The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 117

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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 117
“So… you’re saying you left the family without permission, which means you can’t simply return to Maelrn as things stand?”
“Precisely.”
I exhaled deeply as I watched Rashek Maelrn nod with such confidence.
I’d tried to remove one problem only to gain another.
Was there ever a more troublesome burden than this?
Regardless, Rashek Maelrn asked with an innocent expression.
“Then where do you intend to go now?”
“Hmm…”
As the heir to Maelrn, he would surely be intimately familiar with the ecology of the Southern Forest under his jurisdiction.
There was no harm in asking.
“Rashek, do you happen to know anything about that mage family in the Southern Forest that uses poison?”
Rashek rubbed his chin in response to my question.
“Hmm? Are you referring to the Aconia Family?”
“I don’t know their name. But I heard they’re a family living deep within the forest in your domain.”
“Then it must be the Aconia Family. They’re an extremely gloomy and reclusive clan. Truth be told, we of Maelrn severed contact with them long ago. However, one thing is certain—those mages wield terrifyingly lethal poisons.”
“How can you be sure?”
“When I wander through the Southern Forest occasionally, I come across basins that have blackened and rotted. Those are all traces left by the Aconia mages during their training.”
“…I see.”
It matched perfectly with the information Rosalindr, the Archmage of Thorn Tower, had given me. I nodded and asked.
“I’m thinking of seeking out this Aconia family. Is it far from here?”
“Probably… you’d need to sail for three more days, then enter the Southern Forest and walk for about ten days.”
That meant it would be quite a long journey.
The Southern Forest was treacherous terrain teeming with magical beasts and venomous insects. If we had to forge through unmapped wilderness, having a local guide like Rashek Maelrn who knew the geography well wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Hollow-headed as he was, his rank was among the highest of the fifth tier. As both a shield and a guide, he was excellent talent.
The question was how to persuade this fool of Maelrn…
‘…Now that I think about it.’
I recalled something Rashek Maelrn had said during our fight with the Apsache captives.
– I’ll take them down to settle the debt!
Truly simple and transparent thinking.
With someone this straightforward, a little tongue-work should hook him easily.
“Hey, Rashek.”
“What is it, Reagan?”
“I just thought of a good way for you to return to Maelrn with your head held high.”
Rashek Maelrn’s blue eyes widened at my words.
“What is it!”
“You saw that monster too. There’s a group of sorcerers controlling that creature. And from what I know, their headquarters is likely located deep within the Southern Forest.”
“Deep within the forest…”
“Right. It means there’s an evil organization lurking in the depths of Maelrn’s domain. If you traveled with us, hunted down the masterminds controlling that monster, and returned home in triumph, how would that be?”
I added with a sly grin.
“No one in Maelrn will reproach you for running away. Rather, you’ll be praised as a hero who protected the peace of the South.”
“A… hero…?”
For reasons I couldn’t fathom, Rashek Maelrn latched onto the word hero.
It was simple logic, but it proved effective—at least for him.
“Oho! Such wicked villains dared hide within Maelrn’s domain! I, Rashek of Maelrn, shall never forgive this! I shall join your journey at once!”
“…Good thinking.”
And so I had acquired an unpaid guide.
Though….
“…Reagan.”
Renia, standing beside me, fixed me with a glare.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Pleased with yourself for deceiving an innocent fool?”
I chose to ignore her.
* * *
Before departing the Apsache Stronghold, we seized all the contraband the pirates had accumulated through their plundering of merchant vessels.
Given how rampant piracy had become of late, the sheer volume of stolen goods was staggering—enough to fill an entire warehouse with gold, silver, and precious treasures.
“…Well, there’s no harm in keeping it.”
Though Benheim’s wealth meant I lacked for nothing financially, more money was always welcome. I crammed the vast hoard entirely into Andvari’s Cube.
In the process, one item caught my eye in particular.
“What is this?”
A wedge, no more than a hand’s breadth long.
I’d initially taken it for an ordinary piece of metal, but the ancient script etched across its surface was unmistakably significant.
“Don’t tell me the Apsache pirates possessed something like this.”
Rashek Maelrn reacted upon seeing the wedge.
“What makes it so special?”
“It’s produced in limited quantities by Maelrn. Simply put… it’s a portable Barrier Stone.”
“A Barrier? Portable?”
“Yes. Drive this wedge into the ground, and it generates a protective Barrier in the surrounding area. It’s single-use, but… it should maintain itself for at least an hour. The strength is quite respectable too.”
Essentially, it was a one-time version of the Barrier Stone I already possessed.
“…If they had such an item, why didn’t the pirates use it?”
“The pirates must be rather dim-witted. They stole something this precious but didn’t know how to use it, so they just left it gathering dust in storage.”
Not that I was in any position to call anyone foolish….
“Not bad.”
It would prove invaluable for our upcoming journey into the forest.
An excellent find. I grinned and tossed the wedge into the Cube. That’s when Renia approached me.
“Hey, Reagan. Put this in too.”
“What is it?”
“A bed.”
“….”
“Why are you looking at me like that? I believe a proper sleeping environment is the most important thing for human survival.”
“A few days ago, you said you didn’t care about such things.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Renia had managed to unearth soft bedding from the ruins of the collapsed Chongchae. For her, who had spent every night tossing and turning on the hard wooden floor of the cabin, this plush bedding was more precious than any gold, silver, or elixir.
In the end, I stuffed the bedding into the cube at Renia’s request.
After that, we returned to the merchant vessel anchored in the waterway outside Yustena Lake.
I worried the captain might have abandoned us in panic at the commotion, but fortunately, he possessed enough integrity not to do so.
“W-what on earth happened? We were terrified when we suddenly heard that enormous sound coming from the lake….”
The moment we boarded, Cobin asked, his expression as if he’d seen a ghost.
I couldn’t be bothered with a detailed explanation, so I gave a vague answer.
“It’s nothing serious. Just… the Apsache won’t be operating in these waters anymore.”
“Eh?! You completely eliminated the Apsache? The two of you?”
“Precisely three, actually. There’s Rashek Maelrn, the heir to Maelrn, here.”
“M-Maelrn!”
Cobin couldn’t hide his shock. Yet separate from his astonishment, I could see his eyes darting about rapidly—clearly, the gossip-monger was already scheming how to embellish and peddle this story.
“S-so your business is concluded?”
Cobin asked carefully, though his voice carried a note of hope.
I shook my head firmly.
“What are you talking about? We still need to go to the Southern Forest.”
“…Ah.”
Cobin’s expression fell as though a great weight had crashed down upon his head.
* * *
Thus the vessel departed the lake, following the river toward the Southern Forest.
Our daily routine differed little from before.
First, Renia suffered from seasickness as always.
“Ugh….”
“If it’s really unbearable, just lie down.”
She’d been fine on trains and even on flying carriages, yet Renia couldn’t seem to find her footing on the undulating water.
At least, thanks to the plush bedding we’d brought from the Apsache and laid out in the cabin, her seasickness had improved somewhat.
After confirming that Renia had burrowed into the blankets with soft moans, I left the cabin and climbed up to the deck.
Lifting my gaze, I found Rashek Maelrn—a man with black hair and bronze skin—sitting cross-legged atop the mast.
Since boarding the merchant vessel, Rashek Maelrn had been sitting up there consistently, spending the entire day in that spot.
When I asked why he was sprawled out up there, his answer was absurd.
“As the heir to Maelrn, I must position myself higher than others.”
It was truly an exasperating response.
Realizing my expression was souring, Rashek Maelrn waved his hand dismissively.
“I’m joking. It’s more about communing with spirits.”
“Communing?”
“Yes. The last battle consumed too much of the spirits’ energy. I need time to recharge it.”
Spirit energy, then.
I peered into Rashek Maelrn’s body with my eyes.
Despite being a top-tier 5th-rank mage, the mana accumulated within his Mana Core was merely at the 3rd-rank level.
Hardly surprising—it was a hallmark of spirit magic. Since spirit mages drew upon the power of external spirits rather than depleting their internal mana, there was no need to accumulate reserves.
“Hey, Rashek.”
“What is it, my friend?”
“…Just call me Reagan.”
“Understood, Reagan. What did you need?”
I gestured toward the winged orbs of light hovering around Rashek’s body.
“Are those spirits?”
“They are.”
“From what I’ve heard, the Maelrn binding spirit magic is a unique incantation that forcibly binds spirits and extracts their power.”
“True enough. The Maelrn secret arts are indeed founded upon the subjugation of spirits.”
Rashek nodded while cradling the spirit tenderly as he spoke.
“But don’t think of it too harshly. Not every Maelrn mage forcibly binds and commands spirits.”
“They don’t?”
“Well, my father lacks high spirit affinity, so he tends to subjugate them by force. But mages with high spirit affinity have no reason to bind spirits at all. I’m one such case.”
“Then… binding spirit magic essentially allows those with low spirit affinity to command spirits as well?”
“Exactly.”
“So if one’s spirit affinity is high enough, they could form a contract with spirits?”
“Sharp as ever, Reagan. Are you a genius?”
“…No, you’re just an idiot.”
“Impossible! Everyone in the family praises my intellect.”
“That’s precisely what makes you an idiot—believing them.”
But Rashek seemed not to hear my words.
I shrugged and posed my next question.
“So how can you tell if someone has high spirit affinity? Is there some kind of measuring device?”
“Simple. Just try communicating directly with a spirit.”
Rashek extended his palm, and a spirit descended to perch upon it. He continued with a contented smile.
“Words won’t pass between you, but you’ll be able to sense the emotions they convey. The more vividly you can perceive a spirit’s emotions, the higher your spirit affinity.”
“Surprisingly straightforward.”
“Oh, Reagan—would you perhaps like to try communicating with one yourself?”
“Hmm….”
I pondered for a moment.
Was there any real point in learning spirit magic here? I already had more than enough on my plate with aura, rune magic, sword magic, and spectral magic.
And yet….
‘It does seem remarkably versatile.’
Watching Rashek’s combat style, spirit magic excelled at creating variables in battle.
Above all, the fact that it consumed no mana was alluring. In my past life, mages who wielded spirit magic were often rated as more formidable than ordinary mages.
“Fine. Let me try communicating.”
“Excellent choice.”
Rashek lifted the spirit from his palm and suspended it before me.
It was a small spirit resembling a butterfly, with transparent wings on both sides.
“This is Crowd, the wind spirit. I used it briefly when we fought earlier.”
With my two eyes, I could perceive the Mana Core. However, spirits were beings imbued with pure natural essence rather than mana itself. My naked eyes detected nothing.
I stared at Crowd for several seconds.
Fluttering—
Suddenly, Crowd shrank back and began trembling violently.
I couldn’t hear the spirit’s voice that Rashek had mentioned. Yet the emotional waves emanating from the spirit reached me perfectly intact.
That emotion was…
‘Fear?’
The wind spirit Crowd was clearly terrified of me.

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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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