The Knight Who Devours Magic - Chapter 38

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 38. Spirit Magic of Metal
“Holy Power, Mana, and Demonic Energy clash with one another, you see. If your body doesn’t rupture, you’d be fortunate.”
“That settles it, then.”
The hope that had swelled in an instant deflated with a hollow thud.
Devouring Mana and using it as an energy source—that was what he was doing now.
‘I could just learn Magic instead…. No, no. Have you lost your mind? Get it together.’
The wicked thought that had surfaced unbidden, he cast off in a panic.
If he went down that path, he couldn’t live in this kingdom.
Or rather, living outside the kingdom wasn’t truly the problem—he simply didn’t want to be abandoned by his family.
Besides, the very foundation for learning Magic was problematic to begin with.
– To learn Magic, one must make a pact with a demon.
The demon that had dwelled in his mind for more than a decade.
He could still hear that voice, whispering for him to surrender his body, and yet….
“…Um, Muno?”
“Yes?”
“You’re not actually learning Magic, are you…?”
“Good heavens! Are you insane!?”
At Rasmia’s question, he found himself bellowing without thinking.
For a moment, he regretted it.
But Rasmia was the first to apologize.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That was terribly insulting of me to suggest.”
Come to think of it, recoiling at the mention of Magic seemed like a perfectly normal reaction for an Iron Kingdom citizen.
“Ahem. I apologize for raising my voice as well.”
“No, no, it’s fine. But wouldn’t you like to try learning Spirit Magic? There’s no harm in attempting it.”
You said it could kill me, didn’t you, ma’am?!
The protest rising to his throat was one he couldn’t afford to voice.
If he showed excessive resistance, he’d only invite further suspicion.
“Ah. Yes. Well, then. Let’s just try. Just try.”
He clenched his fist where no one could see and forced himself to nod.
….He would merely go through the motions.
Absolutely.
* * *
“Now, come inside this circle. I’ve gathered all the Elements I’ve attuned to—water, earth, wind, and fire—into the Core, so be careful not to step on the line.”
Rasmia gestured toward him from within a vast circle that shimmered with four different colors.
It was like the Spirit Circle he’d only heard described, and seeing its brilliant hues, cold sweat trickled down his spine.
‘This is far too genuine….’
What if he accidentally awakened Mana without meaning to?
Mana awakening → collision with Demonic Energy inside his body → Boom!
The sequence played out naturally in his imagination.
“H-Hang on…. This wasn’t just supposed to be checking whether I have any talent, was it?”
The question tumbled out as he found himself stepping backward.
Rasmia only smiled and gestured again.
“Don’t worry. Seed Planting in Spirit Magic isn’t dangerous like the awakening of Body Strengthening Technique.”
….Plant what?
That sounds far too risky for someone like me.
He swallowed the unspoken protest once more.
Searching desperately for a way to refuse, he rolled his eyes until a suitable excuse occurred to him.
“Now that I think about it, doesn’t Spirit Magic require sharp calculation and a keen mind? I’m honestly not confident in those areas….”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
….That didn’t work.
He’d seen something like this in a creation from his past life. Was that Magic? It was somewhat different from Magic here….
When the excuse he’d managed to conjure proved useless, he tried to escape into idle thoughts and ignore reality, but Rasmia wouldn’t allow it.
“Come in. Quickly.”
Her urging felt to him like the beckoning hand of death itself.
Gulp.
“Ah, well, thinking about it more, shouldn’t I approach something this important in peak condition?”
“What?”
“I’ve been through repeated battles and sleeping rough, and we just finished a major ordeal, so honestly I’m exhausted. If I lie down now, I could probably sleep a full day without moving.”
If he could just postpone it once, he figured he could make excuses to refuse afterward.
“Ah! Then that’s even better. When all your strength is drained and your mind is completely empty, resonance with Spirits happens most easily.”
……X shots.
Should I just be honest and tell him? I’ve proven myself capable enough—wouldn’t he understand?
No. I promised Father I’d keep this secret as much as possible.
But still, this feels like a matter of life and death…….
A tangle of conflicting thoughts churned through his mind.
And then.
“You’re more fearful than you appear, Muno.”
“Huh!?”
Whoooosh.
A sudden wind swept across him, dragging his body into the Spirit Circle.
‘Damn it!’
It was a perilous moment, but he couldn’t very well fight Rasmia to escape the situation now.
His opponent was no mere 4th Circle mage—she was a 4th Class Spirit Summoner.
‘If she were just a mage, it might be different.’
He couldn’t overpower someone who rivaled a 4-Star Knight through sheer strength.
‘If I tried, I’d be branded a demon’s thrall. Damn.’
In the end, Muno squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, desperately controlling the Mana within his body to prepare for the worst.
But then.
Uuuuhhhmmmm.
“Ah! Just as I thought!”
With Rasmia’s voice full of admiration, a warm and soothing energy seeped into him—contrary to his expectations, it felt like it was washing away the fatigue from his weary body.
‘They say this would explode if mixed with Demonic Energy?’
The Mana inside his body didn’t repel it at all; instead, it felt startlingly similar to Demonic Energy……no, ‘identical.’
‘How is that possible?’
That strange naturalness immediately led to another question.
The Demonic Energy inside my body is identical to Mana?
‘Wait, if that’s the case…….’
A fundamental question he’d never considered before.
‘Is the energy I use actually Demonic Energy?’
He’d naturally assumed it was Demonic Energy, accumulated from devouring Demonic Energy all this time.
But thinking about it again, something had always felt off.
‘I don’t even know how to conceal Demonic Energy like those creatures do, so it doesn’t make sense that others couldn’t sense it.’
But if that were true, if the power seeping into him now and the power inside his own body were the same—Mana.
Then he, the Demon Devourer, had been converting Demonic Energy into Mana.
‘That doesn’t make sense either, does it?’
It was the shared doctrine of both the Spirit Tower and the Holy Temple that Demonic Energy disrupted the world’s order and corrupted nature.
That’s why kingdoms other than the Demonic Empire rejected mages outright, and even when they did accept them, imposed strict limitations.
Demonic Energy clearly corrupted Mana.
But he’d never heard of the opposite occurring…….
‘……Is there nothing that’s impossible?’
The moment that thought reached him.
Kekeke—
The Demon Devourer’s laughter seemed to reverberate through his mind and chest.
A response affirming that he’d found the answer.
‘Ha……. I was needlessly tense.’
The moment his tension eased, Muno actively worked to welcome the energy burrowing into his body.
Not knowing the precise method, he could only send a gesture of welcome toward the seeping energy.
“You’re doing well. A bit more!”
Judging by Rasmia’s reaction, his choice didn’t seem entirely wrong.
And soon after.
Uuuuhhhmmmm.
The four colors of energy burrowing into Muno’s body all transformed into brown—the hue that resonated most strongly with him.
“Ah. A talent for the Earth Element……!?”
Before Rasmia could even finish speaking.
That brown energy underwent another transformation, shifting to gray.
“Wha—!?”
Her startled voice made his heart skip a beat, but.
Focusing carefully and examining it in detail, that solid and cold energy felt only reassuring to him.
“Seed Planting directly into a Specialized Element? Something like this really exists……?”
As Rasmia’s bewildered voice continued.
That solid gray force soon transformed into a formless seed, settling itself near Muno’s heart.
The moment his eyes naturally opened, his gaze met Rasmia’s, who was staring intently at him.
“So it really did root itself as a pure, singular element seed. Remarkable.”
He didn’t quite understand what she meant.
“You really do surprise me, Muno. Even now.”
Separate from her smile, Muno felt a newfound sense of assurance flooding through him.
He could already sense what he might accomplish with this.
“You don’t need to be so formal. Just call me Muno, if you prefer. Whatever feels natural.”
“But you’re a proper knight, and I…”
“You’ve shown me tremendous kindness. I call Klam ‘uncle’ without hesitation. There’s no need for ceremony.”
“Ah… ha ha. Right. Then I’ll speak freely. Honestly, I prefer it this way. Goodness, maintaining formal speech with a young person gives me goosebumps. Ha ha ha ha!”
Rasmia, slight of frame as she was, laughed with hearty abandon, and somehow that expression suited her far better.
“In any case, this is fortunate. Right now, you have a seed planted within you that’s specialized in the metal element, even among earth-attribute variations. I’ve only heard of this happening from the very start in legends.”
“Is that… bad?”
Without quite meaning to, he found himself asking, caught by the peculiar gleam in Rasmia’s eyes as she studied him.
But then.
“Well. I wouldn’t call it bad, exactly. Though I couldn’t call it good either.”
An ambiguous answer came back.
“What do you mean?”
“Generally speaking, Spirit Magic is an ability learned by those who are naturally attuned to the natural world and skilled across its forces. So a typical spirit mage like myself chooses one of the four primary elements—water, fire, wind, or earth—to define their class, then either deepens their affinity with other elements or pursues mastery of specialized elements. But…”
“But?”
“From what I’ve heard, occasionally someone like you comes along whose seed is concentrated from the start not on one of the four primary attributes, but on a single subordinate element.”
“What happens then?”
“If you develop properly, you become the strongest spirit mage of all—unmatched in your dominion over that one element…”
“Oh!?”
“But in exchange, you become a half-hearted spirit mage with absolutely no dominion over other elements.”
“…Ah.”
It was an ambiguous assessment, but thinking it over, it didn’t seem particularly troubling.
Besides, metal…
‘It’s perfect for what I already do.’
The chains and armor connected to his body. The ability to move metal through sheer will.
And now, added to that, the power to command metal elements through mana.
“Now all you need to do is either germinate that formless seed etched upon your heart or allow it to take root. Once you succeed at either, you’ll become a 1st Class spirit mage right then and there.”
“Really?”
“Of course, that will require you to accumulate mana over quite a long time. But once the seed is planted, mana will gather slowly as long as you maintain your focus. Would you like me to teach you meditation techniques?”
“No, thank you. I think I can manage on my own.”
“…What?”
Rasmia tilted her head in confusion.
But truth be told, the moment he heard her explanation, he already understood how to manifest that seed.
There was already quite a bit of mana residing within it.
‘Awaken.’
The instant his will stimulated the metal seed through his Metal Manipulation ability.
Crack.
A sharp fracture sounded in his mind alone.
The mana-suffused seed germinated, and roots began to anchor themselves into his heart.
Those formless gray roots spread from his heart through every bone, blood vessel, and muscle, transcending and embracing them all, until they reached the very tips of his feet.
And from that moment on, he could vividly sense every scrap of metal that existed around him.
His original ability amplified instantly, multiplied several times over.
“No!? How are you already…!?”
He heard Rasmia’s voice, trembling with shock.
‘This might actually work.’
Muno instinctively began to gather those metals he could feel, drawing them together.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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