The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 8
Only Noblemtl
“… … Did you say you wanted to take on the mission?”
The current Count of Elseid’s agent.
One of the most loyal followers of the Gaju clan.
The butler, Grantal Skyl.
His commanding voice echoed throughout the spacious office.
Enoch nodded briefly.
“Yes.”
Being expelled from Elseid must be avoided.
The reason was extremely simple.
Because I clearly remembered the original’s brief description of Enoch’s end.
“Enoch Elseid was excommunicated from his family and wandered from place to place until he died.”
In short, Enoch’s expulsion from his family was the beginning of all his misfortunes.
Then, what if we first block the beginning of the tragedy from the beginning?
At least it would eliminate one possibility of death.
Now that I had made up my mind, it was time to start taking action for Enoch’s position.
And as far as he knew, the surest and quickest way to stop or delay expulsion was… .
‘Achieving results through mission.’
Besides, there was another reason for behaving this way.
Enoch recalled in his mind the message he had just seen in the inner world.
– ? Condition for absorbing experience for the next stage: Successfully complete the family mission once
‘I was told to take on a mission to grow to the next level.’
Just before he learned how to project mana and was about to leave the inner world, the inner world left him a message telling him to ‘take on the family’s mission.’
Just like a game quest.
‘Ultimately, I think that completing a mission is a prerequisite for growing to the next level in your inner world.’
Somehow, I find it a bit strange that the conditions set forth in the inner world specify what to do much more specifically than the first one… .
‘Is it meaningless to think about it now?’
There were still too many mysteries to be solved about my inner world.
I wasn’t even sure exactly how to use it, and more than anything, it was strange that phrases similar to system messages that never appear in reality only appeared in my inner world.
‘Well, I guess we’ll find out as we go along.’
widely.
Meanwhile, Granthal quietly looked at Enoch, who was lost in thought, then put his pen down on the table and opened his mouth.
“… Do you know the meaning of the mission that the Zhou family gives to its members?”
“I know.”
Of course, there was no way I didn’t know.
Because it’s a system that I’ve heard about so many times in the game.
A “mission” as it is called within the family.
This refers to the responsibilities given to each of the main families of the empire in their respective fields.
Although the status of each stock family may differ slightly, they are all equally unimaginable.
for example,
-The Elseid House, one of the two major families representing combat-type magic.
-The Artisan House, responsible for the modern empire’s magical engineering, including machine carriages, airships, and the latest artifacts.
-The ‘Arpegia House’ is a group of magicians who lead entertainment such as performances and music combined with magic.
– The ‘Bertang House’ of the Jidan Dynasty, who creates clothing for the people of the empire using threads and sewing machines imbued with mana.
etc.
As the twelve main houses of the empire are the ‘pinnacle of magicians in each field’, they also serve as the largest gathering point for magicians, where numerous talented magicians of the empire can gather and interact.
The discretion they can exercise within their own domain is at a level that can almost be said to be exercising the autonomy of a country.
However, with such discretion, each house is obliged to cooperate with the governance and tasks of the empire within the area for which they are responsible.
This is the very system that has been passed down through tradition, and it is the identity of the ‘mission’ given by the empire.
In this way, the Zhou family has the responsibility to contribute its power to solve the problems occurring in the empire.
Therefore, if an incident occurred that required the wizards of the clans in charge of a specific field, the right person had to be appropriately assigned and dispatched to carry out the mission.
Of course, this was no exception for the children of the noble family.
‘No, I should say it’s much worse.’
Because the more distinguished the heirs to a family are, the more they have to prove their worth.
Grantal sat on his chair, looked at Enoch for a moment, and then asked softly.
“Not long ago, your majesty, you tried to steal one of the magical tools I was researching.”
Enoch did not answer.
Granthal added, resting his hands on the desk.
“I don’t mean to be a dick. I understand that you are in such a desperate situation. And I also understand that you want to achieve results through a mission you have never attempted before.”
“What do you mean?”
“However, I cannot assign the mission so easily.”
The clerk answered with an extremely businesslike expression.
“Failure of a mission directly affects the reputation of the family. It is my job to assign the right people and talent to the right mission.”
Granthal opened the cap of the ink bottle, filled the cartridge of the pen with ink, and nailed it in.
“That is why I cannot just assign you, a young master who cannot use magic and has no followers to accompany you, to any random mission. Reputation is vital to the Ju family.”
This is precisely why Enoch had never completed a single mission until now.
In this land full of wizards, what kind of mission could be entrusted to a mere non-wizard?
Enoch’s mission failure aside, the irresponsible act of assigning a non-magician known for being extremely incompetent to the mission itself could shake the reputation of the entire family.
But now that I am Enoch.
There was no place to retreat anymore.
“I already know very well that it would be difficult for the family to trust me and use me. It would be too risky in many ways. So let’s do this.”
Enoch stared calmly at Granthal.
“If I don’t respond in a conspicuous manner, it will be a blow to the family’s reputation, but it’s a mission that doesn’t have much effect compared to the effort it takes. Please send me on such a mission.”
He continued speaking to Grantal, who frowned briefly, as if lost in thought.
“Even if I’m not a magician, a direct descendant is a direct descendant. Therefore, even if I fail, I think it would be appropriate if it was a type of mission that would allow me to convince the world that I was sent as a direct descendant.”
“Hmm.”
Granthal’s expression had suddenly changed to one of slight surprise.
Clearly, there was nothing wrong with what Enoch said.
Moreover, contrary to his initial expectations, he was not pushed by the situation and came here to ask for a mission out of desperation. Instead, he presented a logical argument that objectively explained himself.
For a seventeen-year-old boy who had recently been cornered and tried to steal magic tools, it was quite an impressive attitude.
Granthal, slightly intrigued by the conversation just now, looked straight at Enoch.
“Now that you mention it, I’d like to ask. Could you please tell me a mission that meets those conditions?”
Enoch answered without any hesitation.
“For example, a while ago. There was the case of a transport machine carriage belonging to a religious order that was hijacked by an unidentified group while in transit.”
Granthal opened his eyes wide for a moment at Enoch’s words, then frowned slightly.
“I don’t know how you knew this, but this mission is by no means an easy one. Of course, it meets the conditions you mentioned. The relationship between the [Cult] and the main clans involved in this mission is quite complicated…”
“I know.”
Enoch looked at Granthal without blinking an eye.
“But don’t you know my situation now?”
He tilted his head slightly.
“If I don’t get my mission approved now, I’ll be stuck in my room doing nothing as scheduled, and then I’ll be kicked out in a month.”
“… … .”
“It’s going to happen anyway. If you don’t give me this mission now, I’m afraid I’ll be giving you a very unpleasant experience, Captain.”
Enoch’s formal excommunication schedule has already been announced.
But even so, a direct line is still a direct line.
If Enoch were to take any impulsive action before his expulsion, it would naturally not be a good rumor about his family.
Rumors are easily exaggerated by groundless speculation.
And whether the rumors are true or not, it’s ridiculously easy for an image to be tarnished by such exaggerated rumors.
When the card of self-destruction through the family’s ‘reputation’ was put forward, Enoch was the one who had the comparative advantage.
“This is my last chance anyway. If this request is rejected, I wonder what I will do next.”
Granthal probably doesn’t want to think about it.
He was already a direct descendant who had no dignity and was caught stealing magic tools. What kind of misdeeds could he possibly commit if he set his mind to it?
“…great.”
Granthal tapped his ink-filled pen on the table. Then he took a document out of a drawer and signed it.
Swish-
The seal of the family that Grantal had just been paying for.
He held it up to Enoch to confirm it.
“Even if it was a solo mission, I wouldn’t be able to avoid being expelled just by completing it once….”
Chararak!
A glowing mana swirled around his fingertips.
A seal made of transparent material. The elaborate gears inside move with mana as the driving force, changing the shape of the seal.
Enoch looked at it with calm eyes.
I already knew the design of that seal well.
‘The official mission approval badge of the Elseid family.’
A seal engraved with it, usable only by the head of the household and his trusted stewards.
bang!
Granthal looked straight at Enoch, stamping it on the papers.
“I will have a mechanical carriage waiting at one of the back gates of the castle. The butler outside the gate will guide you.”
***
The castle of the Elseid family was extremely wide and tall.
Looking up through the majestic stone corridors, you see bridges spanning the air between the endlessly high and wide ceilings, connecting the corridors.
Above it, crowds of wizards from numerous families are moving about.
‘This is the daily life of the Juga family, the pillars that support the Magic Empire.’
In the game, I could only guess the status of the stock families through a few paragraphs of settings. But now that I see it in person, it really hits home.
-Look over there, black hair. Maybe… .
-Is that the young master who is rumored to be an incompetent non-magician? But he was definitely in the room until a few years ago… .
Of course, whether it’s a magnificent sight or a nightmare.
Now, there are just more eyes to avoid.
‘By the way, if black hair attracts this much attention, how rare is it?’
By the way, in the original illustration, wasn’t Enoch the only supporting character with black hair?
In fact, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see any black-haired wizards among the numerous ones wandering around the family.
‘I guess I should at least get a hood.’
If I left this striking hair like this, nothing would work out.
At the back door of the huge castle, a driver with his hat pulled down low and a mechanical carriage were waiting.
Enoch got into the chariot and said to him,
“To the northern outskirts of the fortress.”
Soon, with a soft mechanical sound and the sound of springs, the machine carriage began to move and pick up speed.
Enoch continued his thoughts, leaning back in his seat.
A city on the outskirts of the northern citadel.
Actually, considering the mission he had just received, it was a rather strange destination.
“Sub Quest. 023 _ Solo Mission: Find the Hijacked Carriage
The transport machine carriage belonging to the upper class of the religious order based in Elseid Territory was hijacked by unidentified people while being transported on the outer road south of Elseid Fortress.
The magicians belonging to the sect immediately began to investigate, but they were unable to find the culprit, let alone the whereabouts of the stolen goods.
Therefore, it was judged that it could not be resolved with the religious order’s own manpower alone. A ‘search and destroy’ mission was requested from the Elseid family to secretly find the thieves, subdue them, and recover the stolen goods.
Recommended Magic Series: Tracking, Detection, and Inspection.
The solo mission he was assigned was .
The place where the church’s machine carriage was stolen was the southern outer road of Elseid Fortress.
So, as mentioned in the directive earlier, the church previously investigated mainly the southern road… .
‘That’s why you can’t find it.’
Going there will be nothing but a waste of effort.
“The magicians belonging to the sect searched the roads leading out of the southern outskirts, as if searching for them, along with the assumption that they had smuggled the captured machine carriages to the relatively less secure outer areas of the citadel.”
“But in the end, years passed without any clues being found. Because no one would have thought that the stolen carriage would have the audacity to cross the castle city and go over to the northern wall.”
How many times have I run around like crazy trying to investigate something in the game?
Of course, if I knew this, I wouldn’t have had to go through all that annoying process.
As for where the stolen machine carriage is, it’s already at a level where you can find it with your eyes closed.
Enoch was lost in thought, feeling the vibrations inside the car as it slowly and gently rocked as it accelerated.
‘We need to briefly summarize the current situation and make a plan.’
In any game, you need to know the current conditions to plan for the next time.
He thought back on what he had achieved so far.
‘The characters who have currently absorbed the experience are the original Enoch and the last swordsman of the empire. Among them, the original Enoch’s experience was absorbed much faster.’
First of all, through the trait, it was clear that synchronization with the original Enoch was taking place.
The fighting sense, physical ability, mental strength, and even basic sword handling skills that were originally Enoch’s. Because his specs had definitely increased rapidly compared to before.
‘Of course, it’s not perfect yet.’
To this day, I can’t remember with certainty any of the experiences the original Enoch had.
But when I clearly projected Enoch’s mana from my inner world onto the sword, Enoch’s emotions and very fragmentary memories from his childhood came to mind.
‘As the message from the inner world said, learning about Mana is ultimately learning about the original Enoch.’
If you continue to use the sword, one day you will absorb all of Enoch’s past.
Not only the sword abilities he possessed, but also stories from his childhood that were not revealed in the original work.
‘If that happens, there will be no suspicion from the family members.’
He looked absentmindedly at the black cloth sack leaning against the seat next to him.
‘Besides, even in the memories of the swordsman I first met in the inner world, there were still swordsmanship skills left to learn.’
All I got from him was the ‘sense of mana’.
I haven’t even learned proper swordsmanship yet.
Whether it’s Enoch or the nameless swordsman, there’s still a lot to be taken from them in the inner world.
It doesn’t end there.
The unidentified voice that spoke to Enoch as a child must have said this:
[In the world, there are countless forms of swordsmanship that you cannot even imagine, and there have been and disappeared countless lives lived by swordsmen.]
According to this, there must have been more than one or two swordsmen in the empire.
‘Ultimately, Enoch’s potential for growth is limitless.’
So, with these in mind, how should we act going forward?
First of all, the most important thing to keep in mind going forward was clear.
‘Until the start of the original work, we will maintain the flow of the original history as much as possible.’
One of the greatest advantages I have as a veteran in this world is that I am fully aware of every development and possibility that has occurred since the beginning of the original story.
Since the primary goal was to survive and reach the ending of the original story, there was no reason to give up that greatest advantage.
‘I can’t do something stupid like being too greedy and interfering with the story, shaking up the original work from its beginning.’
Of course, in order to maintain the flow of the original history, there are elements, events, and people that clearly cannot be touched rashly.
But other than those things, I don’t think you really need to worry about it.
‘In that sense, the problems related to growth are automatically solved.’
Fortunately, the powers that Enoch would gain in the future were not the magical powers that were mainly dealt with in the existing .
The power of swordsmanship through the ‘Successor of the Sword’, a setting that was not even revealed in the game.
Even if I piece this together, I don’t think it will affect the original story.
‘… Anyway, I don’t know if all of this will be as easy as I thought, but I have no choice but to use my head as much as possible.’
It’s going to be a very long journey.
It might be a very arduous journey.
There is no guarantee that everything will be as easy as playing a game.
But this side knows the whole process and the ending.
If only we could use it appropriately, at the appropriate time… .
‘Nothing will be a problem.’
Just as he was finishing his thoughts.
A short voice came from the driver’s seat.
“We have arrived. We are at the northern outskirts of the citadel.”
And the journey was just beginning.
Enoch opened the carriage door and grabbed a black cloth bag.
Because successfully completing this mission, which has been done hundreds of times, was already decided.