Showdown

After spending nearly the entire day at it, Josh felt that he had made tremendous progress.

Although he estimated that he had only devoured around five percent of the Void elements within that being, he still felt as though he could break through to the third tier at any moment. That was a terrifying prospect.

Every mage's path of advancement required more than merely accumulating magic power; they also had to strengthen their mental power. As a transmigrator, Josh's mental power had always been terrifyingly high. It had already been formidable when he was only six years old. Otherwise, there was no way he could have attained his current strength by the age of sixteen.

Most people his age were still studying at academies. Josh, however, had received magical training since childhood and had never planned to attend one. Of course, there was another reason: his magic power was utterly useless, and Josh had no desire to go to an academy just to make himself miserable.

Slowly emerging from his meditative state, Josh felt fantastic. His mental power had reached a peak, and so had his magic power. Josh loved that feeling.

But before long, his head began to ache. He had nearly forgotten that he was hosting a noble banquet that evening. He had attended plenty of such banquets back in the Imperial Capital when he was young, but to Josh, they always felt like places for people to find lovers—or to see whether some noble young lady was of a suitable age while their own son was old enough to find a fiancée, so they could discuss the matter properly.

Josh did not particularly like that atmosphere, though he had grown used to it. Of course, he had never been the center of attention before. That role had always belonged to his father, Augustus IV. Besides, Josh had merely been a brat back then. Though he received attention, it was only because he was one of Augustus IV's sons.

"Now I'm the main character. This really is a little unfamiliar."

With the help of the maids, Josh washed up thoroughly before changing into a long robe reserved for nobles. To be honest, he had found it highly uncomfortable at first to have women bathing him all the time. But now? After so many years, he had become completely accustomed to it. He no longer felt embarrassed about it at all; it simply seemed natural.

Does this count as corruption and decadence?

Standing before a basin of clear water and looking at his reflection, Josh thought to himself. But he quickly dismissed the notion. Almost all nobles did this, so there was no need for him to put on airs. If he had transmigrated here as a slave, he would probably be complaining about why he had not been born a noble instead.

"My lord, are you ready?"

Just as Josh's thoughts were wandering, Frank silently appeared behind him and interrupted him. Well, Josh felt he ought to thank him. If Frank had not suddenly shown up, Josh had no idea how long he would have continued overthinking. But why did this guy always appear without making a sound?

"Because I am the steward here," Frank answered as though it were only natural. "I am your steward and your most loyal subordinate. Therefore, no matter where you are, I can appear before you at once, await your orders, and remind you of what needs to be done."

What a powerful reason. Frank's words left Josh unable to argue, though he could not be bothered to argue anyway. Looking Frank up and down, Josh realized that he was actually quite handsome. He was young, fairly strong among people his age, and held a noble title. In all of Constantinople, aside from Josh himself, Frank possessed the highest noble rank.

Unfortunately, Frank had ended up following someone as hopeless as him. Of course, Josh was merely mocking himself. In the past, he really had seemed to have no future at all. But now?

"By the way, Frank, you have such excellent qualifications. Why did you choose to follow me?"

"Could I not answer that?" Frank looked somewhat troubled. He did not know how to answer that question. However, seeing how insistent Josh was, he could only reply with a mixture of truth and falsehood. "Because you have treated me well, my lord, and I also believe that you can achieve great things. That is why I decided to follow you."

Hearing Frank's words, Josh felt both annoyed and amused. What did he mean, treated him well? He would probably have received good treatment anywhere. And what was that about achieving great things by following him? Did Frank himself believe that when he said it? Josh certainly did not. If it had been the old him, Frank's future really would have been utterly bleak.

"Tell me the truth, Frank." Josh shook his head helplessly. "There are only the two of us here. Didn't you say you were my most loyal subordinate? I want to hear how others see me, and I also want to know what I should do in the future."

"Are you serious, my lord?" Frank's expression suddenly became solemn.

Josh nodded seriously as well. Isn't that obvious? Why else would I ask you?

"To be honest, when I learned that I would be coming to Constantinople with you, I was quite desperate." Since that was the case, Frank decided to speak frankly. In any event, he had already prepared himself: if Josh became angry, he would go to prison, then have his family bail him out so he could serve another prince.

"As you know, although you are a genius in the study of magic, you cannot become a true mage. No Magic elements can approach you or be used by you." After a moment's thought, Frank added for emphasis, "In other words, you are essentially crippled."

You might have made me feel better if you hadn't emphasized it. Josh's eyelids twitched.

"Later, as you know, after you completed your coming-of-age ceremony—your sixteenth birthday—His Majesty sent you here. His intentions were quite obvious. If even a single type of Magic element accepted you, then you could return to the Imperial Capital and receive a position closer to the center of power."

"Of course, if that did not happen, you would likely have to remain here for the rest of your life. But His Majesty treats every one of his children well, so I believe you would still become a lord who lived a very comfortable life, wouldn't you?"

"Of course." Josh gave Frank full marks for his assessment. It was basically the same as his own guess. However, Frank was very cunning. Throughout his analysis of Josh, he had seemingly deliberately left himself out. But Josh would not overlook that. He pointed directly at Frank. "What about you? You didn't actually have to come with me, did you?"

"That is true." Frank gave a bitter smile. He had still failed to muddle through. "I did not have to come, but I had no way to refuse His Majesty's invitation. My plan was to come here and work diligently, to see whether I could help you turn Constantinople into a prosperous and flourishing place. That would also serve as a validation of my own worth."

"Of course, it would also become a stepping stone for me. If I performed well enough, I would surely attract the attention of other princes. By then, even if I left you, I imagine neither you nor His Majesty would object too strongly." At that point, Frank spoke sincerely. "I am very sorry, my lord. Those are my true thoughts. I am not a high-ranking noble, and I am only from a branch family, so I can only rely on my own efforts."

"But to be honest, the theories you raised today allowed me to see your ambition. That reassured me greatly, because at the very least, you are not one of those people who merely coast through life waiting to die. You have aspirations, don't you? I believe that if we cooperate well, Constantinople will certainly become a prosperous and flourishing place!"

So, after all that, he simply did not think this place had much of a future. Josh sighed helplessly. In other people's eyes, he truly was a useless good-for-nothing. Following him meant ruin. Although Frank was treating him as a stepping stone, at least he still intended to do his best here and turn the place into a prosperous, flourishing land even if he eventually left.

Josh liked and appreciated that very much. He also understood Frank's approach. However, he no longer seemed to be useless now. Just as Josh was considering how to tell him, he unexpectedly noticed Frank's uneasy expression. After thinking about it briefly, Josh understood what was going on.

This guy is afraid he has angered me with what he said!

Josh found that rather amusing. At the same time, he could not help but marvel at the power of this monarchical system. Its control over power was truly ruthless.

"Don't worry, Frank. I will not have you arrested. And I appreciate you telling me the truth. However, you seem to have overlooked one point: there are no high-ranking nobles in this place. Do you know what that means?"

Josh had no intention of letting Frank remain anxious, so he spoke directly and pointed out what Frank had overlooked. "It means that this land will entirely belong to me from now on. And in the future, I will possess a power that everyone will envy—the authority to grant new noble titles!"

"Th-this..." Frank was dumbfounded. He had thought he was finished. He had honestly been waiting for Josh to give the order, after which guards would storm in and throw him into prison alongside that badly wounded assassin. He would have been unable to resist at all. Yet he had never expected Josh to tell him that he had forgotten something extremely important—the authority to grant noble titles!

Frank was stunned. He knew perfectly well how tempting that authority was. A minor noble from a branch family like him, if he could not receive a newly granted noble title, could only cling to a prince or attach himself to some great noble. Otherwise, he would forever remain a mere knight, unable to pass his title down to his descendants.

But Josh's words seemed to have wiped away all of his worries! Thinking about it carefully, it really was true. Aside from Josh, Frank himself seemed to hold the highest title here. Such a vast territory could not possibly be governed by so few nobles. It would be impossible to manage. Even if Josh could only inherit this place, he would still need to grant titles to some nobles to help him govern the land!

Frank suddenly regretted telling the truth. He wanted nothing more than to slap himself. Then he remembered something else.

That assassin this morning was strong and muscular. He did not look like an assassin at all, but more like a warrior. And it seems His Highness Josh has no enemies, so...

"Work hard, Frank. The future is bright, isn't it?"

Josh smiled and paid no attention to what Frank was thinking. When Frank's gaze fell upon him once more, Josh gave a faint smile. The Void Shield quietly emerged around him, and in an instant, a faint silver glow radiated from his entire body. Yet the light quickly vanished, as though it had never appeared at all.