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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Eileen had a rare experience.
As she chased after Rudrick, who had flown ahead alone, her vision suddenly distorted and she felt a momentary illusion of her body floating.
Of course, she and the other knights, being physically complete superhumans, were able to avoid losing their balance and tumbling to the ground.
However, they couldn’t escape the hot gust of wind and shockwave that came from far away.
Kuwaaaang!
Like thunder following lightning, the shockwave spread first, followed by an earsplitting roar.
“Was it to this extent…?”
In the middle of the mountain range, where human traces were hard to find even if you searched carefully within a radius of several kilometers, naturally, only Rudrick, who had flown ahead just moments ago, could have caused destruction on this scale.
Moreover, it was enough to disturb the physical balance of even Eileen, known as the Black Lion of the Empire and hailed as the top swordsman in the Empire beyond the North, with just the aftereffects rather than a direct hit.
However, Eileen muttered with a somewhat surprised expression, as if she hadn’t known that Rudrick’s magic had reached this level.
The black smoke that had risen from far away was now obscuring the sky with its acrid fumes.
When she led the knights to climb a nearby small hill to observe, the area where the knight on reconnaissance had spotted the ogres was now erupting with black smoke and flames, as if it had become the crater of a volcano.
“From that distance to here…”
“If it had been a direct hit, there wouldn’t even be corpses left.”
“… At this level, is there really any need to see more?”
While Eileen’s presence made it largely irrelevant, the knights of the Nord Duchy, brought along for appearances, exchanged words, stiffened by the sight of destruction before them.
Even these battle-hardened veterans, who had experienced numerous real battles with the mission of guarding the barrier at the forefront of the Empire, couldn’t help but feel daunted in the face of the grand scene of destruction wrought by Rudrick’s magic.
Magic was originally a mystery that caused miracles not permitted to humans.
Moreover, if a great mage unleashed magic at full power without any thought of restraint, so to speak, without considering the consequences, it already contained enough destructive power to alter the terrain.
Additionally, Rudrick had never had such a clear opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, considering both before and after the regression.
More accurately, it would be correct to say that Rudrick, despite possessing such magical ability, had never had the chance to display it.
“I didn’t know it would be to this extent…”
Eileen muttered the same words repeatedly, to the extent that Rudrick’s magic, unleashed with full intent for the first time, was on a different level from ordinary mages.
In terms of sheer power alone, it even surpassed parts of Lorenzo Tonali, the previous Court Mage.
Considering that Lorenzo was an unprecedented mage who had exceptionally risen to the rank of great mage on his own without affiliating with the Magic Tower, this was close to an impossibility.
In fact, Lorenzo had lost his life as the price for successfully achieving the long-standing aspiration of all mages throughout history.
With her mind complicated by various thoughts, Eileen shook her head to clear away the distractions and muttered softly.
“Well, I suppose there’s nothing more to see now.”
She strictly separated public and private matters.
In the process, while it would be good if Rudrick became the Court Mage, Eileen had been prepared to report truthfully to the Imperial family if she judged that Rudrick’s capabilities fell short upon cool assessment.
However, the magic Rudrick had just displayed was enough to completely erase that thought and more.
Eileen hastened her steps towards the site where the magic had manifested.
At the scene, all the snow in the area had melted into flowing water.
The bitter cold that had intensified uniquely at the barrier had completely covered the area with snow for the past hundreds of years, forming permanent snow fields, but now even that permanent snow had all melted and mixed, turning into sloshing mud.
And in the middle of it all, the 4 ogres that the reconnaissance knight had witnessed were now charred lumps of coal, barely retaining their original shape.
Facing these lumps of coal, Rudrick turned his head and said,
“You were later than I expected.”
“I was lost in different thoughts for a moment.”
It wasn’t particularly an accusatory tone, but Eileen, who had flinched unnecessarily, made an excuse.
“I suppose with this level, there’s no need for an escort, right?”
“…Yes, you certainly don’t need an escort.”
“Well, I’m not saying you should go back, though.”
Rudrick, who had responded indifferently, turned his head again towards the precipitous mountain range.
As if to say that this first strike was just the beginning.
It was close to a warning for the monsters rampaging here and there in the mountain range.
Although it might have been too powerful to be called a simple warning.
The monsters distributed across the vast Nord Mountains had sufficiently felt the indirect impact of the flame magic that had just unfolded.
They also realized that if that magic were directed at them, not even their bones would remain.
However, it wasn’t just the monsters within the indirect sphere of influence of the magic who had felt its impact and trembled.
At a distance that even the most skilled archer couldn’t discern with the naked eye.
Two figures that had been moving lightly across the steep mountain path as if it were flat ground suddenly stopped.
It was because they had physically felt the aftereffects of the magic Rudrick had just unleashed.
“That.was.powerful.magic.”
“A.human.mage.”
Their bodies, two or three times larger than normal humans, and the luxurious armor they wore were distinctive features.
Below the dwarven armor and heavy weaponry, their bare bones were exposed.
Although it might be slightly inaccurate to say they felt it with their skin, given that they only had bones.
As beings originally born of magical energy, they were more sensitive than anyone to the flow of mana.
Moreover, the blue flames burning brightly in the eye sockets of their skulls beneath their helmets suggested that they were not simple undead.
“Very.strong.”
“We.cannot.face.it.alone.”
“Should.we.call.for.reinforcements?”
The two skeletons, who had been speaking eerily, pausing after each syllable despite having no vocal cords, locked gazes with each other.
Although Rudrick was only visible as a dot from such a great distance, it seemed that distance was no obstacle for them.
After staring at Rudrick for a long while, the two skeletons tightly gripped the spear and sword they were holding.
“It.interferes.with.the.great.one’s.plan.”
“We.must.eliminate.it.”
“How?”
“If.we.call.our.comrades.”
“It’s.a.great.mage.”
“Then.it.might.be.difficult.for.us.”
“It.would.be.troublesome.if.we.break.through.the.resistance.”
The skeletons, communicating at a pace that would make any observer impatient, stopped in their tracks as if pondering.
Although they had been given simple orders to patrol the mountains and drive the monsters down the mountain range, they could easily slaughter a dozen or so human knights if they attacked at once.
But even to these two skeletons, the power of the magic they had just felt was certainly not something to be taken lightly.
The dwarven heavy armor they wore was enchanted with numerous ancient spells that granted resistance to magic, but if they rushed in relying on that armor, it was obvious they would be shattered.
After briefly putting their heads together to discuss, the two skeletons soon reached a conclusion.
“Let’s.report.”
“That.would.be.best.”
“The.decision.is.not.ours.to.make.”
Clank, clank.
With each step, their armor rattled, creating an unpleasant friction sound, but the two skeletons paid no mind as they turned around.
The decision was not theirs to make.
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She spent a week curled up, hugging her knees, as if her soul had departed.
It took a full week for her to gather the courage to leave her room, with her pale skin drained of blood and her haggard appearance.
After a week had passed, Sylphia, who had finally managed to leave her room, muttered self-deprecatingly as she looked in the mirror.
“…I look exactly like that bat woman.”
Her skin was so pale and bloodless that anyone who saw her might mistake her for Arwen.
Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were still swollen from crying so much.
Even though she had managed to leave her room, she still didn’t have the courage to face Rudrick.
Because of this, she kept a detection spell active within a 3km radius.
So that she could immediately avoid Rudrick if he entered the range of the detection spell.
While she felt sad that she had to go to such lengths, the first news Sylphia encountered upon finally leaving her room was unexpected.
“…You’re saying Rudrick accepted the position of Court Mage?”
“Yes. I heard he’s currently undergoing a verification process in the North.”
It was during a casual conversation with an Imperial Knight she had become acquainted with while on guard duty.
He had approached her in a friendly manner.
It was unexpected.
She had thought Rudrick would refuse after knowing the truth.
Sylphia paused for a moment before asking further.
“By verification process, you mean…?”
“Haven’t you heard? Monsters have been rampaging in the North lately. That’s why the barbarians have been pounding on the barrier more fiercely.”
“…And?”
“So for the verification process, since the monsters are the root cause, the rumor spreading throughout the palace is that he’s gone there to eliminate the monsters.”
The Imperial Knight shrugged.
“It seems that since it’s the first time in decades that a new Court Mage is being appointed, there’s quite a lot of interest from nobles and various quarters. I guess you didn’t know about it.”
“…I had to be away for a few days on some business.”
“I see. Anyway, that’s why he’s in the North now.”
Although it was unsolicited information, it was nonetheless helpful.
Even if it was just the knight trying to kill time during his boring guard duty.
Thanks to this, Sylphia now knew that Rudrick was not in the capital.
As she made her way to the laboratory, she pondered deeply.
‘If monsters are rampaging…’
It meant that the barbarians, threatened by the rampaging monsters in the Nord Mountains, were increasingly moving south and intensifying their attacks on the barrier.
Although she hadn’t heard about this before the regression, it made sense.
However, what concerned her was…
‘…She should be in the Nord Mountains.’
The entire vast Nord Mountain range was the territory of a dragon.
At this point, with the number of dragons remaining on the continent reduced to dozens, Sylphia was naturally aware of her existence and whereabouts.
The Nord Mountains, a heavenly scenic beauty untouched by human feet.
It would be stranger if Sylphia didn’t know about the playful dragon who had claimed the entire mountain range as her territory, and if she connected the dots between that playful personality and the sudden surge in monster activity…
‘…It might be a stretch, but.’
Sylphia frowned at the ominous thought that suddenly occurred to her, and changed her course from the laboratory.
After all, it couldn’t hurt to be cautious.
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[New harem member unlocked?]
