Chapter 21. Exemption Mission and Non-Mages (6)
The inner world changed once again.
Beneath a dark night sky.
Flickering flames were coloring the night.
Flap!
Torches flared up from various places in the middle of the night.
The light of the flames illuminated the rocky cliffs submerged in darkness.
Many people could be seen on the rocky cliffs. Above the crowd, the crimson shadow of the flames loomed.
‘…What’s that?’
I opened my eyes wide.
In front of the steep cliff.
I could see the figures of many people kneeling, bound by shining mana chains.
Moreover, strangely enough, they were people with what appeared to be animal ears or tails.
It was difficult to see clearly because it was dark, but I could guess who they were.
‘Beast-kin? But they weren't in the original story….’
But there was no time to think any deeper.
Because I could see several combat mages standing in front of the bound people.
They were standing upright, holding their staffs askew.
Judging from their attire and the flow of mana, the mages were definitely highly skilled.
The combat mages holding their staffs, and the bound people.
Between those two groups, where tension was running high.
The Sword Saint stood alone, holding his sword, looking blank.
As if he alone had become a boundary line dividing the two groups facing each other.
‘What’s going on?’
First of all, this must be a memory from the Sword Saint’s past.
Having already experienced inheriting his past while inheriting my experiences, I could roughly guess.
But I still didn’t grasp exactly what kind of situation I was seeing now.
[…Do you still not understand?]
And at that moment, one of the mages standing in front of the Sword Saint shouted.
[You, who are called ‘The Empire’s Last Sword Saint,’ understand it best!]
The Sword Saint, who had pulled his robe down so deeply that his face wasn't visible as usual.
Threatening him, the mages unfolded mana in the air and shouted. Another person took over and opened their mouth.
[The era has already changed, Sword Saint.]
I blankly watched the sudden situation from a distance.
The group of mages who were pulling up mana and being wary.
‘Judging from the aura of mana they’re wearing, all the mages are around rank 6.’
But even seeing that, I doubted my eyes.
‘Rank 6 mages are, in fact, those who have reached the verge of transcending human limits.’
The rank 6s I saw in the game were literally monsters.
A rank to which many of those who reigned in a unique position among the Empire’s numerous mages belonged.
Five of those guys at once.
‘Even the Empire’s Main Houses don’t have the resources to mobilize such personnel at once.’
Those mages, with clear hostility, were aiming their staffs at the Sword Saint, who was confronting them. One of them pointed at the bound people.
[Even if those who are bound there have been active on the battlefield, they are destined to undergo ‘Magical Beastification’ as a result of the experiments someday. If that happens, countless more victims may be created.]
‘…Wait, [Magical Beastification]?’
Magical Beastification.
From that familiar word, a connection flashed through my mind.
Certainly, in the original story, the Magical Beastification experimental subjects are created in the basement of the Leopold Orphanage by Vendetta’s experiments. That’s why I die, too.
‘But the Sword Saint’s memory must be from a time far in the past, right?’
Yet the word Magical Beastification is appearing again here. I tilted my head in doubt.
‘Even the Sword Saint, who lived so far in the past, had some kind of connection to the Magical Beastification experiment?’
How could an experiment that appeared five years from now be related to the Sword Saint, who lived so much further in the past?
But my question didn’t last long.
Clack.
The person who appeared to be the leader among the mages pointed to the bound people behind the Sword Saint.
Then he said in a low voice.
[Hand those people over to us. This is the final recommendation.]
But the Sword Saint remained silent, standing in front of them.
[…….]
As if frustrated by that attitude, another mage said.
[Please follow. It is Her Majesty’s order. We don’t want to harm you, the Empire’s Last Sword Saint.]
A sharp silence flowed.
Only the torches burning around flickered shapelessly.
After a long silence, the Sword Saint finally slowly opened his mouth.
[I refuse.]
A deep voice, as if echoing from a cave.
[That is not a reason to needlessly kill my innocent territory residents and family.]
One of the mages, a woman, shouted as if frustrated.
[It is a sacrifice that must be made for a new era! If they live, countless people in the Empire may writhe in even greater misfortune. Don’t you know that too, Sword Saint!]
But the leader-like man raised his hand to stop her.
As if he already knew that the Sword Saint was not someone who could be persuaded.
[I’m sorry, but the era of swords is over, Sword Saint. The era of magic has already arrived.]
The Sword Saint silently listened to those words.
The mage pointed with his chin to the sword he was lowering.
[This is the final warning. No matter how powerful a Sword Saint you are, you cannot face magic with that one sword.]
A silver-white blade and a straight guard.
His longsword, which was endlessly familiar to me.
[This is a force of this size, and even all rank 6 mages. You alone, who are old and whose skills have even deteriorated, cannot defeat us. Make a wise choice.]
The Sword Saint briefly tilted his head and looked up at the night sky.
The night sky illuminated by the surrounding torches was covered in red light.
He quietly murmured while watching the dance of the flickering flames.
[…Mana is said to be dyed by the life its owner has lived, isn’t it.]
At those words, the leader-like man lightly clicked his tongue and gestured to the mages next to him.
[Attack.]
The mages’ mana instantly constructed a magic circle.
Watching that, the Sword Saint slowly raised his sword.
On his blade, crimson mana became flames and bloomed into dazzling flames.
[Perhaps I am truly the last ember that can allow the Empire to remain as an Empire.]
The Sword Saint’s mana exploded.
Whoosh!
The flames roared towards the night sky and swirled around the sword.
All the torches around succumbed to the overwhelming power of the Sword Saint’s flames and went out at once.
The Sword Saint’s legs, wrapped in the white smoke of the extinguished torches, took a step forward and unfolded mana in each part of his body.
Thaaang!
In an instant, the Sword Saint, who had unfolded mana in his body, shot forward like an explosion.
At the same time, the mages who had constructed the magic circle activated their magic.
Instantly, exploding rock fragments like a shotgun and an ice storm tearing apart the space manifested before his eyes and poured down.
I felt a chill run down my spine for a moment.
The power befitting a rank 6 mage, as well as attack magic that maximized casting speed.
‘At this rate, he can’t even cut off the lines of mana to dispel them!’
But the Sword Saint did not back down.
He evaded all those attacks by a hair’s breadth.
The Sword Saint’s robe was cut off by the storm of piercing ice fragments, and a barrage of rocks flying at a fatal speed grazed his cheek.
But evading all those attacks with explosive mobility, the Sword Saint had instantly penetrated into the center of the mages’ formation.
[……!]
The moment the shocked mages were about to unfold the next magic.
Flap!
His sword, flying with a long trail of flames in the darkness of the night, finally drew a fiery trajectory and rotated intensely in all directions.
And—
Whirl.
Form 2, Fire Wheel.
The fiery dance, dyeing the darkness in red light, burned and cut through the mages surrounding him in one strike.
The crimson series of attacks, rotating three times, swept through and swallowed the darkness of the night like a storm.
Whoosh!
And the moment I witnessed that scene.
‘Could it be…?’
My black eyes widened with realization.
The unidentified voice I had heard while inheriting Enoch's memories overlapped in my mind.
[The highest level that only a small number of swordsmen can reach is called the Sword Saint. Only after reaching that level can you finally project your mana onto your sword. The mana contained in the sword in that way forms movements as traces containing the swordsman's entire life, completing 'swordsmanship'.]
I could understand.
Now that I had become Enoch, who was called the only genius of the sword in the Magic Empire.
As soon as I saw his past recreated in the inner world, I could instantly confirm the intention of the swordsmanship he had unfolded.
‘This was a swordsmanship created from the beginning to deal with mages.’
The swordsmanship of 「The Empire’s Last Sword Saint」, which I had inherited so far, was not intended for typical combat where swords clashed against swords from the start.
A sword is, after all, a weapon created with typical combat against weapons in mind.
‘But what if the opponent is a mage who projects magic with such powerful power and range that it cannot be defended or evaded with swords or shields?’
The story is completely different.
‘Movements created to thoroughly cut down mages who use attacks that swordsmen cannot defend against.’
That’s why there was no defensive form in his swordsmanship.
If an attack that cannot be blocked comes in from the start, you just need to cut down the opponent faster and more intensely.
That value was reflected in the swordsmanship that his mana had completed.
The movement that the Sword Saint truly sought was ‘attacking the opponent first by giving up defense’.
From the beginning, the 「Sense of Mana」 that he had inherited as a basic item was a technique to block magic casting.
Even Form 1 and Form 2, which he inherited after that, were movements that could narrow the distance with explosive speed and quickly cut down the opponent.
‘So that’s why it was composed of such extreme movements.’
? Progress of Memory Inheritance Regarding the Owner of the Sword: 20%
? Understanding and Proficiency of the Swordsmanship Increased
Now, just a little bit.
I felt like I understood the Sword Saint’s swordsmanship.
? Lack of Understanding of 「The Empire’s Last Sword Saint」’s Mana: Experience Recreation Interrupted
? Progress of Memory Inheritance Regarding the Owner of the Sword Greatly Increased
Before I knew it, the inner world was spreading and disappearing with static and glitches, as always.
? Condition for Absorbing the Next Stage of Experience: Rescue the Children Kidnapped for the [Magical Beastification] Experiment
Blink.
With my body covered in cold sweat, I slowly opened my eyes.
Looking around, it was the residence of the mansion. The room, which had been filled with sunset light until just now, was now submerged in the darkness of the night.
‘…By the way, I never thought the word [Magical Beastification] would come up even in the inner world.’
I took some time to organize my confused thoughts.
I never dreamed that the word ‘Magical Beastification,’ which was also the same as the mission right in front of me, would come out in the Sword Saint’s memories that I had suddenly inherited.
‘The quests given in the inner world are becoming more and more specific, and the fact that they are becoming related to the real world like just now. Is all of this a mere coincidence? Or maybe….’
I briefly looked down at the cloth bag containing the sword, then turned my head.
Since there was no clear information yet anyway, there was no point in worrying about it.
Instead, it was time to do something meaningful now.
Night had already fallen outside.
Click
I take out my pocket watch from my pocket.
A pocket watch made of black steel that I had previously obtained from the Underworld. After checking the current time on the dial, I slowly got up from my seat.
My body was fatigued due to the aftereffects of the inheritance, but my mind was incomparably clear.
The preparations were enough for now.
Now, it was time to move.
***
‘It’s starting soon.’
The Administrator lightly stirred his staff once in the dark room of his study.
Whoosh
Instantly, mana emitted light and formed a structure.
A small communication magic circle floating in the air next to his mouth rotated and activated.
“I am announcing once again to the Vendetta members here.”
To those who would be listening beyond the magic, Oscar said with a relaxed smile.
“I lured him to the maze garden at midnight. Handle it cleanly and disguise it as an accident.”
The mage dispatched from Elsyde last time was spared because he might be useful later, but this time is different.
Even though disownment has been announced by the Main House, he is still a direct descendant.
What if Enoch is treated as ‘missing’?
The Elsyde family might release a large number of mages and start a massive search. If that happens, there may be no way for us to do anything.
‘Therefore, it is necessary to show the corpse clearly.’
All we have to do is create evidence for Enoch’s cause of death that no one would doubt.
And I had become quite familiar with that kind of work as a member of Vendetta.
The way Vendetta has been able to parasitize in the shadows of the Empire and build power until now. There is no more certain way to handle things than that.
Oscar smiled coldly.
‘…It’s fortunate that he doesn’t have any Follower Families.’
Regardless of any mission from the family, the presence or absence of Follower Families makes a huge difference in power.
Follower Families, who thoroughly assist and move with the master they serve, are annoying in many ways from the perspective of those dealing with them.
But Enoch was a notoriously incompetent direct descendant who had not even a single Follower Family to date.
‘I don’t know how Enoch found out about the vault, but in the end, it’s just the incompetence of an earl’s family that doesn’t even need to be worried about.’
Oscar looked out the window and smiled leisurely.
As expected, Enoch had not even requested any support from the Elsyde family until this moment.
‘He seems to have a basic sense of things, surprisingly.’
This is his mansion. It seemed he understood that the moment Enoch tried to take any action to request external support, we would show a rather impressive response as well.
Perhaps Enoch was now trembling with anxiety.
‘In any case, now that he’s found out, there’s a need to finish it quickly.’
Frankly, touching a direct descendant is something to be feared in the future.
But if he is a ‘non-mage,’ isn’t he a very good opponent to make excuses for, no matter how he is dealt with?
He smiled dryly, recalling past memories.
‘Non-mages are beings who can’t even choose how they die at will.’
The plan had already been made.
Now all that was left was to execute it.
Human experimentation through magic, regardless of the reason, leads to being branded as a black mage in the Empire.
In addition to quickly dealing with Enoch, all that was needed was to destroy the related evidence in preparation for any eventuality.
That was all.
The hidden vault being robbed was unexpected, but I had expected that this kind of misfortune would happen at least once.
That's why I had requested the Annihilation Officer to station Vendetta combatants, who averaged around rank 14, at the mansion.
‘What can a mere seventeen-year-old non-mage do?’
He propped his staff, which was his magic staff, on the ground and got up.
Magic is by no means limited to weaving principles by manipulating mana.
If you weave an incident by operating a thorough plan, that too would be magic.
That was the kind of true magic that Oscar had learned in the Elsyde Main House.
‘To think that I, who was once a combat mage belonging to Elsyde, would point magic at that direct descendant.’
He slowly moved his steps and left the room.
Before long, Enoch’s corpse would be reported. And I had to make several preparations to prepare for that time.
To commemorate Enoch, who ended his life due to a ‘simple accident’ during his mission.
But he didn’t know.
What exactly was happening at the entrance to the underground facility at this moment.