NOVEL NEXT C24
C24: Magicalize Kingdom
“Chancellor………is a Demon Lord?”
“Yes. She is the “magic emperor” who has all seven attributes in her body, and she controls the “night” attribute that she created, making her the best and most supreme magician on the Astro Continent! It is said that she has created more than 1,000 spells, and that every magician owns a copy of the Magic Compendium, the magician’s instruction manual, that she wrote.”
“Okay, okay! Just calm down!”
Kutone couldn’t stop talking about Nachtigal. In fact, she leaned forward and came at me with a giggle. I pushed Kutone back and calmed her down. Since we’re here, let’s hear the story of Chairman Nachtigal.
“I know she’s amazing, but she’s still a Demon Lord, right?”
“Yes. The reason why the Chancellor is called “Demon Lord” is because of the existence of the Order of Knights that she organized to protect herself.”
“Knights?”
“Yes, it’s an elite magical order trained by the chancellor herself, and it’s called the Dark Night Knights. These are the “Mages,” clad in jet-black armor, who combine exceptional swordsmanship with A-level magic.”
“Dark Night Knights…”
“Yes. Well, with those people in pitch black armor constantly hanging around Chancellor Nachtigal, the Chancellor would be called ‘Demon Lord’.”
“………Oh, that’s it?”
“Yes.”
What can I say?……At this point, Nachtigal doesn’t seem to be a bad demon lord.
“The Order of the Dark Night was formed about 50 years ago. It was long before I was born, but apparently there was a fuss about an assassination attempt of the chancellor, so they formed an order of knights instead of skilled magicians.”
“Assassination…….”
“I don’t know what other demon kings are like, but Chancellor Nachtigal is a wonderful person. I’ve only met her once, but she was a kind person…..”
Hmm, apparently she’s a good person. It’s possible that Kutone is lying to me. I just had a problem with Wade, and I don’t want to be careless and trust her…….But I can’t believe that a girl like her would deceive me…….Hmm.
I want to see it with my own eyes and listen to what she has to say. If I ask Nachtigal, who is also known as the “Demon Lord,” about the Ostrode Kingdom, I might be able to get a lot of information.
“Kutone, are there any ruins around the Magicalize Kingdom?”
“Ruins? There are plenty of them, but they’ve been thoroughly investigated, so don’t expect to find any treasures.”
“Haha, I guess you’re right. We might not be able to find the usual treasures.”
“Huh?”
When Kutone tilted her head, I answered vaguely. There are ruins, after all. I don’t know if it’s the android’s or the human’s facility, but if we investigate, we might find something interesting. Besides, my cheat is also low level, and I want to upgrade it by repairing everything I can.
“I’d better get to bed. Kutone, we’re staying in my tent.“
“Sage, you’re not interested in kids like me, are you? According to my observations……Sage likes people your age or slightly older.”
“What kind of observation is that……?”
“I want to wipe myself off before I go to bed, so I’ll see you later. Don’t peek.”
Kutone went into the tent, leaving me and Brunnhilde alone.
“Brünnhilde, she says there are lots of ruins. Maybe we’ll find your sisters.”
“Yes, Sensei. But I don’t know if they can be activated or not. According to the information left in my memory, when I was stored in the nanopod to repair my body, all of my armaments were uninstalled except for my main core, the Valkyrie Hearts, and my main weapon. The Valkyrie Heart, which is the spirit center of the War Maidens, is a rare crystal, so it is highly unlikely that it is stored in the ruins.”
“Yeah……so it’s just luck that I activated you?”
“Yes, sensei. The Valkyrie Heart that you discovered was a backup.”
“Seriously…….Brünnhilde, when we find your sisters, I’ll do my best to activate them!”
“Yes, sensei.”
Now, what we have to do remains the same. Learn magic, investigate ruins, and gather information. First, we’ll head to the Magicalize Kingdom to gather information.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
The next day, the three of us walked towards the Magicalize Kingdom. The streets were wide, so walking side-by-side was no problem. As we were walking leisurely, Kutone said,
“Mr. Sage, even when you’re walking, concentrate your magic power on your fingertips like you did yesterday.”
“What, here?”
“Of course! You can’t use magic if you can’t concentrate magic power.”
“G……I get it.”
I hold up my index finger and concentrate. Slowly my finger gets hot…….
“Here we go.”
“Oh, no! Aah!”
Kutone head-butted me in the back, thanks to this, the concentrated magic power dissipates and by magic power is consumed.
“What are you doing, Kutone?”
“Don’t let this distract you. As you walk, gather magic power as if you were breathing, like this.”
“Oh……?”
Kutone opened her hands and concentrated her magic power on all ten fingers. As she moved her fingers, she was looking at me with a face that didn’t look like she was concentrating.
“I’m not saying that you have to go this far, but at least concentrate on one finger while chatting with me. The manipulation of magic power is the foundation of all magic, so concentrate on magic power every day without fail!”
“Yes, Professor Kutone.”
“Muhihi, professor has a nice ring to it!”
Kutone grinned and slapped me. She may be a child, but she’s my magic teacher. I’ll have to do as she says.
“Okay, one more time, Mr. Sage.”
“All right, I’ll do it.”
“………”
Brünnhilde continued to walk in silence the whole time.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
From that day on, I walked while concentrating my magic power when I moved. Kutone was trying to talk to me to interrupt my concentration, and I knew that, so I just concentrated my magic power on my fingertips as I walked.
The unfamiliar manipulation of magic was exhausting both physically and mentally. The less magic I had, the heavier my body became. My walking pace gradually slowed down, and fatigue enveloped my body as if I had just run a marathon. I stopped and slumped down on the spot. However, Kutone did not take it easy on me.
“There you go, there you go, Mr. Sage. Go, go, go.”
“Mmm———hah, hah.”
“Hmm, based on the amount of magic you’ve lost so far, I’d say your magic is a little more than that of a normal person.”
“Is that right——?”
“Yes. The more you use magic, the more your magic power will increase, so let’s keep depleting your magic power and increase it!”
“———Oh, yeah.”
“We’re only a few days away from the Magicalize Kingdom. I hope you can master concentration on a single fingertip.”
“I’ll do my best——”
Magic is—–a lot of work.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
A few days later we were almost at the Magicalize Kingdom.
“Magic is classified from level G to A, and the higher the level of magic, the more magic power it consumes. With Sage’s current magical power, you’re probably at E level at best.”
“Level E, third from the bottom. That’s not much.”
“Sage’s magic attributes are “earth” and “lightning”, and if you utilize them well, you can achieve the same level of magic as an advanced level magician.”
“Really?”
I was able to converse while concentrating my magic power on my fingertips. And even when I was tackled by Kutone’s surprise attack, I did not lose focus.
“You’ve improved a lot in the past few days, keeping your concentration even when you’re taken by surprise.”
“Yeah, I’m kind of getting the hang of it.”
“Hmmm, looks like it’s time to move on.”
“Oh, that means!”
“Yeah, I’d say let’s start with some simple G-level magic——”
“What?”
Kutone looked forward and I shifted my gaze. Brünnhilde didn’t say anything, so I didn’t notice. In front of me, I could see a huge kingdom.
“We’re here.”
“Oh——at last.”
“Good work, sensei.”
Finally, we arrived at Magicalize, the kingdom of magic.