Genius Swordsman of the Mage Empire

Chapter 5. Successor of the Sword (2)

The clear shadow of the dawning sunrise came in through the huge window of the fortress.

The sound of two footsteps echoing rhythmically in the huge, empty fortress corridor.

Next to Enoch, who was walking there.

There was a young female mage who was releasing him from prison and escorting him to his room.

‘I think her name was Teano?’

Enoch glanced at her, who was walking half a step ahead.

‘I’ve never seen her face in the original story.’

She was the one who had arrested Enoch at the scene of the theft.

To be exact, he had deliberately made a sound to be caught when she was patrolling, but there was another reason why she caught his attention from Enoch's point of view.

‘That uniform is… from the 「Nemesis Knight Order」.’

Her outfit, dressed in jet-black uniforms and wearing a peaked cap, was quite familiar.

The design clearly showed off the lines of the body, and the bare legs were exposed coolly below the skirt.

It would have been strange not to recognize such a uniform at once.

‘Her rank is Deputy Commander? She looks young.’

Enoch, who identified her rank by the insignia on her uniform, was a little surprised inside.

In the original 「Nemesis Knight Order」, the Elsyde Main House boasts a small elite unit directly under the family.

It is a knight order that is proudly called the ‘elite of the elite’ even within this house, which is the center of the Empire’s best combat mages.

That's why I was a little worried.

‘Something’s strange.’

If she, who looked like she was barely over twenty, had risen to the position of Deputy Commander of Nemesis, she must be a very talented person.

But surprisingly, she wasn’t a figure that Enoch recognized.

‘There’s something going on. Why didn’t she appear in the original story?’

Enoch pondered for a while and then shook his head.

Well, this was no longer a game, but reality. There would be countless characters who didn't appear in the original story of the vast world, apart from Teano.

‘…Or, something happens to her by the time the original story starts in five years.’

Well, considering the events of the original story, it wouldn’t be that strange.

Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Teano, who was walking ahead, glanced back at Enoch and urged him.

“Please be more careful in your future actions. Lord Enoch Elsyde.”

She turned to look at him and tilted her head slightly.

“…But what are you holding in your hand?”

A long, rolled-up blanket of unknown origin.

Enoch answered as if it were nothing.

“Ah, it was a bit cold last night.”

Teano nodded without much suspicion.

Well, what else could there have been in the cold Underground Prison that had been abandoned?

Since he was a young master who had grown up preciously in a corner of the room, he must have needed something to keep out the cold all night.

When they arrived in front of Enoch’s room, she bowed slightly and turned around after giving a simple greeting.

“Then, goodbye.”

Enoch's eyes briefly followed her back as she turned and walked down the corridor.

***

Thud.

As he closed the heavy door and entered the room, the darkness of the quiet room greeted him.

It hadn't even been a day since I had suddenly come here, but it was the most reassuring place.

But just as he was about to relax.

Suddenly, a cold voice quietly echoed in the room.

“Have you returned, Master.”

The moment he heard the voice, Enoch was reminded of the maid who had been with him since he had possessed the body.

I had been so busy since the possession that I had forgotten about her for a while.

As he slowly turned his head, a girl in a maid's uniform was quietly watching him with cold eyes.

It was Lien.

The room was so dark that he didn't even know anyone was there.

“I’ve been waiting.”

Her silver hair cascaded over her maid's uniform as she bowed slightly.

Enoch was momentarily mesmerized by her, forgetting even what he had to do.

An atmosphere like clear ice.

She was a beautiful girl who would captivate anyone's attention. But the emotionless look in her eyes as she looked at him was somehow cold.

“If it’s not rude to ask, may I ask where you were all night?”

She asked as she approached him. At Lien's question, Enoch quickly regained his senses and answered.

“I had something to do regarding my disownment.”

“…Is that so.”

Rustle.

At Enoch’s answer, Lien’s neat eyes, hidden behind her silver hair, narrowed slightly for a moment.

But she soon bowed once again in a polite manner.

“Although it’s early, I will prepare breakfast if you need it.”

Enoch realized that he was feeling hungry and nodded.

“Yes.”

“I will be on my way then.”

Lien quietly closed the door and left.

“…….”

Only then did Enoch let out a breath and relax for a moment.

The fact that the maid Lien was in his room so naturally meant that she was close to the original Enoch.

‘…A maid who waited for Enoch until dawn after staying up all night.’

I’ve never seen a real maid or butler before, but I can guess that this isn’t normal.

Besides, it was strange that she didn’t ask any questions, even though there was clearly something fishy about it.

What was her relationship with the original Enoch?

‘It’s meaningless to think about it now.’

There was no way to find out right now anyway.

It was time to focus on what was in front of me first.

Swish.

Enoch slowly unfurled the blanket, revealing the object inside.

A blade that shone bluish in the light of the dawning sunrise.

A sharp blade and a straight guard across the bottom. A one-handed double-edged sword, a little over 1 meter in length, finished with precise craftsmanship.

The condition was surprisingly good.

‘I don’t know what era the Sword Saint was from, but judging from the circumstances, it’s probably a very old sword…….’

Judging from its shape, it wasn't for formal attire, but a sword that the Sword Saint used to use himself in the past.

But I don't know what material it was made of, but its condition was unbelievably perfect. If you just dusted it off, there would be no problem using it in battle right away.

Enoch finished his thoughts as he inserted it into the scabbard.

‘First of all, I need to hide the fact that I use a sword.’

Even in the original story, Enoch's swordsmanship was not recognized in the Magician House. Given that fact, if a rumor spread that a descendant of a Main Magician House like this was carrying around a sharp weapon….

‘It’s obvious that unwanted attention would be focused on me in many ways.’

I’m already in a situation where I can’t even talk properly to people around me because I’m afraid of being discovered. There was nothing to be gained by attracting unnecessary attention in the midst of all this.

Swish

Enoch found a magic tool bag lying around in the room and put it in the scabbard and tied the knot.

The clear shape of the one-handed sword was covered and hidden by a long, black cloth bag.

‘Originally, Enoch was going to put magic tools such as staves in here….’

Now that I know about the broken trait , I had to change its purpose.

Fortunately, the size of the cloth bag fit the sword perfectly.

It seemed pretty perfect. This way, I wouldn't be suspected even if I carried a sword in the future.

Because bags for storing magic tools were common in the Empire.

Thud.

Enoch leaned the sword in the cloth bag against the wall and sat on the bed.

‘First, let’s organize my thoughts.’

The ruins of the Underground Prison.

The world I entered through the Sword Saint's sword there.

I first needed to understand that space where I didn't die even after facing endless death.

Of course, now that I had been there myself, I had some idea of what that place was.

‘It was probably Enoch’s inner world.’

I could tell instinctively.

The feeling of being deeply immersed in the endless world of the self the moment I grabbed the sword.

Even without anyone telling me, it was clear that that alien space existed within Enoch.

‘And the trait that was manifested in that inner world, .’

The original Enoch was stated to be a ‘genius of the sword’.

Perhaps that inner world was also a kind of talent he possessed.

But questions still remained.

‘The message said that I couldn’t continue the inheritance because of [Lack of Understanding of Mana].’

If so, I had to solve that first.

After being lost in thought for a while, Enoch looked back at himself and smiled.

‘It’s no different from the random thoughts I had while looking up game settings and lying in bed.’

But the difference between then and now was clear.

You can restart the game at any time, but there probably won't be another chance in this world.

Outside the window, the sun was finally rising, piercing through the long night.

‘I just need to experiment one by one.’

Enoch picked up the sword in the bag and stood up.

I had to move again.

Nothing would be solved by just standing still.

***

A huge sign engraved with [Public Training Ground].

And a huge door that was proportional to it.

It was fortunate that I knew something about the Elsyde Fortress through the game, as well as the instructional manual in the room.

Thanks to that, I was able to find the major facilities of the House Fortress without much difficulty.

‘It’s damn big.’

The overwhelming size and magnificence of the interior was felt on the skin, which was incomparable to the game.

Enoch then entered the training ground.

The reason I came here was none other than that the message that flashed in the previous inner world had flashed through my head.

─Lack of Understanding of Mana

The message from the inner world clearly said that. To increase your understanding of mana.

‘If so, judging from the circumstances, I need to understand mana in order to continue to the next stage of growth.’

The reason I came to the training ground was for that reason.

To understand mana, it would be better to have someone to look at and refer to. The moment Enoch took a step with that conviction─

Kwaaaang!

─A fireball that flew in from somewhere exploded on the floor right next to him.

Glancing to the side, he saw crimson flames flickering at Enoch's feet before rapidly subsiding.

“Lord Kaon is in the middle of a duel! Please stay away, as it is dangerous!”

Someone shouted urgently from over there. Enoch searched his memories of the original story and thought of that name.

‘If it’s Kaon, he’s from the Elsyde House?’

A character with enough recognition to appear several times in the original story.

His combat power was quite useful, so I had roughly memorized the settings for him.

‘Come to think of it, that guy is a direct descendant of the Elsyde House, so he’s a brother of Enoch. Am I the older brother? Or is he the older brother?’

Enoch pressed down hard to stop an unnecessary question from popping up inside him.

In any case, what was urgent right now was not his age or brotherhood, but understanding the sense of mana.

Enoch turned his attention away.

Widening his field of vision, he could see the figures of two mages in the distance who were practicing.

A man surrounded by dozens of fireballs rapidly rotating near his body, and a woman hiding behind a translucent protective wall to block them and somehow trying to find an opportunity to counterattack.

All eyes were focused on the center of the training ground, watching the mock battle between the two.

‘It’s a perfect situation to experiment.’

Enoch moved back to a corner and quietly watched their battle.

The man stretched out a long staff in front of him. Soon, a magic circle rose up and began to rotate.

It was one of the most familiar spells to Enoch.

Among the 9th-tier general magic, it was the fire-type magic that boasted the most overwhelming firepower. [Pyroblast].

At the end of the staff that the man extended. A dance of fire unfolded in front of the rotating magic circle.

Soon, huge disks made of raging flames were formed and fired at the opponent at a terrifying speed.

“Ugh!”

Hwaaaak!

The female mage, in response, deployed defensive magic, but the flames, which blazed as if to burn the space, were overflowing as if to swallow her barrier whole.

Enoch carefully examined the mages and the magic circles they were constructing.

The ‘Sense of Mana’ he had learned in the inner world.

In Enoch's eyes, the flow of mana operated by the mages was now faintly visible.

Thanks to that, he noticed quite interesting facts that he hadn’t known before.

‘The mage uses his body as a medium, drawing in and processing mana that is naturally dissolved in the surrounding environment. He then uses that transformed mana to construct the magic circle he wants and drives the magic.’

Suddenly, scenes from the inner world flashed through his mind, where the Sword Saint's shadow wielded a sword and cut off the lines of mana.

‘Then, the lines of mana that the Sword Saint or whatever cut off at that time were the energy source of the magic that the mage was drawing in from the surroundings.’

In other words, if you cut all of that off, it would be the same as cutting off the energy supply needed to drive the magic.

That's why the magic doesn't activate.

On the other hand, once the magic circle is completed, the completed magic will work as it is, regardless of whether you cut the lines of mana or not.

‘It seems that the key in actual combat is how quickly you can cut it off before the magic circle is completed.’

Just as Enoch was thinking that far.

At that moment, faint exclamations were heard from those who were watching the mock battle of the mages from the side.

“How can Lord Kaon cast such high-output magic without getting tired…!”

“If it were me, I would have already collapsed from mana depletion. As expected, the talent of the Elsyde direct line is….”

Turning his gaze, the mage who was fighting over there was deploying a magic circle again.

But this time, the lines of mana he deployed stretched out even further than before.

‘The higher the power of the magic, the more lines of mana stretch out further. Is it because it requires a greater amount of mana to activate?’

Whoosh-

Among them, one of the lines of mana that accidentally stretched out to Enoch's front caught his eye.

Perhaps because it was a magic that consumed a lot of mana, mana seemed to be drawn in even from here, far away from where they were fighting.

It was a good opportunity.

‘Shall I try cutting it?’

It was a perfect opportunity because it was a secluded corner where he wouldn't be noticed, and everyone's attention was focused on the duel.

Enoch watched the flow of mana created by the two mages and slowly untied the knot of the black cloth bag he was carrying on his back.

Swish─

As he drew the sword, the silver-white blade revealed its form along with the small sound of metal echoing.

Enoch grabbed the hilt and raised the sword straight up.

Maybe cutting off one of these wouldn't scatter the magic circle. There were countless lines of mana stretching out in other directions as well.

But he wanted to check in advance how much damage it would do to the magic if he cut off one line, or whether he could really cut it off like the Sword Saint.

Thinking that far, Enoch swung his sword and quickly cut off the line of mana that was visible only to him.

Swoosh!

But contrary to expectations, the swung sword passed through the mana line emptily.

He tried a few more times, just in case, but there was no change in the mana line he saw in front of him.

Enoch nodded slightly and put the sword back in its sheath.

“…Hmm.”

Cutting mana was not just a matter of swinging a sword. There must be other conditions required in addition.

Then what was that condition?

In fact, there was one thing I could guess.

‘Do I have to infuse my mana into the sword to be able to interfere with the other person’s mana?’

The scene from before flashed through his mind. The sword that the Sword Saint's silhouette wielded was clearly stained with the red mana he had manifested.

But that wasn't the case here.

He couldn’t infuse mana into the sword yet. That was the only difference between him and the Sword Saint now.

The reason why he couldn’t cut the line of mana would be the same.

‘Is that why the message to understand mana popped up?’

It meant that because he couldn't infuse his own mana into the sword, he couldn't interfere with the mage's mana. Now he roughly understood the messages about the power being reduced.

‘The problem is how to manifest mana….’

Enoch lowered his head, deep in thought.

The current he was not the Enoch who had lived here for 17 years.

Of course, to suddenly understand the unfamiliar concept of mana and manifest it was nothing more than trying to grasp the clouds.

‘At least I need to be able to feel what mana is.’

Thinking about it calmly, there was only one conclusion.

I had to find a way to feel mana directly, not just see it.

But to feel your mana.

What the hell should I do?

While Enoch was calmly lost in thought.

“Haha! I see a face that’s crawled out of the room for the first time in a while, Enoch.”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar boy's voice pierced his ears.