The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 21

The Master of the Blue Magic Tower

The Blue Magic Tower, a towering structure in District 1 of the Imperial Capital, houses the largest concentration of mages.

The foundation of the Blue Magic Tower rests on practical magic.

Combat, daily life, exploration, and the like…

These are the fundamental spells that every mage is expected to master.

It’s no surprise they’re so popular among mages.

However, that wasn’t the sole reason the Blue Magic Tower became the most prestigious in the Empire.

“I heard Ferma solved another incredibly complex problem in the tower this time!”

“That’s the third time already! He truly is Ferma!”

“Hey, did you hear?! The Master of the Red Magic Tower, Luca, was utterly defeated in an unofficial duel with Ferma and is now in seclusion?!”

“Master of the Blue Magic Tower! Hail Ferma!”

Ultimately, mages are still human, and humans admire strength.

A magic tower brimming with powerful mages naturally gains popularity.

Ferma, the master of the Blue Magic Tower, was the most powerful mage in the Empire.

Click- Clink-

In the highest chamber of the Blue Magic Tower, a man sat in a lavish chair.

“A genius who manifested Sword Qi [a powerful energy used by swordsmen] at the age of 10 joining the guard… How intriguing.”

Ferma flipped a coin with one hand while intently studying a document.

Rustle- Rustle-

“Imperial Special Guard. What is this? I’ve never heard of such a unit within the direct Imperial Guard…”

Ferma had requested information about Raiel from the Central Guard.

It wasn’t difficult for him, as the master of the magic tower, to obtain information about a mere guard like Raiel.

However, there was a significant omission in the information provided by the Central Guard.

The details about the Imperial Special Guard, where Raiel had been demoted for assaulting a noble, were classified as top secret.

“This… this is highly suspicious.”

Ferma, after reading the information, adjusted his posture and scrutinized the documents.

Imperial Special Guard: location, duties, members.

All information was classified.

If it was information inaccessible even to the master of the magic tower, it implied that at least a member of the Imperial Family or someone with equivalent authority was involved.

“Even if I ask Eric… Hmm, he probably wouldn’t agree. I’ll have to conduct a personal investigation.”

Ferma summoned his secretary.

No matter how confidential the Imperial secrets were, they couldn’t completely conceal an entire organization.

Those active in the field might not know the specifics, but they would know the location.

Of course, he had no intention of becoming deeply entangled in Imperial secrets. His sole interest was a man named Raiel.

“Kairon.”

“Yes, Master of the Tower.”

Soon after, a man entered Ferma’s room.

Kairon, Ferma’s trusted secretary.

“I want to commission the information guild, but it involves Imperial secrets. Is there one that is skilled but has no ties to the Imperial Family?”

“An information guild with no ties to the Imperial Family, you say?”

“Yes. I need a group that isn’t connected to the Imperial Family but excels at gathering information. I know the conditions are demanding, but… can you find one?”

Prying into Imperial secrets is a daunting task, even for an information guild.

Making such a request is akin to asking them to choose between the Blue Magic Tower and the Imperial Family.

If he had his way, Ferma would investigate himself, but he currently lacked the time.

The demons in the north were also causing trouble, and he had too many responsibilities as the master of the Imperial magic tower.

He couldn’t dedicate time to one intriguing human.

“Normally, there wouldn’t be such a place, but… you’re in luck. There happen to be two.”

“There are two such places? That’s quite surprising.”

Ferma smiled at the unexpected answer.

“Yes. One is gaining influence, primarily around the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. Their skills seem excellent, but their period of activity is short, and they haven’t built enough trust, so the Imperial Family hasn’t approached them.”

“What’s the name?”

“It’s called Baggers.”

“Baggers… It has a nice ring to it.”

Ferma nodded and waited for Kairon’s next words.

“And… there’s a man named Zenon who dominates the underworld of Districts 3 and 4. He swallowed up District 3 in a short period and is expanding his territory to District 4. I think it would be 괜찮은 [Korean for ‘okay’ or ‘suitable’] to entrust it to him.”

“Hmm… both are 괜찮은. I’d like to request both sides if I could, but that wouldn’t be proper etiquette.”

Ferma doesn’t particularly care for etiquette, but society expects him to be polite.

Mages must always maintain a noble facade.

As the master of the Blue Magic Tower, he couldn’t defy that expectation.

“Alright. Shall we decide as always?”

Ferma placed the coin he was playing with on his thumb.

His preferred method: deciding with gambling and bets.

“Heads is Baggers. Tails is Zenon.”

Flip-

The coin soared into the air.

The spinning coin soon landed on Ferma’s palm.

After checking the coin, Ferma ordered Kairon.

“Baggers. It has a nice ring to it. Let’s go with them.”

*

Haa…

Raiel yawned as he walked through District 4.

Today had been a busy day.

After dealing with Reina and the Zaid Mercenary Corps, he introduced her to Uncle Eric.

Since the house they originally lived in had been discovered by the elves, they needed to find a new one.

[Is this the elf you were talking about, Raiel?]

[Eric, hello! I’m looking for a new house! Don’t worry, I have plenty of money!]

He had a difficult time because of the impolite elf, but he couldn’t argue with her when she claimed to be 150 years old.

Last time, she said she was 15 years old in human years, but she conveniently changed her age whenever it suited her, making her a truly eccentric elf.

The Zaid Mercenary Corps were all handed over to the Central Guard.

The illegal loan sharking was also a problem, but they were already operating illegally anyway.

If they investigated under the principle of presumed guilt, they were bound to find something.

The gold coins piled up in their vault were proof of that.

Raiel calculated Reina’s interest, returned it to her, and conscientiously took only a small commission.

Since the money would eventually end up in the Empire’s treasury, no one would complain if he took a little.

After cleanly resolving the aftermath, he was on his way to the orphanage.

Raiel stopped by the grocery store to buy groceries for the first time in a while.

“What the hell…? Why are vegetables so expensive? Is it because they’re organic?”

He couldn’t help but be shocked at the ridiculously high price of vegetables.

The vegetables had traces of insect bites, as if they proudly displayed an organic certification.

These guys can use magic, but they want to coexist with insects, so they leave things like this unattended.

But they charge exorbitant prices, making them complete scammers.

‘…I still have to buy them.’

He remembered hearing in his previous life that children need to eat vegetables to grow properly.

He could trust what educated people said.

Raiel headed to the orphanage with a magic pocket full of food.

‘It’s quiet. Is it prayer time?’

The orphanage was as quiet as a mouse.

It must have been prayer time, which occurred regularly.

‘As expected.’

When he entered the building, they were in the middle of praying.

Sister Reisel and Priestess Cecilia were leading the prayer.

“May the love and peace of the main god Gaia fill the entire continent…”

Raiel put the groceries in the kitchen and quietly slipped out the back door.

The orphanage receives support from the Order, so they have to pray together like that on certain days.

‘What a ridiculous rule.’

They don’t provide adequate support, but they never skip prayers.

They’re literally insane.

Raiel, who had disliked that since he was young, had never concentrated during prayer time.

His attitude was to let them send a divine punishment if they didn’t like it.

Since he had never been punished, Raiel’s faith in Gaia had waned.

“Raiel, you’re here?”

After waiting outside for a while, the people who had finished praying came out.

Raiel smiled at Sister Reisel.

“Yes. I was waiting outside because you were praying.”

“Huhu. You still don’t like praying. Will you eat before you go?”

“I’m alright today.”

“That’s a shame. The meat soup will be delicious today.”

Meat soup is made by boiling offal or miscellaneous meat with vegetables.

It’s usually the most delicious meal, but he didn’t feel like eating it today.

“Give more to the kids instead of me. Oh, I bought some food and put it in the kitchen, so check it out later.”

“Oh my… Thank you, Raiel.”

Raiel made an awkward expression as he looked at Sister Reisel, who was smiling.

Ms. Sarah and Sister Reisel were like parents to him.

He felt embarrassed to receive so much gratitude.

“Your warm heart for the orphanage is truly touching. Your faith in Raiel is amazing.”

At that moment, Priestess Cecilia, who had finished praying, approached Raiel and made the sign of the Order.

Raiel greeted her.

“Priestess Cecilia. Thank you for leading the prayer.”

“I was just doing what I had to do as a priestess of Gaia. Oh, and I had to tell you, Raiel… Mr. Bennett, whom I introduced to you last time, suddenly disappeared. If you hear any news during your guard duties, please let me know.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Raiel nodded and avoided the saintess’s eyes.

Bennett’s trail probably leads beyond the walls of District 5.

He didn’t need to tell her that.

“The atmosphere within the Order is unusual these days. Raiel, you should always be careful!”

“Thank you for the advice. I’m sure you’ll do well in such an Order.”

“Yes. If there’s anything I can help you with, please come to me anytime, Raiel.”

The next saintess, Cecilia, was a very kind person.

Every word she spoke was filled with goodness, and Raiel felt his faith strengthening as he talked to her.

Tap- Tap tap- Tap tap-

At that moment, a familiar sound reached his ears.

It was the sound of a beggar lying in the corner of the orphanage hitting the ground with a bowl.

“Priestess Cecilia, just a moment.”

Tap- Tap tap- Tap tap-

Raiel frowned as he recognized the beggar’s code.

It was an emergency call.

*

The beggar’s den in District 5.

He had been visiting frequently lately.

He was now accustomed to the musty smell, but the beggars’ reactions every time they saw Raiel were always new.

“R, Raiel, 형님 [Korean honorific for ‘older brother’ or ‘respected male’]!”

A beggar who was scratching his head in the corner and dusting off white powder was startled and ran towards Raiel.

Raiel distanced himself from the approaching beggar and said.

“Don’t come near me. And don’t greet me every time I come! Just treat me like any other beggar!”

“T, that’s…”

“Hey. You. I told you not to come near me.”

Raiel sent the dirty beggar back to his original spot and resumed walking.

He would probably be coming more often in the future… It was a hassle to reassure the beggars every time he came.

There was an abandoned building inside the beggar’s den, and that was Baggers’ base.

Raiel familiarly went to Zenith’s room.

“Chief. I’m here.”

“Raiel. Sit down.”

“What’s going on? Is the Gaksital [likely a codename or project name] finally finished?”

“I wouldn’t make an emergency call for that. I have something important to tell you.”

Raiel sat down, observing Zenith’s expression.

He thought she was going to celebrate the completion of the Gaksital, but it seemed like something truly significant was happening.

“It must be a really big deal since you’re not even offering tea, Chief.”

“Not Chief…! Tsk. I’m grateful to you, Raiel. Thanks to your idea, Baggers was able to establish itself as an information guild. We’re still mainly active on the outskirts, but our name has spread to some extent.”

“That’s good. But what’s wrong?”

“Baggers received a request to investigate you.”

“… Really? Could it be those elf bastards?”

The bastards who will soon be extinct have long lifespans.

Shouldn’t he have finished them off back then?

“No. It’s not the elves.”

“Huh? Then who is it?”

“It’s Ferma, the master of the Blue Magic Tower.”

“… Excuse me?”

Raiel’s eyes widened at the name he shouldn’t have heard here.

“Ferma! The master of the Blue Magic Tower made a direct request! He said he’s watching us closely and wants to continue the relationship with us as a starting point for this! What the hell are you doing outside! Are you trying to ruin our organization!”

“…”

Raiel ignored Zenith’s outburst and began to think.

Ferma, the master of the Blue Magic Tower.

If someone who has surpassed the limits of humans with a sword is called a Sword Master, then someone who has surpassed the limits with magic is called a Great Mage.

‘Are these bastards never going to leave me alone?’

One of only five Great Mages on the continent.

Master of the Blue Magic Tower and the strongest mage in the Empire.

Ferma.

He was interested in Raiel.