Talent-Swallowing Magician - Chapter 136

Episode 136:

Mage Certification Test

“Your expression doesn’t look good at all.”

Andre Wins, the Red Lion, was just reviewing the documents uploaded by his subordinates when suddenly the door to his office opened and he burst out laughing when he saw his close friend entering with tired steps.

Obviously, he was a very confident friend until he left.

3Didn’t you say that you don’t believe in reputations such as divinity or black lion?

The afterword he added was even more shocking.

-I will try my best to capture the 4th prince alive, but if things don’t go as planned and I just have to cut off his head, I’ll take care of the rest.

It was truly an arrogant thing to say, but he was also a friend who boasted outstanding skills.

But…

it seems like things didn’t work out as planned.

dump!

My friend waved his hand as if he didn’t have the energy to respond and collapsed on the sofa across from him.

Then he took off the wooden mask that had been covering his face and threw it on the table.

The bare face of the man who had freely harassed Elric, two messengers, and even the elite border guards of the empire before disappearing had such an ordinary appearance that one would quickly forget his appearance when seen on the street.

It gave the impression that it was hard to imagine that he would show any outstanding swordsmanship or stealth skills, and he did not have any particular prestige or elegance.

Tasteless and dry.

I guess I can express it just like that.

“What about the 4th prince’s head? “I heard you were going to bring it lightly… but you’re not empty-handed, are you?”

However, regardless of whether the man was tired or not, he was a dear friend to Andre who would not be a waste of giving his heart to him.

As is the case with all close friends, they tended to get into trouble when something was wrong.

“Oh no way. Probably not. Probably not. I went away shouting so loudly… There is no way in this world that a ‘ghost’ who has nothing in his pocket would come up empty-handed. “Nothing like cancer.”

The man called Ghost frowned.

There was a clear expression of displeasure telling him to stop now, but Andre didn’t care at all.

“So where did you hide it? It’s a surprise, right? “It seems like a surprise…!”

“Shut up!”

The man in the wooden mask eventually couldn’t hold back his anger and ended up screaming.

Of course, even that was just a very enjoyable piece of cake for Andre.

“Huh? “I guess I really failed.”

“shit! “The problem is this damn snout.”

The man in the tree mask had to blame himself again for this damned personality, which was usually solemn and quiet, but somehow liked to show off in front of Andre.

In fact, he never thought that things would turn out this way.

Obviously, I thought it was just a light walk until I left the Red Lion House.

And actually, this mission wasn’t that difficult.

Kidnapping or eliminating someone like the 4th prince was definitely not an easy task, but that only applies when the prince is in the imperial family or the imperial capital, and there is nothing to worry about on the border.

In fact, he succeeded in planting many of his subordinates in the border guards and the 4th Prince’s bodyguard, and even moved unpaid assassins to the verge of causing the 4th Prince’s hands and feet to become dizzy.

But the variable occurred right after that.

‘Eric Mervinger… he’s that talented. It was an error in judgement.’

He also knew well that the Mervinger family head of the time was a formidable figure.

He was the only disciple of Augustine, the White Night, who was no different from his benefactor, and he knew that he was already a skilled person who had already reached the level of a mage by fully opening up Mervinger’s magic.

However, by the standards of ordinary people, it was ‘not easy’, but by the standards of a 5-chain superior level person, it was only ‘cute’.

So even though I knew he was there, I wasn’t really worried.

Or rather, I thought about seeing my benefactor for the first time in a long time, so I even thought about saying a quick hello and leaving.

But when I opened the lid… Isn’t the reason for the failure all because of Elric Mervinger?

His magic skills were definitely not at the level of a mage.

At least 7 circles.

I don’t know what kind of training he did in the black snow field or what kind of opportunity he encountered, but all the information he was aware of was just ‘old’.

The problem was that his martial arts skills were also quite excellent.

He didn’t just use auras, but the destructive power that came with magic was so strong.

at last.

The man in the wooden mask had to admit it.

He said he was too arrogant and acted recklessly.

Wasn’t the 4th prince’s skill much better than expected?

It seems that he had been away from the empire for so long that he had not realized the gap that had widened.

“so. “Why did it fail?”

After his friend was deep in thought and didn’t say anything for a while, Andre moved to the sofa next to him.

“They say that in a large river, the back wave washes away the front wave. “That’s it.”

“Writing text is.”

“After all, an empire is an empire… I don’t like it.”

“Because the country is large, there is a large talent pool. “There are many prestigious families with a long history.”

As a man wearing a wooden mask who was not from the empire, it was a reality that he could not help but click his tongue.

In fact, the reason other small countries or tribes could not dare to reject the empire that occupied most of the continent was because the difference in weight was the greatest.

“Anyway, we weren’t able to bring the 4th prince in the end, so we need to rethink our strategy.”

Andre narrowed his eyes and stared at the map that filled one wall of his office.

There, a rough layout of the Winds army was drawn, with the Winds border province he ruled over in the background.

And on the other side… the imperial army, including the Eorim army (corps directly under the imperial family) that was being assembled one after another, was also placed there.

If it had not been for the huge fortress unique to the Winds Frontier Province, surrounded by a high ravine, the difference in military power that would have been overwhelming could have been clearly seen.

And every time he looked at that map, Andre had to barely suppress the nausea rising to his uvula.

Even Andre, who was pointed out as the leader of the rebels, doesn’t know where things got so complicated.

Was it because he simply ignored the Crown Prince’s suggestion to support him, or was it because he was offended by the Golden Lion’s words that he wanted to give up his vassal title and retire?

In any case, he and his subordinates had already been defined as rebels, and no room for excuses was given at all.

So, since things were like this, he decided to become a real rebel and tried to kidnap the 4th prince by recruiting his friends.

As a result, all attempts to make a new deal with the crown prince or to withdraw the imperial army under the pretext of protecting the hostages ended in failure.

If he had brought Prince Kromhel’s head with him, it would have been seen as a last-ditch effort, but he couldn’t do that.

“In the end, there is only one way left.”

Andre had to frown slightly at the dry words uttered by the man in the wooden mask.

“Myeongsaek becomes the sword that protects the empire and joins hands with the demons… My situation is once again bleak. ha!”

The reason the Crown Prince and the Four Inspector Generals defined the Red Lions as rebels was their solidarity with the demons.

As things turned out like this, Andre thought that maybe he would have to go with what they wanted in the end.

At first, I felt some resistance, but… I had no choice but to nod when my friend said, ‘Now is not the time to risk anything, right?’

In fact, what Andre prepared for this incident was not simply bringing in the hidden Red Phantom and joining hands with the demon group ‘Grigori’.

Jingling –

Andre lightly shook the bell on the table, and the adjutant who was waiting outside came inside and performed military rituals.

“Did you call me?”

“Is there still an envoy sent from Grigori?”

“yes. “I have been sitting in the guest room for three days without moving a single thing, waiting for the Count’s permission.”

Andre looked bored. They said they wouldn’t make a move until the customer was served, and that seemed to be true.

“Bring it. “Here.”

Until then, it was just an object of reluctance.

Not anymore.

“debriefing.”

Even though the adjutant had hinted that he would join hands with the demons, who are the enemies of all humans, he just bowed his head without showing any special expression.

This means that he has great trust in the lord he serves.

Because of that, Andre had to sigh again.

Because of his decision, tens of thousands of his loyal followers could have died.

Although he initially earned the title of ‘Red Lion’ and became the owner of the Winds Territory, this moment was just a heavy one for him who did not like killing and war.

It would be nice if there was some solution.

There was no sign of that happening at all, so my mouth continued to feel dry.

* * *

“It’s nice to see the head of the family, but… ugh!”

“Is something bad happening?”

On the way to Neresta’s mansion, Elric tilted his head when Augustine kept giving him a nervous look.

Come to think of it, Gility next to me also had a very disapproving look on her face.

What should I say?

Should we say that he is wary of going to Neresta Street itself?

‘Is there anything?’

Augustine did not hastily answer Elric’s question, but hesitated for a moment before sighing lightly and speaking.

“Be careful, old people.”

“…?”

“Ugh! “There is such a thing.”

『You still don’t understand? “You’re worried that your student will be taken away.”

When Elric made an incomprehensible expression, Mephisto smiled knowingly.

[I know. Do you think I am that oblivious?]

『…Huh?』

Elric spoke to Mephisto in an annoyed tone, still with a completely clueless expression on his face.

[If I keep pretending not to know like this, won’t it be difficult for Master to take action even if the elders or guests in Neresta approach me?]

『Tsk! “Then that’s right.”

There’s no way a smart guy would be so perceptive. Mephisto thought so and shook his head.

Just as Augustine and Gility were interested in Elric, if he caught the attention of the many retired knights who had turned Neresta into a pandemonium, Elric would have to shout out his hurray.

Learn as many types of magic as possible.

And it is about restoring and acquiring the magic of a lost family.

These are two directions that Elric has been pursuing for a very long time.

『Are you acting a little better this time?』

[People around me kept nagging me, so this time I just played it off. If this level of fuss is too much, it would be a big deal.]

『Rather than that, he would react incredibly to something that would be beneficial, right?』

Elric asked Augustine while getting a scolding from Mephisto.

“More than that, Master.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“May I ask what your relationship is with the assassin who wore the wooden mask?”

At that moment, the eyes of Sean and Hayes, as well as Gility, who were in the carriage, were focused in this direction.

It was because it was a question they were all curious about but had never been able to ask before.

“You can think of it as a past relationship.”

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

“There is such a thing.”

Augustine said that and kept his mouth shut as if he didn’t want to say any more.

In the end, Elric couldn’t ask more about it because it was too difficult to ask any more questions.

in between.

The party was able to very quickly arrive at the ‘Hill of Fog’ where Neresta’s mansion is located.

Normally, there would have been a long search and inspection, but this time, perhaps because Augustine and Sean were there or because there was a special order from the head of the family, the passage was very quick.

and.

“You cut off Count Franz’s arm, right?”

Elric had to burst into laughter at the first words he heard when he met the head of the family, Guy Neresta.

‘Is my story even a public good?’

Prince Cromhell was like that too, but it was hard to guess where and how their information network was connected.

But now I knew one thing for sure.

No matter where you are or what you do, as long as there are eyes to see, rumors about you are bound to spread.

“Because Eunwon cannot be forgotten even after 10 years. Rather, why are you asking that?”

“This time, I thought I might cut off the father’s head instead of the son’s arm.”

Guy had his servant hand over to Elric what he had packed in advance.

Elric took it in an instant, but his eyes widened when he saw the words written in the center of the top.

-draft call.

It was a gold-sealed edict (the emperor’s order) stamped with the imperial seal.

Wizard who swallowed talent