Emperor Of Steel [EN]: Chapter 34

5. Contact with the Dark Moon

‘What?! The Northern Army was crushed, and Chrome City has fallen?!’

*Thud!*

Emperor Rudolf, who had been quietly resting in the rear garden of the Imperial Palace, slammed his fist on the table, unable to contain his rising anger.

The ebony table, imported from the Southern Continent, shattered into pieces along with the teacups, unable to withstand his fury.

‘How on earth could such a thing happen?!’

‘It was due to being deceived by the enemy’s trickery…’

Count Voltaire began to explain in detail what he had been informed.

After hearing the whole story, Rudolf looked utterly dismayed.

He never imagined that the Republic’s bastards would see through his plans and use them against him.

He ground his teeth and asked,

‘Even so, the Northern Army’s strength shouldn’t have crumbled so easily, right? Didn’t Count Kyle, a Sword Master, also provide support?’

He thought that even if they were caught off guard, they would at least put up a fight, not suffer a complete defeat.

‘That is, it is said that Duke Dimitri, who is leading the enemy’s main force, has generated a Hyper Aura [an immensely powerful energy field].’

‘Hyper Aura!!’

Rudolf jumped up from his seat.

‘Yes. It is said that over 170 Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] rushed at him to kill him, but they failed and were annihilated instead.’

‘Damn it, those Republic bastards have become very cunning.’

Until now, when the Empire and the Republic had border disputes, they had almost always engaged in direct confrontations.

But now, they were dividing their forces to strike from behind, and they had even hidden Duke Dimitri’s achievements. It was clear that they were coming at them with a plan.

‘Your Majesty, we must quickly support the North.’

‘If the Northern Army has fallen, then of course we must.’

The North, along with the Central region, traditionally had many nobles who supported the Emperor.

If they were all to fall in this war, it would be a major blow to Rudolf.

So, he decided to take action himself.

‘Order the Central Army and the Imperial Knights to mobilize immediately.’

‘What? Are you going yourself, Your Majesty?’

‘Yes. If Duke Dimitri has reached the level of a Sword Sage [a master swordsman of legendary skill], there will be no one to face him. I will go and deal with him myself.’

He was a man with a fiery temper.

However, because of the burden of being the Emperor of the Empire, he could not leave the Imperial Palace and could only watch.

But now the situation had changed.

With the justification of repelling the Republic’s army that had invaded the Empire and rescuing the North, he immediately declared a personal campaign.

‘Time is of the essence to save the North, which is in crisis. Order them to make preparations so that we can depart tomorrow.’

‘Yes, Your Majesty!’

As Count Voltaire hurriedly disappeared to carry out his orders, a terrifying aura rose from Rudolf’s body.

The storm-like aura was so fierce that the flowers in the garden scattered wildly, and the servants turned pale and trembled.

‘How dare they invade my territory! I will not leave a single Republic bastard alive.’

The next day, the Central Army and the Imperial Knights, led by Emperor Rudolf, set out.

Thanks to their relentless march day and night, they were able to reach the North in less than a week.

The first people Rudolf met upon arriving in the North were over a million war refugees.

Leaving behind the refugees, who looked miserable from their hardships, the Emperor continued his advance.

The next thing he encountered was hundreds of stragglers from the Northern Army.

Surprisingly, the person leading the stragglers was Count Naiman. He approached the Emperor, knelt down, and bowed his head to the ground.

‘Your Majesty! Please kill me!’

Contrary to his desperate cry, Naiman was subtly looking around, begging for forgiveness and mercy.

Rudolf, feeling a surge of irritation, asked in a cold voice,

‘Where is the enemy?’

‘That is… the enemy has already retreated.’

‘What?!’

According to Naiman’s story, it seemed that the Republic army’s goal was not to secure territory.

Their purpose was to weaken the Empire’s military power and national strength. They burned down castles and fortresses, destroyed the defenses and magic towers of each territory, and ruined farms.

They also took away valuable possessions and captured talents such as scholars, magicians, and engineers.

They beheaded resisting nobles and knights, and drove out all the ordinary civilians who had no particular value from the cities and towns.

Those who were driven out became beggars and headed south, where they met the Imperial Army.

‘The bastards looted and destroyed the cities and territories of the North until they retreated. I tried my best to stop them, but with my weak forces, I could only be defeated repeatedly…’

‘Kuaaak! Those bastards!’

Rudolf, burning with rage, immediately ordered a pursuit. He was thinking of crossing the border and wiping out the Republic’s supporters.

However, his ministers, including Count Voltaire, dissuaded him.

They said that if a full-scale war broke out between the Volga Republic and the Baroque Empire, it would only benefit the surrounding countries.

In fact, wasn’t the reason the Empire had been keeping an eye on the Republic all this time due to the checks and balances of neighboring countries, including the Holy Artenia Empire?

‘Moreover, the movements of the aristocratic faction, who have obtained information about the Northern Army’s defeat, are not normal. There are increasingly alarming statements in the Imperial Council that the Emperor’s authority should be reduced and the nobles’ authority should be increased.’

Upon hearing Count Voltaire’s report, Emperor Rudolf finally decided to return to the Imperial Palace.

‘But before I go back, I need to clean things up a bit.’

Rudolf, muttering to himself, turned his gaze back to Count Naiman.

‘You have suffered much, Naiman.’

‘Your Majesty!’

Naiman was overjoyed at the Emperor’s gentle smile.

But the moment he had hope, Rudolf drew his sword like lightning and beheaded him.

*Thwack!*

It happened so quickly that Count Naiman died without even screaming.

‘Y-Your Majesty, why…?’

While the ministers were bewildered, not knowing what was going on, Rudolf called out the scribe who recorded history.

‘Count Naiman fought bravely against the enemy until the end with his subordinates and died a glorious death. Write it down like that.’

‘Yes? Ah, I understand, Your Majesty.’

The scribe immediately understood the Emperor’s intention.

Count Naiman was a noble of the Emperor’s faction.

It would not be good to let it be known that he had been defeated so miserably and was still alive.

By handling it as if he had died honorably, he was trying to reduce the criticism regarding personnel issues that would come from the aristocratic faction.

Having finished his final arrangements, the Emperor ordered a retreat.

Although he had calmed his anger and decided to return, he would never forget the resentment of this defeat.

‘Kuh, I will retreat for now, but I will repay this humiliation by any means necessary!’

Emperor Rudolf, glaring at the north with a terrifying look, turned his horse towards the imperial capital, Nemesis.

‘Hahaha! It’s been a while since I’ve heard such a refreshing story.’

President Vladimir burst into laughter upon receiving the report that Emperor Rudolf had retreated.

The thought of Rudolf being so infuriated made his laughter unstoppable.

‘What is Duke Dimitri doing now?’

At the President’s question, Silvia, the Second Director of the Intelligence Department, stepped forward to answer.

‘He has withdrawn most of his troops and is stationed with some elite soldiers in front of the tunnel in the Castille Mountains.’

‘The tunnel in the Castille Mountains, the one that became the new invasion route for the Empire this time?’

‘Yes, he has set a trap in preparation for the Imperial Army’s retaliatory expedition, but it has become unnecessary.’

It is said that they deliberately leaked information about the tunnel to the Imperial Army.

Dimitri’s plan was to annihilate them by activating the prepared gunpowder and explosion magic circles if they used that place to launch a revenge attack.

However, the Imperial Army was not a group of fools, and Rudolf’s sudden retreat canceled the retaliatory expedition.

‘Tell him to come back. And what about the southern border region? Are the Imperial Gigants still running rampant?’

As the President changed the subject, Silvia and the other ministers’ expressions slightly distorted. They looked displeased.

‘Seven fortresses have already been plundered. The local armies in the area have been disbanded, and the military flags and the seals of the quartermasters have been looted.’

Duke Kutuzov, the commander of the Central Army, spoke with a resentful tone.

While Duke Dimitri was ravaging the northern region of the Empire, some Imperial troops invaded the southern border of the Republic.

They were helpless for a while, and this was largely due to the fact that many of the local armies in the south had joined the Tolud Fortress assault force led by Marquis Tyron and had not returned.

Above all, no one had expected that they would lose all the valuable weapons such as Gigants and cannons that they had taken with them.

‘But it will calm down soon. We have dispatched reinforcements.’

The President nodded at Duke Kutuzov’s words and said,

‘It has to be. Anyway, it’s a stain. If we had taken Tolud Fortress as well, this war would have been a perfect victory.’

‘That’s right. It is said that Duke Dimitri had a hard time preparing a new ambush operation because Tyron failed to lure the Northern Army. Well, he did achieve a great victory, though.’

‘Tsk tsk, Marquis Tyron is getting old. He’s become too thoughtful. In the old days, he would have seen through the enemy’s tricks in an instant…’

Since Marquis Tyron had honestly reported the situation of his army’s collapse, the people in this place were able to know the whole story of the defeat.

Vladimir had also seen the report.

He couldn’t just blame Tyron. Despite their weak forces, the opposing commander’s ability to use deception and counterattacks was considerable.

‘His name is Luke de Rakan, is it?’

‘I heard he is a descendant of the Sword Emperor Rakan [a legendary hero].’

‘It’s fortunate that he’s a descendant of a hero. If it were someone else, it wouldn’t have ended with just the military flags and seals being taken.’

Although the border region was ravaged, the human and material damage was incomparably less than that of the Empire.

This was because the Imperial Gigant unit led by Luke was small in number, and they only destroyed fortresses and castles, not touching the cities or towns.

President Vladimir liked Luke’s chivalrous attitude.

‘I want to try to win him over… but the elves would jump at me, wouldn’t they? They all consider Rakan their mortal enemy.’

Moreover, according to the Intelligence Department’s report, he was also close to Princess Reina.

Even if Reina had no political ambitions, she was a figure symbolizing the old system, so the President thought he shouldn’t let his guard down.

‘And even if Luke continues to be an enemy in the future, there’s no need to worry too much. After all, the hero’s family is famous for being short-lived, and if that’s not the case, Silvia will take care of it appropriately.’

Unlike the President, who was thinking so optimistically, Silvia was in a position where she could not handle Luke carelessly.

It seemed that he was related to Seimon or Erenes.

Moreover, recently, Erenes, who had visited his territory, had even requested information about the battlefield for Reina.

‘I have no choice but to watch for now.’

Silvia decided to wait for the reports from the dark elf agents who had accompanied Erenes.

She would be able to find out why Luke could use Seimon’s black magic and why he knew about Erenes when their reports came in.

After successfully completing the siege, Luke, who had quickly reorganized the Gigants, swept through the Republic’s territory across the border.

In the southern region of the Republic, where the main forces such as Gigants and cannons had been taken away for the fortress assault and lost, there was no way to stop Luke’s offensive.

Luke roamed through this undefended area, capturing seven fortresses, seizing military flags and seals, and looting gold and silver ingots from government offices and noble residences.

In this process, he did not harm the residents in any way, and he left their farmlands, workshops, and shops intact.

He even bought food at a fair price when he ran out of it in the middle.

‘It is said that the Republic army destroyed Chrome City and devastated the northern territories of the Empire.’

‘Is that so?’

Erewine, acting as Luke’s guide, relayed a message from the fortress’s communication mage.

Philip and Capper, among the riders, were startled, but Luke remained calm.

‘Did the main force detour? It seemed odd that the Republic army attacking the fortress had more local troops than the elite central army… But it doesn’t seem like a current threat.’

‘That’s correct. The remnants of the northern army reported it late,’ she confirmed.

There was a reason for the Republic army’s delayed attack on Tolud Fortress.

Initially, Count Naiman had suppressed information to isolate and eliminate Luke, and the magical communication network between units had collapsed when the northern army was destroyed.

That’s why the urgent news didn’t reach Tolud Fortress.

‘This is a serious problem. If the fortress is attacked by the Republic army from the rear…’

Luke dismissed Philip’s concern with a shake of his head.

‘That won’t happen. As far as I know, the northern part of the Empire is the Emperor’s territory. If the Emperor learns that the Republic army is running rampant, he won’t stand idly by.’

The Republic army, unless they were foolish, wouldn’t risk exposing their rear to capture a small fortress.

Therefore, Luke concluded that the fortress wouldn’t be attacked again.

‘Well, regardless, it’s clearly time to retreat.’

Last night, Belpar, while patrolling the area, discovered and captured Republic army scouts.

After interrogation, it was revealed that they were part of an advance party of reinforcements dispatched from the capital, sent to scout Luke’s forces.

Luke’s small elite unit, composed of Gigants, could easily sweep through undefended areas, but they couldn’t withstand a large-scale enemy reinforcement.

Therefore, Luke didn’t hesitate to retreat.

‘Return to the fortress. There’s no need to rush, so make sure to take all the spoils.’

The next day, Luke led his troops in retreat.

The Republic reinforcements rushed, but they could only watch as Luke’s forces crossed the Sand River by a hair’s breadth.

‘Shall we cross the river and attack?’

The reinforcement commander shook his head at his adjutant’s question.

‘No, our mission is to drive them away, not to annihilate them.’

They were facing an opponent that even the renowned Marquis Tyrone couldn’t defeat.

If they attacked recklessly, they might suffer significant losses even if they won.

Moreover, the central command had ordered them to avoid further escalation.

With Duke Dimitri’s triumphal return ceremony being prepared in the capital, another defeat or massive casualties would undermine the propaganda of victory in this war.

Thanks to this shift in the political landscape, Luke was able to safely raid the Republic’s territory.

Back at the fortress, Luke ordered the knights who had been on the expedition to rest and reorganize, then headed to the underground prison attached to the headquarters building.

There, the black mage who had been captured while inspecting the dam was imprisoned.

Tap tap! Clang!

Lav, who had been meditating in a seated position, looked up when someone approached and opened the door.

‘Who are you…?’

‘Hehehe, how have you been?’

Lav, recognizing Luke, frowned.

However, his face soon paled. He was overwhelmed by the strange and immense energy emanating from Luke.

‘Wh-what is this? It’s neither mana nor demonic energy.’

He was definitely a black mage, judging by his use of black magic and summoning of demons.

However, the energy he felt from his opponent couldn’t be called demonic energy.

Although a chaos similar to demonic energy was detected, there was no sense of evil. Instead, a force that seemed to swallow and overwhelm everything was conveyed.

‘Is it artificially processed demonic energy? No, that can’t be. Only we, the Dark Moon, can do that!’

Unable to accept it, Lav was confused and then shouted at Luke as if screaming.

‘Kuh! Who, who are you?’

‘I am Luke de Rakan. A descendant of the hero Rakan.’

‘Th-that can’t be! How can a descendant of a hero use black magic?’

‘Why? Is there a rule that says a hero’s descendant shouldn’t learn black magic?’

‘That is…’

‘And do you think I look like an ordinary black mage?’

At that, Lav was speechless.

Certainly, his opponent couldn’t be called an ordinary black mage. Logically, a black mage would become a slave to a demon, not command them as subordinates.

‘If you don’t want to believe it, you can’t help it. But since I’ve revealed my identity, you must answer my questions honestly.’

Luke, having said that, immediately asked a question.

‘Who taught you the Black Spear you used?’

‘Black Spear?’

‘That’s right. If you tell me who taught you the Black Spear, I might release you.’

At Luke’s suggestion, Lav shook his head resolutely.

‘Do you think I would tell you?’

He couldn’t tell if his opponent was a true descendant of the hero or a high-ranking demon disguised as a hero’s descendant.

However, he could never speak about the Dark Moon.

If the existence of the Dark Moon became known to the world, they would be branded as enemies of the continent and attacked.

At Lav’s attitude, Luke nodded as if he had expected it.

‘I won’t torture you. I won’t use brainwashing magic either. It won’t work on a stubborn 6-circle black mage like you. Instead…’

After finishing his words, Luke manifested a black magic.

Lav’s eyes widened at the sight of the black magic.

‘Bl-Black Spear!’

Although the color was purple, the form and energy of the magic were clearly that of the Black Spear.

Lav couldn’t help but be shocked that Luke had so easily manifested the Black Spear, a secret of the Dark Moon Magic Tower.

The Black Spear wasn’t a technique that could be used simply by learning black magic.

Without knowing Seimon’s unique magic formulas and mana manipulation, even an 8-circle black mage wouldn’t be able to imitate it.

Moreover, considerable training was required to exclude the unique evil of black magic and maintain only its power.

Yet, a youngster who didn’t even look 20 years old was manifesting the Black Spear more easily than he could!

‘Aren’t you curious as to why I can use this magic?’

‘……’

‘You must be curious, right? And also anxious.’

‘Kuh!’

Lav frowned at Luke’s words.

It was frustrating, but as his opponent had said, he was indeed curious, and he was also anxious as to why a secret of the Magic Tower could be used by someone else, especially the descendant of his arch-enemy, the hero.

‘I know those so-called mages well. I know that you can’t stand not knowing what you’re curious about.’

‘St-stop! I won’t listen anymore!’

‘Well, can you really endure it if I don’t tell you?’

Having said that, Luke manifested the black magic he had created one after another.

They were all black magic that he had taught only to his followers in the past during Seimon’s time.

Lav was shocked to see not only the Black Spear but also the secrets that only the masters of the Magic Tower could use.

The final blow was the golem.

Lav, who was astonished by the appearance of the golem that seemed to fill the underground prison, involuntarily reached out to examine the golem’s structure and the applied magic formulas.

‘This isn’t a golem made haphazardly by ordinary mages! It’s a combat golem made with the true secrets of the Dark Moon!’

Lav’s body trembled involuntarily.

He couldn’t help but shout.

‘Who are you? What is your true identity!’

‘If you want to know that, tell me your background first. Then I’ll tell you fairly.’

With those words, Luke left the prison.

Before closing the bars and leaving, he didn’t forget to leave a word.

‘I’ll come back in half a day. If you change your mind, tell me then. There won’t be another chance after that.’

After Luke left,

Lav couldn’t stay still and kept pacing around the underground prison.

The secrets of the Dark Moon Magic Tower and the majestic appearance of the combat golem that Luke had shown him were still vivid in his mind.

‘What should I do? Should I reveal my background and find out his identity? No, if there’s no guarantee that I’ll return to my homeland alive…’

He had heard that while he was away, a lich who was proficient in both black and white magic had appeared in the Dark Moon and had devastated the Magic Tower.

He also knew that the lich was Arsen, who was the nemesis of Seimon, the founder of the Dark Moon, 500 years ago.

‘Could this descendant of the hero be in league with Arsen? No, if that were the case, he would know something about the Dark Moon, so he wouldn’t be curious about my background.’

While he was thinking, he heard footsteps outside the bars.

‘Has half a day already passed?’

Lav was startled, and Luke reappeared before him.

He smiled meaningfully and spoke to Lav.

‘How is it? Do you feel like talking now?’

After hesitating for a moment, Lav made up his mind and slowly opened his mouth.

‘I will speak. But if you harm my sect with the story you hear from me today…’

Lav, having said that, glared fiercely and continued.

‘Even if I have to sell my body and soul to a demon, I will destroy every cornerstone of the Rakan territory!’

‘Well, whatever. Anyway, tell me quickly.’

At Luke’s urging with a nonchalant expression, Lav told him about his background and the Dark Moon Magic Tower.

‘So, you learned black magic at the Dark Moon Magic Tower?’

‘That’s right. 200 years ago, the survivors of the Darkness Magic Tower gathered and built a Magic Tower in the northern part of the Volga Kingdom.’

Luke’s body trembled.

He had thought that Lav might be a descendant of the Darkness Magic Tower. However, he also thought that there was a high possibility that he was a descendant of his enemy.

Among the human allied forces that had attacked him in the past, there might have been someone who had secretly taken black magic books from the Demon King’s Castle or the Darkness Magic Tower.

No, considering human greed and avarice, there certainly would have been.

But Lav was really a descendant of the Darkness Magic Tower!

When what he had suspected turned out to be true, he clenched his fist without realizing it.

The connection from 500 years ago was now reconnected.

Luke asked more detailed questions. Who was the current master of the Magic Tower, how were they operating, and so on.

Lav answered honestly each time a question was asked. And after a while…

‘Well, I’ve told you everything I can. Now it’s your turn to tell me your background.’

‘Alright. I’ll tell you.’

Luke chuckled and told a plausible story about how he had learned Seimon’s secrets.

When he was a child playing in the Demon King’s Castle, he had accidentally discovered Seimon’s secret laboratory and learned the black magic books that were there.

‘If I said I was Seimon, I’d be treated like a madman, right?’

Among black magic, there was something called Body Change, which allowed one to take over another’s body.

However, Body Change was a magic that was only possible between people living in the same era, so it wouldn’t convince Lav.

Anyway, the plausible story he made up worked well on Lav.

‘H-how could this happen!’

Lav was more than surprised; he was bewildered.

How much effort had the senior mages put in over the past 500 years to find the remains of the black sage Seimon?

But for Eugene to end up in the body of the descendant of the very enemy who killed Seimon, of all people!

‘Truly, this is a most bizarre and lamentable turn of events.’

‘Don’t be so dramatic. Regardless of his ancestry, I fully understand Seimon’s feelings.’

‘You understand?’

‘Yes, I read his diary in the secret laboratory. There was a truly unfortunate reason for him becoming the Demon King. I also learned that he wasn’t as evil as the world made him out to be. That’s how I came to learn his secrets.’

At Luke’s words, Lav’s expression softened.

Even though he was a descendant of the hero, the fact that he understood and inherited the power of the person he revered lessened his hostility and wariness.

‘But what is that strange energy that surrounds your body?’

‘It’s the power closest to the aether, the origin of mana and magic that Seimon was researching, and the origin of the world.’ [Aether is a hypothetical substance believed to be the medium through which light and other electromagnetic waves travel.]

‘So, your power is also a legacy left by the Black Sage?’

‘That’s right. Considering that the power he left behind has become completely mine, I don’t think Seimon would hate me that much.’

Luke replied nonchalantly.

However, Lav seemed quite shocked by his words, wearing a blank expression for a while.

Then, he suddenly stood up and knelt before Luke, showing respect.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Although you are a descendant of the enemy, you have inherited the power and vision of the Black Sage. Having inherited his essence [Eugene, in this context, refers to a core power or essence], you can be called his disciple, and the founder of our Dark Moon.’

Whatever the reason, Lav judged that Luke understood Seimon’s path and inherited his essence, so it was fair to call him his disciple.

In other words, a figure who could be called the founder of the Dark Moon Magic Tower.

‘A junior scholar seeking truth in the darkness greets the founder.’

At Lav’s respectful words, Luke wore a strange expression before asking,

‘Does that mean you acknowledge me?’

‘Yes. In the hierarchy of the Magic Tower, the founder is the most senior figure in the Dark Moon.’

‘Then, is it okay if I see you as my subordinate?’

‘As long as it does not harm the Magic Tower, the junior scholar will follow any order the founder gives.’

‘Heh heh heh, good. Then, I’ll give you your first order.’

With those words, Luke helped Lav up and said,

‘I’ll release you, so go to the Dark Moon immediately and tell the Meister [Master or Head] to come meet me.’

‘You’re going to meet the Meister?’

At Lav’s question, Luke replied with a serious face.

‘That’s right. I want to discuss the future of the Dark Moon Magic Tower with him.’

‘Understood, I will obey your command.’

Lav bowed his head and left through the door that Luke had opened.

‘Heh, I might gain an unexpected ally.’

With a meaningful smile, he went up to the ground and began to focus on the affairs of the fortress. The war was over, but there was still a lot of cleaning up to do.

‘What? That guy is Seimon’s disciple?’

A week later, Yohas, the Meister of the Dark Moon Magic Tower, met his seventh disciple, Lav, who had gone missing while serving in the Volga Republic army.

He was happy to see his disciple return alive, but he heard an unexpected story from him.

That Luke, the descendant of the hero Rakan, had inherited the essence of the Black Sage Seimon.

The rumor that Rakan’s descendant had learned black magic had already reached the dark elves, and he had confirmed it through his subordinates who had gone to verify their testimony.

But that black magic was Seimon’s essence!

‘How can you say such nonsense! Have you been brainwashed?’

‘Absolutely not, Master.’

Lav told him about the black magic of the vision he had witnessed, the combat golems, and the demons that Luke was using as his underlings.

‘How could an ordinary black magician command demons as subordinates? And also, Founder Luke is a descendant of Rakan, but he also said that he fully understands Seimon’s feelings.’

‘Huh! This is…!’

Yohas initially thought that his disciple was trying to trick him.

However, seeing Lav’s face, with his eyes sparkling and full of conviction, he realized that things were not normal.

He checked to see if he had been brainwashed, but there was no sign of brainwashing on his disciple’s body.

‘Then, it’s real…’

‘The founder said he wanted to meet with you and discuss the future of the Dark Moon. So, please go and see him.’

‘You’re telling me, the Meister, to go and see him myself?’

‘Yes. In terms of hierarchy, the founder who inherited Seimon’s essence is higher. Master, I understand that you don’t want to admit it. I was the same. But please think about the future of the Magic Tower.’

‘Ugh… Alright. I’ll think about it, so go and rest for now.’

Yohas dismissed his disciple and was lost in thought.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have been swayed, but Lav, who was as stubborn as anyone, was persuading him, so his mind was wavering.

‘Anyway, it’s true that I have to meet him once.’

Aside from anything else, it seemed certain that the descendant of the hero possessed Seimon’s essence. Whether he should meet him and kill him, or whether they should really join forces and become allies, he could only decide after meeting him.

‘Moreover, if I’m lucky, I might be able to obtain the essence that Seimon left behind. If I do, I might be able to overcome the current difficult situation.’

The Dark Moon had suffered tremendous damage from the recent attack by the Lich Arsen.

Many skilled elders had died, and other black magicians and mercenaries had been killed. In addition, the main facilities of the Magic Tower had been destroyed.

As a result, the development of the hero-class Gigant [A large, powerful mechanical construct], which the President had ordered, was also in a state of stagnation.

Yohas judged that Seimon’s essence could be a secret plan to overcome this situation, and he decided to meet Luke.

The next morning.

Yohas, with only Lav as his attendant, left for the Tolud Fortress where Luke was.

‘I didn’t expect you to make a decision so quickly.’

‘There’s no need to drag things out when I’ve already made up my mind.’

In order to obtain Seimon’s essence as soon as possible, Yohas hurried day and night.

And on the afternoon of the fifth day, he was able to reach the riverbank where the Tolud Fortress could be seen.

‘I’ll go and let them know that you’ve arrived.’

‘Alright, be careful.’

He couldn’t enter the enemy’s fortress openly, and Luke would certainly not be able to welcome the two of them in front of others.

Judging this to be the case, Lav crossed the river under the cover of darkness, infiltrated the fortress, and met Luke.

‘The Meister has arrived?’

‘Yes, he’s waiting across the river right now. If you tell me where to meet, we’ll go there…’

‘No, there’s no need for that. Let’s go meet him right now.’

Luke, accompanied only by Philip and Erewin, secretly left the fortress and crossed the river. And he met Yohas, who was waiting for Lav to return.

‘Are you Luke de Rakan?’

‘That’s right. You must be Yohas, the Meister of the Dark Moon.’

Although he didn’t show it, Luke was surprised to see Yohas.

It wasn’t because of the 8th Circle Black Circle [A high level of magic mastery], but because he looked exactly like Jerid, the Vice Meister of the Darkness Magic Tower, who had first followed him in the past.

Meanwhile, Yohas was just as shocked as Luke was surprised.

‘Isn’t that the genius mage Erewin? Why is she with that guy?’

He had heard that she had left for the southern part of the continent on a secret mission from her master, Erenes, but he never expected to see her in such a place.

‘I heard that the descendant of the hero was acquainted with Erenes, is that really true?’

As Yohas was thinking this and that, he spoke to Luke again.

‘My disciple told me that you inherited the essence of the Black Sage. Can you show it to me in front of me?’

‘It’s not a difficult thing to do.’

Luke immediately summoned a golem.

As he summoned the golem, Yohas’s eyes widened so much that they almost popped out.

‘T-This can’t be! What is this…!’

It wasn’t just because he used the Black Sage’s black magic, or because the golem was made according to Seimon’s vision that he was surprised.

The real reason Yohas was surprised was because of the sense of soul, the inspiration (靈感) [Inspiration, in this context, refers to a deep, intuitive understanding of magic], that Luke had displayed in the process of manifesting his magic.

Sensing the opponent’s magic power was something that could be done with enough skill.

However, feeling inspiration was impossible without considerable training.

Even among the mages who had reached the high circles, there were many who could not feel the opponent’s inspiration due to a lack of training.

However, Yohas had trained in black magic for a long time to reach the 8th Circle, and at the same time, he had accumulated extraordinary training.

That’s why he was able to grasp Luke’s inspiration, which his disciple Lav had not felt, and he was so shocked that he couldn’t properly come to his senses.

‘How can a human have such a magnificent and delicate inspiration, unless they are a fairy who has lived for hundreds of years! It’s impossible, no matter how much of a genius they are.’

Yohas judged that Luke’s inspiration was not a talent, but a product of long-term mental training and experience.

‘How… how did you accumulate such training?’

Yohas’s tone changed to a more polite one than before.

Seeing his changed tone and eyes, Luke smiled faintly.

In fact, Luke could have hidden his inspiration.

However, he wanted the other party to recognize it, so he deliberately revealed it without hiding it.

‘I’d like to talk to you alone. Would you mind stepping back?’

At his words, Lav quickly stepped back, and Philip and Erewin also kept their distance without being particularly suspicious.

This was because the two had already heard a few days ago that Luke would join hands with Seimon’s descendants.

Of course, Philip was quite worried at first.

However, after hearing Luke and Erewin’s story that Seimon and his subordinates were not evil, unlike what was known in history, he decided to wait and see.

As everyone stepped back, Luke looked at Yohas with a favorable gaze and opened his mouth.

‘About 500 years ago, there was a wandering magician. He was born with a mark on his forehead that looked like a demon, and he lived his life being oppressed by the people of the world.’

‘Th-That is…’

‘Until he was thirty, he wandered around and was only scorned, but he was fascinated by the power of the Black Sage Seimon and became his follower. And under his guidance, he became a 7th Circle black magician and worked as the Vice Meister of the Darkness Magic Tower. His name was Jerid. He was a man called the Dark Strategist.’

‘H-How do you know that…!’

As the story of his ancestor flowed out, Yohas was more than surprised; he was even afraid.

Seimon was famous enough to be called the Demon King, but there were quite a few of his subordinates who were not known to the world.

Jerid was one of them, and he was satisfied with only playing the role of Seimon’s shadow, so he deliberately did not reveal his identity to the world.

In the records of the successive black magicians of the Darkness Magic Tower, only his name and position were mentioned, and only his direct family members knew about his background.

And yet, the other party was reciting it as if he knew him well, no, as if he had seen the person himself!

‘Are you curious about how I know this?’

‘O-Of course.’

‘To do that, I have to tell you the truth that I have never told anyone before. Are you confident that you can bear the weight of that truth?’

Yohas hesitated for a moment at Luke’s question, then nodded with a serious expression.

‘I will bear it, even if I fall into the flames of hell.’

‘Good, then I will tell you the truth.’

Luke paused for a moment. It was only a brief moment, but it felt as long as a hundred years to Yohas.

‘Luke de Rakan died last year. It was because of a Gigant accident that was set up in enemy territory.’

‘Yes? What do you mean by that?’

‘I’m not a descendant of Rakan. I’m borrowing Luke’s body, but I am… I am the one who opened his eyes after 500 years…’

Yohas’s body trembled.