The Knight Who Devours Magic - Chapter 90

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

Episode 90. Damn it, couldn’t I have gotten paid a bit too……?
“A failure…….”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
In the quiet room, only the sound of Renock Aslan’s fingers drumming against the armrest of his chair filled the silence.
Blonde hair and blue eyes—common enough in the northern reaches where the Iron Kingdom lay. Yet sculpted features and an impassive expression transformed those ordinary traits into something as cold and hard as ice.
Then, a moment later.
A faint twitch rippled across his brow.
“Did I make such an unreasonable request? Or have the family’s ‘hidden blades’—whom I once thought could match the Royal Court’s own shadows—turned out to be simply inadequate?”
The instant irritation crept into his voice.
The masked figure sprawled before him pressed his forehead to the floor.
Thump.
“I beg your pardon.”
“Pardon……. Yes, punishment will certainly be warranted. But first, let’s hear the reason clearly, shall we? Explain.”
The moment his peevish tone cut through the air again.
“Based on intelligence that the target was a 3-Star Rank knight using an Artifact, we deployed two units of hidden blades along with Laurel.”
The answer came as if rehearsed.
A voice more emotionless than his own, utterly flat.
“Laurel?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Two units of blades plus Laurel herself, deployed against a single 3-Star Rank knight—and you failed? That makes no sense!”
Crack.
When Renock’s hand came down with a violent furrow of his brow, the armrest of the chair—forged from northern iron-oak—shattered outright.
A savage pressure bore down on the prostrate figure before him.
Yet the masked operative’s voice remained steady, unshaken as he continued his report.
“……Internally, the assessment was that one unit and Laurel would be more than sufficient.”
“I’m aware of what that creature did in Ruble. And you’re telling me that’s all?”
“While the power of anti-mage Artifacts is certainly formidable, his other capabilities were evaluated as merely somewhat exceptional among 3-Star Rank fighters.”
“So this is the result you’ve brought me?”
“The target was concealing additional strength beyond what was known.”
“Additional strength?”
“Apart from the known Artifact Armor and Metal Chains, he deployed what appears to be Spirit Magic.”
“What?”
“It is believed to be Metal-Attribute Spirit Arts. Laurel’s arrows were deflected at point-blank range, their trajectories warped as if by some force. More significantly, she confirmed that he pursued her by following her arrows all the way to her retreat. She possessed no other metal on her person.”
“Ha…….”
A sound of disbelief escaped Renock’s lips at those words.
Then.
“So you’re telling me that a mere sixteen-year-old is both a 3-Star Rank Hard Body Practitioner and a Spirit Mage? Am I hearing this correctly? Is that child some legendary hero from the old tales!?”
Crack.
The sheer absurdity of the report finally shattered his composure entirely.
Yet the masked operative remained motionless on the ground.
Seeing his subordinate’s unwavering silence, Renock’s face began to frost over once more.
“So it’s true. Ha……. A creature of such magnitude hidden in that young form……. This is beyond comprehension.”
“I will prepare an ambush outside the Royal Capital with the new intelligence. He will not escape this time.”
The monotone voice offered mitigation for the failure.
But his master’s only response was the rhythmic tapping of his fingers against the broken armrest.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Then, after a pause.
“No, stop. Don’t touch him, at least for now. Take no action until further orders.”
A voice threaded with faint exasperation delivered the unexpected command.
“Sir?”
“Don’t underestimate the Royal Court. Whatever evidence we’ve hidden, they are suspicious. We cannot afford to give them cause.”
At those words, the masked figure flinched visibly.
When his subordinate fell silent instead of echoing the order, Renock’s eyes grew sharp with suspicion.
That instant.
“……Laurel showed her face to the target, it is reported.”
The delayed answer made Renock’s brow twitch once more.
“What!?”
“Her mask was torn away during the battle…….”
Crack.
“What a worthless collection of fools you are! Truly pathetic!!”
Renock Aslan’s composure crumbled at the report.
“A scrawny half-Black woman—and there’s no other like her in this north? She’s going to ruin the entire house with her pathetic scheming…!”
Rage surging to the crown of his head, Renock bellowed aloud, but then caught himself in his unseemly display and clenched his teeth, forcing himself back into his chair.
And as he wrestled with his fury,
“…Tell her to finish it.”
“Pardon?”
“Tell her to finish it—whether she steps out alone and kills him or dies trying. And even if she succeeds, I won’t permit her return.”
“…You mean to abandon Laurel? She’s a rare talent—a 4-Star Rank Enhanced Body User with a gift for the bow. There’s no one in the house who could match her at assassination by ranged strike, sir.”
The masked figure pressed the case for her necessity with force, but
“If we give the Royal Court leverage, the house is finished! Cast her out!”
“…Understood.”
“Pathetic fools. You couldn’t even dispose of one worthless wretch who insulted my idiot son, and now this loss…?”
“My sincerest apologies, sir.”
There was nothing for it but to answer with resignation, and Renock too let go of his lingering doubts in that moment.
“Fine. Setting that aside—what of the Demon-Possessed scattered through the house?”
In his dispute with Trian, Aslan had denied the existence of mages.
But that had merely been posturing to preserve the family’s honor in inter-house conflict; it wasn’t what he actually believed.
Aslan was no fool, and he could hardly have failed to notice the mage’s traces that had infiltrated their ranks.
“We’re keeping close watch on those Collid had primary contact with. Once the Royal Court’s methods are disseminated—the ones proven effective in this tournament—we’ll be able to confirm and eliminate them at once.”
“How many among the direct line?”
“We’ve investigated the associates of both young masters as well, but we’ve found no direct connection to confirm.”
“The eldest and second son can’t be such fools. Make certain we clean out their vicinity. I’m telling you again—don’t give the Royal Court leverage—ah!”
As Renock continued speaking with irritation, some promising thought seemed to dawn on him, and he suddenly wore a thin smile.
“…It would be convenient to sweep them up together with that woman.”
“Sir?”
“According to the Queen, once the Founding Anniversary Party ends and the Wisdom Tournament concludes, investigations will begin at once. We need to tidy up the suspicious elements before then. Together with that Drasen peasant, we dispose of everyone who’s sullied Aslan’s name in one stroke.”
In Renock’s words, there was not a shred of hesitation about executing those whose Demon-Possession wasn’t even certain.
“If I may suggest…?”
“The Founding Anniversary Party would be ideal. Bundle him together with that woman under the same kill order. Since he’ll go to the Third Prince’s faction, we’ll ruin the Third Prince’s party at the same time—perfect. Yes, the official announcement should come just before.”
“By official announcement, you mean…?”
“If Demon-Possessed who broke cover and fled Aslan happen to strike at that Drasen peasant, that’s none of our concern, is it?”
“…It will unfold as you wish.”
“Good.”
At last Renock recovered his usual cold composure and smiled once more.
* * *
– Your Majesty enters!!
Boom-boom-boom.
With a thunderous cry, the side door beside the principal seat of the Great Hall burst open with fanfare.
From beyond stepped the King, dressed in his characteristically ostentatious Artifact Clothing.
And then,
“We pay homage to the Master of Steel!”
Thud.
The countless ministers and nobles of the Great Hall genuflected in unison toward the King,
their eyes alternating between the King entering the hall and the three knights kneeling at its center.
Among them, the knight in Black Armor positioned at the very middle drew the lion’s share of attention,
‘Damn….’
and the person in question felt himself turning to stone, feeling for all the world like a monkey in a zoo.
– Everyone had expected that with the suppression already announced, only remnants would remain.
– But no one had foreseen that those mage remnants would number over a hundred.
– Still, someone had conveniently caused quite a spectacle tearing through the Royal Capital itself, which had set the citizenry ablaze—and in turn made the Royal Court itself uneasy.
– So…a hero became necessary. Someone to redirect attention in a positive light.
‘But I’m just uncomfortable about all of it….’
It was fine that he’d come in armor rather than formal dress, but even that had been for the sake of drawing the ministers’ and nobles’ eyes, so he couldn’t quite relax.
Munno’s glance slipped sideways toward the blonde-haired, middle-aged figure at the center of the ministers.
‘Renock Aslan….’
The man suspected as the mastermind behind those assassins—particularly that unforgettable Black female archer.
That smile he wore while looking at Munno grated on him particularly.
And then,
“Well. Everyone here knows the feats accomplished yesterday by this kingdom’s heroes, I’m sure.”
The genial King, true to form, launched into the main matter the moment he took his seat.
“Fortunately, the Temple has rendered active support as well, and the Silver Knight here has exemplified that by striking down over twenty Demon-Possessed. And…….”
The King’s gaze drifted past the lean Blood Knight and settled upon Anthony.
But the words that followed were unexpected.
“The Blood Knight’s Discrimination Method is selective about its users, yet it has proven its worth by eradicating over forty Demon-Possessed. Therefore, to the Third Prince Christopher, who developed this method, I grant bonus points in the Wisdom Tournament.”
“Ah……!?”
At those words, a murmur rose among the ministers, and the ambient noise began to swell.
‘Good grief…….’
Munno let out a hollow laugh as he watched Orlando, seated in the Third Prince’s place, break into a smile.
‘So there was a way without me joining up after all.’
Now he understood the confidence that Prince Christopher and Princess Roanna had displayed.
The King, who had been observing the assembly in silence, raised his hand, and the Red-Armored Knights flanking him struck the floor.
“Quiet, quiet!”
Bang. Bang.
The Great Hall fell silent in an instant.
Within that hush came a declaration no one had foreseen.
“And the Black Knight, a rising holy warrior of our realm, has struck down nearly fifty Demon-Possessed through a method more efficient than the wisdom jointly forged by the Temple and the Royal Court. For this, I am pleased to grant the heroes of this day the right to claim one treasure from within the royal treasury!”
What?
“Of course, the grade will differ according to rank.”
This is……?
“Isn’t that rather excessive…….”
“Bestowing an Artifact?”
“It won’t be an Artifact necessarily. Spirits are choosy about their people…….”
“Oh, you think those three over there couldn’t win the spirits’ favor?”
Whispered murmurs began to ripple through the Great Hall.
They were quiet enough to reach only those with keen ears.
It was a vivid display of the power disparity between the Iron Royal Court and the nobility.
But that mattered little now.
‘What luck is this.’
Munno’s mouth hung open almost to his ears upon hearing the King’s announcement.
The vague unease from moments before vanished without a trace.
So what if he looked like a zoo monkey? The reward was an Artifact, after all.
‘Well, good is good…….’
His heart swelled with satisfaction.
“Your Majesty, from the standpoint of those who serve the divine, to possess such a lavish treasure would transgress holy law. I humbly entreat that this great grace be rendered instead as increased Temple stipend.”
Ellorang, the Silver Knight, dampened that joy with his words.
More precisely, he had reminded Munno of a fact he had forgotten.
“Ah, Silver Knight. Your piety is evident indeed. I shall have it so.”
And as Munno watched the King accept his wish without hesitation,
the words of Paren Glut, captain of the Steel Knight Order, echoed through his mind.
– Ten thousand Gold.
– Tell His Majesty, or bill Drasen?
– Scared? Then join the Order.
That menacing face and the voice it had uttered now played back in his mind, arbitrarily rewritten, dragging his buoyant spirits down into the depths.
Before a King who was bestowing an Artifact, no less.
How could he possibly ask if His Majesty might give him money instead?
‘Damn…….’
Munno clenched his jaw, forcing his lips to move against their will.
“Your Majesty……. Would you perhaps consider……, giving me money instead……?”
His voice emerged in a strained whisper, his eyes squeezing shut, and the entire Great Hall’s attention snapped toward him.

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