Chapitre 55: Chapter 54: The Ark and Lucas Ararat
Late afternoon in the study.
Together with Don, I deal with the affairs of the state one after another.
I've gotten so used to it lately that I can read the summaries of what the Viziers have outlined, and my efficiency has improved.
However, I still had to keep my mind on the task at hand and avoid making mistakes.
Just then, Lawrence came to visit me.
He came into the room and knelt down elegantly in front of me.
"You're here. I'd like to ask your opinion on a few things. Don."
"Excuse me"
Don nodded and went to get a document that he had put in the corner of his study.
In fact, he had selected a wide range of political duties to test how well Lawrence could do them.
I was about to ask him to deal with it, but he bowed further.
"But first, Your Highness, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"There's someone I'd like you to persuade and introduce to your highness."
"All right, go ahead."
".........."
Lawrence looked up and puzzled, dropping to one knee.
"What's with that funny look on your face?"
"N-no. I have not told you anything yet. And you have not heard what kind of person he is yet. I'm just surprised that you agreed to it so easily."
"You mean that?"
I chuckled.
"I trust you. And"
"And?"
"People are treasures. If a man of your stature is willing to introduce you to someone, you can't go wrong."
"..."
Lawrence became more and more confused and lost in thought.
He froze for a full minute, then came back to himself, took a deep breath, and regained his composure.
"Your Highness is an amazing man. I feel ashamed of myself for refusing to serve you, even once in the past."
"It's a story of the past."
"Ha. Although I don't know if he can be persuaded, he will certainly be useful in your reign."
"Hoo?"
I had been planning to leave it to Lawrence, but the way he said it intrigued me.
I stopped my work completely and stared straight at Lawrence.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes. They're better than I am."
"I see."
I nodded and stood up.
Then facing Don.
"I'll leave you to it."
"Understood."
"Your Highness?"
Don nodded, and Lawrence was even more confused.
"Lead the way."
"Eh?"
"They're something that makes you say that much. Then it's only polite that I come to you."
"... You're an amazing man, after all. ..."
Lawrence laughed bitterly and looked down for a moment.
We left the provincial capital, Nisir, on horseback and headed south.
It was a neatly paved road, but the city behind us was completely out of sight, and we were now in an unpopular suburb.
Lawrence rode his horse the same way and followed beside me.
"So, what is the name of the person you want to introduce me to?"
"Huh. Leon, and another one named Cress."
"Leon ..."
"Is there anything wrong?"
"No, nothing."
The name sounded familiar, but I shook my head and forgot about it, thinking it was just my imagination.
"What are they like?"
"I used to be in a private school run by a man named Walter Miller. It is a place that teaches learning, especially practical learning that is useful to the world."
"Fumu."
"Leon and Cress came to the private school and both graduated within three months. They were so good that by the end they didn't need to be taught anymore, they were teaching other students."
"Hoo, that's quite a feat."
If they are that good, I want to meet them and take them under my command.
People are treasures, and if I can get my hands on those two, my abilities will increase even more.
As it was, Lawrence told me about the two men.
Cress was relatively mild-mannered and came back often to teach at the Miller School, while Leon was quarrelsome and quarreled with the other students at the end, leaving the school with his back to them.
They were two very different personalities.
"They seem to get along well. As they always work together, they still live in the same remote mountain area."
"I see."
I was beginning to understand the two men, Leon and Cress.
We continued on our way.
Suddenly, I saw a cloud of dust rolling down the road.
I looked closer and saw a man being chased by something.
It was a tiger, twice the size of a normal tiger, its body wrapped in pure white fur.
"Leon!"
"Eh?"
I turned my head to the side and saw that Lawrence was surprised.
"Is that the Leon you were talking about?"
"I'm sure of it! He did something strange again...."
There was impatience in Lawrence's tone, but no surprise.
Apparently, this kind of thing is a regular occurrence with this guy Leon.
I heard that he was a man who got into a quarrel with another student and ran away from the school, so I was not taken aback.
"Aaaah!"
Lawrence's impatience grew even stronger.
The distance between the Tiger and Leon was gradually closing.
If they continued at this rate, he would be caught up in less than ten seconds.
"We have to help!"
"I'm on it."
I stood up, kicked the horse's back, and jumped out.
My entire ability is SSS.
I figured it would be faster to head out on my own than to gallop my horse.
And I was right.
I closed the distance in an instant and stepped in between Leon and the giant tiger.
The giant tiger roared and pounced on me.
It completely obscured the sunlight, darkening the space in front of me as if it were night.
I thrust out my fist toward the huge body.
Lightly clenching my fist, I swung it at the tiger's brow.
Thud.
I could hear the sound of its skull being crushed and the bones of its neck being broken through its body.
The tiger was killed by the blow and collapsed to the ground in a limp heap.
Fumu, nice fur.
Shall I strip it off and present it to His Majesty?
Just as I was thinking this, I heard a voice behind me.
"Whoa, whoa, a blow to this thing? You're awesome!"
"Hmm? You're ...."
The man seemed surprised for some reason, and when I turned around, I was surprised too.
It's a face I know.
Leon.
That's the guy who came to the mansion a while ago disguised as a beggar.
The other side seemed to have figured out that I was Noah, too, and gave me an awkward smile.
Lawrence, who came with his horse to pull my horse, tilted his head when he saw our reaction.
Leon led me into the mountain where he lives.
Two huts stood quietly in the middle of a small mountain only a few hundred meters away.
In one of them, I, Lawrence, and Leon, the owner of the hut, were sitting facing each other.
"Well, thank you for your help. If you hadn't come, I'd be in that tiger's stomach right now."
"Why were you being chased by that tiger?"
"Well, there's a theory that if you give the milk of a White Saber Tiger to a human child, the child will become immune to all diseases."
"Yeah, I've heard about it."
It's only a rumor, but I've heard that human children raised by white tigers grow up to be much bigger, tougher, and stronger than normal children.
"So I was curious to see what the milk was like, and when I found out that a tiger cub had been born, I went to go milk it."
"No wonder!"
Lawrence shouted.
"Do you want to die by going near a beast of prey while it's raising its young!"
"Don't get mad. Oh, yes, I've squeezed some out of you, why don't you join me for a drink?"
"You!"
I held Lawrence's impatience and spoke to Leon.
"Leon, right"
"Yeah."
"Lawrence recommended you to me. Along with Cress."
"Lawrence?"
Leon looked at Lawrence in surprise.
"You've finally given up on that Rascal, huh?"
"..."
Lawrence smiled bitterly and did not answer.
Leon's calling out Pascal, and Lawrence's not refuting it when he heard it.
Apparently, the exchange that took place between me and Lawrence was also taking place between their friends.
Lawrence looked uncomfortable but eventually answered.
"I am now in the service of His Highness."
"Heh, ...."
Leon stared at me.
"It's amazing that you can persuade that stubborn Lawrence. You're a great guy, just like your story at Coroncia."
"Coroncia?"
"Yeah, you sent three of your subordinates over there, right? Thanks to that, the rebuilding is going well."
"I see."
I've heard the reports from Howard and the others, but it looks like the reconstruction is going well from the outside.
"All right, in that case, I'll be your subordinate. And leave Cress to me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I intended to do so from the start, and if Cress hears that you are an amazing guy who has softened Lawrence's big head, he won't object."
"I see."
"I'll be in your care—Lord."
The tone of his voice was casual, but his eyes were serious just before he sat down and bowed his head with his hands on his knees.
It was very, very serious.
A few days later, while I was doing political work in my study, Cruz arrived again.
Just like last time, I got down on one knee and bowed before the eunuch who had come as an imperial envoy.
Next to me, Don knelt with me.
Cruz recited the imperial order.
His Majesty's health has improved completely, and he will return to the imperial capital from the summer resort.
With that, the order is to relieve me of my post as Prime Minister.
Instantly, the status in the corner of my vision changed.
――――――――――――
Name: Lucas Ararat
Title: Minister of Justice
Gender: Male
Level: 10 / ∞
HP: D+E
MP: E+E
Strength: D+E
Stamina: E+E
Intelligence: E+D
Spirit: E+D
Speed: F+E
Dexterity: E+D
Luck: E+D
Fire: E+A
Water: D+S
Wind: E+F
Earth: E+F
Light: E+C
Darkness: E+F
―――――――――――
All of the SSS, which means the whole empire, disappeared, and it returned to its previous state.
The reason it's slightly higher than it was then, with some D's, is probably because I added Lawrence, Leon, and Cress as my subordinates.
As I looked at it, I was thinking about how I should improve my abilities in the future.
"You have done a good job with the affairs of the state. For this reason, I am giving you Apophis and shall add Ararat to the fief."
"A-Amazing...."
Listening in silence, – or rather, Don, who should have been listening in silence, was so surprised that he shouted out.
I was surprised too.
The fief, Ararat.
As the name implies, it is the symbolic land where the Ararat family first raised its armies, although it is now a remote land that produces nothing.
Don's involuntary reaction of "Amazing" was understandable.
I, on the other hand, was a little soberer.
Because the moment Cruz pronounced the imperial decree, my status increased again.
――――――――――――
Name: Lucas Ararat
Title: Minister of Justice
Gender: Male
Level: 10 / ∞
HP: D+E
MP: E+E
Strength: D+A
Stamina: E+E
Intelligence: E+D
Spirit: E+D
Speed: F+E
Dexterity: E+D
Luck: E+D
Fire: E+A
Water: D+S
Wind: E+F
Earth: E+D
Light: E+C
Darkness: E+F
―――――――――――
The "+" in strength went up to A at once.
The "+" in earth also went up to D.
That's two more.
There's not much in Ararat's land now.
Considering the fact that the water went up the moment I received Almeria as a fief when I was once born, and the actual situation in Almeria.
It's hard to imagine two status would rise just because of the land of Ararat.
If that's the case…
I looked up and saw the person that Cruz had brought with him carrying a treasure chest.
He placed the treasure chest in front of me and opened it.
Inside was a cane with a snake motif on it.
So this is — Apophis.
I reached out my hand and touched the Apophis.
Resonance.
Leviathan.
Bahamut.
Theressa.
Behemoth.
And Apophis.
Five of them were simultaneously emitting a sound – a true Resonance.
I was indeed surprised by this, but I looked around and saw no sign of Cruz or Don reacting to it.
So it was just me.
But now I knew.
Apophis is the same as Leviathan and the others.
If that's the case, this is a treasure.
I bowed down to Cruz, who had given it to me in the name of His Majesty.
"Thank you for the generosity."
I said.
That night, I had a strange dream.
In the dream, there were five mysterious beings talking about something.
{Five of us, and yet without incident.}
{That's a first in history. He's an amazing man.}
{If this is the case, ... then..}
{Yes, it may be possible for him to take us all in.}
{And become the one who can awaken the Ark that lies dormant in the land of Ararat.}
{When the Ark awakens, everyone including those on the ground can go to paradise. I have high hopes.}
{Umu, I have expectations.]
{Let us hope.}
{To our Lord of infinite possibilities...}
{{{{{Let's hope }}}}}
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone