The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 84



Only Noblemtl

When Enoch returned to Rhodes.

Aside from the black cloth bag he always carried, he had something else slung over his shoulder.

It was a huge duffel bag.

Enoch dropped the duffel bag he was carrying on the floor. The contents were heavy, and a heavy thud sounded as it hit the ground.

The attention of the Dionil squad next to him was focused on that place. Dionil asked first.

“that?”

“Bomb-proof robe. I borrowed it from the Academy.”

“what?”

“Literally. It’s an artifact that prevents explosions.”

“No, I’m not asking because I don’t know.”

Dionil looked as if he had heard some bad joke. It was nonsense to begin with.

“Are you going to use that in your mission, now… … ?”

“okay.”

Dionil shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s funny. I know about the explosion-proof robe. It might be able to block one or two explosions, but it’s made of special materials, so it’d be ridiculously heavy. It’s not even equipment designed for combat in the first place.”

Dionil’s words were not wrong.

So, the defensive artifacts of famous companies that are produced with tactical specifications focus on reducing the defensive power to a certain extent and increasing mobility.

In any case, it is virtually impossible to have complete defense when you are properly hit by the opponent’s magic.

So, in actual operations or combat situations, it was effective to reduce weight and evade attacks while maintaining only the minimum defensive performance.

In other words, it means that wearing something like this to a place where demons are swarming is tantamount to committing suicide.

“In Rhodes, you never know when the demons will attack. Mobility is important to increase the success rate of the rescue operation. You know that, don’t you?”

Enoch nodded.

You can also wear a bomb-proof robe and constantly deploy body reinforcement.

However, if you carry out operations while using up mana like that, it will be difficult to deal with emergencies.

It would be a much more reasonable tactic to have the units that mainly use defensive magic take the lead and provide primary defense when explosive magic goes off.

‘I would have thought the same thing if I were you.’

No matter how high-performance an artifact or a magic item is, it is only an item that assists and amplifies the magic of wizards.

The Dionil Squad, which is fully equipped with various wizards, would have no reason to use something like this.

Looking behind him, it seemed like the other members of Dionil’s squad were thinking the same thing.

But that’s just common sense.

Enoch tilted his head slightly.

“You guys are so interested, even though I’m not giving it to you.”

“Then what are you going to use it for? It’s probably too big for a girl from the Suin tribe who follows you.”

“I’ll wear it.”

At those words, Dionil’s expression became somewhat indescribable, but soon returned to normal.

“… … Whatever. I warned you, so do as you wish. In Rhodes, where demons roam, wearing that heavy thing during an operation? You’re quite the brat.”

He said, glancing at his teammates who were diligently analyzing the map that Emma had apparently handed them.

“Thanks to your advice, I have found the location of the survivors. I will soon conduct an internal investigation of the ruins with the detection wizards. We will move separately as planned.”

Dionil said as he turned around and walked away to join his squad.

Upon returning, Aspis met Dionil.

“I heard you talking next to me. Enoch said that he wanted support from the Academy, but I wonder why he brought something like that… … .”

“Yes. I heard that he wears a bomb-proof robe and goes into places full of demons because he’s afraid of explosions.”

“It won’t be easy. It’ll be difficult to move around without being detected by the demons.”

As he said that, Aspis was about to shake his head with a slight laugh, but the next moment his gaze was fixed on Dionil’s shoulder.

“uh?”

“What’s going on?”

Aspis glanced at Enoch over Dionil’s shoulder with a somewhat bewildered expression.

“… … But that bomb-proof robe, is it something that can be held so lightly with one hand?”

“what?”

When Dionil looked back with a blank expression.

Enoch was already walking away with light steps, carrying a duffel bag containing a bomb-proof robe in one hand.

***

Enoch approached Sirocco, who was sitting on the remains of the ruins and swaying back and forth.

She glanced over as if she noticed someone approaching from the side, then smiled faintly as if she was glad to see me.

“Do I still have work to do?”

“Okay. It starts now.”

Dionil’s operation is a secondary priority anyway.

First, we need to achieve this goal.

Because the things that had to be done from the beginning haven’t changed at all.

There is a way to find the Sword of the Black Knight.

The plan had already been drawn up.

In the past, when I first inherited the sense of mana from Jechoi Geom, I followed the line of mana that was emanating from Enoch’s sword.

If I can just find the Mana Line this time, I should be able to get the sword without any problems like last time.

So how do we find that line?

Enoch came to his conclusion without difficulty.

‘I have to look through everything.’

Of course, this is not an exaggeration or a boast. Enoch really intended to search every nook and cranny of Rhodes.

“By the way. What was that strange explosion earlier?”

“I don’t know either. It’s just magic. So I’m going to find the cause of the explosion and blow it up myself.”

“Huh? You’re going to blow it up?”

“Yes. If we leave it like this, it will only interfere with our plans in various ways. I will personally remove it.”

“Huh, you’re going to get hit by the explosion yourself. Are you okay?”

“I guess so.”

Enoch unzipped his duffel bag and pulled out his bomb-proof robe. Its heavy weight weighed down his arms.

A protective suit that is full of protection, like the EOD suit worn by bomb disposal teams. It is heavy and uncomfortable to wear, making it impossible to move nimbly.

But that wasn’t a problem at all.

I think this person’s physical ability will be fine.

Swish.

He wears a bomb-proof robe and a hood. The hood has some kind of iron plate-like outer skin placed on his head, chest, and shoulders like armor.

It looked quite sturdy.

I moved my arm slightly and it felt quite heavy and uncomfortable.

Perhaps they used special materials other than enchantment to block the power of the explosion magic?

But to this extent, it seemed like there would be no problem.

Enoch slowly looked around the surrounding area, which was overgrown with bushes and ruins.

In his eyes, which were shining dark blue with concentration, it was already visible.

‘Mana like explosion magic.’

Lines of mana rising from various parts of the Rhodes ruins. Traces of mana that sounded exactly like explosive magic.

There appear to be at least a few dozen installed nearby.

Enoch, who had used his mana sense to identify the nearest trace of trap magic, strode toward it.

The ruins of a high wall. Between the vines that covered its surface, something was clearly visible, attached to a shadowy spot somewhere below eye level.

‘That’s?’

The moment he saw that, Enoch’s eyes widened slightly.

An electronic device in the shape of a round metal can with an eerie red LED light flashing on it.

[Semtex Mine]

An explosive artifact that assists mine magic.

The magic cast on that mechanical artifact is, as the name suggests, a type of trap magic.

A trap-type magic that is activated by triggering various conditions, such as a wall or floor with magic installed, or the approach of a specific object or the application of pressure.

‘That’s the cause of all the explosions that have happened so far.’

The moment I saw it, a chill ran down my spine. My vague anticipation turned into certainty and goosebumps ran down my spine.

This magic itself is not that special, but the number of magicians who use this type of artifact is extremely limited.

As expected, I had a gut feeling that my guess was correct.

Enoch’s eyes narrowed as he strode towards the place where the artifact was installed.

-She is now in Rhodes.

And it was at that moment that Enoch, who was walking towards the wall without hesitation, caught sight of something strange.

Beep!

The explosive artifact seemed to sense its approach. The LED flashed brightly with a small mechanical beep, then immediately expanded into a crimson glow─

Kwaaaaaaaah!

In that moment, a loud noise and a powerful explosion occurred.

In an instant, the entire ruins of the surrounding historic site are shaken violently. The remains of building columns cut off by time collapse with a loud noise, and cracks appear in the old castle walls.

On top of the high castle wall, which was half-submerged in the lake, a crack had opened, causing the lake water that had been flowing like a waterfall to pour down even more heavily.

But after that riot passed.

Enoch was just standing there, unmoving. Sirocco looked at him from behind and tilted his head in curiosity.

“Huh, what is it? Does it really look okay?”

“I know.”

To be exact, it is thanks to the performance of the explosion-proof robe.

Although the defensive artifacts produced by the empire’s corporations or workshops may appear ordinary, they sometimes have special properties due to the materials used or the magic applied to them.

Even though they may appear to be thin suits or jackets, there are products that have durability specifications that are comparable to armor or bulletproof vests.

The same goes for the bomb-proof robe you’re wearing now.

But at the same time, its limitations were also clear.

“… … .”

Enoch briefly raised one arm.

He instinctively raised his arm when the explosion occurred. There was a big bruise inside the sleeve, and a tingling sensation was felt deep in his bones.

Suddenly, the description in the original work came to mind.

「… … Even artifacts with defensive specifications can only prevent fatal wounds that penetrate the body.」

“It cannot completely block the impact of certain magical attacks, or even damage from fragments… ”

It’s not that different from real bulletproof vests.

Moreover, the explosion-proof robe is not an artifact that was originally manufactured with combat specifications to professionally take blasts head-on.

At best, it’s just something to prevent a safety accident during the blasting operation to investigate the area where the entrance was blocked by debris by the Academia Exploration Team.

Even if the fatal wound from the explosion magic can be blocked somehow, the pain is conveyed quite clearly.

‘But this will do.’

Enoch lowered his arms and smiled faintly.

In fact, it was such an obvious story. As long as I didn’t die anyway, this wouldn’t be a big deal. Above all, it was a matter of spec-up.

“Potion of Magic Resistance”

A potion I took in Leopolis before. Its effect is that when you are hit by magic, your magic resistance increases. And of course, explosion magic is also magic.

From here on, it’s just simple logic.

If you keep wearing the explosion-proof robe like you did just now and continue to be hit by the landmine magic that is being installed, your magic resistance will also continue to increase.

And then you can slowly explore the places where the Sword of the Black Sword might be hidden.

Enoch nodded inwardly with satisfaction.

As expected, it was a perfect plan. Enoch immediately found the location of the next explosion and started walking briskly.

This is absolutely necessary for spec-up.

Even if it was reality, no, rather, because it was reality, I had to rush to it when I saw the potential for spec-up.

Anyway, Enoch has gained unnecessary fame in the Empire. That means he has properly drawn wide-area aggro from an unspecified number of people.

You never know when or where a sudden crisis might strike. Even if you just finished off Vendetta’s Destroyer Tantalus with your own hands, there’s a chance that Vendetta will take revenge if you just sit back and relax.

Then there is only one conclusion.

Inheriting or training in swordsmanship is the basics. There is no other way to grow than through farming elements and spec-up elements that can be obtained from continuous missions.

To survive. And to prepare for the future of the original that will surely come one day.

Enoch turned his gaze to the side for a moment and glanced at the wolf-eared girl following him.

“Sirocco. Listen carefully.”

“Huh?”

“Soon the demons will be drawn to the explosion and will rush towards this area. Clear them all out.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Shiroko responded, tilting her chin back slightly. Then she closed one eye slightly and glanced in this direction.

“And you, be careful this time too.”

“Be careful. What?”

“I mean, the explosion. That was also the case in the abandoned fortress before, and we almost got crushed by the falling debris.”

Well, Enoch nodded slightly.

During the first battle with Leontos a while ago, when he escaped, the ceiling of the fortress collapsed with an explosive artifact.

I was lucky I wasn’t crushed by the debris that time. Sirocco seemed to remember that and was worried.

“That’s… … . Be careful.”

“Yeah. But don’t worry too much this time.”

“Don’t worry?”

“Of course! Last time I was frozen like an idiot, but this time, if something like this happens, I can save you!”

Enoch nodded vaguely to Sirocco, who was shouting with a proud expression for some reason.

This completes the preparations.

Sirocco’s combat experience increases, magic resistance increases, and he moves as a human bomb disposal machine, looking for a place where the next sword of the sword might be.

It was time to put into action a plan that would truly be the pinnacle of efficiency.

Enoch walked lightly towards the next mine. This kind of spec-up method would only cause a slight bruise, and there would be no other risks.

But just then, a silver-haired maid girl suddenly flashed through Enoch’s mind.

… … No, actually there was a risk.

Because there’s someone out there who really, really doesn’t like seeing bruises all over his body.

But fortunately or unfortunately, she was no longer in Rhodes.

Lien did not come along on this mission.

To be exact, it would be correct to say that I couldn’t keep up.

When registering my name as a replacement for this mission, I could only register the name of Sirocco, who I had officially accepted as a follower.

The situation was different from the previous mission with the Suin Tribe, where Enoch had personally assumed the role of commander and had some discretion in personnel formation.

So, she, who was ostensibly (but in reality) a maid, could not accompany him on this mission to supplement personnel.

Rather, if a servant who is not even registered on the mission list accompanies her, there is a possibility that Enoch, who is with her, will receive more attention from the members of Dionil’s squad, which could have a negative effect.

“… … .”

As Enoch walked, Lien’s clear blue eyes, glaring at him as if she could never tolerate him getting hurt, flashed through his mind.

It was true that I had some doubts because Lien seemed to accept this separate action without reprimanding it, contrary to my expectations.

… … Maybe she has built up some level of trust.

By now, you may have realized that I wouldn’t do something stupid enough to die.

Or, Lien might have thought that if he was by her side, Enoch would use that as insurance and jump into a more aggressive tactic.

It was the same at the end of the last joint mission when we went to catch Tantalus.

In the end, no matter how you think about it, it’s not wrong.

Anyway, I’m a little scared because I can’t imagine what I’ll hear if I go back and get caught by Lien…

That’s something we can think about later.

Enoch walked away and smiled faintly.

After all, nothing is more important than improving your specs right before your eyes.