The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 79

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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 79

It was late afternoon that day when Arnaud von Benheim went to find Steren.

“Yes, Arnaud. What do you have to say that made you ask your busy father to spare some time?”

At Steren’s question, Arnaud hesitated for a while, then took a deep breath as if he had made up his mind and opened his mouth.

“Father. I feel like I still have too many shortcomings.”

Arnaud’s face was steeped in shame.

“Hmm…”

Steren knew well how strong Arnaud’s pride was. That’s why it was quite surprising that his son had admitted his own inadequacies.

However, Steren soon guessed the reason.

“Reagan reached the 6th Rank, and Renia reached the 5th Rank. Is it because of that?”

“…”

Arnaud didn’t answer. But seeing his tightly pressed lips, it seemed he had hit the mark.

“Arnaud. There’s no need to rush. You have sufficient talent and outstanding achievements.”

“…”

“I’m not saying this as consolation. Arnaud, you are exceptionally outstanding among all the heirs on the continent. Yusefin of Airidd, Petra of Rucen, and Rashek of Maelrn didn’t reach the 4th Rank at your age either.”

Steren encouraged him in a gentle tone. However, Arnaud shook his head.

“I know. But… even my younger sister Renia reached the 5th Rank faster than me.”

“…That’s not a big problem either. Benheim’s heir is you, Arnaud, the son. While it’s welcome that Renia’s level is advancing rapidly… I hope you don’t feel like you’re being chased.”

“I… don’t particularly feel inadequate as Benheim’s heir. But as a mage… I simply want to aspire to higher levels.”

Arnaud’s eyes were serious.

A deep smile spread across Steren’s lips as he looked at his son’s earnest face.

‘Indeed.’

Though the memory had become hazy now that he had reached the pinnacle as a mage, Steren too had once been obsessed with advancing his level at a young age, just like Arnaud.

Oswald, who was Airidd’s next heir. He had made a bet with him about who would reach the 5th Rank faster, and Steren had lost repeatedly.

The frustration he felt then eventually became the fertilizer for growth.

Like father, like son, they say. In the end, Arnaud was also steadily following in his father’s footsteps.

“Yes. Arnaud, I fully understand your desire to grow as a mage. So, what specifically do you want to do?”

“…I want to go outside the estate.”

“Outside the estate?”

“Yes. I think there are limits to the abilities that can be developed within the confines. So I want to accompany Reagan and gain practical experience.”

Steren hummed thoughtfully and stroked his beard.

“Do you have a place in mind?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of visiting Trion’s Spiral Tower. Since there have been various incidents recently, I want to go there and find out the whole story.”

“…”

Steren fell into thought for a moment.

Since Benheim Mage Tower was also one of the Seven Great Mage Towers, stories related to Trion had been reaching Steren’s ears as well.

The previous representative Emeric Eleison had died suddenly, and immediately after, his son Malik was elected as the representative.

‘It was even unanimous.’

Malik, who became the representative of the Spiral Tower, declared withdrawal from the Great Mage Alliance the very next day.

At least from Steren’s perspective, the series of events that occurred in Trion were full of suspicious circumstances.

Would it be right to send his only son to such a place?

“…Do you really want to go?”

“Yes.”

“There’s no parent who can win against their child…”

Steren smiled bitterly and nodded.

“Alright. It so happens that I needed to pay condolences to the Spiral Tower’s representative anyway.”

The former representative of the Spiral Tower, Emeric Eleison, had been a key figure in the Great Mage Alliance. Since he had passed away, Benheim needed to show proper respect as the leader of the alliance.

However, Steren himself couldn’t go directly. He had to finish dealing with the assassin’s guild ‘Claw’. Moreover, he couldn’t easily leave his position since he also had to track down the escaped Markel Benheim.

In that case, now that the Spiral Tower was talking about withdrawing from the alliance, sending the heir for condolences would not only provide justification but also demonstrate Benheim’s magnanimity and dignity.

“…Good, Arnaud. Go to Trion with Reagan and Renia.”

“Thank you!”

Arnaud’s face brightened with joy.

While inwardly pleased to see this, Steren didn’t forget about the recent black mage attack.

“However, considering the special circumstances, I’ll assign Valen to accompany you.”

* * *

When I used Arnaud to persuade Steren, permission was granted surprisingly easily.

“…Suddenly going to Trion?”

Valen, who was suddenly assigned to accompany us, seemed reluctant, but since it was the family head’s order, he reluctantly complied.

However, Valen didn’t drop his suspicious gaze.

“You seem to have some scheme, Reagan.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s written all over your face. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Whether in my past life or now, Valen’s perceptiveness was problematically sharp.

I sighed and explained.

“…I have a bad feeling about something.”

“What kind of feeling?”

“Something ominous… I think something has happened in Trion.”

Hearing my answer, Valen snorted and smacked my back.

“Ha. Look who’s become a prophet.”

And so, me, Arnaud, and Renia.

Plus Valen and Sheril for escort purposes, a total of five people.

We left Benheim Estate by carriage again just one day after returning.

Since Trion was a city closer to the estate than Karac or Rodel, there was no need to take the railway or pegasus carriage.

“Speaking of which, about the three mage towers of the Spiral Tower. Do they each learn different magic?”

“That’s right. The three mage towers are famous for having almost no academic exchange despite being closely attached to each other.”

“Hmm…”

Since it would be wasteful to spend time idly, I decided to learn more thoroughly about the Spiral Tower.

“First, what school of magic does the Azure Tower mainly research?”

“It’s a place that delves to the limits of utility magic dealing with water and water vapor. There are rumors that when you reach the tower master’s level, you can even manipulate weather.”

“Weather manipulation? Is that all?”

Arnaud frowned and blurted out.

“Arnaud, stop talking nonsense.”

“What?”

“Imagine you’re on a battlefield. Suddenly fierce rain, wind, and storms pour down only on your allied camp. Day and night without distinction. How troublesome would that be?”

“…”

“Or it would be possible to safely retreat by blocking vision with fog. Weather is that important a factor in warfare.”

When Valen nodded in agreement, Arnaud became speechless.

‘Weather manipulation.’

I had certainly heard about it during my mercenary days.

There were mages who brought rain and wind with them.

It seemed they were mages belonging to the Azure Mage Tower.

“Then what about the Thorn Mage Tower?”

“As the name suggests, they research magic schools that use plant growth and poisons.”

“Poison?”

“Yes. The mages of the Thorn Mage Tower use various types of poisons extracted from plants. I hear there’s a huge greenhouse inside the tower for supplying poisons.”

“Easy to understand, which is good.”

I nodded.

Both the Azure Mage Tower and the Thorn Mage Tower had intuitive names that made them easy to understand.

As I was thinking this, Sheril continued speaking.

“And the third mage tower of the Spiral Tower, the Mirage Mage Tower…”

“I know. They’re the ones who use illusion magic.”

“…More precisely, it’s mirage magic. Well, from a broader perspective, that’s not entirely wrong either. It’s also the magic tower that the current representative Malik Elrayson belongs to.”

Renia leaned forward with interest.

“Oh. Reagan, how do you know about the Mirage Tower?”

“I just picked up bits and pieces here and there.”

I might not know other towers’ magic, but I had no choice but to remember Malik’s magic whether I liked it or not.

It was an incredibly troublesome magic. True to magic that uses mirages, tracking him was close to torture.

At least his real body’s combat ability was nothing special.

“…That aside, Sheril, you know quite a lot about magic towers.”

When I spoke casually, Sheril just nodded slightly without a word.

Just as I was wondering about that subtle reaction, Renia poked my side.

“Renia, what’s wrong.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know?”

“Hm?”

“…Sheril is a covert mage.”

“So what?”

“She used to belong to another magic tower.”

This was the first I’d heard of it, so I frowned.

“It’s fine, miss. It’s not really that big of a story.”

“Sheril, what do you mean you belonged to a magic tower?”

At my question, Sheril answered with her usual calm expression.

“I was a candidate for sub-tower master of the Shadow Tower.”

“Shadow Tower?”

This was a name I’d never heard before. It wasn’t mentioned when I heard about the Seven Great Towers recently either.

“What’s that?”

“…You idiot. How can someone who calls himself Benheim’s son-in-law not even know about the Shadow Tower.”

Valen, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, interjected.

“The Shadow Tower is the magic tower of covert mages. The public tends to call it the Dark Mage Guild. It doesn’t match the prestige of the Seven Great Towers, but it’s right below that level.”

“…Ah.”

So the official name of the Dark Mage Guild was the Shadow Tower.

This was another fact I was hearing for the first time.

However, there was still an unresolved question.

Sheril had introduced herself as a sub-tower master candidate.

What did that mean?

“…”

But Sheril seemed to have no intention of answering that, as she was looking out the window.

It seemed like it wasn’t a pleasant topic.

“Ah, oh! Right. That’s right! Trion has mana veins!”

Perhaps sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere, Renia hastily changed the subject.

“I heard Trion’s mana veins are the best on the continent. Sheril, do you know much about those mana veins too?”

Only then did Sheril straighten up with a warm smile.

“That’s correct. From what I’ve heard, Trion’s mana veins far surpass even Benheim’s mana veins in both depth and purity.”

“Then brother could reach the 5th tier if he trains his mana there. Right?”

“…Why am I suddenly being brought into this.”

Arno grumbled resentfully.

I watched the bickering siblings while pondering Sheril’s words.

‘Sub-tower master…’

It seemed my personal maid had some unknown past.

I carefully turned my gaze to observe Sheril’s expression.

“…”

But true to being a covert mage, she was skilled at hiding her expressions.

* * *

After running for a full five days from then, we finally arrived at Trion, the city of the Spiral Tower.

“…There really is a spiral tower.”

In the center of Trion beyond the walls, three vine-like towers supported each other as they reached toward the sky.

The sight of them intertwined and piercing through the clouds was spectacular.

Unlike the irregularly and chaotically built Ochre Tower, I even thought it looked like a meticulously carved work of art.

‘This is definitely what a Seven Great Tower should be like.’

We drove the carriage straight toward Trion’s gate.

Uncharacteristically for a major city representing the western continent, the area in front of the gate was quiet.

As if the flow of merchants and travelers had completely stopped, the empty road even gave off a desolate atmosphere.

“Strange.”

Valen muttered.

“For a major city of this size, the area in front of the gate should normally be bustling like a marketplace.”

“Yes. It’s definitely suspicious.”

I nodded and presented my travel permit to the guard at the gate.

Along with the travel permit I received from Melchior, I also held a jewelry box we brought as condolence money from Lord Steren.

“Ah, hahaha! You’re here to pay condolences to the former representative! Welcome! Welcome to Trion, city of the Spiral Tower, ahahaha!”

The guard let us into the city without any particular verification.

However, I felt something was off.

“…Why are they all laughing like that? Did something good happen?”

Arno frowned and muttered.

As he said, the guards protecting Trion’s gate all had smiles plastered across their faces.

That alone wouldn’t be too strange.

But it would be a different story if the smiles the guards wore looked grotesque, as if their mouth corners were forcibly pulled up.

In a situation where former representative Emeric had passed away less than two weeks ago, it was clearly strange for the guards to be smiling.

“…Ha, haha.”

The guards’ eyes were unfocused.

Their cheek muscles were even twitching slightly, perhaps from maintaining their smiles for so long.

“…Re, Reagan, look over there.”

Just then, Renia grabbed my sleeve and pointed inside the city.

I could see citizens passing through the streets beyond the gate. And all of them had their mouth corners pulled up high just like the guards.

As if they were afflicted with some disease where they’d die if they didn’t smile.

“…”

I hastily checked the guards’ condition.

“Welcome, haha, to Trion, ahahaha.”

The guard who had just taken my travel permit was repeating the same words like a machine.

“…This is.”

Illusion.

Or the aftermath of even more severe mental interference.

“…Hey.”

Valen placed his hand on my shoulder. His expression was rigidly hardened.

“That intuition of yours seems to be quite accurate.”

“…Indeed it does.”

Trion seemed to have already fallen into a massive swamp of illusion.

* * *

At the same time.

“Hahahaha.”

Laughter never left the great conference hall of the Spiral Tower.

“Ahahaha.”

Malik Elrayson, the next representative of the Spiral Tower, also laughed.

He laughed until his belly ached.

Below the platform, all the senior members of the Mage Tower were looking up at Malik with reverence.

“Oh! Lord Malik! You are the rightful master of the Spiral Tower!”

“Please lead us down the brilliant path of enlightenment!”

“With Lord Malik, our Spiral Tower and Trion will become even more prosperous!”

The Elders of the Mage Tower were supporting him, the next representative, with one heart and one mind.

“Haha. Everyone, please don’t praise me so much. I’m not such a remarkable person.”

Malik scratched his head and laughed as if embarrassed.

Then the mages below the platform all laughed in unison.

“…Still, I will become an excellent representative worthy of my late father and lead the Spiral Tower.”

Malik made his pledge with a resolute expression.

Then the mages who had been laughing boisterously suddenly stopped laughing all at once.

“…”

Like dolls whose springs had snapped, they closed their mouths and stared blankly into space with vacant eyes.

Malik watched this expressionlessly. Soon he forced himself to bare his teeth and let out a laugh.

“Ha, ha.”

Then explosive laughter burst out again.

The Elders who had been frozen just moments before all began holding their bellies and laughing exaggeratedly in unison.

“Hahahaha!”

A world where everyone laughs.

Malik Elrayson believed without a doubt that he was the happiest person in this world.

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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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