7
Why?
Why does hearing that voice bring an inexplicable sense of relief?
“Open your eyes and look straight at me.”
Ban raised his hand.
“I’ll show you a new horizon.”
At the same time, paaah!!! A massive star rose with a brilliant light.
‘Magic circle?’
It was the seal that bound the Lord of Shadows!
‘How? Interference with the laws of magic, perhaps?’
The expression on the face of the sword reflected disbelief.
The magic circle physically fixed the star of mana and activated it as the power source inside.
Stable, but interference from the outside was extremely difficult.
Especially if it was a high-level magic circle that could bind the Lord of Shadows.
However, half of them were accomplishing the impossible with a nonchalant face.
And not only that.
“Disappear. Insignificant specter.”
With that arrogant command.
Boom.
The star of the magic circle trembled.
The nature of the star had changed.
Not just a simple ‘restraint,’ but ‘destruction.’
‘A change in the laws!’
The eyes of the sword widened as if about to tear.
Beyond interfering with the laws, it was changing them.
The level of difficulty was, of course, needless to say.
“What? Am I seeing things?”
However, it was not a lie.
The magic circle, transformed into destruction, began tearing apart the Lord of Shadows.
-Kraaa!!!
The Lord of Shadows screamed, but it was futile.
Like cutting off the breath of a trapped beast, the magic circle destroyed the core of the Lord of Shadows.
“No, this can’t be.”
Looking through the hazy vision due to mana depletion, I gazed at Ban.
Ban remained unchanged.
There was no hint of doubt or hesitation, as if creating an unimaginable miracle was the most natural thing.
“You will come to respect this guy.”
With those words brushing past as the last, consciousness faded along with the sword.
* * *
“I almost messed up.”
My heart pounded thump-thump.
“What’s with the 90.3% win rate? We almost failed!”
There are two strategies to defeat the Lord of Shadows.
First, capture him with strength.
It was almost impossible.
The more common method is to manipulate and transform the magic circle, just like I did, to destroy the core.
“It was originally intended to destroy the core of the demon lord, but it failed and became a sealed magic circle.”
The reason it required at least three protagonists of the mage class to conquer.
I thought it would be possible with my mastery of magic skills, but I immediately hit a snag.
“I have no idea what kind of spell this is.”
Of course.
The knowledge of magic I had accumulated was only at the level of a third-tier mage.
On the other hand, this magic circle was created by combining the power of eighth-tier archmages, so I had no idea what kind of spell was used.
“Darn. What should I do? Should I run away?”
But I shook my head.
“No, I can’t give up.”
If I ran away, there would be no way to obtain mana.
I couldn’t win against the duke in a duel, and the likelihood of being forced into the military or a government position was high.
“I must win for my sweet future!”
Fortunately, I had the presence of the sword.
It was at that moment when I was struggling to figure out a way, using the sword as a shield.
Things began to change.
“…I can see the structure of the magic circle.”
I still didn’t know what kind of magical spell was used.
It was a matter of ‘knowledge’.
Even so.
“…I think I have a rough idea of what role each star plays.”
– I see through the essence of magic!
Once again, I realized how fraudulent the nature of magic practitioners is.
“But how can it be transformed into a destruction spell?”
I don’t know.
But.
“It seems like this should work.”
It wasn’t a judgment based on knowledge.
It felt more like an animalistic intuition.
“…Is it really possible?”
There was no certainty.
But I had to try.
“Open your eyes wide and look. I will show you a new horizon.”
With the charisma of the Black Flame Dragon’s form, I barely succeeded in vanquishing the Lord of Evil Spirits!
“…Is it over?”
It seemed so.
This message came to mind.
-Achievement Unlocked: ‘Banishment of the Lord of Evil Spirits’ from Hidden Peace!
-You have received a reward!
-You obtain scattered ‘mana’!
“Alright!”
I cheered inwardly.
The Lord of Specters was an astral body made of mana, without a physical form. By banishing it, I could obtain a considerable amount of mana, comparable to a potent potion. It was an amount of mana that would take magicians at least 10 years to accumulate.
“I can’t expect such an effect due to my mana insensitivity.”
As mentioned earlier, my absorption ability was only about 1% of that of magicians. The mana I obtained this time was not even close to ten years’ worth, barely exceeding the amount for a month.
“Even this amount is tremendous for me.”
It was about half of half the mana of an ordinary 1st-rank apprentice magician. It might be considered “insignificant,” but it held great significance for me.
-You have obtained the title of “Banisher of the Lord of Specters”!
-The charisma of the Black Flame Dragon becomes even stronger!
I wore a bewildered expression.
The charisma was unnecessary, as it was already overflowing.
“Ugh. Let’s go in and rest now. Well done.”
However, there was something I was forgetting.
“This guy… What on earth did he do?”
A chilling voice filled with anger.
A middle-aged man with eyes sharp as a blade appeared, glaring at me as if he wanted to kill.
It was the Duke!
“So, you’ve come. As my father has seen. My son has destroyed the seal of the Lord of Demons with a sword…”
I felt a pang of doubt midway.
‘Will the Duke believe me?’
Of all times, the witness, Kal, is unconscious.
He won’t come to his senses for at least 2-3 days due to mana depletion.
As expected.
“Shut up!! You defeated the Lord of Demons?! Tell a lie that’s at least believable! How can you be so helpless?!”
The Duke yelled, turning bright red.
It seemed like he thought I caused the accident, and Kal fixed it.
A reasonable reaction.
‘It would be best to let it slide.’
It would have been a problem easily resolved if I had just waited quietly until Kal woke up, but instead, I shook my head.
An idea for a potential gain came to mind.
Coincidentally, responding to the Duke’s pressure, the ‘Charisma of the Black Flame Dragon’ came to my aid.
“Father, I clearly stated that I defeated the Lord of Demons.”
“What…!!”
“If my words are true, what will you do?”
“!!”
The duke was taken aback.
“Ecclesia, the noble lineage of justice and divine. Even if he is a father, if he has subjected unjust persecution, shouldn’t he rightfully bear the responsibility?”
The duke wrinkled his forehead in bewilderment.
What’s wrong with this guy? His face seemed to ask.
“If I win the duel, not only will he apologize for the misunderstandings so far, but also fulfill the request I desire.”
“Ha!!”
The duke let out a hollow laugh as if finding it absurd.
“Fine! Do as you wish. However, remember this. The duel will take place immediately tomorrow, and if you cannot prove your words, you will be expelled from the lineage right there.”
I nodded.
“May I add one more thing? It’s advice for the honor of my father.”
“What?”
“During the duel, it’s advisable to have as few spectators as possible. The fewer witnessing the shame my father will endure, the better.”
“!!”
The duke clenched his teeth.
I swallowed hard under the intimidating gaze that seemed ready to kill.
It was frightening, but I didn’t look away.
“The duel has already begun. If I retreat here, I lose before even fighting.”
I recalled the times I argued with clients during business.
Business is tough.
Always maintain a dignified posture, but that doesn’t mean you should just bow your head.
At times like now, you had to show strength when needed.
Even if you were nervous and trembling.
On such days, the Black Flame Dragon helped.
I met the gaze of the Duke with an arrogant and confident look, and in the end, it was the Duke who turned his gaze away first.
“Prepare yourself for tomorrow.”
Swoosh, the Duke disappeared with a drawn sword.
As I stepped outside, Hans greeted me with a chick-like face, waiting anxiously.
“Lord Gong! Lord Gong, you have indeed defeated the Lord of Evil Spirits, right? Of course! I believed in you! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty! But why is the Duke behaving like that?”
Hans shot a glare at the Duke.
“Could it be a misunderstanding, persecuting Lord Gong? I will go and explain it properly!”
I shook my head.
“It’s okay, just stay quiet. Everything will be revealed tomorrow anyway.”
I had been exuding confidence for a reason all this time.
＜Judgment of the duel will be revealed tomorrow!＞
– Probability of the Duke being hit: 100%
It was an absolute victory.
* * *
“Father, are you really going to duel with Ban?”
A young man with a neat impression.
Eclesia Duke’s eldest son, Ron, asked the duke.
“Yes.”
“…But isn’t it unlikely that a duel with my father and Ban will take place? Since Ban will foolishly join the military, shouldn’t father understand…”
“I’ve already understood and waited long enough. For over 20 years.”
In response to the duke’s cold answer, Ron closed his mouth.
‘Ha. Ban, this troublemaker. How did it come to such a major incident.’
Ron sighed.
He was more sympathetic towards his younger brother, Ban.
“Well then, how about keeping the duel private? For Ban’s honor.”
The duke furrowed his brow.
He recalled what Ban had said.
-It’s better to have as few spectators as possible. The fewer people who witness the shame father will experience, the better.
‘This lunatic.’
With a firm expression, the duke said.
From Noble mtl dot com
“The duel will take place in the training grounds. Let the White Eagle Knights be the witnesses.”
“Father?”
“This time, it’s better for Ban to thoroughly realize his own shortcomings.”
The duke was planning to expel Ban after tomorrow.
If that’s the case, it would be right as a father to give him the final admonition.
In the slim chance that the lad comes to his senses.
‘…What on earth is he trying to achieve?’
Ron worried about his younger brother with a dark expression.
The news of the duel between Ban and the Duke echoed throughout the Duke’s residence.
“Have you heard? Ban Gongja challenged the Duke to a duel.”
“A duel? Is that some absurd, insane talk? Is that troublemaker Gongja out of his mind and wanting to die?”
“I heard this duel is the last straw, and they’re going to expel Ban Gongja from the family.”
“Ha, finally? It feels refreshing. That trash being born in the prestigious Eclesia Duchy. Should have kicked him out sooner.”
“Still, recently, he hasn’t been causing any trouble.”
“Instead, hasn’t he gone even crazier? Delusional grandeur or something.”
“Well, how crazy must one be to challenge the Duke to a duel?”
Laughter and mockery erupted from the Duke’s household towards Ban.
Especially the White Eagle Knights, affiliated with the Duke, showed more than laughter; they displayed anger.
“Dare to challenge the Duke to a duel?”
“He doesn’t even know his place.”
Among the knights, there was none who didn’t respect the Duke.
Even before, there was tension between Ban and them, but daring to challenge the Duke to a duel without even knowing the context.
The knights awaited Ban in the training ground with a fierce demeanor.
“No need for the Duke to lift a finger.”
“We’ll turn him into a puddle before he even steps into the dueling ground.”
The knights silently exchanged glances.
When Ban appears, focus on intimidating with the momentum.
There was no way for an ugly creature like Ban to endure.
And then.
“He’s here!”
A handsome man, to the extent that a sigh comes out just by looking at him.
Ban had appeared.