Wizard Kreba

After a week had passed, the person Viscount Rubingston brought with him was truly an unexpected presence Ian had never anticipated.

“Your Majesty, this is the wizard Kreba.”

“I pay my respects to the Ruler of the Great Ocean.”

The figure wearing a pure-white robe and greeting Ian with a slight bow was none other than Wizard Kreba—one of the only two wizards known to exist in this country. In any case, since he was a rare and precious wizard, Ian did not lower his speech as a sign of respect.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I have finally seen your face. I am Ian di Polia, king of this country.”

“I have always heard of you from within my research institute. The kingdom you have built has been truly impressive.”

“I thank you. But—are you exceptionally tall?”

The person before him was so tall that Ian had to crane his neck far upward to look at him. Was he around 2.5 meters? For a wizard, he was absurdly tall. In fact, the wizard standing there was also known by the nickname “the Giant Wizard.”

He was tall enough that people even whispered he might be a half-blood of the legendary giant race, and despite having the face of an old man, he wore vivid purple hair grown all the way down to his waist. What was even more striking was his long, prominent nose.

‘I’ve seen a wizard before, but this really is unusual.’

Previously, the Magnia Empire’s Ambassador Miblanc had revealed himself as a wizard; between his snake-like eyes and this man’s presence, Ian felt wizards all shared strangely distinctive impressions. In any case, Kreba also held a thick, heavy-looking staff that shone an opaque white.

Even without magic, it somehow felt like that staff alone could be terrifying. It wasn’t a joke—perhaps because his body matched his height, a casual swing looked like it could split a person’s skull.

‘More importantly… will this wizard notice my psychic power?’

Ambassador Miblanc from Magnia had not noticed Ian’s ability. Ian was wondering if this man would—when the words that followed made him jolt.

“I am tall, yes. While learning magic, it seems a side effect occurred and I grew like this. But when I look at Your Majesty, I find myself thinking something is difficult to grasp.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is hard to put into words, but when I look at you, Your Majesty feels… somehow alien.”

“Alien?”

“It is embarrassing that I cannot explain it properly, but I do feel something alien about you, yet I cannot pinpoint it clearly.”

‘So the Magnian wizard didn’t notice anything at all, but this one picked up on me—at least a little.’

That made one thing clear: Wizard Kreba was far more skilled than the wizard named Miblanc who had come from the empire. Ian didn’t know whether to be tense or pleased.

‘It’s good that says he’s above the empire’s wizard… but it’s unsettling that he can sense even part of my ability.’

“Wizard Kreba, show proper respect to His Majesty.”

“Ah. I forgot about Viscount Rubingston.”

Given the viscount’s absolute loyalty, he would clearly dislike Kreba’s manner—bowing only slightly and speaking as he pleased. Rubingston’s glare looked openly furious. Ian waved it off.

“Viscount, that’s enough. He certainly has the standing to speak that way.”

“Understood.”

As Rubingston withdrew at once, Wizard Kreba cast him a peculiar look, then returned his gaze to Ian.

“That is truly remarkable devotion.”

“I entrust him with much—and I trust him.”

“Heh heh… is that so? But before I arrived here, I saw some people. What exactly were they?”

“Hm? Whom do you mean?”

“The tall ones. Not as tall as I am, but still quite massive.”

“Ah. They are people I raised with great care. They are called, in a sense, guardians of the royal palace.”

“Then they must be the core force that stopped the palace intrusion? And with even that one present, you must feel all the more secure.”

“You noticed?”

Wizard Kreba’s gaze had shifted to one side of the office. There stood Mardin the secretary—and beside him, Camyu. The white mask, still wearing its smiling expression, remained unchanged.

“I would say he possesses considerable mana. An Expert, indeed.”

“You identified it at a glance. Impressive.”

“Isn’t the impressive one Your Majesty? You have turned the royal palace into an iron fortress in such a short time. It seems incomparable to when I visited before.”

“You have visited the royal palace in the past?”

“Yes, I have. When I first settled in this country, I met the king.”

“Then you must have met my late father?”

“No. I met King Blod—the king before him. I received his permission and was able to settle here.”

“My grandfather? Then how old are you?”

“Heh heh… it has been some time since I forgot my own age.”

Hearing him laugh, Ian couldn’t help wondering just how old he really was. From words like that, Ian suspected he was easily over a hundred. And yet he looked vigorous—making Ian think that wizards truly belonged to an unknown realm.

Still, it was surprising he had come out at all. Kreba was known as someone who rarely left “Kreion”—to the point people joked the country’s largest magic-tool manufacturer practically kept him under lock and key. He had skipped not only the previous king’s coronation, but even Ian’s own.

“No wonder I was shocked. But how did Rubingston persuade him to come to the palace?”

After briefly glancing at Viscount Rubingston, Ian decided to ask why Kreba had come.

“Age hardly matters. But may I ask why you came all this way? I heard you do not go out at all.”

“That is true. In fact, this may be my first outing in ten years. The company provides everything, so I rarely have reason to leave.”

“Then if you came out, I assume something caught your interest?”

“Of course. I have been hearing about the unnatural weather lately. Weather-control magic is extremely difficult—so difficult it belongs to the highest tier. It seemed as if such magic had been used, and when I received a request to investigate, I came to the palace.”

“Highest-tier magic”—the kind of magic said to be able to erase a nation—was something effectively unusable in the present age. Even if controlling weather looked simple, it demanded staggering effort and calculations.

With such a phenomenon happening openly, it was only natural that Wizard Kreba would show great interest.

“Come to think of it, if someone truly controlled the weather well, they could cause tremendous damage to this country.”

Ian was regulating it to sprinkle rain moderately, but if he increased the intensity and poured it down, the capital could flood that very day, causing massive property damage and casualties. If such acts continued, they could devastate the entire country.

“My ability really is dangerous, when you think about it.”

“So you truly intend to take part in the investigation?”

“Yes. I will do my utmost to help.”

“Then what of Kreion? Won’t your magic-tool production fall behind?”

“Isn’t investigating this phenomenon more important than that? I also heard from Viscount Rubingston in advance that a third wizard may be hiding within this kingdom.”

“That is what we have suspected.”

“The one summoning the rainclouds must be him. I cannot discern his purpose, but it may be for some experiment. Given that he has aided drug distribution before, he seems like someone to be concerned about.”

The third wizard’s past action had been to nullify the function of magic lanterns used to detect narcotics—by engraving a nullification magic circle inside milk cans, enabling drugs to be distributed covertly.

‘The weather is my doing, but I can’t say it. This is troublesome. Aren’t I just making them waste time?’

“We have failed to find that wizard until now. Wizard Kreba—can you find him?”

“I will do my utmost. If he involved himself in drug distribution, his temperament is clearly twisted. And if he is using highest-tier magic, he may be extraordinarily dangerous.”

Since Kreba was becoming even more proactive, Ian couldn’t tell him to stop. With no choice, he nodded as if in agreement and granted permission.

“Then find him with all your effort. I will provide all support I can. And will you also go with that person over there?”

“With the Expert? Is that acceptable to Your Majesty?”

“I am fine. As you can see, there are many here who can guard the palace. I believe he will be of help—what do you say?”

“If I have an Expert with me, it should help greatly. Let us go together.”

Wizard Kreba did not refuse. If the wizard they sought was potentially dangerous, having an Expert-class knight at the front in close combat would be a major advantage.

Kreba’s visit was enough to surprise Ian—and at the same time, it unintentionally resulted in an investigative party being formed to search for the third wizard. Deep down, Ian felt it would probably end without finding him again.

May passed, and before long they were crossing into June. Amid the reality of steadily rising temperatures, the Polia Kingdom’s early-summer season was filled with considerable confusion.

Everyone was wilting in the oppressive heat. Polians, who had always been somewhat heat-resistant, had no choice but to endure suffering under record-breaking temperatures.

Of course, dark clouds that appeared without warning—spreading from the capital out to great distances—were sprinkling rain that helped people forget the heat. Many felt relieved by the phenomenon, while some nobles in the provinces—unable to endure the heat—heard the rumors and temporarily fled to the capital.

As a result, the capital went through a bout of turmoil. Hotels were packed, and restaurants were filled with crowds. In a way, it overlapped with the vacation season.

Normally, not many people came to the capital for holidays, so this was the first time such a surge had happened. There weren’t enough places to stay, and restaurants were perpetually close to full.

For reference, even in this era, air conditioning had been developed. It had been more than about ten years since its invention, so installing it was possible—but because it was extremely expensive, it existed only in limited places, and those places inevitably drew crowds.

In this crowded situation, Ian was in his office. An air conditioner had been installed inside, so he could work while receiving cool air. In fact, this was one of the earliest places where it had been installed.

“Your Majesty, a path has finally opened for us to supply food to the Doicheun Empire.”

“They could not keep ignoring the sight of starving Doicheun civilians.”

As the chancellor spoke, Ian thought he must extract as much as possible with food as his bargaining weapon. He had already obtained dozens of technologies through prior deals with the Magnia Empire. Now it was the Doicheun Empire’s turn.

“After the armistice, they will inevitably need food.”

“By the way, it was truly fortunate we kept storing grain in advance for the war. Otherwise, we could not be selling like this.”

“I did not intend it, but this abnormal heat ruining harvests across the continent has become another opportunity for us.”

“Yes. We should leave only enough food to endure even if harvests fail for at least two years, and sell the rest.”

“This is the moment we can gain the most at the lowest cost. So we must sell everything we have.”

“My only concern is that we do not know how long the abnormal temperatures will last. If it continues for more than two years, we could be in danger as well.”

“Surely the temperatures won’t keep rising for over two years?”

“For now, we are combing through all historical records to see if a period like this existed. If it did, we might estimate its duration.”

“It may be something that never existed in the past.”

“Yes? Why do you think so?”

“Hasn’t the atmosphere been polluted? With the heavy use of coal, the air was polluted, and that could be what created this abnormal heat.”

“There have indeed been professors presenting such a theory.”

The chancellor spoke as if worried.

“If that is true, then if we keep using coal, won’t the abnormal temperatures grow worse over time?”

“That is why we must reduce coal usage as much as possible. Instead, we should foster more oil-based industries. At the very least, they should produce fewer pollutants.”

“With oil, fortunately, it is found within our kingdom’s lands, so we can replace it. In fact, internal combustion engines have advanced rapidly recently, and oil-related industries are increasing.”

“Our goal should be to accelerate that even faster.”

“As Your Majesty says, I will quickly draft a plan.”

As Ian nodded at the chancellor’s words, he thought that even if the abnormal heat continued, he had a crutch—his own ability—so perhaps he could avoid the worst. If it lasted a long time, he intended to come up with some excuse and travel the entire country.