Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 408

Magic is Learned in Vain – 409

# 409

The Burning Crusade 1

“Boss! Boss!”

Shuttle called Legion.

Actually, he didn’t want to call him. He had a feeling he’d get burned.

So he didn’t even ask why he was doing this crazy thing.

He was afraid Legion would tell him to do it too.

But now he was exhausted.

He had been walking in the desert for days. Only the sand lizards and camels were fine; the people riding them were dying.

The others at the camp had already arrived at the military city of Focus, unpacked, and were swimming in the pool.

In the evening, they would be watching the sunset and drinking mojitos.

Thinking about it made his stomach hurt.

Why are we suffering like this?

“Ugh, my pelvis. Why?”

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to the Neck House Kingdom.”

“…….”

“Where?”

“The Neck House Kingdom.”

“That’s a potential enemy. They always pick fights with us. We won’t get a good reception there. Why are we going there?”

“Because they told us to.”

“Who did?”

“The King.”

“His Majesty the King?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“He’s having restless nights.”

“What kind of Zen riddle is that? What does that mean?”

“He’s having restless nights because of the Neck House Kingdom. He found out who instigated the civil war by provoking Duke Gong for ten years.”

“You mean the Neck House Kingdom’s spies did that?”

“Yeah.”

Legion knew it before the King did.

Mamon found out by absorbing the brains of the magician Coneri and the saintess Berrymore.

Legion yelled at Mamon, ‘You bastard! I told you not to eat humans!’

Mamon twitched his skull face and retorted.

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have found out who was behind Duke Gong.”

You son of a bitch!

If he couldn’t talk, he wouldn’t be so annoying.

Thanks to that, Legion was also wondering what to do with those bastards.

To be honest, he didn’t want to get involved.

His heart ached when he thought about how many people would die.

Why did it hurt?

Because I’m a peaceful humanitarian (actually, it was because the time to make money was decreasing, and he wanted to stay out of it).

But the King, who had learned the truth from Duke Gong, directly took his hand and asked for a favor.

“Brother.”

He was surprised.

Brother to Duke Gong.

The back of his neck stiffened. If anyone heard this, they would consider him a political enemy. So he quickly looked around. He even asked Mark to check if anyone was around.

Fortunately, no one was around.

“It’s okay. All the vassals have been dismissed. It’s just you and me here, Brother.”

King Lauzel used honorifics meticulously.

He used to hear it from the headmaster, but now that he was King, it was incredibly uncomfortable to hear him use honorifics.

“P, please speak informally, Your Majesty.”

“Hey, Brother, let’s not do that in private. Just do what you used to do.”

What he used to do…….

What could it be?

This bastard.

Is he into SM [sadomasochism]?

His memories of being cursed and crying were still vivid.

What he used to do.

Is he telling me to curse at him?

But Legion couldn’t do what he used to do. If Lauzel suddenly said, ‘You’re cursing at me? Is anyone there? Arrest this guy and beat him!’ then it would be a real problem.

Of course, Legion didn’t know that Lauzel’s memory was distorted with happy memories thanks to a major head injury.

“How can I be rude to Your Majesty? I can never do that.”

Legion decided not to do what he used to do.

“Ah, Brother, you are truly loyal. There were many words from the vassals, but your promotion was the right thing to do.”

“I am overwhelmed by your words.”

“Then……, may I ask a secret favor for the kingdom, or rather, for me?”

Ugh, secret.

It’s so burdensome.

He’s not trying to drag me into his tastes, is he?

Legion suddenly remembered the autobiography that Mibeak had given him.

Mibeak’s 50 Shades [referencing “Fifty Shades of Grey”, a popular erotic romance novel].

He tried to express it beautifully, but…….

It was a book that should really be read alone in secret.

Could it be that?

“O, of course.”

Ah, I succumbed to power.

I can’t help it. If I get my title stripped, the Wyvern World I worked so hard to create will fly away.

Legion had gone too deep.

“It’s just that…….”

Lauzel began to tell Legion the information he had extracted from Duke Gong and his closest aides.

Lauzel wanted one thing.

He doesn’t want war anymore.

Nearly 200,000 soldiers were sacrificed in the civil war. Magicians and knights disappeared like dew on the battlefield.

They were not conscripts.

They were regular soldiers.

It takes quite a long time and money to train each soldier.

Military power plummeted by more than 50%.

In the current situation, if neighboring countries invade, the kingdom would be greatly shaken.

It’s time to strengthen the internal affairs.

Conversely, from the perspective of neighboring countries, it was the perfect time to swallow the Baroque Kingdom.

Especially the Neck House Kingdom.

They had been maintaining relatively peaceful exchanges with other kingdoms. The possibility of suddenly declaring a break in exchanges, declaring war, and then invading the kingdom was quite low.

But not the Neck House Kingdom.

They were more than capable of launching a massive invasion. In fact, there were reports from spies that military training had increased significantly in the Neck House Kingdom.

If they declared war and invaded the kingdom, it would be quite difficult to stop them.

Soldiers were a problem, but the number of knights and magicians was also insufficient.

The biggest problem was that the generals who had to lead them and fight had been sacrificed too much in the civil war.

There is a saying that war is a general’s game.

The character changes 180 degrees depending on which general commands the unit.

A capable general draws out 150 percent of his subordinates’ abilities. The problem is that there are not many such generals left.

From Lauzel’s point of view, he had to prevent war at all costs.

“I also dispatched diplomats. But it’s hard to expect much. But I have a glimmer of hope in you, Brother. The one who holds the military power of the Neck House Kingdom in his hands is Duke Trebia. He was also the one who backed Duke Gong…… A few years ago, he was also the one who summoned the Bone Dragon and devastated the capital city of Poman.”

“Do you want him to disappear?”

“Ah, how wonderful would that be.”

Legion laughed inwardly.

Lauzel.

You son of a bitch.

You’ve become a sly old fox since you became king.

“I understand. I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m not passing it on to you, Brother.”

“Then?”

“You’re the only one I can trust.”

Lauzel grabbed Legion’s hand and spoke with sincerity.

Legion was slightly moved.

Even though I messed with you so much, you didn’t hate me.

He also felt a little sorry.

“I will try to eliminate Your Majesty’s worries.”

The assassination of Duke Trebia.

It’s an almost impossible mission.

He is not a man of letters like Duke Sijinpi. [implying he was easily manipulated]

He was a thoroughbred warrior, but he also had an excellent brain like a man of letters.

His estimated force is at least Grand Master.

He is on par with himself. Maybe even higher.

In other words, it is impossible to sneak into the castle and assassinate him.

He had to lure him out somehow and finish him off with all his might.

It’s never going to be easy, but…….

Legion decided to accept the mission because he had done something for Lauzel.

If a war breaks out and the kingdom collapses, it would not be welcome to him either.

All the highest-ranking nobles would have their heads cut off.

Shuttle and Profiler’s faces turned white when they heard Legion’s story.

“W, wait a minute. So, are you saying that the three of us are going to catch Duke Trebia, the prime minister and duke of the Neck House Kingdom?”

Shuttle shouted in shock.

“Yeah.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Is this bastard out of his mind? Why are you raising your voice? What did I do?”

“You have to say something that makes sense. In order to catch him, you have to mobilize 400,000 troops. Even then, I’m not sure if you can catch him. But only three people? If you want to die, die alone. Why are you dragging us into this?”

Shuttle shouted as if he had lost his mind.

Profiler was just as out of it.

“I, I signed a contract as a headmaster. Why am I doing such a thing……, I haven’t received any professional training.”

“Just 겸사겸사 [kyum-sa-kyum-sa, meaning ‘while you’re at it’ or ‘killing two birds with one stone’].”

“겸사겸사?”

“We needed a headmaster anyway.”

“Then shouldn’t I have moved with Dr. Temptation and his party?”

“Hey. Profiler Headmaster.”

“Yes.”

“You’re working with us now. They’re people you know, not people you work with. So, of course, you have to move with us.”

“B, but still.”

“That’s enough. Don’t argue anymore.”

“What if I say I’m going back?”

Shuttle said.

“Expulsion.”

“E, expulsion?”

“Yeah, unnecessary characters are expelled from the novel. You should be grateful, Shuttle.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how fierce the lobbying was to get into your position? Dreizer also wanted to be in that position. He also complained about why his appearance as a supporting character was so erratic.”

“D, did Dreizer-nim too?”

“Yeah. But a skeleton was needed for the progress. So you came along. Be thankful. Do you know how eager other characters are to appear right now? Should I suddenly kill you off and change you to another character? Would you like that?”

“N, no.”

“This bastard doesn’t even know he’s full. Work hard when there’s work to do. Your character could disappear in a flash.”

“I understand. I’ll work hard.”

“Good.”

Legion nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. Leave it to me. I’ll take Duke Trebia’s head.”

Shuttle clenched his fist and shouted in a tone that had changed 180 degrees.

Legion frowned.

Overdoing it. Overdoing it.

* * *

Duke Trebia, who was watching the video with the CCTV magic tool, was speechless with disbelief.

One of the secret weapons.

Monsters whose bodies had been enlarged by genetic manipulation suddenly appeared in Thema, a military city on the border.

It was definitely himself who ordered them to be activated.

By now, the monsters should have devastated Focus, the military city of the Baroque Kingdom.

And they should have advanced north and devastated the southern region.

The Baroque Kingdom would pour all its power into catching the monsters.

But that would greatly deplete its national power.

In the meantime, the 500,000 troops of the Neck House Kingdom were preparing to enter the country without bloodshed.

There would be minor battles, but they would not have the troops to stop them.

But!

Why did the monsters that should have been in the southern region of the Baroque Kingdom appear in their own country?

-Your Excellency! Your Excellency! Are you listening?

Earl Irony shouted. The monsters trampling on the city were clearly visible behind him.

It was much more terrible than expected.

“I, I’m listening.”

-Our forces cannot stop the monsters. In order to penetrate their outer skin, we need a strong knight order and magic corps.

“I will dispatch the Imperial Guard soon. No, I will go. So keep them there so they don’t fall apart.”

-Are you telling me to tie up those monsters?

“That’s the only way.”

Earl Irony’s face hardened. 80% of the city was destroyed by the monsters in just a few hours.

It was impossible to know how many survivors there were or how many victims there were.

The subordinates were also scattered.

All that remained was a guard unit of about 100 people.

In other words!

He was being told to hold back 100 monsters with only them.

It sounds like he’s telling them to die.

But what can he do?

He is a nobleman from a military background.

He has to do what he is told.

-I will follow your orders.

“I’m sorry.”

-No. If the monsters go out of the city, even more terrible damage is expected. We will do our best to hold them back. I’m counting on you.”

“Thank you for everything, Earl.”

-Thank you, Duke.”

With that, the CCTV screen went off.