245
I did it
“Why on earth! Why doesn’t it mix with divine power! Manaya! Answer me!”
“Don’t nag, ask gently! Manaya- What’s the reason? Why on earth don’t you get along with the divine power?”
Swallows clicked his tongue as he watched the wizards babbling strangely.
When he was on the magic tower, he had spent almost a month just studying. But for him to end up like that after suffering for just a few days, he was a guy who didn’t even know the basics.
Even the youngest Kanna is still participating with sparkling eyes, and the older ones are already dropping out.
‘I guess it’s a difficult topic.’
Swallows shook their heads.
Swallows, who had been wondering and worrying about the relationship between divine power and mana, was also feeling at a loss.
Although there were clearly similar parts to divine power and mana, when I opened the lid, they were completely different.
Having handled Vivian’s mana for quite some time, Kanna had become adept at handling others’ mana. Even the Northern Winter was impressed by that aspect.
But even that Kanna couldn’t move even the smallest bit of Brighton’s divine power. No matter how many times I repeated it, there was no progress. I couldn’t even figure out the reason.
Swallows was worried about Kanna after her repeated failures. This was Kanna’s first failure, as she had never been blocked by magic before.
Contrary to Swallows’ worries, Kanna showed her determination. It seemed that Aaron’s influence was great.
“If you have mana, you cannot have divine power. And vice versa. Brighton cannot learn magic.”
Swallows clicked his tongue slightly at the solemn voice of the red-haired man.
I was at a loss as to why he was weighing the obvious.
Even if that were possible in the first place, there was no way it could show meaningful results until the remaining competition.
Since it was useless talk, I ignored it and looked towards Kanna. Kanna was putting her hand on the Bible that Brighton was holding.
“Will it work?”
The northern winter standing next to her looked up at Kanna and asked.
Even after quite some time had passed, Kanna still showed her concentration.
“Unlike Mana, it’s heavy. It doesn’t move at all.”
Kanna bit her lip slightly and shook her head. She had a childish expression on her face, as if she was very upset.
“It’s a given. Don’t be hasty. What did I say were the basics of magic?”
“···Calm down. Okay. I’ll try again. Even if it means walking down a dark path-.”
As he stood next to Kanna and watched her kindly explain the northern winter, Swallows felt strangely pleased, despite the gloomy situation.
To be acknowledged by even the strongest wizard, it was indeed Kanna. Even the parts that she was unable to teach due to her shortcomings would be taught in the northern winter.
Brighton was accustomed to radiating divine power. Even though he had been maintaining his divine power for a long time for research purposes, he still emitted a bright light.
“Whew-. No way. It’s completely different from Mana. I don’t even know if it actually has divine power. I can’t feel it at all.”
Kanna muttered in an irritated voice.
“Divine power is not a power that can be manipulated at will like a muscle. It is literally the power of a god, so how could others interfere with it?”
“The power of God-. Then what is magic?”
The northern winter raised a fundamental question in Swallows’ words.
However, there was no one who could answer the question posed by the one who had crossed the wall. He continued to mutter to himself as if it was not a question that required an answer in the first place.
“It is the solution to the lack. Magic is a power that appears to those who are in dire need, regardless of their status. Divine power? If you read the Bible, it will naturally manifest.”
“It doesn’t happen just by reading the Bible. It has to happen by having faith.”
“Okay, okay. If that’s the case·········.”
At that moment, Vivian raised her hand. There was a trace of saliva on the corner of her mouth, as if she had just woken up from a nap.
“···If you’re hungry, just go out and eat.”
I couldn’t understand why he was raising his hand in the first place. Swallows waved his hand lightly.
“Ah! That’s not it… I’m hungry, though! Anyway! Why do I have to use divine power as mana?!”
Swallows shook his head at Vivian’s question. He had been talking for days now, and it seemed like he didn’t even understand the beginning. He knew it was stupid, but-.
When Swallows was about to tell her to go out and eat, Kanna suddenly jumped up. Kanna’s eyes, which had been slightly sunken, were sparkling again.
“If you think about it, Aaron was also being held back by another power! Since it was revealed that Aura was the power of the devil-.”
“Hmm… Are you saying we should add a third force?”
“Yes! If you can’t mix mana and divine power, wouldn’t you be able to do it like Aaron by using a third power and manipulating it? But you can’t turn it from within like Aaron-.”
“We should make the interior bigger!”
Swallows raised his voice without realizing it.
“That’s right! The basic principle of the magic circle is to formalize and shape the wizard’s body!”
Kanna jumped with excitement. The northern winter responded.
“A larger magic circle… No, since this is a battlefield, we’ll need a strong and huge magic circle. If we put the knight in the center and tie Vivian and Brighton to either side-”
The northern winter waved its fingers, and mana began to form in the air and draw pictures.
“There won’t be a knight with the aura to suppress Vivian’s mana, so we’ll need a mana rectifier. And a suppressor, and a circulator······.”
It was a mana control that was unbelievable even when watching.
As the other wizards spoke, each of them adding a word, the picture gradually took shape – and was soon complete.
The wizards looked up at him with hazy eyes at the elaborate composition that could truly be called the essence of magic.
Among them, only Brighton did not mix.
To Brighton, it looked like a ‘devil’s torture machine’ at best. It was such a horrible tool that he couldn’t figure out any other purpose for it.
The part about the central article in particular was the most horrible.
Which of the knights who value honor would stand there?
Brighton shook his head at the wizards’ terrible aesthetic sense.
Even Aaron would be shocked to see that.
***
‘It’s a departure···.’
I muttered and turned my beer mug.
My head was complicated. The most important part was Brighton’s divine power.
Currently, in Cassidy, there was Winter in the North, the Magic Towers, and even Kanna. It was safe to say that all the famous magicians on the continent had gathered.
Since I left it to them, they were sure to find a way.
‘If the wizards fail…’
However, I couldn’t help but imagine the worst. It was a serious chronic disease, and it was the wisdom of life that had allowed me to get to this point.
‘It would be nice to give each knight a priest… Brighton could be hung on the feet of Bungbungil.’
With Brighton’s level of concentration, it seemed like it would be okay to pray while flying.
If not, how about placing priests in the back row of knights···.
“Aaron, are you okay?”
I raised my head at the soft voice coming from in front of me.
Hannah was looking at me with a worried expression.
“Oh, Kanna.”
“I’m going to go play a little more with my wizard friends.”
I laughed a little at Hannah’s answer. If it was Kanna, I could have thought she was really playing around.
“Aaron, aren’t you overdoing it?”
Hannah’s condition wasn’t very good either, as she asked that question. Her face was completely exhausted, and her cheeks were even more sallow.
I shook my head slightly. My physical condition was better than ever.
“Would you like some beer?”
“Okay.”
Hannah came out holding a beer mug and some beef jerky.
Now that he was the owner of the largest upper house in the East, he smiled slightly at how nothing had changed.
“Shall I do it for you?”
Even the useless hand gestures-.
I clicked my tongue and grabbed the beer glass. The ice inside caught my attention for a moment.
The ice still had me carved into it in large size, but there were also smaller faces.
Hannah, Vivian, Dylan, and even the Swallows – they all had smiling faces.
“Isn’t she cute? Kanna smiles a lot these days. It’s all thanks to Vivian. I guess friends of the same age are important.”
Hannah said with a bright smile. It was a truly mature smile.
I chuckled and took a sip of my beer. The cold beer going down my throat felt quite thrilling.
“Is ice beer that good?”
Hannah opened her eyes wide and asked as she emptied her glass in one go. She nodded as she put down her empty glass.
“It’s delicious.”
It was so delicious that I could tell the difference between before and after drinking the ice beer.
“Oh, right. Did you hear that? Copson got into a fight!”
“Potbelly Copson?”
“Yes! I saw an outsider harassing a Cassadic resident! Copson was the one who struck first!”
“That fat, hunched guy?”
“Yes! I learned it while watching at the bar, it was perfect!”
I exclaimed in a small exclamation. If it was Copson, he would have been a pot-bellied fellow who would sit in the corner of the bar every day and watch me beat up someone.
That Copson fought with someone-.
Hannah continued to tell her useless stories.
These were trivial stories that had nothing to do with the emperor or the capital, such as which men fought and which man and woman made eye contact.
I also put aside my complicated thoughts and listened to him while drinking beer.
It was quite fun to share the story of Cassadic after such a long time. I didn’t even realize how much time had passed.
How much did we drink and laugh like that?
widely!
Hannah, who was now blushing from the alcohol, placed a gold coin on the table. Then, with a smile that tried to be seductive, she pushed the coin with her long middle finger.
I smiled slightly at that. Somehow, starting from the washing machine, there was no one there.
‘···But isn’t the picture a bit strange?’
He muttered quietly while collecting the gold coins.
***
“Good morning, Dylan. Can you take this to Aaron?”
Dylan narrowed his eyes at Hannah’s soft voice.
Of course, Hannah was usually gentle, but the atmosphere was strangely different now.
I couldn’t really explain it, but I had a feeling.
Dylan trusted his gut feeling more than hard evidence.
It was clear that something happened last night.
and-.
“···Isn’t there too much meat?”
The plate that Hannah had asked Aaron to bring was literally piled high with meat.
Aaron ate like a beast, but not to this extent.
And judging by the shine of the meat, it wasn’t ordinary meat. It was filled with only very expensive meat.
“Ah! Look at my mind! This too-!”
Hae-na, who was smiling brightly, put two more pieces of meat on top of it. This was enough that even a troll wouldn’t be able to eat it.
Dylan headed out alone, watching Hannah awkwardly walk by, humming a tune.
It wasn’t just Hannah who was strange.
“thanks.”
When I handed him the plate, the cub expressed his gratitude.
Dylan started the game. He was just thanking me for carrying some plates! Is he really a punk? There was no way a punk could be this kind. It was clearly another guy wearing a punk’s mask.
At that moment, the ten-year-old stared with his characteristically harsh eyes.
However, he only clicked his tongue slightly and ate the meat without swinging his fist.
‘What on earth is going on······.’
As soon as their eyes met, Dylan quickly covered his head and opened his eyes wide at the teenager who passed by without saying anything.
Something prickled Dylan. He had just spent the day following Kanna with the wizards.
The strange atmosphere of the accommodation that was created in just one night.
Dylan’s torn eyes moved busily. Hannah, who seemed somehow cheerful, Aaron, who seemed strangely calm, and the empty quarters-.
The evidence was clear.
Dylan, who soon reached the truth, swallowed his saliva and-.
“They did it! They did it! Aaron and Hannah did it!!”
Dylan, who was running out to spread the good news, lost consciousness.
***
‘hmm···.’
I let out a sigh as I looked at the bizarre object before me.
It was well known that wizards were originally crazy bastards. I knew him very well.
‘···No matter what, isn’t that a bit too much?’
A sigh of relief came out naturally at the sight of the object Swallows confidently displayed.
Its centerpiece was a thick black pillar, with thinner pillars on either side. It resembled a cross, but with blunt ends.
That alone would be strange enough, but the central black pillar was covered in strange, eerie devices.
Yeah, that could go far.
The problem is-.
“Knight Adela! Ready!”
‘···Why is Adela hanging in the center?’
There was barley hanging in the center. Even the voice was booming as if he was so excited about something.
No matter how I looked at it, the sight of various colored stem-like things entering through the armor looked like nothing more than a mad wizard’s torture machine.
Yeah, that could have been it.
But the sight of Brighton and Vivian hanging on either side of him made my head spin.
The two also had various devices stuck in them, similar to Adela. Upon closer inspection, they were not stuck in but glued on, but the appearance was quite bizarre.
And at the center of it all, in what appeared to be the cockpit of a giant cross, sat Canna and the Northern Winter side by side.
Below them, a dozen wizards were wielding strange tools and chanting spells.
It looked exactly like a warlock offering a sacrifice. No, it was such a bizarre design that I couldn’t help but think of it that way.
The unexpected result gave me a headache.
Of course, the deadline was tight, but even so, they were able to produce such a bizarre result.
‘···Are these kids determined to make me the real Demon King?’
I looked at Swallows, wondering if he had made it weird out of rebellion, but he had a proud expression on his face.
No, it was a face that boasted of a truly great achievement beyond pride. It felt like he was anxious to show off his results.
“If you grow from the center of Cassidy, you cannot handle the aura up to the range of the second external star. I checked and there are individual differences. Ordinary knights cannot bring out the aura. High-level knights can bring out the aura even if they feel slightly uncomfortable.”
I nodded to Swallows’ words. It was definitely the function I wanted. No, it was more than that.
If it had a Cassidy range, it would be usable on the battlefield.
‘Okay, as long as it works, that’s fine.’
What matters is the ability you have, not the appearance. Plus, if you carry something like that, there’s a chance that your opponent will be scared.
“Hello! Aaron! Good morning!”
I nodded to Vivian, who was waving her hand and greeting me cheerfully. Brighton also didn’t seem uncomfortable, so it seemed like the ride was quite comfortable despite the appearance.
“How long does it last?”
“Until Vivian’s mana runs out, or Brighton can no longer recite the prayer.”
The duration was also great.
“Get some cloth or something and cover those hideous things up. Something colorful. And dress the wizards down there in pretty clothes.”
I waved my hand lightly. No matter what the reason, I needed to make things look a little more believable.
If I took it out like that, I was sure I would look like the bad guy.
When I said that, Swallows looked at me with a completely incomprehensible expression.
He clicked his tongue and shook his fist at the guy who had absolutely no sense of aesthetics. Swallows nodded with a shit-eating face.
“Red there, green over there, and some blue too-”
“Bring me some colorful fabric! Decorate it nicely! It’s my command!”
Everyone dispersed busily at the Swallows’ shout.
‘Preparations are complete.’
He muttered while waving his hand to the excited Kanna.
Now all that remains is to participate.
***
‘ah···.’
Pulpouts let out a small breath as he looked out the window.
Phew phew-. Phew phew-.
The sound of horns blew continuously, and the army moving to the sound was more focused than before.
It was fully revealed how harsh the training was in that short period of time.
Now, unlike training, we were actually moving forward.
The time has come.
‘···It’s a departure.’
Fullfoot repeated that short sentence again, unable to believe it. Yes, it was a departure.
At some point, there was nothing for Fullfoot to do. Most of it had been taken care of by Selena and Nova Sun, so he only reported and received what was absolutely necessary.
No matter what, it seemed a bit much to say ‘I’m going to go’ on the same day. I thought so, but it had already been a long time since it had been out of my hands.
‘Vivian···.’
Fullfoot called his daughter’s name softly, with concern in his voice.
This morning Vivian came armed. Vivian declared that she would join them.
It was the first time that Vivian, who had been docile all her life, had made a claim while looking at Fullfoot with force in her eyes.
Of course I didn’t want to send him. My daughter, not to mention my son, would go to war.
Even though he knew that it was an inevitable choice since he had a dragon, it took time for him to accept it.
Pulpouts handed Vivian the sword that had been passed down as a heirloom. Since she didn’t know how to carry the sword, Pulpouts had to tie it to her belt for her.
At that moment, heavy footsteps were heard from behind. When he turned his head, Aaron was standing there. His usual, unfamiliar face strangely reassured Pulpouts.
“Did you call?”
Pulpouts nodded and pointed to a seat.
‘Still the same.’
Pulpouts, sitting across from Aaron, was slightly surprised to realize that Aaron had not changed since then.
“Vivian’s safety will be our top priority, so don’t worry.”
Aaron’s words slightly relieved Pulpouts. However, it wasn’t Vivian who had called him.
“I wanted to talk.”
Hmm… Aaron nodded with a small grunt.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Pulpouts smiled faintly at the crude speech that was not much different from before.
“Thank you.”
Whether it was because of the roughness, or because the words I had been thinking about all night came out as short words.
“Wyverns are expensive and hard to obtain, but still, my lord.”
Upon hearing Aaron’s answer, Pulpouts realized why he had been given the wyvern.
Aaron still seemed to think of himself as a security guard, a sort of tax.
“I heard that you liked it so much that you even made a wyvern sound.”
“······hmm.”
Pulpouts let out a small moan at Aaron’s sly words. It was a scream of surprise that escaped, but it was the sound of a wyvern-.
Pulpouts shook his head.
“It wasn’t a wyvern-. It was a thank you for all the hard work you’ve done for Cassidy. Without you, Cassidy would have collapsed long ago. I’m so glad you came to Cassidy.”
Pullputs, who had made up his mind, bowed his head sincerely.
“Me too.”
Aaron answered in a humorless voice.
When I raised my head, I saw Aaron with a strange smile on his face.
“Thank goodness we arrived at Cassidy.”
At that moment, Vivian poked her head out from above.
“Ready! Aaron!”
“then-.”
Aaron bowed his head slightly and went up.
Then the dragon roared loudly-.
A red dragon covered the sky.
Under the huge shadow, troops carrying various flags slowly advanced.
It was finally time to go.
‘······But what on earth is that?’
Pulpouts, who had been watching the march with a complex and subtle gaze, suddenly tilted his head at the giant machine positioned at the very back.
At first glance, it looked ominous, but the colorful fabrics covering it added to the eerieness. I don’t know who did it, but it had a creepy aesthetic.
Although its identity was unknown, it was clearly an important item, judging by the number of knights stationed around it.
Squeak-!!
The wyvern flew up with a strange sound. On top of it, Joanna and Adela were sitting together.
Other wyverns also rose up next to him. Familiar faces were sitting one by one.
‘I finally got it.’
Pulpouts laughed bitterly.
Just then, the door opened and Nova and the others came in.
“Securing a supply route·········.”
The war here was also just beginning.
Now it was either live or die.
Fullfoot wiped away his smile and nodded.
***
“···Isn’t this too much? It’s already hard to control···.”
The warlock Geltura clicked his tongue at his subordinate’s worried question.
“Why should a black magician be afraid of something he created? Don’t worry and just add more! Everything is under control!”
Geltura shouted. If you tell me to do something, I’ll do it. These guys talk a lot these days.
Then the guys grumbled and put the corpse of the knight they had brought into the barrel. At the bottom of the barrel was a huge black iron armor.
It was a guy who gave off an ominous vibe just by being next to him, and even the word masterpiece is not enough to describe him.
“Legendary… yes, the legendary Death Knight.”
Geltura laughed, spitting out saliva. He felt so lucky, as if he was being helped by a god.
Starting with obtaining the corpse of Marquis Ethan, who was known to be very talented even when he was stuck in the desert, I was also lucky enough to succeed in defeating the Death Knight, who had a high chance of failure.
‘No, it’s more that the resentment runs deep than luck.’
Death knights were more influenced by the emotions of the dead. The deeper the grudge of the medium, the more different the success rate and results were, and the death knights created by Marquis Ethan were particularly suited to this.
On top of that, there was the countless blood and knights gained from the rebellion that happened at the same time – it was so smooth that I can only say that it was God’s help.
Geltura was sure of it. This would become a legend of black magic.
Then, suddenly, the Death Knight started to stir.
“The power I have is so great, I feel like I’m going to loose my inhibitions!”
Geltura’s eyes widened at his subordinate’s urgent report. The master-servant relationship of black magic was that one could rule over the hundred with the power of one. But to release the restraint-.
“First, stop pouring! Bring blood over there! Make the blood contract stronger-.”
Geltura suddenly felt something strange. Now that he thought about it, those who would normally have been complaining were quiet.
Geltura hurriedly looked around. His subordinates were lying down quietly as if they were dead.
In the middle of it all stood a man I had never seen before.
Judging by his appearance, he was clearly a warlock, but I couldn’t feel any of the aura typical of warlocks.
“···Who are you?”
“Oh, my name is Hans.”
I caught the skeleton named Geltu who surprisingly answered obediently. First, I put a curse on him-.
“Watch your back. Ah, you’re late.”
Geltura glared at the sword that had pierced his abdomen. Then his vision began to spin.
As he returned, he saw his own headless body. Only after seeing the Death Knight that followed did he realize that Geltura had decapitated him.
“I told you to be careful.”
Hans clicked his tongue as he wiped the blood from his face. Of course, being careful would have done nothing.
“I thought the warlocks were quiet, but they’ve created something useful.”
Hans nodded to the death knight who was casting a cold glare.
The Death Knight tried to move his sword, but Hans did not take any action.
I just moved my mouth.
“Don’t you have business with Aaron?”
The blue sword stopped right in front of Hans’ neck. It looked like it had been handled without any care, as if blood had caked on the sword.
“Let’s go together. I’ll take you there at the right time.”
Instead of answering, Hans smiled brightly at the deepening glare.
“Oh, this is a gift.”
Hans took out what he had brought.
It was a cleanly washed token. Aaron buried it deep, so it took some effort to get it out, but I was able to find it.
The Death Knight was in an uproar, knowing the value of the token.
It is impossible not to know. It is a sign that a god has descended beyond the spirit realm.
“It will be even more delicious because it is Aaron’s teacher’s.”
The blue light in his eyes grew even darker.
At that, Hans raised the corners of his mouth even higher.
