art.
Dezir found himself momentarily entranced by that captivating smile before hastily changing the subject.
“How is the Quest progressing?”
“We’re making steady progress. The completion rate is quite decent.”
“Tell me how you’ve been advancing the Quest so far.”
Azest considered for a moment, then nodded and spoke.
“Hmm… I think it would be better to show you directly rather than explain.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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