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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 12: Arrival of the Crimson Mage
The weather was exceptionally nice.
It happened to be the perfect time for planting crops in several newly cultivated fields, so I thought things were going smoothly.
I believed today would pass peacefully—until the news came.
“『 Crimson Mage, Sharon』has come to see you, my lord.”
“…Did I hear that right? Hart, who did you say arrived?”
“The mage candidate and heir to the Crimson Tower, the renowned『 Crimson Mage, Sharon』has come to see you, my lord.”
The moment I heard the name『 Crimson Mage, Sharon』memories from both my past and present lives clashed inside me like a scream.
The name existed even in Calyx’s memories.
A free-spirited half-elf mage who traveled the empire without serving any lord.
Rumors said she single-handedly did the work of a hundred mages, annihilated an orc legion, and healed a plague-stricken village with a single spell—powers on the level of a grand mage or even a sage.
No, since she’s a candidate heir to the Crimson Tower, it’s not just a rumor—it's basically true.
The Sharon I knew from my past life was considered as one of the ‘Three Divine Artifacts’—a figure immortalized in World Archive.
The reviews I saw on the strategy sites about Sharon went like this—
'If you don’t bring Sharon, hell will break loose in the large-scale battle parts.'
'No, you’ll see hell even in the territory parts.'
'I’m living in hell right now. Damn it all.'
She’s one of the strongest SSR mages in the game.
So, you’d think it would be a joy to have such a mage visit, right?
But there’s something called ‘fame points’ in World Archive, and that’s not just about your own skills—it includes your subordinates’ abilities too.
Just like Guan Yu’s fame rose when he returned to Liu Bei by taking the heads of Anliang and Wenchu, if I gain a super-powerful mage like Sharon, my own fame will skyrocket uncontrollably.
At that point, my status could shift from ‘beloved but incompetent, so tolerated’ to ‘beloved and backed by powerful subordinates, so a threat to be dealt with.’
In other words, Sharon showing up was straight-up terrifying news for me.
“This is a great opportunity! Let’s recruit Sharon as our exclusive mage, my lord!”
“I agree with Nova. Having someone like Sharon as the Cron family’s dedicated mage would be a tremendous asset.”
Whether they knew how I felt or not, Nova and Hart loudly pushed to bring Sharon on board.
Sharon was a character nearly impossible to recruit without spending heavily on microtransactions.
I played casually, barely checking the strategy sites, and I never got to see or recruit her until the end of the game.
“Where shall we house Sharon?”
The guard who brought the news asked.
Hart answered without hesitation.
“Obviously! The VIP guest room. The best VIP guest room in the southern castle—put her there!”
“Yes, sir!”
Hart ordered without a second thought to place her in the VIP quarters.
Thinking about the mages I saw in World Archive, this would normally be the right move.
Mages are naturally proud and high-headed, after all.
But the issue was, I couldn’t afford to make the ‘right’ choice just yet.
If I recruited Sharon, my life could be at risk.
“Wait!”
“My lord?”
“House Mage Sharon at the inn in the commoner’s settlement.”
“What!?”
“My lord!!”
“That’s a bad idea! Proud mages like her will leave right away if treated like that.”
I knew—that was exactly what I wanted.
Though I wanted to say this to Nova, I swallowed my words and replied.
“I have my reasons. Follow my orders.”
“My lord... understood. We’ll house Sharon at the inn.”
“Yes, understood.”
Hart accepted reluctantly, and the guard left.
For once, Nova couldn’t even smile at me and just stared with a scowl, clearly not understanding.
Sorry, but I had no choice.
With just Nova’s fame points, I was already in a very dangerous situation.
If Sharon became my subordinate too, things would spiral out of control.
So, I sent Sharon to the inn.
＊ ＊ ＊
“You’ll be staying here.”
“Thank you.”
Sharon was led to the inn along with the mother and daughter.
The room was very ordinary.
By the standards of this era, it was a typical inn room with a bed made of wood, fabric, and straw, and a wooden table standing alone.
“Wow!! A bed!!!”
Laila, just happy to be able to sleep on a bed after so long, immediately jumped onto it.
Sharon was quite surprised by how she was treated.
For years, whenever news of her arrival reached a lord, she was led to luxurious rooms.
But every time, the screams of the spirits she felt in those lavish chambers kept her from sleeping.
Here, however, the room was plain and simple.
And it felt warmer than any room she had been shown before.
“I should air this out.”
Ayla, Laila’s mother, quickly began cleaning like any good caretaker and opened the window.
Through the window, the entire Cron territory spread out before them.
In the fading sunset, Sharon could see the people of Cron going about their lives.
Workers in the salt fields labored diligently, and in the distance, others were clearing new land for farming.
Nearby in the market, merchants sold goods while mothers haggled to get better prices.
Among them, officials who guided outsiders like herself bustled around.
Though not flashy, everyone worked hard with bright smiles on their faces.
Matching their smiles, the spirits flew across Cron’s sky, also beaming with joy.
“Wow… It’s so beautiful, Sharon.”
“That’s true… It really is beautiful.”
How long had it been since she last saw such a beautiful territory?
No, she had never seen a land where all the people looked this happy.
After spending a restful day at the inn, the next morning a guard came to find her.
“Lady Sharon, the lord wishes to make a request.”
“Yes… please tell me.”
Sharon tensed up.
Whenever someone so high-ranking asked something, it was usually a disgusting favor just for themselves.
The guard continued.
“The lord has asked you to treat the residents.”
“Huh?”
At that time, Cron’s territory had many immigrants arriving en masse, and doctors were in short supply.
Relieved by the lord’s request to help with their treatment, Sharon readily agreed.
Guided by the guard, she began traveling throughout the territory, healing people.
Then she witnessed something remarkable.
It was a piece of farmland being reclaimed.
At the front stood a young man with silver hair, followed by many others.
Together, they started planting crops in time with the silver-haired youth’s commands.
“Alright, everyone, one!”
[ ““One!!!”” ]
“Two!”
[ ““Two!!!”” ]
Following the youth’s call, the people planted crops flawlessly, without gaps.
Feeling an undeniable nobility from the silver-haired young man, Sharon asked the guard beside her.
“Who is that noble-looking silver-haired person?”
“Ah! That is our lord of Cron, Lord Calyx Cron!”
Sharon was surprised.
She could hardly believe such a young man was the lord of this paradise.
“That’s him?… But why is the lord personally working on the farm like that?”
“Our lord believes that farming is the most important work to fill people’s stomachs. So he leads by example by working in the fields himself.”
“I see…”
▪〈Farming is the foundation of all people’s livelihood.〉
Everyone knows and understands this, but few leaders actually take the initiative.
Sharon had seen lords who spoke of the importance of securing food through farming.
But she had never seen a lord who personally took part like this.
Curiosity about Lord Calyx grew within her.
＊ ＊ ＊
A week passed.
Sharon stayed in the territory and asked the people about their lord.
Almost everyone gave similar answers.
“The lord? He’s incredible! Thanks to him, no one goes hungry anymore!”
“He’s a blessing from the heavens! There’s no lord like him anywhere in the world.”
“You don’t even joke about badmouthing the lord here. People would actually kill you. I’m not kidding.”
“We owe him our lives. If we’d been handed over to the Raion family... I don’t even want to think about it. We’re grateful every single day.”
Everyone loved, admired, and praised Lord Calyx.
There were some lords who brainwashed their people with magic, drugs, or religion.
But here, there was no unnatural magical disturbance from spirits—none at all.
They genuinely loved their lord.
Sharon even met the family who’s kid had been personally saved by the lord.
“The lord is our family’s savior. He gave us a life worth living—and when my son was nearly lost in a storm, he saved him with his own hands. We’ll repay that debt until our last breath.”
“Yeah! He saved my life too! I’ll never forget it—I’ll repay him no matter what!”
Hearing that the lord saved lives surprised Sharon.
Was the bard’s song true after all?
But having grown skeptical living in the human world, Sharon cautiously asked.
“If it’s alright, can I see your memory?”
“Is it possible to see memories through magic?”
Barron asked, and Sharon nodded.
Barron confidently replied.
“Of course! Please do. But just… just that memory, alright? The next day, with Aaron’s mom and…”
“Darling!!”
Seeing the couple’s warmth, Sharon smiled quietly and spoke.
“Understood. Don’t worry—I’ll only read exactly that memory. Now… please recall that moment.”
Sharon placed her hand on Barron’s head and used a memory projection spell.
Amid the swirling flood of memories, that moment unfolded before her eyes.
The stormy sea, the abandoned child’s shoe, and their desperate cries echoed.
In that hopeless memory, his gaze turned to the sea.
There she saw the silver-haired lord she had seen before, carrying the child out of the sea, placing his hand on the child’s chest, desperately trying to save him.
Whether it was magic or blessing, it was just a plain person’s desperate struggle.
But it was the most beautiful image of a lord Sharon had ever seen.
“That must have been painful… thank you for showing me this memory.”
“No, mage, we are the ones thankful to receive your healing like this, for free.”
Seeing that memory, Sharon felt her thoughts clear.
She made up her mind.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was a full week after Sharon’s arrival that I finally met her.
I’d deliberately let that much time pass—hoping she’d lose interest in me.
After all, for a mage of her caliber—someone who’s respected and revered wherever she goes—being put up in a common inn and left to treat the local townsfolk for a week without so much as a greeting from the lord? She must’ve been sorely disappointed in me, the useless lord of this backwater domain.
To be honest, I would’ve preferred never seeing her at all. But Hart and Nova kept nagging me to make an offer, insisting I at least try. So, begrudgingly, I summoned Sharon—just to save face as the lord.
“Hello, my lord. I’m Sharon.”
“I’m Calyx Cron. A pleasure to meet you, Mage Sharon.”
Seeing her in person, I was floored—she looked like the goddess of fire herself.
She had the distinct, short ears of a half-elf, crimson hair that flowed down to her shoulders, and a face so breathtaking that could make even statues forget their stillness—I barely stopped myself from staring.
“Apologies for the delay in meeting you. There’s been much to handle in the domain.”
“It’s alright, my lord. I understand.”
She looked at me with this...odd expression. Not like Nova’s.
If I had to describe it, it was the kind of look an older sister might give her kid brother—quiet encouragement, maybe a bit of pity. Something along those lines.
I didn’t bother sugarcoating it. Just got straight to the point.
“I’ll be blunt. House Cron would like you to serve as the domain’s exclusive mage.”
I avoided her gaze as I spoke.
Soft-talking isn't my thing, and I didn’t see the point anyway.
I’d already heard she’d been asking around about me and the domain. So she must’ve known.
Every coin I earn gets funneled right back into the people. We’ve got no money, more mouths than hands, and the workload’s a nightmare thanks to the waves of immigrants.
There was no way a high-ranking mage like her would tie herself to a rural borderland like this.
It’d be like Zhuge Liang pledging his service to Liu Bei when the man had nothing—absurdly idealistic and nearly impossible.
That’s what I thought… right up until she answered.
“Yes.”
“Right, that’s a sham—wait, what?”
I thought my hearing was going. I blinked and asked again.
Without hesitation, she answered clearly.
“I’ll serve as the Cron family’s exclusive mage—here, in your domain.”
That day, I became Liu Bei.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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