Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 8

Episode 8: Suppression of Thieves (1)

Four days have passed.

Verden never went outside and lived only in the annex.

There was no way to monitor him since he never showed up. The servants said it was like feeding a prisoner in prison.

There is no point in wasting any more time.

Lord Pythe had no choice but to invite Verden to dinner tonight.

“Your Majesty, we have a guest.”

“Let me in.”

The door opened and Verden came in. The lord's eyes were filled with admiration at his appearance.

Gray hair that reflects a soft light and bright blue eyes.

He was wearing clothes that a commoner would wear, but it did not hide his true nature. It was exactly like the image of a wizard that I had imagined as a child.

'I understand now why Conrad said that.'

If you steal with that kind of face, there's no greater waste than that.

Verden bowed in greeting.

“Nice to meet you, my lord. My name is Asher, the wandering wizard.”

“I am Pythe Henrod, the ruler of this barony. I am sorry for greeting you so late, as I welcome you as my guest. Now, please take a seat.”

As soon as Verden sat down, a servant came in with a serving cart. An appetizer made with ground vegetables. The crunchy texture and the accompanying sour sauce tickled my tongue.

“How about an appetizer that our chef is confident in?”

“It has a taste that is not excessive but rather restrained. It is a great dish to whet your appetite.”

The magicians who belong to one of the world's only 10 magic towers are proven to be elites by themselves.

In Verden's case, he was able to enter the tower because he had excellent research skills and had proven his usefulness as a worker for many years, even though he did not have any talent as a wizard. However, his job was nothing more than taking on annoying tasks.

Anyway, while living in Matap, I experienced all kinds of food.

No matter how poor the food was, it was in no way inferior to the meals of the nobility. This was possible because it was a tower overflowing with money.

'The rooftop is trash, but you can't deny its taste.'

Verden's tongue, already tamed as much as it could be.

His taste buds are on par with those of any gourmet.

Lord Pythe guessed Verden's origins from his extremely noble manners.

It seems that he is not just a wandering wizard. He is most likely a disciple of a famous wizard who is hiding in the wild, or a person from the Magic Tower. Especially the latter.

'It's not uncommon.'

There are some wizards who come out of the magic tower and become independent.

Being from the Magic Tower is like a kind of qualification, so you can go anywhere. Lord Pythe also wanted such a wizard. Although he would never come to a rural area like this.

Anyway, it's clear that this guy named Asher has nothing to do with thieves.

That fact alone made Lord Pythe let his guard down. After enjoying the steak that was served as the main meal, he continued the conversation while eating dessert.

“Fortunately, it suited your taste. It was worth asking the chef to put in some effort.”

Of course, that's not all.

The lord motioned to the butler, who politely placed a wad of cash on the desk.

“Five million elk. This is my reward for saving my friend Conrad.”

“I will gratefully accept it.”

Verden put the money in his bosom.

A huge sum of money for subduing a horde of orcs and goblins. That must mean that Conrad is an important person to him.

At that time, the lord said.

“But you said you were a wandering wizard? If it’s okay with you, would you be willing to take on a job? I’ll pay you well.”

The content is about the suppression of bandits. The lord tells us about the events that have occurred in the past few months.

Verden, who had been listening, said.

“So you’re saying there are wizards among the thieves?”

“It’s just a guess. I’m half sure of it, but otherwise, how could I have searched this area so hard that I couldn’t find it?”

There are limits to the knights under his command. They are ignorant of magic.

But there is no one to ask for help. There is no wizard who would settle down in a quiet village like this, leaving a city rich in culture. Especially not in this day and age.

“When do you plan to carry out the punitive expedition?”

“It’s tomorrow. If we delay for no reason, someone might end up getting hurt.”

Tomorrow.

I think we'll reach tier 3 soon…

But it is difficult to flatly turn down the lord's request, after all, he was treated to five million elk and several days of good food and lodging.

And if you think about it, there was one reason to accept it.

'A wizard who joined a group of thieves.'

Judging from the way he steals and such, his skills probably aren't that great.

Except for the two magicians of the Magic Tower who were killed by surprise, they were the perfect sacrifices for the first magic battle. Plus, you could make money.

I have confidence.

Verden, who had been pondering, nodded.

“Okay, I’ll take it.”

“Thank you. Then I will send someone tomorrow morning. I will give you three knights and soldiers, so I hope there are no thieves escaping.”

It seems that the people in the territory are quite angry because they were harmed.

Verden shook hands with the lord and headed to his room. After training that lasted until dawn, he fell asleep with a slight sense of tension.

* * *

Berden woke up early in the morning and dressed neatly.

My mind was clear and my magic was full. I was in good enough condition to go into battle right away.

As I followed the servant to the gate, I saw three knights in armor and fifteen soldiers with spears standing in line.

“Nice to meet you. I am Enoch, a knight of Baron Piate and the commander of this bandit suppression mission. This is Heres and Parik.”

“This is Asher.”

The middle-aged knight's attitude was polite.

Generally, a wizard who has reached the third rank, especially one who is well-versed in destructive magic, is considered to have a status comparable to that of a common knight in the world. Because of Conrad, they considered Verden to be a wizard of the third rank or higher.

It wasn't wrong to say that since it was going to rise anyway, either today or tomorrow.

“I’ve identified the area where I think the bandits might be. It’s a bit far, so I’m thinking of riding a horse halfway there. Do you have any horseback riding experience?”

There is no stable on the roof.

“……No, there isn’t.”

“Then, please ride with me. Or take a separate carriage…….”

“I’ll ride with you.”

He's not a noble, and it's too much to even hire a carriage for one person.

He took Enoch's hand and mounted his horse. Other knights and soldiers also mounted their horses and waited for orders.

“Then let’s go.”

Kick! I kicked my foot and the horse began to walk lightly.

As I was passing by the village, enjoying the beautiful scenery, I suddenly saw a group of people gathered near the entrance.

“That is……?”

“I’m an adventurer. I haven’t heard the exact story, but I heard that a strange orc has been discovered, so I’m going to go and subdue it. Dangerous and unfamiliar monsters are worth a lot of money. The lord has even put up a bounty. Judging from the fact that there are also gold-rank adventurers, it seems like the reward is quite high.”

A middle-aged prosecutor standing at the very front of the group.

Around his neck hung a plate that shone golden.

'I think they said that if you're at the gold level, you're at the level of a knight.'

Objectively speaking, no one can say who is stronger, but I can tell that the adventurer is a veteran in his own right.

Verden soon withdrew his attention. He passed the group of adventurers and left the village.

I kicked my foot again and the horse began to pick up speed.

Perhaps because it was a warhorse handled by a knight, its speed was not ordinary. Whether there was a saddle or not, considerable shocks were felt in the lower body.

“If you’re not used to it, it’ll hurt a lot. But just bear with it for a little while, so just bear with it for a little while.”

“……How long will it take?”

“About an hour?”

An hour? What the hell.

Verden tried hard to hold back his swearing.

If I had reached the third level, I wouldn't have had to ride a horse. I regret not having asked for a day… no, half a day.

* * *

One of the essential conditions for becoming a knight is to awaken one's energy.

A power that strengthens your body and further makes the weapons you hold sharper.

There is even a rumor that the being called the Imperial Sword Master can cut through Mt. Tai with a single stroke of his sword. I don't know if that is true. Of course, that is an extremely exceptional case.

If you have some talent for martial arts, you can awaken the energy, but awakening it is equivalent to reaching the second-tier magic of a wizard.

The condition of becoming a knight was to be achieved through repeated training there.

Someone said that the knight was a weapon specialized for killing.

Even if dozens of thieves rush in, one knight can behead them all. However, if there is a wizard, it is a different story.

“Lord Asher, if there is a wizard on the other side, may I ask you to take care of him?”

If a wizard casts spells from a distance, there is no way for the soldiers to survive. There is nothing a knight can do beyond the reach of his sword.

So, Verden, a wizard like Jaron who could completely attract the attention of a wizard, was the perfect candidate.

“Understood. Let’s prioritize subduing the wizard. Is there a need to capture him?”

“The lord has ordered the extermination of the bandits.”

Verden nodded.

After a while, the group arrived at their destination, tied their horses in the forest, and posted a guard.

As they approached the expected point, Verden unleashed his magical power as he had previously said.

‘… … There’s nothing I can really catch.’

Not here. When Verden shook his head, he immediately moved to the next location.

My butt hurt as if it was bruised, but I couldn't show it because I had the dignity of a wizard. Second, third… … and by the time the sun was setting, I had arrived at the final location.

“This is the last of the East. If there’s no more here, we’ll rest for a day and move on to the West.”

That meant he had to ride longer. Verden unleashed his magic, hoping that there would be no bandits here.

At that moment, something caught my eye. Judging by the strange sensation, it was clearly some kind of magic circle.

If the magic power is applied for too long, it will be detected. Verden quickly withdrew his magic power and pointed in the direction.

“There is a magic circle over there.”

Found it.

Leaving only the bare minimum of troops to guard the horse, they advanced forward. Verden raised his hand to stop the party, then raised a tree branch to mark the boundary.

“If you take just one more step from here, the magic circle will react.”

“Hmm… How can I get over this?”

“It’s simple.”

When Verden gestured, a hidden magic circle was revealed.

“There was something like this in Yeongji…….”

A huge dome that covered a large area of the forest. It was more like a warning, and not a high-level magic circle that would destroy an opponent the moment it touched them, like the one on the magic tower.

In other words, it was not enough to stop Verden, who had attacked the magic circle of the Magic Tower.

After pulling out a thin thread of magical power, he found a gap in the magic circle and pushed it in. Less than 20 seconds later, part of the magic circle broke and a hole was created that a person could pass through.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“…….”

Was it that magic circles could be destroyed so easily? I think I heard that they weren't… … Enoch, clearing away his hazy memories, cautiously took a step inside.

The alarm did not sound. The group entered one by one, and as they followed the large number of people everywhere, they found that dozens of people were living in a crude village.

Two men at the center of it all.

A warrior with a large scar on his face, wielding two swords, and a wizard wearing a robe and carrying a small staff on his belt were pointing at the bandits and giving them some instructions.

At first glance, he looks different from ordinary thieves. He must be the leader.

To make a surprise attack, Enoch drew his sword silently.

“Wait a minute, Lord Enoch. If you don’t know the level of the enemy wizard, a surprise attack might be counterproductive.”

“Then how…….”

“I have an idea.”

I even studied the wizard's tactics in detail to reach the power source of the magic tower.

The magic that a wizard who has been taken by surprise can use is 'Magic Barrier'. It can also be called a wizard's shield and is useful for blocking surprise attacks.

'But the downsides are also clear.'

Verden told his party of his plans.