Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 47

Episode 47: The Ring of Runes (2)

Typically, a count would have a Viscount, who was of a lower rank than him, as his assistant. He would usually be in charge of managing the lands on behalf of the count, or he would represent the count's position in important transactions or negotiations with other nobles.

The representative of the count and the noble class called viscount.

Naturally, the attendants who escort him are of the highest level. Furthermore, since they are carefully selected by Count Rodenmeyer, their equipment is also of the same standard.

Although he visited other estates several times and spent considerable time away from home, the Viscount always returned to Count Rodenmeyer without a single scratch, even if there were minor frictions.

But this time it was different.

“My aide, Viscount Bailon, sent word that he had successfully completed his work and would be back soon. He should have arrived here two days ago. But instead of coming, he lost contact. He is literally missing.”

A search party has already been sent.

The vice-captain and eight knights of the 'Rodron', a knight corps directly under the Rodenmeyer Count family. They are known for their excellent ability to protect important people, fight against others, and deal with crises.

But the count could not easily relax. It was not because he did not trust the knights, but because he had an uneasy feeling that the danger facing the Viscount might be greater than he had anticipated.

The count trusted his intuition.

“So, I plan to send additional main forces, including the Lordron Knight Commander. There will be a lot of noise in the Count’s house, but I have no choice but to accept it.”

The force is close to half of the power of the Count's family. Even though it is a search party to find the Viscount, it cannot be denied that it is excessive power.

So Verden wondered.

“Was it really necessary to ask for it?”

From the count's perspective, there wouldn't be much merit in hiring Verden at that level. In fact, it could even be counterproductive, as it could cause friction with the knights of the count's family.

The count answered Verden's question.

“Of course not. At least not in terms of force. But this isn’t about annihilation, it’s about searching for missing people. That’s why you’re quite unique.”

“Am I the one talking?”

“Yes. Since you captured the Luton Cohort last time, I’ve been checking out the requests you’ve completed so far. I was curious to know who you were to be able to so easily subdue a mercenary group led by a former high-ranking mercenary.”

Count Rodenmeyer asked Pale for information.

Of course, the information provided only briefly described the commission process, and did not include the person requesting the commission or the location of the commission.

It was an information fail rule to protect personal information.

The count continued.

“We found and defeated the lower wolf in less than half a day. And even though Pale had provided us with the location information, we were able to capture the wanted criminals who were good at running away. It was quite refreshing.”

In this day and age, it's extremely rare to find a magician who is skilled in tracking.

Count Rodenmire thought that this wizard Asheran might be of some help in finding the Viscount, and immediately nominated him through Pale.

Verden took a sip of tea.

'I don't really have any tracking skills.'

All you have to do is find traces using magic detection.

Of course, I know that this method is avoided as a wizard.

The area and objects detected by Magic Sense change depending on the amount of Magic Sense consumed. Therefore, although it is useful for identifying the surroundings in a fragmentary manner, it is not suitable for long-term tracking.

Continuing to track with magic detection consumes a considerable amount of magic power. If you're not careful, you might run out of magic power midway. There are also other drawbacks.

That is why only a few magicians develop deep proficiency in magic detection.

Of course, Verden was one of that minority.

“You will be joining the second search party led by the Knight Commander. We will depart as soon as we are ready, probably sometime this evening. If you have any questions, I will answer them now.”

“Is it okay if I move on my own?”

“If possible, I would like to assist the search party. However, if that is not possible, it is okay to go alone. I will tell the Knight Commander in advance. However, if there are no results, it would be better not to think about receiving compensation.”

“Of course.”

Verden nodded.

That was the end of the story about the request. Now it was time to ask about the rune expert.

“What happened to what I told you through Pale?”

“Are you a rune expert? I prepared in advance. Actually, there was nothing to prepare.”

As the count snapped his fingers, the butler brought in a man.

He was a middle-aged man dressed neatly.

“Nice to meet you. I am Fern Ronander, secretary to the House of Rodenmeyer.”

“I worked as a rune researcher for a long time when I was younger, so I’m sure I’ll be able to handle your needs. Then, finish your business and come back to the mansion in the evening.”

After saying those words, Count Rodenmeyer left.

The only ones left were Clerk Fern and Verden. Of course, there were a few knights left, but they weren't close enough to be bothersome.

Fern asked, sitting on the chair.

“I heard you were looking for a rune expert. I pride myself on having some knowledge, so feel free to ask me anything about runes.”

“I don’t have anything to ask in particular.”

“Yes? Then…….”

Verden took out the ring and showed it to Fern.

A gray ring with no jewels, only intricate runes engraved on the body. Fern's eyes widened when he saw it.

“Lu, the Rune Ring? How on earth do I get this precious thing…?”

“I happened to have it in my possession. Anyway, what I would like to ask you is to reactivate this rune ring. Would you be able to do it? I will pay whatever you want.”

Count Rodenmeyer only introduced the rune expert, and it is Verden's job to persuade Fern to cooperate. If the compensation is reasonable, he will pay it.

Fern answered without taking his eyes off the rune ring.

“Restarting the Rune Ring is not that difficult. You don’t even need any special materials. And His Majesty the Count has asked me to cooperate. So I don’t need any compensation, but… can I take a closer look at the ring?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He gave Fern the rune ring.

While he was looking at the ring here and there, Verden's nerves were sharp. The rune ring he had brought from the magic tower was not an ordinary item, so he could have tried to steal it.

Of course, the possibility of that happening was extremely low, but that didn't mean I trusted the Count.

Fern finished observing the ring.

He turned his gaze to Verden with an expression of admiration.

“The arrangement of these runes… do you know if they have any magical properties?”

“I know.”

The thing that was given to the rune ring that Verden had was ‘sense.’

It has the effect of enhancing the wearer's overall senses, but contrary to such a simple explanation, its utility value is indescribable.

“According to the interpretation of the runes, the name of this ring is ‘Exceed’. And the arrangement of the runes engraved on it seems to be one of those classified as ‘higher’. It grants the wearer an effect that is different from the general runes. However… I absolutely do not recommend activating this ring.”

“Is it because of the burden on the body?”

“You knew it. Yes, that’s right. When you wear the ring of the reactivated rune, the rune effect is imprinted on the wearer’s body. It cannot be removed from the finger like a normal ring.”

There is no problem if the wearer can manipulate the rune effect at will.

However, this rune ring called Exid is always active. From the moment you put it on, your senses will be enhanced. If your body cannot accept that enhanced sense… … .

“All of your senses in your body will be mixed up. You won’t be able to stand properly, and you’ll be constantly passing out and waking up. If that happens, you’ll have to cut off the entire finger you’re wearing the ring on. It’ll take a long time to regain your senses. You could end up with sensory impairment for the rest of your life.”

Verden is a wizard.

No matter how much you train your body, it is true that you are inferior to those who have awakened their energy. There is a very high possibility that your body will not be able to endure it.

But there is a way.

“Then please imprint it directly on the magic circuit, not on the body.”

“……!!”

Fern opened his eyes wide.

“How on earth did you do that… Ah, no. Anyway. Compared to the former case, that would be suicidal. If it fails, you’ll have to cut off not just your fingers, but one arm. It goes without saying that your magical circuits will be damaged. I heard that you’re a third-tier wizard, but you wouldn’t be able to withstand that much.”

I already know. The Magic Tower is full of all kinds of information.

If I hadn't known in the first place, I wouldn't have taken it from the treasure vault of the magic tower.

And Verden's rank is not 3rd rank, but 4th rank lieutenant.

The minimum standard has been exceeded, so what remains is up to Verden's will.

Can you accept the heightened senses or not?

'Of course.'

This is just one of many processes.

When you think about what we have achieved so far and what we still have to achieve, it's just a small step.

Verden held out his hand without saying a word.

Fern, who had been hesitating, swallowed.

'What should I do?'

I heard from Count Rodenmeyer that he wanted my help with the runes, but I didn't expect this situation to come to fruition.

If he fails, the request will naturally fall through. He cannot be free from that responsibility either.

But to be honest… …I wanted to try it.

This was only the second time in his life that he had ever activated an advanced rune script, and the first time that he had directly engraved it into his magical circuits. As someone who had studied runes for a long time, it was a temptation that was hard to resist.

After much deliberation, Fern finally made a decision.

“……I warned you.”

Hoo. Fern took a deep breath and put the ring on Verden.

Then he began to read the runes engraved on the ring aloud. A language not for conversation, but only for magic.

The meaning was unknown to Verden, who had little knowledge of runes.

The magical power spread throughout nature gathers. It reacts to the rune.

The magical power gathered in this way slowly seeped into the ring, and a small light began to leak out from the runes.

At that moment, a sharp pain, as if a soldering iron was being used, rippled through Verden's body.

Verden's expression distorted slightly, and Fern focused more on awakening the Rune Ring.

As the pain in the magic circuit gradually decreased, Berden's senses were strengthened.

The five senses, such as sight and touch.

A sense of balance that allows us to perceive movement and maintain balance.

A visceral sensation that humans cannot normally feel.

It all became clear.

It's a feeling similar to when you use magic detection, where you see things that weren't there before, and feel things that weren't there before.

However, the difference was that the range could not be adjusted at will.

I'm dizzy.

My vision is blurry.

The cool breeze feels like it's piercing my skin, and Fern's voice moves away and closer. Even the blood flowing through my veins and the movement of my organs stimulate my nerves.

This is the height of confusion.

'But it's not to the point where it's unbearable.'

Verden moved his magic.

The vast magical power in the heart spread throughout the entire magical circuit. The senses that had escaped their places were forcibly drawn by the magical power and began to return to their original places.

As the tangled senses began to dissipate, Verden lowered his head as his mind flashed with a tingle.

A startled Fern asked urgently.

“Hey, are you okay?!”

"it's okay."

A calm voice without any disturbance.

Verden's eyes, raised as he did so, contained a sharp aura that was not typical of a wizard.

* * *

At Count Rodenmeyer's mansion, carefully selected knights from the second search party are gathered leading their warhorses.

The Lordron Knight Commander, 'Vulcan', and the Knight's wizard, 'Clarke', had a conversation with each other.

“I just got a call. It looks like we’ve lost contact with the first search party.”

“Even the vice-captain? No way…….”

“Don’t talk nonsense. At least he’s not dead, since he’s the vice-captain. There must be some reason for that. He may have been involved in a fight during the search, or he may be in more danger. In any case, our priority is to find the count and the search party as soon as possible.”

The location where the Count went missing is Kazerdan Ridge.

I plan to run at full speed regardless of day or night. There is no problem with the stamina of the extremely trained knights and their horses.

At that moment, Clark turned his gaze to Verden.

“But I don’t understand what Your Majesty the Count lacks that made you hire a mere third-tier wizard. Even if you say you’ve dealt with high-level mercenaries, isn’t there anyone among the search party here who is worse than that?”

“It depends, but most of the time it’s like that. His Majesty probably values ability more than power. You said he’s a magician skilled in tracking… maybe he’s even more skilled than us in that area.”

“I don’t think that will happen……”

Clark was very displeased.

He was full of pride as a wizard of the count's family. There was no way a wizard with only a flashy face would have good ideas.

“Well, we’ll find out when we get there. It looks like preparations are complete, so let’s hurry and leave. Tell the knights.”