The darkness of Eodom shrouded the fortress.
However, no one felt afraid. Rather, they trembled in a state of euphoric ecstasy.
“Ah… ah…”
The focus in the eyes of the maids, who had been trained to always maintain a modest composure, had completely unraveled. Their arms flailed pitifully as if they were reaching for a mountain of gold right in front of them.
It wasn’t just the maids. The servants, the butler, and even the wizards were all drooling. It was as if they were drugged, or perhaps witnessing some grand hallucination.
“L-Light! It’s mine!”
They perceived the darkness filling Marx’s Fortress as light. They coveted it and willingly embraced it with their entire bodies. Even as their flesh rotted into blackness, they cheered, claiming they were receiving the grace of light.
In an instant, the house of Marx, a family with a long and untainted history, had transformed into a den of madmen.
‘Damn it. This feels even more wretched than the battlefield back then.’
Black spots blossomed on the back of Roan’s hand as he repeatedly wiped his dry face. He was one of the elite wizards of Marx who had joined the Magic Alliance alongside Alan. More specifically, he was the deputy who had served at Alan’s side for a long time.
Roan gnawed on his fingernails. His actions clearly displayed the extreme anxiety he was suffering.
‘This is no longer the Marx of the past!’
The family he had served his entire life had changed overnight. No, it only appeared to have changed overnight. Looking back, a foul energy had surrounded the entire house from the moment they returned after ending the Plague War.
Yet, the retainers who had remained there seemed perfectly fine. It was only after Heaven’s Wrath descended that Roan and a few other wizards realized the severity of the situation.
The wrath of the heavens. The light contained within that overwhelming lightning had opened Roan’s eyes.
In the current state of Marx, where they could not see the darkness for what it was, only Roan and the wizards who had joined the Union remained sane. But even they didn’t have much time left.
Sss.
The darkness encroaching upon the back of Roan’s hand was accelerating with each passing day. He ground his teeth. The thought that he could not simply watch himself go mad dominated his mind.
“What about you all? Will you join me?”
He secretly gathered his comrades. He selected fifty wizards who would not transform immediately. They sought to escape the wicked trickery of the darkness.
“We are going to where the true light is.”
“… For the sake of Marx.”
Just as one seeks light only after the surroundings turn dark, Roan and the wizards yearned for the brilliant light that the young Swordmaster and the young master had once radiated.
***
Silence lingered by the lakeside.
Normally, such silence would have been uncomfortable, but now it was merely an interesting spectacle. Vallach and Alisa stared at each other.
One side was as calm and peaceful as a lake, but unfortunately, Vallach was not. His gaze was filled with a mountain of wariness, as if he were facing a romantic rival.
“I certainly heard that you traded both your eyes for the independence of the Kingdom, but I wonder if my memory is becoming hazy.”
“You heard correctly. These eyes only recently gained the ability to see again.”
“Hmph, I can imagine how.”
Vallach snorted and looked at me. It was a reproachful gaze.
“Even if you have cast aside the Battenberg name, I find it difficult to understand why you would show such favor to the eldest daughter of Marx.”
‘What could you possibly hope to gain from this woman— ‘
Alisa’s eyebrows twitched at his tone, which made his inner thoughts painfully obvious.
“Vallach, the Tiger of the North. Since you have entered the kingdom governed by the eldest daughter of Marx, you should maintain proper etiquette. At least while I am treating you as a guest.”
Her tone was different from when she spoke to me or Alan. It was clear that Alisa did not welcome Vallach’s visit. After all, the number of Marx wizards Vallach had cut down reached double digits. It was only natural for Alisa to display hostility.
‘I’ll have to mediate this properly so a fight doesn’t break out.’
Just as I thought that, Vallach spoke up.
“Ha! There is no need to treat me as a guest. Disciple, your master will teach you the first secret technique of the Sword Saint. Let’s return to the Northern Continent.”
Vallach’s wrinkled hand grabbed my wrist. Taken by surprise, I let out a confused sound and found myself being pulled along.
Grip.
Then, a slender hand grasped my other wrist.
“I do not understand why you are trying to take away someone else’s disciple. Don’t you think you are being excessively rude?”
“Disciple? I don’t know how you seduced Richard, but stop this nonsense. Richard is my disciple, the one and only heir to the Sword Saint.”
“How troublesome. Richard is the successor who will inherit my vision magic, the Eye of Laplace. Since I have made such an agreement with the boy, I cannot follow your words.”
This is why being popular is a problem.
I sighed as I looked at the old man and the young lady, who felt like they were about to tear my arms off. Then, the sparks suddenly flew toward me.
“You brat! Why did you let things get to this point!”
“Richard, I don’t fancy a disciple with such complicated master-disciple relationships.”
Their sharp eyes, which had been directed at each other, now stabbed into me. I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut for a moment.
It was all my own doing. I admitted that I might have been a bit greedy.
‘So what am I supposed to do? I can’t just wait forever for a master who wanders around all the time. I didn’t want to give up on magic either.’
After grumbling inwardly, I flashed a bright smile.
“Please be understanding, since your disciple is quite ambitious. This is my only life; how could I turn away from the desire to learn various things from such great masters?”
“Great master! There is no great master for you other than me!”
Vallach threw a fit. He began to vent his frustration, asking what the heir to the Sword Saint was planning to learn from a wizard, but then his voice abruptly stopped.
“Wait… look here, Alisa. Did you say Richard is the successor to your vision magic?”
It was a naturally exchanged sentence. However, Vallach belatedly realized the unnaturalness within that naturalness.
“I suppose I should call him a candidate for now. The Eye of Laplace is not such an easy magic to master.”
Vallach blinked. Then he clutched his head with one hand.
“Have I gone senile? I must be reaching my limit.”
“Master, what’s wrong?”
“Haha! To think you would learn magic! I’m hearing ridiculous hallucinations.”
The corner of Alisa’s mouth curled up. It was a blatant sneer.
***
Pop— !
Magic pierced through magic. The ring of magic, formed from a brilliant cluster of light, moved like an eagle. It flew fiercely through the air, snatching its target in a single breath.
It wasn’t that surprising. After all, it was only First Circle Magic. Even if its form was quite unique, it was merely the training of a novice wizard. It wasn’t a scene that should surprise a man like Vallach, who had been through all sorts of hardships.
“Good grief…”
Nevertheless, Vallach repeatedly wiped his face. The fact that the person performing that simple magic was his own disciple was more than enough reason for Vallach to be shocked.
“Ludwig! You should see this for yourself!”
Ludwig, who had expressed his heavy heart, saying that Richard had chosen religion over the sword. If he saw the current Richard, he probably wouldn’t be able to handle his disciple’s survival.
“It’s the end of the world. The end of the world, I say.”
If he could, he wanted to stop Richard’s training immediately. It didn’t matter how he had become able to handle magic. The most important fact was that Richard was a warrior who handled the sword.
“Disciple, don’t you know that too much is as bad as too little? Even if you dig only one well, it’s difficult to reach Transcendence…”
Transcendence. The ultimate state that everyone dreamed of. Wizards through magic, knights through martial arts. They each ran endlessly along the paths they chose. Even then, countless people were blocked by their limits and fell into despair.
He was anxious. Seeing his disciple weaving magic with such a lively face made Vallach feel a sense of urgency.
Even if Richard reached the level of an Archmage, he would never be able to reach Transcendence. If he devoted that effort and time to swordsmanship, many more possibilities would open up.
“Ahem!”
Pop— !
“Cough, ahem!”
Pop— !
Vallach’s coughing, intended to draw attention, was repeatedly drowned out by the sound of the magical explosions. The timing was far too coincidental.
“Tsk, do not disturb Richard. And you call yourself a master.”
Alisa, who was leaning against a tree, snapped at Vallach. Fire sparked in Vallach’s eyes.
“Do you realize that you are currently undermining Richard’s potential?”
“Potential, is it? Can you see Richard’s potential in your eyes?”
“I can see it! That boy is fully capable of reaching Transcendence.”
He was a disciple who always defied expectations. The achievement of already obtaining the Four Stars was proof of that. At Vallach’s confident tone, Alisa twisted her lips again.
“He certainly has magnificent talent. But I don’t see what the problem is.”
“I’m saying that learning magic at this stage is eating away at Richard’s talent. A wizard of your level should know well that every person has their own path.”
If he had been able to handle magic from birth, Vallach would have accepted it as Richard’s fate.
“Richard could not handle magic. That ring must have been obtained through some fortuitous encounter. Magic was never Richard’s path.”
“I agree. It is hard to see that as a natural ring.”
“And yet you took him as a disciple? You are the one encouraging that naive boy’s greed!”
Chuckle.
Alisa laughed softly. At that sight, a thousand fires erupted in Vallach’s chest. At the same time, he felt a deep sense of regret. He should have just cast everything aside and rushed here. Then things wouldn’t have turned out like this.
“Vallach. My eyes can see things that others cannot.”
Alisa stopped laughing and drew a magic array in her pupils.
“I am not the unreasonable person you think I am.”
“Don’t beat around the bush.”
“Hmm. Fine. I have an affinity for that boy. He is a friend of my youngest brother, and ultimately, he is the benefactor who fixed my eyes.”
The Eye of Laplace illuminated Richard. Inside him, she saw the silhouette of a massive cross.
“If the act of learning magic were harmful to Richard’s potential, I would have broken that ring with my own hands. It would surely be a power better left unpossessed.”
Alisa could not take her eyes off the cross. It was that brilliant and awe-inspiring. The Divine Power Richard had pulled out in the council chamber was truly only a handful.
How could a human soul be like that? No, was he even human? If he wasn’t human to begin with, it was wrong to apply the standard of human potential to Richard.
“Even with my eyes, which can see through everything, I cannot dare to guess Richard’s potential. So set aside your worries. Since it seems you haven’t seen your disciple in a long time, I will prepare some alcohol for you this evening.”
‘And you should hurry up and give him that carefully hidden gift.’
Alisa spoke with a pleasant smile.
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