The Knight Who Devours Magic - Chapter 67

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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 67. As Long as There Is Breath
Monster Waves descended upon Dracen far more frequently than in previous years, yet the territory’s situation proved better than expected.
“The Crown Prince…”
“Truly the Black Knight…”
“How fortunate. And the Lord hasn’t been injured either.”
Munno, the Crown Prince of Dracen, was demonstrating martial prowess beyond imagination, slaughtering monsters with overwhelming force.
Soldier casualties were actually far fewer than in previous years.
Moreover, the monsters that poured in were being transformed into hides and stacked neatly within the fortress.
“Stack the Goll hides in the Second Storehouse! Handle the Yetis carefully. Over there—the giant beast hides, keep those separate!”
Palmer, the territory’s administrator, directed the classification of the hides that accumulated day after day with a satisfied expression.
And beside him, rushing about busily, a somewhat youthful voice interjected.
“How are things progressing, Administrator Palmer?”
“Ah, Young Prince.”
“The situation is dire, yet you seem quite pleased.”
“Haha. Why should I be the only one? Thanks to Prince Munno, most of the people in the fortress have found peace of mind. And aren’t you smiling too, Young Prince?”
A soft laugh escaped him.
“Well, my brother’s martial strength is so far beyond imagination that I feel quite relieved.”
In fact, Munno’s reputation was already surpassing that of the Lord throughout Dracen Fortress.
Whether temporary or not, his martial prowess at least was being acknowledged with certainty.
Breaking through waves of goblins, cleaving Golls in two, then facing twelve Third Circle Yetis alone—a monster-like record of accomplishment.
It was so remarkable that even his family, who knew Munno was a 3-Star knight, could scarcely believe it.
And that record was still unfolding in real time.
– “Coming home is nice. Good exercise too.”
His brother’s face, covered in blood yet forcing a smile so as not to worry him.
That face had lifted much of the enormous ambition and burden that Lian carried in secret.
And Palmer knew that too.
“So I don’t have to hand Dracen over—I can keep everything?”
Lian answered with a small laugh.
There were exactly three people in the territory who had seen his true nature, and Palmer was one of them.
‘Everything in human society requires money.’
And to make money in Dracen, he needed this aged administrator’s cooperation.
There was no need to belabor a conversation they both already understood.
Lian turned his gaze toward the enormous bones and hides occupying the largest space in the storehouse.
The corpse—or rather, the remains—of a colossal beast that radiated lingering demonic energy and an icy dread even long after death. Shattered almost beyond recognition.
“Are those the remains of that Behemoth?”
“Yes. Only the teeth and claws are intact, but we’ve gathered all the bones and hides we could find. The Lord tore it apart so thoroughly that there are scarcely any whole pieces, but…”
“…That should fetch a price. More than the combined income of the territory over the past few years.”
Palmer smiled at the young prince’s unabashed greed.
“If you covet it, why not speak with the Lord? He would only be pleased to see your true nature—he would never find it strange.”
In that moment, Lian was forced to recall an incident from his early childhood.
‘Father and my brother would understand. But…’
The reaction his mother had shown when he committed some act out of mere curiosity.
That pallor, that momentary recoil from her own son—that had made him who he was now.
“I’d rather not. Not yet.”
Palmer, reading the bittersweet smile in Lian’s eyes, pressed the matter no further.
Instead.
“The items classified in the Second Storehouse are all merchandise. We’ll consign them all to the Reid Merchant Guild.”
“I would be grateful.”
The Reid Merchant Guild.
Only Palmer, Larry, and the guild master himself knew that the guild, which had begun trading in hides throughout Dracen years ago and now held a significant share of the market, was actually owned by L-ian Dr-acen.
Furthermore.
“The information network spanning the kingdom is nearly complete. I would like Administrator Palmer to oversee that operation.”
“The fruit of three years of labor? Truly impressive, Young Prince. But this old frame has its limits. Would it not be wise to seek cooperation from the Lord or the Crown Prince?”
Palmer’s words were not wrong.
However gifted a vessel Lian Dracen possessed, he remained but a young boy.
That he commanded few followers was a weakness far too great when measured against his grand design.
And yet.
“I can still control it myself. Please, help me a little longer. Times are already beginning to grow chaotic—I must accelerate soon.”
“Have you obtained some new intelligence?”
“Not intelligence, exactly. Rather, I know what happened three centuries ago in a similar situation. I’ve already reported it to Father, so word will likely reach my grandfather soon.”
“Hmm. I do wish everyone would learn sooner what efforts you’re making behind the scenes, sir.”
“Perhaps. I prefer the longer we wait, the better.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing. Then I shall take my leave…….”
Palmer watched the boy’s retreating figure toward the Second Storehouse, his expression clouded with concern.
Yet he could not know that even a genius unsuited to his years carried boyish worries of his own.
And then.
“Steward, the goblin venom…….”
“Ah, that……!”
The bustle resumed, swift enough to sweep away even such small concerns.
* * *
[Didn’t you say you’d postpone that matter? And wasn’t that delay entirely your incompetence?]
At the low voice that poured from the communication stone, Karin, lying prone on the ground, flinched.
Phantom pain rose again from her severed left ankle, and though she clenched her teeth against it, she tried to continue speaking.
“But…….”
Yet.
[We have lost Emma, and because of that incident, the Dragon Sword Duke’s gaze now turns toward the Northern Region. Must I explain this again?]
“I—I apologize. But we must absolutely verify that creature’s Artifact. I simply cannot understand it…….”
[Why?]
“As I mentioned, that one…….”
[Survived Gehenna’s Flame? Yes, I understand your pride in the refinement of your magic. But that alone cannot overturn what is now in progress in the Northern Region. You know well how crucial that operation is, don’t you? It was your own plan, after all.]
Beneath the mounting reproach, Karin’s lips pressed tighter still.
[Kidnap the Monster Lord’s spawn, plunge the kingdom’s Northern Region into chaos. When the Demonic Realm’s monstrosity breaks through into reality, the Dragon Sword Duke will have no choice but to move, and in that moment, the Capital’s defenses will crack wide open. Even now, it remains a sound plan.]
“Considering what we stand to gain…….”
[This is precisely why I have kept you alive despite your repeated failures, Karin. Do you think it is only because your abilities are too precious to waste?]
“…….”
[And now you suggest we leave our trail again in the Northern Region? Do you want to experience firsthand how far that creature might climb if it grabs hold of us? You who couldn’t even eliminate that whelp properly?]
With nowhere left to turn, Karin found herself uttering words she herself scarcely dared believe.
A hypothesis that might shake the very faith not just of their organization, but perhaps all Mages themselves.
Yet no matter how she turned it over, it nagged at her.
“That creature may possess the ability to absorb the Power of the Outer Deity itself! What we believe to be an Artifact may be something else entirely!”
[……What?]
The response from within the crystal stone came half a beat too late.
In the moment when it felt like a last chance, Karin found herself tensing her throat with unexpected force.
“I witnessed it absorb Elder Emma’s power, using it to heal the wounds inflicted by Gehenna’s Flame. The Armor presumed to be an Artifact had nearly melted, yet that ability seemed to restore both body and armor. No—I am certain of it!”
How loudly her cry had rung out.
Her own voice echoed and reverberated within the sealed chamber.
Her throat ached and her ears felt dull, yet strangely, her chest felt lighter.
An impossible imagination that defied great truth itself.
A fact she had so desperately wished to deny, yet now that she had spoken it aloud, it struck her with fresh clarity and certainty.
And then.
[……Would you stake your life on this?]
From the voice within the crystal stone came a deep, simmering fury.
Had that anger been directed at a subordinate, her skull would have burst then and there.
Which meant that now, the object of that wrath was.
‘That whelp.’
The very power of that whelp who might shake Mages’ faith and doctrine to their foundations.
Yet.
[No matter what bloodline, how could it be? It makes no sense. Blood thinned to such a degree—surely not…….]
The meaning seemed to diverge slightly from her expectation.
A sense that the possibility of someone who was not even a Mage wielding the Power of the Outer Deity was not being entirely ruled out.
‘That can’t be.’
Had she known such a thing was possible—even at odds of one in ten million, one in a hundred million—she would never have taken so long to speak these words aloud.
Only Mages like herself, a select few of humanity’s chosen, could accept the Power of the Outer Deity and twist the very laws of this world.
That was the premise of the grand truth called magic.
‘It cannot be. It must not be.’
As the truth she had believed her entire life cracked and shattered, Karin shook her head.
And then dared to ask.
“What bloodline does this ‘experimental subject’ refer to? Might I know, sir?”
[……You need not know. It is meaningless.]
“But…….”
[But it’s worth verifying.]
“Pardon?”
[I’m saying I’ll accept your opinion. I’ll have the one carrying the Egg sent back north to us. Close to Dracen.]
“Then……!?”
[I’ll make the Monster Lord head toward Dracen instead of Trian. Well, the Dragon Sword Duke will move north regardless. Use that window to confirm it yourself. Even sooner, if possible.]
“Thank you, thank you so mu——.”
[Whether he truly possesses the ability to absorb the Power of the Outer Deity. If that’s verified as fact, you must bring him to me alive. As long as there’s breath left in him, it doesn’t matter.]
“……Yes?”
Bring that creature alive?
The very enemy who dared sever his tendons and strip him of his elder’s station?
His insides churned with boiling rage.
[If you succeed, I’ll restore your elder’s position, and give you one of the Named Magical Tools I’ve collected. Or rather, since there’s a high chance the Dragon Sword Duke will interfere, I’ll transfer it to you now instead. Cerberus.]
What came next from that voice melted away his fury entirely.
The standards for judging artifacts and magical tools varied from person to person, but one thing was certain.
Objects that bore their names in ancient records and histories boasted far superior performance compared to their peers.
Of course, Cerberus wasn’t a transcendent-grade Named Tool like the Dragon Sword, but it was at least a more practical original magical tool for a mage.
“Is that truly so!?”
[Of course. However, should you fail to capture him or encounter the Dragon Sword Duke, bear all the consequences yourself and perish. As Craimel did.]
The condition was chilling, but it wasn’t reason enough to refuse such an enormous reward.
And more than anything.
“So you’re saying all I need do is bring him alive?”
Karin knew dozens, hundreds of ways to make a human’s existence far worse than death.
[Yes. As long as there’s breath in him, that’s all that matters.]
“I accept your command!”
Anger, elation, anticipation.
A voice laden with such tangled emotions rang out sharply through the sealed chamber.

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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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