Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 93

Episode 93 Various Rewards (1)

'I can't believe he was the second prince.'

Marquis Ravishun and the second prince.

Now I understand how the Ark's information network regarding the Duchy was so excellent.

Verden took the second prince's hand.

After shaking hands briefly, the second prince smiled brightly.

“I heard you refused to be examined by the Luas Church, but fortunately, your wounds seem to have fully recovered. It seems like you were bleeding quite a bit.”

It was definitely pretty deep.

At that time, my thigh muscles were torn and I was dizzy from overusing my eyes. However, thanks to taking vitality pills and potions right away, I had no aftereffects at all. In addition, I was able to continuously recover with the recovery bracelet.

Marquis Ravishun offered to bring a priest from the Church of Luas to treat him, but he refused.

'You can't just show your body to others.'

The magic circle of reversal is still engraved on Verden's body.

To someone who doesn't know, it might just look like a tattoo, but someone with a keen eye will immediately realize that it's a magic circle.

A magic circle engraved directly on the body.

The meaning is not simple at all. It directly affects none other than the wizard's own body. In addition, the magic circle of reversal created by Verden is a taboo that artificially touches the magic circuit.

It's not good if the story leaks out.

'My body is fine anyway.'

Ring of the Rune, senses enhanced by Exceed.

Verden knew his own body better than anyone else.

Verden answered.

“It wasn’t a deep wound.”

Then he immediately changed the subject.

The shadow behind the space bag. It was the secret treasure of the duchy that had been taken from Gluttony before.

I kept it just in case Gluttony's fangs didn't come out.

If it's the shadow behind the scenes, you can continue the chase by following the traces Gluttony left behind. Well, in the end, I didn't get a chance to use it.

The second prince carefully received the lantern.

“Not only was the subjugation of Gluttony not enough, but the duchy’s secret treasure was also… If you weren’t there, the duchy would have suffered irreparable damage. Isn’t that right, Marquis?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Marquis Ravishun turned his head to Verden.

“Asher, I called you here to tell you about the situation after the defeat of Gluttony’s Fang. And I also have a gift for you.”

gift?

“……I guess you’re more curious. Okay, let’s start with this first and then we can begin the story.”

The Marquis took out a pair of green gloves.

“These gloves are made from the leather of the Mashu Camellius. When you wear them, they blend in with your skin color, and they look just like bare hands. They’re also comfortable to wear. They’re so tough that you’ll be fine holding a steel sword with your bare hands. Of course, if you hold the blade surrounding the sword energy… well, I can’t guarantee that your fingers will be fine.”

Verden put on his gloves.

As I held it in my hand, the green color soon turned into an apricot color. It felt fine to the touch, perhaps because it was stuck to my skin.

'I feel good.'

With this, you will have no trouble dealing with staff.

“I will gratefully accept it.”

“Your thanks go to Elder Ren Balhag, not me. It is in return for saving Locke.”

Well, it's a reward.

I didn't really think that I saved you, but a good thing is a good thing.

“Then let me get to the point and tell you about the current situation in the duchy. Well, you probably guessed this. I tried to minimize the shock as much as possible, but the palace was turned upside down.”

The pillars of the principality collapsed overnight.

This fact was only realized by the Marquis' servants and even the nobles of the lands under the Marquis' command after the knights of the royal castle stormed in.

Marquis Gardran and his son, Rupel.

Gluttony was completely left out, and only the outwardly revealed crimes of kidnapping, murder, human trafficking, and the murder of Count Davirk were reported.

And when they tried to arrest him, he resisted so strongly that they executed him on the spot.

Verden asked.

“Would the king be convinced by that?”

“No, of course not. Even my son, who was Rupel’s friend, still doesn’t believe it, so how much more so would His Majesty the Duke? He would never be convinced. He believed that his old friend Gadran would never do such a thing. As did I… That’s why I told His Majesty the Duke. All the evil deeds Gadran committed were for the sake of the sickly Rupel.”

Sacrificing people to sustain life.

It's not that far-fetched. It actually exists in high-level black magic, and it can also be seen in demons, one of the heteromorphs.

When presented with clear evidence, the king had no choice but to accept it. In some ways, it was partly true.

“Of course, this fact will not leak out. Not only will the Duchy be thrown into chaos, but if the Luas Church raises an issue, the situation will grow to a point where the Duchy cannot handle it.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Asher, that things have ended this way. And that’s why I came to see you in person.”

“If there is a reason……”

“By subduing Gluttony’s fangs, we have succeeded in almost completely eliminating Gluttony from the Duchy. Even though it was something you did arbitrarily, the results are not diminished. And we have even recovered the Duchy’s treasure. To put it simply, as a member of the Ark and as the second prince of the Duchy, I cannot simply express my gratitude.”

The second prince drank tea and continued speaking.

“Do you remember the ordeal?”

Of course.

Thanks to that, I was able to obtain the magic core.

“That’s right. Trials, and rewards accordingly. The Ark uses such mechanisms to train candidates to become captains who will lead humanity. However, you overcame the trials despite not being a candidate, and furthermore, you helped to punish Gluttony… the traitor of the Ark. Therefore, it is only right that you be given a reward. Normally, it would be the role of the Listener, but this time, I will take on that role.”

The second prince took out a long metal bag from under the chair.

As I opened the lock, a staff member appeared inside. A round, sky-blue crystal was wrapped in gray metal like tree roots.

“'Oculus'. This staff is engraved with 'Impact', one of the higher runes. It creates a powerful shockwave in proportion to the amount of magical power concentrated. The frame is also made of obsidian, so it is extremely durable. For someone like you who values close combat, this is a much better weapon than the previous staff.”

I pushed the box towards Verden.

“I saw your weapon break last time, so I prepared this. Do you like it?”

Verden carefully lifted the staff.

The cold texture of the metal. When he lightly poured magic power, the crystal began to glow blue. It was the perfect reward for him who had no weapons.

'I've got a suitable weapon.'

Verden found it difficult to hide his smile.

“I like it.”

“Haha, we were discussing what to give you and the listener strongly recommended this. I’m glad you like it. In that spirit, I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“What will be our relationship with the ark going forward?”

The second prince added:

“I know, Asher, that you don’t like to belong to any group. But trials and rewards are very attractive. For those who want to endure hardship and adversity and move forward or upward. Our ark has been and will be of help to you. Of course, we will be helped by you, just like this time.”

He spoke softly.

“Don’t think of it as chains. I just want to pave the way for you to go forward.”

Use the owners themselves.

Verden was puzzled. Even if he was a suitable candidate, why did they do this?

However, the second prince's words were reasonable.

And it was so sincere that Verden couldn't refuse it right away.

But it's difficult to decide on this spot.

No matter how helpful the ark was, I felt physiologically averse to joining any group.

“……I need time to think.”

“Of course. I will send a listener later.”

The second prince smiled and stood up from his seat.

“Well, since we’ve finished our business, I’ll take my leave now… Oh, I forgot to mention this. The royal palace will contact you soon.”

“Are you talking about the palace?”

“I suppose he’s going to reward me for this incident. It’s even worse than the Soul Tree you subdued. My father is a man who doesn’t hold back on rewards for those who have worked hard for the duchy. Then, I hope to see you at the ark next time.”

So the second prince left.

And a few days later, as the second prince had said, a call came from the palace.

* * *

A small snow-covered hill far from the capital city of Lidron

Below that, the Knights of Bastio, including their leader Balkan, were guarding the area like an iron wall. A man stood alone on the hill, looking up at the distant sky.

The pure white snow was falling and the blue sky was visible through the clouds in the distance. It was the same scenery I saw as a child.

Sabak. Sabak.

I heard the sound of footsteps in the snow behind me.

“You’re here, Asher.”

“Your Majesty the King!”

“Come over to me without any unnecessary formalities. I am here to meet you informally.”

The king was still looking at the sky.

Verden approached him. After a moment of silence, the Duke opened his mouth.

“……The duchy owes you a debt.”

The Duke does not know about Gluttony.

All I knew was that the Marquis of Gard had committed a crime, and that it was Verden who had been tracking him down and investigating him.

Because the King was not an ark.

"no."

“No, really… I heard everything from Marquis Ravishun. But I couldn’t bring myself to ask about this one thing.”

The king asked.

“How was the end of Gardran?”

Verden came to mind.

The face of that person who accepted death while leaving a will just before his throat was cut.

“It looked refreshing.”

“It was refreshing…… Yes, that’s what it was.”

The king's gaze turned downward.

In the distance, the capital of the principality was shining brightly.

“Do you know why I founded the Principality of Liviant?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s right, there aren’t many people who know the truth. There was only one reason I declared independence during the war. Because it was the right thing to do.”

26 years ago, the nation was shaken by the tyranny of the kingdom, which led to a war with the Republic of Veldirn. The kingdom, which had become so corrupt that it was difficult to even respond, had support from the rear of the republic.

If the Duke of Gwong and his vassal families, the Marquis of Gadran and the Marquis of Rabishrun, had not gritted their teeth and stopped it, half of the country would have been lost long ago.

Of course, it was only a matter of time. The kingdom was in a weak position after suffering a series of defeats.

“Then, the royal family appointed a new prime minister and sent unidentified magicians into the war. That changed the situation.”

The Republic was left helpless by the unheard magic.

So much so that the disadvantage was reversed in one fell swoop and the royal forces invaded the republic in return.

“But it wasn’t given for free. By the time I found out the truth, it was already too late.”

The wizards secretly kidnapped the citizens of the kingdom and used them as ingredients for their magic. Dozens of villages disappeared, and the refugees of the cities disappeared. The same goes for the hostages of the Republic they captured.

When the Duke of Liviant found out about this, he was furious and immediately cut off the wizard's head and sent it to the royal family. However, the only answer he got was: leave it alone since it was a matter that had been permitted.

The country exists to protect its citizens.

The Kingdom of Estyria sacrificed its people to protect the country.

“The kingdom literally continued the war by grinding people. It didn’t stop even though it could have. Once it tasted victory, it became greedy.”

Occupy the Republic.

At that time, the kingdom was literally in a state of madness. Even the soldiers killed people who were not even enemy soldiers without hesitation.

There was absolutely no way to stop it.

“But then, the prime minister of the kingdom who had hired the magicians suddenly died. Even the magicians disappeared. I took advantage of the chaos and took up my sword.”

Declaration of independence from the kingdom.

He also brought together his vassal families and the lords of the surrounding fiefdoms.

When he, who was at the forefront, rebelled, the kingdom could not continue the war.

Eventually, the war broke out and a peace treaty was signed after three years and two months, which has continued to this day. That was the origin of the Principality of Liviant.

“Gardran and Rabishrun have always supported me. They even saved my life on the battlefield. If they hadn’t been there, the current principality wouldn’t exist. Even independence would have failed in the first place. To me, Gadran is my close friend and benefactor.”

A guard who is always honest, upright, and affectionate.

What could have made him change?

Perhaps his wife's death shook him.

And he must have despaired as he watched his son die.

I wanted to help, but I couldn't.

There was absolutely no way. But I tried to find it.

Then one day, Ruppel regained his health.

It was impossible. He had doubts, but the king tried to ignore them. It was the first time in a long while that a smile appeared on his friend’s frozen face.

If only he had known a long time ago that it was something that was achieved by sacrificing countless people… … No, this is an excuse. It was his fault for not recognizing his friend’s heart while claiming it was for the sake of the duchy.

“……Still, I’m glad it’s not too late.”

The king took out a necklace from his bosom.

The light reflected off the black jewel necklace was rainbow-colored.

Artifact 'Center of the Three Primary Colors'.

The King gave the artifact to Verden.

“I told you that I couldn’t give it to you because it was dangerous. That’s true, but that wasn’t the real reason. In fact, this is an item that holds precious memories, something I bought with Rabishrun and Gadran at the kingdom’s auction house when I was young.”

A past that will never come again.

“But now I think it’s time to let go of those memories.”

“…….”

“Take it quickly, your arm hurts.”

Verden received the artifact.

“An elemental wizard like you would definitely be able to handle this artifact. If not now, then someday. Yes. It would be an easy task for a fourth-tier wizard, unprecedented in history, to defeat the Marquis of a nation.”

ha ha ha.

The king made a joke to lighten the heavy atmosphere. Haa, he let out his white breath and relieved his stuffy chest.

“Thank you.”

It was unclear whether that was said to Verden or to someone else.