Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 77

Episode 77: The King of Libyan

My head spun quickly.

The old man's words could not possibly be false. Impersonating a king is a serious crime in any country. It is even more so in the capital city of Lidron.

As Verden bent down to kneel, an authoritative voice interrupted him.

“Enough. There’s no need for superficial courtesy. Just sit down.”

"……yes."

I sat down carefully on a nearby chair and met the King's gaze.

The king stroked his chin and looked closely at Verden.

“You clearly said Asher. Are you from Matap?”

Academy and the Tower.

These are the only two institutions where you can receive professional training as a wizard.

The Academy is an educational institution that primarily caters to children who have not yet reached adulthood. After receiving basic education, students decide on a career path based on their talents and their own desires.

Iris, whom I met in Martes, was just such a case.

In contrast, anyone can enter the Magic Tower regardless of age as long as they have talent.

It is a place where people learn and practice practical expertise, and there are many people who are called geniuses. That means there are many talented people.

If you stand out there, you can even become a disciple of the Magic Tower.

'Like Luked Maniacs, the third disciple of the Magic Tower who stole my theory.'

I suppressed my emotions that had suddenly become intense and thought about the king's question.

There's no way he knew that Verden was from Matap, so he must have just stabbed him.

If Verden, who had achieved great success, had entered the academy, he would have become famous long ago. By elimination, the only thing left is the magic tower.

Verden answered calmly, without any hesitation.

"no."

“Hmm, you’re not an academy graduate either. I’m curious about this.”

A deep curiosity appeared in the king's eyes.

“What you have accomplished in the Duchy is not something that anyone can accomplish. Of course, you did not accomplish it all alone, but you certainly played a decisive role, and you are not from the Academy or the Magic Tower…….”

When he stopped talking, silence fell over the room.

The fingers that had been silently tapping the bed stopped.

“Where are you from?”

It was a light question, but the atmosphere changed abruptly.

It was not the actual power, but the aura of the King's very presence that radiated. Verden felt the air grow heavier.

'This is the king of a country.'

It is different from simply beings with great power.

This was the dignity of a ruler who led millions. A presence that made people submit of their own accord, rather than forcing them to kneel with overwhelming force.

A faint-hearted person will not be able to even breathe properly in front of the King.

But it wasn't Verden.

Although he may have basic manners and common sense, no one, not even the Lord of the Tower, the King, or the Emperor, could dare to force him.

He answered the king with confidence, standing up to the king's authority.

“I have been living with my master in the mountains all this time.”

The story of how he was born an orphan and was raised by his master as his disciple and son. It was a false past created by Verden.

Because this was the background that others would most likely accept. If I said I was self-taught, they would look at me with even more suspicion rather than believe me.

Then the king asked.

“Master… may I ask your name?”

“Sometimes, there are people who come to see the Master and they call him ‘Ban.’ So I also call him Master Ban, although I don’t know if that’s his real name. The Master was reluctant to talk about his past.”

The king turned his gaze to the old man, Endrik, who was in charge of his guard.

It seemed like he had never heard of it before.

'A hidden wizard in the wild. It's a plausible story.'

The world is wide and there are many strong people.

I didn't believe everything Verden said, but it wasn't an unreliable story. There were actually disciples who were educated by famous teachers and went out into the world.

It would be nice to know his proper name or even his nickname, but I have never heard of him even as a disciple, so there is no way I can know.

Of course, there was no way to find anything even if you dug around. After all, even Verden didn't know.

The king slowly nodded his head.

“I don’t know who you are, but you must be a great person to have raised a wizard like you.”

In the end, the Duke did not persistently ask about Verden's origins.

I didn't come here to question him in the first place, but because I was genuinely curious about what kind of person he was. The problem is that my curiosity deepened as we talked.

The king checked his watch and continued speaking.

“Well, we don’t have much time. Then let’s get to the point.”

“The main point…… is that right?”

So what has the conversation been about so far?

“As you may have heard from the captain of Bastio, the reason I brought you to the capital by airship is to celebrate the success of this match and to congratulate you on your efforts to subdue the Soul Tree.”

Of course, the King's own curiosity was the greatest.

Because he didn't have the patience to wait a few more days, he got scolded by his old friend and bodyguard, Endrik.

Even so, I had no intention of changing this personality now.

“As you know, there are quite a few nobles gathered in Ridron right now. After reporting to me about the territory, we plan to enjoy a pleasant banquet. In addition, I heard that a popular figure named Asher will be attending this banquet, so I am very excited.”

A young wizard who saved tens of thousands of lives.

There is no way anyone wouldn't be interested.

To be exact, I'm more suspicious than interested.

The nobles who are steeped in politics will try to test Verden.

It may simply be to satisfy curiosity about the unknown power, but since it is using the principality's assets to confer praise, they will want to thoroughly check it.

It was the proper attitude a noble should have shown, and it was a natural procedure that Verden had to go through.

“It wouldn’t be a good idea from your perspective. You can’t ignore them since they’re nobles, but it’d be a pain to deal with them one by one.”

“…….”

“Haha, judging from your expression, you must be really annoyed. That’s why I thought, why don’t we just have a big fight?”

The agency's match.

There, Verden will confront those brought by the nobles and prove his strength in front of everyone.

“But it looks like Count Rodenmeyer has already taken action. He’s quite the perceptive one… Well, it’s good that I didn’t have to go through all that trouble to persuade you, but it’s a bit disappointing. In that sense, I’d like to make a suggestion to you.”

“What is your suggestion?”

“There are a total of 16 people participating in the agency’s match. The format is a tournament, and it takes place over two days. It’s a simple match format that isn’t complicated. However, there is one clear drawback.”

Since the order is random, there are cases where strong players who should have a close match in the finals end up facing each other in the first or second round.

That's why the latter half is bound to lose its strength. The stronger the stimulus, the less powerful the stimulus becomes, making it difficult to properly feel it.

So the king thought.

In that case, how about deciding it yourself?

There was no need to pay attention.

Because he was the king of this country. No one could stop him.

“I plan to secretly decide the order of the matches at my discretion. For the sake of gradual stimulation as much as possible.”

“……Is that okay?”

“If we get caught, we’ll probably hear complaints from the nobles, but it’s worth it for the splendid spectacle.”

Verden glanced at Endrik.

Then he shook his head. It meant that it was useless since the king had already made up his mind.

“But more than anything, your own opinion is important. If you do this, you’ll be competing against strong players in succession. I fully understand if you refuse. Of course, you might be a little disappointed.”

The king secretly provoked Verden.

Verden didn't really have any thoughts, but he had no reason not to accept the Duke's offer.

I came here with the intention of taking first place in the competition anyway.

With Gluttony still unmoved, Verden was thinking of moving for a bigger reward.

“I understand. I will do as Your Majesty wishes.”

“Oh, really? Haha, I’m so happy to have a friend who can really communicate. Quite…….”

“Your Majesty, it is time for you to return to the palace.”

The Duke smacked his lips as if he felt regret at Endrik's words.

The king got up from his seat, approached Berden, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“If you can demonstrate the power to convince everyone, I will give you a special reward. So please show me a good performance, Asher.”

After saying those words, the Duke and Endrik left the mansion.

And after a while, Count Rodenmeyer came into the room.

“It looks like you finished the conversation safely.”

“…….”

“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t know Your Majesty would come to see you all of a sudden. You move so unpredictably, so even I can’t do anything about it.”

The count coughed slightly and asked Verden what he had talked about with the Duke.

Let's put aside the details and summarize the King's proposal very briefly. The Count smiled as if he was genuinely pleased.

“You now have another reason to win first place in the competition.”

… … I wonder what he received that he was so obsessed with. I had no way of knowing since he wouldn’t answer even when I asked.

Time passed quickly and 9 days passed.

* * *

A solemn atmosphere permeated the royal conference room.

The Libyan Duke sitting in the center and the four administrators on either side of him. All of them were judges who checked the performance of each territory and directly evaluated the lord.

“Then let’s begin.”

The moment the King announced the start of the event.

The door to the conference room opened and a nobleman walked in. It was Count Riddillian, who ruled the lands to the southeast, and his aide, Viscount Philbane.

The count bowed to the king and sat down on the chair.

Even as a nobleman, he swallowed hard under the pressure that was difficult to bear.

The King's voice echoed throughout the conference room.

“Viscount Philbane, you have come to fill in for Count Riddillian, who is busy with the winter forest fires.”

“Yes, that’s right, Your Majesty.”

“It is a great thing to fulfill one’s duties as a lord.”

The Viscount sighed in relief at the king's praise.

But the proper judging hasn't even begun yet.

“But the response was very late. Given the nature of the Ridillian territory, which is located in a highland, it shouldn’t have been that difficult to detect the forest fire. It took four whole days for them to move. I don’t quite understand.”

“That, that…….”

“And there was a conflict between the Adventurer’s Guild and the subjugation of the Ain race, and agricultural production has dropped by nearly 15% compared to last year. The growth rate of the cities within the territory is also much lower than expected. Well, the former is common, so I’ll let that slide, but the rest are major problems. What do you think about this, Viscount Philbane?”

Agencies don't just read reports.

The main purpose is to understand the territory more closely, find problems, and improve them.

When he was a duke in the Kingdom of Estyria, he ruled over the largest territory, Prince Liviant. It is impossible to avoid his eyes.

After a while, Viscount Philbain came out of the conference room.

His face was pale, as if he had been completely stripped of his clothes. The other nobles were gripped with anxiety at the sight.

Soon, other nobles were also examined directly by the king.

Some people smiled brightly, as if they had gotten through it well, but most of them lowered their heads and remained silent.

Count Rodenmeyer shook his head at the gruesome sight.

'Living as a nobleman is no easy task.'

Then his turn came.

As they entered the conference room and took their seats, the Duke looked at the Count with a small exclamation of admiration.

“The state of the territory is excellent. It is ahead of expectations overall. The crime rate is also decreasing year by year. It has been quite some time since we have seen such indicators.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“But the cause of the mass disappearance has not yet been discovered.”

This is an expected point.

Count Rodenmeyer answered calmly.

“As hundreds of people went missing across multiple territories, as Your Majesty knows, it is extremely difficult to determine the cause in a short period of time.”

“Isn’t it the lord’s duty to accomplish that?”

“That is a correct point. That is why I took a more proactive approach than other lords, and succeeded in locating the missing persons. I hope that if you give me time, I promise to definitely find out who did it.”

The count answered confidently.

The king, who had been thinking while rubbing his chin, nodded.

“Don’t expect it.”

Count Rodenmeyer's examination ended there.

It was the best evaluation he had ever had among all the agencies he had experienced. It was enough to aim for first place in the territory evaluation.

'And if Asher wins first place in the agency's competition… … .'

It's almost certain that first place will be awarded.

The results of the match also factor into the evaluation.

The count smiled inwardly and secretly clenched his fist.

Meanwhile, the judging continued.

Deep sighs could be heard everywhere. That's how the first day of the agency came to an end.