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Aldridge (3)
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The bent-at-the-waist elderly man, gripping the tip of his cane with both hands, was walking unsteadily down that corridor. His movements were already those of an old man, but the outfit he wore was a clean butler’s suit. This man was by no means aged. However, due to repeated overuse of mana, the aging of his body had progressed beyond his years. His waist was bent, the wrinkles on his face had increased, his dried eyelids were deeply sunken, and his eyes were bulging.
He was hurrying to his master and quickened his pace.
In the northeastern part of the Erindorwa Kingdom lies the trade center town of Barwitch. There, a noble so famous that none in the area do not know him is seated.
Isaiah Aldridge.
Regarding Isaiah’s career, there was one part shrouded in mystery. He was born as the second son of the noble Aldridge Household, a prestigious lineage of magic.
Tracing back, the roots of the Aldridge Household lie in a history of great depth. They were strict about traditions, and it was customary to conduct a mana appraisal upon turning five years old. Eventually, this spread widely among the nation’s people through appraisers and private tutors, and now every household does so when their child turns five.
Isaiah’s childhood had nothing particularly noteworthy. The outstanding mana inherited through generations had been on par with his siblings’. If one were to mention something, it would be that he had been a book lover who devoured epics, myths, and heroic tales.Also, from a young age, he had a strong collector’s habit, accumulating useless magic tools, and had not specialized in any particular magic or devoted himself to practice. Because of this, it was said that he had fallen behind his siblings, who had focused on honing their skills in specialized magic. Amid the struggle over the family inheritance rights with his siblings, he alone had been a laid-back pacifist.
The turning point that led him to wealth and fame was when he was enrolled in the western magic university. At university, Isaiah, having mastered extensive knowledge, proposed and demonstrated “time magic”, which had previously been dismissed as mere theoretical speculation. Due to this achievement, he overtook his older brother, who was once the leading successor candidate, and inherited the Aldridge Household’s main house name.
Looking solely at the written biography, nothing seems strange. However, the mystery surrounding him lies in the drastic change in his personality before and after proposing “time magic”. Until then, he had been a gentle, conflict-averse pacifist, but from that point onward, his ambitious and cunning nature was exposed, and he boldly and meticulously elevated Aldridge’s status.
The elderly man walking briskly down the long corridor is the only person who knows the cause of that “change”. Reaching the top floor of the mansion’s main building, the third floor, the elderly man, with sweat forming on his forehead, stood in front of the double doors. This large door was the master’s study and bedroom. He knocked using the prearranged signal.
*Tototon, Tototon, Tototon, Ton.*
The elderly man had heard from his master that this was a signal called “Ipponjime”. It seemed to be a peculiar signal from a foreign land. He had grown quite fond of this rhythmic knocking style. The only one who knew this knock pattern was this elderly man.
“Enter.” (Isaiah)
Upon hearing just that brief voice, the man hurriedly rushed into the room. As he entered, the spacious study came into view. In front, there was a large desk, and a high-backed chair was facing him. Both the desk and chair were custom-made. Isaiah had commissioned a craftsman to create them. When one sat and leaned back, the built-in spring in the backrest supported the back, allowing the chair to recline into a comfortable position.
While signing documents at the desk, Isaiah Aldridge cast a glance at the man.
“Master… that is, he has appeared…” (??)
“What is this panic? You look disgraceful, Aubrey.” (Isaiah)
The elderly man, Aubrey, upon being told this, came to his senses and hastily wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
“My apologies…” (Aubrey)
“Very well.” (Isaiah)
Receiving forgiveness from his master, known as a tyrant, Aubrey sighed in relief. However, seemingly still flustered, he was pressing his cane into the ground restlessly and rubbing it with both hands. He was unsettled.
“So… re… de? You did not use ‘Ipponjime’ just to show me such a disgraceful sight, did you?” (Isaiah)
“N-no, that is not the case. Master, I have a report…” (Aubrey)
“Ipponjime consists of nine beats, with the final beat being crucial. ‘Nine’ in the language of my homeland is written like this.” (Isaiah)
Isaiah Aldridge traced a finger through the air.
“And when the final beat is added, it is replaced with a character meaning ‘circle’!” (Isaiah)
“H-hah…” (Aubrey)
“In other words, it carries an auspicious hidden message—that everything will come to a perfect conclusion!” (Isaiah)
Aubrey could not comprehend it at all. Neither Isaiah’s obsession nor his explanation. After all, Aubrey had never been exposed to “kanji”, the foreign script. He could not understand why combining nine beats with one final beat, making a total of ten beats, resulted in “circle”.
“The reason I have you use this signal is―――” (Isaiah)
“Third Junior… has arrived.” (Aubrey)
As if forcibly cutting off his master’s lengthy explanation, Aubrey spoke in a rushed manner. Hearing that report, Isaiah also ceased speaking and took a deep breath.
“………Oh ho ho! Of course, you turned him away, did you not?” (Isaiah)
“Yes, of course.” (Aubrey)
“I see, I see… splendid. Just as foretold.” (Isaiah)
Isaiah Aldridge grinned in satisfaction. Although he had already reached his mid-forties and should have a body worn with use, he still maintained a robust physique on par with an active warrior. His large frame was enough to intimidate others. Third Junior was the third son he had disowned. Isaiah had known that his son, Third Junior, would visit this mansion after five years.
–Through a certain prophecy.
“Indeed, excellent news! That means he acted precisely as we orchestrated within the intertwined chains of fate and successfully dug up and returned with the ‘Rhizomata.'” (Isaiah)
“Indeed, that is so.” (Aubrey)
“It was wise to order Misha to read ‘Azarigrad’s Labyrinth’ to him every night.” (Isaiah)
Among his three sons, only the third was cast out. Why did only the third son have to be abandoned? The justification of “If the world knew my son lacked mana, the reputation of Aldridge would fall” was merely a front. Isaiah himself was well aware that the third son was not without mana.
–If a child were born with immeasurable mana.
That was what the prophecy had foretold. A child possessing imaginary-number mana, undetectable by existing Managrams, such a child was destined to be born, as “a certain one” had revealed. It was also advised that when this child turned ten, he should be cast out. Thus, the third son was abandoned, exactly as instructed.
The numerous pieces “a certain one” had prepared, in the web of fate each had spun, Third Junior had safely reached Azarigrad and obtained the prototype of what Isaiah had long awaited, “Rhizomata Volga”.
“Chaos has been proven, Kea.” (Isaiah)
Aubrey shifted his gaze to the sofa to Isaiah’s right.
That sofa seat being used entirely, there was a woman insolently throwing out her legs and lying down. That woman, despite her name being called, reacted reluctantly and raised her upper body.
–This woman was precisely the “certain one” who prepared multiple pieces and entrusted him with the prophecy.
“That’s right. In the prearranged harmony, it was supposed to be in 10 days… well, I suppose it’s within the margin of error.” (Kea)
“That too, after all, is a plan devised by the Gods, merely a ‘schedule’ at best.” (Isaiah)
“…” (Kea)
The woman, after scratching the back of her hair, brushed away the tangled ends with her fingers. The long, wavy, light purple hair, just by lying down a little, immediately got bed hair. She, looking displeased, began playing with the tips of that long hair. The irises of her eyes, like a symbol of ominousness, swirled in a red-black hue.
“When incarnating into the present world, various things are inconvenient.” (Kea)
“Inconvenient, you say? For a God, you have quite adapted to the human way of things.” (Isaiah)
“You too, have gained quite the dignity. Flesh rots, so take care of it properly.” (Kea)
The exchange of sarcasm between the two was as usual. The matter of the body was someone else’s concern. That was natural. To these two, the physical body was nothing more than a mere vessel.
“Master… is there no issue with Young Master’s graduation commemoration ceremony as planned?” (Aubrey)
“Everything, without exception, should be without issue. Is that not so, Kea?” (Isaiah)
“……In this world axis’s case, advancing the musician’s arrangements by 76 hours would make it easier for Third Junior’s contact.” (Kea)
“You heard it, Aubrey. Do so.” (Isaiah)
Aubrey once again wiped the sweat from his forehead. Aubrey had been serving Isaiah as a butler for nearly 20 years. However, even now, every time he had an audience like this, he felt suffocated. The reason was not simply because Isaiah was a terrifying master.
A reincarnator and a Goddess. One, once called an ancient legendary sorcerer, the other, an existence that never originally possessed a physical body. Emped Ridge and Kea Tur de Dau. When considering that he was dealing with two figures feared as the criminals of the Azalea Great War, his reaction was only natural.
“Understood… Emped-sama.” (Aubrey)
“Do not be careless, the final stage is near.” (Isaiah)
Aubrey hurriedly left the room. As if maintaining composure, he appeared to have closed the door slowly, but both master and goddess noticed that once it was shut, he ran down the hallway as if escaping. Resting his cheek against his hand on the desk, Isaiah Aldridge… no, that was merely a vessel. Since within that vessel resided the soul of Emped, calling him Emped Ridge would be more appropriate.
To Emped, the Goddess suddenly inquired.
“Are you going to hand over real power to the eldest son as is? Handing over authority is unusual for you.” (Kea)
“I have no interest in power in the first place. No, if anything, I detest it… It was merely something necessary for my pursuit.” (Isaiah)
“I see… So, you mean to say it is no longer needed?” (Kea)
“As long as I obtain Rhizomata Volga and Third Junior’s body, that is.” (Isaiah)
Goddess Kea glanced at Emped’s face as if exasperated, then lazily lay down on the sofa again. Watching that sight, Emped lost interest and resumed signing the Barwitch government-related documents, which he had already found uninteresting.
―Such worthless power, I have no need for it.
—
Emped Ridge was strolling through the mansion’s garden. He liked taking walks. Since long ago, he disliked relying on the conveniences of civilization and, even in the world before reincarnation, avoided using electric devices as much as possible, preferring to travel on foot. For such an odd and rigid person, he never found this reincarnated world to be inconvenient. Rather, he greatly favored magic, a power closely interwoven with nature, and even found it more convenient.
However, in his first reincarnation, his curiosity about magic became his downfall, and in the end, his soul was sentenced to eternal imprisonment under the name of “sealing”.
The one who saved him from that prison-like hell was none other than the goddess Kea.
“Father-sama……!” (Isaiah Jr.)
As he proceeded through the symmetrical-style garden, his son, seated in the garden space made for tea time, called out to him.
“What is it, Junior… no, excuse me. Should I now call you Isaiah?” (Isaiah)
“Please don’t be so formal.” (Isaiah Jr.)
Emped showed respect by calling his eldest son that way. Until now, the eldest son had continuously been called “Junior,” but due to his achievements at the magic university, it had been decided that he would inherit the name Isaiah. To distinguish him from Isaiah, his pronunciation was altered to “Isaiah”. Depending on what happened with the second son, Isaiah Jr. would inherit the main household as is.
“It’s all thanks to you, Father. Time magic is difficult to master, but since the foundation is solid, it’s easy to connect it to applied research.” (Isaiah Jr.)
“I see. Yes, that’s right. When it comes to actual use… hmm, it is not something easily done.” (Isaiah)
Emped responded disinterestedly. As a reincarnator, he no longer harbored familial affection. To him, his three sons, and by extension, all his descendants throughout eternity, were nothing more than vessels to house his soul.
Emped took another look at his fully grown eldest son. Though he said “fully grown”, the blood of his mother, Misha Kreiswift, ran strong in him. Thus, he did not have the physique of a warrior. Instead, for a man, he had a frail and slender body. It was likely due to the years of leading a study-centered life.
To Emped, whose motto was strength and fortitude, that weak-looking physique was not particularly favorable. Despite their age difference, Isaiah’s body still possessed greater vitality and strength. Serious-minded Isaiah Jr. was evaluated based on his scholarly work rather than practical skills. With that desk job-oriented body, he seemed suitable for handling the tedious administrative tasks, a thought that strangely satisfied Emped.
“Father, if it is acceptable, could I witness time magic here?” (Isaiah Jr.)
“What?! Time magic, you say?!” (Isaiah)
“Eh, y-yes… I heard at the university that you demonstrated time control…” (Isaiah Jr.)
Emped widened his eyes as much as possible and glared at his eldest son.
“Umm, that is not something to be used recklessly. Distortions in space-time may occur, throwing us into the past, future, or even an alternate dimension. Or, we could both meet death.” (Isaiah)
Emped attached a plausible-sounding reason to shake off that longing gaze.
“Y-you’re right…! My apologies, Father… My understanding of magic is still immature.” (Isaiah Jr.)
“As long as you understand. Curiosity is a dangerous thing, but an Aldridge man must not fear it.” (Isaiah)
“Yes!” (Isaiah Jr.)
“M-more importantly, next month is your birthday and graduation commemoration party! You are the main star that day, so look forward to it.” (Isaiah)
“Father-sama… Thank you! I will aim to be a respectable head like you!” (Isaiah Jr.)
Having avoided the situation, Emped secretly let out a relieved sigh.
Time magic… that was, time control skills, excluding the gods, existed only in this world within “Isaiah Aldridge” alone.
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