The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 75



Only Noblemtl

“The report from the joint mission is abnormal.”

Theano finished his report with moderation.

At the top of the giant Elseid citadel. A moment of silence fell over Granthal’s office.

“Honestly, it’s surprising.”

The first to break the silence was Grantal, Elseid’s butler sitting in front of her.

A large glass window that provides a panoramic view of the modern Magic Empire’s tall buildings and asphalt-paved cityscape.

With his back turned to the cityscape of Elseid, Grantal reviewed the report again and commented.

“Thank you to everyone who participated in the joint mission for your hard work. The mission was a great success.”

He summarized it in his usual calm tone.

“The wizards of the Elseid family who were attacked and imprisoned have been rescued. With the death of the Vendetta’s high-ranking wizards, the possibility of a rebellion by the water people has also been put to rest.”

“…Is that so?”

Theano answered with a slightly ambiguous expression. Grantal glanced at her and asked back.

“You’re speaking in an unusual way. Is there anything that is bothering you?”

“No. There is no problem with the mission. However… … .”

Theano turned his gaze to Grantal’s desk. Attached to the top of the report on the desk was a photo of Enoch Elseid.

“It was a little unexpected.”

Theano’s gaze dimmed as he said that.

Enoch was a direct descendant who had been imprisoned until he was seventeen. He was just a boy who had never been deployed on a joint mission until then.

So I thought it was pretty obvious why he was so eager to take part in a large-scale mission he had never been involved in before.

After he succeeded in his mission of exemption, there was no reason to guess that he was trying to quickly establish himself by making achievements.

But if that was really the case, he could have retreated under the pretext of commanding the operation and returned from a reasonably safe location with only his achievements.

That would have been the most reasonable thing for Enoch, who had no followers at the time of the joint mission, to do.

Of course, everyone expected him to do that.

Even Theano himself.

But Enoch’s actions were the exact opposite.

[─I will infiltrate and stop Tantalus, the magic-building caster, on my own.]

He didn’t spare himself at all on this mission.

He even went so far as to go into the enemy’s lair alone and attack the commander.

‘But the most surprising part was….’

Memories of the joint mission flashed through Theano’s mind.

After the battle, the final negotiation with the people. There, I saw Enoch’s unexpected appearance.

If they were simply trying to subdue and subjugate the Suin tribe, there would have been many easier and less risky methods.

In any case, Enoch was a direct descendant of the Elseid family. Using the power and authority of the Juga family, he could force the people to submit.

But he didn’t do that.

But that doesn’t mean he sympathized with the Suin tribe and tried to suggest compromise.

Rather, Enoch did his best to preserve the dignity of the Suin tribe and allow them to decide their own future in a way they could understand.

Theano bowed his head for a moment.

We can’t be sure of anything yet.

But if Enoch really had a reason to act so irrationally as a direct descendant…

‘…consideration?’

Theano repeated quietly.

At that moment, a single word Enoch had said during the previous joint mission flashed through her mind.

[─I want to stop the atrocities of the black magician.]

Swish.

She bowed her head slightly for a moment, habitually smoothing the brim of her hat that she had taken off. Her long hair obscured Theano’s expression.

Of course, everything is just speculation.

However, it was true that the story was far from the image of Enoch she had guessed so far.

Apart from the questions that have yet to be answered by him.

Just a little bit, I was nervous.

Theano rose from his seat.

“If there are no special circumstances, I will go now.”

Seeing her bowing, Granthal spoke to Theano in a lower voice.

“Come to think of it.”

Grantal said with a deep gaze.

“What do you think of Enoch, whom you have seen?”

Enoch Elseid, who is currently the subject of gossip within and outside of his family about how he manifested his magic.

When the steward asked if he knew anything about him, Theano shook his head slightly and said,

“They say the joint mission is over. But what we need to do about him hasn’t changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“As Nemesis, Enoch Elseid remains a target of interest to watch.”

Nothing was revealed about what kind of magic he uses in this mission either.

Whether it was something he had carefully calculated, or something that was just a coincidence.

In the end, as a nemesis who protects the family’s precepts and absolute neutrality, our stance on dealing with him in the future was the same.

‘Enoch Elseid’s surveillance must continue.’

Theano concluded that:

Ultimately, my relationship with him will continue in the future.

At least until Enoch Elseid discovered that he had no connection to the Warlocks.

at that time.

Suddenly, a loud knock was heard outside the office door, followed by a commotion. Then, Grantal’s personal butler opened the door and came in.

“Excuse me, sir!”

“Bartlek. What’s going on?”

“We have received a call regarding the approval of your support mission.”

The butler shouted as he passed by Theano.

“That is, the “Imperial Academy Exploration Team” that had a scheduled visit to the lake’s submerged ruins… … .”

***

Just got back from a mission.

At first glance, Enoch was walking down the large hallway of the family fortress with the same expression as usual.

But inside, he was smiling quite happily. The reason was very simple.

Because I ate everything I had to eat on this joint mission.

The plan was a great success. There were more than a few benefits to be gained.

He visited the ruins of Jechoe Sword and unlocked his hidden ability, and his mastery of the swordsmanship he had inherited so far also increased rapidly. He also developed the ability to project the unique mana in the form of fire that he had used in his lifetime onto his sword.

Of course, the usage time is short and there is a risk of exhaustion, so it cannot be overused in battle.

But it was definitely a powerful technique to take all that into account.

‘And the biggest spec-up of all is… ‘

Meanwhile, Enoch’s excellent hearing had been hearing all the whispers around the hallway without fail.

– Did you see that? Enoch’s first follower family… .

– As rumored, it really does have the ears and tail of a beast! But other than that, it looks exactly like a human.

– Is that girl really a 10th-grade wizard? The water people are all dangerous people… … .

– The media is already making a fuss about the news. It looks like it might be noisy again for a while.

Wizards belonging to Elseid passing through the castle hallway.

They were all looking this way, glancing at each other. The attention of the entire crowd was focused on one thing.

Enoch looked around.

Red wolf ears perk up on the head.

A tail with a lustrous, glossy color.

A young and pretty girl walking barefoot, not even wearing shoes, and wearing light clothing that reveals her bare legs.

Sirocco Lycaon.

The original tier 1 dealer character, and a powerful magician who has surpassed the current tier 10 barrier. And 5 years from now, he is a genius who will grow into a ‘final-level performer’.

He recruited her into his followers’ family.

The Suin tribe, who were isolated from society in the Magic Empire and were only known by rumors, seemed to be curious, even to the magicians belonging to Elseid.

“Whahaha!”

Meanwhile, the girl who was receiving the attention of everyone around her was standing next to Enoch with her eyes sparkling.

Sirocco himself didn’t care about the eyes of those around him.

I’m just busy looking around the huge fortress of Elseid.

“Over there! Look over there! The building is tall! There are so many people!”

Enoch smiled inwardly as he watched her absorbed in exploring the various parts of the refined and spacious castle.

Now that he has joined this family, Sirocco will become a definite force in the future.

I was becoming more and more confident that I would be able to survive in this harsh magical empire in the future.

Just when Enoch was thinking that far.

“There it is!”

In the lower corner of my vision, a pair of wolf ears perked up. It was Scirocco.

“The house where your tribe lives is huge!”

While she was looking around the inside of the castle of the Elseid family, she grabbed the hem of Enoch’s shirt, who was walking beside her, and asked lively.

“Hey, isn’t this big enough to fit all of our tribe members with room to spare?”

“I guess so.”

“Wow, it’s really big. There are so many people, wow!”

Sirocco, who was walking around absentmindedly, bumped into a pillar in the hallway and staggered around, clutching his nose.

As I watched it, I had a strange feeling for a moment. The Shiroko I saw in the original was a shady and dangerous figure due to the destruction of the water people.

The Sirocco in front of me was not even bothered by the fact that it had hit the pillar, and was still diligently darting around.

Enoch muttered to himself for a moment, looking at her who was much more energetic than he had expected.

‘… The child looks so healthy.’

Enoch walked down the hallway and asked her quietly, trying to calm her down as her tension rose to the max.

“Is this your first time outside the Suin village?”

“Yeah. That’s all I know about the outside of our village, Mom and Dad told me before they passed away!”

“Your parents?”

“That’s right. I was very interested in things outside of our village.”

Sirocco looked around and said.

“As expected. There are so many great things outside the village! I’m glad I worked with you guys!”

A small smile suddenly spread across Shiroko’s cheek as he looked around absentmindedly.

“… … Later, I want to show it to the whole tribe.”

“It’s up to you.”

At Enoch’s words, Sirocco looked back with a sharp gaze and replied.

“Huh, I know that too. I’m active as your follower!”

Enoch nodded.

After Sirocco decided to become Enoch’s follower.

The remaining people decided to remain in the village and receive essential supplies first, and observe the situation for some time.

Above all, Sirocco, the successor to the chieftain of the Suin, has now become a follower of Enoch Elseid.

If she continues to help Enoch in the future, the status of the people will naturally rise.

And that will become a strong support for the people to enter the empire with confidence in the future.

If that happens, it wouldn’t be just a dream for the people to come see the Elseid fortress.

“… … Because me being with you is also good for our entire tribe.”

“I know right.”

“Of course! Besides, I have other goals.”

Shiroko added with a smug expression, sweeping her long hair back once.

Enoch asked with a puzzled look.

“target?”

“Huh, it’s obvious, right?”

She said so and pointed at Enoch.

“It’s you!”

Enoch looked at her with slightly dull eyes, seeing her finger pointing to his chest.

I lost in the sparring the other day. Are you still holding on to it?

As I was looking at her with slightly annoyed eyes, Shiroko put both hands on her waist as if she was upset.

“I don’t know what you did back then, but you really lost the duel without even using the horsemanship. If you keep doing this, you won’t be able to save face as the successor to the chieftain.”

Sirocco, who was earnestly declaring her goals. Enoch tried hard to hide his annoyed expression as he watched her.

‘Isn’t it true that the original work also portrayed him as having a strong competitive spirit?’

I didn’t really know what it was like just by hearing about it. But this is what it feels like when you experience it firsthand.

Moreover, it feels doubly annoying because it is more lively than the original in many ways and the tension is high.

On the other hand, she smiled, wagging her tail behind her back, whether she knew or not what I was thinking.

“Anyway, I will definitely beat you next time!”

Sirocco declared boldly.

“Look forward to it!”

“Oh, thank you for your hard work.”

Enoch answered calmly. The ambition was virtual, but it was probably a wish that would never come true in his lifetime.

Of course, that would be the case, in the original, she was always recruited as a main character in every route.

In other words, if it’s Sirocco, I know everything because I’ve trained and operated it to its limits in a thousand different ways.

So no matter how much you declare war, it’s useless. For a while, it’ll all sound like nothing more than empty talk.

Then, Shiroko suddenly looked around and asked.

“But you said you’d show me where I’ll be staying here? When will I get there?”

“Almost there.”

At last, deep in the corner of the hallway, Enoch’s room came into view.

It felt like it had been quite a while since I had been back to this room.

As he approached the familiar door, Sirocco, who had been following him, suddenly poked her head out in front of him and shouted with an excited expression.

“Wow, is this where I’m going to stay?”

“For a while.”

“good!”

Sirocco approached the door first, ahead of Enoch, with an excited look on his face. Then he grabbed the doorknob with an expectant expression.

But no matter how hard she pulled the doorknob, it just rattled and wouldn’t open.

“This isn’t opening?”

Enoch took the key out of his bosom and said.

“Of course. It’s still locked… … .”

Kwaaaaang!

Before I could finish speaking, a deafening, loud noise suddenly rang out.

Enoch felt the eyes of the crowd in the surrounding hallways turn to him, and he raised his head with a creaking feeling.

“Oh, it’s opening~!”

As expected.

Shiroko had kicked the entire door of the large room open with her foot. Then she turned to look at me and shouted with a triumphant smile.

“How was it? Did you do well?”

“no.”

But, as if the answer wasn’t important in the first place, Shiroko looked around the room without paying attention and immediately shouted.

“Wow, what is this place? It’s so empty?”

“My room.”

Sirocco asked with a suspicious look.

“…really?”

Her voice echoed faintly in the empty room.

In fact, Sirocco’s reaction made sense.

Inside the massive and sophisticated Elseid Citadel, Enoch’s room is anything but the most sophisticated room in existence.

Even the furniture is minimal, aside from a wardrobe, a bed, and a bookshelf and desk that Enoch used to study magic.

A landscape that is virtually the same as an empty room.

Shiroko looked around and asked.

“Then, will I stay here from now on?”

Sarak.

At that moment, Lien stepped forward in front of Shiroko. She gently grabbed one side of her maid’s skirt and bowed her head politely.

“Siroko. My name is Lien, the exclusive maid of Lord Enoch Elseid.”

“Huh? Oh, uh… … .”

Shiroko greeted Lien, who spoke in a tone as clear as ice, looking slightly embarrassed.

Lien guided us in an extremely maid-like manner.

“The Elseid family will soon assign Sirocco a place to stay. Until then, in accordance with family rules, please wait in your room.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. But… … .”

Shiroko tilted his head slightly at her words.

Then he looked this way and asked innocently.

“Maid? What is that?”

A large question mark seemed to rise above his head. Sirocco asked with a curious expression. Enoch was momentarily speechless upon seeing that.

Meanwhile, she tilted her head and glanced at Enoch, who had been speechless for a while.

“What? If you’re not going to tell me, I should go in?”

Even though he had said that earlier, he seemed to like the room surprisingly. Shiroko lifted the door he had blown off and carefully put it back in the entrance.

Then he disappeared into the room, wagging his tail.

Slap.

And then, as expected, Shiroko took the only bed in the room and immediately lay down.

Sirocco steals the bed that Enoch usually uses. He hugs a fluffy pillow and wags his tail from side to side with a happy expression.

Lien’s eyes, which had been watching her like that, narrowed slightly.

“… … I’ll tell you in advance, that person.”

When I turned my head briefly, Lien was looking at Sirocco, who was occupying Enoch’s bed, with eyes that were unusually chilling.

“Even if you become a follower, you still can’t trust them.”

“I know. You’re selfish, and you lack the knowledge of etiquette to live in a noble household like this.”

Lien’s vigilance was natural. Sirocco had been living in a village of the Suin tribe, isolated from the modern society of the Empire.

The reason she even broke the door to her room and didn’t even know what a maid was is probably because of that.

Besides, the fact that everyone in the family was watching her was secondary. What if, by some chance, she realized that Enoch had been possessed?

Even if Sirocco has no intention of exploiting it, there is a threat that it could be leaked somehow.

Lien looked at him with emotionless eyes and said.

“In the Empire, the clans are a community of shared destiny. Whatever that child does, the consequences will be borne by your name.”

“It’s okay. I know that. And besides… … .”

Enoch glanced at Sirocco.

“I will need all of those aspects as well.”

Yes, definitely.

This was by no means a lie. If things go as planned, there will come a time when even Shiroko’s unruly personality will be absolutely necessary.

Lien’s narrowed eyes glowed coldly.

“I’m pretty sure.”

“Yes. Since he is an official follower of the family, he is definitely a talent that will be needed for future battles.”

“… … .”

Lien looked at Shiroko for a while, then turned her head away without saying anything else.

“… … I’ll go and request repairs.”

Lien left after saying just those words.

Enoch put down his sack and sat down on the chair.

And so one great mission was accomplished.

But I still had no intention of resting.

‘First of all, there was something to test in the free world.’

When I inherited the experience of Jecheom from the previous fortress, there was one message I definitely saw.

Memories of that time flashed through my mind.

─ [Black Star’s Ritual and Communication] Unlocked

The consciousness and communication of the Black Sword.

If you think about it, when you first obtained the Glass Shards from Persona, you also tried to communicate with the Sword Saint.

At that time, the growth rate was low. So proper communication was impossible. If my guess is correct… .

‘I don’t know exactly what it is, but is it possible to talk to the Black Star ‘directly’ now?’

I can’t stand this.

He had to check it out right away. Enoch slowly closed his eyes with a puffed-out heart.

… … Is it really possible to have a conversation with the swordsman of the past?