Genius Wizard Breaking Limits - Chapter 277



Only Noblemtl

Episode 277: The Dominion of Midlos

The sky flashes and lights up the dark forest.

As soon as the lightning strikes the ground, a blue light burst out.

Kwakwagwagwang!

A roar that pierces the eardrum.

Trees and grass were burnt black and turned to ash from the immense light and heat, and the stagnant rainwater evaporated.

Those who were nearby gasped and died at the same time.

“What… … ?!”

The brains of several wizards who sensed unprecedented magical power just before began spinning rapidly.

With desperate concentration, he immediately calculated magic to protect his whole body, but of course it was useless.

The best defense didn’t even buy a little time.

Dozens of assailants who were waiting for a signal in the woods on both sides of the road and some distance away died.

He had never used the arrows and magic he had carefully prepared.

Not all died though.

Oel and the others who were far away from the point where the lightning struck.

They were only swept away by the residual lightning carried by the rainwater, and passed out with only moderate burns.

A total of six people were captured.

Verden accurately complied with Padreld’s request.

* * *

“Ugh… … .”

Orel’s eyelids twitched.

As consciousness slowly rose, the first thing that came to my mind was the memory right before I fainted.

Light and irregular blue waves filled the field of view.

I could feel the sharp pain all over my body as if it were being hacked to pieces. It was so horrible that I never want to go through it again.

Oel groaned and moved his muscles with difficulty.

Not only were each of their arms and legs tied, but their bodies, paralyzed by the electric shock, had not yet recovered, making it difficult to properly control their bodies.

After trying several times, I finally got my upper body upright.

My vision was blurry.

“here… … go… … where… … .”

It smells dark and musty.

A faint vibration was felt on the floor.

When I desperately strained my eyes, I saw people who had fallen unconscious.

Like Oel, they are hired by the smuggler Hormens.

They collapsed with their mouths open, and their limbs were restrained with thick ropes.

As I was about to wake up, a shadow fell over my head.

“You woke up earlier than expected. I think Asher did the right thing.”

Padreld stood, holding a sharp dagger in his left hand.

Behind him, two escorts flashed cold eyes.

Oel’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

“L-pad… … Lel… … .”

“I don’t know who you are. You recognize me at once. It looks like I was the target. But you still seem to be insane. How many of these do you see now?”

Padreld, squatting down, stretched out his hand.

A middle finger adorned with a gray ring flickers in front of my eyes.

Oriel opened his mouth and raised his voice.

“one.”

“Cognitive abilities have come back. That’s it.”

Padreld calmly stretched out his arm.

hooked The dagger landed on Oel’s face. A trickle of her blood trickled out as the tip of her knife pierced her skin slightly.

Oel flinched at the heat that was the opposite of the winter cold.

“I heard that smugglers are plundering each other recently, but I did not expect them to attack me. Dare without fear.”

“that… … .”

“A quick look at the corpses revealed that there were many of them. Well, to be honest, if we were ready to die in the dark, we would have done quite a bit of damage. In that sense, it is regrettable for you. It just happened that there was a very, very dangerous person riding in my carriage.”

dangerous one? Who is it?

As I was thinking about it, a nobleman in a platinum robe suddenly came to mind.

“Well, anyway. As a result, there is no damage, but I lost face because of you. I was even given a bag of jewels, and conversely, I was even given an escort.”

Padrell frowned slightly and applied force to his fingertips.

The weight-bearing dagger went down little by little. The wound that was only a dot turned into a line, and three streams of blood flowed down Oel’s cheek.

“What is your name?”

“… … Oel.”

“Oel, from now on you will have to spit out what you know about this raid. Everything from who instigated it, what the main objective was, and who participated in the raid. Before my dagger splits that thin neck.”

Padreld gave a bloody smile.

Facing him, Oel had only one option.

* * *

Padreld, who went to get information from Oel, returned.

A skilful move to jump off the escort’s horse and climb onto the running carriage. At the end of the wagon he took off his cheap robe, covered in rain and blood, and walked inside.

“The interrogation ended quickly.”

“It was very easy because I knew there would be no point in holding on. And I’m a bit knowledgeable in this area. I lived a very difficult life until I got to this point. Especially when I monopolized Smuggler’s Gorge, I wandered between death and mortification.”

Padreld sat down.

I set the robe aside and wrapped myself in a relatively dry blanket.

“We were raided by former mercenaries and criminals who were paid by various smugglers. The six people Asher-sama captured were hired by a guy named Homens.”

“Do you know someone?”

“I’ve heard the name because I work in the same industry. Now I’m going to find it and delete it. Hmm, anyway, the Oel I just interrogated has been sneaking into my canyon in the Dominion. I want to target the time I come and make a surprise attack.”

Was there any important cargo?

Padreld scratched his cheek at Verden’s question.

“that… … In fact, there are some new items coming in this time. I had a chance to get my hands on it, and recently I heard that there is a demand for related products in the East Continent, so I secretly smuggled it. The money was quite broken, but they said it was being sold at a very high price.”

Padreld rummaged in his arms.

He took out a rolled piece of paper the size of his index finger.

Verden narrowed his brows.

“… … the beginning of the year? I know that distribution is only possible in some areas of the Central Continent.”

“Yes, as you said, tobacco is a sedative and a kind of favorite item produced only in the largest city-state in the Central Continent, ‘Gargant,’ and it is also a prohibited item that causes side effects if smoke is continuously inhaled.”

Tobacco’s main ingredient, ‘Calaim leaf’, is a rare pain reliever.

The advantage is that the moment you consume the smoke or juice, the soothing effect is immediately manifested.

However, it is moderately addictive, and when taken for a long period of time, there is a dangerous side effect of overtaxing the body and weakening the organ itself.

Permanent damage that cannot be cured with any miracle of Luas religion.

As a result, Luasism, a world religion, limited the areas where tobacco production and distribution were allowed, and imposed a strict ban on other places.

“Smuggling tobacco like that? If you are discovered by the Luas Bridge, not only you but the entire canyon will be destroyed.”

“you’re right. There are not one or two smugglers who were punished by Holy Knights for smuggling tobacco. And I am neither foolish nor reckless like those people. Now, let’s see.”

Padreld unfolded the curled paper.

Instead of the distinctive green powder used at the beginning of the year, black powder was revealed.

“This is a new product made by Gargant, ‘Faver’. Made from a special blend of plants, inhaling this black smoke temporarily awakens your senses as it dilates your blood vessels and speeds up your blood flow. In addition, there is an additional effect that makes the operation of ki steeper for warriors and accelerates the magic calculation speed of wizards.”

“Does this have that kind of effect?”

Verden rubbed his chin.

There was interest in the gaze looking at the black tobacco.

“It’s similar to some kind of enhancement potion. The portability looks good, but what are the side effects?”

“Rumor has it that when inhaled repeatedly, the body is quickly damaged and irregular sensory confusion occurs. The shorter the cycle, the more severe the intensity… . . In fact, it is a worse side effect than the beginning of the year.”

but.

“Tobacco, banned by the Church of Luas, is an absolute sedative. And Faber is the exact opposite, a stimulant. Although they may look similar, they are not the same thing as a pole. So, there is no problem even if you get caught by Luas.”

Padreld smiled.

“In other words, it is legal. At least until the Church of Luas enacts laws related to Faber.”

Maximize profits and get out of hand quickly before loopholes are closed.

Money can fly into thin air if the timing is off, but Padreld was the most skillful smuggler around.

He had that much confidence and skill.

“Anyway, I told you to keep it confidential, but I didn’t expect you to notice… … Information is also scary. No matter how hard I try to hide it, it leaks out at some point.”

Padreld sighed.

Showing greed like a goblin, protecting your property from thieves was a daunting task.

Of course, smuggling is also a high-level crime.

“Oh, are you interested in Faber? If Asher-sama has an idea, I can give it to you cheaply.”

“I’m sorry, but I refuse.”

Verden firmly shook his head.

I was surprised by Faber’s effect, but I had no intention of taking it. He hated any drug that damaged his body.

As an elemental mage, Verden had never learned professional alchemy, so it was not suitable for research.

Verden moved his gaze.

While we were talking, the winter rain stopped.

Beyond the dew-covered coachman’s seat, I could see the vast ramparts built between shallow mountains.

We finally arrived at the Dominion of Midlos.

* * *

The Dominion of Midlos means an independent territory and a city at the same time.

Padreld’s carriages roamed the wide avenues. The eyes of the citizens were focused on the modified wagon and the number of people in the dozens.

Verden peered through the carriage’s gap at the streets of the Dominion.

‘The atmosphere is worse than I heard.’

There is a slight tension in the entire street.

People walking along the street were wary, and in the alleys they passed by, a group of people with a bad impression settled down.

The eyes seemed to be looking for prey.

The rain has stopped, but the dark clouds remain.

The landscape, blocked from sunlight, was full of dull gray.

“I’ve never seen a city so gloomy.”

“It seems to have gotten worse while I was gone. Really, it makes the canyon look more cozy… … .”

After removing the blanket, Padreld put on a robe.

“Rather than that, I thought of a place for Asher-sama to stay, but nothing came to mind other than the rainbow-colored inn. Other inns are there, plus the beds aren’t very good for the price. So I’m trying to rent a building, what do you think?”

rent a building

“I leave that up to you.”

“All right. I’ll find out as I finish my work. In the meantime, Mr. Asher is relaxing in my warehouse… … .”

“No, I will move separately for a while.”

Verden was thinking of taking a look around the Dominion.

Even if I followed her to the warehouse, it would be all there is to waiting for.

“Ah, then an escort… … .”

“Not required. And you, too, will lack manpower.”

After storing contraband in warehouses, locking up Orel and other raiders, and bringing together the gangs in the Dominion, it took every single person to inspect the building.

‘And as far as I know, there is no one in the Dominion who can stand against Mr. Asher.’

In the first place, the king of the underworld was not someone who needed protection.

Padreld’s troubles were short-lived.

“Thank you for your consideration. We will go see you in person later. You can easily find it wherever you are, not in a back alley.”

Verden nodded and stood up.

The moment I was about to go outside, I suddenly looked at my body.

‘… … It stands out too much.’

Einver, always showing brilliance, was in stark contrast to the dreary Midloth Dominion.

I was quietly focused.

Whoa ah.

The platinum robe was dyed golden and disappeared.

Einver is an artifact belonging to Verden.

If you do this, resistance to external shocks will disappear, but immunity to poison and ability to see through illusions are still active.

And whenever you wish, Einver will immediately appear and protect Verden. It was not considered an artifact of the King of Darkness for nothing.

Verden, who hid Einver, was wearing dark blue clothes.

Clothes given as a gift by Merchant Conrad, whom he met in the past in the Principality of Riviant. Unexpectedly, it can be used for everyday wear, so I use it quite usefully.

Then, he took out a cheap robe from the subspace and wrapped it around his shoulder.

Padreld, who witnessed a series of scenes, asked cautiously.

“Asher, that was just… … .”

“It is an artifact.”

He said it openly without hiding it.

No one could take it anyway, and I had no intention of taking it away.

“Eh, an artifact I’ve only heard about… … !”

Padrell exclaimed in astonished admiration.

It certainly looked different, but I would have thought it was an artifact. It was the first time in my entire life that I had encountered the real thing.

‘Then, is the staff and that robe taken out of the air an artifact?’

Then there are several artifacts… … ?

As a smuggler, I wanted to ask because I had a naive question, but I persevered and swallowed the words with saliva.

Excessive curiosity was the way to shorten the name line.

Verden got off the carriage.

Padreld bowed politely.

“Then see you later.”

Right after that, Padreld continued.

“Ah, if you’re hungry on the way, you might want to go to the ‘Closed Wyvern’ tavern to the north. The owner there is good-natured and good at cooking. In the autonomous territory, it is a humane shop.”

“okay. I will remember it.”

After greeting, Pedrell and the others left.

Verden, who hid his face with a hood, looked around.

I didn’t really have the heart to do leisurely sightseeing, but there was one place in the Dominion of Middlelos that was quite nerve-wracking.

‘… … There he is.’

One of the three spires erected in the distance.

I saw the branch of the Mage Tower with the symbol of Bohemirn engraved on it.