The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 18
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 18
The hierarchy of mages is relatively more thoroughly distinguished compared to the realms of swordsmen.
2nd-tier and 3rd-tier mages differ fundamentally in the total amount of mana they can utilize. This difference is even more dramatic than the gap between someone who has just picked up a sword and someone who can use aura.
Magic that absolutely cannot be used with 2nd-tier mana can be skillfully cast by a 3rd-tier mage.
“Just like this….”
A rune character appeared.
The vibration that spread from my fingertips instantly shattered the glass.
The rune character Hagalaz (ᚺ). Its effect is collapse.
This was a rune character I wanted to use but couldn’t at the 2nd tier. But now it’s different. I could go through the process of recognition-construction-manifestation as smoothly as flowing water.
—Paaaat.
I wrapped aura around the iron sword in my right hand and engraved Hagalaz on top of it. Aura and magic are opposing forces. However, the rune character naturally blended with the aura.
This was thanks to the mana core that Renia had arranged for me.
“Not bad.”
The elixir’s effectiveness was far more excellent than I had expected. I hadn’t simply barely reached the 3rd tier. I had already reached the middle stage of the 3rd tier.
Moreover, there was still a tremendous amount of the elixir’s energy that I hadn’t fully absorbed, circling around my mana core. If I accepted this into my body over a long period of time, I would be able to advance my realm much faster.
“I might be able to reach my previous life’s realm faster than I thought.”
3rd tier in just one month since entering magic. And I was also an aura user at the same time.
This alone had already surpassed the speed from my previous life.
“In my previous life, I became an aura user at twenty.”
By rough estimate, this was six years faster.
Of course, my previous life wasn’t slow either. Rather, I had reached Sword Master with just a third-rate street swordsmanship technique, which was shocking enough that even Renia was astonished when she heard my story.
– Are you crazy? That’s like a dragon jumping out of sewage water.
Back then we weren’t close, so we used to exchange rather rude words freely.
I was about to gather the mana I had raised on my sword with a bitter smile when—
Knock knock.
Someone had come to visit.
I opened the door, and there stood a boy with short-cut blonde hair.
“Brock?”
It was Brock Benheim, the branch family mage I had thoroughly beaten up recently.
“What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be hanging around with your gang right now?”
At my question, Brock took a deep breath and raised his head.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut and shouted:
“P-please take me as your disciple!”
“…What?”
* * *
‘What the hell is that guy?’
Brock Benheim, a branch family mage of Benheim, had been holed up in his room for several days, thinking deeply. His concerns were entirely focused on a subject he couldn’t fully understand.
‘Reagan, that bastard, what kind of trick did he use?’
He couldn’t accept it.
It could even be considered nonsensical.
A few days ago, Brock had faced off against Reagan under the pretext of an initiation.
And he was defeated in just two exchanges.
Reagan had scattered the rune magic Brock unleashed with a single gesture, and the next moment embedded the fire rune character Kenaz into Brock’s chest. If Reagan hadn’t controlled his strength, Brock would have suffered fatal injuries.
The other branch family mages who jumped into the fight afterward were also swept away in an instant.
‘There was an insurmountable gap.’
Brock couldn’t believe that Reagan had only been learning magic for just one month.
Even if he had received an elixir from the family head as rumored, that alone couldn’t account for such an insurmountable gap.
Then there was only one remaining answer.
That bastard Reagan was someone who had originally learned magic.
This was a conclusion born from the conflict between pride and competitive spirit.
‘What exactly is his identity? What kind of person was he to receive the family head’s favor?’
After much deliberation, Brock came up with his own hypothesis.
‘A spy.’
The possibility that he was a spy planted in the family by other Great Magic Families or Black Mages.
In fact, the family’s treasures had recently been stolen, and Lady Renia had also been attacked.
However, there was no way the family head, who was a 7th-tier Grand Mage, couldn’t see through a young spy.
Just as his thoughts were chasing their own tails, one hypothesis—the most irreverent yet explaining everything—flashed through Brock’s mind.
‘…That bastard Reagan, could he possibly be the family head’s hidden….’
Brock stopped thinking and shook his head vigorously.
He was clearly aware it was an irreverent suspicion, but once the seed of doubt had sprouted, it grew uncontrollably.
“I’ll uncover that bastard’s identity.”
Brock gritted his teeth and followed Reagan’s every move.
However, this only served to deepen Brock’s suspicions further.
‘What the hell is he doing?’
Reagan’s day was bizarre. Unlike a typical mage, he headed out to the garden of the annex as soon as dawn broke. Then he began training, sweating like rain.
‘Why would a mage push his body to such extremes…’
Reagan would hang from trees doing pull-ups, or repeatedly run while carrying large rocks on his back.
Even from Brock’s perspective, Reagan’s training was utterly brutish. Wasn’t this the kind of harsh conditioning that only knights would do?
The sight of a mage who should be focusing on handling mana instead pouring his energy into physical training was incomprehensible eccentricity by Brock’s standards.
Reagan’s eccentricity continued even during his magic training.
Crack!
He would float perfectly executed rune magic in the air, then immediately collide it with other magic to shatter it to pieces.
‘To waste mana like that!’
To Brock’s eyes, Reagan wasn’t exploring the principles of magic, but rather seemed to be enjoying himself as if playing with toy blocks.
The most impressive part was the training he conducted while holding a crude iron sword in his right hand.
Swinging the sword while drawing rune characters with his left hand.
It was a method that could only be described as foolish, yet somehow Brock found himself captivated by that bizarre sight.
‘He’s an oddball.’
Moreover, Reagan’s disposition was not just rough, but even vulgar.
The way he crudely grabbed food with his hands instead of using the elegant utensils brought by servants was unmistakably the habit of a beggar.
Having grown up with a proper noble education, Brock found the very fact of being in the same space as such a crude person unpleasant.
“Hello.”
On the third day of his observations, Brock finally caught a decisive clue.
The lord’s own daughter and direct heir of Benheim, Lady Renia, had come to visit this annex.
Brock unconsciously concealed his presence and hid behind a tree.
Ahead of him, Lady Renia was smiling warmly while having a private conversation with Reagan. Brock strained his ears to eavesdrop on their conversation.
– “Renia, weren’t you not supposed to meet with me?”
– “Not anymore. Father told me to get along with you.”
– “How come?”
– “I don’t know. I guess he’s taken a liking to you.”
Brock doubted his own ears.
Even Brock, who had stayed at Benheim for nearly five years as a collateral mage, could count on one hand the number of times he had spoken with Renia.
That Lyrnia von Benheim was speaking so intimately to an outsider, and a commoner at that.
Reagan was even calling Renia by her name casually and speaking informally to her.
‘Could it be.’
In that moment, all the scattered puzzle pieces in Brock’s mind came together as one.
The lord’s exceptional favor.
Talent and eccentricity beyond common sense.
And… that special relationship with Lady Renia.
‘Indeed, it can’t be explained unless he’s the lord’s illegitimate son.’
Brock understood everything. Reagan wasn’t simply a commoner. He was someone who had directly inherited Benheim’s blood, the lord’s very blood.
He trembled. How narrow his own insight had been to try to go against this great flow. He realized it.
‘Then…’
Brock steeled his resolve.
His pride as a mage and as a noble had already been ground to dust by his defeat days ago.
“Take me as your disciple!”
Brock resolved to suck the sweet nectar from him.
In other words, he inserted a straw.
* * *
“…Disciple?”
I doubted my ears as I looked down at Brock.
If I hadn’t misheard, Brock had just begged me to become his master.
“…Disciple? You? Mine?”
“Yes! I want to become your disciple and get stronger!”
I was bewildered.
Before my regression, Brock Benheim had been a man completely wrapped up in his pride. Wasn’t he the one who repeated training daily until just before his death, saying he would surpass me?
That same Brock was now kneeling before me on both knees, begging to be accepted as my disciple.
‘Is it possible because he’s still young?’
I soon found the reason.
Unlike before my regression, Brock was still young. At an age where he hadn’t yet reached adulthood, so his pride could still be bent sufficiently.
I chuckled and said.
“Brock, why are you seeking to learn from me?”
“You’re strong. Stronger than anyone else in this annex. I’ve figured out the secret of your strength. That’s why I’m thinking of following you as much as possible.”
“The secret of my… strength?”
“Yes. You don’t need to try to hide it. I know!”
Brock puffed out his determined chest.
“Hmm.”
There’s no way he could have discovered that I’m a regressor.
I frowned as I looked at Brock. His eyes were sparkling brightly.
‘It seems like he’s misunderstanding something else.’
However, I had no intention of correcting that misunderstanding.
If Brock willingly came under my command, nothing could be better than that.
Whatever the case, to prevent future disasters, the more forces I had, the better.
“Let me tell you upfront, I don’t particularly plan to teach you.”
I had no talent for teaching others.
In my previous life, there were a few disciples who followed me around wanting to learn swordsmanship from me, but most of them gave up before even lasting a year.
“But I can at least serve as a training partner.”
I welcomed training with Brock too.
As I began learning 3rd-tier rune magic and above, I clearly felt something.
‘Self-study has its limits.’
Especially in terms of theory.
Even Renia from before my regression acknowledged that my mana manipulation was excellent, but I didn’t know magic very well. I was naturally a swordsman, and I had never even touched magic.
What I needed now was proper fundamentals.
Asking Sheril for guidance bothered me because she was a covert mage.
So Brock’s existence would be of great help in raising my level.
“If you follow my training methods without complaint, I’ll take you as a training partner. How about it.”
“Good.”
Brock nodded vigorously.
From that day on, Brock joined my training, and the training methods changed too.
Rather than memorizing magic books alone, having someone to train with was more effective. In that sense, Brock was an excellent teaching material.
Flash!
Three rune characters floating in the sky.
This was the first time I had tried simultaneous casting of three spells.
“How is it?”
“…Reagan, are you really sure you’ve only been learning magic for a month?”
“How many times are you going to ask? I told you already.”
“That’s impossible. Blood really can’t be deceived, can it.”
“Blood?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Anyway, Brock was a 3rd-tier beginner mage like me. However, unlike me, he had trained at Benheim for over seven years, so his magical knowledge was far superior.
In other words, I could receive that wisdom.
“So, how do you think it looks?”
“It’s absolutely excellent. Honestly, even among 3rd-tier mages, few people can use magic that skillfully. However…”
Brock trailed off. When I urged him with my gaze to answer, he reluctantly continued.
“If I may dare add one thing… Reagan, you’re using magic by instinct.”
“By instinct?”
“Yes. That’s not necessarily bad. However, an excellent mage operates mana most efficiently through rational judgment and calculation. They coldly deconstruct and reassemble the trinity of casting: recognition-construction-manifestation. Moreover, our Benheim’s rune magic is a type that particularly requires precision. If you rely only on instinct, you won’t reach high levels.”
“Hmm.”
It was a reasonable criticism.
Certainly, for me who was naturally a swordsman, magic was merely a means to an end.
Rather than drawing out the magic’s inherent performance, I mostly thought about how to utilize that magic.
“Alright. Then target, prepare yourself.”
“Who’s your target!”
Brock shouted angrily.
However, while getting angry, Brock faithfully prepared to receive my magic.
“You have to look at my mana manipulation after this is over.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.”
While Brock taught me magical knowledge, I was passing on techniques for mana manipulation to Brock. It wasn’t difficult. Even in my previous life, it was one of the areas I was most confident in after swordsmanship.
Brock himself seemed to welcome his daily improving magical abilities.
Brock’s talent was certain. Since he had reached 6th-tier and became the leader of the guard unit before my regression, he could aim for 7th-tier in this life.
‘I absolutely won’t let him die.’
Most importantly, the Hunting Festival was just a few days away.
If Stern’s prediction was correct, there was a high possibility that black mages would intervene in this Hunting Festival. I could protect Renia, but not the other mages.
I had to at least make sure this guy could protect himself.
After a week of repeated training with Brock.
“Everyone! The mages from Rucen have arrived!”
One of the branch family’s gossips brought new information.
Before the Hunting Festival, people from Rucen County had arrived.
“Are you going to watch?”
Brock asked, and I shrugged my shoulders.
“I can’t not go.”
Pushed along by the branch family mages, I went out to the manor courtyard, where a platform had already been prepared to welcome Rucen’s mages.
The family head Stern Benheim and Benheim’s elders sat in the seats of honor, and below them, Benheim’s Elite Mage Corps in purple robes were lined up.
Just then, my eyes met with Renia’s. She waved her hand, and I reluctantly raised one hand. Then Renia stuck out her tongue playfully.
“As expected…”
Seeing this, Brock muttered.
Brock would mutter nonsense whenever he had the chance, and it seemed he was speculating that there was some kind of relationship between Renia and me.
“So, Brock. Do you know much about Rucen?”
Brock smiled triumphantly at my question.
“Why ask something so obvious? The Rucens are masters of creation magic.”
“Creation magic?”
“That’s right. It’s magic specialized in weaving mana like thread to create structures. In particular, Rucen’s unique magical formula called sword creation magic is famous for making swords. That’s why they’re commonly called the Sword-Creating Rucens.”
“Hmm….”
Creating swords, huh.
That piqued my interest quite a bit.
As I quietly watched the plaza, the main gate opened and a procession of carriages arrived.
‘How luxurious.’
Gold-plated carriages began entering the Benheim Estate one by one.
On top of the leading carriage was a griffin sculpture with its front legs raised high.
‘Rucen.’
I had heard that name several times in my previous life, so I remembered it to some extent.
One of the Great Magic Families.
Rucen was also the family that was destroyed first by the Archmage King.
Because of that, their presence was faint in my memory, but among Rucen’s mages, there were those who survived and resisted the Archmage King.
Certainly….
Click.
The carriage door opened, and a man stepped out.
The middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his forties at most, had long reddish hair that hung down to his waist and wore a dark red robe.
“Kaiden Rucen. Welcome.”
Stern, who had been sitting in the seat of honor, rose and came down from the platform.
Kaiden Rucen, the head of Rucen, bowed his head as he looked at Stern.
‘That person is Rucen’s new family head.’
I had roughly heard from Renia before my regression about what kind of mage Kaiden Rucen was.
– He was a foolish person. A human who ruined Rucen by being obsessed with the strange idea that superior blood creates excellent mages.
Mage supremacism.
Bloodline supremacism.
Authoritarianism.
The epitome of incompetence that gathered all the worst traits of mages.
In that sense, Rucen’s new family head was a disaster in a different way from the Archmage King.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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