The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 55



Only Noblemtl

Episode 55. The Last of the Water People (3)

“Not only did you show your shameless face here, but you want me to trust you guys?”

When Enoch returned to the operation vehicle.

There, the wizards of Elseid were in the midst of a fierce confrontation with the warriors of the Suin tribe village.

“Elseid. Surely you won’t say that you have forgotten what the Empire and you did to us?”

The surroundings were chaotic with crowds of people.

The Suin warriors surrounded the operational vehicle, carrying on their shoulders weapons that resembled stone axes.

“… … .”

On the other hand, the magicians of the family stood in front of the operation vehicle, facing them with cold expressions without saying a word.

‘I guess since I’ve been given a public family mission, I can’t move around as I please.’

One of the men at the forefront shouted loudly.

“So you ask, why on earth did you come here?”

One of Elseid’s wizards answered briefly.

“I just came here on official business.”

“Official? How funny. Who the hell abandoned us without even treating us like human beings…!”

At that moment, the voice of the water man who was growing more and more agitated towards the Elseid wizards was cut off by another voice.

“Okay, who are you?”

Enoch.

The eyes of the magicians of the family were all focused on him.

“Oh… Master Enoch!”

However, most of the wizards who had been calmly watching the people until just a moment ago had an embarrassed expression on their faces when they saw Enoch who suddenly appeared.

In a situation where both sides were on the brink of war, the direct descendant, the one who needed to be protected the most in the family, appeared.

However, it seemed that they could not move as other Suin warriors were blocking their way.

at that time.

“If you are Enoch, then you must be a direct descendant of Elseid.”

One of the Suin warriors, carrying a saddle on his back, strode towards Enoch with an intimidating stride.

A male with canine ears on top of his head. He had a muscular build and was about the same height as me.

“I am Coyotl, the leader of the warriors of this village.”

The man who called himself Coyotl appeared to be the highest ranking warrior among the tribe.

He stared at Enoch for a while and then said:

“Young direct descendant of Elseid. As a warrior commander, I would like to ask you one thing. Why on earth did you come here?”

Coyotl spoke to Enoch, who still maintained a calm demeanor, in a tone filled with anger.

“Even before the Suin tribe was pushed out to the southern part of Elseid territory in the distant past, the imperial people have been persecuting us!”

He took a step closer to Enoch and said:

“And Elseid ignored our constant calls for help as we were pushed back to the south where demons were rampant! Surely you wouldn’t say you forgot!”

Enoch nodded absentmindedly.

“so?”

“Directly, we will solve our village’s problems. Now, Elseid, who neglected us, is interfering. Anyone can tell that she has other calculations…!”

At his words, Enoch tilted his head and responded calmly.

“There is a separate calculation, of course.”

“What…!”

“But whether there is a calculation or not, you should be grateful for the help. Do you still not understand the topic?”

Even the wizards of the family were shocked by Enoch’s bombshell statement right in front of Suin.

It is unthinkable that this is a direct statement from the Elseid Counts, the pillars of the empire.

Even Coyotes hesitated for a moment, as if he had not expected to hear such words in front of him.

“At least they should resolve it among themselves without harming unrelated people. The Suin Tribe outcasts attacked and harmed civilians living nearby as well as the magicians belonging to our clan.”

Enoch spoke in a low voice.

“But if you don’t have the strength to solve it, will the problem be solved by bringing up past wounds?”

Coyotes opened his mouth as if to refute, but in the end, he was unable to say anything.

“Didn’t you say earlier that the Mercenaries were treated like beasts in the empire?”

Enoch added with a low laugh in front of the increasingly grim expressions of the warrior crowd.

“At least your actions right now are no different from those of proud beasts.”

Coyotes face distorted for a moment.

In a flash of anger, he lifted his horse and took a threatening step towards Enoch.

“bloke…!”

His sudden action caused other magicians from other families to quickly come forward behind Enoch.

But Enoch moved a beat faster than they did.

And the next moment.

A sight that made all the wizards of the family doubt their eyes unfold before them.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Coyotes came out with great spirit.

A painful cough erupted from his throat.

Kwak.

Enoch Elseid was holding the water warrior Coyotl by the neck with one arm outstretched and subduing him.

– … … !!!

All the people watching from behind and the Elseid family’s dispatched personnel were frozen in place at that sight.

The magicians from both sides who were about to move to help the tribal leader and his immediate family all stopped.

That’s impossible.

A tribe of beastmen with physical abilities that are clearly incomparable to those of ordinary people. Coyotl is a member of a group of warriors who are particularly skilled in combat.

Of course, they may have let their guard down for a moment as their blood pressure rose with anger, but even so, the overwhelming physical abilities of the Suin tribe will remain intact.

How can you subdue him from the front?

Beyond the azure-looking water people and clan magicians.

Enoch held the bastard by the throat and spoke quietly.

“…If you can’t bite, don’t show your teeth.”

Then he took something out of his bosom with his other hand and threw it in front of all the people.

Flutter.

A document falling from the sky.

There was written there, together with the chieftain’s seal, all the things that Enoch had promised to support.

Of course, it includes everything including acknowledging the extraterritoriality of the Elseid family as per Enoch’s request.

“To all the wizards of Elseid.”

Enoch’s low voice rang out through the waves of people who had already become as quiet as a mouse.

“From this moment onwards, I hereby authorize the Suin tribe to respond autonomously to the conflict that has broken out in their village.”

For a moment, the wizards of Elseid looked at Enoch with stunned expressions as if they could not believe it.

Clearly, what was before their eyes was a direct descendant with black hair who was no different from the family’s past disgrace.

Enoch Elseid.

Although he has recently become famous for his success in various missions, he was once considered to be incompetent by Elseid.

For such a person to show such an appearance.

But among those rigid wizards.

Askle was the first to respond to Enoch’s command, holding his steed upright in front of him.

“I obey your orders.”

The attitude of life acceptance taken by Asclepius.

The other wizards of Elseid also seemed to have come to their senses, and one by one they let down their guard and dismounted.

Enoch checked it and then turned his gaze to the coyotl whose neck he was holding with one hand.

“… Keu, keuk!”

The coyotes flailed their wings as if trying to resist.

But the moment his eyes met with Enoch’s, who had been holding his breath, he took a deep breath.

-Blue-black eyes.

His eyes, as deep as pitch black, stared at the coyotes, choking their breath, and he spoke softly.

“I understand your position, right?”

Coyotl, whose neck was captured as he met his gaze, unconsciously lowered his head to avoid his gaze.

“good.”

Enoch, having confirmed this, only then relaxed his grip and let him go.

“So this is what made up for it.”

Enoch smiled and said to the remaining Suin warriors who were blankly staring at him.

“Let’s be friends from now on?”

***

The operation to storm the fortress was decided on that night.

It was judged that if there were any troops from the exiles watching the village from somewhere, they would be able to detect the appearance of the Elseid family and prepare for it.

The sunset was gradually cooling down.

Enoch sat in the seat of his family’s operational vehicle, looking out the window at the falling clouds.

Since the distance from the village to the fortress is quite far, we travel by car to make it to the night operation time.

‘The operation will begin soon.’

Outside the glass window, a small group of wizards selected for the fortress assault operation were gathered and preparing to board.

They wear sleek metallic steeds and chic, modern black operational robes.

The sophisticated, colorless appearance of the wizards belonging to Elseid was imbued with a cold, underlying power.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang in Enoch’s ears.

“…what just happened was dangerous.”

I turned my head and saw a familiar knight in a black uniform.

“Lord Theano.”

It was Theano who had agreed to accompany the fortress raid. She pointed to the empty seat next to Enoch and asked.

“Even if I sit down?”

Enoch nodded.

She slowly sat down next to him.

A subtle air flowed between the two for a moment between the empty seats of the car in which no one had yet gotten on.

“… … It was a little unexpected.”

Theano was the first to speak lightly.

“You confronted the Suin warriors head-on without even consulting them.”

“Did you have to discuss it?”

“No, that’s not the problem, but… … .”

Theano then turned his eyes slightly from the shadow of his hat and spoke to Enoch.

“If things had gone wrong, not only would your safety have been compromised, but this mission might have been disrupted as well.”

“Rather, it is to prevent that from happening.”

Enoch looked out the car window at the water people talking to the clan wizards and replied simply.

“If we leave the resentment of the Suin tribe unchecked like this, it may explode in a worse way someday.”

Originally, whether human or beast, if the opponent looks easy, they would rush at him.

“To prevent anyone from crossing the line, we need to draw the line first.”

First of all, establishing an equal relationship is the starting point for a proper conversation and relationship.

If we do this, the Suin tribe, unless they are fools, will not be able to easily touch the wizards of Elseid, who have been granted extraterritorial rights with the approval of the chieftain.

“… By the way, in the conversation with the Suin warrior earlier, you said that there was a separate calculation.”

Theano looked at Enoch and asked.

“As far as I know, there was no such order for this mission. What are you saying?”

“Well, it’s hard to say right now.”

Enoch answered simply.

“If it works out well, it’s a calculation that will be of great help to the entire Elseid Territory and everyone.”

“… … ?”

Theano, who was looking this way, looked a little puzzled.

I had no intention of revealing the big picture I was drawing in advance.

Anyway, by the end of this mission, both the Suin Tribe and the Elseid family will all find out.

Meanwhile, Theano, who heard the ambiguous answer, looked at Enoch for a moment and then said.

“Honestly… … I was a bit surprised by Enoch.”

Surprised?

Enoch tilted his head.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, in many ways.”

Theano simply answered like that.

Then suddenly her gaze turned to the seat opposite Enoch’s.

Teano opened his mouth, his eyes hidden under the shadow of his hat shining with a slightly suspicious expression.

“… By the way.”

Next to Enoch, a maid with her silver hair hanging down calmly as usual sat quietly.

“Is it okay for me to bring a maid along for this fortress attack?”

Theano’s eyelashes slightly thinned as he looked at the girl in the maid outfit that didn’t suit her at all.

‘Come to think of it, was that silver-haired girl a maid who served that person within the family?’

Although he had only seen it a few times, Theano remembered it well because its appearance was so striking.

Meanwhile, Enoch glanced at her and answered.

“It’s okay. We just need someone to stay in the vehicle as a contact just in case.”

“Is that maid your contact?”

Enoch nodded calmly and said.

“I don’t have a following yet, so I’d like to leave it to the person I trust the most.”

Theano nodded, seeming somewhat convinced.

In the first place, unless you’re going to be directly deployed to the field, it doesn’t matter if you’re just a contact, even if you’re a maid.

Above all, Enoch, who had lived a life completely isolated from his family, would not have been able to trust anyone easily.

Theano looked at Lien for a moment and then said.

“… You trust her quite a bit.”

“yes.”

Enoch answered, glancing at Lien from the corner of his eye.

“considerably.”

Of course, Lien was not just a contact, but a trump card and a lifeline in case of an emergency.

‘Lien has not yet been able to be seen in direct combat by the rest of the family… … .’

At least if there’s Lien near the fortress, she can come to your aid in times of emergency like the one in Leopolis.

Rattling.

The vehicle was already starting off quietly.

Inside the large, empty operational vehicle, elite personnel fit for a fortress assault were sitting.

There was tension in the silence leading up to the operation.

But among those companions, there was one person who had the complete opposite vibe.

A pair of wolf ears protruding from Enoch’s front seat were already twitching excitedly.

“Wow! This thing really moves!”

Sirocco.

As soon as she got into the operation vehicle, she was so excited and curious that she started touching things here and there with her hands.

Enoch looked at her quietly for a moment.

‘… There was something like that too.’

Enoch suddenly felt a strange feeling at the sight of her curious and innocent appearance.

‘That kind of innocent appearance was not found in the original Shiroko.’

Shiroko’s bright and innocent smile as she looks this way, completely excited, as if everything is new and new to her.

however.

The original Sirocco’s appearance was reflected and overlapped above Enoch’s eyes as he looked at her.

After the destruction of the Suin tribe in the original work.

How she would change in five years. Because I knew that better than anyone else.

“…Get out, your wounds don’t need treatment.”

The eyes that once shone like rubies lose their vitality.

A dark shadow is cast over the bright expression.

Her wrists and other parts of her body are covered with bandages, covering the wounds she inflicted on herself as if she were blaming herself.

As usual, he licked his wounds and the blood on his wrist from the enemies he had defeated.

Five years later, a mature Shiroko looks at me with tears streaming down her bloody cheeks and a somewhat broken smile.

Enoch closed his eyes for a moment.

The original is set five years ago.

Her fate there was so darkly shadowed.

‘…Hagiya Shiroko is the only survivor of the destruction of the Suin tribe in the original work.’

It would be stranger if his personality didn’t change to a darker one from the original despite going through such an experience.

‘I feel a little strange.’

She looked very different from the original.

But now, looking at her cute and bright appearance, I think there’s something not so bad about it.

‘This looks better than the original.’

At that very moment, Sirocco’s clear voice reached Enoch’s ears.

“…excuse me!”

When I turned my gaze, she was looking this way, with her head sticking out from the front seat and her back turned.

Sirocco, who had been wagging his tail vigorously behind his back, continued speaking while staring at me with eyes that seemed to be filled with pure curiosity.

“You said you were a direct descendant of Elseid. Does that mean you are also the successor to your clan leader?”

“okay.”

“Wow!”

Sirocco’s expression seemed so exciting from the start. Enoch looked at her for a moment, wondering.

‘It’s good in many ways that Shiroko is the first to show interest in me…’

From the beginning, it was necessary to build a relationship with Sirocco in order to bring him into the clan.

‘But why did Sirocco show interest first?’

“Excuse me, I have a question!”

At that moment, Shiroko sat up halfway on his knees in the front seat, leaned his upper body over the back of the seat, and suddenly asked.

“How can I lead a group as well as your clan?”

…ah.

In that moment Enoch realized.

Now I understand why she was so interested in me before.

A sense of kinship with her own position as successor, something similar to her own.

Honestly, this was unexpected.

Enoch smiled inwardly as he looked into Sirocco’s eyes, which sparkled like rubies in the sunset.

‘Are you lucky?’

I haven’t done anything yet, but I never expected to catch Sirocco’s interest in an unexpected place.

Enoch continued the conversation naturally.

“What does it mean to be able to lead a group well?”

“Yeah, Mom said that Elsaid is a very strong group. You’re the successor to that group, right?”

“okay.”

“Then, since you are the successor to such a great group, aren’t you also being taught how to lead the group well?”

Enoch shook his head, feeling somewhat amused at Sirocco’s words that referred to the family as a ‘clan’.

“No, I didn’t learn it separately.”

“Huh? Really?”

“I haven’t had the chance to do that yet.”

Surprisingly, Sirocco’s wide eyes looked at Enoch. And the next moment, she smiled.

“Ehehe, what is it?”

Swish.

Shiroko said with a smile, burying her cheek gently in the arm that was resting on the headrest of the seat.

“You’re more similar to me than I thought.”

Enoch also nodded.

Well, they are similar. They are both young and claim to be successors.

‘Come to think of it, he is a successor.’

Enoch Elseid was also a direct descendant with the right of succession. However, he still did not care about that.

Of course, surviving was the most important thing.

‘Besides, simply surviving is not the end.’

Even after that, you have to solve the ‘incidents that occurred in the original work’.

If not, there would be no point in struggling to survive as Enoch.

Enoch’s eyes grew deep.

‘I know better than anyone what happens in the original world.’

A huge event that will begin five years later.

I had to prepare for that.

‘Otherwise, even if Enoch survived his immediate death, it would be meaningless.’

Because only an overwhelming spec upgrade can change the future that was set for Enoch, and furthermore, the future that was set for the world he would live in.

Just when Enoch was thinking that far.

-Squeak.

The tires of the operational vehicle that entered the valley with the steep cliff slowly slowed down and stopped.

Raise your head slowly.

Outside the car window.

A huge rocky canyon, covered by the curtain of night that was just beginning to fall, towered over the night sky with overwhelming size.

“We’ve arrived!”

Sirocco stuck his head out the window of the car and jumped out the window.

“All personnel, arrive at the operation site.”

Next to Enoch, Theano also stood up, looking at the other wizards.

“Proceed as planned.”

The wizards from other families also stood up quietly from their seats, each holding their own magic tools.

Above their modernized black robes, the white symbol of Elseid rippled through the air.

And finally, Enoch slung the cloth bag over his back that had been leaning against the seat behind them.

‘Anyway, what we need to focus on right now is finishing this mission and getting the rewards.’

This joint mission is quite large in scale, so there are mountains of things to be gained and things to be resolved.

In the midst of all that chaos, I had to keep my eyes wide open and suck up everything that could help me improve my specs.

Especially the elements related to black magic.

And that was just the beginning.