#After returning, the family was ruined (59)
The introspection of Viscount Dekun.
A carriage rushed out from there. Ethan and Ilia were the only people on board the carriage.
Inside the carriage.
Ilya said, fidgeting as if the seat was a cushion.
“This body is definitely not incompetent!”
“okay.”
“I explained it earlier…!”
“I understand.”
Ilya’s reason for doing this was simple. It was because of the question I asked before taking the carriage.
“Can’t I use teleportation?”
The answer to just one question could have been hundreds of lines long.
To sum it up in just one word.
He said that he was a wizard specializing in production and could not use teleportation.
Being able to express such a simple word into hundreds of words would be an ability.
“In any case, such a thing can only be used by a very small number of archmages who are skilled in spatial magic. Since it consumes a lot of mana, it is used by pounding high-level mana stones into objects such as gates…”
“Yes.”
“Hmph! This is by no means a detailed explanation to make excuses! “There will be no more than three wizards in the kingdom who can use teleportation.”
“understood.”
After answering for a while, Ilya became quiet.
A moment of silence.
the guy asked.
“By the way, that old man lives around here?”
“They said so.”
“It’s fascinating. “He must be a person with quite a bit of wanderlust.”
“Have you known me well?”
“We met sometimes. “Even though he is poor in all other areas, he has skills in one area that no one can match.”
“what is that.”
“Strengthening raw materials. And in the field of metal, even if you search the entire Western Continent, you will not find an engineer who can strengthen it as precisely as his inspiration.”
“technician? “Wasn’t he a wizard?”
“What kind of wizard would you be if you were good at only one field? “I’m just a technician.”
Ethan’s eyes sparkled.
‘I understand why they chose to be the middleman.’
A church that serves the dragon race.
Rare metals were being collected here. A wizard who could strengthen such metals would have been chosen as a middleman.
“How much force is there?”
“Is it enough to protect myself from the gangsters?”
“Are you really talking about the level of a neighborhood gangster?”
“Ah… That’s what it says. To put it accurately, is it possible to take down a 4-star knight on your own?”
As Ilya said, his military power was close to that of a weakling.
‘There won’t be any fight.’
I don’t know if the church sent escort troops, but if I were to live alone, I thought we could resolve the issue through conversation.
“Why are you looking for that inspiration anyway?”
“I have something to tell you.”
“The good one?”
“It will depend on how he answers.”
“Hmm…”
Ilya remained silent.
Although he was acquainted with Melaisis, it was not true that they were really close friends.
You will find out what the purpose is when you arrive.
‘Metal reinforcement.’
First, I found out what the wizard’s abilities were. It’s an ability that seems quite useful.
I was starting to look forward to this meeting.
‘If possible, it would be better to keep it alive and use it.’
The carriage began to run toward the place the Viscount had pointed out.
* * *
The place he picked was near the middle of a mountain near Jajakryeong.
“I can feel the magic. That Yeongtaengi’s magic power is correct. “Please wait a moment.”
Soon after, Ilya’s appearance slowly began to change.
Wrinkles appear on once plump skin.
My back began to bend little by little, and finally, I could not tell where I had taken it from, and I was holding a cane in my hand. She had the appearance of a flawless old woman.
It was as if a person’s life had been replayed very quickly. That also applies to getting older.
‘Same as last time.’
When it first appeared.
It was a change similar to the change from the appearance of an old woman to that of a child.
Ilia, who made eye contact with Ethan, said with a smile.
“Oh no. Don’t get me wrong. This is absolutely not my ‘true self’. “A doppelganger’s ten years of age is only about two years in human years.”
When I saw them explaining how to interpret the doppelganger age without even asking, it seemed like they were implicitly worried that that would be seen as their true appearance.
“Is even the way you speak changing?”
“If you look like this, shouldn’t your way of speaking also change? Hehehe. My back is starting to hurt. Let’s go quickly.”
I climbed the mountain with Ilya, who had turned into an old man.
While climbing the mountain, she held out a hand gesture.
Every time that happened, the mana energy flowing through the mountain gradually became lighter.
“I still have a lot of doubts about this old man. Hehehe. “If you look at the fact that all kinds of magic have been used, starting with the illusion magic circle.”
“I see we’re getting in.”
“It will be no problem. “You wouldn’t be able to see through my deception with your magic skills.”
I felt comfortable going with the archmage.
If Ethan, a knight, had entered the mountain alone, he would have destroyed everything and moved to find the wizard. Ilya said after arriving in the cave.
[It’s Yeonggamtaeng! It’s me!]
Rumble!
It was a voice filled with enough mana to shake the inside of the cave.
After a while.
An old man appeared.
The face was ordinary, but the head was not. A bald old man without even a single fluffy fur.
He shouted while glaring at Ilya.
“Didn’t I tell you to let me know when I would come? Again and again! “You destroyed all the magic circles like last time!”
“Heulheul.” At best, such a low-level magic circle will be able to block at least an orc. That’s why I destroyed it myself.”
“Phew… Anyway, what brought you here? Something like a technician? “You’re not even a real wizard?”
“Are you upset?”
“What a pout!”
The eyes of the old man who was wandering down the street turned to the young man sitting next to Ilya.
“…Are you a disciple?”
“Hehe… the disciple… you will be surprised when you hear the identity of the author.”
“who?”
Ethan wordlessly took out his identity card. Melaisis saw this and widened her eyes.
‘The Archduke?’
He was the most rumored person in the West in recent years.
Who would have thought that the person Ilya was accompanying was the Archduke of the Ardan duchy!
It was like an unexpected visitor.
What is the reason you came to see me?
The moment I looked into the Archduke’s eyes.
Melaisis could guess the reason for his visit. No matter how you look at it, that wasn’t a favorable look.
“It looks like you know why I came here.”
“haha. I think I roughly understand it. “Is it because of the deal with the dragon people?”
“right. I heard it from Viscount Lorcan. “You are a middleman.”
“you’re right.”
He nodded calmly.
‘Hmm.’
I thought he might beg for his life.
It was an unexpected reaction, different from what I expected.
Instead, instead of the old man, Ilya was surprised with his eyes wide open.
“You made a deal with the dragon people?”
You guys have gone as far as you can.
It was like that.
At those words, Melaisis glanced at Ilia as if she felt pitiful.
“Tsk tsk… When did the times change and you still say things like that? The study of magic is moving toward the truth through new technologies.”
After answering, Melaisis looked at Ethan.
“It looks like you have no intention of killing me right now, is that correct?”
“I plan to listen to the story.”
“haha. great. “Please come in.”
His empty smile was completely different from when he was talking to Ilya.
“Pretending it looks like it exists.”
“It’s not something you pretend to do, it’s something that really exists. “You old woman.”
Ethan walked after the two people bickering as they entered the cave.
* * *
Inside the cave.
Three people sat between the small tea tables. Ethan asked, looking at the old man.
“Times have changed?”
“I don’t know how the Archduke will accept it, but acceptance of dragon technology has already become mainstream for a long time.”
“You’re learning it knowing that some kind of mischief might have been done with that technology, right? “The mercenaries were indulging in the skills of the dragon clan without realizing that their lives were being cut short.”
“Hehe… Wizards aren’t that stupid. It’s on a different level from empty mercenaries. I’ve already disassembled all of their technology and studied it. I eliminated as many side effects as possible and absorbed only the benefits. “It’s the same for me.”
Even though he said he had learned the skills of the dragon tribe, his attitude was truly proud.
But it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.
The most important thing for wizards was to explore the truth, and the dragon technology could be a stepping stone toward that truth.
‘If they are crazy about knowledge.’
It was understandable to act like that.
“The world has already changed a lot. Of course, there were those who were vehemently opposed to accepting technology. “But they quickly became fringe.”
Melaisis said after taking a sip of tea.
“Of course, the non-mainstream ones include the crazy people who started worshiping the dragon race. Wizards are rational beings. That is why the centrist faction, which advocates accepting what is acceptable in moderation, is the most dominant.”
“It looks like you learned a lot of skills.”
“To be honest… more than half of the wizards in the world have probably learned the dragon technology. “The trend of the times has changed like this.”
Ilya rolled her eyes and looked at Ethan.
The Duke family is a family that made sacrifices to stop the Yongin tribe.
Will Ethan be happy about what the old man is saying now?
Of course not.
But unexpectedly.
The Archduke’s demeanor and attitude seemed calm.
“I don’t think the idea of leaving out what needs to be left out is that bad.”
“It’s not wrong.”
Ethan nodded.
He himself modified the shape of the circle according to the dragon tribe’s method.
Because that was a way to get stronger faster.
There is also a part of me that sympathizes to some extent with the wizard’s words.
That was the reason I didn’t get angry.
Although the family sacrificed itself, it was not a reason for wizards to reject new knowledge.
“…To be honest, I thought you were going to slit your throat right away. It’s a little surprising. “Your Majesty.”
“I’m not the type of person who enjoys killing for no reason.”
I have killed many people so far.
But there was a reason behind it all.
He didn’t kill those who learned the dragon’s skills, but the people who tried to kill him were just learning the dragon’s skills.
To be quite honest, I was angry when I first encountered the dragon technology.
‘Times have changed so much.’
There were some things that had to be accepted to some extent. Isn’t it said that more than half of the wizards have already learned the skills of the dragon race? Perhaps the knights also absorbed the Al-eum-aleum technology.
Killing all those people just because they learned the dragon technology?
It was impossible and I had no desire to do it.
Because Ethan was a knight and not a rare killer.
of course.
‘Though the ideology is a completely different story.’
He had no intention of leaving even those who served the dragon clan alone.
Because in Ethan’s opinion, they were the ones who had completely crossed the line.
That was the reason why the iron fist was struck against the Naraxus Church.
“You’re more reasonable than I thought.”
“Isn’t it natural to accept good technology?”
“Hehe… If the Archduke becomes the head of the family, I think the duchy will not fall behind the times. “I’ve seen too many such organizations…”
“I see.”
“yes. In the past 15 years, many powerful people have been born in the Western Continent. There were more than one person who crossed the wall. They are all people who have accepted the technology of the dragon race. An indicator for a new level has also been created.”
“A new level?”
“The knights are 10 stars. Wizards are ranked 10th. Didn’t you consider this to be transcendent?”
“yes.”
“It’s different now. 11 stars. Strong people called the 12 stars were also born. Of course, that doesn’t mean it has gone to a completely new level.”
12 stars?
It was an amazing word.
Ethan asked, laughing.
“What are the 11th and 12th stars?”
“These are people whose strength within their bodies cannot be evaluated at a 10-star level. So, new indicators are bound to emerge.”
in short.
It meant that they were people who gathered their strength like a fully inflated balloon, using the dragon tribe’s method of quickly gathering strength.
I found out the background.
So now it was time to achieve what we came here for.
Ethan asked while looking at Melaisis.
“If you were a middle trader, you would probably know the higher-ups to some extent.”
“I don’t know exactly. Because he never showed his face. But I guess we can make a guess.”
“guess?”
“…Do you know about an organization called the Capital Magic Association?”
“Capital Magic Society?”
“It is one of the wizard organizations in the Kingdom of Heidern. “It is the most secretive organization and a group where all of the kingdom’s talented wizards gather.”
That moment.
I remembered what the chief priest said to me at a printing shop in the past.
“You know… such an organization… a collection of wizards… who come and go… in the duchy like their own home… even an unknown wizard like me… is a common sight…”
It was interesting information. .