The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 21

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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 21

“This is… what the hell…”

At the sight visible through the crystal orb, the color drained from Kaiden, head of the Rucen family.

The projection showed his daughter Petra Rucen and Benheim’s heir Arnaud von Benheim confronting a massive magical beast.

This was no illusion.

An overwhelming presence. That beast emitting dark red vapor around its body was undoubtedly a real magical beast.

Crash!

The teacup fell from Kaiden’s hand. He shot up from his seat and shouted as if ready to grab Steren by the collar.

“Duke Benheim! What the hell is this! Releasing real magical beasts in the Hunting Festival—are you out of your mind!”

“Calm down, Kaiden. I’m not an idiot. No magical beasts inhabit the forest where the Hunting Festival takes place. Benheim’s gamekeepers have already completed a thorough investigation.”

“Then what is that magical beast!”

“Well. Someone must have released it.”

“Who would that be?”

“Black mages.”

Steren answered immediately.

Kaiden’s brow furrowed.

“Black… mages?”

“Yes. Those vermin lurking in the shadows of the continent.”

Despite Kaiden’s anger, Steren remained composed.

He only stared at the crystal orb with coldly calculating eyes.

“Your daughter isn’t the only one in danger. My son is there too. We’re in the same boat.”

“Is that what someone who leads a family should say? We need to deploy personnel immediately to rescue the children! I’ll summon my mages. Right now, we’ll enter the forest and…”

“Wait, Kaiden.”

Steren stopped Kaiden, who was about to leave the observation room immediately.

“It’s not time yet.”

“…”

Kaiden was at a loss for words.

The crystal orb only showed the two heirs fleeing in panic at the appearance of the real magical beast.

A critical moment. How much longer could they delay? Kaiden couldn’t understand Steren’s thinking at all.

“…Wait.”

Kaiden’s eyes narrowed.

Steren’s expression as he watched the crystal orb remained in the realm of cold calculation.

Currently, Steren von Benheim was a mage before he was a father. Kaiden, also being a high-ranking mage and head of a great family, could tell.

“Duke Benheim, you’re not flustered by the current situation.”

Kaiden pressed, and Steren gave a bitter smile.

“Don’t tell me you knew real magical beasts would appear in this Hunting Festival?”

“What would you do if I said yes?”

Crack. Kaiden’s teeth ground together.

“The Hunting Festival isn’t only for your family’s mages. My daughter and other Rucen descendants are caught up in this too.”

“Conversely, don’t you think the black mages acted precisely because Rucen descendants were present?”

“What!”

Kaiden was furious.

However, Steren raised a hand to stop him.

“Calm down. The hunt has already begun. Now it’s time for our prey to reveal themselves.”

Steren’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the faces reflected in the crystal orb.

Seeing this, he realized intuitively. The Hunting Festival was merely a surface reason. Steren intended to use this festival as bait to deal with the black mages who gathered.

“…If anything happens to Petra, you’ll have to offer your head, Steren.”

“Let’s hope that won’t be necessary.”

“Damn it.”

Kaiden Rucen had no choice but to click his tongue and sit back down.

* * *

Tracking traces of black magic wasn’t particularly difficult.

Starting with Renia, whose senses were exceptional.

“Reagan, something’s strange. There’s a foul smell.”

“That’s the distinctive smell of black magic. Remember it well.”

I bent down to look at the massive footprints crossing between the thickets.

Large claw marks were carved into the trees, and sticky brown liquid was dripping down the gouged sections.

That was the source of the stench.

“Ugh.”

Renia wrinkled her face.

Out of habit from my previous life, I dabbed the brown slime and brought it to my mouth.

“What, what are you doing! Are you crazy? Why are you eating that!?”

Renia was horrified, but I focused as much as possible on the taste of the slime.

In my previous life, survival required using every means and method available, and putting magical beast secretions in my mouth was one way to gather information.

“It’s fishy with a strong metallic taste. It’s a recently manifested magical beast.”

“A magical beast? A real magical beast? Not an illusion?”

“Yes. I’m certain. Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Just follow this same foul scent. The magical beast will be there.”

“No, wait a minute.”

Renia tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.

“If a magical beast appeared, shouldn’t we run away? Why are you trying to track it?”

“Because that magical beast will harm others.”

“Won’t the family mages intervene before that? Everyone must be watching.”

It was indeed a valid question.

However, I didn’t think Steren would act immediately.

He intends to scrape out the festering wound within Benheim through this Hunting Festival. If so, he would wait for the moment when the lurking black mages fully reveal themselves.

Why did the black mages interfere with this Hunting Festival?

The reason is simple.

‘Renia, Arno, Petra. It’s because of these three.’

Direct descendants who would become the pillars of the Great Magic Families.

Living treasures who inherited each family’s intimate unique magic formulas.

“Renia, remember this. There’s definitely someone behind the magical beast’s appearance.”

“Be…hind? Who would that be?”

“Black mages. They’re in league with those who attacked you.”

Renia’s eyes widened.

“Is that really true?”

“Your uncle was recently exposed as a black mage. Your father already knows. The black mages will try to target you. Not just you. Your brother and that girl Petra will be the same.”

“What do they want to do by targeting me?”

I gave a bitter smile.

“Either kill you, or kidnap you to extract your mana core.”

Renia covered her mouth at the sinister story.

Indeed, the value that heirs of Great Magic Families possess is never small.

Since their mana cores are imprinted with their families’ core unique magic formulas, to black mages, Renia is like a walking elixir.

In my previous life, the Archmage King stole each Great Magic Family’s unique magic formulas as soon as he started the war. That means for the Archmage King, this Hunting Festival is a golden opportunity to steal the secret techniques of two Great Magic Families, Rucen and Benheim.

The exposure of black mage Markel’s identity must be one of the reasons too. They probably judged this to be their last chance before Benheim’s vigilance became strict.

“Then shouldn’t we run away even more?”

“We can’t escape anyway. There’s a barrier surrounding the forest. The wind isn’t blowing. There are no birds flying in the sky either.”

Barriers were a method mainly used by black mages.

Before my regression, the memory of being caught in their barrier and fighting a war of attrition for four days and nights is still vivid.

These bastards are bold enough to launch an attack in a place where two archmages are keeping their eyes wide open, so they must have paid attention to the barrier as well.

Even if Stern acts in time, it will take at least ten minutes to break through the barrier.

“Then, how about we go to a safe place and hide for now?”

“That’s not wrong either. But Renia, are you going to obediently run away?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Renia frowned at my question.

“They’re in cahoots with the guys who targeted you last time. Are you going to tuck your tail and run from those bastards?”

Renia is Renia.

That hasn’t changed even now that I’ve returned to the past.

“…Hmph. Of course I have to kick their asses.”

Renia grinned.

I smiled back at her.

Memories of fighting enemies back-to-back in the past came flooding back.

* * *

So Renia and I followed the scent as we pushed through the thicket.

Our pace wasn’t very fast. This was because Renia’s stamina wasn’t particularly excellent.

“It looks like someone’s fighting.”

As we moved forward, the distinctive smell of magical beasts grew stronger, and the thunderous sound of falling trees echoed.

Each time the sounds grew closer, the worry on Renia’s face deepened.

“Wait a moment.”

Renia stopped.

“It’s rune magic. I can feel it. Up ahead.”

“Rune magic?”

“Yes. At least 3rd tier or higher. There’s other magic mixed in too.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Renia’s mana sensitivity is at the continent’s highest level even at this point in time.

Excluding us, there’s only one person at this Hunting Festival who uses 3rd tier or higher rune magic.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

At that moment, Arnaud von Benheim was flung out from beyond the dense thicket and rolled on the ground.

Arno, his whole body covered in bruises, gritted his teeth and lifted his head, making eye contact with us.

“R-Renia!”

Arno seemed more shocked than pleased. He shouted urgently.

“It’s dangerous here! Hurry and run…!”

Before Arno could finish his words, the trees behind him exploded and a massive shadow came crashing down.

A twin-headed wolf. A real magical beast shrouded in dark red vapor.

“Ugh!”

Before Arno could deploy his defensive magic, I struck first.

―Clang!

I raised my sword blade to block the magical beast’s front paw.

Even though it was a sword wrapped in aura, the force transmitted to my grip was considerable.

‘It’s strong for a newly born magical beast. Is it a physical enhancement type, or was it strengthened with black magic?’

While the magical beast hesitated for a moment, four or five red swords shot out from the side.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

The magical beast let out a pained roar and changed direction. In the direction the swords came from stood a red-haired girl who was equally battered.

It was Petra Rucen.

“You monster!”

Petra gritted her teeth and manifested two more swords.

‘So that’s sword creation magic.’

I was inwardly impressed. True to the name of sword creation, the crimson swords Petra created looked sharp and keen at first glance.

‘It’s the magic the Archmage King used.’

I remember the crimson mana spear blades the Archmage King shot out in the final moments of my previous life. He must have improved sword creation magic and made it his own.

Though not as much as the Archmage King, Petra’s sword creation magic also had considerable completeness. Nevertheless, her swords only left scratches on the magical beast’s tough hide.

Then this magical beast was likely a physical enhancement type.

“Tch.”

Whatever the case, the magical beast was still intact, and the two heirs had reached their limits.

Rather, it was impressive that they had lasted this long.

“Arno, Petra.”

I called out their names.

Only then did Petra notice my presence and her eyes widened.

“You lowborn…! How are you here!”

“Never mind that. Just answer what I ask. How many swords can you manifest?”

“Seven swords…”

“Then use those seven swords to aim for its left head as much as possible. Just think of it as drawing its attention. Your magic can’t pierce its hide anyway.”

“Its head?”

“Just do it when I tell you to.”

I spoke curtly and turned to Arno.

“Arno, do you have a way to bind that thing’s feet?”

“I have one, but the incantation takes time…”

“Then start chanting now. I’ll attach Renia to you, so work together. Then you should be able to finish within a minute. Make it work even if it doesn’t.”

“What will you do?”

Arno asked with a dubious expression, and I flexed my right hand holding the sword.

“I’ll cut down the magical beast.”

Just like always.

* * *

Petra Rucen was outraged.

A commoner-born outer mage had dared to give her orders. He had even disparaged her magic, saying it couldn’t even pierce hide.

‘What do you know…!’

Anger surged up.

However, she had no choice but to cooperate.

The magical beast’s momentum was at a level she couldn’t handle alone.

Right now, every single person was precious.

‘Ugh, this is the worst.’

She had no choice.

Petra gritted her teeth and wove threads of mana to manifest seven swords.

Sword creation magic.

True to its name, Rucen’s unique magic formula for creating swords was outstanding in destructive power alone.

However, now she had to use that terrifying killing power only to divert the magical beast’s attention.

‘Me, just drawing attention?’

She was furious, but there was no other way.

Even Arno, the heir of Benheim, was obediently following Reagan’s words.

Petra clicked her tongue and manipulated the mana threads woven into the swords.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

Seven swords floating in the air poured down like rain.

[Kieek?]

At that moment, the magical beast seemed to view Petra as the most threatening presence and began charging toward her.

“Ugh!”

Too slow.

It was the moment Petra hastily tried to dodge.

Slash!

The magical beast’s front paw that had risen above Petra’s head was now hanging limply, swaying back and forth.

“Ah.”

Soon Petra understood the situation.

The magical beast’s left leg tendon had been severed.

As proof of this, Reagan’s sword behind it was stained with blood.

‘How on earth?’

Just moments ago, Petra had poured all her mana into attacking the magical beast.

Even so, she couldn’t pierce the beast’s hide. However, now Reagan had neutralized its front paw with just a single sword strike.

[Kraaaah!]

The magical beast roared. Just as it was about to lift its other leg to crush the surroundings.

―Kugugugu.

The ground shook, and vines grew up to bind both hind legs of the magical beast. It was rune magic created by Benheim’s two direct descendants.

For a brief moment the magical beast stopped, and its movements became noticeably sluggish.

Right at that moment, an unbelievable sight entered Petra’s eyes.

Reagan was charging straight toward the front of the magical beast.

“Hey! Are, are you crazy?! That’s not even a blind spot!”

For a mage to charge at the front of a magical beast was tantamount to suicide. Surely those two massive heads would tear Reagan’s body to shreds.

However, Reagan mocked Petra’s common sense.

Thud!

Reagan’s movements were closer to those of a bird of prey than a human.

With its hind legs bound and only one front leg usable, the magical beast’s center of gravity was inevitably shifted to one side.

As if seeing through all of this, Reagan dove toward the beast’s right leg via the shortest route without a single wasted movement and thrust his sword.

[Kyaaaak!]

As both heads roared simultaneously, the magical beast’s body, having lost its support, crashed to the ground.

Using even that recoil as propulsion, Reagan leaped high and raised his sword.

The blue energy surrounding the sword was not magic. It was unmistakably aura.

Slash.

The sword imbued with blue aura pierced precisely through the single vital point below the magical beast’s nape.

The spot where the two heads met.

Thump.

As the massive magical beast collapsed, silence briefly flowed through the forest.

Petra stared blankly at Reagan, who was casually shaking the blood off his sword, even forgetting to breathe.

‘This is impossible…’

It wasn’t flashy or dazzling.

But it was more lethal and efficient than any magic.

What Arno, Benheim’s heir, and even herself, Rucen’s pride, couldn’t accomplish, that commoner had achieved with a single movement.

‘That… is a commoner?’

Petra simply couldn’t understand the scene she had witnessed.

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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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