LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Boldly Recruiting Talent (1)
Five Turn Undead spells turned out to be my limit.
Even with my expanded mana capacity from the mana crystals, this was the most I could manage. In fact, I nearly lost consciousness and almost plummeted into the army of undead below, thanks to overextending myself and pushing my focus to the brink with those sugar bars.
In the end, Necropolis, once a gigantic mobile fortress, was reduced to just two monstrous legs standing like grotesque pillars.
“You look tired, Prince. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?” Count Elston, sitting across from me, asked with a concerned expression. As he spoke, I couldn’t help but recall the grueling battle with Necropolis that lasted until nearly 2 AM.
“It’s my poor stamina. Mornings are always like this for me. It’s the same every day.”
“Oh my, please take care of your health, Your Highness. You’re the only one the people of this land can rely on now.”
While I was dealing with the undead, Count Elston had sent a formal request to the Imperial government for reinforcement troops to be permanently stationed here.
The response? A flat-out refusal.
Instead, they sent a letter granting me full authority to move between territories as I saw fit, suggesting that I, Prince Claude, should be consulted whenever there was another undead invasion.
Of course, the Count had no idea that I had already decimated the core of the undead last night, ensuring peace for the foreseeable future.
As the Count solemnly reflected on his dire situation, he quietly placed a box on the dining table in front of me and bowed his head.
“Hmm? What’s this?” I asked.
“You’ll be returning to the capital soon, and the journey is long and difficult. I’ve prepared this small gift to help with your travel expenses. Please, Your Highness, if the undead attack again, I humbly ask that you come as quickly as possible—”
“Oh, a bribe?”
I laughed, cutting him off. The Count flinched, his eyes wide with alarm.
“N-No, Your Highness! It’s not a bribe at all! It’s just that you reside so far away in Emperorod, and it’s a great burden for you to travel such distances whenever trouble arises, so I thought—”
“True, it’s a burden.”
“Yes! So this is merely a token of our gratitude for the trouble you’ve already gone through. It’s not much, but I hope you won’t feel burdened by accepting it.”
His roundabout way of phrasing things was amusing. Judging by the size of the box, if it were filled with gold coins, it might contain about 500.
He must’ve scraped together everything he could. This land, ravaged by the undead, was barely scraping by financially.
“Don’t worry about it. Just take it back. If you’ve got money to spare, use it for your people—”
Wait. What?
When I cracked open the lid of the box, instead of gold coins, it was filled with silver ones.
Is this for real?
Silver coins? Five hundred silver coins only amount to fifty gold. He’s trying to bribe me with fifty gold coins?
Judging by his expression, he was serious. I sighed as I realized just how dire the financial situation was here.
“No, I’ll give you some money. Meredith?” I called out.
“Yes, Your Highness?” Meredith responded promptly from where she was standing behind me.
“Go fetch the travel funds I brought from the estate. Bring it all here.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Meredith hurried off to fetch the money, while the pale-faced Count Elston bowed his head over and over, looking increasingly flustered.
“I-I’m so sorry, Your Highness! It’s just that we’re so poor that—”
“I’m not mocking you for offering a small amount. Just listen to me for a moment.”
“Y-Yes!” The Count straightened up, his face stiff with tension.
“This land is the Empire’s first line of defense against the undead, a critical strategic point, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then, naturally, the Empire should support you accordingly. I know you used to get a lot of support and had soldiers stationed here. But that stopped, what, about five years ago?”
“It was around five years ago, yes…”
Exactly when my half-brother Jess took control of the government. I mulled over my future plans, then spoke directly.
“That situation will probably continue for at least another year. There are bigger issues at play, so please bear with it for now.”
“Your Highness…”
“But don’t worry about the undead. They won’t be causing any trouble here for a while. And if anything suspicious happens, I’ll fly over and take care of it immediately.”
“Ooh…”
“So, just make sure you follow through with what we discussed yesterday. Prepare a room for me in the outer wall, not the inner one. It needs to be somewhere high up with a window, so I can come and go easily. Got it?”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
“And more importantly, focus on helping the people who suffered during the undead attacks. Make sure they can get back on their feet. Especially the young ones. Even if it doesn’t seem like much now, in ten years, they’ll be your biggest support. Don’t forget that.”
“I will. No, I promise, Your Highness! The young people are the future of this land, of the Empire. As you said, I’ll put every last bit of my personal fortune into supporting them.”
The Count’s face was filled with emotion as he made his declaration. Not that I was trying to inspire him. My words were all for the purpose of preparing for the war with the Otherworld in ten years’ time.
Still, as long as he understood my point, that was all that mattered. I slid the box of silver coins back toward him and continued.
“So stop wasting your money on unnecessary things like this. And until the Empire sorts things out, I’ll send you some support money myself, even if it’s not much.”
“I don’t know how I can ever repay your kindness. Thank you, Your Highness. Truly.”
The Count’s eyes welled up with tears.
But then, suddenly, the appraisal from my new power, Eye of Appraisal, kicked in on its own, revealing the Count’s abilities.
Species: Human
Current Strength: D
Potential Strength: D+
Current Magic: F
Potential Magic: C
The Eye of Appraisal? I hadn’t even intended to use it, but it had automatically evaluated the Count’s abilities. It seemed like I still needed time to fully control it.
But D+ in strength? That’s about the same as the skeleton soldiers I fought last night. I guess the Count’s stronger than he looks.
“By the way, were you a knight, Count?” I asked.
“Ah, well… I wouldn’t exactly call myself a knight. It would be embarrassing to claim the title, given my skills,” the Count said with a rueful smile.
“I can only barely manage to wear and move in low-tier magic armor. I haven’t put it on in years, though.”
“So low-tier magic armor corresponds to D-rank…”
“Excuse me? What did you just say?” the Count asked, confused.
“Never mind that. Are you interested in magic by any chance?” I asked, curious about his latent talent for magic.
The Count, surprised by the sudden question, hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Well, yes, actually… When I was younger, a wandering mage visited our land.”
“And?”
“I listened to his stories and became quite interested in magic. I even started training with him, but my father, who was the lord at the time, scolded me severely, and I had to give it up.”
“Why? Is there a rule in the Elston family that forbids learning magic?”
“It’s not that. I was the eldest son, and inheriting the title required me to become a knight. It was a family obligation.”
Most noble families have similar inheritance conditions. The Count, recalling old memories, sighed softly.
“I was interested in magic, as you said. But I wasn’t particularly talented, and just keeping up with knight training was difficult enough.”
“So you focused entirely on being a knight. Maybe you would’ve had better results if you had pursued magic.”
Given his latent potential, that was undoubtedly true. The Count smiled at the compliment, and just then, Meredith returned, carrying a thick leather pouch.
“Your Highness, I’ve brought the travel funds you requested.”
“Good work. Now then…”
I dropped the leather pouch onto the table beside the box of silver coins.
“There’s fifty gold coins here. It’s not much, but I’ll send you at least this much every month from now on.”
Given that the exchange rate between silver and gold was usually ten to one, this pouch of gold held the same value as the box of silver coins. The Count, overwhelmed with gratitude, buried his face in his hands, openly weeping.
“Not only have you rid us of the undead menace, but you’ve even given us financial support… How can I ever repay your kindness?”
“Just govern your land well. That’s all the repayment I need.”
“Your Highness…”
“I’ll be heading back now. No need to see me off.”
“Your Highness!”
Without hesitation, I rose from my seat, leaving the tearful Count behind as I exited the reception room with Meredith by my side.
“Your Highness, are you truly planning to continue sending financial support to Count Elston every month?” Meredith asked as we walked
.
“Yes, but don’t worry. It won’t come out of the victory reward funds.”
I could tell what she was thinking without needing to read her mind. She blinked a few times in surprise before asking again.
“Is it really possible to send fifty gold coins each month?”
“Not right now, but I’ve got a plan.”
Even with fifty gold coins, it wouldn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. Elston County was vast, and fifty gold coins were like pouring a spoonful of water onto a cracked, parched land.
As soon as I returned to the estate, I would need to initiate one of my money-making plans. If I was serious about supporting this place, I’d need to send at least five hundred gold coins a month.
The question was, which money-making route should I start with first?
Should I fleece the Golden Room, the Empire’s largest gambling den?
Or should I track down my late cousin, Count Fennel’s, hidden stash of bribes?
Or perhaps I should launch a new alchemy business, starting a proper potion enterprise?
“Hmm… It’s probably best to capitalize on the Lunembreth family’s strengths first. Meredith?”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“When we get back to the estate, I’ll need to go over the potions we’ve been stockpiling with Rania…”
At that moment, the appraisal system triggered again, this time on Meredith herself.
Species: Human
Current Strength: C
Potential Strength: A+
Current Alchemy: A
Potential Alchemy: A+
Current Spirit Magic: F
Potential Spirit Magic: A+
What in the world?!
Not only had my Eye of Appraisal once again acted on its own, but it had revealed that Meredith possessed three A+ talents!
I knew she was physically strong, but I had no idea she had such a high potential for both alchemy and spirit magic!
Why on earth does she have this hidden talent?
Could it be from years of foraging in the wilderness for potion ingredients, building an affinity with spirits along the way?
“Is something wrong, Your Highness? If I’ve said or done something wrong, please forgive me.”
Seeing my reaction, Meredith knelt on the ground, apologizing profusely. I quickly shook my head and spoke off the top of my head.
“No, that’s not it. I’m just surprised by you sometimes.”
“I thought so.”
“Thought so?”
“My late parents often said that my appearance was… strange, ever since I was a child.”
Wait, what? Where’s this sudden talk about appearances coming from?
“I’m sorry if my appearance is displeasing to you, Your Highness.”
“What are you talking about? Why would your appearance be displeasing?”
I cut her off, rejecting the idea.
Sure, she wasn’t a stunning beauty, but she had striking, well-defined features, a tall, athletic build, and an energy that radiated from her every movement.
Honestly, if she weren’t so appealing, I wouldn’t have considered deepening our relationship in previous loops.
I took her hand and helped her to her feet, smiling as I reassured her.
“You should have more confidence in your appearance. Your parents probably just meant that you were tall for a girl. They didn’t mean anything bad.”
“Doesn’t my size bother you?”
“Why would it?”
It took me a full five seconds to scan her from head to toe.
“Your height, your long legs—you look great! You have a commanding presence. I think you’re amazing, so stop shrinking yourself and stand tall.”
“Thank you… No, I’m deeply honored, Your Highness.”
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Good day, Your Highness.”
As we passed by several maids in the hallway, Meredith stood out so much that it was impossible not to notice. And, as my gaze fell on them, the Eye of Appraisal automatically triggered again, reading the abilities of the maids.
Species: Human
Current Strength: E-
Potential Strength: E
Compared to Meredith, they were like tricycles next to a fighter jet.
By the time we left the castle, I had already scanned several people, all with similar results. As I settled into the carriage, I muttered to myself while looking at Meredith.
“So, that’s what they mean by ‘hidden talent right under your nose.’”
“Pardon, Your Highness?” Meredith asked.
I massaged my left eye, which was still a bit warm from using the Eye of Appraisal.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”
“Understood.”
She nodded and continued to watch me closely. After a moment, she reached into a nearby basket and pulled out a new potion.
“If you feel feverish, please drink this. It’s a fever-reducing potion.”
“A fever-reducing potion? You brought that along too?”
“Yes, the head maid packed it for you. She was concerned that continuing to take the growth potions might cause a fever and advised caution.”
“Rania is as thorough as ever. I’ll drink it then.”
I took the potion from her and gulped it down. Just by looking at me, she could tell I might develop a fever. No wonder she’s considered a top-tier alchemist.
Still, I need to help her develop her other talents for the future.
But how should I go about it?
Should I hire a famous knight to come to the estate and teach her personally?
Or should I have her train alongside the talented recruits I’ll soon be pulling out of the Imperial Academy? Given her latent strength, Meredith wouldn’t be outclassed by any of them.
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