I'm a Grand Mage?
I'm a Grand Mage? 13. I'm a Grand Mage?
Kwaaaang—!!
Crashhh—!!
I kept smashing through walls and pressing forward. It didn't take much effort at all. This level of destruction was trivial. After advancing for some time, I finally encountered the "welcoming committee."
"W-What's going on?!"
"T-The wall is collapsing!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
They came out to greet me on their own once their outer wall crumbled. Roughly fifty of them in total. I had come here to rob the place, but being a thief didn't mean I had to sneak in quietly.
Does this make me an armed robber instead?
Either way, all I needed was their money. I looked over the fifty men gathered before me and nodded to myself.
"Hmm. They don't really look like typical thieves."
Surprisingly, their clothes were rather decent, and I could feel a fairly strong presence from them.
"These aren't ordinary thieves."
Their auras were far too potent for common cutpurses. Especially the twenty men at the front—they all seemed to be 1st Awakening users.
Twenty 1st Awakeners... No wonder the kingdom can't touch Trier's underworld.
That was no ordinary fighting force. It explained why Robin had looked so flustered when I first mentioned raiding the Thieves' Guild.
"B-Be careful, sir! Those are the Thief Kings!"
"Thief Kings...?"
"Yes! All twenty of them—from the First Thief King to the Twentieth—are here...! Could today be one of their meeting days?!"
"A meeting?"
"Yes. It's the day all the Thief Kings gather! Damn it, our luck is terrible...!!"
Robin looked genuinely terrified. As for me, I found the whole situation absurd. Thieves calling themselves "Kings," and twenty of them at that.
There's only one Mercenary King, after all...
They probably just gave themselves fancy titles for show. Soon, the man called the First Thief King stepped forward.
"Who are you people? You seem to know quite a lot about us."
Both Robin and I had our faces and bodies covered. Especially me—I was wrapped in a robe like a mage, making identification difficult. Robin trembled violently at the First Thief King's words.
"W-Well, that's..."
"Be quiet."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
I shut Robin up for now and slowly scanned the twenty men ahead. Twenty 1st Awakeners. These were on a completely different level from the fake I had dealt with at the Mercenary Guild. I almost drew my sword out of habit—1st Awakeners deserved at least that much respect. But then a thought struck me.
Wait a second...?
Right now, I was both the Mercenary King and an academy student. Neither identity should be involved in thievery. That was why I had even cast magic on Robin to keep our disguises perfect. But if I used a sword here...?
Too many people already recognize my swordsmanship.
I'd be exposed instantly. That couldn't happen.
No choice, then?
I had always been called a Magic Swordsman, even before becoming the Mercenary King. Magic was precious to me as well.
Right. I'm already wearing a robe. Might as well play the mage.
I decided to create yet another identity—an evil mage who robbed villains. It was a shame I hadn't brought a staff, but I simply extended my hand toward them and cast a spell.
Flash—!
My hand glowed, and vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around their feet.
"Hup...!!"
"M-Magic!!"
I had used Bind magic. It was a very basic spell, something even novice mages could manage. Yet every single one of them looked shocked—especially the so-called Thief Kings.
Of course they were. I had cast it with nothing but a gesture. No incantation. No words at all. And the magic still activated.
"G-Grand Mage...!!"
Only a Grand Mage, someone beyond even high-ranking mages, could do something like that. Or... there was one other possibility.
"N-No, it can't be a Grand Mage! He must be a War Mage!"
"R-Right!"
"War Mages who fight on battlefields can cast without chanting too!"
Mages were already rare, and Grand Mages were rarer still—comparable to 3rd Awakeners. These men never imagined a Grand Mage would appear in a place like this.
They're sharper than I expected.
Their guess was correct. I wasn't a Grand Mage. I was closer to what they called a War Mage—someone seasoned in combat. In that sense, the title fit me as well.
Well... I can cast most spells without chanting, not just combat ones, but...
Regardless, their panic eased slightly. They still remained wary, however. Even a War Mage wasn't an opponent to underestimate. War Mages could cast several combat spells without incantations, and such mages were notoriously troublesome.
"Don't worry! He probably can only do one or two spells without chanting! Everyone, cut these vines first!"
The First Thief King shouted from the front. He really did seem to be their leader. After quickly severing the vines, he barked orders at his subordinates.
Quite perceptive.
But he didn't stop there. After issuing commands, he charged straight at me with terrifying speed.
Whoosh—!!
He closed the distance in an instant. As expected of a 1st Awakener.
"You won't be able to cast right after using magic!!"
He was right—about ordinary mages, at least. My hand was still extended, and another spell burst forth from it.
Flash—!!
Kwaaaang—!!
A loud explosion rang out alongside flames. His sword had struck my Shield.
"A-A Shield without chanting too...? And at that speed...!"
He looked genuinely shocked. Even most War Mages couldn't pull off something like that. Yet he wasn't the leader here for nothing. He kept moving, trying to find an opening where my Shield didn't cover.
His blade came flying toward my side—
Kwaaaang—!!
But it stopped again with another crash. A second Shield had appeared beside me. The first one hadn't vanished either. Two Shields now floated in the air.
"D-Double casting...! Without chanting too...?!"
His eyes trembled, as if he desperately wanted to reject what he was seeing.
"H-He can't be a Grand Mage! Everyone, attack!!"
At his command, all the thieves rushed toward me. They had already broken free of my Bind spell. But I wasn't about to just stand there and watch.
Whoosh—!
A fireball the size of a human head materialized in front of me and shot toward the charging men.
"T-That's...!!"
"F-Fireball! Everyone, dodge!"
"Are you insane?! Using something that dangerous in such a cramped space?!"
"He can even cast Fireball without chanting?!"
Fireball was a spell everyone recognized from games, usually considered beginner magic. In reality, however, it was a mid-tier spell that required at least intermediate mage level—and its power was nothing to scoff at.
The fireball landed right in the middle of the clustered thieves.
"Hup! I-It's coming!"
Kwaaaaaang—!!
"Graaaagh—!!"
A deafening roar erupted as flames exploded in every direction. Fireball worked by compressing a massive blaze into the size of a head before launching it. Its destructive force was immense.
The flames reached even where I stood, but I casually blocked them with another Shield. Robin was protected as well—a fresh Shield had appeared in front of him.
"T-Triple casting...! No, quadruple...?!"
Robin's eyes were wide with shock. He had known I was skilled, but he clearly hadn't expected my magic to be this overwhelming.
The flames eventually subsided, revealing dozens of men covered in burns. They had managed to dodge in time, so none were dead, but most were now combat-incapable.
"Kgh...!"
"H-Help...!"
Fireball really was overpowered in such a narrow space. I turned to the First Thief King, who was still relatively unscathed. He stood there with a dazed expression, clearly having misunderstood my identity.
"Still want to fight?"
At my words, his eyes widened. Then, in an instant, he dropped flat to the ground. As expected of a thief—even a 1st Awakener, he discarded his pride without hesitation.
"N-No, sir! H-How could I possibly raise a hand against a Grand Mage?!"
I gave him a strange look. I wasn't actually a Grand Mage. If I were a 3rd Awakener and a Grand Mage, I wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble.
If I just stayed still, I'd be top of the class. Why bother with this nonsense?
Truthfully, my magic level was closer to that of an intermediate mage—just not an ordinary one. The fact that I could use quadruple casting without chanting proved as much. No mage short of a Grand Mage could replicate that feat.
Still, I saw no need to correct his misunderstanding. Instead, I spoke in a cold voice.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"Pardon?"
"Take me to your headquarters. Now."
"O-Our headquarters?"
"You don't want to?"
I raised another fireball into the air.
Whoosh—!!
His face instantly turned pale.
"N-No, sir! I'll guide you right away!"
I dismissed the fireball and began walking with a calm expression.
"Lead the way."
"Y-Yes, sir!!"
I decided to keep up the cold act. That was the image mages had, after all.
This way, he won't suspect I'm the Mercenary King.
I followed the First Thief King, making sure to drag along the still-stunned Robin.
"What are you doing?"
"N-Nothing, sir!"
He quickly wiped the shock from his face and hurried after me. For some reason, I got the feeling that a hint of loyalty had just taken root in him.