The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 89

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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 89

“Lord Reagan, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Demian responded leisurely to my words. He clasped his hands together on the table and slightly pulled his chin forward as if he had heard an interesting story, urging me to continue. I didn’t avoid his gaze and explained.

“The routes through which the next Tower Lord of the Mirage Tower could obtain black magic books while evading the Empire’s legal network are extremely limited. Moreover, he hasn’t left the Spiral Tower for nearly a year. The only exception was during the Archmage Council meeting held at the Imperial Mage Tower.”

“Is that so? Then Lord Reagan, are you now… suspecting that among the mages of the Imperial Mage Tower, there’s someone who handed this book to Malik Elrayson?”

“It’s not suspicion, but certainty.”

“As an Imperial affiliate and chief investigator, I’m quite curious about the basis for Lord Reagan’s judgment.”

“Intuition.”

“Intuition?”

“Yes. I happen to have rather good intuition.”

Demian, who had been mulling over my story with a blank expression for a moment, chuckled.

“Lord Reagan, you may not know this because you’re young, but all judgments must be backed not only by circumstantial evidence but also by physical evidence.”

“Yes. I know that too.”

“Moreover, the Imperial intelligence network and security are the most thorough throughout the entire Grand Mage Alliance. The idea that black magic books were circulated in such a place is simply unreasonable.”

Demian argued for the Imperial Court’s innocence with reasonable grounds.

Of course, his words were correct too.

However, those were hardly words that should come from the very black mage who was planning to bring down the Empire from within the Imperial Court.

I hardened my expression and asked.

“Then, Investigator, if you don’t think Malik obtained this book from the Imperial Court, where do you think he got it? I’d like to hear even a guess.”

At my counter-question, Demian seemed to think for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.

“Well. That’s something we’ll have to find out from now on. But don’t worry. The investigative power of the Imperial Magic Association is second to none throughout the entire Grand Mage Alliance. We won’t miss catching even a single rat.”

It was a shameless answer.

In that case, I had no choice but to throw bait to lure out that rat.

“Calus.”

At the name I suddenly brought up, Demian’s hand, which had been organizing documents, stopped.

“That’s the name of the black mage I used as a guide in Mist Valley. Do you happen to know him?”

“Well. There might… have been such a name.”

“You shouldn’t not know.”

Demian’s brow furrowed at my words. I continued before he could speak.

“Markel Benheim, whom I encountered recently, was controlling an undead. And the vessel used for that undead was precisely the black mage Calus.”

“…Ho.”

“Isn’t it strange? Why was the black mage Calus, who should have been captured by the Imperial Magic Association and transported to Orelion, used as material for the undead that Markel controlled?”

Demian nodded as he listened to my story.

“Yes. Hearing Lord Reagan’s words, that is… certainly suspicious.”

I observed Demian’s reaction, but I couldn’t find even a speck of emotions like panic or anxiety on his expressionless face.

Well, I hadn’t expected to. If he weren’t skilled at hiding emotions, Renia in my previous life wouldn’t have been unaware of the Archmage King’s identity.

Demian smiled broadly and said.

“Very well. I’ll personally investigate the Calus matter. Perhaps there was an error in the list of prisoners to be transferred to Grave. Thank you for your valuable testimony.”

I didn’t expect a plausible solution to come up, but I didn’t know he would brush it off so smoothly like a snake slithering over a wall.

‘This bastard must be the one who modified Calus into a corpse golem.’

It was Demian himself who had gone to handle the situation in Mist Valley that day.

The very person who had stolen prisoners and performed human modification was so shamelessly talking about administrative errors.

Nausea welled up inside me.

“That’s… well.”

Just as I was about to frown, Demian looked straight at me. A strange light flickered in his eyes.

“From what I’ve heard so far, Lord Reagan… seems to greatly dislike the Imperial Court.”

“I don’t dislike it. I simply distrust it.”

“Ahahaha.”

Demian burst into laughter as if genuinely delighted, loud enough to shake the meeting room.

It was the same laughter I had heard in the final moments of my previous life, so my expression naturally hardened.

Thud.

The next moment, Demian wiped away all traces of laughter and grabbed my wrist.

“While I respect Lord Reagan’s personal thoughts, insulting the Imperial Court in this Empire wouldn’t be a very wise choice. Even drunkards in taverns don’t carelessly mention the Imperial Court.”

“…”

“Much less saying you distrust the Imperial Court, that’s even less appropriate to mention in front of the chief investigator of the Imperial Magic Association.”

A cold silence descended.

From Demian’s emotionless gaze as he stared at me, the overwhelming presence of a 7th Rank archmage flowed out.

“…Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

When I reluctantly replied, Demian returned to his usual smiling face as if nothing had happened and shrugged his shoulders.

“Yes. I too will let what Lord Reagan said this time slide. If you truly find the Imperial Court suspicious, it would be good to visit Grave, which is established in Orelion, for an inspection. You’re welcome anytime.”

Grave, huh.

I had been thinking I needed to visit there at some point.

However, that place was no different from the Archmage King’s private army training ground.

A deadly place where anything could happen.

I needed to make full preparations before going.

‘At minimum, I need to become stronger than I am now.’

It was a destination worth considering only after reaching the highest level of 6th Rank like Valen or other Tower Lords, or after breaking through the wall to 7th Rank entirely.

As I was lost in thought, Demian smiled brightly and took out his fountain pen.

“Now then, shall we begin the full investigation?”

The barrage of questions that followed wasn’t particularly difficult to answer.

Our ostensible reason for coming to Trion was, after all, to pay respects to the late Spiral Tower representative Emeric Eleison, so there wasn’t much to arouse suspicion.

I had worried that Demian might find unnecessary fault, but he didn’t. Rather, he listened to my entire story and clapped his hands as if convinced.

“I see. The mages of Benheim have truly done excellent work. Perhaps a reward will soon be bestowed in the name of the Imperial Court for the merit of suppressing this incident.”

“Then is the investigation over?”

“Yes. You may leave.”

Before getting up from my seat, I asked Demian.

“Lastly, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Yes. Please ask freely.”

“What do you think about this incident, Investigator?”

“You mean the Trion incident? Well. Since it’s a case where Emeric’s son, who was the Spiral Tower representative, killed his father and tried to take control of the other two towers… the Mirage Tower won’t be able to avoid responsibility.”

Demian shrugged and continued.

“There’s a high probability that the Mirage Tower will be expelled from the Seven Great Mage Towers.”

“Then what happens?”

“The tower of the next rank below takes that position. That’s all.”

Demian’s words sounded as if there were plenty of black mages to replace Malik.

Recalling my previous life’s experiences, Demian’s words were actually correct. Even the 7th Rank black mages I remembered numbered in the double digits.

Though anger surged at his nonchalant attitude, I forced a smile and nodded.

“…I see. Then I’ll take my leave now.”

It was just as I was getting up.

“Lord Reagan.”

Demian called out to me.

“The entire Imperial magic order will be watching your future actions. I sincerely hope… that brilliant talent of yours won’t be broken.”

“Yes. Thank you for the advice.”

If I could follow my heart, I would have drawn my sword right now to strike off his head.

However, my current level was insufficient.

No matter how much of an enemy he was, I wouldn’t throw myself like a moth into a flame in a battle I was certain to lose.

For now, I had to build my strength while keeping the Archmage King’s schemes in check.

‘…Wash your neck and wait.’

With that resolve, I stepped into the corridor.

“You’re out.”

Just then, I encountered a middle-aged mage who had been waiting for me, leaning against the corridor opposite the door.

It was the senior investigator who had stepped away earlier at Damian’s request.

His name was definitely….

“Gideon Midian.”

“Yes. Mr. Gideon.”

“Is the investigation finished?”

“It just ended.”

Upon hearing my answer, the senior investigator Gideon Midian pointed toward the mansion’s exit and added.

“Let’s walk for a moment.”

* * *

Several minutes later.

I was walking down Trion Street with senior investigator Gideon.

‘…His level falls short of the Archmage King.’

Though Gideon’s level was only mid-6th Rank compared to Damian who was mid-7th Rank, his eyes carried the distinctive experience of an investigator who had weathered harsh conditions for many years.

Most importantly, Gideon had been waiting for me outside the reception room. This meant he had some separate business with me.

“Reagan von Benheim… was it?”

“Yes.”

“Your level is impressive for your age.”

“You flatter me.”

“No, I haven’t lived that long, but I’ve never seen a mage reach 6th Rank at your age. At best, Damian came close to that.”

Gideon glanced at me and matched my pace.

“…And now for the main point.”

“Yes.”

“I unintentionally overheard your words from outside.”

“…My words, you mean?”

“Yes. I can’t say I had no intention of eavesdropping…”

Eventually, Gideon who had come to walk alongside me looked around once and lowered his voice.

“Monmaegeon and the Black Mage Calus.”

“….”

“Is that true?”

Gideon’s eyes held deep suspicion.

I nodded.

“It’s definitely true.”

“…You don’t seem to be lying.”

Gideon stroked his chin and let out a heavy sigh.

“Monmaegeon is… originally a black magic text managed by the Imperial Mage Tower. So normally it shouldn’t be taken outside. Someone must have delivered it to Malik during the Council.”

It was tantamount to admitting that the Imperial Magic Academy’s investigation had been sloppy, but he seemed to be the type who pursued truth rather than saving face.

“I’ll secretly investigate the suspicions you mentioned using my authority as an investigator. The same goes for the Black Mage Calus matter. I’ll check everything from Calus’s transfer records to Grave’s imprisonment records.”

Then Gideon took out a small silver button from his pocket.

“What’s that?”

“A magic device. The signal should reach at least from Orelion to Benheim Estate, so there shouldn’t be any major problems with long-distance communication. If you press that button and say what you want to say, those words will be transmitted to my Crystal Sphere on the other end. Think of it as a one-way communicator.”

Gideon handed me the button.

“If you find anything, relay it through that.”

I fingered the button placed on my palm.

Understanding Gideon’s intentions wasn’t difficult. He deliberately didn’t have this conversation in the reception room, but brought me outside the mansion to talk.

This meant… Gideon himself had his own thoughts about the recent series of incidents.

“…Do you also think there’s a spy within the Royal Court, Mr. Gideon?”

“Your voice is loud. However… I do think it’s reasonable suspicion.”

“What’s the reason for keeping this secret from Damian Carius?”

Gideon didn’t answer my question. However, I noticed from his expression that Gideon harbored some suspicion about Damian.

‘Can I trust this person?’

When the Archmage King from my previous life overturned the Empire, there were many sympathizers within the Magic Academy. There was no guarantee Gideon wasn’t one of them.

Then it would be better not to rashly bring up Damian’s identity.

Even if I accused Damian of being a Black Mage, Gideon would question how I knew that fact, and the Royal Court’s arm would ultimately bend inward.

When my thoughts reached that point, I suddenly realized.

Until now, I knew well about the Black Mage called the Archmage King, but I didn’t know about the individual named Damian Carius.

“…Mr. Gideon, could you answer one question in exchange for cooperating with the investigation?”

“Are you proposing a deal?”

“Yes. Well, something like that.”

Gideon readily nodded.

“Alright. What’s the question? I’ll answer sincerely to the best of my knowledge.”

“What kind of person is Chief Investigator Damian Carius?”

“A genius.”

It was an immediate answer.

“An unprecedented genius. A man who reached 7th Rank, mid-level at that, before turning thirty. Even looking through the Empire’s history, perhaps one or two people reach such a level every few hundred years. Really, I wonder if there’s even a bottom to his talent. But….”

Gideon slowed his steps and frowned.

“I can’t read his inner thoughts at all.”

“His inner thoughts?”

“Yes. I too have seen various people while weathering harsh conditions as an investigator for nearly twenty years, but Damian is the first of his kind. I can’t read what he’s thinking at all.”

“…How did Chief Investigator Damian Carius end up entering the Royal Court?”

“All I know is that the Academy Director took him in. I only heard rumors that there was some kind of story, but his detailed origins and background are all shrouded in mystery.”

The Academy Director personally took him in.

That meant either the Academy Director condoned his true nature, or Damian’s disguise was thorough enough to deceive even the Academy Director.

“…Ah.”

Meanwhile, Gideon snapped his fingers as if something had occurred to him.

“Come to think of it, when I drank with Damian in the past, I heard about his past. Definitely….”

Gideon frowned and continued.

“He said he lost his younger sister in the past.”

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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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