"Report, the envoy of Grand Duke Viktor is outside, requesting an audience."
Upon hearing the unexpected visit, Edward, who never anticipated someone would come at this time, revealed a surprised expression. When he heard the name "Grand Duke Viktor," he raised an eyebrow with a hint of resignation.
The Viktor family was the largest aristocratic family in the southern border, and Grand Duke Viktor was one of the four grand dukes in the kingdom—a prominent noble.
Over the years, almost every few months, messengers from the Viktor family would persistently come to Durin Castle, inviting Edward to attend the grand duke's banquets.
The reason behind this was straightforward. Edward was once known as a once-in-a-millennium super genius at the Imperial Mage Tower. He achieved the rank of a level-five mage, a Grand Mage, the youngest in history, before being expelled due to forbidden experiments.
Although he was expelled, Edward's magical talent did not disappear. In fact, due to his dedicated studies in magic and magical alchemy during his reclusive life, his magical power became increasingly substantial. Gradually, he was on the verge of reaching the sixth level.
As for what the sixth level signified—simply put, the Imperial Mage Tower divided the mage ranks into six levels: Apprentice Mage, Novice Mage, Intermediate Mage, High Mage, Grand Mage, and Arch Mage.
Currently, there were no more than a handful of Arch Mages in the entire empire. One could imagine how terrifying Edward's magical talent was, achieving the rank of a Grand Mage at an age not even reaching twenty.
during his time at the Imperial Mage Tower, he became widely known as the youngest Grand Mage, and if it weren't for the later controversies he stirred up in elemental magic, challenging the authority of the elemental magic studies Lord, he probably would have graduated and inherited the title of the Elemental Master.
If that had happened, debts would not have been an issue from the beginning, and he wouldn't have to tighten his belt like he was doing now for film production.
However, when Edward left the Imperial Mage Tower and returned to the southern border, he paid little attention to the olive branches extended by various forces. At that time, Edward was not interested in dealing with those who wanted to recruit him; he locked himself in the family castle.
Moreover, the true ruler of the southern border, Grand Duke Viktor, rejected all attempts by forces outside the southern border to recruit Edward. As a result, no one dared to approach him.
While part of this was because Grand Duke Viktor didn't want to let go of such a rare talent within his territory, Edward was grateful to the grand duke for allowing him to live a leisurely life as a lord, even though he had no intention of supporting Grand Duke Viktor in the upcoming chaos.
After all, whether it was the past Edward or the current one, he had never interacted with Grand Duke Viktor. Ignoring the past Edward, who was immersed in inventing magical and alchemical items, the current Edward, obsessed with creating and filming, had no thoughts of socializing with the nobility.
To be honest, noble gatherings seemed to be a high-class form of entertainment in this world, but how could Edward, who came from a world with a highly developed entertainment culture, be attracted to such events?
However, compared to the past Edward, the current one at least wasn't as single-minded and isolated. If someone came, he would go and have a chat.
If the other party made requests that he couldn't fulfill, he would simply refuse. That was the reasonable approach for a mentally mature adult.
...
Leaving Zat and Aya, who had drunk too much, in the living room, Edward quickly arrived at the front gate of the castle with Winry.
There, the envoy sent by Grand Duke Viktor wore a surprised expression and said, "Long time no see, Baron Durin. Except for the time you just returned from the imperial capital, this should be our second meeting."
"...."
Facing Edward's awkwardness, Winry, who was by his side, whispered softly in his ear, "Lord Edward, This envoy has been coming to see us for these years. It's just that you have been unwilling to meet him."
"...."
Unexpectedly, the envoy had been waiting at their doorstep for three years. Edward, who showed a subtle expression, felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Well, I was immersed in magical research before, and I've only recently managed to break free from it."
"That's truly something to celebrate. It seems Baron Durin, you have finally become a qualified noble. Now, the previous Baron Durin can rest in peace," the envoy said with a look as if he had been watching a child grow up for a long time.
Although Edward's expression seemed a bit embarrassed, he quickly said, "Anyway, why did you come this time?"
Even though he said this, Edward was already prepared to refuse outright if the envoy mentioned the word "banquet." After all, he was currently busy with the production of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World," and he had no time for the tedious noble banquets.
As expected, the envoy's first response was, "Baron Durin, the deadline for the Durin Family's debt is approaching. If you don't mind, Duke Viktor would like to invite you to a banquet two months from now."
"No, I have some magical research to do recently. Although I appreciate Duke Viktor's kind intentions, I can only decline," Edward replied firmly, fully prepared to reject any offer of attending a banquet.
The envoy nodded and said, "Alright, I will report it to the Grand Duke. Anyway, he's used to such responses from you."
"Haha, I always feel a bit guilty about it. If I manage to finish my work in two months, maybe I'll consider attending that 'whatever' banquet," Edward added with a light-hearted tone.
Edward's polite words were just a formality, and the envoy understood, replying, "Understood. I have one more thing to mention."
"One more thing?"
"Yes, Viktor Grand Duke's daughter, Miss Daphne, the eldest daughter of the Duke's family, sneaked out of the family. If you happen to find her on your territory, please contact us immediately, whether by letter or magical communication. The Viktor family will receive the message promptly, and there will be a certain reward at that time."
"Uh, okay..."
Edward, showing a subtle expression, ultimately verbally agreed. However, finding the missing young lady? He didn't even know what Miss Daphne looked like, so how could he find her?
After some brief pleasantries, the two parties bid farewell.
Witnessing the envoy, who had worked hard to come to their doorstep every few months, preparing to leave, Edward once again showed a somewhat embarrassed expression. It was evident that the distance between Duke Viktor's mansion and Durin Castle required several days of riding, indicating how much effort the envoy had put into his visits.
"Oh, by the way, Winry..."
Edward was about to ask Winry to go back and prepare some food for the envoy to take on the road when, in the blink of an eye, the envoy standing at the door had disappeared.
"???"
Facing Edward's confusion, Winry asked in puzzlement, "Lord Edward, what's wrong?"
"Where did that person go? How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?"
Upon hearing his words, Winry said helplessly, "Lord Edward, did you forget? That envoy just used teleportation magic."
"Huh? A messenger using teleportation magic, a spell that only a few Grand Mages can perform?"
Facing Edward's sarcasm, Winry could only sigh and say, "Lord Edward, did you forget? That envoy was actually Mister Roy, the Chief Mage under Duke Viktor."
"Roy?"
"Yes, he's also known as Major Roy. He seems to be your senior at the Mage Tower, just like you, a Grand Mage. And, he set the record for the fastest reaching Grand Mage in history, a record you broke two years ago. You should have met him two years ago."
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