“… That is all. I did my best, but from the moment I entered the Red Plateau, I couldn’t follow them anymore. The White Tower’s famous space magic lives up to its name,” reported a knight who was wearing all black.
The black armor favored mobility over combat power, while the black sword was designed to melt into darkness. It was an invisible uniform, and did not officially exist among Andras’ knights. However, they would’ve reeled back in fear if a third party was in the room.
The Knights of Shade were the shadowy underbelly of the empire, who did everything from gathering information to assassination. It was a secret organization which even the empire’s Seven Swords couldn’t mobilize without an imperial order. They were people who didn’t officially exist in the empire, and were famous for carrying poison and self-destruct scrolls with them.
In that case, who was looking down at the knight?
“Indeed, it was a perfect failure. I have to admire the skillfulness of our enemies,” a low voice mused.
The emotionless voice contained an odd sense of oppression, forcing the two knights in front of him to keep quiet. It wasn’t conscious; he had merely opened his mouth. It was the presence of a person whose pride had been great since birth and whose family had been recognized for decades. In other words, he was someone who had the temperament of a ruler.
“P-Please kill me!”
In the end, the Knight of Shade couldn’t withstand the pressure and fell to his body while confessing his sin. However, he didn’t ask for a pardon from the other party. As a shadow of the empire, failing a mission meant death. There was no point in living if he had failed the mission.
The Knight of Shade knew that better than anyone, so he was surprised by the other party’s response.
“No, it isn’t your fault. You clearly followed my instructions perfectly. If so, this failure is my responsibility, so don’t mention it anymore.”
“But…!”
“Stop. Until I call again, go prepare a personal biography of the person named Theo.”
Nobody would dare disobey this man, so the Knight of Shade trembled and carefully withdrew. Indeed, as a shadow, he walked out of the room without a sound.
The man looked at the knight who still remained and said in a rare playful tone, “How surprising. I thought you would’ve cut him down on the spot.”
The knight, a black masked man, didn’t deny it. “… I thought so as well.”
Then he spoke calmly as he kept his head down, “But the shadow did its duty until the end. If he had taken even one step forward, my sword would’ve given him a peaceful death.”
“Well, that is an interesting view.” The man laughed contentedly.
Although the man might’ve snorted at the knight’s confidence, he knew the skill of the swordsman in front of him. The knight had once been the head of the Knights of Shade, and he was now a sword master, promised for the position of the 6th Sword. Despite losing an arm, he still wasn’t an easy opponent. His ability, Disappear, made him invincible against weaker opponents.
Rather, it was the White Tower Master who had overwhelmed the superhuman knight before the man who deserved to be honored. The man’s mind stirred at the thought.
“By the way, it is shocking that the White Tower Master is this strong. Did his presence pale due to the Blue Tower Master and Red Tower Master’s exploits?”
“I think so.”
“Well, he is a hidden card.”
Despite having been arch rivals for hundreds of years, it was rather difficult for Andras to plumb all of Meltor’s strength. This was the strength of a magic kingdom, where unexpected things could keep emerging.
At the end of a battle where they were sure of their success, an 8th Circle magician would suddenly appear and destroy the balance. The battle power of the White Tower Master, who had suppressed a middle ranked Seven Swords, was one such variable.
The man mused, “I heard that the White Tower Master confronted the previous 3rd and 6th Swords directly… They fought in the last war. So, I don’t know how many more of his abilities haven’t been revealed.”
“… Next time.”
“Hmm?”
The masked man lifted his head for the first time. A red light shone through the half-shattered mask, and a strong pressure rippled off his body. His fighting spirit hadn’t been lost after a single defeat.
He managed to barely suppress it, but his voice which emerged from underneath the mask bubbled like magma as he said, “Next time, I will use every means to kill him.”
“Even with that arm?”
“Yes.”
The man’s words touched a sore point, but the swordsman wasn’t shaken at all. It was fatal for him to have lost his right arm. However, if he could fix his style, he could regain his original strength. It would take a long time, but it was worth it for the master who had rescued him from hell. His loyalty was one of the reasons why the man trusted him.
The man smiled gently. “… Ah, I can’t even joke properly.”
He didn’t know that the immigrant child he’d helped in his childhood would one day grow into his loyal right arm. It was because he didn’t show his ego that the masked man served him loyally. The man took out a box from behind him and threw it to the masked man.
“M-My Liege?”
“Open it.”
The item had been hard to obtain, even with his status. It was a reward for his subordinate, since there was no other person more worthy and dependable to handle it.
“This is a reward for your loyalty. I will shoulder the responsibility for this failure. I also understand how much the loss of one arm would affect you.”
“… My Liege!” 𝐨𝘃𝗹.
“I won’t say any more. Take it.”
The swordsman didn’t dare refuse and opened the box. Power burst out like an unleashed storm. The seal around the lock was released, and there was a silver light as the thing trapped inside the box broke free.
Flash!
There was a blinding light, and in the box, something in the form of a sword shone clearly.
The sword master couldn’t keep his composure any longer. This wasn’t something made by human hands but a relic from a forgotten history. No one below master level could even touch this blade.
It was the relic of a divine species which had lost its original name.
“Train your left arm so that you can use this in one year.”
The masked swordsman didn’t dare reply. He held the radiant silver sword to his chest and silently pledged allegiance to his master.
The man looked down at the emotionally overcome knight in satisfaction before staring into the air. “Not yet, not yet. In the next five years… I will bring down my incompetent father and change this empire.”
Andras had always cleaved to the law that the strongest was the most deserving to sit on the throne. So, in the Andras Empire, the royal family was the strongest. And their blood had never weakened since King Fernando took the throne.
The eyes of the empire’s third prince, Prince Fermut, shone.
***
After reaffirming their relationship with Elvenheim, the delegation and Theo passed through the new Red Plateau.
The concept of a few kilometers didn’t matter when they were accompanied by the White Tower Master. As the sun rose a day after they left the Great Forest, they had already crossed Meltor’s border. It was literally at a speed which couldn’t even be expressed with lightning. The old saying that those who walked were spoiled was moot, as the White Tower Master barely breathed roughly.
“… We will rest for thirty minutes. I don’t have enough magic power to use Mass Teleport.”
“Understood.”
However, there was a restriction on Shukuchiho. The group could move a great distance quickly, but the burden on the user was huge. Anyone who didn’t have the almost unlimited power of a 7th Circle would be depleted after a few uses. Well, even so, it was a charming magic.
Orta leaned against a wall and started rotating his circles.
Theo squinted at the White Tower Master.
If I can learn that space magic properly, it will be a great asset, but… I shouldn’t be too greedy.
He had met the sage at the Fountain of Wisdom, and right now, Theo’s power had already exceeded his own vessel. The power of Laevateinn, Umbra, and the essence extracted from treasure ranked artifacts… If he swallowed an artifact related to the White Tower Master’s space magic, it was possible that his remaining lifespan would become even shorter.
Five years… If I think about it properly, it is more like three years left.
His body would collapse. He didn’t know what that meant, but he could sense something ominous from it. It was clear that something bad would happen. So, three years… Over the next three years, he needed to build a vessel which could handle his abilities. Thanks to this incident, his name value and treatment would increase.
No, he shouldn’t take advantage of it.
You no longer need to eat and fight like a magician, but instead live like a beast. Explore the wide world and increase the size of your vessel as you bump into many people.
That was Myrdal’s advice. Theo could guess why Myrdal hadn’t mentioned the solution directly. The ‘vessel’ wasn’t a generic concept in Meltor, which was known for its magic knowledge. Instead, it was an unknown field which couldn’t be calculated or accessed. So, Myrdal had given an example that Theo could understand.
Just like how you once struggled through the years, do it again this time.
Five years after starting Bergen Academy, Theo had met Gluttony and grown into a magician. At the end of a long path without any hope, he had faced a fate which could be called legendary. If he had been told that at the time, he might not have acted so sincerely.
If so, what did Theodore Miller need now? Fortunately, he was accompanied by someone who could answer any questions.
A question and answer.
Once he returned, he would report his achievements to Kurt III and then ask Gluttony. In a sense, this time limit was due to using Gluttony’s power. It wouldn’t want to lose its contraction, so it shouldn’t be difficult to obtain Gluttony’s cooperation. Gluttony wouldn’t hesitate to teach Theo how to expand his vessel.
Of course, the fundamental question lay elsewhere.
The purpose and the identity of the other Seven Sins… and the truth of the world that I still don’t know about.
It was the fate of a magician to follow the mysterious and unknown. His immature self had no answer yet, and Orta had already finished resting.
The struggle with the legend ranked grimoire, the talk with the neighbors, and the unforeseen adventure had all ended. No matter what event was waiting for him this time, he had to go back…
… Back to the heart of the magic kingdom of Meltor, Manavil.