Chapter 206

Chapter 206

Chapter 206 – If you don’t know how to cook, do you starve to death?

Baharmut.

After freeing the spirits that had been sealed for thousands of years, we said our goodbyes to them and returned to the estate.

The way back wasn’t very different from before.

The only difference was that this time, we hadn’t come out of that nameless lake, but from Lake Gigsen, where the Blandoga family resided.

After that, things were relatively quiet.

Yes, relatively quiet.

Mr. Mysern had been detained and handcuffed as the prime suspect in the kidnapping of the young patriarch, while Damian, Chenbi, and I were escorted directly to the Blandoga estate by Ransi.

And yet, perhaps due to Mr. Mysern’s presence?

There weren’t as many people against me as I feared.

Except for Gamo and Ransi, of course.

In any case, back at the Blandaga main house, we were having a pretty good time.

Aside from the 24/7 surveillance, and having to submit reflection essays three times a day: morning, noon, and night.

“Phew.”

I finished my ten-page, information-packed reflection essay and looked out the window.

The sun had completely set before I realized it.

“Is everything ready?”

“……Yes.”

“I wouldn’t say it was a hard job well done. That said, make sure to think carefully about tomorrow’s reflection essay as well.”

Ransi, who had approached without making a sound, picked up my ten pages and left the room as discreetly as he had entered.

Creak, thud!

I rubbed the first phalanx of my middle finger, sore and exhausted from so much writing, and stared at the closed door for a moment.

‘……Why am I the only one stuck with ten pages?’

It was an absolutely outrageous injustice.

Damian was the one who wanted to go on an adventure from the beginning, and I, in reality, was on the opposite side.

If anyone had the responsibility, it should have been the oldest, Damian’s mentor and the ringleader of the whole affair: Mr. Mysern.

But reality was brutally cold.

• Ahem, ahem. To tell the truth, I have taken Damian as my disciple.

• I heard you were only guiding him temporarily, but have you actually formed a master-disciple bond…?

—Yes, Damian’s talent for the spiritual arts is so exceptional that… That said, if the Blandoga family has no objections, I would like to take him as my direct disciple. What do you think?

It was during the interrogation session where Gamo, myself, Damian, Chenbi, and Mr. Mysern gathered.

The guy slyly managed to get out of the corner, even using his own reputation and spiritual arts secrets.

What could Gamo do?

“After all, you can’t mistreat your son’s master.”

With that single phrase, Mr. Mysern got off the hook.

Now he was relaxing in the guest rooms, strolling through the gardens in the morning, and quietly teaching Damian spiritual arts during lunch.

Of course, all of this was possible only because Damian had returned unharmed… no, in fact, stronger than before.

“In the end, he achieved enlightenment and a renewed spirit.”

…To be honest, that was just the superficial reason.

I suspected there had been some secret agreement between Mr. Mysern and Gamo. Anyway, that was none of my business.

Ah, and by the way, the three of us had been ordered not to contact each other during the break.

Anyway, even living like a prisoner (?), it was a pretty decent time, as I already said.

At least it gave me something to think about.

“Decullan, Decullan…”

Since Baharmut, my biggest concern had been the future that Yecheon showed me.

What exactly had happened in that future? And why had Decullan set his sights on the tower?

And furthermore…

‘A tower that Decullan couldn’t touch.’

How would they achieve that kind of power?

The previous questions were not the kind I could solve simply by reflecting, so, in the end, the last one was the key.

But how to put it?

“It just doesn’t work.”

I silently watched the dark view through the window.

The outside world remained silent.

The impeccably manicured garden displayed all its beauty under the glow of magical lights, and the soft moonlight added a touch of elegance.

As I took in the scene, I resumed my train of thought.

To tell the truth…

‘This is a question I’ve been putting off.’

It was something I should have considered from the beginning when I decided to build the tower.

And it wasn’t just about Decullan.

The secrets of famous families kept in the tower wouldn’t be limited to those of the Decullans.

Once the tower reached its final form, openly exhibiting the secrets of those famous families, it could attract attacks not only from Decullan but also from other places.

Then.

“In the end, it all comes down to having power.”

The question was how to build that power.

There were probably several ways.

The most basic would be to reinforce the military strength of the tower itself or increase its political influence. Or even accumulate great wealth.

Military power, influence, capital.

If you firmly secure even just one, the rest will follow.

But the problem was…

“I’m terrible at all three.”

Military… I had never led a group before.

The position of Solver of Problems No. 1 wasn’t one of leadership, but simply the best disposable tool.

Politics was the same.

And accumulating immense wealth…

‘…That’s also a problem.’

It was a country that possessed everything with an open mind, but that didn’t make it truly mine.

“Phew.”

While I wallowed in this persistent and unsolvable dilemma, the shadow of a bird crossed the night sky just at that moment.

That damn eagle.

‘……Dinner number 1.’

It slowed down as it approached the window sill, and then quickly landed on my head…

[This is my place.]

Screech!

It was startled to see the suddenly materialized wyvern and instead clung to the window sill.

It looked warily at the dragon, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“Did I scare you?”

Squawk!

It let out a cry of indignation.

I considered teasing it a bit more, but then I remembered it was just a silly beast and changed the subject.

“And why did you come today? Has your master called for me?”

Squawk!

The person accompanying Dinner No. 1 nodded as if to say yes.

Perfect timing.

‘One must learn about what one doesn’t know.’

Henji would have the answer to my dilemma.

……No way!

“How on earth am I supposed to know?”

“……”

In the office of Henji’s assistant, after Dinner No. 1.

Henji surpassed all my expectations without a second’s hesitation.

Henji’s assistant’s office looked the same as always.

Piles of documents tottering everywhere. Dusty air in the room. And that face of Henji’s that makes you want to punch him.

Oh, there was one thing different.

In a corner, two small beasts were engaged in a battle of pride.

[You pathetic beast.]

Squawk!

[Me, great spirit.]

Screech!

The two flying creatures (?) puffed up their bodies and spread their wings in a competition of pride. I watched them for a moment before turning back to Henji.

“Why… don’t you know?”

“You’re living in a great illusion, Aster, but the truth is that most of my political influence comes from Blandoga’s support and my status as a bloodline member, even if only collaterally.”

“……Go on.”

“You probably saw me persuade the patriarch of Zilloxga and now you want to learn how to exert political influence, but it’s not that big of a deal.”

Henji smiled wryly as if my question itself amused him, moistened his lips with the teacup, and continued.

“As you might have guessed, my way of maintaining my position relies mainly on persuasion or blackmail, exploiting the weaknesses of others. The patriarch of Zilloxga allied with me due to blood ties and common interests, but that’s the basics. However…”

“However?”

“If a nobody with no backing tried to take advantage of the nobles’ weaknesses and blackmail them, do you think it would work?”

“……”

Thinking about it, yes.

Exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses only works when you’re in the same weight class. Otherwise, it makes no sense.

They would simply crush you.

“It’s interesting, really. Building the tower’s influence… I thought you would just go through life as a vagabond, without any plan or anything.”

“……”

What on earth did that guy think of me?

Justice cried out for an instant.

But, thinking about it, yes, this life, apart from perfecting my realm, had been quite erratic.

The tower was just a distant goal.

In a way, my experience in Baharmut had been the trigger.

Anyway, up to that point, I moistened my lips with tea and racked my brains again looking for answers.

Should I look for another teacher?

But no suitable candidate came to mind.

The people around me? Shine, Parun, the director, Rayleigh… what a lineup!

Then, it happened.

“But sometimes, Aster, you seem downright stupid.”

“Agreed. But I can physically reduce your intelligence.”

Making someone smart is almost impossible, but dumb? Easy.

All you need are two fists and justice.

But Henji shook his head, not falling for the trap.

“No, I mean, why are you worrying about this?”

“If I don’t do it, will you do it for me?”

“Why would I?”

“Then why should I keep you alive? Do you have an answer for that?”

“Haha, there are many reasons. Leaving aside my Heavenly Origin Art, my brilliant intellect is too valuable a heritage to lose. But that’s not the point… What I mean is this: Aster, if you don’t know how to cook, do you starve to death?”

“……?”

Why are we talking about cooking here?

“Do you sew your own clothes? Do you make your own pens? Do you build your own house? Do you walk around naked because you don’t know how to sew, or sleep on the street because you don’t know how to build?”

“Well, no. You simply buy them.”

“Buy them… It’s almost the same thing. The point is that a single person doesn’t have to do everything.”

“……?”

Henji seemed strangely excited, while I tilted my head in confusion.

Why state the obvious?

“And what’s the conclusion?”

I asked patiently.

Henji could be irritating, but he didn’t talk nonsense.

And sure enough, his next words shed light on something I hadn’t realized.

“Your current dilemma is no different. If you can’t make clothes, you hire a tailor. Simply hire people, right?”

“……!”

“If you need capital, put a business genius under your command. Need politics? A politician. Military force? Hand it over to commanders who can create it. You don’t have to do it all by yourself.”

In the last few days, I felt as if a fog had cleared from my chest.

In short, what Henji was saying was this.

Just as I ordered ten thousand spirits to build the tower, I will delegate to others what I cannot do.

In other words.

“You’re telling me to use slaves.”