I Got Fired As an Adventurer, So I’m Starting Anew As an Alchemist! Frontier Exploration? Alright, Leave It to Me!

155. Even A Skilled Hawk Can Have Its Claws Sealed Away, Isn’t It?

Knock, knock—someone tapped on the door.

“’Tis me. May I come in?”

“Batista? Enter.”

Leafan, who had returned with me, opened the door, and old Batista entered the room with someone else.

When I saw the figure, I couldn’t help but shout.

“What!?”

“Huh?”

Not only me, but Kyle was speechless too.

Well, of course—standing there was none other than Kyle’s older brother, Zaid.

“You’ve arrived. Take a seat.”

Kyle, myself, and even Alphard and Persia stared silently with our mouths agape. Only Myrna seemed unreadable—though she didn’t seem particularly shocked.

Although Zaid had caused great turmoil, both toward Kyle and the margrave, due to the curse, he had been stripped of his right to inherit. But what had he been doing all this time?

“I thought it unwise to leave Zaid in Orthros, so I had him reflect in the capital for a while. As punishment, I also assigned him tasks.”

So that’s what was going on.

“Unlike Kyle, he didn’t have a talent for innovative policies, but he completed every task given to him without fail. I even considered appointing him as a civil official.”

“Seriously?”

“Indeed. I was genuinely surprised. It seems the curse impaired his ability to make rational decisions—driven by resentment and jealousy toward Kyle.”

“I see.”

Now that I think about it, even Orthros’s head—the margrave, Veil Road—didn’t remove Zaid from the succession line despite not choosing Kyle. Perhaps Zaid’s true nature had always been capable.

I can’t forgive Bella, Zaid’s mother, for cursing him like that.

“Of course, Zaid deeply regrets his actions. Kyle, why don’t you leave things in his hands?”

Kyle’s eyes widened as he stared intently at Zaid.

Zaid, who had remained silent until now, returned his gaze with a serious expression.

“Kyle… I doubt you can trust me. I could hardly believe my ears when Batista-sama told me about this. But… could you grant me a chance?”

“A chance?”

Kyle straightened his expression and adjusted his posture.

“Yes. Even if the curse was to blame, I inflicted terrible treatment upon my dear brother. It’s unforgivable. However, if you give me the chance to atone, I will carry out my duties. Let me take responsibility for Golden Dawn and the Elixir Territory.”

I must’ve frozen with shock.

Could a person really change this much?

…No. Maybe this was who Zaid truly was all along.

This wasn’t for me to decide. I resolved to let Kyle handle everything, no matter what he chose.

Kyle stared at Zaid for a while, the silence stretching between them.

“Zaid-niisan, you’re mistaken about one thing.”

Zaid raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve already been forgiven. Craft-niisama’s fist made sure of that on my behalf.”

“Oh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a sound.

Come to think of it, Van did provoke me into punching Zaid hard back then.

“Besides, if His Majesty is willing to lend us such a capable civil official, there’s no reason to refuse.”

“Then…”

Kyle’s expression softened, and he finally smiled.

“Yes. While I’m away, I entrust the Elixir Territory to you.”

Zaid froze for a moment, on the verge of tears.

“Of course. Leave it to me.”

“Thank you.”

So, Kyle, that’s your decision—to remain brothers.

Even after everything, you chose to forgive. I’m proud of you for that.

“Alright! Problem solved! I’m heading back to the capital, but I’ll leave behind Moog, the vice minister of the Development Department, and Erla, Batista’s apprentice and a former disciple of Jabil. Make good use of them.”

“Thank you.”

Kyle expressed his gratitude to Van.

“As much as I hate to leave, I must return now.”

Van rose to leave, but old Batista stopped him.

“Your Majesty, please wait.”

“Hmm?”

“It seems that Twilight has uncovered a higher form of teleportation using a sigil, surpassing the traditional teleportation arrays.”

“What did you say?”

Van shot a sharp glance at me.

“You’re planning to overturn the nation again, aren’t you?”

“No way! I’ve never done such a thing!”

Van let out a deep sigh.

“Look, with things like the Elixir, the alchemically hardened rocks, the stamina potions, and the as-yet-unreleased communication devices—you’ve already caused more than enough upheaval.”

“Uh…”

Well, I did have some awareness of that, but it still stung to hear it put that way.

“Only some awareness, huh? Fine. So, what’s this higher form of teleportation?”

I repeated the explanation I had given earlier to the teacher and old Batista.

“A method connecting one gate to another? That’s no small thing.”

“Sounds convenient, right?”

“Are you crazy? If it’s scalable, armies could be transported instantly, completely changing the nature of warfare!”

“Oh…”

“Even with current teleportation arrays, the risk of sending assassins is high.”

“That makes sense.”

“Which is why it must be kept secret and only set up in trusted places… Right now, that’s only Orthros and here.”

Kyle’s father truly earned his trust. It makes sense that he’d been given the largest territory in the country.

…Wait a second!

Wasn’t it through that gate that Van suddenly appeared in Leafan Town—or rather, the former Zaid Settlement!?

From the margrave’s castle, using a horse bred in Golden Dawn, the journey would’ve been far shorter than coming from the capital.

That solves the mystery.

“So, Batista, what do you propose with this teleportation gate?”

“Well, I don’t know how many we can produce, but why not install one in place of the teleportation array between the castle and here?”

“Hmm?”

Van gestured for him to continue.

“The distance between Golden Dawn and the royal castle is far, and even with improved roads, transporting supplies takes time. If we could send alchemical hardening agents directly, it would speed up the construction of the forts.”

That’s a solid idea. Mass-producing alchemical products without the Twilight Alchemist’s sigil is challenging.

Though we could use carts, the transportation costs would soar, and merchants might sell them off en route, causing delays and losses.

“Brilliant! Craft, set it up immediately!”

“Right now!?”

“Yes!”

This king’s as reckless as ever!

“Leafan, can you handle it?”

“The gate itself should be doable with the materials we have in stock. As long as Kyle authorizes the use of orichalcum.”

“Craft, can you make the magical components for the gate?”

“I’ll need a few missing materials, but the Adventurer’s Guild can source them within a few days.”

Building the teleportation gate involves both blacksmithing and alchemy, distinct domains.

But with the sigil of Andvari, the King of Blacksmiths, Leafan should manage just fine.

“Van, we should have a working set in about a week.”

“Good. Make it small enough to fit in that hidden room. Once it’s ready, bring it here via the teleportation array.”

“We’ll need to disassemble and carry it over in pieces, right?”

“It’s worth the cost in mana stones. Make it happen.”

“Got it.”

So, the gate will need to be modular… I’ll have to trust Leafan’s skills.

“Think you can do it?”

“Leave it to me!”

It seems like he’s got this. Leafan never disappoints.

And so, a few days later, the teleportation gate connecting the capital and Golden Dawn was completed.

…Little did we know just how pivotal that gate would become in the future.