quickening (3)
“Thanks to Your Highness for your concern.”
He seemed correct, unlike the time when he was poisoned and collapsed.
Of course, I don’t know if it would be appropriate to say that he looks correct in his appearance beyond his limits as a human being, rather than simply rejuvenation or something like that.
Anyway, it was only at that time when I was burning with revenge that I felt that I had taken off one layer.
I shrugged and said.
“How have you been?”
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“After making the magic crystals and reagents that Your Highness instructed, I spend the day training the child.”
“hmm… … It’s hard to think that it’s the only one.”
“Yes, actually I am training with him too.”
I had exceeded my limits, but unlike me, who was able to control it right away because I had experienced it once, it must have been a fawn-like stage where I couldn’t even properly control my body yet.
Making him do production-related work was part of that rehabilitation activity.
And, during that period, the mage tower lord continued talking with a grin, as if he had sufficiently measured and organized the new state.
“I didn’t expect that at this age I’d be able to train while putting down my work at the Mage Tower, but I feel like every day is new, perhaps because of the aftermath of my awakening.”
“Did you have any income?”
“hahahaha… … Unfortunately, I never got used to it.”
“Well, I guess.”
A sense of disparity that comes from the power you have.
That is what transcends human deity. I also couldn’t use an aura for a while right after I reached the level of a sword master before returning.
Didn’t the master of the Magic Tower also suffer from poison for a long time?
Although it was recovered through the reorganization of its body, it was only natural that it would become a hindrance to the movement of mana.
However, the magic tower lord seemed to find it strange.
“Nevertheless, it is true that I have adapted to this realm to some extent. But even so, I still can’t guess the level of power Your Highness possesses.”
“Hoo, is it?”
That was no different from what I said when I faced him who had woken up from poison.
But, to put it bluntly, wasn’t my power still not reaching the level before the regression called the absolute?
‘I guess it wasn’t simply that I couldn’t adapt to the level of the Archmage.’
Then it was said that there was something strange besides the aura that made up power.
That’s why I felt intrigued and asked.
“What do I look like in your eyes right now?”
“Hmm… … That is a very difficult question.”
… … difficult?
It was a very vague speech. As if trying to hide the correct answer.
But there was no sign of that on his face at all.
“I don’t see that as an excuse for not mentioning it.”
“Yes, you may not believe it, but it is.”
It’s not that you can’t see it, what do you mean it’s difficult?
As he continued his explanation, the expression on the owner’s face changed subtly as if he was troubled.
“The first thing you see is a red aura. It shines brighter and more intensely than any energy I have ever seen.”
At the same time, the owner of the magic tower left a strange analogy, saying that it is like the sun.
Perhaps as the Sword King. And it must mean my strength as the first prince.
It must be the Aura he has dealt with all his life, and the ‘Gyeong’ he has accumulated while reigning as the Absolute.
“But what you see next is the darkness of the abyss.”
“darkness?”
I tilted my head.
It’s dark… … Something to do with darkness to me… … .
‘no way?’
In an instant, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
It was because there was a place to put it.
“Are you talking about black magic?”
The catacombs where I went with Baron Vidor in order to regain the power of the past as soon as possible. The negative emotions collected by the black magicians who used them there.
After attacking and destroying myself in the form of Asus, it was the one I tried to eat slowly.
If the archmage felt strange, there was nothing else.
But it was strange.
‘That emotion must have been swallowed up by an aura?’
Because I took care of everything without leaving a single handful behind.
Above all, if such a thing remained in me in the first place, there was no way that the saintess who possessed the energy of light, the opposite energy, would not have noticed it.
Rather, didn’t she even show me a friendly look?
Sure enough, the Master of the Magic Tower shook his head and immediately denied it.
“no. I don’t mean that.”
“then?”
“… … What I feel is an infinitely shameful feeling and a forged single thought.”
“Hoo.”
Saying that, the Mage Tower Master looked very cautious.
That would be the case, because I didn’t have a single factor to do that to me now.
It would have been seen as an existence that only succeeds, handles everything confidently, and moves forward.
But I didn’t consider it a shame. Because that death was like a new opportunity given to me.
So I didn’t care, I just watched this situation with interest.
‘As expected, it’s fun.’
It is said that the eyes that have reached the truth penetrate even the foundation of all things. In particular, if he is the one who goes to the limit of magic, maybe he can see an unexpected benefit from that part?
Flash-!
The right arm hidden under the coat shone.
Before I knew it, instead of the pattern engraved on my arm, I was holding a ring with a black jewel. It was a form of temporarily artifacting the magic imprint.
I rolled the ring in my hand a few times before setting it down on the desk. Then, the eyes of the mage lord watching it twitched.
“… … It’s a strange object, but I can feel the familiar form of magic. Is that the artifact you used to heal me?”
“Yes, it is an ancient artifact. Let’s check it out.”
“ancient… … .”
The master of the magic tower blurted out the end of his words.
To call it ancient times was to refer to the time before the ‘Age of Chaos’, when the Great War of mankind took place. A time in the distant past, when even that record is scarce now.
“then… … Excuse me.”
He politely bowed his head and held out his hand.
Eventually, the Master of the Magic Tower, holding the ring in his hand, slowly stroked his chin.
“Hmm! That’s an interesting structure. Absorbing and releasing mana in the air to disturb the flow… … .”
“I guess you can even know that.”
“You’ll have to look closely to see the details, but you can get the basic gist of it.”
As expected, as expected from the name of a great wizard, he seemed to grasp its purpose at once. But it didn’t take long for that head to tilt.
“By the way, is this artifact complete?”
“hmm? Is there any problem?”
“No, rather than a problem… … Something doesn’t look normal in its shape.”
“hmm.”
I nodded and added, understanding what he was saying.
“Perhaps that’s what’s called the assimilation rate.”
Unlike artifacts with limited limits, magic imprints were artifacts that needed to improve their performance through steady use.
I told the owner of the mage tower about the future knowledge about him. However, even so, the expression of the owner of the mage tower after hearing the explanation did not intend to straighten out at all.
“I mean the assimilation rate… … .”
widely-
The mage lord put down the ring on the desk. Then he carefully mentioned the main point.
“Your Highness, I think the performance of this artifact will not end there.”
“Isn’t it over? What do you want to say?”
“scarce… … Or, it means that there will be something else that can fill the incomplete form.”
“… … what?”
… … Besides assimilation rate, is there something else that can boost performance?
My eyes, looking at the Master of the Magic Tower, narrowed in a puzzled way.
* * *
I had never thought that there would be something else in the magic imprint.
That’s also true, because I was already raising my assimilation rate faster than anyone before returning by using my aura and proficiency, and the assimilation rate that exceeded the critical point once was enough to become a disaster for any wizard.
But what if that’s not really the end? Like the mage lord said, what if it had a different true performance?
“… … .”
I silently stroked my right arm and recalled the explanation of the owner of the mage tower.
-It looks like it’s drawing mana from the air, but it’s actually absorbing elements.
-The mana in the air is the element that makes up the world. Are the two different?
-It’s completely different. That’s why there are now forms of magic that classify the elements.
After saying that, the Archmage concluded the facts he had guessed.
If you fully absorb the pure element, you will be able to use its power. In other words, you can handle the properties you want.
“It is a pure element… … .”
The knowledge of the future that I know is also not perfect. Even after that, there may have been a change in the theory, or a new fact may have been revealed.
Since I was a prosecutor, I didn’t know everything, and even if I excluded that, various knowledge could have been hidden without being thoroughly revealed.
The refining method of butterfly coral was such a case.
In that sense, the information I knew could also be biased knowledge. The knowledge that the true form of magic inscriptions may have been confined to tattoos.
Then there is only one thing I can do now that I have to conserve my strength for the war against the Federation Empire.
smart-
“Did you call?”
After returning from vacation, George temporarily puts his job as an aide down. And to gather information, he was moving busier than anyone else.
It was my order.
“Who is the manager at the top of the kingdom?”
“We are finalizing things about trade. Now, it is understood that merchants who will periodically retrieve butterfly corals are being decided.”
“Right.”
I gave George a new order.
“Tell the manager at the top.”
“What is it?”
“From now on, the quantity of Mithril produced in the Galderd Plain will gradually begin to be released to the market.”
“… … !”
asked George in amazement.
“To release the stock… … that… … !”
“It’s only a very small amount. Hide your identity and deliver the Mithril to them in Azran.”
The price of butterfly coral would skyrocket, but in the end it wasn’t a way to make a profit.
A means to become Esteban’s strength in the near future.
Therefore, an additional method was needed to fill the national treasury, which would become insufficient.
And, at this point, it was the most efficient way to secure it through the remaining Mithril as planned.
“Use the funds obtained there to purchase the things that have been reported this time.”
“Ah, yes I understand. Then I’ll go… … .”
“and.”
But my orders didn’t end there.
“Arendelle.”
“yes?”
“Report the events in Arendelle as soon as possible.”
My gaze turned to the continental map on the desk.
On the other side of the continent there. There was a country bordered by deep mountain ranges.
… … Arendelle.
there will be the answer i want
* * *
thud-!
As the massive iron door opened violently, the eyes of the aristocrats sitting inside the palace conference room were instantly focused.
The person who opened the door was a mere knight.
However, there were no shouts or reprimands for causing a commotion.
However, I prayed that the report that would come out of that soldier’s mouth would be light, and I just tried to hide the uneasiness that was on the face.
however.
“… … What happened?”
“Ah, I’m sorry to hear that the wall that guarded the northern part of the border has been captured!”
“what?!”
Unfortunately, fate has never been the way you want it to be.
That, too, was the worst situation out of the number of cases expected.
“Boo, the northern wall has fallen… … .”
The expression of the king leading Arendelle was severely distorted. He grabbed his head with both hands, barely holding on to his bewildered mind.
And, before long, the voice that I spit out was so gibberish that I didn’t even know what I was talking about.
“Sir Harfendel… … No, what happened to the knights who guarded the north?”
“Hyung, we have completely lost contact and there is no way to confirm.”
“Unbelievable… … !”
no way… … really?
Is it really that the last frontline has been pierced?
The reason Arendelle was able to stop the barbarians flocking in was because Harpendel, the best knight in the kingdom, and his knights were holding out in the north.
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But ‘that’ North fell.
It is as if the front door had been opened. If we continue like this, we will have to watch as our land is trampled by the hooves of barbarians.
The king managed to calm his trembling voice and said.
“Support… … Have you heard from the envoys who went to ask for help?”
He had already asked for help from neighboring countries, including the Commonwealth.
If they lend a helping hand, they will be able to drive out the barbarians moving south and maintain the front line.
But even that faint hope was not on their side.
“… … sorry. The Commonwealth refused support on the pretext of not having enough energy left, and neighboring countries are reluctant to provide troops because they cannot move their troops due to the cold.”
“… … Goodbye.”
It was hopeless.
If the cold winter continues, you can expect the fires of war to fade, but at least that was not common sense for barbarians who grew up in the harsh cold.
On the contrary, for those who did not receive any support, the coming winter would be nothing more than a reprieve like execution.
“The centuries-old history of Arendelle is coming to an end in vain… … .”
So the king hung his head in despair and lowered his head.
It was then.
A calm voice came out of someone who was deep in thought.
“Not yet.”
Twenty-two year old young crown prince.
He got up from his seat and let go of his tightly closed lips.
“It is still too early to give up. Is there no Esteban left?”
“… … Esteban?”
A small country sandwiched between the two continental powers, the Holy Empire and the Federation Empire.
… … Obviously, he did not send an envoy to Esteban.
But it wasn’t just because they were unreliable or because they had no diplomatic contacts.
“A wall called the Commonwealth Empire stands in the way between Arendelle and them. If they accept support, they will never be able to send troops.”
“… … .”
The Federation Empire cannot allow foreign troops to pass through its territory.
Even if they were diverted, the reinforcements would arrive only after the national fortune had fallen to the ground.
Then, the only way left was to send troops through the land of the barbarians, which was unrealistic.
Even so, the crown prince did not back down his claim.
“They are the ones who overcame the savage rebellion faster than anyone else. At least, I think it’s worth discussing this situation together.”
“Huh… … .”
“Besides, didn’t they stop there and even raid the barbarians’ land?”
“It is, but… … .”
It was a theory.
When the king as well as the nobles began to show signs of concern, the crown prince continued his argument so strongly that he did not even notice that his fists had turned white.
“Otherwise, there is no further prospect in Arendelle. Nor will there be any further future.”
“… … .”
If you don’t rely on them, all that remains is destruction.
A sharp expression without the slightest euphemism.
It is said that there is a separate hill for Bibil, but wouldn’t there be nothing to lose by trying desperately as the saying goes?
“… … If so, I will dispatch the envoys sent to the Commonwealth to Esteban immediately, as the crown prince wishes.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The nobles who heard the order bowed their heads.
At least for them, it was like chasing straw.