The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 45

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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 45

 

That evening, the carriage arrived at the capital.

 

The Orelion Empire. Beyond the massive walls, the imperial palace with its golden-tiled roofs was visible, and behind it, a mage tower soared skyward, displaying its magnificent presence.

 

“That place is the Imperial Mage Tower. It’s also where this council meeting will be held.”

 

I nodded naturally at Steren’s explanation.

 

A grandeur more massive and splendid than Benheim’s mage tower. The Imperial Mage Tower that all mages on the continent yearned for without exception.

 

It was where the Imperial Magic Association was located, and at this point in time, it was also the Archmage King’s stronghold.

 

“I have matters to coordinate with the elders in advance, so I must go out. You all spend your time as you see fit.”

 

Steren moved busily as soon as we arrived at the capital. Since Benheim was the family that had convened the council, there seemed to be a mountain of administrative procedures to handle beforehand.

 

Arno also needed to show his face to important figures as the family’s representative, so he followed Steren.

 

In the end, only Renia and I were left alone at the lodging.

 

“What should we do?”

 

“Since we’ve come to the capital, do as you please. Just don’t cause any trouble.”

 

Steren left with earnest instructions.

 

The council meeting was three days from now, and until then, we had Steren’s permission to move freely.

 

Meanwhile, Renia was excited about her long-awaited trip to the capital. However, her initial ambition to try all the delicious foods in the capital had vanished somewhere, and as soon as she unpacked at the lodging, she couldn’t overcome her travel fatigue and dozed off before falling asleep.

 

“…”

 

I carried Renia and laid her on the bed. Then I sat by the bedside and gazed quietly at Renia’s face.

 

Her breathing sounds. Her peaceful face sleeping without a care in the world.

 

Looking at that innocent face, I suddenly felt resentful toward Renia from my past life.

 

“…You should have told me more details.”

 

When Renia from my past life talked about the destruction of the other magic families excluding Benheim, she would strangely hold back her words.

 

What I knew about Rucen was only that Kaiden had ruined the family, and that his successor Petra had continued resistance against the Archmage King before being captured and beheaded.

 

She didn’t even tell me the name of Airidd.

 

As for the other magic families, she only said they had fallen before the Archmage King’s overwhelming force, without mentioning details about their internal circumstances.

 

However, after encountering Rucen at the post station this morning, doubts began to arise.

 

‘…Rucen.’

 

Petra Rucen. The unfortunate woman who fought against the Archmage King in my past life and was eventually executed. That same woman was being abused by her father.

 

No, whether it was abuse or not wasn’t certain yet. But the evidence was clear.

 

‘Artificial mana injection.’

 

Petra’s mana core that I had confirmed earlier was damaged.

 

Various energies mixed within the core. Those were traces of attempts to artificially modify the mana core.

 

Interfering with the mana core from outside the body was close to taboo. Death from mana backflow was natural, and one could become a cripple while experiencing excruciating pain that would make death preferable. I had seen more than a few such cases during my mercenary days.

 

And judging by Kaiden’s attitude, he knew about Petra’s precarious condition yet tolerated it. Whether he did it directly or condoned it, either way, Kaiden was clearly a villain.

 

– He was a foolish person. A man who ruined Rucen because he was obsessed with the strange idea that superior blood automatically makes an excellent mage.

 

Hadn’t Renia from my past life said this?

 

Then it was highly likely that Kaiden Rucen, obsessed with bloodlines, had interfered when his daughter’s talent didn’t meet his standards, trying to forcibly elevate her level.

 

In the worst case, there was a possibility that Rucen had colluded with black mages. Either way, it meant Rucen was already rotting from within.

 

‘Airidd is the same.’

 

The mysterious hereditary disease called the black plague, the successor was in a black mage lair, and even the family’s military force that brought her was only third-rate level.

 

Airidd’s current actions were so suspicious that even Steren suspected collusion with black mages.

 

“…What a mess.”

 

Two of the Empire’s five great magic families were showing suspicious behavior. Was even this something the Archmage King had intended? If not, was it just festering wounds being exposed?

 

I could truly feel how helplessly the Empire’s magic world had collapsed when the Archmage King rose to power.

 

“Tsk.”

 

Did Renia from my past life not know this fact?

 

Or did she know but deliberately not tell me?

 

Either way, I didn’t like it.

 

It was already overwhelming to face the massive enemy called the Archmage King, and now even the allies who should be helping were like time bombs.

 

It wasn’t just Rucen and Airidd. There was no guarantee that the other two magic families excluding Benheim wouldn’t be the same. In the end, there were more things I needed to find out at this council meeting.

 

“Phew.”

 

One thought led to another.

 

My head became complicated.

 

Eventually, I covered Renia with a blanket and left the lodging.

 

There wasn’t any particular reason for going outside. There was concern that if Steren caught me alone with Renia while she was sleeping soundly, I might lose my head, and I wanted to organize my thoughts while walking through the capital’s streets.

 

The capital streets I stepped onto.

 

The Imperial Capital Orelion was prosperous and peaceful, befitting its reputation.

 

Magic lanterns filling the main streets, lively people, laughter heard from everywhere.

 

Benheim County was quite bustling too, but it couldn’t compare to the capital.

 

‘It was definitely reduced to ashes.’

 

The Imperial Capital in my memory was just ruins burned away by the Archmage King.

 

However, currently, the capital Orelion was displaying the majesty befitting the continent’s largest city. People overflowed everywhere I looked, and people of all kinds wore clothes of all kinds as they enjoyed the night streets.

 

Perhaps that’s why. Even such everyday scenes stirred new emotions in me.

 

After being immersed in sentiment for a while and passing through the commercial district, I entered a dim back alley.

 

—Crash!

 

A loud shattering sound came from somewhere.

 

Rough shouts and screams followed.

 

I walked toward where the sound came from. Deep in the dark alley, a group of men were surrounding and assaulting someone.

 

“Kugh…!”

 

A mage wearing shabby robes rolled on the dirt ground, desperately clutching something to his chest.

 

Meanwhile, there were three men throwing punches. Judging by their attire, they weren’t simple street thugs. With clothes made of fine fabric and even gold rings, they seemed to be from a fairly organized back-alley force.

 

“Let go of that! I said let go!”

 

The mage screamed and raised his head.

 

The streetlight illuminated the mage’s face. The moment I confirmed that face, my eyes widened.

 

“That guy is…”

 

A familiar face.

 

No doubt about it. There was no way I could forget that face.

 

If Mercenary King Barg was the Archmage King’s right arm, then this man was his left arm.

 

His name was definitely…

 

“…Victor?”

 

The mage called by the alias Steel Legion Commander, Victor Otto.

 

In my past life, he had led an army made of steel, a golem legion, and tormented Renia’s resistance countless times. As such, the golem scholar Victor was a mage as cold and cruel as the Archmage King.

 

That’s why I never thought I would encounter Victor in such a back alley. Even if it was the past, the situation of the Archmage King’s left arm getting beaten by street thugs was unthinkable.

 

No, that’s not what’s important right now.

 

I instinctively moved my hand to my waist.

 

‘Killing him now would be right.’

 

It was the same as with Barg. He was a future disaster. If I cut Victor’s throat here and now, I could prevent countless future sacrifices.

 

If the Steel Legion disappeared, the Archmage King’s forces would be greatly diminished.

 

Dark killing intent arose.

 

At that moment, Victor shouted.

 

“I said I would definitely repay the money! I said next month would be fine!”

 

Victor crawled on the ground and desperately clutched the object in his arms. What he held was a mechanical arm made by roughly connecting scraps of metal.

 

“Shut up! I’d rather trust a passing mutt than believe your words! Hand over that scrap metal while I’m being nice! If we sell it to a junkyard, we’ll at least get drinking money!”

 

The men grabbed Victor’s hair and shook him. From their conversation, it seemed the men were loan sharks.

 

“This won’t do! This is my everything! It’s what I’m going to exhibit at next month’s Imperial Exhibition!”

 

“Exhibition or whatever, that’s not our problem! Just pay up!”

 

“If I just win a prize at the exhibition! If I just prove my theory isn’t wrong, I can make a fortune! I’ll pay it all back then! Really!”

 

The men snorted at Victor’s desperate cry.

 

“What bullshit. What damn exhibition for a heretic who was even kicked out of the guild?”

 

The men mocked and kicked Victor in the stomach.

 

However, having heard that conversation, there was one thought that suddenly came to mind.

 

‘…A heretic, expelled from the guild.’

 

Over the past year, I had learned about magic at Benheim and seen and heard various things.

 

The Imperial Magic Order was famous for being conservative. Therefore, golem studies that used physical materials were no different from a dead academic field beyond being merely non-mainstream. Several guilds had even banned research entirely, citing poor efficiency and extreme waste.

 

The men’s story about Victor Otto, a golem school mage being expelled from the guild, was entirely believable.

 

Most importantly, the words he had mentioned – the Imperial Exhibition.

 

That’s right. The ‘Imperial’ Exhibition.

 

An event hosted by the Imperial Mage Association.

 

There was no way the Archmage King wouldn’t attend such a gathering.

 

Only then could I vaguely understand how Victor had become a mage under the Archmage King’s command.

 

‘…He received the Archmage King’s patronage.’

 

The Archmage King had recognized Victor’s research that no one else acknowledged and became his patron.

 

A savior extending a hand to a genius driven to the edge. In Victor’s eyes, the Archmage King must have seemed like a god.

 

In the end, he must have succumbed to that sweet temptation and fallen, becoming the Archmage King’s faithful dog.

 

Though this was all speculation, given the Archmage King’s past actions, it was highly credible.

 

‘If that’s the case…’

 

I removed my hand from the sword hilt.

 

My killing intent subsided, replaced by cold rationality.

 

If I were to help that man here.

 

‘I could reduce the future Archmage King’s forces.’

 

Not only that, I could also recruit Victor, a skilled golem scholar, as an ally.

 

However, before intervening between them, there was one problem.

 

– Just don’t cause any trouble.

 

Steren’s earnest request.

 

If rumors spread that Benheim’s son-in-law had gotten into a fight with loan sharks in a back alley, it would be troublesome in many ways. Getting caught up in gossip before the Council would cause problems for Steren and Renia. If things went wrong, it could ruin the entire Council.

 

But I couldn’t just stand by and watch either.

 

After pondering for a moment, I hid myself in the shadows of a suitable alley entrance.

 

Reaching the 5th tier had increased the number of common spells I could use. I had learned several that seemed useful.

 

Flash.

 

I cast a spell.

 

My ash-colored hair gradually turned red. It was a basic color transformation spell.

 

Then I took off the uniform I was wearing and put it on inside out. Instead of the black outer fabric, the white lining was now visible. When I raised the collar and roughly buttoned it up, it looked exactly like a white uniform.

 

Red hair with a white uniform.

 

This much disguise was sufficient. I would have liked to change my face too, but facial transformation magic required at least the 6th tier, so I gave up on that.

 

“Good.”

 

I stepped out of the alley with confident strides.

 

“Why don’t you call it quits?”

 

At my sudden interruption, the loan sharks turned their heads.

 

“What are you?”

 

The man who appeared to be the leader approached with a frown. However, the man hesitated as soon as he saw my appearance.

 

Red hair, noble-looking white clothes.

 

He seemed to instinctively realize I wasn’t just an ordinary drunk.

 

Having assessed the situation, the man asked obsequiously.

 

“…Uh… it seems like you have business with this man, sir… might I ask who you are exactly…?”

 

“I’m that mage’s patron.”

 

“Patron…?”

 

The men tilted their heads and frowned. It was natural for them to be suspicious since Victor had just said he couldn’t repay the money because he had no patron.

 

Victor also stared up at me blankly.

 

However, I had no intention of giving them a chance to doubt.

 

“You’d better listen while I’m being nice about it.”

 

I extended my hand.

 

Whooom—.

 

Blue threads of mana were drawn from my fingertips.

 

The threads quickly intertwined and tangled, forming the shape of a sword in an instant.

 

Though the color was blue, its form and intimidating presence were no different from the original.

 

“…Ru, Rucen?”

 

The men were all shocked in unison.

 

In the Empire, Rucen was the only family that used magic to create swords. Plus the red hair.

 

Right now, I looked like a Rucen mage to anyone who saw me.

 

“So, got any complaints?”

 

I said, lifting my chin.

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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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