The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 62



Only Noblemtl

Episode 62. The Flame That Opens the Future (3)

The heart of a long-abandoned fortress.

Enoch looked around the dark surroundings and stopped in front of the long corridor of the fortress.

‘No one will be watching here.’

The wizards of the other families seem to be busy recapturing prisoners and finishing reorganizing outside.

It’s only natural that there’s no sign of life.

‘There’s not much light.’

An abandoned fortress filled with silence.

The only light was the faint moonlight streaming through the window.

‘Of course, all the torches on the torch stand are turned off.’

A long corridor extending deep into the fortress.

The torches that once lit up the long corridors had grown cold over time and were now covered in dust.

The hallways of the fortress are shrouded in darkness and the torches are out.

Enoch gathered his thoughts before going there.

‘First of all, we need to find out more about the magic experiment that Tantalus is about to conduct.’

The first task to survive as Enoch is to eliminate the cause of Enoch’s death after five years.

So whatever Tantalus’s purpose, his human experiments had to be stopped.

To do that, I needed at least a little more information. There was still a lot I didn’t know about him.

Enoch took a deep breath and concentrated his mind.

-Whirlwind

My vision was filled with shadows of my inner world. White letters appeared again.

? The World of No-Fraud: Ready to Enter

But at that time.

Just as we were about to enter the world of nothing─

‘uh?’

─Enoch opened his eyes wide.

I vaguely felt something next to me.

‘What is this?’

There was a glowing red line carved into the air.

Beyond the underpass that Enoch saw before his eyes.

A stream of glowing mana that leads into it.

Enoch saw that and realized.

‘This familiar red mana. It is definitely the mana felt from the last swordsman of the empire.’

A flow of mana faintly engraved in the air, as if it were footprints left by someone long ago.

‘Come to think of it, something like this has happened before.’

When Enoch first became.

When he inherited the ‘original memory of Enoch’ in his training ground, I saw this flow of mana back then too.

Because I followed the flow of mana back then too.

That’s why, even though it was only a very faint trace of mana, I knew that I had to follow it.

Swish.

Enoch raised his head out of the thick darkness.

Beyond that endless dark corridor.

I walk along the traces of the red mana past that stretch out somewhere, emitting a faint light.

Thud, thud.

As Enoch walked quietly, another message quietly surfaced around him.

? The Last Sword of the Empire: Synchronization

? 80% to enter the world of free

And at the same time, the sound of flames burning began to ring in Enoch’s ears as he walked forward.

-Whoooosh!

On either side of Enoch.

Torches of the past that would have lit the corridors of the fortress.

– As if time had turned back.

Every time Enoch took a step.

The torches of the past that lined the corridors began to burn again, one by one, at each step.

Hwaruk.

The red color of the flames was transparently dyed over the black hair and eyes of the boy walking in the darkness.

Enoch’s eyes narrowed.

‘My inner world hasn’t fully activated yet?’

A world of nothingness that gradually encroaches on your vision from all sides, literally blending in with reality.

This was my first experience like this.

‘Come to think of it.’

The phrase that came to Enoch’s mind when he first entered the fortress flashed through his mind.

‘You said that the subject’s memory and synchronization rate increased significantly. Is that why?’

But there was no time to think long.

Before I knew it, the past that the last swordsman of the empire had experienced was reflected beyond the mixing field of vision.

The blacksmith’s monologue rang in Enoch’s ears.

[The war with the demons was long.]

Countless demons rushed at the sword master who was standing alone with one sword hanging down.

As the horde of demons rushed towards him in a flash, the voice of the lone swordsman rang out softly.

[The incompetent people who lived in my old hometown once again died without even being able to resist the demons.]

Once upon a time, hometown was a refuge for the outcast.

The land of those who were pushed to a harsh and difficult frontier because they were non-magicians of no value to the empire.

Here too, they died because they had no strength.

[From the beginning, the Empire simply stood by and watched as those who were worthless died, as it had done until now.]

-Keeeeeek!

Soon, a group of demons running towards the sword leapt.

With a metallic roar, monsters several times the size of a human rush in from all directions.

[I had to find the answer.]

Geomseong moved his sword mechanically.

[The flames of vengeance that bloomed in my sword, what must I burn now?]

-Whoooosh!

The monster’s huge body that had been fiercely attacking Geomseong was split in half with a single blow.

A fierce flame rose from his sword as it cut through the air, slashing at the surging enemies.

The flames that had lost their meaning burned as if they were writhing.

[I thought that if I kept slaughtering the endless waves of monsters, one day a ray of light would shine on that question.]

Wandering swords and fire dance.

Sword strikes swept through the space, and a sharp storm of flames roared as it cut through all directions.

[But no matter how much I tried, there was no answer.]

The blacksmith recited calmly.

[Instead, in this war, I saw countless people, other than myself, who were each searching for their own answers.]

At that moment Enoch’s eyes opened wide.

In the war against those demons.

Geumseong was not alone.

[There, I met ‘two types’ of magicians who were fighting together on the front lines of the demons.]

Behind the swordsman who advances alone, cutting down the enemy.

Dozens of giant magic circles appeared simultaneously and quickly formed in the air.

[Two groups of comrades who pledged to protect each other and drive out the devil for their own sake.]

The last swordsman of the empire glanced back.

Silhouettes of wizards in black robes. Magic circles rotated simultaneously at the end of their steeds.

Woohoo!

Next to the sword, a powerful flow of mana passed by in an instant, forming a huge magic circle.

[One class of wizards, the main family of the empire.]

Enoch listened to the monologue and his thoughts stopped for a moment.

That makes sense.

The design of the white emblem engraved on the black robes of the wizards at the back of the sword is none other than… .

“I command the glorious wizards of Elseid and my true followers!”

A young man with dark blue hair who creates a magic circle.

From behind the swordsman who was advancing while cutting down the enemies, he aimed his magic spear at the demons and declared with a wall-like force.

“Protect the sword and destroy the demons!”

The magic circles activate simultaneously according to the command.

Countless magic spells flew in trailing light, thoroughly bombarding the demons surrounding the swordsman who was breaking through the enemy lines alone, and began to protect him.

[One of them is a ‘direct descendant’ of the Elseid family, the main family that ruled the territory in this area at the time.]

Enoch looked at the wizard in the blacksmith’s memories.

‘If he is a direct descendant of Elseid who lived during the Black Age, then he must be one of Enoch’s distant ancestors.’

If that’s the case, then that young man must also be one of the ancestors of the Elseid family who lived much longer ago.

If it was unexpected, it was unexpected.

‘Elseid and Geomseong were related!’

Beyond Enoch’s wonders.

The eyes under the hood of the swordsman who had been cutting down the enemy glanced at the young man with dark blue hair of Elseid.

[At that time, one of Elseid’s direct descendants, who could not stand to see the people of this abandoned land being helplessly trampled by the demons, led his followers and single-handedly went out to repel the demons. He was with me.]

Before Enoch could even gather his thoughts, a rather surprising fact occurred to him.

From the side, the blacksmith’s monologue could be heard.

[However, it was not only the wizards of Elseid who sought to drive out the demons from this land.]

“Your Majesty the Sword! We will join you too!”

Beyond the sight of the swordsman who had just cut down the demon’s hand.

Beyond the barren rock cliffs, another group of wizards appeared.

[Unlike the general water race of the empire, water races that were driven out to this land because they could not manifest magic.]

‘Non-magician people?’

[Like other ordinary imperial citizens, most of the water people at the time were successful in naturally manifesting magic.]

[It is even known that the Suin tribe has innate sensitivity to mana that is superior to that of ordinary people.]

[However, even among those people, there were a very small number of people who did not have magical talent.]

A question flashed through Enoch’s mind.

‘Then, weren’t those people also non-magicians and were banished to the border? And yet, they participated in the war?’

At that moment, Geomseong also repeated the same question.

[So, the water people who were pushed to this remote land, unlike other common water people, clearly did not have the talent of magicians.]

[But for some reason, after the monsters appeared, some of them ‘suddenly awakened their magic.’]

A group of people holding a horse jump off a cliff.

The watermen land around the swordsman as if to provide cover, and aim their rough weapons at the scurrying demons.

The blacksmith glanced at them and muttered.

[The water beings who suddenly manifested magic, as powerful magicians, helped me in the battle against the demons.]

One of the men shouts with a cast-out look.

“We will protect our own land! We have no place to stand in the Empire anymore!”

The water people, who were not magicians until recently, desperately hold onto their magic wands and aim them at the demons.

“Kill them! If we don’t kill them, we’ll lose our place to live!”

The water people rush towards the demon horde, venting their anger. A magic circle of physical strengthening unfolds on their bodies.

They continue to engage in a desperate, bloody battle with the army of demons that has covered the earth.

[The people who awakened as magicians made countless sacrifices in the war. However, they made a great contribution in repelling the demons.]

[It’s unthinkable that they were ever persecuted for not being magicians.]

‘Wait a minute. No way?’

As the blacksmith spoke, an ominous feeling crossed Enoch’s mind.

-Changes non-magicians into magicians.

‘I’m sure I’ve seen something similar on previous missions.’

An exemption mission previously carried out in Leopolis.

There, too, it was clearly said that ‘non-magician’ children were turned into ‘magicians’ through ‘experiments’.

‘Is it related to that?’

Beyond the questions lingering in Enoch’s mind.

The blacksmith’s monologue had changed in the meantime.

[The harsh war ended after two years.]

As Enoch walked through the fortress’ corridors, a faint ray of light came into view from afar.

The long dark tunnel is coming to an end.

The war with the devil is coming to an end.

[When flowers bloomed over the corpses of the water people that had been roughly eaten by the demons, peace finally came.]

? 90% to enter the world of free

Damn it.

[The war that took place in the land of the marginalized was not known to the outside world.]

Enoch walked deeper into the fortress, listening to the monologue becoming clearer.

[Because it was originally a land where people who had no interest gathered, and the war that took place on that land.]

[Naturally, the fact that victory and peace were achieved only after the great sacrifices of the Suin tribe was also forgotten.]

widely-

When Enoch’s footsteps stopped, the long corridor had already ended.

There was a silhouette of something before his eyes.

-A large stone chair.

A throne that is broken and cracked here and there.

It was a huge gray chair made of solid stone, its back raised toward the high ceiling of the fortress.

The seat where the ruler of this fortress once sat.

But now, the throne has fallen into disrepair with the passage of time.

The empty stone throne was covered with dust and cracks accumulated over a long period of time.

Enoch approached the chair and realized.

‘This was it.’

Here, the mana of the sword was felt.

? Source of Memory: Reaching the Place

? Entering the world of free… 100%

? The Last Sword of the Empire: Synchronization Begins!

Wow!

And in the next moment, a world without form unfolded before Enoch’s eyes with a dull sound.

-Kurrururur… …

It’s as if the world’s time has been rewound.

The cracks and dust on the giant throne quickly disappeared, gradually regaining its former appearance and majesty.

like that.

When the Gray Throne was fully restored to its glory.

[-My achievement in stopping the demon was highly regarded.]

Enoch doubted his eyes for a moment.

On the throne sat the last swordsman of the empire.

With one hand on his sword.

As always, nobly.

[I was granted this territory by the imperial family, the land I protected in the empire. It was my old hometown.]

Now officially granted the title of Lord by the Imperial Family, Geomseong sat upon a large, grey stone throne that symbolized his exalted position.

Enoch stood before him, facing him.

[A lot of things have changed.]

But as always, the corners of the mouth of the black knight with his hood pulled down deeply were still tightly shut.

[However, I still haven’t found the answer.]

Whether it’s a territory, a status, or anything else.

None of it made any sense.

[I lived only blindly. To receive just retribution, to exact a thorough punishment from my enemies.]

Geumseong bowed his head.

[But they ran away to a place I couldn’t call. That fact alone remained unchanged.]

The fuel for the fire to burn has already disappeared.

The flames that had bloomed on the sword died down like that.

Geumseong bowed his head.

[…I thought so.]

The sudden reversal of the black magician’s monologue.

Enoch tilted his head for a moment.

‘So you thought so? Does that mean it wasn’t true?’

But before the questions get deeper.

The monologue of the swordsman sitting on the throne continued.

[One day, I heard unbelievable news from those who came to see me.]

Only then did Enoch look back.

The past swordsman sat on the throne, looking at the countless people who had come to see him in person.

It was immediately clear who they were.

[My comrades, the people who fought to protect their land. They came to me and told me.]

Those who bow down before the Black Sword are the beastmen who once fought alongside him in the war against the demons.

However, all of the people had an indescribably haggard appearance and appearance.

[News that all the people within the empire are being massacred by magicians belonging to the imperial family.]

“…Your Majesty the Sword. Please, I beg you.”

The beastmen, who had lost their arms and legs in the war with the demons, knelt down with their emaciated bodies and begged.

“We have nowhere else to go!”

[They were banished to the outskirts of the empire because they were incompetent. During the Demon War, they were reborn as wizards after undergoing the “Demon Transformation Experiment” proposed by the black magicians.]

“No matter where you are in the empire, everyone hates us.”

[And the implications of being associated with warlocks or black magic in the Empire were eerily clear.]

“All of our fellow tribesmen were killed by the magicians of the imperial family. The only ones left are those of us who survived, gathered together by the current ‘chieftain.’”

The prostrated people earnestly plead with the Black Swordsman.

[The last struggle of the incompetent beasts to survive led to the destruction of all the innocent beasts.]

Geomseong looks down at them while holding his sword.

[Because of their innately excellent mana sensitivity, the aristocratic magicians of the empire, who are vested interests, were wary of them like a thorn in their side.]

In the meantime.

The non-magicians of the Aquarius race who participated in the war by being experimented on by the forbidden black magicians just to protect their territory became a good excuse.

Ultimately, their existence became an excuse to blame the same crime on other beastmen who were living normally and manifesting magic throughout the empire.

[But the most shocking truth was somewhere else.]

He hummed in a low voice.

[One of the people who were experimented on heard the whole story of the human experiment from the black magicians at the time.]

Suin revealed the hidden truth.

The veins on the back of the swordsman’s hand twitched.

[The true purpose of the ‘Demonization Experiment’ that the black magicians have been conducting up until now is to create a biological weapon to deal with the demons that suddenly appear.]

Enoch took a deep breath after hearing those words.

‘… The reason the black magicians continued to conduct biological experiments was to stop the evil one?’

The sudden information raised doubts.

However, the blacksmith’s monologue continued.

[However, the absurd task of turning someone without magic talent into a magician is absolutely impossible with just mediocre wandering warlocks.]

His voice repeated hollowly.

[There was a powerful ‘backer’ who requested human experiments from black magicians and even provided them with resources.]

“Please, accept at least the other innocent people as your people! They are innocent!”

“Please! We, who were experimented on by the warlocks, will pay the price for our sins, no matter what! Even if it’s just innocent children!”

In their desperate pleas.

[The mastermind behind the human experimentation on the black magicians is…]

Geumseong slowly stood up from his seat.

[The person who initially defined black magicians as evil.]

Kwak.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in his palm.

[It was an empire, an imperial family.]