I Was Mistaken for the Reincarnated Evil Overlord

Vincent was still reeling from the realization that Darin was actually a reincarnated knight, the sorceress was already moving forward with battle plans, and Darin himself?

Darin was just praying he didn't die tomorrow.

Because, at this rate, that was a very real possibility.

The sorceress finally turned to him, her arms crossed. "Darin, it's either magic or sword. You need to pick one."

Darin hesitated. "We've trained using magic before, but… all of it got out of control. I don't want to accidentally kill Duke Varian. His followers will literally get out of control if that happens."

Vincent hummed, leaning back in his chair. "Well, that's going to be a problem."

Darin narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Vincent smirked. "Because Duke Varian is a Stage 4 Aura Knight."

Darin froze.

The room went silent.

Then, very slowly, Darin turned to him.

"I'm sorry, he's a WHAT?"

Vincent sipped his tea, unfazed. "A Stage 4 Aura Knight. There are only fifteen of them on that stage in this entire kingdom."

Darin felt his soul leave his body. "And you're telling me this NOW?!"

Vincent shrugged. "I thought you knew."

Darin threw up his hands. "HOW WOULD I KNOW THAT?!"

The Overlord chuckled in his mind. "Ah, this is getting interesting."

Darin ignored him.

The sorceress, however, was watching him carefully. "This complicates things. A Stage 4 Aura Knight will be… very difficult to fight with just swordsmanship."

Darin dragged his hands down his face. "Great. Just fantastic."

Then, a thought struck him.

He turned back to Vincent. "Wait. If Duke Varian is a Stage 4 Aura Knight… then how the hell did Steve damage him?!"

Vincent paused mid-sip.

Then, after a long moment, he carefully set down his cup.

"…That's actually a good question."

The sorceress nodded. "Steve's body may be strong, but an Aura Knight's physical endurance should have been far superior. Even with a direct hit, he shouldn't have been knocked unconscious so easily."

Darin crossed his arms. "Yeah, so what gives?"

Vincent exhaled and rubbed his chin. "I suppose we should break this down properly. You clearly don't know anything about Aura Knights, so let's go over the stages."

Darin sighed. "Alright. Lay it on me."

Vincent nodded. "Aura Knights are warriors who infuse their bodies with raw aura energy. They can enhance their speed, strength, reflexes, and even resist magic to a degree. The stages are as follows—"

He held up one finger.

"Stage 1: Aura Novice. This is where most knights start. They can sense aura, but they can't use it effectively."

Darin nodded. Okay, simple enough.

Vincent held up a second finger.

"Stage 2: Aura Initiate. At this stage, knights can start to reinforce their weapons and bodies. It's nothing flashy, but it makes them stronger than regular fighters."

Darin frowned. "I'm guessing that's where a lot of regular knights get stuck?"

Vincent nodded. "Exactly. The difference between a Stage 2 and a Stage 3 is huge."

He held up three fingers.

"Stage 3: Aura Knight. This is where things start getting insane. Stage 3 knights can fully reinforce their bodies, deflect magic, and even manipulate the battlefield by releasing pressure."

Darin frowned. "Pressure?"

The sorceress spoke this time. "The ability to exert aura dominance over an area. The stronger the knight, the heavier the presence."

Darin shuddered. "Yeah. That sounds horrible."

Vincent held up four fingers.

"Stage 4: Elite Aura Knight. This is where Duke Varian is. His strength is more than just endurance. At this level, Aura Knights can literally shatter stone with their bare hands and react to high-level spells before they even activate."

Darin felt like throwing up.

Vincent smirked. "Feeling confident?"

"Absolutely not."

Vincent laughed.

Then he continued. "But here's the thing. Most Aura Knights rely solely on their aura, and because of that, they neglect other forms of combat."

Darin raised an eyebrow. "Meaning…?"

The sorceress finished for him. "Meaning if Steve actually managed to catch him off guard, then Varian's aura wasn't fully active at the time."

Darin blinked. "Wait. So you're telling me Steve landed a lucky hit?"

Vincent nodded. "Pretty much."

Darin exhaled sharply. "I don't know if I should feel relieved or horrified."

"Both, probably."

Darin groaned. "Okay, great. I understand Aura Knights now. But what about magic users? How do they rank?"

Vincent smirked. "Oh, now you're interested?"

Darin shot him a glare. "Just answer the damn question."

Vincent chuckled but obliged.

"Magic users follow a different ranking system. You've got Wizards, Sorcerers, and Witches. Each of them has their own specialties."

He pointed at the sorceress. "Take our dear friend here. She's a Sorceress, which means she was born with magic. Sorcerers can manipulate the natural world much faster than Wizards, but they also have less formal control over structured spellcasting."

Darin nodded slowly. "Alright. And Wizards?"

Vincent continued, "Wizards rely on study. They need spells, incantations, rituals, you name it. The strongest wizards can cast some of the most powerful and precise spells in existence, but the downside is that it takes time."

Darin nodded again. "And Witches?"

The sorceress spoke up. "Witches are the middle ground between Sorcerers and Wizards. They rely on a mix of natural magic and rituals, and their power often comes from pacts or contracts with spirits or higher entities."

Darin rubbed his temples. "Okay. So, to summarize, Aura Knights get stronger by reinforcing themselves, Wizards are all about study, Sorcerers are natural-born, and Witches… make pacts?"

Vincent grinned. "See? You can learn."

Darin groaned. "Wonderful. Now, none of this helps me survive my duel."

Vincent grinned wider. "That's where I come in."

Darin blinked. "Huh?"

Vincent stood up, stretching. "Let me train you. I guess our dear sorceress is bad at teaching."

The sorceress narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

Vincent smirked. "You heard me."

Darin, who had been expecting the sorceress to murder Vincent on the spot, was too busy processing to react.

Then, in his mind—

The Overlord snickered.

"Or maybe Darin's just an idiot."

Darin immediately clenched his fists. "You can shut up anytime now!"

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to?"

Darin froze.

The sorceress watched him carefully.

Darin laughed nervously. "Uh. No one! Don't worry about it!"

The Overlord chuckled darkly.

Darin took a deep breath, trying to focus on literally anything else.

Then, something clicked.

He turned to Vincent, frowning. "Wait a second. What about you? I've seen you use both magic and a sword. What does that make you?"

Vincent smirked, clearly enjoying the attention. "Ah, now you're curious about my greatness?"

Darin rolled his eyes. "Just stop yapping and answer the damn question."

The sorceress, still visibly annoyed, crossed her arms. "Vincent is what most scholars call a Spellblade."

Darin blinked. Spellblade? "Okay. That sounds cool. What does it actually mean?"

Vincent stretched dramatically. "It means I can do both. Swordplay and magic."

Darin stared at him. "...That's not an answer."

The sorceress sighed. "It means he's trained his body to handle both Aura Knight techniques and spellcasting, something very few people can do effectively."

Vincent grinned. "You see, Darin, most people don't have the talent to handle two disciplines at once. Aura Knights focus on enhancing their bodies, while magic users focus on manipulating external energy."

Darin nodded slowly. "Right. So why can you do both?"

Vincent smirked. "Because I'm better than most people."

Darin gave him a flat look.

The sorceress, equally unimpressed, muttered, "Or because you're an arrogant idiot who pushes his body too hard."

Vincent chuckled. "That too."

Darin thought for a moment. "Wait. So does that mean you can reinforce your body and cast spells at the same time?"

Vincent wagged a finger. "No, no, no. That's where things get tricky."

Darin frowned. "Explain."

Vincent leaned back against the table. "Aura enhancement and magic work in opposite ways. Aura strengthens from the inside, while magic manipulates from the outside. If I use too much aura at once, my magic weakens. If I use too much magic, my aura stops reinforcing my body."

Darin's brain hurt. "So… you have to balance them?"

"Exactly," Vincent said, nodding. "If I go all-in on one, I lose the benefits of the other."

Darin exhaled. "That sounds… incredibly difficult."

Vincent grinned. "It is."

The sorceress sighed. "It's why most people don't do it. The strain on the body and mind is ridiculous."

Darin squinted at Vincent. "Then why do it at all?"

Vincent smirked. "Because when you get it right, you're unstoppable."

Darin crossed his arms. "Alright. Fine. Show me."

Vincent blinked. "What, right now?"

Darin nodded. "Yes. If I'm going to learn from you, I want to see what I'm dealing with."

Vincent chuckled. "Oh, this is exciting."

The Overlord snickered in Darin's mind.

"Yes, let's watch the idiot get humiliated."

Darin groaned. "Not you too."

Vincent tilted his head. "Huh?"

Darin coughed. "Nothing. Just…show me what you can do."

Vincent grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Alright then. Let's take this outside."

Darin had a very bad feeling about this.

And judging by the sorceress's exasperated sigh, she did too.

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