The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 77

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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 77

The carriage returning to Benheim Estate.

“The Great Mage Alliance is a union to which most of the continent’s mage factions belong.”

I heard the detailed story from Valen.

“If I were to list the major forces within the alliance, there are the Five Renowned Mage Families and the Seven Great Mage Towers. The Five Renowned Mage Families refers to the five Great Magic Families that support the continent. You should be well aware of their composition.”

“Of course. After all, I belong to Benheim, which is one of them.”

“Right. And the Seven Great Mage Towers… refers to the seven towers with the highest prestige among the dozens of mage towers within the Empire’s territory. Actually, the distinction between the Five Renowned Mage Families and the Seven Great Mage Towers isn’t that clear-cut. Can you guess why?”

“Because Benheim also has a mage tower.”

“Right. Since Benheim Mage Tower is also included in the Seven Great Mage Towers, there’s overlap if you really think about it. The mage tower in Airit’s territory is the same. Though the other three families’ towers are not.”

Valen nodded as he explained.

In the end, excluding Benheim and Airit’s towers, the Seven Great Mage Towers contain five purely independent mage towers.

“So Reagan, do you know about the other five towers?”

“I know about the Ochre Tower since we stopped by there before.”

Valen smiled bitterly at my words. He too seemed to have heard about the commotion that occurred at the Ochre Tower.

“What about the others?”

“The Imperial Mage Tower… but I don’t really know any others.”

“That makes sense. You wouldn’t have had many opportunities to encounter them.”

Valen turned his head to look at Sheril. When their eyes met, she sighed and spoke.

“Excluding the Ochre Tower and Imperial Mage Tower, the remaining three towers are the Azure Mage Tower, the Thorn Mage Tower, and lastly the Mirage Tower.”

“And I told you that recently, three of the Seven Great Mage Towers announced their withdrawal from the alliance.”

“It must be those three towers you just mentioned.”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the reason?”

Sheril provided the explanation for that.

“Lord Reagan, do you happen to know about a place called Trion?”

“I do. It’s a major city in the western part of the continent. Though I’ve never been there myself.”

Trion.

In my previous life, I had no connection to it.

During my mercenary days, I had no reason to set foot there, and by the time I joined the resistance army, Trion had already fallen into the Archmage King’s hands.

“Then do you also know Trion’s nickname?”

“…Nickname?”

I searched my memory.

During my time as a wandering mercenary, I had heard stories from various places, so I knew roughly about Trion too.

“…I believe it was… the City of the Spiral Tower?”

“Correct. You know well. Though it’s common knowledge.”

Sheril nodded and continued her explanation.

“True to its nickname as the City of the Spiral Tower, Trion has a massive spiral tower with a triple helix structure at the center of the city. Having heard this much, can you guess the situation?”

“So you’re saying there are three mage towers in the single city of Trion?”

“Yes. And the three towers are stuck together forming the spiral tower. From the outside, it looks like a single mage tower.”

“How did such a deformed structure come to be built?”

“Mana veins. Do you know about them?”

Of course I do.

Wasn’t it the place where I stayed with Renia for over a week in this life to train mana at Benheim?

“It’s like Benheim’s mana vein.”

“Correct. Trion’s mana vein is considered among the best on the entire continent. In the past, there were fierce wars between mage factions to claim that mana vein. Then one faction’s leader came up with a relatively peaceful solution.”

“They decided to have three mage towers share the mana vein.”

“Correct. To fairly divide the narrow mana vein in central Trion, the first Mage Tower Lord of the Spiral Tower devised a design that intertwined like a twisted bread.”

It was quite an interesting story.

Three mage towers simultaneously established in one place in a city.

When I learned about Trion’s mage tower, it had already fallen into the Archmage King’s grasp, so there was probably no need to view them separately.

After hearing the explanation, I could roughly guess why the Archmage King had prioritized conquering that place.

It must have been to claim Trion’s mana vein.

“So those three towers are… an alliance?”

“Similar.”

Sheril continued her explanation.

The three mage towers located at Trion’s center essentially move like a single alliance.

Their representative is also chosen by selecting the most outstanding one among the three Mage Tower Lords. It seems the representative of the Spiral Tower was the one who attended the last council.

“Of course, the relationship between the three towers isn’t entirely harmonious. Given their past of warfare, they usually can’t wait to devour each other, but when it comes to everyone’s benefit, they tend to unite their opinions.”

“I understand what you mean. It’s like a mercenary alliance.”

I had seen it several times in my previous life.

When there were contracts that a single mercenary group couldn’t handle, they would temporarily join hands with competing mercenary groups to take on such jobs.

Trion’s Spiral Tower must be similar.

I asked Valen.

“So why are those three towers withdrawing from the Great Mage Alliance?”

“I don’t know that much either. The news was delivered before coming here, and accordingly, the family head is also sending communications to various places to find out the full story.”

After hearing Valen’s answer, I fell into thought.

Nearly half of the Seven Great Mage Towers had declared withdrawal.

And this happened with less than a month left before the Alliance Subjugation Force was to be formed.

Wasn’t this too coincidental a situation?

‘Suspicious. It’s highly likely to be the Archmage King’s doing.’

While pondering, I soon made eye contact with the golden-haired woman who had been staring intently at me from the side.

Renia Benheim.

“…Huh? Reagan? Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“Because you’re annoying.”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“…It’s nothing.”

If only the Renia from my previous life had given even the slightest hint about major events, I wouldn’t need to rack my brains like this.

No, this could also be the influence of the changed past, so there’s no point in making meaningless assumptions.

While pondering, I raised my head.

“What’s the possibility that the Spiral Tower has colluded with black mages?”

“Not high. An emergency council was held just six months ago to defeat black mages, so there’s no way anyone would have the guts to conspire with black mages.”

“Hmm…”

No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came clearly to mind.

But I couldn’t just let this pass. The importance of the Seven Great Mage Towers in forming the Alliance Subjugation Force is great.

“Renia, if we return to Benheim Estate now… you’ll probably be confined for a while, right?”

“I think that’s likely. Given father’s personality, he won’t let me take a single step outside the estate.”

Since his beloved daughter was attacked, Steren would try to keep her within his protection and thoroughly guard her at all costs.

That won’t do.

I looked at Valen. Seeing my gaze, Valen let out a snort.

“You rascal, it seems you have something you want to ask.”

“Yes. I have just one favor to ask.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Before returning to Benheim, would it be alright if we briefly stopped somewhere?”

Valen’s eyebrows rose.

“If you’re thinking of going to Trion, I’ll have to say absolutely not.”

“Of course not. It’s on the way. It won’t take long either.”

“…Where exactly do you want to go?”

At Valen’s question, I lifted the corners of my mouth.

“The Ochre Tower.”

As it happens, the tower lord there owes us a very big debt.

Now is the time to collect on that debt.

* * *

For the past few days, Melchior Bazet, lord of the Ochre Tower, had been unable to sleep peacefully at night.

“…Haah.”

Not long ago, he had received the worst possible news.

Giles, who had once been his top disciple, had harbored resentment and hired an assassin’s guild to kill Benheim’s direct heir and son-in-law.

Fortunately, the result was failure. Giles was found dead while fleeing, killed by someone unknown.

“…”

He felt no pity for his disciple.

He had already expelled him from the tower and settled all his feelings long ago. Even if Giles was dead, Melchior wasn’t particularly sad. It was all his own doing.

However, even though Giles was no longer affiliated with the tower, his revenge-driven actions had crossed the line by far.

Naturally, Melchior, as his former master, could not escape moral responsibility.

So he had sent multiple letters of apology to Benheim.

But not a single reply came back.

“They say sometimes no response is more frightening…”

This was Benheim, not just any magic family.

The thought that he might have earned the wrath of a family called the leader of the Great Mage Alliance made Melchior’s appearance increasingly haggard.

Ten days passed like this.

“Tower Lord, outside… there’s a carriage led by pegasus…!”

“I see…”

Melchior sighed and pressed his forehead.

What was bound to come had finally arrived. He dragged his heavy body and picked up his staff. He went down to the first floor to prepare to receive Benheim’s mage.

Soon, Melchior couldn’t help but be startled when he saw the face that boldly entered through the tower’s main gate.

“Valen… Wird von Benheim…”

The mage who led Benheim’s strongest military force, the Rune Sentinels.

A top-tier 6th Rank practitioner with skills comparable to Melchior, the tower lord himself.

“Ah…”

Of all people, it had to be Valen who came.

Melchior realized intuitively.

Benheim was determined to completely overturn the Ochre Tower.

“You must have had a hard journey to this humble place. As the tower lord, I have no face to show regarding Giles’s matter.”

Melchior bowed his head toward Valen as he spoke. It was far too servile a posture for a representative of one of the Seven Great Towers, but he had no choice.

The moment he earned Benheim’s wrath, it would be over. He had no luxury to consider dignity.

“Please convey my sincere apology to the head of Benheim. I will provide any compensation the tower can offer.”

However, Valen smiled bitterly upon hearing Melchior’s apology and stepped aside.

Then Melchior saw the ash-haired young man who had been hidden behind Valen’s large frame.

“…Huh.”

Reagan von Benheim.

Benheim’s son-in-law who had visited the Ochre Tower just two months ago and turned it upside down. He had heard Reagan was seriously injured, and it seemed to be true. Reagan was wrapped in bandages all over his body.

However, what truly surprised Melchior wasn’t Reagan’s appearance. It was the heavy aura of mana circulating around his body.

‘6th Rank…?’

Reagan’s current age was barely a year past adulthood.

Breaking through the 6th Rank barrier at that age was tantamount to rewriting the history of the magic world.

Melchior’s eyes widened as he stammered out words of congratulation.

“Lord Reagan. Your realm has risen to an even higher level. I sincerely congratulate you. I hope the Earth’s Essence I offered recently was of help.”

“You… even took bribes?”

“I wasn’t the one who took it.”

Reagan smoothly deflected Valen’s questioning and approached right in front of Melchior.

Melchior hurriedly bowed deeply.

“Lord Reagan. This incident was truly regrettable. I never imagined that worthless disciple would commit such a terrible act…! It’s my fault for misjudging people. I’ll gladly accept any reproach.”

Reagan curled up the corners of his mouth upon seeing Melchior’s attitude.

“It’s fortunate that you’re willing to take responsibility, Tower Lord. The head of Benheim is extremely angry about this matter.”

“…Ah.”

“So, though it’s hardly adequate compensation… there’s one favor I’d like to ask of you, Tower Lord.”

Gulp.

Melchior swallowed dryly.

* * *

“You bastard, are you a thug? Who threatens a tower lord like that?”

That was what Valen said as soon as we left the Ochre Tower.

“What can I do when the other party misunderstood on their own?”

It seemed Melchior had mistakenly thought we came to demand accountability in Benheim’s name regarding Giles’s matter.

I had simply decided to make the most of that misunderstanding.

Having a thick face was an essential quality for negotiations even during my mercenary days.

“Even so… walking fine until just before, then limping only in front of the tower lord was too much.”

“Ahahaha!”

Sheril scolded me, and Renia burst into laughter she’d been holding back.

“Reagan, you really should have seen that old man’s expression then! He was completely dumbfounded!”

True to Renia’s mischievous nature, she seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the recent performance.

“Well, we got what we needed, so isn’t that enough?”

I triumphantly waved a silver token in my hand. It was a travel pass for the city of Trion.

“…And.”

Then I hardened my expression.

“I also learned that the situation is turning quite serious.”

As the lord of the Ochre Tower, Melchior was well-informed about Trion’s current situation. Thanks to him, we were able to hear the full story about the Spiral Tower.

That story was more shocking than expected.

“The representative of the Spiral Tower died suddenly, and a new representative was elected…”

The central figure leading the Spiral Tower had disappeared overnight, and as soon as the new representative took office, they declared withdrawal from the Great Mage Alliance.

“Did you know about this, Vice-Captain?”

“Of course not. I just heard about it too.”

“Was the Spiral Tower’s representative… in poor health?”

“Impossible. Lord Emeric Eleison was a 7th Rank mid-tier mage. He was in perfect health even during the council meeting.”

As Valen said, the former representative of the Spiral Tower, Emeric Eleison, was a 7th Rank mid-tier mage.

Generally, mages who reached the 7th Rank constantly circulated mana to vitalize their bodies, making them far from illness.

In fact, among 7th Rank mages, there were plenty who remained vigorous well into their triple-digit ages.

So news of such a powerful mage’s sudden death couldn’t help but sound suspicious.

Most importantly…

“…The newly appointed representative’s name is Malik. Do you know that name, Vice-Captain?”

“Of course I do. He’s the former representative’s son and disciple.”

“…”

I bit my lip.

Malik.

In my previous life, one of the Archmage King’s limbs.

Since I had personally beheaded him, there was no way I could forget.

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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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