The Knight Who Devours Magic - Chapter 49

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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 49. The Chase
“Ugh, damn it. How many times have I been run through lately? My life is really…….”
A sharp hand came down across Muno’s back in response to his grumbling.
Smack.
“Quiet! I’ve got three wounds on just one arm, and if you count all my limbs……!”
“But you said your organs weren’t damaged!?”
“Then why didn’t you defend yourself better! You’re complaining about two lousy holes in you?”
“I’m serious—if I hadn’t had this iron chain, I would’ve fallen and broken my neck.”
“You’re fine now, aren’t you! The captain bled like that while searching for a priest!”
Muno could only stare at Lasmia with bewildered eyes.
‘So she hated it before…….’
Now she was oddly taking Robero’s side.
“What’s with that look?”
“Oh, nothing in particular.”
“Hmph. Dislike and gratitude are two different things, kid! Remember that!”
He was defending himself without being asked.
“Your ears are getting a bit red……. Ow! That hurts!”
“I told you to bear it!”
Lasmia’s hands wrapping the bandage around his abdomen were remarkably efficient.
And both her ears were noticeably flushed crimson.
But then again.
‘It’s not surprising.’
Last evening, the thunderous roar that echoed across the whole of Trian’s inner fortress had been heard by everyone.
— Lasmia aaaaang!
— Priestess!!!! Our Lasmia……!!
That massive man, bleeding profusely from his limbs, had cradled the unconscious Lasmia in his arms and rushed about in tears—it was surely a sight that drew every eye.
And that witnessing spread through the mouths of everyone who had remained in the inner fortress that night.
So much so that it was being discussed far more than the obvious magical evidence of the biting cold that had spread through the Noble Prison in the dead of night, and the scarlet meteor that shot up into the sky and fled.
In fact, Priest Anan had said that most of Robero’s wounds seemed to have come from protecting the defenseless Lasmia.
What must Lasmia think of him now, having heard that directly.
“Don’t look at me like that! I’m seriously dying of embarrassment right now!?”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
“Ha…….”
Watching Muno make a show of grinning, Lasmia now seemed to have given up, shaking her head and rising to her feet.
“Anyway, I’m grateful. To you too.”
“No need to mention it. Actually, because of me, auntie, ahem. You stopped me.”
For a moment her eyes had been flashing with murderous intent, but at his sudden change of address she let out a surprised laugh and continued.
“It’s laughable that I’m indebted to someone who just came of age. This one’s definitely on me.”
“No. Just teaching me Spirit Magic is already a tremendous kindness.”
“That was something I needed myself……. No, never mind. Yes, you did well. Good work.”
“Thank you. You too, Lasmia.”
“What did I even do.”
“The truth is, you didn’t really do anything…….”
“Hey!”
“Hahahaha.”
“Seriously…….”
Lasmia bristled for a moment, then let out another sigh and shook her head before opening the door.
And she started.
“Eek!?”
The massive shadow standing before the door certainly warranted that reaction.
“Ah, I, I, um, I’m just. I came to see a comrade……. I, I absolutely didn’t come to see Miss Lasmia, I mean……. No, no. It would be a misunderstanding. So, so.”
The moment his eyes met hers, Robero’s frantic hand-waving excuses laid bare exactly how she had been treating him all along.
‘Even so, you’re satisfied, aren’t you, old man.’
From Muno’s perspective, it looked genuinely pitiful.
Lasmia glanced down at the bandage wound tightly around his swaying arm, then
“A patient shouldn’t be wandering around like this. Get some proper rest.”
She delivered the emotionless line and swept past him without a second look.
Though he did catch sight of her slightly flushed face in the process.
‘Geez…….’
Wasn’t that a bit harsh.
It seemed Robero’s thoughts were running in quite a different direction altogether.
“Oh, oh? A-ah! You… you worried about me. Lasmia! You heard that too, didn’t you?”
The muscular, hirsute man towering over two meters had tears glistening in his oversized eyes.
The emotion written across his face was unmistakable.
‘Over just that?’
Muno found himself compelled to nod, thinking once again that matters between men and women were far more complicated than he’d care to admit.
“Yes. Yes. Something like that, I suppose.”
Seeing his reaction now, it made sense why Robero had appeared last night.
He was supposed to be waiting near the prison on the Earl’s orders, but he’d stationed himself farther away out of concern that Lasmia might dislike his presence.
And then, straining every sense to listen for any disturbance from the prison, the moment he heard that sound, he came tearing over like a madman.
In the end, it had become salvation for him and Lasmia alike.
But watching Robero now, Muno couldn’t help but feel a deep pity for the man.
“After all, if you don’t give up, someday…!”
I’d better not end up living like that.
Perhaps sensing that pitying gaze, Robero cleared his throat and looked away.
“Ahem. So, you’re feeling alright, young Lord Muno?”
“Pardon? Oh, yes. Thanks to you……”
“Ah, is it okay if I call you that? You’re a Knight Order member—a proper Knight Order member, in fact, officially recognized by our Earl!”
“Yes. It doesn’t matter how you address me, really.”
With him being his lifesaver, mere titles hardly seemed worth worrying over.
“As expected of you—straightforward and gallant! Then call me big brother!”
……Though being on such familiar terms with a man who would be turning fifty this year struck him as somewhat awkward.
“I couldn’t possibly presume to do such a thing. In any case, thank you for saving me yesterday.”
“No, I’m telling you it’s fine. Call me big brother, will you!”
I’m the one who’s not fine with this.
“Very well, Robero.”
The earnest address came with an awkward smile, and that infectious discomfort seemed to settle into the giant’s face as well, his laughter fading into an equally strained smile.
After a few seconds of suffocating, awkward eye contact that followed, Robero cleared his throat again and turned away.
“Ahem. Well, there is quite an age gap between us, after all. Still, we’re comrades-in-arms. Fine then, Muno. I was grateful too. That’s what I came by to say.”
“Yes?”
“That mage was absolutely vicious. If you hadn’t weakened that barrier at the end, when it exploded, all three of us would’ve died right there.”
“Ah……”
Only then did the harrowing final moments of yesterday’s battle come rushing back to him.
‘So it wasn’t completely useless after all. That woman’s magic really was formidable.’
The sheer volume of Mana made it difficult to absorb even so.
‘And it only converted to Mana, nothing more.’
He found himself regretting anew that the Mana already spent through magic wouldn’t convert into Source Mana—into Life Force itself.
His thoughts naturally drifted in that direction.
‘Why can’t Mana that’s been used in magic be converted? Come to think of it, I could only absorb a little of a monster’s Mana too. What’s the difference between that and the Mana of a mage or magic user?’
He had his suspicions, though they were just that—suspicions.
His contemplation of the Demon Predator’s ability—his defining trait—was interrupted just as it was deepening.
Robero’s voice shattered his reverie.
“……Anyway. Treasure that anti-magic artifact, will you? Though I suppose that goes without saying.”
Who wouldn’t treasure their own life?
“……Of course.”
“When dealing with lesser mages if you can help it, just stick to your sword.”
“Pardon?”
“Surely you know that magic-breaking artifacts are consumable? Use them to neutralize Mana beyond a certain threshold, and the Mana itself destabilizes, leaving nothing but a lump of metal. Don’t waste that precious artifact unnecessarily.”
“Ah……. Yes. Thank you for the counsel.”
Since the advice had nothing to do with him, Muno laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.
“But Lasmia means that much to you?”
He’d blurted it out to escape the discomfort of continuing to lie.
“Indeed. She is my first love and my last love in this lifetime.”
The answer came back with an unexpected gravity that cut like a blade.
‘Oh no……’
He could readily imagine how burdensome Lasmia must find this, and for a moment he was left speechless.
Robero, seeing his hesitation, offered a bitter smile.
“……Do you think I’m strange?”
“What? No, not at all.”
Truthfully, I think you’re absolutely insane.
“Not really. Risking your life for some scrawny woman is strange enough…. No, wait. Come to think of it…. You’d understand, wouldn’t you?”
“Pardon?”
Muno tilted his head in confusion at the odd remark.
“I heard you have some history with Carina. You bastard—looks like we see things the same way after all. Guess we really are kindred spirits.”
“Uh!?”
Robero draped a thick, pillar-like arm across his shoulders and launched into something entirely unreasonable.
When did such a rumor reach all the way here?
‘I haven’t even done anything yet, and I’m getting blamed for it….’
Wait, that’s not the point here.
“Well, that’s….”
Before he could shake his head frantically and distance himself from this middle-aged fool, Robero spoke first.
“Of course, I don’t love her simply because we have the same taste. Or maybe—maybe I developed the taste because I love her?”
Robero’s bitter smile cut off Muno’s response.
“…Yes?”
“Lasmia’s got a sharp tongue, doesn’t she? You’ve seen it firsthand, I’m sure.”
Muno was about to nod in agreement when he caught sight of the peculiar ‘snow-white’ wind swirling at the edges of his perception—a faint spirit wind visible only to his eyes. He froze.
A phantom wind that only he could see.
‘This woman….’
An involuntary laugh threatened to escape, but instinct made him shake his head instead.
“I’m not really sure….”
“Hmm. Is that so? Well, Lasmia was always like that, even as a child.”
…Ugh.
‘Sir, you need to choose your words carefully right now.’
He forced down the words that had risen to his throat.
“And that sharp-tongued little girl changed the life of a weak, foolish, pitiful idiot like me.”
The confession came unexpectedly.
“What?”
“Me. You wouldn’t believe it now, but I was incredibly small as a child. Much smaller than the other kids my age. Sickly, almost.”
“Ah….”
“I know you don’t believe it, but it’s true. And because of that, I lived crushed by inferiority. The other children bullied me, and I couldn’t stand up to them. I walked with my eyes on the ground every day. That sharp-tongued girl saved a pathetic thing like me. When was it….”
– What are you bastards doing!
– Grown boys picking on a little kid!
– If you’re going to live like this, cut off your balls, you bastards!
“Even though I was treated like a child by a girl younger than me, I didn’t know why it felt so good. That girl shone so brightly. And there were so many times after that when she helped me.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed strangely as he reminisced about those old days.
Muno nodded stiffly, acutely aware of the spirit wind drifting around them.
“You were always kind even then….”
“I got cursed at plenty.”
“What?”
“What are you doing living like that, boy? Why don’t you exercise and build some strength, or throw yourself at them and fight back…. That sort of thing?”
“Ah. Ha. Ha….”
Without meaning to, he caught himself watching the trembling snow-white wind.
“But I was just happy. I was afraid that if I ever stood up straight, I’d never see that girl again. So I actually looked forward to being bullied.”
“Wow….”
That’s severe.
He couldn’t hide his grimace, but fortunately, Robero was laughing at himself too.
“Yeah. Even I think I was foolish. But then, one day, that girl left. She went to the Spirit Tower to become a spiritcaster, they said. That’s when my eyes opened. I confessed to her in a panic….”
Robero laughed and buried his large face in his hands.
“Of course she turned me down.”
– I like dependable men. Not weak ones like you.
“From that moment on, I trained like a madman. I was going to become truly dependable, and when I saw that girl again someday, I’d confess one more time with pride. I never thought it would take twenty-five years.”
Twenty-five years later, the girl returned to her hometown.
She’d aged with the passage of time, but she still carried that same radiance from back then.
Naturally.
“I fell for her all over again, confessed, and got rejected once more.”
“Mm….”
“Now my body’s too big. It’s a shame, really. I evolved in this direction because of her, and look at me now….”
Muno found himself unexpectedly counseling a middle-aged man’s love troubles.
‘What would I even know….’
He glanced nervously at the snow-white wind circling them.
In that instant, he saw the wind vanish abruptly.
As if ashamed, it withdrew from the space.
At that, Muno found something he could say to Robero.
“……It’ll work out.”
“Hm?”
“Lasmia should come to understand you now. Finally.”
“I suppose……she will?”
“Of course. Just now, even—she treated you so much better……. Didn’t she. Probably.”
His voice wavered with doubt, but Robero’s large face brightened immediately at just those words.
“Right! Now when she sees me, she doesn’t run away instantly, and she even worries about my condition. She’s changed. Yes, it’s a good sign.”
……So before that, she used to bolt the moment she saw him.
‘Poor fellow…….’
An unexpected surge of pity washed over him.
“That’s right. It’ll all work out now.”
Muno patted the back of Robero, who towered over him, and the larger man sprang to his feet.
“Good! I’ll confess to her again this chance!”
“Wh—!? No, that’s not—”
“Thanks, Muno!”
“Wait—!”
Sir, stop!
……He barely had time to shout it.
Before he could, Robero tore the door apart with a loud bang and charged straight out.
“Why does he have to move so recklessly……. Ah…….”
Bewildered as he was, when he thought back to that pure white wind from moments ago, it seemed Lasmia wouldn’t treat Robero the way she used to.
And.
‘I shouldn’t be worrying about someone else right now.’
Staring blankly at the shattered door, he was suddenly reminded of his own predicament.
Other people’s love lives weren’t the priority here.
[We’ll see how you fare, my little specimen!]
The High-rank Mage who had left that message and vanished.
It was certain that a monster he couldn’t handle alone would come after him again.
Sigh.
‘What do I do…….’
Of course, as long as he stayed in Trian, the odds of this happening again were slim.
But he didn’t want to be trapped in a city that wasn’t even his home, all because of that threat.
In the end.
“I need to get stronger fast…….”
And for that, he’d have to actively hunt mages.
At that dilemma, he clutched his head.
– Grrrrr.
The Demon Predator in his mind reacted to that thought immediately.
Mage. Hunt. Revenge.
What his other self wanted was so clear it was almost laughable.
‘But that woman is still too much.’
So he tried to placate the Demon Predator.
– Grrgh.
He could see the shadow of himself inside his mind shaking its head.
And in that moment, the final scene from yesterday evening’s battle suddenly surfaced in crystalline detail.
The image of the crimson comet disappearing after leaving that message.
A memory that had been mere glimpse suddenly magnified, revealing the core of the crimson comet.
More precisely, what was within it.
‘Blood……?’
That woman, bleeding from the corner of her mouth as she vanished.
“Wait……!?”
At the same time, common knowledge about mages came back to him.
– Mages heal slowly. Isn’t that obvious? They carry power that distorts the very laws of the world in their bodies…….
“A mage, who’s already frail by nature, suffered a critical wound?”
Now that he thought about it, something didn’t add up.
In that final explosion yesterday, both he and Robero had taken mortal injuries, and there had been some time before the reinforcements arrived.
Yet that woman had simply fled.
“……Catch him? Right now?”
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the Demon Predator within him resonated, and his heart began to pound violently.
Collid, a five-star mage, possessed magical power inferior to even a fourth-circle mage, but had he absorbed it, he would have nearly reached the threshold of two-star rank.
But then.
‘What if I devoured a sixth-circle mage? How much stronger could I become?’
Muno didn’t even notice his own eyes burning red, nor the saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“……Hunt.”
The gaze of a predator, fixed upon wounded and exhausted prey, turned westward toward the sky where the mage had vanished.

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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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