The Unfilial Heir Who Tries to Kill Me Tempts Me - Chapter 59

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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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Chapter 59.

I slipped down to the kitchen and collected some refreshments from Pepe without drawing attention.
I had to at least offer him something decent—but if Kaius found out that Elion was here, both our necks would be on the block.
That’s why I timed the letter for when the Tower emptied out. And yet he tracked me down like a bloodhound anyway.
I’d planned to meet with the elders or an advisor, reach some agreement, and only notify him through official channels.
Whether he knew my anxiety or not, Elion simply took the refreshments from my hands and laughed, clapping his palms together in approval.
I had a headache.
“So, what does the Tower want? Money, jewels—just name it. I can arrange for you to have whatever Charlotte desires.”
Elion set down his empty teacup and spoke in a light, easy tone.
Look at that supreme confidence.
That’s the leisure of the wealthy.
But what I wanted from the Tower wasn’t money.
“What if it isn’t money or jewels?”
“If not that… could it be me?”
I watched Elion twist bashfully in his seat with a jaded eye.
“It’s something like that.”
“Really?”
“I want an alliance with the Tower.”
“…An alliance?”
“I want you to take my side. If you do that, I’ll supply the Tower with Black Steel Stone at whatever price you name.”
Elion, who had gone momentarily blank, burst into laughter.
“I suspected as much—so the Black Steel Stone really was bait?”
“Why else would I have sent it? I could sell it myself and become fabulously rich.”
“That’s true enough.”
This is a Romance Fantasy world, and this world has its immutable laws.
Better to stand against the Temple than to make the Tower an enemy.
Especially—cross the Master of the Tower and life becomes considerably harder.
We and they share a common enemy in Crow, which makes it seem easy enough to stand together at first glance, but it’s a far more complicated matter.
Charlotte possesses an unusual constitution—she wields both White Magic and Black Magic—which means she belongs to neither camp.
In other words, from the Tower’s perspective, Crow, Black Mages, or Charlotte herself with both magics at her command could all equally become enemies.
Which meant we needed absolute assurance between us.
Above all, if we forged an alliance with the Tower, we wouldn’t have to worry about being outnumbered in any conflict with Crow.
“Using Black Steel Stone to turn the Tower into both a trading partner and an ally… it’s an offer I can’t refuse. And unlike you, actually.”
“What do you mean, unlike me?”
“I thought you were the type to choose solitude.”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
No one’s more starved for love than Charlotte. It’s not that I lack the courage or passion to reach out to others—I just lost my way.
“But when I pursued you so ardently, you pretended not to see. You wouldn’t even meet with me.”
“It was because your mentor despised me so thoroughly.”
“In any case—that old woman should have died sooner.”
He laughs while spouting impiety.
“So, Elion—what’s your answer?”
“I have no reason not to cooperate.”
“Good.”
I extended my hand to Elion.
“What is this, a handshake?”
“It’s a mage’s contract. We should bind it with an Oath Covenant. If we only agree verbally, what happens if one of us starts singing a different tune later?”
Of course, “one of us” means Elion, not me. The Tower’s eccentrics bounce around like rubber balls—nobody knows where they’ll land—and Elion is the biggest, bounciest one among them.
Elion stared at me with his mouth open, then suddenly burst into a laugh.
“When did you become so thorough?”
“You won’t do it?”
“I will.”
Elion extended his hand.
My mana and his mana intermingled in the empty air, wrapping around both our wrists like bands of light before fading away.
“There. Done?”
“Yes.”
Now neither of us could stab the other in the back. The moment one harbored betrayal, it would be fatal.
Magic was remarkably convenient in that regard.
I wish Kaius would give me some credit for this.
Meanwhile, Elion, who had been touching his wrist, flushed scarlet and wore a bashful expression.
“Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve ever made an Oath Covenant. Does that mean we’re bound together by fate now?”
“Don’t say such strange things.”
“How bleak.”
He drooped his brows in disappointment. Had anyone witnessed it, they would have found his face arrestingly pure.
Yeah, I’m not falling for that.
“Follow me. I’ll show you where the Black Steel Stone is.”

***

Eden threw a fit, insisting she couldn’t allow some wretched intruder to use the Teleportation Coordinates she’d created, but my flattery about what a fine opportunity this was to show off her talent worked. She gave Elion exactly one chance to use the coordinates.
Elion arrived directly at Ancient Dungeon 6F from the courtyard behind Archduke’s Castle and couldn’t hide his amazement.
“I had no idea such a place existed on the continent.”
“It’s an ancient dungeon that hasn’t seen an intruder for at least five thousand years.”
“I thought the Tower wasn’t far behind in terms of information, but Charlotte, you’re ahead by a league.”
Of course—I made it.
“Is all of that stacked over there Black Steel Stone?”
“Yes, I mine it myself whenever I have the time.”
“My goodness….”
Don’t look at me like I’m some poor laborer.
“You wouldn’t permit our side to conduct the mining ourselves, would you?”
“Obviously not.”
I can trust Elion now that we’re bound by Oath Covenant, but those Tower eccentrics are another matter. I never know when they’ll betray me.
I pointed to a large wooden crate stacked in a corner of Dungeon 6F.
“Every two months, I’ll fill that crate and send it to you. But you’ll have to pay me a refining fee separately.”
Arthur did say he’d do the work for free, but even so, it’s labor, and I can’t just let him do it without compensation.
“By the way, the cost is to be paid upfront, so keep that in mind. I can also provide a receipt if you need one, but since you’re a Tower Master, you wouldn’t need such things, would you?”
“One of the benefits of being a leader is that you don’t need to prove yourself with paperwork.”
“Good. In that case, I’ll get one crate ready while I’m at it.”
Hold on.
I dragged a pickaxe that lay scattered on the ground toward where the Black Steel Stone was and prepared to position myself properly and begin swinging in earnest when Elion blocked my path.
“No, this won’t do.”
What are you talking about?
Move aside.
“Look at your own arms. You’re telling me you’ll do this twice a month with arms that look like they’ll snap if you tap them?”
“Are you underestimating me?”
“It’s not underestimating, it’s….”
Elion laughed softly. Then he took the pickaxe from my hand and spoke.
“The mining just needs to be done by someone who isn’t an outsider, right?”
“What, you’re saying you’ll come every two months and mine it yourself?”
Eden would never allow that.
Elion didn’t answer. Instead, he drew a massive Magic Circle in the air. Blue light flickered, and things began dropping from the circle with soft plops.
“Huh?”
They were tiny Elions—miniature clones of him. The ones that fell and landed on their rumps with little thuds shook themselves off, picked up pickaxes suited to their own size, and walked toward where the Black Steel Stone was.
What on earth is this?
“They’re my clones. This way, neither I nor Charlotte need to come here in person to mine the Black Steel Stone.”
“Wow… but wouldn’t this consume a tremendous amount of Mana? If the clones keep mining.”
“Charlotte.”
Elion smiled.
“I’m a Tower Master.”
Wow.
That was incredibly cool just then.

***

Elion’s clones were remarkably diligent. With their stubby arms, they chipped away at the Black Steel Stone, and with their waddling gait, they carried the pieces and stacked them into the crate.
Thanks to them, I didn’t lift a finger and still managed to fill one crate of Black Steel Stone to send to Vulcan House.
“I’ll waive the labor fee for you.”
After returning to Archduke’s Castle, I said this to him in a magnanimous tone. Originally I’d been planning to tack a mining fee onto the Black Steel Stone price, but now there was no need.
I should learn that magic later too. And then have someone else do the work in my place. It’s the perfect opportunity to escape this endless mountain of paperwork.
“You seem delighted?”
“I knew it in theory, but the world of magic really is boundless, isn’t it? I’ve only studied infiltration magic or curses, never thought to research something like that.”
“That’s surprising. I’d have thought you were more than capable of it.”
“There was no need for it.”
What Charlotte had needed was a means to earn recognition within the Count Schmidt House. There was no reason to research such cute and convenient magic.
“But wouldn’t it be useful to learn even now? Could you teach me later, perhaps?”
……
“…Elion?”
Elion rested his chin on his hand, studying me intently. After a long silence, his expression grew unusually solemn.
“Charlotte.”
“Yes?”
“Would you come to the Tower?”
…Out of the blue?

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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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