The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 149

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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 149
Contrary to my concerns, my father-in-law refrained from severely reprimanding me.
More precisely, he was unable to do so.
It was because of the assembled figures at the Rune Watchers Headquarters. Beside Steren stood Yusephine Airid, the heir of Iridia, along with Rashek, the heir of Maelern, Sheril the Shadow Tower Lord, and other mages—all elite representatives dispatched by the luminaries of the Great Mage Alliance. I couldn’t have exposed Benheim’s vulnerabilities before them.
For me, this was fortunate. I approached the tactical map while maintaining the most composed expression I could muster.
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“I heard we’re launching an operation toward the Airit Estate in five days.”
….
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At my audacity, Steren regarded me with narrowed eyes before releasing a heavy sigh.
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“Yes. Five days from now. Our objective is the complete expulsion of the Black Mages lurking in the Airit Estate and the cessation of the Blackblight. To achieve this….”
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Steren trailed off, and I picked up where he left off.
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“We’ll need to eliminate the curse mage.”
“Precisely. Among the Black Mages stationed in the Airit Estate, there must be a curse mage who spread the Blackblight. The ultimate objective of this operation is to root out that curse mage.”
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Steren tapped the tactical map as he continued.
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“Reagan, just as you previously uncovered every detail of Markel’s true nature, I hope you’ll fully exercise that instinct in the Airit Estate as well.”
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In truth, this was half the reason Steren wanted to bring me along with the Alliance Subjugation Force.
I possessed keen instincts.
Of course, it wasn’t an innate talent. It was the product of my unique constitution combined with my experience from my past life fighting against Black Mages.
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“Yes. I’ll need to see it firsthand, but… if given sufficient time, I should be able to locate the curse mage.”
“Good. Your confidence is reassuring. However, remember this: Black Mages, particularly curse mages, are not adversaries to be taken lightly.”
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Steren was right.
Curse mages were the most insidious branch of dark magic. If anything, they shared similarities with covert mages.
They avoided direct confrontation, barricading themselves in hideouts or workshops while cunningly dispersing curses. The curse mage’s methodology wasn’t far removed from the tactics Malik Elrayson had employed to torment the Resistance Army in my past life.
Often, the curse mage’s personal power was unremarkable, much like Malik’s, but this case was somewhat different.
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‘The Blackblight….’
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In my past life, it had been called “Petrification Fever”—a horrific curse. To spread such a lethal curse across the entire Airit Estate would require considerable mastery. The fact that even Oswald Irid, a grand mage of the highest 7th Rank, had fallen victim to it was telling.
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‘…Which means, at minimum, a Black Mage of 7th Rank or higher.’
Several curse mages came to mind immediately.
Considering that this is the past, if I had to pick the one with the highest level of attainment among them….
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‘I think I have a rough idea.’
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Of course, jumping to conclusions would be premature.
In the end, I’ll need to visit the Airit Estate and verify it myself.
Once I finished thinking, I glanced around the room. And I soon noticed something peculiar.
There were roughly thirty mages gathered in the command center. Yet all of them remained silent, waiting for my next words.
The emotions woven into their gazes were caution—or perhaps reverence.
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“…Hm?”
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The mages around me were looking at me as though I were some sort of monster.
The individuals gathered here were elite representatives from each family and tower. They ranged from at least 5th Rank to the upper echelons of 6th Rank. All of them were holding their breath, listening intently to every word I spoke. In fact, they nodded in agreement each time I opened my mouth.
I soon understood the reason.
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‘…Could it be because of the duel with Renia yesterday…?’
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Not long ago at the exchange meeting, I had gone all out, determined to overwhelm Renia. And everyone gathered here had witnessed that fight.
Moreover, though it was an unconventional method, hadn’t I even demonstrated ‘Dispel’?
Even a rotten fish is still a fish—Dispel is a technique almost exclusively wielded by Archmages. Having realized it, I seemed to have left a profound impression on the mages.
I couldn’t very well tell them it was all just luck. I scratched my head in bewilderment.
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“Reagan, the leader of this Grand Mage Alliance Subjugation Force is… nominally Valen, the Warden of the Runes.”
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Steren, having sensed this current as well, spoke with a knowing smile.
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“However, the field commander who will actually lead and direct the subjugation force on the ground is you, Reagan. Valen has readily agreed to this arrangement.”
“…I see.”
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Naturally, I recalled my past life.
Back then, no one followed me because I was merely a wandering mercenary. I had always preferred solitude, and since I was unfamiliar with mercenary tactics, I was content to simply follow Valen’s or Renia’s orders.
But now it was different. I had to lead these elite warriors at the forefront.
The weight of responsibility was immense.
The burden upon my shoulders was anything but light.
And yet….
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“Yes. Please have no concerns.”
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If I were to shrink back at a situation like this, I would never have charged at the Archmage King with the resolve to perish together.
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“Yes. I look forward to it.”
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Steren grinned and nodded, and I turned away.
I addressed Yusephine Airid, who was staring at me with the same bewildered expression.
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“What’s the situation with the Black Mages?”
“Oh, right. Nothing particularly different from before. The Remnant Squad is currently monitoring the Black Mages’ movements. We plan to keep them pinned down so they don’t catch on before the Subjugation Force arrives.”
“The Remnant Squad? What’s that?”
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At my puzzled question, Yusephine’s expression hardened.
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“It’s Iridia’s military force. They’re composed of our family’s most covert and swift operatives. But wait—Reagan, how can you not know about the Remnant Squad?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“You even dueled the commander of the Remnant Squad.”
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Yusephine tapped the small wand at my waist.
Eclat.
A treasure of Iridia that I’d torn away as spoils after crushing some fool during the Council meeting a year ago. That bastard had certainly insulted Renia.
Now I understood the full picture.
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“…Ah, so that idiot was the Remnant Squad commander?”
“Idiot? Kaile is a skilled warrior of the upper 6th Rank…”
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Yusephine spoke as though exasperated, but from my perspective, Kaile Airid was nothing more than a fool who’d shot himself in the foot due to his own arrogance.
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“Then… do we need to cooperate with the Remnant Squad for this operation?”
“Yes. They know the local geography well, and they’re already surrounding their stronghold.”
“Tsk.”
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I clicked my tongue.
The moment I heard the name Kaile, my instincts honed through years as a mercenary whispered a warning.
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“…Something feels off.”
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The operation didn’t seem like it would proceed smoothly.
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* * *
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Late night.
The northern foothills of the Airit Estate.
A silver-haired man walked through the dark forest path, clutching a crude wand instead of a torch.
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“Damn it all.”
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The standard-issue wand consumed mana poorly, making it difficult to illuminate the surroundings even with prismatic magic.
Normally, I could have bathed the area in daylight through Eclara, a family heirloom, but that treasure was no longer in my possession.
That’s right.
It had been stolen.
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‘If only I hadn’t been careless that day…’
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Two years ago at the Grand Mage Alliance Council.
Kaile Valeriuos Airid had suffered a bitter defeat through sheer carelessness against a mere novice at the threshold of 5th Rank.
And so I lost Eclara, a treasure beyond measure. Years had passed since then, yet the humiliation of that day remained etched into my heart like an indelible scar.
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That wasn’t all.
After that day, my standing within the Airid Family had become like a cart rolling downhill.
The moment I returned to the estate, Oswald showed his disappointment and ceased speaking to me. The subordinates of the Remnant Squad who had accompanied me to the Council had witnessed every humiliating detail of that defeat.
The whispers and mockery that poured forth from behind my back, along with the relentless reproaches from the Elders toward me for shamelessly wagering the family’s treasure, never ceased.
The Remnant Squad, Iridia’s finest mage unit, had been reduced to nothing more than a patrol force monitoring the movements of a handful of Black Mages—all because of that defeat.
Given such circumstances, I lacked the courage to request a proper wand, and my situation of wielding a standard-issue one filled me with unbearable sorrow.
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“…Life is a bitch.”
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Merely two years ago, I had been a man likely to become the next Elder of Iridia, or perhaps something greater. Yet now I found myself scrambling through forests like a beast, traversing treacherous mountains in the dead of night.
That gap—no, that fall.
I was utterly consumed with indignation.
Born into a cadet branch, I had worked myself to exhaustion with desperate effort. As a result, I had reached 6th Rank at a young age and earned recognition for my abilities. I had even seized the position of captain of the Remnant Squad. The summit was within sight. Just a little further, and a brilliant future would unfold before me.
But a single mistake cost me everything.
And so everything felt unbearably unjust.
Despair gradually transformed into rage, and rage became hatred. The arrow of hatred naturally fixed itself upon a single target.
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Reagan von Benheim.
I had heard news recently. That whelp had apparently become Benheim’s son-in-law.
A lowborn commoner. A mongrel without a single drop of mage blood.
He had brazenly seized a position in Benheim, the reputedly dominant power of the Grand Mage Alliance.
It was impossible.
It should not have been allowed.
It was a seat I could never reach even if I devoted my entire life to it. The fact that some fortunate commoner had claimed it filled me with seething rage.
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“…So you’ve come, Kaile Airid.”
“….”
“You seem quite angry. Is everything alright?”
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So that was it.
The reason Kaile had climbed the mountain alone at this late hour, without the other members.
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“Whether then or now, you still have a habit of popping out of nowhere and starting conversations.”
“If you felt it was discourteous, I apologize. However, I find myself in circumstances where I must exercise considerable caution.”
“Hmph.”
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Kaile scrunched his face and turned away. A middle-aged mage in white robes stood among the thicket, which had grown dense with foliage.
He was a man with a gaunt, elongated frame. His cheeks were sunken, and his limbs were so skeletal they resembled twigs. His appearance was like that of a scarecrow standing in a field. Yet his corpse-pale skin, vertically slit pupils, and serpentine gaze possessed an eerie oppressiveness that made even Kaile, a 6th Rank mage, instinctively shrink back.
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“Since we last met when spring was in full bloom… it’s been nearly half a year. You must have come to make contact because you have valuable information.”
“Of course. Otherwise, why would I risk arousing suspicion among my subordinates and come all this way?”
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Kaile withdrew a sealed letter from his robes and tossed it to the man.
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“The Grand Mage Alliance Subjugation Force has been formed. They plan to descend upon the Airid Estate within seven weeks at the earliest.”
“I’ve heard as much.”
“Did you think that was all the information I brought? The letter also contains the roster of the Subjugation Force. I’m giving you advance warning so you can prepare.”
“…Interesting.”
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The man withdrew the letter and read it with evident interest. Watching him, Kaile exhaled heavily.
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‘What am I doing cooperating with a Black Mage like this?’
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He despised himself. Here he was, the military commander of the Airid Family, conspiring with a curse sorcerer who threatened his own family’s security.
But he had no choice. His position had already fallen as far as it could. To claw his way back up, he had to swallow his shame and borrow even the devil’s hand.
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“So, Bargos. Where is the item you promised?”
“Ah yes, of course. You’ve provided such valuable information—I must offer appropriate compensation.”
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The curse sorcerer Bargos grinned wickedly and handed over a single elixir pill wrapped in a small ceramic vessel.
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“A highly refined spiritual elixir. I suggest you don’t ask about the ingredients.”
“I understand. I don’t want to know anyway.”
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An elixir manufactured by a Black Mage. Undoubtedly a filthy thing obtained by squeezing the life force from countless souls.
Yet Kaile didn’t care in the slightest.
My current cultivation stood at the peak of 6th Rank, with only a few steps remaining before the 7th Circle—yet that gap had stubbornly refused to close for an eternity.
Should I ascend to the 7th Circle within this year, I would become the foremost combat mage among the Five Mage Families at present, surpassing even the lords of the Seven Great Towers.
Even that legendary Warden of the Runes, Valen Wirth von Benheim, had yet to reach the 7th Circle. For this reason, each elixir capable of dismantling the towering wall before me was desperately precious and invaluable.
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‘Once I reach the 7th Circle… I won’t need to remain shackled to Iridia.’
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In this Empire, a Grand Mage is such an existence.
Upon reaching the 7th Circle, even the family head Oswald would not dare treat me carelessly. I could abandon the family outright and establish my own Mage Tower without the slightest complication.
And that’s not all. I could reclaim the lost Eclat myself, and thoroughly crush that arrogant commoner beneath my heel.
It was as I painted such a future, my lips curling into a sinister smile.
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“Kaile.”
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The man, Bargos, opened his mouth.
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“Next week, should the Alliance Subjugation Force arrive, they will certainly target us. The situation is most troublesome. Thus I wish to request more direct assistance from you, Kaile.
“…Direct assistance? You should be grateful merely for the internal information I’ve provided. The losses I’d incur from helping you far outweigh any gains. Are you in your right mind?”
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I let out a derisive laugh. Leaking information to Black Mages and directly aiding their escape were matters of entirely different magnitude. Should I be discovered, expulsion from the family would be the least of my concerns.
Yet Bargos smiled as though he had anticipated my reaction. His vertically-slit pupils gleamed sharply in the darkness.
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“Kaile Valeriuos Airid. You wish to ascend to the 7th Circle, do you not?”
“….”
“Should you cooperate actively with us this time, I shall open the path to the 7th Circle for you.”
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For Bargos, who spoke these words, was undoubtedly a 7th Circle Black Mage.
I lowered my gaze to the elixir clasped in my hand, my tongue tracing my lips.
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“Well, fine. I’ll at least hear what you have to say.”

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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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