The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 51

45. The Final Battle (1)

“I heard you made it to the finals?”

Returning to the inn, Caryl casually waved to Mikhail and Aidan, who were waiting for him.

“You’re back?”

Unlike when they first met in the Guido Mercenary Corps, Mikhail’s attitude had changed.

Back then, he treated Caryl with the minimum courtesy due to an employer, but now, although he tried to hide it, there was admiration in his eyes.

‘He must have felt it after participating in the competition. About himself using magic, and…’

He’s hoping because he participated.

He wants to fight like Caryl too.

‘Because of what Nardi Maug said, I taught him magic, but he was originally a swordsman.’

It was natural that Caryl’s way, not the battle of ordinary wizards, captivated him.

‘But not yet. There are few humans who can achieve both. If he doesn’t concentrate on magic because he’s too greedy and trains his body, he’ll end up being neither here nor there.’

Caryl looked at Mikhail and smiled lightly.

‘But don’t worry. I can’t teach you about magic, but if your magic is complete, I can always make you an excellent body.’

Caryl sat down, putting down his luggage.

Mikhail looked with curiosity at the staff with a light green jewel embedded in it, as he hadn’t seen it before.

“How is it using magic?”

“It’s amazing. Honestly, I never thought I could get this far.”

“Right? Even if it’s just Beginner.”

Mikhail chuckled at his joke but subtly expressed his fighting spirit.

“I… I may not be as good as Caryl, but I won’t lose to wizards who just stand there and chant.”

“You seem confident.”

Caryl looked at him as if it was expected.

‘He’s a rookie, but he’s been trained in the Guido Mercenary Corps. He must be confident in physical combat.’

But it wasn’t easy.

Mikhail didn’t notice, but Caryl’s body was always under various auxiliary magic spells, except when he was training.

With Mikhail’s magic power, he wouldn’t be able to fight properly because his magic power would be exhausted just by casting a few auxiliary spells.

“That’s why I sent you to Beginner.”

“Pardon?”

“You just said it. That you can’t do as well as me. If you compete in Expert, you have to fight me, right?”

“Th, that’s…”

Mikhail looked like he realized his mistake.

“Win in Beginner. You and I will take all of this competition.”

Caryl lightly patted him on the shoulder.

“Now is the beginning. I know you have a talent for magic. And you’ve proven it. Right?”

Aidan nodded towards Caryl, who was looking at him.

“Refine your magic even more. If it’s you, you can reach a higher level. If you do, I’ll give you a chance to meet the best teacher someday.”

Who is the most outstanding magician on the continent?

The owner of the Ivory Tower, a treasure trove of magic, Verch Blano, or the Imperial Court Wizard, Cardin Ruer?

Or Nine Darhon, the leader of the Immortal Society, or Deryl Harian of the Lurein Principality, called the Magic Bullet?

All of them were 7th class users who had risen to the ranks of Archmage and were the leading human magicians of their time.

Among them.

Verch Blano’s magic power is known to be close to the 8th class, and he is known as the only magician who can reach the level of Kaie Esir, who remains only in legends.

‘However, in the case of Deryl Harian, he is the youngest of the four, so his magic power is inferior, but he is a war mage specialized in combat who newly created the attack magic called Magic Bullet.’

If Verch Blano and Deryl Harian fought, it was not easy to predict the outcome.

No matter how vast the amount of magic power, it is useless if it is not properly used in combat.

‘So, when I was with my father to determine the strongest in each field, some people said that Deryl Harian should be included.’

Compared to that, the court wizard Cardin Ruer tends to be underestimated because of his old age.

‘But I know the old man’s skills better than anyone else. He is the magician who has annihilated the most enemies since the oracle was given.’

Honestly, it was something that not only Caryl but no one expected.

That he, who was well over seventy years old, would sweep the battlefield as much as the young magicians on active duty.

‘But.’

Each and every one of them was a great magician, but it would be foolish to worry about who is the ‘best’.

Even if they are excellent, they have a unique weakness.

‘That is being human.’

Caryl chuckled.

“…?”

Mikhail, who didn’t know the reason for his laughter, looked at him with a puzzled face.

‘There is no need to worry. If you choose the best, there is a unique existence that no one can match when it comes to magic.’

Right.

Dragon.

“But to welcome the best teacher, you have to prepare for it. Right?”

There are many dungeons on the continent, but the Dragon’s Lair is the place that adventurers want to explore the most.

But the difficulty was as high as the reward.

It was almost impossible for Caryl, who was not yet complete, to break through to the place where Nardi Maug was sleeping alone.

‘Mikhail, the reason I looked for you first is because, unlike the other ten, you have limitations that I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to show you to Nardi Maug before anyone else…’

Caryl himself was also intended to be used as a means to attack the Platinum Dragon’s Lair.

Whether he will become a companion or a shield…

Honestly, it was unknown when I first met him.

Mikhail might be upset if he heard this, but Caryl was cold.

He was the one who struggled in the tower for countless hours to reach the past.

His appearance is only in his teens, but he has lived for a long time compared to the time of the dragon.

‘I will no longer be swayed by personal pity.’

He knew better than anyone what kind of results it would create.

“I understand.”

Whether he knew his thoughts or not, Mikhail’s eyes sparkled at Caryl’s words.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Yes!!”

Caryl turned his head.

“Aidan, while I’m away, if a magician is looking for me, you have something to do instead.”

“What is it?”

He lightly grabbed the staff he had placed next to him and gave a strange smile.

“It’s nothing. Just keep what he gives you safe.”

Aidan was more curious about his vague instructions, but he nodded as if he was used to such orders now.

‘What’s his plan this time?’

Anyway, he knew that even if he asked, he wouldn’t get a proper answer. But Caryl’s plans always worked out surprisingly well later on.

“I will.”

Aidan nodded and thought.

‘How long do I have to stay here… Why did it have to be Azor? There’s no way to connect to the Empire here.’

From the Guido Mercenary Corps to Azor.

Aidan, who started a journey where he didn’t know when he would return to Tatur, had sent most of his messages through magic tools.

However, Azor, where the entire city is protected by a shield, would sound an alarm if anything other than the magic tools designated in the city were used.

‘I don’t know about high-level magicians, but as of now, there’s no way to let them know my location, so it’s driving me crazy.’

He didn’t think it was possible, but Aidan felt as if Caryl was deliberately going only to places where he couldn’t contact the prince.

‘Juke must have told him about Tatur’s situation, so it’ll be okay…’

Even so, he barely suppressed the feeling that he was about to sigh, so he could only think of himself as absurd.

He tried to hide his identity, but ended up following Caryl and even taught him secret techniques.

Nevertheless, he was relieved that Tatur was better off than his situation, so he thought to himself that it was absurd.

‘My teacher will try to kill me if he finds out about this.’

Caryl chuckled as if he was amused, watching him bite his lip.

“Get some rest so you can compete tomorrow. I have somewhere to go for a while.”

“Where are you going again?”

It’s only been a few dozen minutes since he entered the inn.

Mikhail clicked his tongue at Caryl, who he had never seen resting.

* * *

‘He’s here.’

Caryl, who was leaning against the fountain in the square, raised his head at the approaching presence in the distance.

‘To appear so openly. Is he not even able to use Invisibility magic?’

Or is he more confident than the seriousness of the situation warrants?

Caryl already guessed who they were.

No.

Rather, it would be right to say that he was waiting. The magicians who participated in the Expert competition, or rather, the people from the magic guilds and guilds they belonged to.

‘They couldn’t leave me alone until tomorrow’s competition.’

Caryl’s appearance in today’s competition must have been shocking.

But most of them couldn’t accept it.

His fighting style.

There are definitely wizards who use weapons. But such people were rather ostracized in the magic world.

‘Because they think that using weapons is no different from swordsmen.’

Wizards have been arguing that they should train their minds rather than their bodies in order to differentiate themselves.

That’s not wrong.

The training to use high-level magic is the practice of the mind.

That’s why they came to catch him.

Because they didn’t know how to deal with Caryl’s bold method that they couldn’t see in the competition.

But…

‘I didn’t expect them to come so openly.’

Caryl gave a strange smile as he looked at the people walking towards him without even hiding their appearance.

“I expected it to some extent, but I didn’t expect you to come here.”

“I want to make a suggestion to you. The place you belong to is a guild that has nothing to do with the magic guild. You have no other history. You may not know the meaning of the competition because you didn’t have a proper teacher.”

“What do you want to say?”

Caryl slowly raised his head.

He looked at the old magician standing in front of him. Surprisingly, he was Tapio, a high-ranking magician from the Dawn Society, which hosted this competition.

“Give up this competition.”

I expected it, but Caryl could only laugh when the host himself said this.

“Have you been doing the competition like this so far? The magicians all pretend to be noble, but the magic guild is also rotten.”

“…”

Tapio’s face hardened at his scathing criticism.

The dozen or so magicians surrounding Caryl growled as if they would rush at him right away.

“What are you going to give me?”

But Tapio smiled lightly at his words.

“Yes. Maybe it’s because you’re in the guild, but you’re not stupid. I’ll give you a magic book equivalent to the prize for winning. How about it?”

“Hmm…”

The prize for the Expert competition is a 5th class magic book.

If you are a free magician who does not belong to a magic guild, the way to obtain a magic book is limited.

In that sense, Tapio’s offer was not bad.

You can get what you want without fighting, and the magic guild can achieve its purpose of saving the face of its disciples.

Of course,

If it’s a normal magician.

Caryl got off the fountain he was leaning on and lightly loosened his wrists.

Then, he said in a calm voice to the old magician who was trying to win with tricks rather than skills.

“No, thanks.”