Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Karadun Kingdom
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Getting out of bed, I gave my body a light check. Unlike yesterday when I'd slept slumped in a chair, using the bed had left me feeling quite refreshed. As I rolled my neck and rotated my arms before stepping off the bed, greetings came flying from my two disciples.
"Good morning! Did you sleep well?"
"You're up."
My eyes were drawn to the table where the two of them sat facing each other. On it sat a hefty-looking pouch, and at the sight of it, they both nodded.
"As you instructed, we sold them."
"Durel got 9 gold. I got 10!"
I'd told them to sell the items at staggered times just in case. They'd successfully offloaded them and gotten more than expected. I peered into the pouch and asked them,
"No problems?"
"None at all."
"Same here."
Using rune letters and enchantment magic, we'd be rolling in money in no time. But it was illegal. Without going through the proper administrative procedures, we couldn't sell magic tools legitimately.
'Passing them off as used goods will only work once or twice... If we get sloppy, we'll get caught...'
We already had lingering issues back in the Ber Kingdom. As a mage, I needed to raise my realm and build up the Mage Association into a force capable of facing the Blazing Horde. The last thing I wanted in this situation was trouble on a national scale.
I lightly shook the now-substantially heavier coin pouch and muttered,
"About Shimo's magic tool..."
"Are you finally going to make it?"
"Not right now. Durel, you blew fifty gold on that sword of yours, right? You need something on that level too."
"M-Master...!"
Not all magic tools are created equal. If the base item was of low quality, it might hurt Shimo's feelings. Leaving the disciple sniffling with emotion behind, I draped the Grace of Nature from the nearby coat rack over my shoulders.
Flutter—
It was an artifact that held its own mysteries even without inscribed runes. Adding any other enchantment might shatter the existing ones. That was the nature of the Grace of Nature—a treasure like that.
"Heading out?"
"We'll get ready right away!"
"No need. I just want to wander alone for a bit. You two don't stay cooped up in the room either—go do whatever you want."
As I moved to leave through the door, I had to forcibly shake off my two disciples who hurriedly tried to follow. Their concern was touching, but sometimes it got to be too much. Even their fussing chatter started to feel burdensome after a while.
More than half the day had already passed, but I wanted to explore the kingdom on my own.
"What I want to do is follow you, Master..."
"Me too...!"
"I'll get mad if you do."
I shot a cold glare at my two clingy disciples and kept walking.
Flash—!
The moment I took a step, the mysteries enveloping my body whisked me out of the inn. It was Blink, the third spell of the Infinite Archive School. The two of them hadn't even begun to master Blink yet. Naturally, they couldn't follow.
I let out a sigh only after using Blink to cover a good distance.
Late afternoon. Before nightfall, the time when the black fortress shone most brilliantly. The streets of the Karadun Kingdom buzzed with energy.
A sea of people.
Shops lining the wide boulevard were thriving. Among them, the taverns stood out as the most popular. Through slightly open windows, I could see patrons thoroughly drunk.
Dwarves and humans mixed together, chugging away. The fairly large tavern was using a magic tool inscribed with runes. It had a function similar to the oak barrel I'd made for Mangor just yesterday.
'The tavern owner must be a mage.'
Mangor, who'd received the magic tool as a gift, had told me. He'd said I'd make a fortune if I opened a tavern. Probably referring to this.
A chuckle escaped me naturally.
A mage selling booze. Unthinkable among human mages. This culture was probably due to the unique properties of rune letters.
"Hm..."
Suddenly, a fierce hunger hit me. Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten since morning. Rubbing my deflated stomach, I naturally followed the scent of food.
I arrived at a street stall grilling skewers in real time. The stall owner was, of course, a dwarf, his long beard braided in an impressively distinctive style.
"Welcome! Young customer? Or not? If I got it wrong, tell me! Dwarves aren't great at guessing human ages!"
Standing before the blazing brazier, flipping skewers with gusto—it was quite the sight.
"Not wrong, exactly. But what's this meat?"
A large sign hung in front of the stall, but I couldn't read dwarven script. The stall owner laughed heartily and replied,
"Wyvern tail meat! A specialty of our kingdom!"
"Wyvern tail...? How much?"
"One silver per two skewers!"
Not exactly expensive, but not cheap either. It was a subtly tricky price; I tilted my head. If meat from those sky-roaming wyverns was this affordable, it must be readily available.
I handed over a gleaming silver coin from my pouch and took the skewers.
"Wyverns are pretty powerful monsters, aren't they? But this is super cheap?"
"Just the tail's cheap. Wyverns shed the tips of their tails periodically. We get them from the wyvern rider units and sell 'em like this."
"Ah... Other parts expensive?"
"You couldn't buy the same weight in gold."
"Hmm..."
Was this meat really okay? Looking around with the skewer in hand, I spotted plenty of others carrying them. They all chomped away without a care, so it seemed safe enough.
I opened my mouth wide and bit into the skewer.
"How is it? Delicious, right?"
"Oh..."
It was good, yeah. Best described as a mix of pork and chicken. I wolfed down the first skewer busily and spoke up.
"Boss."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Could we ride wyverns too, by any chance?"
"Wyverns? No way, of course not. Unless you have personal ties to the riders..."
"Hmm. Got it."
I nodded and moved on. I'd wondered if we could ride them; Durel's excited face popped into my mind. Shimo had seemed quietly hopeful too after hearing about it. Too bad for those two.
'Maybe we could try with wild wyverns...'
I was chewing the skewer in my hand and strolling lightly when—
'Hm?'
The Gentle Wind swirling around me shuddered violently. It had detected danger. Not aimed at me directly, but something far off.
I turned my head at the dwarves' murmurs. Against the vast sky pouring with sunset, large shadows soared. No, those few weren't all—more kept emerging from within the massive black fortress.
'Weird...'
The wyverns' flight was erratic. Not in formation, just darting everywhere chaotically. Then, one flying low slammed into a huge building.
Boom—crash!
'Crazy...'
Now I saw—no riders on their backs. The wyvern that hit the building crashed to the ground, looked up at the sky, and roared.
[Kraaaack!]
As if on signal, the wyverns flying overhead launched a synchronized assault on the city. They charged with their massive bodies or spewed hot flames from gaping maws.
Buildings crumbled, flames roared. Dwarf guards and mages appeared from all directions trying to subdue the wyverns, but they were outnumbered.
Suddenly, my body moved on its own. With a light kick off the ground, I was in front of a massive wyvern. Its spread wings and huge frame looked incredibly menacing.
'They hold mana... scales all over... and the heart area.'
Arcana was the eye that saw mysteries. The instant I looked at the wyverns, I grasped how they wielded mana and what mysteries cloaked their bodies.
But it didn't matter. If they used defensive magic to protect themselves, just pound it until it broke. Their mana wasn't infinite.
Keening—!
The moment my Mana Circle spun wildly, hundreds of Magic Missiles battered the wyvern's body.
Papapapang—!
[Kraaaack!]
The wyvern twisted and screamed. I'd shattered its defensive magic, but its tough scales wouldn't pierce easily. Time for a stronger blow.
I kicked off the ground and leaped high.
The repulsion from clashing mana attributes. The explosive power born from it. I'd only used it partially before, unable to control it fully.
But now.
As the Mana Circle spun wildly, cold gathered in my right hand, heat in my left.
Mana seemed to whisper. That now it was possible. My control over mana had grown, and so had the total amount I could wield.
With a low exhale, blue mana scattered as I clapped my hands together. Massive repulsion tried to force the spells apart, but I suppressed it with brute force, shaping it into a sphere.
Fwaaah—!
The violently spinning mana glimmered orange. Like sunset light beaming down into my palms.
Mana stretched long, forming the shape of a massive bow.
Straight line.
The wyvern lunging toward the sky evaporated along with the straight-fired flash.