Episode 49. Enjoy Your Youngest Life
“Ah…!”
Verdiene screamed in agony.
A strange energy was entering his body through his back, destroying the circle in his chest.
The magic power of the circle leaked out of his body.
Feeling that chilling sensation, Verdiene felt fear.
“S-sto… stop… Ugh!”
Sirius spent enough time draining the magic from Veridian’s body.
Compared to Valerian, it was clean but still had some murky parts.
Nevertheless, once properly settled, it would be quite a support.
“Stop, stop… aaah!”
In the end, Veridian let out a scream like a dying beast and fainted.
But Sirius did not stop.
He had to destroy all seven of Veridian’s circles, rendering him unable to use magic.
* * *
How much time had passed?
When Veridian opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in a corner of a shabby rural diner.
“Huh…?”
“Awake?”
Veridian felt a chill run down his spine as he confirmed Sirius sitting across from him, leisurely eating.
“What… what’s going on…?”
Right after, Veridian was taken aback.
The powerful magic of the seven circles that had been firmly lodged in his chest… was all gone.
“My magic…!”
“Don’t make a scene.”
“What… what have you done?”
“What have I done.”
Sirius calmly spoke as he moved his fork.
“I got rid of your circles. Now, you won’t be able to use magic.”
“How could you…!”
“Is there a problem?”
Looking at Veridian’s shocked face, Sirius coldly retorted.
“Would you rather choose death? Isn’t it better to take away your magic than to take your life?”
“What…?”
“Thinking of striking back at me? If you don’t want to be backstabbed by a 7-circle mage, it’s safest to simply eliminate the circles themselves and prevent the use of magic.”
“…”
Veridian was speechless.
“Well, let’s leave it at that.”
“No, what…?”
“I checked your body and found that I’ve created pathways for magic to flow throughout your physique.”
“!”
While Veridian was unconscious, Sirius carefully examined his body.
As a result, Sirius realized that Veridian had spread magic throughout his body to enhance his physical abilities.
The reason Veridian with a slender physique could grab Sirius’s dagger and run through the forest was all due to enhancing his body with magic.
This… was not the way ordinary wizards used magic.
“…….”
“Even magic swordsmen can only strengthen their blades, not their own bodies. If you try to enhance your body with magic, it will end up breaking you.”
Just a while ago, Ulten Schwain, in his final struggle, reinforced his body with magic.
However, his blood vessels burst, leaving him covered in blood.
“But you were different. You were naturally enhancing your physical abilities with magic.”
“…….”
“Is the Alliance researching the technique of enhancing the body with magic?”
This was an intriguing topic.
The idea that there are factions trying to implement powers similar to martial arts through magic.
“Do I have a reason to tell you about that?”
“Well, yes.”
“As I’ve already mentioned, I have no intention of disclosing internal Alliance information to you.”
Verdian stared at Sirius and said, “If you want to torture me, go ahead. It won’t work on me.”
“Have you received training in enduring torture?”
“Of course.”
“Your master seems quite harsh.”
“…….”
After confirming Verdian’s expression, Sirius spoke again.
“Verdian, if you genuinely admire the Poison King and pledge loyalty to him, I will respect that.”
“Me?”
“But that’s not who you are. Perhaps you ended up under the Poison King for some reason, but you’ve been indoctrinated since childhood to have a mindset of absolute obedience to him.”
“…….”
“That’s called brainwashing, Verdian.”
Brainwashing.
Verdian bit his lip at the word.
“If you refuse to speak due to some belief, then I could just dispose of you here. It’s too futile to cling to someone who absolutely won’t talk, subject them to torture, force-feed them drugs… it’s… just too futile.”
“…….”
“It’s also about respecting your beliefs. If someone holds clear beliefs, even if they’re labeled as villains, I believe there’s a need to respect them. Of course, there’s no need to forgive, but respect is important.”
Even if the other person is a renowned villain in the martial world, if they hold firm beliefs, they are worth respecting.
However, respect here means cutting off the airway properly.
It’s the right thing to do when dealing with people who hold beliefs.
“But Verdian… people like you are different. You don’t form beliefs and act based on your own judgment; you just follow a mindset that someone else has instilled in you.”
“…….”
“I don’t need to respect the beliefs of such people, do I? Isn’t that right?”
After saying that, Sirius resumed his meal.
A while later, Verdian cautiously spoke up.
“So… what are your thoughts on me in the end?”
“Are you planning to torture me in the end?”
“I don’t do that.”
Sirius lowered his head.
“Trying to torment a kid like you only puts me in a bad mood.”
“….”
Verdian’s expression turned unpleasant.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“From now on, you will be the youngest of the Celestial Sword Sect.”
“…?”
Verdian doubted his ears for a moment.
“What did you just say?”
“You will become the youngest of the Celestial Sword Sect.”
“….”
Even after hearing it again, he couldn’t grasp the meaning.
“It means exactly what it sounds like. You will take on the role of the youngest.”
Sirius spoke in a leisurely tone while having a meal.
“You’ll do chores, cleaning, laundry, errands… all the tasks befitting the youngest.”
“Yes…?”
“Still, for a while, you’ll have to follow me around, so there won’t be many people bothering you.”
“No, but…”
Verdian still found it difficult to understand what was being said.
“Among those I accompany now, there is a young lord named Velid. Do you know him?”
“Yes, I’m aware but…”
“You rank lower than that lad.”
“Yes?”
Verdian also knew well who Velid was.
The arrogant second son of the Albraim family.
A sycophant who trailed behind Sirius and swung his sword recklessly anywhere.
And… lower in rank than such a person?
“If Velid says, ‘Youngest, bring me a glass of water because I’m thirsty,’ you must bring him the water. If he says, ‘Youngest, polish the sword I’ve been practicing with,’ you must polish the sword until it shines.”
“….”
“Velid might not beat you up, but he might give you a good squeeze. I, too, occasionally give Velid a good squeeze.”
Verdian imagined for a moment in his mind.
Running errands while being bullied by a pompous, 5th-circle brat.
That… was a humiliating experience even harder to endure than torture.
“Just so you know, don’t even think about running away.”
Sirius stated in a cold, firm voice.
“Wherever you flee, I have the ability to find you.”
“Every time you indulge in frivolity, you’ll end up regretting it. So, it’s best not to entertain useless thoughts.”
Verdian felt his body trembling.
Sirius had no intention of freeing Verdian.
Even if Verdian attempted suicide, Sirius would thwart it with lightning-like speed.
“Verdian, you’ve been wrong from the start. So, from the beginning… you should start over from scratch.”
“…”
“To completely root out the mindset the Venom King planted in your head, there’s no other way.”
“!”
Sirius recalled an old memory.
Among the twelve elite guards of the Thousand Demon Division, there was a figure similar to Verdian.
Seryeon, who had been abducted by the Thousand Demon Sect and raised as the successor of a demon, had a past similar to Verdian’s.
After capturing her, Baekmurang took pains to correct her twisted mindset.
They stripped her of her martial arts skills and treated her like an ordinary disciple of the sect.
Seryeon fiercely resisted. It was difficult for her to endure being bullied by weaker opponents like Oriang and Jajun.
But through such experiences… even Seryeon acquired a human heart.
She was reborn not as the successor of a demon from the Thousand Demon Sect but as the youngest member of the Baekmurang faction.
Transformed in this way, she played a crucial role in toppling the Thousand Demon Sect in the future.
From Noble mtl dot com
Sirius hoped that Verdian could undergo a similar transformation.
From the moment he saw the look in Verdian’s eyes behind the mask, he felt a resemblance to Seryeon.
“Whether you tell me about the alliance now or later doesn’t matter. We’re not going to fight the alliance anytime soon anyway.”
“…”
“So, enjoy your time as the youngest member. I’ll wait for you to be reborn.”
Sirius raised his glass as if to toast.
“For rebirth.”
With that, Sirius coolly downed his drink.
Watching him, Verdian trembled.
Verdian still couldn’t fully understand what Sirius was saying.
But it was clear that the gates of hell had opened ahead.
Until yesterday, Verdian had a proud demeanor.
As a direct disciple of the formidable Venom King, a prominent figure in the alliance, even at a young age, he was a mage with the power of the 7th Circle.
Even the high-ranking officials of the Eastern Branch couldn’t treat Verdian lightly.
Yet, overnight, he found himself in a humiliating position, being ordered around by a pretentious 5th Circle mage.
How was he supposed to accept this disgraceful and demeaning situation?
*Sob…*
In the end, Verdian began to sob.
He thought it would have been better to be killed or tortured than to endure such treatment.
Tears welled up in him out of injustice.
*Sob…*
In tears, Verdian glared at Sirius.
But Sirius only gazed back with eyes that said, ‘No matter how much you cry, it’s pointless.’
This man is never the one to look out for himself.
Understanding the desperate reality, Verdian shed more tears.
* * *
“You arrived earlier than expected, Yustia.”
“Yes, Letitia, my sister.”
Nodding, Yustia glanced at the woman beside her.
She was Letitia Regal, the youngest daughter of the Regal family, resembling Yustia but with a more glamorous appearance.
She had married the son of the prominent southern family, the Letwood family, a few years ago.
Although she had been staying in the south, she returned to her family’s estate upon her father Rutvein’s request.
And while assisting in rebuilding the Regal family, she ended up accompanying the envoy to the Agtas family.
“To be honest, it still doesn’t feel real. That the Agtas family would submit to our Regal family.”
“Rather than the Regal family, it’s submitting to Sirius, isn’t it?”
“Hmph, boasting about your husband?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
Yustia tried to explain, but Letitia just chuckled without paying attention.
“Yustia, Sirius might be a proud husband to you, but I don’t like your husband.”
“Sister…”
“Frankly, I still don’t understand. How could he hide such remarkable power all this time?”
“… “
“How can you trust someone like that? What if he betrays you in the end?”
This wasn’t the first time Letitia had said such things since returning to the Regal family.
From Yustia’s perspective, it was frustrating.
Sirius was the one who saved the Regal family in crisis and led them to a new path.
But could Letitia, who had been living leisurely in the south, really say such things to Sirius?
“Sirius… is someone you can trust.”
“Ugh, you’re head over heels for your husband, head over heels.”
“Sister, that’s not what I meant…”
“No matter how much you love your husband, you need to be rational about this. What if your husband betrays you?”
“… “
Yustia let out a silent sigh.
“First, meet Sirius in person and talk to him.”
“Alright. I will meet your husband and find out his true feelings.”
As they had this conversation, the envoy entered a small village.
“Your husband hasn’t arrived yet, right?”
“That’s right. We arrived too early.”
Today, Sirius was supposed to come out to meet them in advance.
After joining them in this village, they were scheduled to head to the Agtas family with Sirius’s guidance.
“In that case, let’s grab a meal. The rations are not to my liking.”
“There’s a restaurant over there, perfect timing.”
“Eating at such a shabby restaurant?”
“Sister, it’s common in a village like this.”
“I don’t like it though…”
“Then let’s check out the atmosphere and decide.”
Yustia headed towards the restaurant with Leticia.
Peeking inside, Yustia confirmed, “Huh? That person…”
“Sirius…?”
A familiar face was seen in the restaurant.
Sirius had arrived early and was having a meal there.
However, Sirius wasn’t alone.
He was sitting across from a girl with beautiful platinum hair, who was shedding tears with a wounded expression.
Yet, Sirius seemed indifferent, sitting there with a nonchalant expression, whether she cried or not.
What on earth was going on?
“Yustia, your husband is having a meal alone with a young girl… making her cry…!”
As Yustia listened to her sister’s voice shaking her shoulders, she felt a headache coming on.