Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Magic Stone City Senderman (2)
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Siegfried was at a loss for words.
The way he had first surrendered to the flow of mana and dominated the space was on a scale that didn't match the frail build of an eight-year-old boy.
He could accept that much.
Even at a glance, he was a fully mature 6th-class mage, and he was using a mana breathing technique similar to the Linmel Marquis's.
What truly shocked him came next.
'He was a magic swordsman in the literal sense.'
A single, fluid sword strike seamlessly leading into the lightning spell 'Lightning.'
Magic swordsmen were always ambiguous.
They wielded weapons while casting spells, but in reality, the two elements operated separately.
Flashy on the surface, but utterly lacking in substance.
Yet what Jamie had just demonstrated was on an entirely different level from that vagueness.
'He's already begun infusing mana into his sword.'
It wasn't the concept of aura.
Just as a mage channels mana into a wand or staff, he had loaded mana into his sword and wielded it as such.
Unlike other mages who needed to focus solely on casting, Jamie hadn't lost concentration even in dynamic motion.
And he had treated his sword like a magic tool to unleash Lightning.
How could anyone not be speechless?
'But the most astonishing part is undoubtedly...'
His merciless hand.
He had killed them all.
From the bandit leader crushed by mana to his underlings, not a single one was left alive.
The Welton Count was known for avoiding meaningless killing, but his son clearly didn't share that trait.
Of course, Siegfried had no intention of criticizing him for it.
If anything, he admired Jamie's decisiveness even more. At least he wouldn't waver before enemies.
No one knew what the future held, but given the state of world affairs, Jamie would eventually take to the front lines.
When that day came, this was the demeanor he would need.
"How was it?"
Jamie asked leisurely as he sheathed his sword.
Yes, that attitude.
Not a shred of doubt in his own abilities—an arrogance that was utterly justified.
"Has some of your suspicion faded?"
"I've never been suspicious."
"Well, that's a relief then."
Siegfried shook his head in defeat at Jamie's sarcastic smile.
"It was truly impressive."
"Not just empty words?"
"Haha. You know I'm not the type."
"Then I'll take it as praise and accept gratefully."
What a cheeky brat.
Yet he wasn't remotely dislikeable.
Overflowing talent. Accepting it as a matter of course. And not squandering it, but honing it further with relentless effort to achieve perfection.
6th class at eight years old. Not quite on par with his magic, but swordsmanship far beyond his age.
'I wonder what kind of monster he'll become.'
He could confidently say that in ten years, the number of humans who could stand against Jamie could be counted on one hand.
He wanted to claim there would be none, but...
'Those monsters do exist...'
Even so, in about twenty years, he'd have no true rivals.
That much he could guarantee.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
"Before that."
Siegfried glanced over the corpses as they prepared to depart again.
"We should loot them, right?"
Jamie let out a hollow laugh at the great mage's grinning remark.
The Kelton Mountains were pitch black.
Trees grew sparsely, and the barren land made it hard to find even a single blade of grass.
Long ago, this place had been a massive volcano, or so the stories went.
Traces of flowing lava could be seen here and there, and the black rocks scattered around were all volcanic tuff deposits that had been pushed out and hardened over eons.
Boulders that looked like they'd been hurled by an eruption were common sights.
"A volcano that caused destruction on this scale... how could it vanish overnight?"
A colossal volcano that spewed fire endlessly, belching black tuff and scorching magma—gone in the blink of an eye.
The stuff of fairy tales.
But it had actually happened.
"It's a tale from roughly a thousand years ago."
Siegfried spoke as he gazed at the endlessly stretching Kelton Mountains.
"A mage appeared in these lands."
It was recorded in ancient texts.
A thousand years ago, people had lived here.
Hard to believe.
Villages near volcanoes weren't unusual, but one next to a super-volcano capable of tectonic shifts? That was another matter.
This was barren wasteland. Unlike now, lava flowed constantly, the air was scorching and hard to breathe, and temperatures were unbearable for humans.
"Well, I don't know the details. Not particularly curious either."
"Keep going."
"Anyway, they say this mage was an extraordinary powerhouse."
Even whether they were human was unknown.
The mage, shrouded entirely in mystery, plunged into the sulfurous yellow hellscape.
The boiling lava there was deadly even for the finest mages.
A full day passed.
"According to records, everyone assumed he had perished."
But he returned alive.
And the volcano was gone.
Not a drop of lava left, the massive crater completely filled in.
"That blunt peak in the distance? That's where the crater used to be."
A straight summit that looked artificially hewn.
A thousand years hadn't changed the massive range much; it retained its form.
"But pulling that off would require at least 9th class, right?"
"Exactly why no one knows if it was human."
No human in history had reached 9th class. Unrecorded mages might exist, but Siegfried wouldn't know of them.
"The prevailing theory is it was an elf."
Elves, the race second only to dragons in magic prowess.
Rare even among elves for a grand mage to hit 9th class, but far more plausible than a human.
"Or a dragon out for a stroll."
Possible.
Their magic could easily seal a volcano.
"But there's an interesting anecdote too."
"Something not in the ancient texts?"
"Correct."
Siegfried nodded with a smile.
"'A monster dwelled within the great volcano. The mage came here to slay it.'"
"Hmm."
"Think about it—it's odd. Even active volcanoes don't spew lava endlessly like that. They erupt cyclically. But the texts say this one kept exploding and erupting nonstop."
Definitely strange.
Tectonic activity that consistent might explain it, but such events were from immemorial antiquity.
Even in Jamie's time as Diablo Volpir, nothing like it had happened outside the Great War.
"You're right."
"So, the mage world somewhat accepts this side story as canon."
A mage entered the great volcano and slew—or sealed—the monster causing the nonstop eruptions.
And peace came to the land.
"Eh, doesn't matter to me if it's true or not. I just heard kids like these stories."
"Way too honest. Well, I don't hate them..."
"Anyway, after that, this area prospered quickly."
Still desolate, but volcanic soil away from the peak is fertile.
The fiefdoms of the Rock Alliance had settled those rich lands one by one.
"Except Senderman."
The magic stone city Senderman came into view in the distance.
A rock fiefdom right beside the mountains.
"Shall we hurry then?"
Siegfried snapped his fingers with a quiet smile, and the two vanished like a lie.
Senderman was a peculiar city.
First, as the head of the Rock Alliance, a massive coal mine lay directly beneath it.
Second, magic stones littered the streets. Buildings were adorned with them, creating a mystical atmosphere.
All discards, but the fairy-tale vibe was undeniable.
"It's strangely beautiful."
"Lives up to its name."
A city blanketed in magic stones.
Jamie nodded at Siegfried's words.
"Where to first? Inn?"
"One stop before that."
"The place you mentioned?"
"Yes. They sell it there. Probably."
"Probably? So it might not be available?"
"Hard to obtain."
Now he was curious.
Normally he'd head straight to an inn, but it could wait.
'Right, Vena?'
-Master... I feel like I'm dying.
'Hang in there a bit. I'm dying of curiosity.'
-You won't actually die, Master, but I will!
Vena's voice was fading.
She was inside Gremia, now a necklace around Jamie's neck.
She had shrunk too, but space was limited; she was enduring the cramped confines.
'Better than getting caught, right?'
Showing Vena to Siegfried was fine, but he might notice the transformation magic.
If word reached his parents, things would get messy.
'Unlikely to spot the transformation, but no need to tempt fate.'
A genius grand mage, and they'd travel together long-term—best to stay cautious.
'I'll let you out at the inn, so just endure.'
-...Okay.
As Jamie lightly comforted Vena—
"Here we are."
"Oh."
Jamie scanned the building top to bottom.
Then gave Siegfried a look that screamed, Is this really it?
"Pretty rundown, huh?"
"Rundown doesn't cover it."
The shop awning doubling as a roof was torn and sagging, exuding an eerie vibe.
The door was ragged, window frames mostly shattered. Dust piled up nose-wrinklingly—no cleaning ever.
And the half-fallen sign.
"Ars Magna."
So it read.
Quite a meaningful name for such a shabby shop.
"Shall we?"
Siegfried vigorously turned the rickety doorknob that seemed ready to crumble.
And the scene that unfolded—
"Whoa."
No twist.
Jamie grimaced and pinched his nose.
Dust billowed out.
"Come on in."
To Siegfried, covered in dust, Jamie replied.
"No thanks..."
He'd rather die than enter such filth.