How the Shadow of the Marquis Lives

Chapter 111

It was said that words were printed, but it couldn’t be that simple.

Looking at the bronze mirror, it wasn’t that Xian’s mana had increased explosively or that he had become much more chaste.

The only thing Xian gained was a small realization about his own image.

In the meantime, while fighting equal battles with various masters, Xian’s body and mind were already at a sufficient level to become a master.

It’s just that he climbed the stairs that he couldn’t climb even one step with the help of primitive magic.

‘Still, just showing a proper image is a considerable thing.’

It may be a breakthrough for warriors and wizards who are blocked by a wall similar to themselves, or it may guide young warriors and wizards to grow in the right direction.

Of course, this is when you know perfectly how to use it or the conditions.

By the way, it was a really strange feeling.

“Didn’t you say that the people of the Age of Mythology awakened mana by acquiring this primitive magic?”

“For the record. It is said that before acquiring primitive magic, mankind did not even know the letter ‘M’ for mana and literally lived only in a primitive form.”

People of that era must have had similar experiences.

What did those who did not even know the existence of mana, let alone magic, experience their own image world and think?

As a result, mankind has awakened to Mana and Aura, and that technology has continued to this day.

“And the Demon Dragon King said that this primitive magic was his property.”

“… … It did.”

Zerech said with a frown.

He didn’t believe the dragon king’s words. I thought I was just a madman who thought everything in the world was his, as demons do.

I can’t help but think so. The existence that handed primitive magic to mankind in the Age of Mythology. That existence is now called and worshiped by the Purification Church as a heavenly god.

Although Zerech was not a member of the Purification Church, he knew very well what the meaning of being called a heavenly god in human history was.

‘The Demon Dragon King, the Celestial God, and the Purification Church.’

Apart from Zerech’s thoughts, Xian frowned in a different way.

A truly absurd assumption passed through my head.

Pamela, who was the leader of the Knights of the Order of Purification, was actually an apostle of the Dragon King. Why did the Demon Dragon King bother to put his own apostle into the Purification Church?

Did Pamela join the Purification Church by chance? Or was it the influence of the Demon Dragon King?

The old man and the student were wrapped in silence in front of a bronze mirror that looked too old and shabby to be called a treasure.

“… … Would you like to go back?”

“I see.”

Eventually, the two left the room. It’s not like you can’t always grumble about a problem that doesn’t come out with an answer.

On that road, Zerech headed towards the entrance of Vigo, and Xian went inside and started picking out artifacts.

What was allowed was one of the B-class artifacts.

After taking time to choose one, when I came out, Ergé and Yu Seol had already chosen and were waiting for Xian.

“Did you pick them all?”

“yes.”

Xian showed the artifact he had brought to Zerech. It was a small red bead, about the size of a finger.

“You picked a good guy. Didn’t you need a sword or something?”

“yes. The sword is already a good one and you have a lot of it.”

‘yes!’

As I said that, I heard Ravi’s powerful reply from the engraving on my wrist.

Ergé brought a dagger whose sword blade was as thin as an insect’s wing, and Yuseol was wearing a ring he hadn’t seen before.

After confirming that everyone had properly brought only one B-class, Zerech took the students and went up to the ground.

After hearing some requests from Zerech, Erze and Yuseol headed to the women’s dormitory side by side.

After seeing them laughing and talking to each other, Xian also headed to the dormitory.

“Xian student.”

Zerech left a last word for Xian.

“Always be careful with the Dragon King and Pamela.”

“… … .”

It’s something I always pay attention to even if I don’t say it.

Xian nodded quietly, and Zerech added.

“If you have to, rely on me or the people of our alliance. Because you uncovered Pamela’s identity, the perception of you isn’t too bad among the menace.”

“Is that so?”

“If you have to, how about joining the alliance? I said no once, but I’m always welcome if you change my mind.”

That was a pretty tempting suggestion.

The reason Xian rejected Zerech’s offer the other day was because he was afraid that Ravi’s power would be captured as a devil’s power by a member of the Cheondo League.

However, it was confirmed that even Altima’s flames did not work on Ravi.

If so, there is a high possibility that even if there is another way to discern the power of hell, it will not work.

“Let me think about it.”

I don’t intend to go in right away, but for now, it would be good to answer this much.

Because no one knows what the future holds.

“That’s a much more positive answer than before, hahahaha!”

Zerech left with a good laugh.

Sian fiddled with the red marble in his hand, put it in his bosom, and headed for the dormitory.

* * *

More than a month has passed since the competition ended.

There were no major incidents during that period. Xian constantly attended classes and spent the rest of his time solely on his own training.

Among them, what he paid special attention to was to refine the aura that had risen to a higher level.

“Whoa… … .”

Sitting in one of the training rooms for one person in the training building, Xian spread his aura while breathing.

Although it was for one person, the fairly spacious training ground was completely covered with his aura.

In that state, Xian slowly changed the shape of Mana.

It was a feat that became possible after absorbing the heart of the giant Atlanta.

“… … .”

Cracks began to appear in the night sky covering the training ground. Eventually, the countless fragmented auras gathered together and turned into cubes of various sizes.

Unlike Xian’s original mana, the giant’s mana was so different that it could be called a completely different energy.

It has strong cohesion and is much heavier. Thanks to this, when compressing the aura, it was more effective than the existing mana.

‘When I use it spread out, I can use it as it is, and when I use it together, I can use the giant’s mana.’

When using it to occupy space, use the existing mana, and use the giant’s mana when sharply compressing the sword or making a shape and releasing it.

As the pros and cons of each are clear, it was easy to distinguish where to use them.

‘Good job taking the heart.’

The heart Atlanta gave to Xian in hopes of death.

In fact, even as Xian, he was a gambler.

There was no guarantee that Atlanta would necessarily tell the truth, and even if it did, there was no guarantee that the giant’s heart was not poisonous to humans.

It was a choice with all those risks, but in the end it was the right choice.

In particular, this is a power that the householder can never notice.

He couldn’t hide the fact that he had found the giant, but he completely hid the fact that he had taken the heart.

It’s like there’s one more weapon that the head of household doesn’t know about.

‘The more hands the better.’

In that sense, Xian was like winning a gamble.

sssss-

After recovering all the auras Xian had spread out, he left the training ground.

Then, I crossed the training building and headed toward the dormitory.

But the atmosphere was strange.

The students were very noisy and in a hurry. Some people were even seen running to the dormitory, their faces turning blue. They weren’t the only ones like that.

‘what?’

It must have been the same atmosphere as usual when we went to the training hall a few hours ago.

“draft! You were here!”

At that time, there was a student who urgently called him and ran.

Allen was running towards me, his blue hair waving.

Xian frowned and asked.

“what’s the matter?”

“You haven’t heard yet!”

“I’m still at the training ground.”

Allen gasped and caught his breath.

Allen is also a student who trained at the academy for half a year. He’s a guy who won’t run out of breath even if he walks around the parade ground dozens of times.

The situation was so urgent that he was gasping for breath.

Seeing such a guy, Xian felt anxiety creeping up his spine.

“The Empire… … His Majesty the Emperor has declared war!”

… … The news was enough to upset Allen as well as the entire academy.

* * *

The Somer Empire, the Fairy Palace Glacier Baengnyeong, and the Beast Kingdom Jakarta. These three kingdoms have long been in balance.

To be precise, it would come to see that the Glacier Baengnyeong and Jakarta are holding the empire in check.

The Empire was a country with the largest land mass and high national power on the continent, and it was a difficult place to deal with Glacier Baengnyeong or Jakarta alone.

But that meant, on the other hand, that the empire wasn’t good enough to invade two countries at the same time.

So it’s ridiculous that the Empire declares war first… … Before saying that, Xian fell into a more fundamental question.

“Did you declare war on the spot when there was no sign?”

The point was that war did not happen all at once just by declaring war like that.

War is a phenomenon in which the armies of each country collide, and the military is a group that can never move quietly.

Even if it is a small number of detached units or special forces, you can never hide troops enough to invade the country.

Allen’s words in answering Xian’s obvious question were enough to startle Xian.

“A giant appeared at the border.”

“what?”

giant?

“that is… … Some say it’s a golem made in the Magic Tower, but anyway, creatures that look nothing but giants have appeared on the border between Glacier Baengnyeong and Jakarta.”

“… … Being a giant is nonsense. Isn’t it a new golem made in the Iron Mage Tower?”

“The messenger who came to me also said that.”

Allen hardened his expression. It was a face I had seen before.

The face full of rage that I saw when dealing with Professor Derek, who was consumed by the Dark Eater.

“From what my father found out on his own, he says that ‘that’ giant is right.”

“… … .”

Next to Allen, whose face was distorted, Xian’s expression became rather calm.

He remembered the first time he heard about the Dark Magic Tower from the head of the past.

At that time, I definitely thought about the reason for hiding the existence of the Dark Magic Tower and the Warlock from the world.

And the conclusion I came to was that ‘because the powerful have something to gain from the war with them’.

At the time, it was just speculation.

‘It’s made clear with this.’

In the empire, high-ranking nobles, including the imperial family, had something obtained from the Dark Magic Tower.

What the warlock Eden tried to do to save Atlanta in the Vendel estate.

The Empire is doing the same thing.

I don’t think the two were doing the same staggeringly identical research. It is clear that the Dark Magic Tower and the Empire have something to do with it.

Was it robbed from them, or was it?

‘Maybe they held hands.’

Xian’s eyes narrowed. Either way, it wasn’t a good situation.

Perhaps that is why Allen is making such a firm expression.

“draft.”

At that time, another man came to Xian.

Allen nodded at him with a more determined expression. After accepting Allen’s greeting, he looked at Xian with a smirk.

“Brother Damian.”

Xian quietly looked into the boy’s eyes.

“It’s time, Xian. You must have heard something from the Marquis beforehand, right?”

“… … .”

There is no such thing. The family tree didn’t tell Xian anything.

All I heard was an order to keep quiet about the giant.

“The general will be here soon. Get ready, too.”

An empire that gained the power of a giant and waged war on both the Fairy Palace and the Beast Kingdom. The general who said he was coming to the academy for whatever reason.

Although he hadn’t fully understood the situation yet, Xi’an suddenly had this idea.

that the time for decision has come.