The Knight Who Devours Magic - Chapter 64

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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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Chapter 64. There’s No Place Like Home
The effort of riding through the night to reach the southern reaches of Drachen was worth it, having witnessed the appearance of lower-grade monsters.
After all, he’d managed to rescue his father from a desperate crisis—and in doing so, witnessed something utterly extraordinary.
‘…I never thought I’d see something like that.’
The moment Munno drew the magical power that had been infesting his father’s body, the old man transformed—a whirlwind of fury.
His father, venting steam from every pore, bathed in the radiant glow of a Slayer’s brilliance, tearing the massive beast asunder with a single stroke.
‘If that had been me, I’d have been cleaved in two.’
The blow was so awe-inspiring that even the martial prowess he’d believed himself to have developed seemed utterly trivial.
But the cost was steep: his father collapsed into unconsciousness, his frame withered to a husk as never before.
It was an alarming state of exhaustion.
Fortunately, there were two porters (of sorts) on hand.
The moment they saw his father seized by the serpent’s tail, two fearless knights had rushed headlong at the monstrosity—so terrifying to merely behold that one’s skin crawled at the sight.
“Sir Gunter, carry my father!”
“Yes? Yes, my lord!”
“Rodney, guard us! We head straight for the Estate!”
“…Understood!”
Rodney’s attitude still grated on him, yet the man obeyed his commands regardless.
Moreover, having just witnessed how Rodney rushed at the monster to save his father, the bitter feelings Munno held toward him—tied as he was to Ilai—seemed to dissolve somewhat.
“My lord, thousands of monsters block the path to the Estate! Surely we should take a detour—”
“No need! They’re already fighting each other!”
“Sir?”
Thump-thump-thump.
Even in his voice alone, the bewilderment of the two knights escorting him—guarding his father on their backs, following at his heels—came through clearly.
But to Munno’s senses, far ahead, a massive congregation of demonic energy colliding against itself was unmistakably visible.
“Stop talking and keep up!”
In his haste, the rough speech slipped out even toward Sir Gunter, not just Rodney—but this man knew better than to quibble over such things in a moment like this.
“Let’s go!”
Thump-thump-thump.
Munno simply drove forward in a straight line toward the Estate.
Soon, before his path, the shapes of monsters—encircling Drachen’s elite forces—came into view as they began tearing into one another.
“Shrieeeek!”
Crack-snap.
“Grrrrowwwwl”
“Screeeeeee!”
Boom.
Crash.
Of the two to three thousand monsters that filled the field, most were lowborn creatures that didn’t even rank as First Circle—yet among them prowled massive beasts that clearly stood at Third Circle or higher.
And these great monsters, drooling at the sight of corpses strewn about, had begun slaughtering the lesser monsters around them with abandon.
Thanks to the lower-grade monsters scattering in all directions to escape that chaos, Drachen’s forces were catching their breath.
What’s more—
– The wounded, inside!—
– Inside!!—
– Hold the line!—
– Reform the ranks!—
Even amid that pandemonium, the sight of troops reforming their phalanx around the knights stirred something almost like pride in him.
‘But there’s no time for this.’
Munno plunged into the frenzy of monsters, drawing the blade strapped to his back.
‘Acceleration.’
Boom.
Whoosh-crack-crack.
In the suddenly slowed world around him—
he wielded his blade alone.
Whissssh.
With a sword that stretched ten meters or more like a whip—thin and razor-sharp—he sheared through the lower-grade monsters on all sides.
Splash-splash-splash.
Simultaneously, four chains erupted from his limbs to slaughter more monsters, carving a path for those who followed.
Then—
“Hah!”
Toward the creatures that wouldn’t fall to such a casual strike—especially one particular massive beast bearing an owl’s head and a bear’s body—he charged.
Whissssh.
The moment the blade whip thrashing across all directions solidified once more into the form of a sturdy Two-Handed Sword.
Wind Slash.
“Screeeee!?”
Crack.
Munno crouched low for just an instant, then swung his blade upward from below, cleaving the massive beast in two with a single stroke.
The Black Knight’s movement lingered in the eyes of the others like an afterimage before scattering into nothing.
Thud.
The house-sized body of the Aul Bear split cleanly in half and crashed down, drawing every eye on the battlefield toward it.
“Shriek!”
“Screech!”
The lesser monsters that witnessed the sight fled even faster than before, scattering in all directions.
Only then did cries of shock burst forth among Drachen’s forces.
“Is it possible!?”
“Young Master!?”
“It’s Young Master Munno!”
“But that form…?”
There was no time to answer each question in turn.
Munno singled out the three most recognizable knights among the familiar faces and bellowed.
“Larry! Roider! Pelson!”
A competent young knight who was always at his brother’s side.
And two mercenary-born knights whose limbs were abnormally thick, which was why they caught the eye first.
Seeing their attention snap toward him, he cried out.
“The Lord is in critical condition! Clear a path!! Escort him!!”
With that, he drew out four lengths of Metal Chains once more.
Whoosh.
He leaped clean over the bunched Drachen elite, then began swinging his blade and chains through the air at the monsters positioned toward the Estate.
Screech.
“Agh, screech?”
The keen-edged blade whip carved through the monsters’ throats.
Bang.
Splatter.
“Croak!”
The Metal Chains, whipping out in unpredictable arcs from his limbs, mercilessly burst the heads of the cumbersome lesser monsters.
And.
“Growl!”
Slash.
Thud. Bang.
“Shriek!?”
Any monster that seemed even slightly larger or stronger was cleaved apart without mercy by the black Two-Handed Sword.
“Ahhhhh!”
Crack.
No matter how one might call it a one-man rampage through the confusion of the monster horde, those who witnessed it could not help but stand dazed for a moment, as if bewitched by a ghost.
Then.
“Don’t just stand there gawking! Everyone follow Young Master Munno!”
At Sir Gunter’s roar—the Lord now on his back—the troops belatedly surged forward in his wake.
And slowly, color began to return to their faces.
From the worst of battlefields, from encirclement where death had seemed certain, a path home had suddenly opened before them.
“Huuraaah!”
The vigorous battle cry that rose naturally caused the monsters closing in from around them to flinch and retreat.
Thus, the most perilous final battle in Drachen’s Monster Wave history came to an end.
* * *
“Well… how is he?”
“He has exhausted a great deal of his vitality. There are no apparent external injuries, but it seems his internal organs have been weakened as well. I believe he should rest and consume only broth for some time.”
“Ahhhh…”
At the physician’s words, sighs of relief erupted from all around.
The knights who had fought alongside him were relieved, certainly, but the family members pacing anxiously at the door were naturally the most overjoyed.
“Mother!”
“Oh… thank heavens. Thank heavens…”
Elina Trian, who had been holding back her tears until now, finally let them fall as she pulled Rian into an embrace.
“I told you I’d be fine.”
And Munno, who had forced a smile for his mother and sister’s sake, was quietly wiping away tears of his own.
The only person unmoved by the situation was the young physician who had delivered the diagnosis.
“Forgive me, but I did tell you his condition was critical……?”
“Ah, you’re Wiscon’s student, aren’t you? Didn’t your master tell you about our lord’s peculiarities?”
“I’m sorry—could you explain?”
“Of course. Our lord, you see, he’s always been…….”
Palmer, his face bright with laughter, linked arms with the physician and began to explain the situation.
“Knights, return to your posts! Tend to the refugees sheltering within the walls!”
“Yes, sir!”
Sir Gunter dismissed the knights with a command, clearing the way.
Elina Trian, who had wept freely until now, rose to her feet at last and pulled Munno into an embrace.
“Thank you, Munno. Thank you so much…….”
Munno, mindful that his heavy black armor might hurt his mother, deactivated it in an instant and accepted her embrace with a gentle smile.
“It’s nothing. It’s only what a son ought to do.”
“Thank you. Thank you.”
Elina simply continued patting him and repeating her gratitude, over and over.
Rian, who had been smiling beside them, suddenly gazed at Munno with sparkling eyes, seized by curiosity.
“Brother, don’t tell me those chains transformed into that armor……?”
“That’s right. Once my rank advanced, it changed form like that. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?”
“Wow! No way! You can do that!? Wait, hold on—did you say your rank……?”
Rian bounced excitedly, then tilted his head in confusion.
The sight was so endearing that Munno let out a soft chuckle.
“Yeah. I spent some time away from home getting into all sorts of trouble, and I grew stronger faster than expected.”
At this simple explanation, Rian’s jaw dropped.
Then——
“Huh……. So what happened earlier really was you being…….”
“Impressive?”
“Yes! Really. I’m so glad.”
“……Glad?”
The odd word choice made Munno tilt his own head this time.
Rian’s expression flickered with embarrassment, then he laughed bashfully and shook his head.
“Oh, no. I was just envious of that armor.”
That sight made Munno chuckle again.
“I’ll get you a similar artifact someday.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I promise.”
“Yes! You promise!”
Watching his younger brother leap about in delight, Munno finally felt the reality of being home sink in.
The worry about the unprecedented Monster Wave that had descended upon Drachen faded, at least for this moment.
‘After all…….’
Home is good.
Now that he’d been away and returned, the warmth of family felt far more precious than any fantasy of travel ever could.
At least for a while—or perhaps just for today—wasn’t it enough to simply bask in this comfort?
Munno decided to set aside his tangled thoughts and surrender himself to the gentle warmth surrounding him.
* * *
“Nicknamed the Black Knight, and already at 2-Star?”
“But in reality, I believe Lord Munno is likely 3-Star or higher.”
“Is that so?”
“Most likely……. No, I’m certain of it.”
As Larry nodded, recalling the memories of battle, Rian’s expression grew even brighter.
“Honestly, I’m really relieved.”
“……Relieved?”
“At that age with that level of skill—he’s a true genius, no matter who you compare him to.”
“Absolutely. A 3-Star at sixteen—there’s no record of such talent anywhere. Except perhaps in legends and the heroes of old tales.”
“Legends……. Yes, that makes sense. If he’s that exceptional, he could earn a noble title wherever he went, so I didn’t need to surrender Drachen to him after all.”
“You were thinking that far ahead? Then what were you planning to do, my lord?”
“I was going to give Drachen to my brother and take Trian for myself. But now that I see his level, there’s no real need for that anymore—I might as well take everything.”
“……Pardon?!”
What nonsense was this?
Larry found himself newly curious about what schemes dwelt in the mind of this small boy he had sworn to serve.
Even this genius, who hid his true self even from his own family, seemed to harbor idle dreams like any other boy.
“It’s entirely possible. I carry Trian blood, even if through my mother’s line, and among the direct Trian heirs, there’s only one bloom worth mentioning in the north. Even she’s gone to the royal court now. Well, even if she’d remained in the family, by Trian tradition it would have been difficult for a woman to inherit the title.”
Watching the boy’s peculiar smile, one couldn’t help but feel that even his delusion was no delusion at all.
“This is troublesome, though.”
“……Pardon?”
“I’ve gone through all the trouble of building an information network, and now we get anomalies in some remote mountain no one’s connected to? That’s unprecedented, isn’t it?”
“Ah, yes. That’s correct, as far as I know.”
“And there’s no way to learn more about it?”
“……The deep reaches of the Northern Mountain Range are said to be a Magical Hazard Zone where even Sevenstar cannot survive.”
“Right, I know. That’s exactly the problem. I wish it were some human conspiracy instead…….”
“Pardon?”
“Then at least we could uncover it. And there’d be ways to deal with it.”
“Ah…….”
If it were something caused by human hands, could he truly solve it no matter what?
It seemed like baseless confidence, and yet something about this contradictory boy suggested he would never speak carelessly.
“First, I should search for any precedents, just to test the information network. I’ll devise countermeasures too. And Larry.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Excel yourself.”
“Pardon?”
The moment Larry looked at his master in confusion.
Crack-crunch.
Rian bent a small piece of iron with his fingers, smiling.
When people are too shocked, words fail them.
As Larry stared blankly, Rian shook out his hands and gave his subordinate’s back a light pat.
“I’ve awakened too, you see. Tried to break out when I saw the elites surrounded.”
“…….”
Could one truly awaken through such an absurd circumstance?
“Once I start seriously learning the Vorpal technique, given our family’s nature, my relatives will probably find out.”
“C-Congratulations, my lord.”
“You can’t just congratulate me, you know.”
“……Pardon?”
“My sword can’t be weaker than me, can it? Right?”
“I-I’ll excel myself, my lord!”
“Good. I’ll help you with everything I can help with from now on. Don’t forget the name of my first knight.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Larry understood anew.
That pledging his loyalty to this young boy, Rian Drachen, was truly his great fortune.

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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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