The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 194

152. Road to the Library (2)

“……Achoo!!”

“It’s a good thing Mikhail is a wind mage.”

“Good thing? You dried my clothes with cold wind in the middle of winter. I almost froze to death because of his wind, not drowned.”

Serika Loren rubbed her red cheeks with the back of her hand and complained.

“Being a 4th class mage and not being able to use warming magic… Achoo!! Even a 1st class user can use basic life magic. Aren’t you an Imperial [referring to someone from the Empire, often associated with magical talent]?”

Sniffling, she scolded Mikhail.

“They teach such life magic in big cities or when you’re young. Even if you’re an Imperial with magic power from birth, small villages don’t even know the ‘ma’ in magic.”

Carryl scoffed.

“People blessed by God? What’s the point of being born with magic power if you can’t use it? If you count the population that can use even 1st class life magic, it won’t even be 1/10 of the Imperial population.”

“I was just saying. You’re so prickly.”

“…….”

Serika Loren stared at him blankly.

‘I’m really… not a grumpy kid. Why do I still get upset when the Empire is mentioned?’

With a sullen face, Carryl looked around and broke off a few long blades of grass growing near the river.

“If you’re cold, chew on this. It’ll raise your body temperature a little.”

“Did you live in the mountains? You know everything.”

Carryl awkwardly handed the leaves to Serika and strode away.

“Why is he like that? Isn’t your master not like that?”

“I know, right.”

Serika twitched her lips, put the grass Carryl gave her in her mouth, and chewed.

“……Ack!! Spit it out! It’s so bitter!”

* * *

“…….”

Asrak was speechless and stared blankly ahead.

He had grown up here as a gatekeeper of Antihum since birth.

The adults said that the Immortal Guild was where the most powerful mages of the continent resided.

Therefore, the greatest joy and goal in life for the residents of Antihum was to be recognized for their abilities and join the Immortal Guild.

But that wasn’t easy, and only those with exceptional talent could be chosen. Asrak was allowed to join the Immortal Guild a month before he came of age.

To enter a place where there were stronger people than anyone else was truly a dreamlike and proud thing.

Until,

Just a moment ago.

“Achoo!!”

“I told you to chew what I gave you earlier.”

“……Isn’t that poisonous?”

The gatekeepers were scattered all over the place.

They were not apprentices like himself, but veterans who had already joined the Immortal Guild.

“Hey. Open the door.”

The boy, who had subdued five gatekeepers of Antihum in an instant, spoke to him.

“Yes?”

“I came because I have business at the Grand Library. If you want, tell them inside.”

“Who… should I say is here?”

Could it be a visitor who had an appointment in advance?

Asrak thought it was a really stupid idea even as he said it.

If so, there was no way they would beat up the gatekeepers without saying a word.

They all had faces that looked very angry from the moment they walked up.

“You guys installed the mana net in Four-Nine [likely a region or district], right? That’s a trap that needs to be constantly charged with mana to work. Who’s in charge of managing it?”

“Yes? Ah… that would probably be Lord Benedict. He’s in the Magic Strategy Department…”

“Lord, my ass. Did that human even install the net? I almost lost my head because of it.”

“……Achoo!!”

Mikhail stepped forward and growled.

“Probably…”

Asrak hurriedly aimed the staff he was aiming at Carryl at Mikhail, but he knew that his actions were meaningless.

“Magic Strategy Department? Was there such a department in Antihum? What do they do?”

“Th, that’s… a department in charge of the security of Antihum.”

“Then you too?”

Asrak swallowed hard and nodded.

“Still… an apprentice.”

At that, Carryl nonchalantly patted Asrak on the shoulder, passed him, and placed his hand on the huge door.

Everyone knew that to open the locked door of Antihum, you had to prove 4th class magic power.

Asrak couldn’t help but be surprised at the sight of him placing his hand on it without a word.

‘Could it be… that person is a mage?!’

He looked at the gatekeepers who were lying on the ground. They were still unconscious and had not been hit by any particular technique or magic.

He had a sword on his waist, but he didn’t even bother to draw it, and only beat the guards into a pulp with his bare fists.

Kugugugugugu…….

He showed tremendous martial arts that would make you believe he was a barbarian, and he opened the door of Antihum.

Asrak stared at Carryl with a dumbfounded expression.

“Ah… but when I think about it, if I just go in, those guys from the Strategy Department will come out. Should I break this instead?”

“Eek?!”

Carryl said, pretending to think for a moment, while fiddling with the statue erected in front of the door.

“I think I can just tear off one head.”

It was a full-body statue of Nine Darhon, the head of the Immortal Guild.

Carryl climbed onto the statue and tapped his head as if he were dealing with a subordinate.

“Cough……!”

Asrak was so surprised that he lost his words.

This was the first time in the hundreds of years of the Immortal Guild’s history.

“Who dares to make a fuss in front of Antihum?”

It was then.

Everyone’s eyes were on the place where the voice was heard.

A group of people was standing at the main gate of Antihum.

Everyone was wearing a purplish-blue robe that symbolized the Immortal Guild, covering their heads.

Only the person at the very front was showing his face, and the yellow teeth that could be seen every time he spoke looked like a bizarre sight of a corpse speaking.

“L… Lord Benedict!”

Asrak recognized his appearance at once and hurriedly bowed.

“What’s going on?”

“Th, that’s…”

Instead of him, who couldn’t answer properly, Benedict looked at the fallen mages.

“Did you do this?”

“Did you do this?”

He frowned slightly at Carryl’s words, which echoed his question back.

“Where did this crazy bastard come from…”

With a dumbfounded face, Benedict took a step towards Carryl, and a dozen mages who followed him surrounded Carryl’s party all at once.

“I almost lost my head because of you. I heard you set it up. Are you out of your mind with a mana net? Don’t you know that people still live near Four-Nine?”

“What? It reacted?”

Just as he was about to fight, Benedict’s eyes widened at Carryl’s words.

“Yes, we almost died avoiding your mana net when we were moving along the river a little while ago!”

“I almost froze to death because of you, though.”

“…….”

Mikhail twitched his lips at Serika’s words and added strength to Carryl’s words.

But for some reason, Benedict’s reaction was different.

“I know that Antihum’s welcome is grand, but this kind of thing is a bit much. Magic bombardment is one thing, but setting up an invisible mana net over the entire river is too much.”

“Magic bombardment? Don’t tell me you guys… are talking nonsense about being associated with the Water King?”

Mikhail avoided his gaze at Benedict’s words.

“And a mana net? I set it up, but it’s not a trap for killing people. Do you think I play with people’s lives indiscriminately because I’m learning curse magic and necromancy?”

“What?”

Carryl tilted his head slightly at Benedict’s words.

“Are you guys who value people’s lives doing magic bombardment like that? You’re a funny guy.”

Even when the oracle was given and the entire continent was suffering from the demon called Corruption, the mages of the Immortal Guild locked the doors of Antihum and did not come out.

It was only after Oliver’s imperial order that they finally gave up Israfil, who had been selected as one of the Ten of the Oracle.

“You guys think about people?”

“……What?”

Benedict flinched without realizing it.

“The mana net definitely activated. It’s also true that I almost died because of it.”

“The net activated on you guys?”

In an instant,

As if those words had an important meaning, Benedict’s eyes changed.

“It’s not entirely impossible. Then, we need to check who it reacted to rather than why it reacted.”

He raised his hand above his head.

“Which one of you is it?”

Then the mages behind him surrounded the group all at once.

“What’s going on now?”

Carryl was dumbfounded as he looked at the guys who were suddenly aiming their staffs at him.

“The one who can use spirit magic.”

“…….”

Carryl chuckled at Benedict’s words.

“If there is someone who can use spirit magic? Are you guys going to catch us now? That’s why I hate the Magic Society guys. You don’t know how the world works because you’re just stuck in your rooms, right?”

Carryl snatched the staff of the mage standing next to him as it was.

“Ugh…?!”

The mage, who was holding on tightly to avoid being robbed of his staff, was dragged along with the staff by Carryl’s strength and fell to the floor.

“Isn’t it the order to ask why you came and who you came to see? Does Antihum treat guests like this?”

Kwajik-!!!

Carryl said, smashing the staff he was holding.

‘……He’s the one who smashed the guards before even asking!’

Asrak wanted to shout right away, but he thought he would end up in the same situation as his colleagues who still hadn’t come to their senses.

Puck-!!!

Carryl mercilessly stepped on the waist of the fallen mage.

He didn’t even scream and fainted, so now there was one more person lying on the floor.

“Magic Strategy Department? A guy who doesn’t even have an eye for the opponent is going to fight… Why don’t you just read more books in the library?”

Carryl took a step forward, patting his shoulder with the broken staff.

Ududeuk-

Carryl, who seemed to be somehow annoyed since crossing the river, loosened his wrists as if it was a good thing.

“I’m going to take someone who’s working as a librarian here, so you can sit in that seat, Benedict.”

* * *

“……So that’s what happened.”

“A mana net that only reacts to spirits? Where are you selling drugs? Your net was wrapped around the Water King’s neck. If his scales weren’t strong, he would have been cut off.”

Benedict, who was kneeling on the floor with his head buried, hurriedly raised his head at Carryl’s words.

“It reacted to a monster? That can’t be!?!”

“Who told you to raise your head?”

“I, I’m sorry.”

With one eye bruised blue, he swallowed hard as if nervous at Carryl’s words.

“So you’re saying you set up a mana net around to catch spirits?”

“……Yes. The northern part of Four-Nine is suffering from spirits that appear from time to time…”

“It’s the first time I’ve heard that the Immortal Guild is researching spirits. Are spirits really coming out in the northern forest? I haven’t heard of that either.”

Carryl pressed down hard on Benedict’s shoulder.

“Ugh……!!”

He writhed in pain.

“I won’t let you off if you’re lying.”

“No! It’s true! It’s because of the black spirits that suddenly started appearing recently!”

Benedict shouted as if he was about to suffocate.

When he released the hand holding his shoulder, he finally writhed and said.

“Huk, huk… We’re seeing them for the first time too… The leader named them Dust of the Void.”

“Dust of the Void?”

This was also a name he was hearing for the first time.

But from the word black, Carryl unknowingly thought of Corruption.

“Yes, yes, we don’t know where they popped out from either. The leader said that there seemed to be a rift in the dimension… but there’s no way to find it.”

Carryl felt that something was wrong with Benedict’s words.

In his previous life, he left the mansion and set foot on the continent from the age of 15.

‘Strictly speaking, I didn’t know all the events that happened in this world because I was still in the mansion.’

But there was only a month left until next year.

In fact, when he came to the Immortal Guild in his previous life to meet ‘Israfil the Awl’, one of the Ten of the Oracle, he had never heard of this problem.

‘The time difference between when I first came to the Immortal Guild in my previous life and now is only 3 months.’

“Are you sure it’s a spirit? Spirits have almost disappeared since the Magic Age.”

“That’s…”

“Even the remaining spiritists barely summon spirits through summoning contracts, but such spirits are blatantly wandering around the forest?”

Benedict had an unfair expression on his face, not knowing what to say to Carryl’s words.

[They haven’t disappeared.]

At that moment,

A voice was heard in Carryl’s head.

‘Ah, of course, I’m not talking about you [referring to Lamine].’

It was Lamine.

[That’s not it. I didn’t know because it was hidden by magic. Here… after being here for a long time, I can definitely smell the spirit, although it’s weak.]

‘What? Is that real?’

At his words, Carryl hurriedly looked around. But all he could see was just lush bushes.

[It’s not here.]

‘Then?’

[Further inside. I can smell a faint scent from deep inside that building.]

“…….”

At Lamine’s words, Carryl looked at Antihum with a stiff face. The aura of a spirit in Antihum, one of the two major strongholds of continental magic…

Carryl frowned slightly at Lamine’s unexpected words.

‘Do you know who it is?’

[Of course. But if you want to find it, you have to do it yourself. I don’t think I can help you there.]

Lamine’s flame swept across Carryl’s arm once, and the sphere disappeared as if fireworks were exploding.

‘Why?’

[Magic is cast on the entire building. It’s probably similar to the mana net that author mentioned. It seems to weaken the power of the spirit. If you go to the center, even my consciousness will fall asleep.]

‘Hmm…….’

[This kind of terrible thing wasn’t even done in the Magic Age… The owner of this place is quite a bizarre person. Does he have malice towards the spirit?]

‘Even you, the Spirit King, will fall asleep??’

At Carryl’s question, Lamine raised the flame once again as if sulking and poked his arm, saying.

[It’s not that my power is lacking, it’s that your power is lacking. I told you before. You can’t properly use the power of the Spirit King unless you have enough spirit power to open the Spirit Realm.]

‘…….’

Carryl clicked his tongue at Lamine’s nagging.

[But it may be a stroke of luck that you came to this place. An ordinary spiritist wouldn’t even know of its existence, but even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to wake him up.]

‘What do you mean?’

[It means that this place may help you to go beyond the wall of your spirit power by one step. That’s because you have the power of light and darkness, the Secret Power.]

‘Could it be…….’

Lamine said quietly.

[Yes, the one sealed here is one of the two Great Wildernesses, Duat of Darkness.]

At his words, Carryl asked back as if in doubt.

He guessed that the power of the Spirit King was sealed inside, but it was never the two Great Wildernesses.

‘What are you talking about? Didn’t you say that there was the power of light and darkness in the Secret Power I got from the Rock of Ruin?’

[I did. And there is definitely the power of the two Great Wildernesses dwelling inside you.]

‘What the hell is this…….’

[There are several possibilities. Maybe they divided the power of the two Great Wildernesses again in preparation for the seal of the Rock of Ruin being broken.]

‘Who?’

[God may have done it, or… humans may have done it.]

‘Whoever it was, they did something abominable.’

[That’s how fatal the power of the two Great Wildernesses is to Yula [likely a world or plane of existence].]

At Lamine’s words, Carryl slightly raised the corners of his mouth as if he was enjoying it.

‘In the end, if I get the power of Duat here, it will be perfect, right?’

[It’s good to be careful. The two Great Wildernesses are Spirit Kings that God directly sealed, unlike us. It’s definitely different from our five Spirit Kings. Why is he here… It’s ominous.]

Carryl thought completely differently from Lamine, who was speaking as if uneasy.

‘I didn’t expect this to be waiting for me.’

He licked his lips and looked at Antihum.

‘It’s a complete treasure trove, isn’t it?’