The Sword Genius of the Magic Empire - Chapter 86



Only Noblemtl

Thud. Thud.

Rhodes, a sinking ruin. Inside the underground passage. The footsteps of wizards wearing tactical robes with Elseid’s symbol rang out.

To rescue the survivors, Dionil and his followers follow him.

They looked anxious as the investigation went deeper than expected.

“It goes deep.”

“The location of the survivors has been pinpointed by the detection spell. There isn’t much time left.”

The agent using exploration magic tried to reassure them.

The underground area of ​​the castle city ruins is actually not really underground. It would have been a passageway facility in the castle wall above ground in the past when it was not flooded.

But now, perhaps it is due to the sinking of the naturally weakened ground.

The interior of the castle walls, partially sunken below the surface of the lake, was virtually underground, with water flowing from cracks everywhere.

Water streams gushed out from all over the passage, falling down the distant castle walls.

Looking at that, Dionil said briefly.

“I don’t know anything about Rhodes. Be careful.”

“It’s suspicious. Even the Academia Exploration Team has never set foot in that place before. And in that place, there’s suddenly an explosion of unknown origin.”

Anyone can see that this is not an ordinary case.

The sudden appearance and explosion of demons. It was natural to wonder what on earth was happening in Rhodes.

But there is currently no way to know that. So, we just have to do our best to complete the mission given the given circumstances.

Aspis opened his mouth, looking around cautiously.

“According to Enoch’s advice, when rescuing hostages, you must be careful of the surrounding structures. They may collapse due to explosive traps.”

“Yes. That’s not wrong. Just be careful.”

“Come to think of it, Lord Enoch also wanted to act separately earlier. I have personally seen the skills of the water girl named Shiroko. Wouldn’t it have been better if she had come together in case of an emergency?”

“It’s just advice. I don’t know if it’s training. In a real operation like this, where lives are at stake, Enoch is not trustworthy.”

At that moment, another man from the Chao clan turned his gaze from the side.

“I understand that you are wary, my lord. But what exactly is it about him that you are wary of…?”

Immediately, the surrounding glares glared at me.

A new recruit who recently joined the Chajong family. The man scratched his head with an expression of regret, as if he had momentarily thought he had asked the wrong question.

But Dionil didn’t seem to care. He answered with a calm expression.

“He’s been selfish since the beginning. Even if a crisis arises during an operation, he’ll only think about how to survive on his own.”

At his words, several squad members in the moving line quietly nodded in agreement.

What happened in the past was already so well known.

In the past, when Enoch was only 13 years old.

He had a past where he thoroughly subdued Dionil with physical force, as if it were a show of force, on the family’s official training ground.

The victory or defeat in the official match was not important. However, the fact that ‘the official match between direct rivals is a place where the world’s attention is focused’ was very important.

This is because the official duel between stock traders that is open to outsiders is not a place where people can simply watch a fight between a winner and a loser.

And in such an official setting.

Thirteen-year-old Enoch, as if advertising that he was not a magician, openly threw away even the horsemanship and subdued Dionil with his bare hands.

He held Dionil’s head down with one hand and pinned his back with one knee.

Enoch Elseid slowly raised his deeply sunken black eyes towards the audience watching the duel.

And that day.

The unprecedented atrocities committed by the direct descendants of the non-magicians of the Juga clan in a public duel were featured in the headlines of all media outlets and on the electronic billboards of buildings.

“I don’t know exactly what Enoch was thinking at that time… … but one thing is certain.”

Dionil said as if spitting out what he had chewed.

“Enoch’s actions had a great negative impact on the reputation of the family at the time. It caused damage to many members of the family.”

“……okay.”

“Anyway, as far as I know, Enoch is a selfish guy who would sacrifice everyone to survive if he were in a dangerous situation.”

No matter what happened in the past, there is no room for personal feelings to interfere with a mission. Operations always involve not only one’s own life, but also the lives of the agents who trust and follow him more than anyone else.

Completing the mission was the top priority. That was why I absolutely had to stay away from Enoch.

Past experience tells me he was selfish.

If something dangerous happens during an operation, no matter how strong the author is, he won’t help anyone because he doesn’t care about others.

Dionil, too, has learned this the hard way from the numerous operational experiences he has had so far.

And what kind of ‘ending’ did those who were with such selfish people meet?

Dionil took a step forward and sighed.

“Stories from the past aren’t very pleasant. Let’s stop.”

Aspis glanced away.

“What? I think it was a childish resignation, perhaps due to despair over the fact that he was not a magician.”

“That may be the case. But.”

Dionil answered, biting his molars.

“Because you were born directly into the Jukgu clan, there are emotions and actions that are not allowed from the start.”

“Direct lineage” refers to those who share Elseid’s blood.

However, this word was never meant to refer only to the direct descendants of the current head of the family.

A concept that includes even ‘distant collateral relatives’ who have little contact with each other and are no different from strangers.

A system where even distant collateral blood relatives who would have never met face to face would compete for the right to succession as “direct descendants” if they had the name Elseid.

In a way, it was natural.

After all, the person who leads the imperial family must be chosen based on thorough ability, not relatives.

Among those who bear the name of the next generation Elseid, only those with thorough skills are selected.

This is what makes it possible for each clan to rise to the top in a modern society overflowing with excellent magicians.

Dionil added, spitting out the words.

“Enough small talk. We’ll be arriving at our destination soon. Concentrate on rescuing the victims and escaping quickly.”

***

Things went smoothly after that.

“Here it is, here it is!”

“Ahh! Thank you! Thanks to you, I survived!”

A place that Enoch found through information he obtained from a girl named Emma and through searching magic.

There, they find the castaways belonging to the Academia who are stuck in the rubble of the collapsed building, and rescue them without incident.

Everything went smoothly.

Even though he didn’t carry out the operation with Enoch, it was not wrong to seek his advice. Dionil also had to admit it to some extent after experiencing it.

Enoch has suddenly become a hot topic recently. There seems to be a reason why he is attracting everyone’s attention.

“These are the castaways of Academia. Their names match the list and photos.”

Dionil nodded to the agent reporting from the side. The target rescuers were encountered and secured.

Now it’s just a matter of getting out.

“We will move. Please follow us.”

“Ha. But. Here, there’s an explosion… …!”

However, the people on the Academia side were terrified, perhaps because they had been hit by an explosion of unknown origin.

But there was no sound in the surrounding passages.

The floor of the passage is solid and free of debris. There is no way to hide anything. The passage is also quite wide, making it difficult to place explosive magic on the walls.

It seemed that the other members of Dionil thought so too.

“We are simply going back the route we came from safely. We cannot afford to waste time when there is no threat.”

“That’s right. The explosion in the basement earlier must have already entangled them. If they chase after them, it will be difficult to rescue them.”

Ultimately, it’s a fight against time.

So, it was an important operation to have the mobility to get out. Dionil put his finger on the communications earset.

“Secure the rescuers. We’ll move to the exit point. For the passage, we’ll go back to where we came out earlier─”

at that time.

Dionil’s voice, who had briefed him like that, disappeared from the passage before it could even reach him.

Phew!

At that moment, with a sharp metallic clicking sound from beside him, something small flew into the air in front of him.

The eyes of the Elseid wizards who saw that grew wide.

─A cylindrical metal can that bounces into the air.

The LED attached to it flashes brightly. A glowing magic circle unfolds like a ring on the body of the can.

An ominous mechanical sound, “Beep!” pierced everyone’s eardrums for an instant. In an instant, all of Elseid’s members recognized its identity.

“Jump Mine Type Artifact”─!

Aspis instinctively raised his shield. At the same time, the other members quickly fell to the ground, carrying the survivors.

And the next moment. The powerful explosion magic of the jumping mine was activated. At the same time, a violent earthquake shook the entire passage.

“Get out!”

Aspis not only held the shield with both arms, but also supported it with his shoulders, and was pushed back by the blast, groaning in pain.

“Damn it, everyone stop now! If we keep going like this, we might get caught in the explosive trap that’s been set up!”

The entire squad immediately stopped with a stern expression.

Cold sweat was running down their chins too.

[Leap Mine Artifact]

An artifact that detects when an enemy approaches, jumps up, and detonates while using explosive magic in the air.

This passage was going back to where they had come in earlier. However, the reason why the jumping mine had not worked when they came in was obvious.

A bait-type trap magic that activates when a certain number of people within a certain radius meet the conditions. It was a cleverly set trap.

In other words, they intentionally caused the disaster and then targeted the rescue team all at once.

Beep!

Then, another mine fell from the ceiling above their passageway, and there was a loud explosion.

The screams of the Academia members continued.

Aspis, who was holding his shield in front and protecting them as much as possible, shouted urgently.

“The ground and walls keep shaking, probably because of the explosion! The underground passage will collapse soon!”

If things continue like this, we will all be buried here alive.

I had to find a way somehow.

As if to indicate that there was not much time left before the passage collapsed, sand and rock fragments fell from the passage’s ceiling like an hourglass of death.

Dionil clenched his sweaty fists.

This is a high-powered magic that is so powerful that it can be used to kill people.

Who is this high-powered trap master? What is his affiliation and identity? What is the purpose of setting him up here? However, the doubts were soon swallowed up by despair at the sight of reality.

“Oh, damn it. If it’s like this, there’s no way…!”

Normally, you would cast a detection spell to remove all traps and explosives in the area before moving.

But now, the situation is such that every second counts until collapse. There is no time to leisurely secure safety.

Aspis shouted loudly from the front.

“There are traps in the passage ahead! We can’t move forward unless we somehow remove them in advance!!”

“Can’t we go without stopping the explosion?”

“It’s impossible! Judging from the scale of the explosion just now, my defensive magic and magic spells have their limits! And on top of that, it could come flying in from somewhere and explode!!”

Aspis shouted with a cold sweat dripping down his face, his deployable shield in front of him, extremely nervous.

Then, behind him, a woman from the Academia Exploration Team with a frightened expression shouted urgently.

“Ha, but, there are many among us who don’t know how to use magic to prevent damage from an explosion of this scale! At this rate…!!”

“Ugh. I know. Stay calm.”

Dionil ground his teeth with an anxious expression.

Most of the Academy Exploration Team members are non-combatants.

It goes without saying that they don’t know how to use specialized combat defensive magic to defend against such a large-scale explosive trap.

The entire Dionil Squad seized the field.

A feeling of ominousness was creeping up their spines.

The magical power of trap series varies greatly depending on the user’s combat sense and magical ability. However, the most frightening fact is something else.

If this type of trap magic is installed.

Usually, there isn’t just one magic buried nearby─

Beep!

The next moment, as if to confirm that fact, another jumping mine blasted out from the passage next to them.

The earth shook again with a loud noise from the successive explosions, and flames engulfed the entire passageway.

“Ugh!”

Aspis somehow managed to throw himself and form a shield, but this time the members of the Academy were not safe from the impact.

“Ugh, it’s hot, it’s hot! Aaaah!”

“Gyaaaah! My arm!!”

A man screaming, clutching his shoulder as if he had been burned by the blast, and a woman staggering in pain, possibly with a broken arm.

Fortunately, no one has died yet. But this is clearly not the end.

Once the detonation conditions for the explosion magic have been met, all the surrounding mines will have already been activated. You never know where they might come from.

Dionil gritted his teeth and muttered.

“Damn, a trap magic of this level of power. What the heck.”

But that didn’t seem to matter. Aspis raised his shield and shouted urgently.

“The explosion spells are activated! Everyone, get down! You won’t be able to withstand the next explosion─!!”

Beep!

The next moment.

A sharp, ear-piercing electronic sound rang in everyone’s minds. Everyone’s heads turned to the side.

Another jumping mine was triggered in their side passage. The red LED flashed with a dizzying speed. The circular can inflated in an instant.

Right then.

Aspis was hastily putting up his shield, trying to somehow prepare for the impact of the explosion.

Shhh!

A figure, kicking the ground and rushing forward, suddenly got between him and the explosive.

The bomb hit the figure that had suddenly barged in. A loud noise and dust exploded in all directions, shaking the entire dark passage.

However, the shock and flames of the explosion were significantly reduced as it was blocked by someone who got right in front of the jumping mine.

Soon, the aftereffects of the explosion began to die down a bit.

Aspis, who saw who was in front of him, lowered his shield slightly and shouted loudly.

“Uh, Enoch… … ?”

But at the same time as his shout.

Phew!

This time, the jumping mine artifact in the left passage is activated. The gunpowder detonator fuse is activated. It bounces off with a loud noise and jumps up to the level of people’s eyes.

But Enoch also reacts almost simultaneously with a sound, flying towards where the artifact is flying.

Another powerful explosion shook the surrounding area. But this time, the explosion was blocked by Enoch’s body, so the Academia survivors were not harmed.

Everyone looked at him with dumbfounded eyes.

Enoch, wearing a thick protective robe covering his entire body, took the brunt of the explosion and flames.

He glanced back at those behind him.

“Uh, uh. Enoch? Why are you here?”

Dionil and his squad, who saw that, looked at him with even more shock than before.

The agility to react to situations in an instant even while wearing that heavy bomb-proof robe is also agility.

There is only one reason why they were surprised.

That Enoch saved them, even though he had to take the blast head-on?

But, not caring about their thoughts, Enoch glanced away and spoke calmly.

“All the trap magic here is mine… … .”

No, mistake.

“… … I’ll activate it. Get out of the gap.”

“What, what? Are you serious?”

“Count to three. Jump on three.”

Enoch’s dark blue eyes shone coldly as he spoke. Dionil took a deep breath upon seeing that.

“That─.”

“three.”

“Huh, huh?”

Without waiting, he kicks the ground. In that moment, Dionil’s dumbfounded expression flashes by, as if he didn’t know that counting to three really meant only counting to three.

Either way. Enoch raised one arm to cover his face and ran like the wind through the trapped passage.

As soon as he passed by, countless bombs went off in all directions. A chain reaction of explosions.

Kwaaaaaaaah!

Even as I ran, the crazy vibration shook my head. The axis kept shaking, making it difficult to keep my balance while running. My skin felt like it was burning from the flames of the explosion.

Strength naturally entered the arm covering his face.

Although the blast-proof robes are said to block fatal blast damage, they do not completely block the pain of shrapnel or flames.

but.

“It hurts, but… … .”

Enoch actually had a faint smile on his lips. Of course, it was much less painful than dying at the hands of the Black Sword. It couldn’t possibly be compared to the pain of real death.

‘And it’s something that depends on spec upgrades!’

Enoch’s eyes, hidden by his arm, flashed.

If that’s the case, what more is there to say?

Originally, a creature called a high-performance creature (especially one with high performance) would lose their senses just by seeing the word “spec-up.”

No matter how low the odds are for a gacha, why do players go around throwing money at it by the truckload on a fictional day?

But, if you just run, your magic resistance increases?

I absolutely can’t stand it.

Meanwhile, as I continued to run, screams were erupting from behind me that couldn’t be drowned out by the explosions.

“Huh, huh! What is that person… …!”

“Direct, direct, your Majesty is crazy!!!”

A direct line that runs straight to the center of the explosion.

The sudden rash actions of a boy in a commanding position who was supposed to be the safest during an operation.

The expressions on the faces of Dionil’s followers who saw that made it look like their eyes were going to pop out are vivid even without looking at them.

And right after that.

Among them, Dionil, who seemed to have come to his senses first, could also be heard shouting urgently.

“Rap, hurry, follow where Enoch removed the trap! Now is your chance to escape before the passage collapses!!”

Enoch’s eyes glanced back.

Okay. You can just go out alive like that.

If it doesn’t harm us, it would be better to keep the story going as it was in the original.

Oh, of course,

I have no intention of giving up on these bombs either.

Enoch looked back at the passage ahead of him as he ran.

The sky-blue mana line of the Black Sword extended deeper into the passage.

And around it, like laser traps in a movie, yellow mana lines from mine artifacts were spreading out in all directions.

But he continued to run forward without stopping. He lowered his posture and crossed his arms to cover his mouth and cheeks in front of him, preparing for the impact.

A faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, hidden by his sleeve.

For some reason, there were more explosives installed underground than above ground. Naturally, that means there are more specs waiting to be upgraded.

Minesweeper that you can enjoy directly with your body in reality.

The exciting spec-up time was just beginning.

***

“Phew.”

The madness of Minesweeper ended sooner than expected.

Somewhere deep in the deserted depths of Rhodes, Enoch stopped there, his steps becoming slightly heavier, and he took a deep breath.

There were no more mine artifacts around.

Maybe it was because of the adrenaline, but my whole body felt numb, but it wasn’t as painful as I thought.

Swish.

Enoch took off his heavy robe.

─Passssss.

The explosion-proof robe had already reached the end of its durability, as its exterior was crumbling and crunching like some kind of candy.

Anyway, this won’t stop any more explosions.

Still, to this extent, it can be considered as being spent frugally.

It was a fairly satisfactory result.

I don’t know for sure, but magic resistance will definitely go up by one level with this. You can check it when you enter the world of nothingness.

Enoch thought so and turned his head.

More than that, there was another, more important fact.

‘This is the front.’

Before Enoch’s eyes, a translucent line of sky blue color was drawn, the same line he had followed until now.

A sky blue line that ripples clearly like a water shadow.

Enoch walked slowly, following the flow of mana that glowed faintly in the darkness.

As we went deeper, a square came into view.

There, the last part of the castle submerged in the lake appeared. Or, more accurately, the castle gate. The passageway ended right there.

Except for the large hole in the floor.

And the bottom of the huge hole in the ruins had been completely submerged in water for a long time, and was filled with only deep water with no end in sight, like a small lake.

And the line of mana, rippling in sky blue, continued beneath the surface of the deep lake.

Traces of the past extend deep beneath the lake’s waters.

“Swoop.”

Without hesitation, Enoch took a deep breath and jumped into the water. A splashing sound hit his ears as he dove into the water.

The sensation of cold water immediately enveloped my whole body. The sound became muffled, and when I opened my eyes, white spray of water rose before my eyes.

The sunlight streaming through the cracks in the ruins illuminated the clear water. I dived down into the deep water where the bottom was not visible.

Before he knew it, Enoch’s heart was pounding loudly.

It took quite some time, but at least so far I’ve managed to successfully complete all of my farming plans.

Now, it’s time to get the long-awaited next sword of the swordsman.