The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 150
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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 150
Five days later, the Alliance Subjugation Force began its march toward Airit Estate.
However, there was nothing grand about the departure befitting the name “Alliance Subjugation Force.” We simply rode in carriages. Unlike the operation in Mist Valley, we weren’t traveling in pegasus-drawn carriages.
The roads to Airit Estate were well-maintained, and with the subjugation force numbering thirty members, requisitioning multiple carriages would have been impractical. But that wasn’t the real reason.
“The Imperial Palace didn’t grant approval.”
The primary obstacle was the Royal Court’s interference.
Apparently, traveling through imperial airspace normally required separate authorization from the Royal Court, and in this case, that permission had been denied.
“Well, I didn’t expect it anyway.”
Valen shrugged as if he’d anticipated this, explaining the situation.
“From the Imperial Palace’s perspective, they can’t possibly approve of the Great Mage Alliance uniting its forces.”
“Are they afraid we might stage a rebellion?”
“Essentially, yes. Any court would naturally grow tense if local lords and nobles gathered their heads together and assembled military forces, regardless of the reason. Don’t take it too personally.”
It was a reasonable reaction, all things considered. The Great Mage Alliance was technically a subordinate organization of the Empire, but if they combined all their military strength, it would be more than enough to threaten the Royal Court. It was a natural concern for an Imperial Palace responsible for the Empire’s security.
Yet with the Archmage King—that malignant tumor—lurking at the heart of the Royal Court, even this minor restriction felt suspicious, as if something sinister lay beneath the surface.
“Don’t worry too much about it. Let’s focus on the task at hand for now.”
Valen rolled his shoulders and took his place at the head of the procession. He had been entrusted with the position of commander of this Alliance Subjugation Force.
In truth, Valen himself had wanted to refuse the position, but there was no one else capable of leading such elite troops besides the Warden of the Runes.
By rank, Sheril, the Shadow Tower Lord, would have been the ideal candidate, but…
– The Shadow Queen must always operate from the shadows, after all.
As expected, Sheril had declined using that excuse about being a queen and working in darkness, so Valen ended up shouldering all those responsibilities.
“Because of someone, I can’t even retire. This is killing me.”
“Why not make it a lifetime position?”
“Shut it, Yonseok. I’m already pushing fifty, and I’m far too old for this kind of work.”
Valen grumbled, though he didn’t actually seem displeased.
“Reagan, you mentioned gaining enlightenment through real combat.”
“Yes. The reason I’ve risen to the 6th Rank so quickly is entirely due to experiencing actual combat. Commander Valen, I’m certain you can reach the 7th Rank as well. Though I suspect I’ll get there faster.”
“Cocky bastard.”
Valen let out a bitter laugh and shrugged.
“I wish that were true.”
I couldn’t discern what drove Valen to pursue the 7th Rank beyond his ambition as a mage. However, his determination didn’t seem like a bad omen.
With the coming war on the horizon, every additional Archmage of the 7th Rank would be more than welcome.
“I’m certain, Commander Valen, that you will become an Archmage.”
So all I could offer were these platitudes.
* * *
The journey presented no significant hardships.
The carriages we rode in were the most luxurious ones available from Benheim, and the roads we traveled were well-maintained.
Moreover, Benheim Estate’s location was nearly at the center of the Continent, making it ideal as a base for the Alliance Subjugation Force.
Yet no matter how swiftly we moved, traveling by carriage was inevitably slower than flying through the sky as originally planned.
Since we couldn’t ride without rest, we stationed ourselves in the major city of Eltora along the way to take a brief respite.
“We’ve rented two mansions from the Eltora nobility, so we’ll stay here tonight and depart tomorrow morning.”
I nodded in agreement with Valen’s words. No matter how elite a mage might be, spending an entire day cooped up in a carriage was bound to leave one’s back aching. In the end, everyone headed into the Manor to recover from the fatigue of travel.
Yet even in such circumstances, there was one woman who remained perfectly energetic.
“Mr. Valen, can we go out for a bit and explore?”
Renia asked with sparkling eyes. It seemed that for her, this journey felt less like a grueling march and more like an adventure.
“Miss Renia… the city of Eltora is notorious for its rough inhabitants and poor security. Since neither the Five Renowned Mage Families nor the Seven Great Mage Towers hold sway here, there aren’t many people who can smooth things over if trouble arises.”
Valen spoke carefully. He must have received instructions from Steren to keep us in check, so this wasn’t a situation he welcomed.
Yet Renia was relentless.
“Oh, don’t worry. When have you ever seen us cause trouble?”
“…Just a few days ago, the head of the household was sighing heavily. He didn’t even attend the inauguration ceremony.”
“That was just a little harmless prank.”
Renia spoke brazenly, then grabbed my hand and pulled me along as if to prove her point. Valen finally sighed and waved his hand in resignation. Having secured permission, she winked at me.
“Let’s go, Reagan.”
“What about the others?”
“Huh? The others? Who?”
“Rashek, for instance… or Yusefin.”
Renia frowned at my words.
“So you’re saying we should take those two on a night stroll?”
“…I suppose so? Rashek will feel left out.”
“Let him feel left out.”
“What about Yusefin? She’s your friend.”
“Friends understand these things.”
Renia spoke firmly and pulled my hand even more forcefully.
What choice did I have? Hoping Rashek wouldn’t feel too slighted, I followed her lead.
“Have you been to Eltora before, Reagan?”
“Well, a little while back.”
“That’s interesting. You’ve traveled to so many places.”
I gave an appropriate response to Renia’s comment while surveying my surroundings.
Eltora. It was a city quite familiar to me. Positioned relatively near the heart of the Empire, it saw constant traffic of carriages and merchant caravans, which meant mercenaries seeking work gathered here in considerable numbers.
Even now, having returned to the past, it was the same. The Mercenary District of Brel was far more prosperous than those in Rodel or Harfen. Considering that today was a rest day, the Mercenary District of Eltora was absolutely teeming with people.
“Wow… are all those people mercenaries?”
“More or less. Most of the mercenary groups in this area are first-rate, after all.”
Any group that established headquarters in such a major city would surely be first-rate.
In fact, I remembered a certain mercenary from my past life who operated out of Eltora as a base.
That was…
“Seila!”
The name that surfaced in my mind echoed in my ears.
I stopped dead in my tracks, startled, forgetting that Renia was following behind me.
“Oof.”
Renia bumped her forehead against my back with a soft thud. She whimpered something from behind, but I didn’t listen and turned my head.
Seila. Now that I’d thought of that name, I had to confirm it.
And soon I witnessed a commotion unfolding at the entrance to the Mercenary District.
“Seila! Put that money down this instant!”
“I’m telling you! This is my share! It’s money I earned with my own two hands!”
“Do you mean to defy the Guild’s laws? If you don’t want to end up in trouble, hand over that money and get out of here!”
A man with a rough expression barked at her, and the woman standing opposite him raised her middle finger in response.
The woman had cut her black hair short and haphazardly, and with her dark complexion and height that towered a full head above Renia, she resembled nothing so much as a massive block of ebony wood.
Most striking of all was the long, rectangular blade hanging from the woman’s back.
A broad executioner’s sword that eschewed thrusting entirely.
“…Hmm.”
Having seen that much, I could reach only one conclusion.
In my past life, there were several mercenaries who fought against the Archmage King.
Among them, one stood out as particularly exceptional….
“…Seila?”
The very woman whom Renia in my past life had been jealous of now stood before my eyes.
* * *
Seila.
She had no surname. In truth, that was hardly surprising. How many mercenaries in this line of work came from noble stock?
In any case, Seila was one of my significant connections from my past life.
Strictly speaking, she was not part of Renia’s Resistance. However, she commanded a massive mercenary group that supported the Resistance.
Seila’s mercenary group was called the “Legion,” though it was not an official designation. It had been formed to counter the golems led by Victor Otto of the Steel Legion, and the name had simply stuck.
– Is your name Reagan? You seem to know your way around a sword. How about joining our mercenary group?
Such was Seila, the mercenary captain—a connection I had passed by during my days as a mercenary.
As my reputation grew, recruitment offers poured in from various mercenary groups, and Seila, who was leading a small mercenary unit at the time, was among those who extended such an offer.
But given my childhood spent being exploited by the Black Hyena mercenary group, a third-rate outfit, my response to Seila’s invitation was as predictable as fire.
– Sorry, but I have no intention of joining some third-rate mercenary group like that.
– What did you just say? Third-rate?
– Or perhaps fourth-rate?
– Take that back right now. If you don’t….
– …if I don’t?
– I’ll break your legs for you.
Seila, enraged by my provocation, challenged me to a duel, and hours later, her own legs were broken.
I have no excuse for that. In those early days when I had only recently begun working as a wandering mercenary, I viewed everyone who approached me as a potential enemy seeking to exploit me—in short, I was something of a social misfit.
So when Seila came seeking to recruit me, I lumped her in the same category as Gerkin and broke her legs accordingly.
I did the same to her subordinates who came rushing at me, seeking to avenge the humiliation their captain had suffered.
I thought that would be the end of our connection.
But as the war sparked by the Archmage King intensified and mercenaries themselves began being dragged onto the battlefield, I found myself crossing paths with Seila again and again.
– …What, you? You’re still alive?
– And you’ve become quite famous, I hear. What was it they called you? The mage-slayer? Ha, that’s ridiculous.
When I first met Seria, she was a third-rate mercenary.
When I encountered her again the following year, she had become second-rate.
The following year, I became a first-rate mercenary.
Around that time, I began to be called by the awe-inspiring epithet “Sword God,” and I was scouted into Renia’s Resistance.
– You always said you preferred being alone, so when did you fall head over heels for some blonde woman?
– She’s my employer.
That’s what I told Seila when we met sometime later.
By then, the mercenary group—or rather, the legion—that she commanded had long since developed into a massive faction dominating the western Continent, and it had clashed with the Resistance multiple times.
Each time, it was Seila and I who mediated between them.
In the final days when even the Royal Court had crumbled, we eventually had to cooperate out of necessity, whether we liked it or not. As a result, my encounters with her became more frequent.
The “Legion” that Seila commanded stood against the Archmage King alongside the Resistance, and as a result, it was annihilated in the Plains Battle.
However, I remember vividly how courageously Seila and the mercenaries under her command fought in my past life, even as death approached.
And I also remember well a story Seila once told me casually over drinks.
– Around twenty years old, I was trapped in debt in the back alleys. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I killed three mercenaries and fled north. Before the war broke out, I was a wanted fugitive.
– How ironic. I was also exploited by a mercenary group. Gerkin from the Black Hyena mercenary group. Do you know him?
– Haha. I know him well. That stupid third-rate mercenary.
There was a time when I found such common ground and felt an internal sense of intimacy.
Which meant.
The current Seila was a lowly member of a mercenary group, being pushed around from place to place.
‘…If I were to take Seila under my wing now….’
Not only would Seila avoid becoming a wanted fugitive, but I would gain a reliable ally.
Though Seila was not a mercenary skilled in swordplay, her mind was exceptional. Her mercenary tactics in particular were so outstanding that even Valen, the Resistance’s strategist, acknowledged them. She would certainly be a great asset in the war against the Archmage King.
Moreover, since my regression until now, I’ve only dealt with mages. If I could build good relations with mercenaries through this opportunity, it would be ideal.
By my standards, Seila was too talented to waste away in such a bottom-tier mercenary group.
“…Reagan.”
The moment my thoughts reached that point, someone placed a small hand on my shoulder.
A cool touch.
It was unmistakably Renia.
“…That’s strange.”
Renia drew out her words. Yet her tone carried something eerie rather than endearing.
“Reagan, are you interested in that woman? You’ve been staring at her so intently.”
“….”
“Is that short-haired woman really that attractive? Even with your wife right beside you?”
Only after hearing that frigid voice.
Could I finally understand precisely why Renia in my past life had found it so unbearable whenever I spoke with Seila.
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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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