Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 433

Magic Is Something You Learn for Nothing – Episode 434 (434/502)

# 434

The Beautiful Her (1)

As they left the forest, the thick fog dissipated. The sky above was clear and vast.

The ominous feeling from moments ago had vanished. Even the towering castle walls no longer seemed so intimidating.

It seemed the weather had a significant impact on their perception.

“Hoo.”

Rosemary leaned out the window and took a deep breath. Instead of the musty scent of the forest, a clean and refreshing energy filled her lungs.

She felt like humming a tune.

“It appears they’ve come to greet us. Please remain inside the carriage for now. I will check things out first,” said the head of the Office Knight.

“Please do.”

Rosemary nodded and retreated into the carriage.

The Office Knight kept his eyes forward. Several figures were visible, each appearing to be someone of importance.

Clatter, clatter.

The Office Knight rode his horse alone toward the welcoming party.

They might be somewhat famous figures in this place, but…

The Office Knight didn’t recognize a single one of them.

This was the frontier, after all.

Moreover, a small kingdom.

There was no reason for him to know the local dignitaries. Even if he had wanted to investigate beforehand, few people knew much about the Baroque Kingdom.

Perhaps merchants who traveled extensively might have some information about the Baroque Kingdom.

However, he had no intention of summoning them just to gather preliminary information.

Why?

Because we are a great power.

“I am Baron of the Imperial Office. Who are you?”

Legion’s brow furrowed slightly.

In the kingdom, barons didn’t usually act so haughty and speak so rudely.

International relations operated on the principle of absolute power.

It was the same now.

If the Baroque Kingdom were as powerful as the Empire, the situation would be reversed.

It felt demeaning, but he had to accept it.

It wouldn’t be difficult to slit that man’s throat.

However, even Legion would struggle to deal with the consequences.

The Empire was the only country that could field a million soldiers. The Free Union in the west existed, but it was too distant and there was no contact, so it didn’t matter.

In other words, the Empire held the greatest sway over the Baroque Kingdom.

A million soldiers.

That was the number of regular troops they could readily deploy.

If they mobilized reserves, they could amass an army several times larger.

As leaders in mechanical magic [magic powered by machines], they would also possess unimaginable new weapons.

Going up against the Empire was like throwing an egg against a rock.

Legion had no choice but to bow his head, metaphorically speaking.

“This is the Great Sage Baserabab, the kingdom’s Prime Minister.”

The Office Baron nodded.

He didn’t recognize the name Baserabab. He vaguely recalled hearing it before, but it didn’t register.

What he did appreciate was ‘Great Sage’ and ‘Prime Minister.’ It indicated that at least the kingdom’s second-in-command was present. He considered it the best courtesy the Baroque Kingdom could offer.

“And you?”

The Office Baron pointed at Legion with his chin.

You son of a bitch.

Despite his inner turmoil, Legion smiled brightly and replied, “I am Legion, Duke Legion.”

“Duke?”

“That’s right.”

“You look barely over twenty.”

“Well, I received the title rather young.”

“That would be unthinkable in the Empire.”

It also implied that the Empire would never entrust a greenhorn with the position of duke.

“The Empire and the kingdom are different.”

“Good. Her Highness the Princess is in that carriage. Pay your respects.”

At the Office Baron’s command, everyone who had come to greet them saluted the carriage.

It didn’t matter whether the person inside saw them or not. They were obligated to do so.

“Good. When can we meet His Majesty?”

“In two days. The capital, Poman, isn’t far from here.”

“I understand. Then please escort Her Highness to a comfortable place to rest. She must be tired from the long journey.”

“Understood. Please follow us.”

Legion glanced at Count Annabelle.

Hey, you bastard, guide us quickly.

Count Annabelle’s expression remained hardened. His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he glared at Legion.

However, he wasn’t foolish enough to misunderstand the situation. If he caused trouble now, not only would the entire kingdom be destroyed, but his own life would be forfeit.

He forced a bright smile.

“I am Count Annabelle.”

“Office Baron. Please take care of me.”

A strange situation where a baron addressed a count informally.

Well, he was using semi-formal speech to the duke and prime minister, so why would a count be any different?

“It’s humble, but I will escort you to our castle. I have done my best to prepare for Her Highness, so please be understanding if you find any shortcomings.”

“I understand. Please guide us. Her Highness is very tired.”

Count Annabelle nodded and slowly turned his horse’s head.

Rosemary was observing the scene outside through the window. The front and sides of the carriage were fitted with specially coated glass that allowed her to see out but prevented others from seeing in.

Thanks to this special coating, Rosemary felt less confined.

“Wow, did you see that, Princess?”

A maid with freckles, probably in her late teens, smiled and addressed Rosemary.

She was very charming, the type with natural charisma.

“What?”

Rosemary tilted her head slightly.

Although she was the thirty-fifth princess, her grace was unmatched among the princesses.

Even if she hadn’t been born a princess, she would have possessed a remarkable aura.

There are women like that.

Women who aren’t very beautiful but are popular with men.

Women who are beautiful and popular with men.

Women who are beautiful but not popular with men.

Women who are beautiful and popular with men but don’t have a boyfriend.

Men can’t easily approach the last type of woman.

Men sometimes called such women goddesses. Recently, top stars who had risen in broadcasting stations were women of that kind.

If Rosemary had become an entertainer, she would have definitely become a famous star.

In fact, Rosemary had once aspired to be an actress. She cautiously mentioned it to her mother and was immediately scolded. She was told not to even breathe a word of it to His Majesty the Emperor.

If such words reached the Emperor’s ears, a severe reprimand would be issued.

So Rosemary quietly abandoned her dream.

And as soon as she turned twenty, she was essentially sold off here as a tool for political marriage.

Her mother called it a symbol of peace between the Empire and the kingdom, but she felt like nothing more than merchandise.

That’s why she hadn’t been able to smile genuinely since leaving the Empire.

It wasn’t that she was emotionally detached, but she simply didn’t feel like smiling.

“You know that handsome man?”

The maid pointed to Legion.

Rosemary had already noticed Legion. How could she not? He was strikingly handsome.

Even in the Empire, it was rare to see such a handsome man.

The number one idol in the Empire right now was Justin Bieber. He was overwhelmingly popular with countless women.

Rosemary was also a fan of his. “Baby, baby, baby, oh~” was a tune she often hummed.

But she was certain that Justin Bieber was nothing compared to that man.

The moment she saw him, she felt like radiance was emanating from his entire being.

Rosemary couldn’t take her eyes off Legion.

“What about that man?”

She was curious, but she tried not to show it and asked the maid.

“He’s a duke.”

“A duke?”

She hadn’t heard that. But a duke? Such a young man?

In the Empire, dukes were all old geezers. The youngest duke was in his late 40s.

She had been so annoyed by how much that duke flirted with her that she almost lost her mind.

Every time they met, he would say, ‘Princess, there are no age or national boundaries in love.’

She didn’t understand at first, but later she realized his intentions.

Every time-

‘Princess, wouldn’t you like to visit my villa? The scenery is breathtaking. It’s one of the Empire’s 100 best scenic spots.’

‘Princess, I have acquired a very rare dish. Wouldn’t you like to come over? I’ll send a carriage if you wish.’

Every time he spoke, it felt like snakes were crawling all over her body.

He was a son of a bitch.

A guy who had a wife and three concubines.

His eldest daughter was three years older than her.

Yet he kept hitting on her. She cried and told her mother, but her mother told her to endure it. He was a duke. There was nothing we could do.

From His Majesty the Emperor’s perspective, he was a million times more useful than us.

Was that why?

Even though she felt like she was being sold off, it felt like a long-simmering resentment was finally subsiding.

Just not seeing that bastard’s face made her feel less stressed.

Was that why?

In Rosemary’s mind, the image of a duke was of someone old and lecherous.

She had never imagined such a handsome and charming duke.

“A duke…”

Rosemary stared at Legion.

Legion stayed close to the carriage as if he was escorting it, running alongside it.

Since the carriage was entering the castle, there was no need to rush.

It was easy to match his pace.

If there were no walls on the carriage, they would be close enough to touch each other’s arms.

Legion looked inside the carriage.

The outer walls of the carriage were made of black glass. He immediately recognized that it was bulletproof coated. Runes were inscribed on the edges of the glass.

It seemed that it could withstand up to 10 magical attacks of 5th circle or lower [a measure of magical power].

This was quite an expensive carriage.

Unfortunately, it was also a common carriage in Legion’s territory. The road maintenance in Legion’s territory was excellent.

When his exclusive servants were created, they worked diligently to maintain the roads.

They also built castle walls together.

As he was promoted to duke, his territory expanded more than tenfold, but he did not neglect road maintenance.

It was no exaggeration to say that one of the reasons why his territory was developing so rapidly was because of road maintenance. Because the road conditions were so good, it only took three or four hours to travel from one end of the territory to the other.

In other territories, it would take three or four days.

Thanks to this, a new occupation was born.

Public officials were the busiest. But they couldn’t afford personal carriages.

They were too expensive to buy individually.

That’s when mass-produced carriages began to be produced.

It was a carriage developed by Stove Jobs of Apple Motors (the team that made the carriage that won in Las Vegas. They are under exclusive contract with Legion to create state-of-the-art carriages with magical devices).

Mass-produced carriages were also called taxis.

Taxis traveled around the territory at a low price. Many citizens, including public officials, used taxis.

Taxi drivers earned quite a lot of money.

So it was the most popular occupation after knights, regular soldiers, and public officials.

In particular, women would proudly puff out their chests if their husbands were taxi drivers.

In any case, mass-produced taxis had a level of solidity similar to the carriage in front of Legion’s eyes for the safety of passengers.

Legion looked inside the black glass.

It was specially treated glass that could not be seen through from the outside, but it couldn’t fool Legion’s eyes.

He could see inside without using magic.

In the past-

Legion had a history of breaking his arm while peeping into a women’s bathhouse.

He could easily see through something like this.

There were two women sitting inside.

Both were plain.

But judging from their clothes, one seemed to be a maid and the other seemed to be the Empire’s princess.

Plain, but…

Her eyes were very striking.

He felt like he could get lost in her eyes without realizing it.

Rosemary also looked at Legion.

He wouldn’t be able to see her, but…

She unknowingly touched the glass.

Legion had the illusion that his soul was being drawn away.