The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 107



Only Noblemtl

Pia’s judgment took precedence. Was it the enemy?

Black figures appeared on both sides of the road ahead, each holding a horse in his stead and approaching. They were clearly visible from afar on the white snow.

Combatants dressed in modern attire, thick fur coats, tactical helmets on their heads, and protective goggles and masks covering their faces.

Amelia, sitting in the seat next to them, calmly watched them and opened her mouth.

“Could they be highway robbers?”

It wasn’t a big deal. There was talk that the mining town had suffered damage from the demons this time and that public safety had been ruined. It was a situation where I couldn’t relax at all.

But Enoch simply denied the statement.

“no.”

Then he glanced to the side and shook his head at Shiroko, who was slowly raising her tail.

“There is no need to prepare for battle.”

“Huh?”

“The guard of the mining city.”

As expected, they signaled for us to stop. Enoch nodded to the rearview mirror, and the limousine driver stopped the car.

Enoch opened the car door and got out. Naturally, Scirocco also got out and stood in front of Enoch.

The people who approached Enoch as if surrounding him had armbands with the marks of their units on their left arms.

Of course, these are the ones who appeared in the original work.

It was thanks to that that I was able to find out who belonged.

And the fact that they appear here means that there are also people related to the Mining City Guard. Just then, someone approached from behind them.

Damn it.

The sound of metal clanking followed the sound of footsteps. It was the sound of a slender woman walking towards me.

“Step back.”

A few guards stepped back silently, clearing the way.

A woman walked out in a tailored khaki suit that accentuated her figure. She was striking in that she was carrying several small rectangular tactical pouches at her waist.

Her long hair fluttered in the cold wind.

The woman who had been quickly scanning this area suddenly passed Enoch and stopped looking for a moment when she reached Sirocco.

“… … .”

The moment their eyes met, the two of them unconsciously got into a fighting stance.

Swish.

Shiroko lifted her thighs slightly to the side, preparing to strike the ground. The woman who approached placed her hand on the staff attached to her waist.

It was the woman who spoke first.

“Suin Tribe… . Clearly, it was the current 9th rank squad?”

“that’s right.”

Sirocco answered in a low voice.

Her voice was free of any composure.

Judging by the tail standing stiffly behind its back, it seems to instinctively feel threatened, even though it was said earlier that there was no need to prepare for battle.

But there is no reason to take our strength from each other here.

Enoch took a step forward and opened his mouth.

“Even though they are the Suin Tribe, they won’t attack unless you attack them first.”

She glanced back silently.

Enoch looked at her calmly. He knew that the woman in front of him had a unique warrior-like nature. If that was the case, there was no need to treat her so closely.

“I think you should step back, 「Breakthrough Cavalry」. Equistel.”

“……oh?”

She narrowed her sharp eyes for a moment.

“Do you know me?”

“The inaction you showed in the past is still being talked about by some of the people within Elseid.”

A battle magician formerly affiliated with Elseid.

“The Cavalry of Breakthrough”, Equistel.

Of course, what I heard from the Elseid personnel was a lie. Because they were practicing voluntary Assa.

But in reality, her nickname and unique personality were so famous even in the original work.

Including a firm tone of speech that never uses formal language, no matter who the other person is.

And more than a dozen years ago, he returned to his hometown of Pangaion after being injured during an operation.

She soon took her hands off the stable first.

“I’m sorry for being so cautious. It’s just a habit.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Sirocco also slowly lowered his legs. Equistel turned his head away from Sirocco and extended one of his thinly gloved hands towards him.

“Let me introduce myself formally. I am Equistel. I am the leader of the Pangaeon guards. I am assisting the current elder.”

“Enoch Elseid. He is the Saint’s escort.”

Enoch took her hand.

Equistel said with a slight sparkle in his eyes.

“Oh. It may be a little late to say this now, but I have actually heard about it to some extent.”

“I see.”

“Even though it’s a remote city, I can easily hear the news about it in the media. It’s an honor to meet you in person.”

“so.”

Enoch quickly changed the subject back to the main topic.

“Why did you come all the way here to greet us?”

It still seemed like there was some distance to the proper entrance to the mining town. There was no reason to come out here and greet the procession.

Equistel glanced behind him.

“We’ve sent out an escort because there are still frequent attacks by demons near the city. In addition, there are avalanches on the road ahead, making it impossible for vehicles to move.”

“How long will it take to repair the road?”

“At least two days. It would be faster to just move the bare minimum supplies and head on foot.”

“… … .”

“We have to move before the sun sets. In the meantime, we can also convey some information about the situation in the city.”

Enoch nodded at Equistel’s suggestion.

‘It just so happens that it happened at the right time.’

Equistel has a strong and honest personality. Since she was the first to offer to convey the situation in the city, it was possible to collect reliable information.

Of course, it was better not to expose the saint as much as possible.

But it was obvious that being stuck here for two days would be riskier.

If the demons are still active, there’s no telling when they might attack.

Enoch looked back at the still half-open door of the limousine. His eyes met with the saintess who was listening to the conversation there. She nodded slightly.

“I heard the conversation between the two of you.”

“What do you want to do?”

The saintess spoke calmly, as if she had already decided the answer.

“Even at this moment, there are people inside the city who are suffering from a lack of medical support. I want to go there even if it means walking.”

Enoch opened the sliding door the rest of the way and lightly extended his hand.

“Then, shall we go?”

The saint nodded and took the outstretched hand.

Equistel, who was watching from the side, spoke briefly.

“The other healers will also move together. I will guide you to the elder and tell you about the situation in the city.”

***

Crackle, crackle.

The sound of countless footsteps echoed across the white snow field.

People in snow-white clothing walked across the white wilderness, and their breath also dyed the cold wind white.

The healers of the sect got out of the car. They were walking silently toward the city, not caring about the cold wind.

As Enoch was quietly watching, a woman’s harsh voice suddenly rang in his ears.

“A significant portion of the city’s infrastructure has now collapsed.”

Equistel walked slightly ahead of the saint and Enoch and explained the whole story.

“Since the demons attacked, the transportation conditions in the remote area have not been able to recover quickly. The mines are also not operating. The citizens’ income has also been cut off.”

“What a pity.”

The saint answered her calmly.

“But where on earth do the demons attack?”

“No one knows the full details. They just say that a demon suddenly emerged from inside the mine.”

Enoch frowned.

“Inside a mine? You didn’t know that?”

“Even the employees working in the mine said they didn’t know that there was a demon there. However, what is certain is that the city was trampled by them, and the damage to the guards who tried to stop them was also great.”

As expected. It was so strange that it was obvious just by hearing it. An unusual appearance regarding the devil.

It was the same in Rhodes before.

It would not be an illusion to feel like this is a story of a similar resolution, especially when compared to the original.

That’s exactly why I wanted to come here.

It would be nice if we could find out more about it.

Then Equistel continued speaking.

“When I returned after hearing the news after leaving the city for a while, the demons were no more. There were only eyewitness accounts that they had retreated somewhere during the night.”

“Then what about the mine now?”

“The entrance is currently closed. Access is also strictly controlled. If this situation is resolved, we plan to investigate the truth and crack down on the group.”

“We can help you with your training.”

The saintess, who had been walking quietly beside him, said.

But Equistel looked at her for a moment, then turned his head straight ahead and said.

“What I say from now on is my own opinion.”

“yes?”

“To be honest, I don’t have a very good impression of you, the church.”

“… … We will do our best to save lives.”

“It certainly was. I’m not denying that. But I have ears, too.”

Equistel shook his head.

“I heard from an acquaintance in another city. He said that some factions of the religious order sometimes use medical support as an excuse to negotiate ‘unfair contracts’ with the recipients.”

Unfair contract.

For a moment, the information he had seen at dawn flashed through Enoch’s mind.

「… … Recently, it has been discovered that a person named [Antenor], the escort officer, is directly involved in the medical support activities of the religious order and is controlling the situation to some extent.」

“In addition, during the process, intentional contact and interference with the subjects receiving medical support are suspected… … .”

As soon as the thought occurred to him, Enoch raised his head and quietly asked himself.

“The unfair contract of the cult, was it the cult leader’s bodyguards or someone called Antenor who was involved?”

“Okay. I hope you don’t ask where the information came from.”

Equistel nodded quietly.

“But one thing is certain: what you just said is consistent with what I heard.”

It felt like the puzzle pieces were finally falling into place. Enoch simply concluded.

“The church has become corrupt.”

Moreover, the leader’s bodyguard was so corrupt that he could not even know the end of his actions. I did not bring up such a story.

At least we’ll know the whole story.

The saintess spoke quietly, bowing her head.

“… … Certainly, it’s hard to deny.”

“So that’s why you called me.”

The saint nodded silently to Enoch’s words.

“There will be a meeting in this city. I will attend in person instead of the escorts. I will make sure that nothing goes wrong.”

Enoch went one step further and got to the point.

“The reason why they said that I, who am a hot topic as an escort, was needed was to prevent the escort officers from interfering with the meeting.”

“Yes, you are truly sharp.”

The saint nodded silently.

“You had an inkling of it from the middle, right?”

“I won’t deny it.”

It was easy to figure out her calculations.

The matter of Enoch is currently receiving a lot of attention in the Empire. If they are careless and intervene, their corruption may be completely exposed.

Ironically,

That was very similar to the reason Enoch had tried to avoid other people’s gaze as much as possible up until now.

Enoch raised his head.

Shadows were falling on the snow-covered horizon.

Before I knew it, half a day had passed.

Soon the sunset died down and night fell.

And the procession of healers following the saint was already heading towards the entrance of the village that was not far away.

***

A night in a city damaged by demons.

Above it, only white moonlight shone.

In the darkness of night, a city that has collapsed and broken here and there due to the attack of the devil. In the middle of a large city road where silence has fallen and even the streetlights have gone out.

The eyes of citizens who were quietly suffering from various injuries suddenly gathered one by one at the medical tents set up here and there along the dark roadside.

An inevitable scene was unfolding.

Someone opened their mouth and let out a small gasp.

“iced coffee….”

Moonlight streamed down onto the asphalt road.

And above that. Numerous healers were skillfully lining up to enter the mining city, centering around a saint walking through the middle of the city center.

The white hem of the monk’s robe, a symbol of the order, shone in the white moonlight and fluttered in the cold night breeze.

At the sight of that spectacle, silent exclamations came out from all over the city shrouded in darkness. It was a look of hope, as if one were seeing a savior.

“Ah, ahh… … !”

“It’s the saint… … !!”

But the saint simply walked calmly between them, without saying a word or making any gestures. That’s why she looked even more holy.

Enoch watched it for a moment from the back of the procession.

For now, there won’t be much of a problem since Shiroko and Lien will be by the saint’s side.

There was no reason to be included in the line and receive attention from all sides at once.

I guess I can come back when the visibility decreases.

At that moment, suddenly, someone approached from the side with a grumbling sound.

It was Anterno accompanied by his escorts.

“Enoch! What is this!”

Come to think of it, the escorts had headed to the village with a few guards on equipment like snow bikes to check on her whereabouts and the safety of her route.

Enoch tilted his head and replied.

“You speak so unintelligibly.”

Antenor shouted in fiery anger.

“This is ridiculous! How can you make a saint get out of a vehicle and walk in such a dangerous area?”

“You speak as if there were another way.”

“At least this wasn’t the best plan! If it were us, we would have provided a better escort than this.”

Antenor said with a frown on his face.

But for some reason, I didn’t feel bad about the sarcasm at all, because I already knew that this was just a tactic to make a fuss.

It’s not just a matter of picking a fight, it’s a desperate attempt to somehow move this side the way they want.

As expected, he kept reciting words that were obviously meaningless.

“While the saint is staying here, there will be a meeting with the elders. We will attend there with the saint and provide evidence…”

“As you wish.”

Enoch cut through the sophistry with aplomb.

Antenor’s face immediately crumpled.

“Ugh!”

At this point, it was so sad that I almost started laughing. Besides, I guess I should also know why they were so desperate.

Now that I have their weaknesses, I have no intention of leaving them alone.

The mission of the Saint’s Guard has already begun. However, the work to get what this side wants starts from now.

Enoch smiled faintly.

Anyone can see that the escorts are the ones who are getting antsy. Since we have figured out the whole story of the incident anyway, we have the initiative to control them.

Now, all that remains is to thoroughly strip away what is necessary.

Well then, how should I play with it from now on?