The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 82



Only Noblemtl

For a while, the ruins were filled with silence in the lake water. The bricks of the castle walls were left behind on top of the remains, with only traces of the past remaining in the bushes and moss.

The galloping demons smash through shattered debris and trample the cracked ground as they charge madly.

The ground shook as the demons raised their horns and rushed towards Shiroko. Shiroko glanced at them and lightly kicked the ground.

Wheeeeeeee!

Jump straight up and kick off the ground. Turn your body in a large circle from high in the air and fall, dodging the raised horn of the demon by a hair’s breadth.

The next moment, Shiroko’s sharp roundhouse kick cut through the air.

Kwajajajajak!

A kick of devastating power hits the horn.

In an instant, there was a dry, loud noise as the beast’s shell shattered. One of its horns cracked and was severed. It flew around in circles and crashed into the ruins of the castle wall.

The moment the demon raised its head and staggered in shock, Shiroko’s consecutive downward kicks struck. The bare foot landed precisely on top of the bastard’s head.

Paaaaang─! A refreshing explosion as the air bursts. The demon’s rock-like head is torn off and falls vertically to the ground.

The demon that lost its head convulsed as if in a fit. It then collapsed, and its destroyed body parts turned into black ash and flew into the sky, disappearing.

But before the corpse had even a chance to disappear.

The demon then charged forward and pierced the corpse of his comrade with its horn, then charged forward like a tank. It struck Sirocco with the corpse of its comrade that it had pierced.

“Wow, what a shame~”

However, Sirocco’s wolf ears perk up in response. He immediately dances back and back, then kicks the belly of the running beast loudly.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud noise, the bastard’s running body jerked vertically and then soared several meters into the sky, scattering black ash.

-Kurrrrrrrr!

Perhaps excited by the successive deaths of their comrades, the Truncatus rushed toward her one after another. Their eyeless roars tore the air.

Shiroko glanced at them running towards her and smiled coldly with her fresh eyes.

“… … It’s amazing. It’s just the same beast hunting, but it’s much more fun when you come out of the village.”

She muttered softly. Then, glancing at Enoch next to her, she added lightly.

“As expected, it was a good decision to join your clan!”

“I see.”

Enoch smiled faintly and asked, seeing her speaking calmly even as the demons swarmed around.

“Those things. Can you handle them alone?”

“You ask the obvious.”

Shiroko simply replied. The flow of mana near her, as she looked at the demon, rose once more. Enoch added shortly.

“Go ahead and try it.”

“Hmm, good. I like that instruction.”

After looking this way once and slightly nodding her head, Sirocco kicked off the ground and jumped in an instant. The wind pressure from her crushing the ground brushed Enoch’s cheek.

Looking up from behind the hair blowing in the wind, he saw Sirocco jumping high into the sky. Enoch looked at her with cold eyes.

‘Sirocco needs diverse combat experience.’

Having grown up in a tribal village, isolated from imperial society, her combat experience is still limited to the rocky desert region where the Suin tribe’s village is located.

That’s why now is the best opportunity.

As Shiroko gains more experience, the time it takes for her to reach the level of the original will also come faster.

In the original, after the village was destroyed, she struggled alone at the crossroads of endless survival and guilt.

In order to have excellent fighting prowess similar to that of the original, it was necessary to steadily build up fighting experience from now on.

Of course, I am not weak now, but I need to become even stronger for the trials that lie ahead.

By the time Enoch’s thoughts reached that point.

In that short moment, Shiroko was already destroying all the demons rushing at him with light movements.

The shadows of the demons flying into the sky and scattering black ash covered the blank eyes of Dionil’s squad members on the ground across from them.

They had forgotten to move and were just watching Sirocco’s activities.

“… … Crazy. What is that… … .”

I glanced to the side and saw that Aspis next to Enoch had a blank expression on his face.

No, not only that, but the expressions on the Dionil squad members’ faces since a while ago were blank, as if they had no need to fight anymore, and they were just hanging there with their horses hanging down.

Even they, who were battle magicians with some experience, seemed to instinctively feel certain things when they saw the battle unfolding before their eyes.

“… Honestly, I thought his skills were exaggerated because of the rumors. But seeing him in person is completely different.”

Aspis, who had been blankly staring at the sky for a moment, let out a small exclamation to his fellow wizard behind him.

“I only heard rumors when I was working as a VIP security guard for a large corporation, but it really is true that the Suin tribe is like that… .”

“That’s right. I’ve seen quite a few close-quarters combat styles. Those guys would probably be shocked if they saw that. Raising the output of their body enhancement magic to that level. A normal human would just spurt blood out of their entire body and die.”

Aspis nodded at his colleague’s words.

“Huh. At that age, that level of talent? I’m not in a position to judge, but I’m curious about the potential. If they knew it was that level, at least the “Lord” level of the Outpost would have kept an eye on the Suin tribe.”

Load.

It is a name given to powerful people who reign as kings over specific areas in areas not properly under the power or control of the royal family, commonly known as ‘outer districts’.

Although the underworld is a place included in the stock market, the outer district is no different from a lawless area where people without honor or human rights gather.

The ‘Lords’ there are by no means easy beings. The same goes for the direct squads under those wizards.

At least, if they are eyeing it, you can guess how much they value Scirocco.

“Huh, you said it was a 10th-grade beast. How on earth did Lord Enoch recruit such a monster… .”

Aspis said that absentmindedly, then turned around and shook his head awkwardly.

“Ah. Seriously, I slipped out of my mind. Sorry.”

“No, that’s not wrong.”

As they say, Shiroko’s potential is very high. In the original, she grew into a top-tier character, to the point where she could be called a monster.

And that’s not all, if trained properly, Sirocco’s strength will be beyond imagination.

‘Now that I know, I have to try.’

“Skills” that you must gradually increase your proficiency in the game. In other words, you must train her unique magic to improve her fighting ability.

In order to do that, I had to continue to gain experience in combat like I was doing now, and create a foundation for her to reach the barrier of enlightenment.

Also, when your skills improve to a certain degree, you must obtain a “dedicated mount” corresponding to a dedicated weapon and a “collected artifact” corresponding to a defensive piece.

The original gacha game-like training system flashed through his mind. The moment he remembered it, Enoch almost snickered.

It’s a voice that’s been done countless times already. But this time, it had to be done in reality. And that too, five years before the start of the original work.

Of course, from what I’ve experienced so far, there’s a gap between reality and games. You can’t think that all elements of a game can be replaced with reality.

The same goes for spec-up.

I don’t know if it will be easy or not, but it is one of the things I absolutely have to do in the future.

Of course, for the survival of this side in the future, raising the specs of the follower magicians that will be recruited in the future, including Sirocco, will be just as important as raising the specs of the main character.

Unlike the sword carried on one’s back, which can only be drawn in the dark, out of sight of others.

The squad of his followers that he will recruit in the future will be the sword that Enoch can use in the light.

***

Rhodes Emergency Rescue Operation Area

20 minutes after the start of the operation to enter the ruins.

And now. The surrounding landscape on the ground inside the ruins was filled with the corpses of demons rising into the sky, turning into black ash.

Passssssss.

And some of the wizards of the Dionil Squad blankly looked up at the scenery.

Although it was only a part of the fortress city of Rhodes, at least the nearby demons were soon repelled.

To be exact, Sirocco took care of all the Truncatus within the radius where the aggro was drawn, and Dionil’s squad also assisted her to ensure the safety of the surrounding area.

One of the Dionil followers was heard reporting in a slightly bewildered tone into the squad-wide communication channel through an earbud.

“In the ruins area, the demons have been subdued… … We have secured one escapee. She is a young girl.”

“Identity verification?”

“You are a student in the Department of History at the Academy, and it seems like you are an intern for the first time.”

Enoch, who was watching it, tilted his head for a moment.

Sirocco’s experience should be enough to meet the plan. However, there was one question that remained unanswered.

And it was the same for everyone else.

“By the way, why did the explosion suddenly occur?”

Dionil, who had been watching the situation with his arms crossed, opened his mouth seriously. One of Dionil’s followers tilted his head and answered.

“I don’t know. It’s not clear whether the stranded Academy Expedition members sent out some sort of signal, or whether the demons simply caused some of the structures in the ruins to collapse underground.”

“It’s strange. It’s an old ruin that wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed at any time or place… … .”

“There is currently no response to detection magic. Aside from the presence of the demons, there are no other unusual signs or movements.”

“Not good.”

Dionil’s teeth clenched and met.

“I don’t know what the explosion was all about, but the explosion that just happened underground has caused a tremors. The demons underground will react as well. It’s become more difficult to rescue the victims.”

In any case, the need to save remained unchanged.

But it was clear that things had become greatly distorted.

As they were all starting to get a little shaky, Aspis, who had been crossing his arms with a serious expression, glanced at Enoch. Then he calmly opened his mouth.

“I heard from a friend who participated in the previous joint mission in the Suin tribe village that Lord Enoch succeeded in rescuing the hostages despite the variables.”

At those words, everyone’s eyes turned to Enoch.

“If you don’t mind, would it be okay if I asked for your advice?”

Aspis bowed his head and asked politely.

“We have been involved in many rescue operations, but these types of emergencies are rare. If there are any means of escape before we enter, we would like to know.”

“First of all, it’s not within my discretion.”

The leader of this mission was obviously Dionil. However, surprisingly, Dionil nodded instead.

“I know it’s shameless, but I’m also asking you formally. I need your advice. The situation has gotten worse than our squad originally anticipated. No matter what, the success of the mission comes first.”

“I guess so.”

“… The cause of the sudden explosion is secondary, but its scale is not small. If there were demons underground, it is possible that they were provoked.”

He added, clutching the staff he was holding tightly.

“If things continue like this, the survivors may be in danger. If there is any advice I can give before going into the operation, I would like to hear it to some extent. Is that possible?”

“It’s not free. There are two conditions.”

“What, what is it?”

Enoch tilted his head slightly.

“First. The official discretion of my squad. From this point on, I don’t care about any additional instructions or joining, and you can act freely.”

Dionil said earlier that he would act separately, but if he doesn’t want to talk to me, this is certain. He also nodded.

“… As the person in charge of the mission, I can officially guarantee that. I was planning to do that anyway. What else?”

“I’ll tell you what’s left after I finish this mission.”

Dionil frowned for a moment. It was nothing more than a wish to take the assistance of the mission hostage.

One could argue that it was right for Enoch to cooperate since he had volunteered for the mission, but Dionil soon nodded.

Given the mission, the priorities were clear.

“… Good. For now, the success of the mission is the top priority.”

Enoch smiled faintly. As expected, he was quick to judge the situation. With this, the deal was concluded.

Enoch glanced away and opened his mouth.

“Then first, tell me what you know about the situation.”

After saying that, Enoch stared at the area near the explosion point for a moment and slowly opened his mouth.

“One thing is for sure, that explosion just happened. It wasn’t a natural explosion. It was magic.”

“Huh? What is that…?”

Of course, it wasn’t a lie.

Enoch was watching the flow of mana with his eyes.

An unfamiliar flow of mana was spreading out like a line near the explosion point underground in the ruins.

If so, this would be some kind of magic.

“Well, I don’t know yet, and I don’t think there’s any point in saying more here… … .”

Enoch, having said that, looked aside for a moment.

“At least there is someone who can be an informant.”

There, the girl that Shiroko had saved earlier was trembling, holding on tightly to Shiroko’s short skirt and arm, the one that had saved her.

There are many members of Dionil’s squad around, but even surrounded by them, Scirocco seems to feel more secure.

On the other hand, Shiroko silently glanced at her, who seemed to be not much older than him, and then turned to look at him with fresh eyes.

Perhaps it was a signal to take it off.

Enoch approached her, his gaze fixed on the trembling girl who was still looking around warily, wondering if there were any demons around.

It seemed that she still hadn’t recovered from the shock of almost being killed by the devil just a moment ago. She opened her eyes wide when she saw Enoch approaching her.

“Enoch. What is your name?”

“Em, it’s Emma. Over there. Thank you, everyone, for saving me… … .”

“The rest of the Academy team members. Do you know where they are?”

At Enoch’s calm question, she stammered and cried out.

“The rest of us explorers are trapped inside the ruins because the underground passage collapsed!”

“The passage collapsed. What caused it?”

“Yes, yes! Suddenly, an explosion of unknown origin occurred, and even though I’m the smallest, they said they’d help me get out, and that, that, that… …!”

Enoch’s eyes narrowed.

That is, there was already an explosion around the exploration team before. They were isolated because of that explosion. Then, it could also be related to the explosion that occurred underground just now.

Just after thinking that far, a flash of realization struck Enoch’s mind.

‘Is this related to that person?’

Five years ago, he was definitely a member of an enemy force. He was a character with considerable name recognition in the original work. His clear silhouette flashed through my memory.

What if [she] was really the one responsible for the explosion?

For a moment, a slight chill ran down my spine.

Enoch, who had thought that far, slowly opened his mouth to Emma, ​​who was still trembling in front of him.

“… … One more thing. I have something to ask.”