Chapter 51
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 051
Chapter Title: Veterans and Rookies (6)
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About an hour had passed since I'd used Body Sculpting Magic to craft Gilbert a new body.
And I'd come to a conclusion.
'Physical prowess is top-tier. Way stronger than before. At this level, he could take on Bear or Conall.'
It wasn't just a hunch. It was happening right in front of me, plain as day.
Clang!
The sparring match had kicked off at Bear's suggestion.
As he swung his sword, Gilbert parried it with the flat of his blade.
In the old days, Bear's raw strength would've overpowered him.
But this time, the arm holding his weapon didn't budge an inch.
"Hup!"
Realizing he couldn't win with brute force, Bear pulled back his sword and thrust it forward.
A precise stab aimed at an opening.
Gilbert blocked it effortlessly, but Bear didn't let up, chaining attacks one after another.
Kaang!
Sharp clashes of metal rang out without pause.
A sign of how ferocious Bear's assault was.
But what was even more impressive was Gilbert's response.
He handled those vicious strikes like they were nothing.
No wasted motion.
Minimal effort for maximum gain.
It reminded me of how he'd fought as a skeleton.
'Time to wrap this up.'
Bear was starting to look overheated, the atmosphere getting too intense.
Best to call it here.
That's what I thought, right as Gilbert—who'd been purely defensive up to that point—suddenly went on the offensive, swinging at Bear.
Bear shifted to pure defense.
And then.
Bam!
Gilbert unleashed a powerful swing out of nowhere.
Faster than anything before.
It would've startled anyone, but Bear managed to raise his weapon in time, reacting to the blow.
And then.
Crack!
Bear's sword shattered.
The match was over.
Gilbert's victory.
'Good thing it wasn't his personal blade.'
The weapon Bear had used was one of the battlefield trophies they'd scavenged.
It had been in rough shape to begin with.
That's why it couldn't hold up in the duel and snapped.
"Hoo!"
With his weapon broken, Bear started regulating his breathing, panting heavily.
He'd burned through a ton of stamina.
Gilbert, meanwhile, looked fresh as ever.
A perfect showcase of an undead's strengths.
'Reliable. So damn reliable.'
Gilbert had always been weaker than Bear and Conall.
But after getting his new body from Body Sculpting Magic, he'd surpassed them both.
And his appearance radiated intimidation.
He stood about 2.3 meters tall.
Bear and Conall were around 2.1, so Gilbert towered a full head above them.
Nor was it just height—his frame was massive.
Pure muscle from head to toe.
His whole body was a weapon.
And the best part...
'Now I can take him around openly.'
Gilbert looked every bit human.
No more hiding him.
Of course, a skilled mage might see through the facade and clock him as undead.
But those types weren't exactly common.
Mages themselves were rare, and ones with sharp mana detection were even rarer.
'Eremus was the outlier.'
I thought back to Terence's black mages.
Aside from those five elite soldiers, they didn't seem capable of anything beyond handling undead.
Yet wasn't it odd?
Twenty or so people, all using the exact same magic.
Maybe the organization duplicated grimoires internally.
Copying the same spells.
Otherwise, it didn't add up.
'Oh, right.'
As I mulled over Eremus, I suddenly remembered something I'd asked Conall to handle.
The three captured black mage prisoners he'd taken alive.
I'd told him to interrogate them.
They hadn't seemed particularly strong-willed, so maybe he'd gotten results by now.
"Sir Conall."
"Yes, Lord Heros."
I called out, and he turned from watching Gilbert to face me.
"What about those black mage prisoners?"
"A little gentle persuasion, and they spilled everything."
Conall stroked his balled-up right fist with his left hand.
Looked like the black mages had cooperated fully with his one-on-one interviews.
Unfortunately, the intel wasn't great.
"But nothing of value."
Conall's firm declaration.
My hopes deflated.
"They didn't even know Eremus headquarters' location, let alone the eastern branch's bases. They were just tag-alongs following Terence's orders."
"Expendables, then."
"Yes."
"No point in further interrogation?"
"Unlikely."
"So how do you plan to handle them?"
"Probably drag 'em alive to Chester Castle and execute them there."
Made sense.
Bringing the black mages in alive would score points with Earl Chester.
And it'd suit the earl too.
Public executions would boost allied morale.
Plus solidify organizational unity.
'Glad I grabbed Terence's robes.'
If the black mages knew nothing, I'd just ask the man in charge myself.
Though I doubted Terence's thought body would play nice with the guy who'd killed him.
So my plan was simple: Ask my questions and gauge his reactions.
'Hope he cooperates.'
Unfortunately, I couldn't summon the thought body yet.
Mana shortage.
For now, best to brainstorm what to ask once I brought Terence out.
"Hoo..."
Just then, Bear let out a deep sigh, sweat pouring down as he trudged over to me.
Conall's eyes lit up beside me, and he headed straight for Bear's spot.
He wanted a turn sparring Gilbert too.
"How was it?"
I asked Bear as he approached.
He took a slow breath before answering.
"He's definitely strong. Stronger than me in power, better technique than Sir Conall. One-on-one, I'd lose. We'd need to team up to gain the edge."
"You and Sir Conall together to get the upper hand on Gilbert?"
"Yes."
Hearing that really drove home how much stronger Gilbert had gotten.
But I couldn't show too much glee.
Bear looked down.
Time for some encouragement.
"Don't take it too hard, Sir Bear. He's undead. You're alive—you can keep growing. Gilbert can't. Keep at it, and eventually you'll catch up."
"Lord Heros...!"
Bear stared at me, eyes wide.
Anyone who didn't know him would've thought he was pissed.
His face was that fierce.
But I knew better.
He was moved.
"Let's work hard together."
"Yes!"
Bear replied with spirit.
I averted my eyes a bit.
Felt like I'd lied.
If I leveled up, Gilbert got stronger too.
Even if I learned spells like White Man's Enemy or Body Sculpting to buff undead, he'd keep pulling ahead.
Bear overtaking him anytime soon? Unlikely.
'Anyway, he's stronger again.'
Familiar growth meant mage growth.
Watching Gilbert powered up felt great.
But I wasn't stopping here.
More clashes with black mages ahead.
Meant diving deeper into magic.
Speaking of which... time to check the Underground Guide Grimoire's next requirement?
I tuned into the grimoire's voice.
"You have only just glimpsed one facet of death, but it is not enough. Spend a hundred days with the departed. Thus shall you grow accustomed to death."
The Underground Guide Grimoire's demand was straightforward.
Spend a hundred days with the dead.
Easy enough.
Just hang with Gilbert, and it'd sort itself.
No need to worry about it for now.
Wasn't something you could grind out with effort anyway.
I set the grimoire aside.
The next day, Baron Birch summoned me.
I dropped everything and headed his way.
His words from yesterday were fresh in my mind.
Oh, and Gilbert was right beside me.
Now he could guard me openly.
'He said he'd reward me.'
What would it be?
Brimming with anticipation, I climbed into the carriage.
And met Baron Birch, who was waiting.
"Come on in!"
The baron greeted me with hands clasped behind his back.
Then he spotted Gilbert beside me and let out an admiring grunt.
"Never fails to impress."
I'd already introduced Gilbert to the group.
Said he was a longtime subordinate who'd briefly parted ways and now rejoined.
So Baron Birch knew about him.
"Parading him around, everyone's gonna gawk."
The baron eyed Gilbert up and down.
His gaze was anything but casual.
He wanted to recruit him.
Not for skill, but looks.
Strolling with a 2.3-meter giant? Instant attention from other nobles.
'Nope. Not happening.'
With that in mind, I spoke up.
"What did you need me for?"
The baron cleared his throat and replied.
"Spent last night pondering what to reward you with."
Sure enough, he'd called me for a reward.
I watched him expectantly.
"Thought about a sword or armor, but you're a mage. Wouldn't suit you."
Honestly, sword or armor would've been fine.
Give 'em to Gilbert or Bear.
As I thought that, the baron continued.
"Then it hit me—the perfect gift for a mage."
The perfect gift?
What incredible thing was he dragging this out for?
Right then.
"Here."
The baron unclasped his hands.
In them was a small wooden box.
Small enough for one hand.
"Take it."
He handed me the box.
I accepted and carefully lifted the lid.
Inside, wrapped in clean cloth.
I unwrapped it to reveal a blue pill.
"Made by a top alchemist. Supposed to expand your mana capacity limit. Don't know the details, but that's what I recall."
As I stared at the pill, Baron Birch explained.
The reward was an elixir.
'This rare stuff...!'
Elixirs boosted mana without reading grimoires.
A mage's dream item.
Insanely hard to get.
Few could make them, and ingredients were scarce.
Yet Baron Birch had given me one!
'Wait, why does he even have this?'
Curiosity struck.
He wasn't a mage.
No mage retainers or family either.
No reason for him to have mana-boosting elixirs.
"How'd you come by this elixir?"
Pure curiosity.
He chuckled and answered.
"Had a guy I couldn't stand—a mage. Heard rumors he was after it, so I swooped in first. Must've been a year ago now."
Bought an elixir he couldn't use just to spite someone?
Incomprehensible to me.
Must've cost a fortune.
Every time his sense of money differed from mine, it hit home—he was nobility.
"Thank you!"
"I'm the one who's grateful. Keep up the good work."
With that, Baron Birch turned and hopped into his carriage without a backward glance.
A dashing exit.
'Hmm... doesn't seem fake.'
Alone now, I examined the pill closely.
Faint, but I sensed mana.
Baron hadn't been scammed.
Good.
'Alright, down the hatch.'
Decision made, I returned to my tent.
And popped the elixir in my mouth.
'So bitter...'
Chewing it made my tongue go numb from the bitterness.
But I powered through and swallowed.
Soon, heat surged through my body.
Followed by a sense of release.
Like breaking through a limit?
Hard sensation to describe.
'This is...'
It didn't take long to feel the effects.
My total mana capacity had increased.
Simply put, I could now store more mana inside me than before.
'Nice.'
The boost was a whopping 50.
Pushing my usable mana to 505.
Like reading one or two new grimoires.
Extremely satisfying.
'Well then, time to pay Terence a visit?'
A little time before resuming march.
Plenty for meeting Terence.
Does he know Digori? What happened to the Silent Compliance Society? Who's the eastern branch head?
So many questions.