Give Me Your Daughter
"Lowborn. I asked you what that is in your hand."
Kaiden's voice was low and heavy. His gaze remained fixed on the sword gripped in my hand.
"As you can see, it's a sword forged of mana."
When I raised the blade to show him, Kaiden's brow furrowed even deeper. He turned his head to glare at his daughter, Petra Lucen.
"Petra. Did you actually leak our family's secret arts to this lowborn?"
Petra's shoulders flinched. She shook her head frantically.
"N-No! I... I just..."
Petra's face grew paler by the second. She looked even more terrified now than when she had been facing Veron.
Unable to watch any longer, I spoke up.
"Your daughter didn't teach me anything. I simply watched and copied it with my own eyes."
"You copied the Lucen secret art just by watching? You expect me to believe that?"
"It is the truth. Left without a weapon, I figured Lucen's Sword Creation Magic was my only way out."
"Nonsense. How could anyone replicate Lucen magic after seeing it only a handful of times?"
"If Lucen's Sword Creation Magic is so simple that it can be copied just by watching, then perhaps it isn't grand enough to be called a unique spell formula in the first place."
Kaiden's eyebrow twitched.
"Are you mocking House Lucen right now?"
"No. I think Lucen's magic is magnificent. It saved my life, after all. It's just that the structure was far more intuitive than I expected. Perhaps that's because it prioritizes efficiency, but that very efficiency allowed a novice like me to mimic it, however crudely. I happen to have very good eyes."
I shrugged my shoulders.
In truth, even in my past life, what perfected my swordsmanship was imitation. I observed the forms of renowned swordsmen and incorporated them into my own blade, however crudely.
A patchwork of scraps.
That was Lunia's assessment of me in my past life.
"...How dare a mere lowborn... speak of Lucen?"
My response seemed to have only fueled Kaiden's anger. His face contorted, looking as if he might take my life then and there. Petra's face turned completely white.
"That is enough, Kaiden. Now is not the time to badger the children."
At that moment, the bushes parted to either side, and Stern, the head of House Benheim, revealed himself.
"Father!"
Arno's face brightened the moment he saw him. However, Stern didn't even spare Arno a glance. Instead, he turned to look at Elder Veron, who was slumped on the ground with a devastated expression.
"Elder."
"S-Stern..."
There was not a single living black mage left beside Elder Veron. All of them had been turned to meat paste by Kaiden's bombardment.
The only reason Veron had been spared was to extract information from him, as he was the leader of the black mages here.
"Further resistance is meaningless."
Standing before Veron now were two 7th-tier Archmages, along with the elite forces of the prestigious magic families they led.
There was no way Stern would let him slip away as he had with Markel.
Realizing his fate, Elder Veron let his head drop.
"H-How... so fast..."
"We had already anticipated your movements. We knew there was no way you would pass up the hunting festival."
"Ha, haha..."
Realizing he had been dancing in the palm of Stern's hand all along, Veron shook his head weakly.
The hunting festival itself had been a massive trap designed to weed out internal traitors like Veron.
"As for who is behind this and why you did it, I will ask you later."
Stern gestured to the mages lined up behind him.
"Take him to the dungeon. Bind him securely so he cannot harm himself."
"Yes, my Lord."
The Rune Sentinels rushed forward and bound Veron. They fitted him with magic-sealing tools to prevent him from casting spells and even gagged him.
No matter how formidable a black mage might be, without mana, he was nothing more than a frail old man.
Only after confirming Veron was being dragged away did Stern turn around.
The cold expression Stern had worn until just moments ago softened into a faint smile as he looked at us, before he addressed Kaiden.
"Good work, Kaiden. House Benheim will handle the rest from here."
"Wait, Lord Benheim."
Kaiden stepped in front of Stern.
"I still have business with this brat."
His crimson eyes glared persistently at me.
"This lowborn dared to use Lucen magic. As the head of House Lucen, I must hold him accountable."
"Accountable? I fail to see what kind of accountability you are referring to, Kaiden."
"Sword Creation Magic is the pride of Lucen. That boy dared to crudely mimic our unique spell formula. It is blatant theft and an insult to our family. He must pay the price."
There was not a single hint of compromise in Kaiden's voice.
Stealing a family's secret art. In the world of mages, it was a grave crime that warranted losing one's hands.
Only then did Stern look at the mana sword in my hand. Instead of anger, a wry smile appeared on his face.
"Kaiden, you are far too rigid. If your daughter, Petra, were to replicate our Rune Magic, I would shower her with praise, calling her the genius of the century. Why must you be so narrow-minded?"
"......"
"Let me offer you a piece of advice: that stubborn pride of yours will ruin your family. Now that you have become the patriarch, you must learn to look at the bigger picture."
"...I did not come here to be lectured."
"Life is a continuous learning experience, is it not?"
As Stern offered a relaxed smile, Kaiden scowled.
Even if they were both 7th-tier Archmages and heads of prestigious magic families, the gap in status between Kaiden, who had only recently inherited his position, and Stern, who had led Benheim for over a decade, was substantial.
"Tsk. There is no point in talking further. I shall wait at the main manor."
"I will have someone guide you."
"No need. I already know the way."
Ultimately, Kaiden bit his lip and turned away.
"...Let's go, Petra."
"Y-Yes, Father!"
As Kaiden reached out, one of the greatswords floating in the air flew down and stopped beneath his feet. He placed Petra, who was too weak to walk, onto the sword like a piece of luggage and soared into the sky.
Leaving a crimson trail behind him, Kaiden vanished over the forest in an instant.
So it can be used like that.
Flight magic consumed so much mana that even Lunia, an 8th-tier mage in her past life, had avoided using it. However, using a sword as a platform could mitigate that drawback.
Worth keeping in mind.
While I was lost in thought, Stern approached us.
"Is everyone unharmed?"
"Yes."
"I owe you one this time."
Stern's gaze lingered on the corpses of the black mages and our blood-stained clothes.
"I intended to arrive sooner, but I was delayed clearing the perimeter of the barrier. A detachment of black mages had occupied the magic tower in an attempt to steal our research data."
"No, well... we survived thanks to you."
Even if I had let myself be captured without resisting, Stern would have easily rescued us.
In fact, I had a reasonable suspicion that Stern had delayed his arrival on purpose.
After all, Stern was looking at me with immense interest.
"I heard you used Lucen's magic."
"Circumstances left me with no choice. My sword broke during the fight with the magic beast, so I had to forge something to swing."
"Haha. Raygan, I am not blaming you. It is only natural to utilize everything at your disposal. Recreating Lucen magic using the Benheim mana cultivation method... your rapid learning is a magnificent talent."
"The Lucen patriarch seemed furious about it, though."
"That is only because Kaiden is still inexperienced. You need not worry. Even if his anger does not subside, he will not be able to harm you."
"Why is that?"
"You will find out soon enough."
Stern gestured to the mages behind him, calling them over.
"Return to the Benheim estate for now. Once I settle things here, I will come find you."
"Yes, sir."
"And Raygan, I have prepared a private room for you in the main manor."
I frowned at his words.
"The main manor?"
"Yes. That is where you will reside from now on."
Not the annex where collateral members stayed.
The main manor. In other words, the living space reserved for the direct bloodline of Benheim.
Allowing an external mage like me into that space meant...
"Welcome, Raygan von Benheim."
Only then did I understand Stern's words about why Kaiden would no longer be able to harm me.
Rain began to fall steadily that afternoon.
Watching the raindrops pelt the glass window, I let out a long yawn.
I wasn't particularly tired. It was merely a way to endure the idle silence.
"Raygan, you've really become a part of our family now, haven't you?"
Lunia's eyes sparkled as she chattered away.
"Father has finally accepted you as a member of the Benheim family. Giving you a room in the main manor means exactly that."
"Is that so?"
"It is! An external mage receiving the family name only happens once every few decades! It's truly amazing!"
For some reason, Lunia seemed far happier about it than I was.
"This is your first time in the main manor, right? It's completely different from the annex. It's massive, the hallways are endless, and there are so many rooms. Ah, you might get lost. Should I show you around? Or do you want to visit my room? I have lots of interesting books there."
"Why books all of a sudden?"
"Magic books! The runes in the annex are degraded versions with their core strokes removed. It'll be much better to learn here. Do you want to check out the workshop too? Compared to the annex..."
Lunia's excited chatter was barely any different from how she used to cling to me while drunk at our camps in my past life.
I smiled wryly and shook my head.
"Later. We have plenty of time anyway."
We did have plenty of time.
The Archduke of Demonic Magic wouldn't launch his full-scale war for another seven years.
However, his minions had already infiltrated Benheim.
Even the patriarch's brother, an elder of the family, had been a black mage.
If Benheim, the greatest magic family on the continent, was in this state, there was no guarantee that other families, the imperial court, or the magic towers were safe.
The Archduke of Demonic Magic was already moving. Beneath the surface, he was weaving a massive web where no one could see. The actual time remaining was likely much shorter than seven years.
Regardless, it's a solid start.
I had weeded out the black mages within Benheim, and as a reward, I had received the family name.
Just as Lunia said, receiving the name of the prestigious House Benheim was an honor that every commoner mage in the empire dreamed of.
Things are going to get busy.
Due to this hunting festival incident, the conflict between Benheim and the black mages had finally surfaced.
Even House Lucen, another prestigious magic family, had been dragged into it. Stern's move was undoubtedly a calculated play to draw Lucen in and pressure the Archduke of Demonic Magic.
The heirs of two of the five great magic families had nearly been killed by black mages.
An even greater storm would rage from now on. And having received the Benheim name, I was now standing at the very center of that storm.
Well, it's what I wanted.
It was a fight I couldn't avoid anyway. It was far better to fight with the backing of a massive family than to face it alone.
Ultimately, what I needed to do now was solidify my position within Benheim while simultaneously raising my strength.
I had to surpass the level of my past life, surpass Lunia's level, and become strong enough to rival the Archduke of Demonic Magic.
Knock, knock.
A knock at the door broke the silence.
Opening the door, Butler Allet and the maid Sheryl entered, followed by Stern.
"Were you resting?"
"Yes."
"Father! Which room is Raygan getting? Give him one on the second floor!"
Lunia clung to Stern's arm with a bright face, but he lightly raised a hand to stop her.
"Lunia, I am sorry, but please step outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with Raygan in private."
"Ugh..."
Lunia pouted in dissatisfaction, but she reluctantly obeyed his instruction.
Soon, Stern sat down on the sofa opposite me and spoke.
"The interrogation of Elder Veron will begin this evening. However, I doubt we will extract any meaningful information."
"Why is that?"
"He is bound by multiple layers of black magic restrictions. A geas to prevent him from leaking crucial information, no doubt."
A geas, or a restriction.
It was a common tactic employed by the meticulous black mages. Even if Veron wanted to speak, he wouldn't be able to. The moment he tried to force the information out, the geas would trigger and end his life.
"Though we may not get direct information, circumstantial evidence is more than enough to track them down. Especially since we have yet to capture Markel."
"So the next operation will be a pursuit, or perhaps a cleanup."
"Precisely. It will be an operation utilizing House Benheim's elite force, the Rune Sentinels. If we are fortunate, we might capture Markel and uncover the mastermind."
Stern sipped his tea before continuing.
"Regardless of the outcome, it is an undeniable fact that your contribution to this matter was immense, Raygan. You excised a rotting tumor from within our family and ultimately protected my son and daughter. This is an achievement no one in Benheim can dispute."
Stern set down his cup and looked at me intently.
"As I have said before, Benheim does not forget its debts or its grudges. Since you have achieved such distinguished merit, it is only right that you receive a fitting reward. Raygan, is there anything you desire?"
The moment of truth had arrived.
And this was undoubtedly both a reward and a test.
I paused for a moment before speaking.
"Will you grant whatever I ask?"
"Anything, so long as it lies within my power."
"Even if I ask you to open the family treasury?"
"You are ambitious. But of course, that is only natural. Even if you were to walk away with an armful of the family's artifacts, no elder would dare stop you. The elders have been thoroughly cowed by this incident."
The Benheim treasury.
In my past life, Lunia had boasted about it endlessly. In fact, the reason her resistance force had been able to operate even after the fall of the empire was because they had funded themselves by liquidating the family's treasury.
"Actually, I have no need for gold or treasures."
"Oh?"
However, what I wanted to demand here had already been decided.
"My Lord, do you remember the request I made when we first spoke in the dungeon?"
"......"
"This is an extension of that."
At my words, Stern's expression turned complex.
He, too, must have had some inkling of what I was about to say.
"Give me your daughter."
Just as it had always been.
This was my true goal.