Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Training (4)
Less than ten seconds after thinking Crux had become more cautious, Rudian found himself about to retract that assessment.
Rudian frowned and questioned him.
"A duel to the death... You say?"
"Yes! That's right!"
Seeing the slight flush on both cheeks, Crux seemed quite excited.
"Are you insane?"
"......"
Ah.
The words that should have remained as thoughts slipped out of his mouth due to sheer absurdity.
But since it had come to this, Rudian decided to say everything on his mind.
"I thought you had reflected a little, but I was wrong. Do you treat a duel to the death like child's play? A confrontation where one of the two must die?"
"No, no! That's not...!"
Crux visibly panicked and floundered.
"I refuse that proposal. It's not worth accepting."
Honestly, if it were a sparring match, Rudian would understand.
This guy had been burning with competitive spirit and provoking fights since their first meeting.
But a duel to the death?
To survive a death match against this guy, Rudian's abilities as a swordsman alone wouldn't be enough.
Rudian would inevitably have to borrow Diablo or Adi's power, and there was no benefit worth gaining from fighting Crux to that extent.
"H-how can I get you to fight me?"
Despite being refused once, Crux didn't back down.
"I was greatly shocked by the fight between you two that I witnessed back then. I realized what my master meant when he said that this world is full of unimaginably strong warriors, and that sword and Magic aren't everything."
Crux placed his hand on his chest with the expression of someone deeply moved.
"If I fight you, and if I survive that fight, I'm confident I can leap to the next level!"
"Even if it's not a warrior's fight?"
"That doesn't matter. I know that beings called the strong aren't necessarily bound by martial arts."
"Your capabilities as a warrior are superior to mine. What you saw then was the result of equipment's power being added."
"It doesn't matter. Could a child wield the power of a war god with just one sword? Drawing out that equipment's power is also an ability."
Crux's perspective wasn't much different from Rudian's.
However, if there was a problem with that statement...
'There is something I could wield though....'
Well, mentioning that now would only ruin the mood, so Rudian quietly swallowed that thought.
"Haah... I understand that passion, but I cannot accept it. If I were to truly grant your request, I would directly eliminate Morian Empire's future. Archduke Quihiller would be saddened by that."
Even after being told outright 'If we fight, I'll kill you,' Crux's expression remained unchanged.
"I don't mind if that happens."
"I do mind. Please consider the thoughts of the one who would get blood on his hands."
Rudian knew the cause of that obsessive fixation on strength.
The guy had his own birth secrets, and if raised well, he might become a very reliable vanguard.
But the reason Rudian had chosen Elvin over Crux lay precisely in this character flaw of Crux's.
Gray might be arrogant and full of narcissistic tendencies, but he was fundamentally a rational Magician, so conversation and deals could be established.
'But not Crux. An uncontrollable fighting dog....'
His talent was so transcendent that in the original work, there was no one to replace him, so he was employed by Abel until the end...
"Unless you abandon that tendency, you'd better give up any thought of doing anything with me."
At least, that didn't apply to Rudian.
Archduke Quihiller, his master, had probably grasped his tendencies long ago.
But the reason he left it uncorrected was most likely because his current state was sufficient, so there was no need to fix it.
'Even though Archduke Quihiller is an enlightened person....'
He knows that this world is full of unimaginably strong warriors.
He probably made his decision considering that too, but what he knows is just the tip of the iceberg.
When facing transcendents who go beyond the simple category of strong warriors, showing such behavior would require preparing for the entire party's annihilation.
Rudian advised Crux to learn common sense before a warrior's mindset.
Since Crux's growth process itself wasn't ordinary, his common sense was also subtly twisted differently from ordinary people.
"...I understand."
Crux nodded with a reluctant expression, though he seemed not to understand.
***
After sending Crux away, Rudian didn't return to the academy and made plans for the future.
'First, the Magic I've been putting off....'
The Magic training Sonya had promised him.
Despite being busy with all the chaos, Sonya had faithfully created Rudian's curriculum herself.
Even if bigger chaos was to come, he had to master the field of Magic to a certain extent.
"But... What is this?"
Rudian lost his expression looking at five thick books.
"What do you mean? These are the basic texts needed for Magic introduction."
Gray, who brought the books, held them out nonchalantly.
"Memorize them all."
"......"
It felt like easily over 3,000 pages.
The basic text of the Caslay school was thinner than even one of these books - what was going on?
"Of course. That's a general overview. It wasn't meant for complete beginners entering Magic in the first place. You're only allowed to read it after at least stepping into 1st Class."
"...It's like giving calculus to someone who gave up on math."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's a thing."
Anyway, Magic wasn't something that appeared with a poof just by memorizing spells - there were many things to consider like understanding Magic, understanding attributes, manifestation, trajectory setting, power control, etc.
"Fortunately, since brother can freely manipulate Magic, you should be able to skip a few steps."
"I don't know how long it'll take just to memorize this...."
Looking at Rudian's pale complexion, Gray tilted his head with genuine puzzlement.
"What are you talking about? A week should be enough for this much."
"Not everyone in the world has memory as good as yours."
"It took me about two days? Everyone in the family finished it all in a week too."
"......"
For a moment, Rudian was seized by the impulse to just give up on Magic and leave everything to Adi.
However, to recover the blue world among the seven-colored worlds, he needed to have a certain level of Magic knowledge.
In the original work, the minimum level Gray set was exactly 7th Class.
-Master.
'Adi.'
-Cheer up. I'll support you.
'Damn....'
Rudian picked up the book with a desolate expression.
***
No matter how much Rudian was someone who benefited from modern cramming education, and no matter how much he had performed office work following Calline, it wasn't possible to easily step into Magic, which only allows entry to talents above genius level.
"Aaaaah! I feel like I'm going crazy!"
There was a reason Sonya had gotten so angry at Rudian's remarks before.
'No matter how much I read, it doesn't end!'
Since he had to not only memorize but also understand, his head felt like it would cramp.
Actually, Rudian's memory now transcended that of ordinary people.
Having mastered the method of activating his brain with precise Magic manipulation, he could raise his memory to a level similar to ordinary Magic beginners.
But even so, these damn Magic books often blocked understanding because the content itself was infinitely profound.
Rebecca picking up a book out of curiosity only to run away before even 10 minutes passed was already nothing new.
After three days of such painful struggle with books.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
"Young master, there's a message from the Imperial palace."
"What is it?"
Head butler Jester looked at Rudian, who was just breathing and sprawled out, and said.
"It's His Majesty the Emperor's command to enter the palace immediately upon receiving the message."
"Oh! Did something happen?"
At the thought of escaping this hell, life instantly returned to Rudian's body.
But Rudian's body froze at Jester's following words.
"An envoy came from the Kingdom of Rohans this morning."
"So... What was bound to come has finally come."
"The problem is... The message states that the envoy wants to meet with Master Rudian."
"......!"
Rudian immediately read the letter handed to him by Jester and narrowed his eyes.
'Definitely a demon.'
Seeing how they specifically named him, the demons of the Kingdom of Rohans seemed to clearly understand who was at the center of this incident.
But he couldn't understand why they didn't immediately declare war and instead came asking for dialogue like this.
Rudian stood up and told Jester.
"I'll enter the Imperial palace immediately. Please prepare."
"Yes, young master."
He didn't know who had come, but knowing the circumstances, at least someone formidable must have arrived.
'Who could it be? At the very least, a top-tier demon must have come, and there's a good chance it could be Demon King class.'
Whoever it was, if they spouted nonsense, he'd cut off their head and send it back.
But until then, Rudian didn't know.
That the one who had come all this way was a tremendous figure who would completely catch Rudian off guard.
***
A few hours later, Rudian entered the imperial palace and faced the Emperor.
"Welcome, Count Belstad."
With ministers lined up on both sides, Rudian knelt on one knee and respectfully bowed his head.
"I greet His Majesty the Emperor. Have you been well?"
"Hah, are you asking while already knowing?"
"Still, saying this is what makes one a noble."
"Uhahaha! You've become quite the noble yourself. Now stand up."
The Emperor laughed pleasantly and waved his hand.
After light pleasantries ended, Rudian was first to bring up the main topic.
"I heard through the letter that an envoy from the Kingdom of Rohans wanted to meet with me...."
"...That's right."
For some reason, as soon as the word envoy was mentioned, the Emperor's expression visibly darkened.
"That person is currently staying temporarily in the separate palace. I promised to send you there when you arrived."
"Did something happen?"
No immediate answer came to that question.
The Emperor just let out a deep sigh.
At that sight, Duke Vincent, who was in the highest seat among the ministers, spoke on the Emperor's behalf.
"...I can guarantee that person wasn't a professional diplomat. Not only did they look far too young, but they didn't mention a single thing about national relations and only requested a meeting with you."
If that was true, they were incredibly rude.
"That person said that if they revealed their name to you, you would inevitably be interested."
"How confident. What did they say their name was?"
Had a Demon King really come as an envoy?
While Rudian was thinking this, the name that flowed from Vincent's mouth completely transcended Rudian's imagination.
"Baal.... That person introduced themselves as Baal."