#78 Dauphin (22) – Dahlia’s Ideal

The city’s atmosphere is turbulent.

As a member of the guard responsible for maintaining order, the adjutant of the 8th squad could feel it acutely.

“…Not that it’s unexpected.”

Currently, Levreuk was practically a political no-man’s-land.

Those who could be called the leadership had all become irrecoverable or had fled the city, leaving no one to govern and guide the city.

Some argued that the city’s leadership never did anything for the citizens except exploit them anyway, so it didn’t matter if they were gone. The citizens were indeed continuing their lives without much difficulty, but that wouldn’t last.

In this city of over a hundred thousand, there were as many voices as there were people, and if there was no one to mediate and guide them, it was all too clear that the city itself would soon collapse.

Even without looking so far into the future, how would they handle taxes or diplomatic issues with neighboring territories in the immediate future?

Within the city, groups began to move, subtly seeking to seize the power that lay abandoned, and they all tried to bring Dahlia over to their side.

Now that Dauphin had disappeared without a trace, there was no other candidate who received as much support from the citizens as Dahlia.

‘But, can our captain really handle something like politics?’

There was no doubt that he was benevolent, but their squad captain was just as much of a stickler for the rules.

If he only showed his previous rule-bound self, saying that he would only fulfill his duty as a guard, he would surely be exploited by those who would seize the opportunity.

She and the other members of the squad would try their best to prevent that from happening, but it didn’t seem like it would be an easy task.

Gazing into the distance, the adjutant sighed. A few days later, Dalia handed him a book, and he blinked in disbelief.

“Uh, um. Captain. Forgive me, but could you repeat that? What exactly is this supposed to be?”

“The Mana Cultivation Technique you will all be learning. You *do* know what a Mana Cultivation Technique is, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, of course, but….”

Mana was an innate talent.

Physical strength or swordsmanship could be improved with enough hard work and practice, sooner or later. But mana? That was simply a matter of whether you were born with the gift, or not.

Yet, with a Mana Cultivation Technique, even those without natural talent could acquire mana after birth.

Of course, after obtaining it, the cruel measure of innate talent would be applied again, but at least they could step onto the starting line.

That was why Mana Cultivation Techniques were precious, and nobles monopolized that knowledge with ruthless efficiency.

Perhaps it was different in other kingdoms, but in Virka at least, it was not something one could simply acquire.

So where on earth did Dalia get this?

Could it be… perhaps?

“You’re not being scammed, so stop with the suspicious glances.”

“…You’ve developed mind-reading powers, Captain?”

“Looking at your faces, even the densest dolt could figure it out.”

The squad members awkwardly avoided eye contact, and Dalia once more offered the book to her subordinates.

“Just read it. Those who can’t read can get help from those who can. The book itself is written as simply as possible, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. If you still don’t understand, ask me.”

It was suspicious, there was no denying it. But none of the squad members could refuse Dalia, not after she presented it to them.

They read, helping each other, and somehow, they put what they read into practice.

And about a week later…

“Huh? Oh my? I did it! I really did it!”

One of the female guards in the 8th squad awakened to mana and jumped up and down with joy.

Coincidentally, it was the very same guard who had delivered the mysterious man’s book to Dalia while she was imprisoned.

The other squad members, who had been doubtful, now watched their comrade awaken to mana and began to devote themselves to training with wide-eyed fervor.

About two weeks after the start of training, half of the squad had succeeded in awakening. A month later, even the adjutant, who had progressed the slowest, was able to wield mana.

Considering that a Mana Cultivation Technique typically required at least a year of preparation to be effective, this rate of acquisition was almost insane.

“C-Captain. How on earth, or rather, *where* did you get something like this…?”

The squad members seemed joyous, but also fearful.

To acquire so easily a power they thought they would never possess?

“It’s not ‘easy’.”

Dahlia brushed aside the concerns of her subordinates.

“This mana cultivation method is fundamentally specialized for physical enhancement. To be precise, the more you refine this method, the stronger your body becomes, and the stronger your body, the higher the enhancement efficiency. The reason you’re grasping it so quickly is because you’ve already honed your bodies.”

Each member of the 8th squad belonged to the upper echelons of the 2nd Circle.

They were quick to learn because all the basic conditions, excluding mana, were already met. Even if others learned the same cultivation method, they wouldn’t see such rapid effects.

After all, cultivation is undeniably a form of ‘training’.

Just as few actually practice it, even though they know consistent, repetitive exercise is good for the body, Dahlia’s mana cultivation would similarly deteriorate the moment one neglected the training.

“Learn it well. Before long, you’ll have to teach it to others yourselves.”

“…Perhaps, do you intend to impart this to others besides us?”

“With the current guard system, no matter how well the internal affairs are handled, they can’t stand against external invasions. Well, since it involves physical labor, the guards will probably volunteer more than others.”

“Isn’t it too dangerous? Some might just learn the mana cultivation and run away. Perhaps some might even misuse it. In that case—”

—It would be better to impart it only to followers who faithfully revere Dahlia.

As if guessing the words her adjutant couldn’t bring herself to utter, Dahlia shook her head.

“Of course, we’ll screen people. However, the criteria won’t be how loyal they are to me, but how well they uphold discipline and fulfill their assigned roles.”

Not knights who pledge allegiance to a lord, but an organization that pledges allegiance to order and discipline itself, protecting the peace and safety of innocents.

An overly idealistic dream, lacking in practicality.

Perhaps these individuals too would become corrupted, transforming into beings who oppress the innocent for their own gain.

Even so, Dahlia intended to try.

Even if it wasn’t a perfect solution, she would walk the path she believed was right.

Perhaps she would fall into self-righteousness at the end, but even that was alright.

If she lost her initial ideals and transformed into a wretched power-monger, then a cheerful rogue would surely come to punish her.

*

Several months passed.

“—Dahlia, was it? Say, won’t you consider coming under my wing?”

With the words uttered by a young lady visiting from the Redbell marquisate, the air in the reception room froze.

The Levruk side showed a reaction where they didn’t know which to show first, confusion or anger, while the Marquisate side could not help but let out a sigh, saying, ‘The young lady did it again’.

The only ones who were calm were Dahlia herself, the young lady of the Redbell family, and the sky-blue-haired mage who was the young lady’s escort.

Dahlia answered blandly.

“No.”

“Is that so? What a pity.”

That was all.

The Lady of Redbell, remarkably, neither threw a tantrum at being refused an offer by a mere commoner, nor did she betray any displeasure at Dahlia’s matter-of-fact response.

Only a hint of regret, as she herself had stated.

That utterly composed reaction stirred something peculiar within Dahlia.

‘Claudia Redbell. I’ve heard she’s a key player in the grand political games unfolding across the kingdom.’

Born of both the Redbell Marquisate and the Birka royal family, she possessed, in a sense, the noblest bloodline in the entire realm.

The fact that she’d personally journeyed all the way to Rebruk – practically enemy territory – after Dahlia refused the Redbell family’s request for an audience, coupled with the way she held a conversation with Dahlia – a mere commoner, albeit the current representative of Rebruk – as an equal… it was, in many ways, an unprecedented display.

‘And the one beside her, was it Blanca?’

Dahlia’s gaze drifted towards the adventurer with the sky-blue hair.

Eyes that held both an unmistakable sorrow, and a powerful strength to overcome it, simultaneously.

Despite a frame that seemed almost frail, her build was lean, in stark contrast to the rugged sword at her hip, Dahlia sensed it.

‘…In a fight, I’d probably win, but I couldn’t say for sure.’

Perhaps, in terms of objective skill at this moment, Dahlia was superior.

But Blanca possessed something that made even a seasoned fighter wary, a hint of giant-slaying potential.

An impression of being in the midst of growth, rather than being completely refined.

Were all the top-tier adventurers in the guild like this? If so, the guild might be an even more formidable organisation than she’d imagined.

Whether Blanca knew Dahlia was lost in such unusual speculation or not, she remained silent.

Her demeanor suggested she was nothing more than a temporarily hired guard.

“Then, how about an alliance?”

At Claudia’s new proposition, Dahlia countered.

“An alliance, you say? What sort of alliance are you referring to, specifically?”

“You’re isolated within Sarnos’s sphere of influence, aren’t you? Right now, the Count is kept in check by our influence, leaving you untouched. But once the Count falls, others will start casting covetous eyes on you. I’ll prevent that.”

Indeed, few would be foolish enough to directly confront a territory under the protection of the Redbell Marquisate, of all families.

Even if they didn’t send troops directly to Rebruk, there were already many attempting petty harassments through trade and passage. Perhaps even those annoyances would vanish entirely.

“Are you saying you intend to incorporate Rebruk into the Redbell family’s territory?”

“That’s one option. Frankly, this land has tremendous potential. This population, this location, these vast farmlands… I’d say the Count was a moron for only managing things this way. But you don’t want to become one of my subordinates, do you?”

Claudia leaned forward.

Her pink eyes met Dahlia’s verdant gaze head-on.

“From what I can see, you’re struggling with administrative problems, aside from the political pressure. I’ll resolve them. In exchange, you’ll provide us with military strength and manpower. How does that sound, roughly, as an employment arrangement?”

Dahlia’s eyes widened as she examined the document Claudia presented.

“…Is this… for real?”

“What, is the price too measly? But first contracts are always like this. How are we supposed to know if you’ll send us capable people or utter failures? We need to try them out first. If they’re skilled, we’ll gradually raise their pay.”

Dahlia fell silent.

Far from feeling the price was stingy, it was so much more generous than the terms the House of Sarnos used when hiring people that she found it hard to believe. She thought it best not to voice this.

She had heard that the Marquisate was wealthier than the County, but still, wasn’t this difference a bit too extreme?

Dahlia requested they wait a day, and after receiving approval for the contract from the committee created to govern Levreuk, she nodded to Claudia.

It was the first collaborative effort of the three heroines who would later dominate the Virka Kingdom.