They were clad in heavy armor that could rival it. Watching them, a ridiculous thought suddenly occurred to Damon.
‘Can they even run properly with all that iron dangling off them? Completely pointless. I’d wager that if my body were normal and I had just a hundred men of the Guardian Demon King’s Army, I could slaughter every last one of them within half a day…….’
But that was only imagination. The reality was that with his current abilities, he could not handle even a single spearman, let alone a heavy infantryman. So long as the atrocious forbidden art, the Sevenfold Severing Prohibition Art, remained, he could not kill under any circumstances. Even if his opponent were an ordinary farmer who knew nothing of swordsmanship.
“They’re coming.”
At McMillan’s somewhat tense words, Damon snapped back to his senses and looked at him. His eyes were filled with longing as he stared fixedly in one direction. Damon’s gaze naturally turned that way.
The heavy infantry corps had already passed by, and now mounted cavalrymen were marching in ranks. Those at the front were mostly light cavalry wearing light armor. There were not many of them, however, and behind them came a knight order clad in heavy armor. Their armor, if anything, was even more imposing than that of the heavy infantry who had passed earlier, never inferior to it.
A trace of disappointment passed through Damon’s eyes.
‘Tsk, tsk. If they fall from their horses, they won’t even be able to move properly in that getup. Why do the people here like hanging so much stuff all over their bodies?’
Of course, that difference stemmed from the fact that the martial arts of the two continents were fundamentally different. Since he had not stayed here very long, Damon still did not clearly understand that difference.
In the Zhongyuan, internal qigong based on inner energy had flourished since ancient times, rather than external arts that relied on training the body.
Naturally, for a martial artist who had properly cultivated internal qigong, armor could be said to be of little use. Once one reached a certain level, one could strike the opponent’s body through armor with ease. It was called fajin. Even practitioners of fist arts could nullify an opponent’s armor without much difficulty if they used fajin.
To highly skilled swordsmen in particular, armor was nothing more than something that needlessly slowed their movements. Using sword qi, an advanced technique based on the internal energy they possessed, they could pierce armor with ease. For that reason, it was safe to say that almost no sects in the Zhongyuan martial world used armor. In the Zhongyuan, armor was something used almost exclusively by the military.
But Truvenia was different. First of all, their opponents were not fellow humans as in the Zhongyuan, but mostly monsters such as orcs and trolls. Because of that, swordsmanship emphasizing strength had no choice but to develop to an extreme degree. And since battles between different races, rather than individual duels, were actively waged, an armor culture inevitably arose. Above all, armor was extremely effective protective gear in group battles where combatants became tangled together, more so than in one-on-one duels. In the chaos of melee, the chance of being struck in the back was markedly higher than in personal combat.
As a result, Truvenia’s swordsmanship developed more toward external arts than internal qigong. Although Emperor Crosen’s training method had been passed down, the vast majority of swordsmen still focused on learning swordsmanship based on strength. Naturally, wearing armor was essential to that swordsmanship.
Damon was lost in thought, idly watching the heavy knight order pass by in formation. Then, all of a sudden, the citizens’ cheers reached their peak. McMillan’s excited voice burst out beside him.
“L-look over there. It’s Sir Halbertron. Good heavens, Sir Reindelf is there too.”
In the direction McMillan pointed, four knights were constantly waving their hands in response to the citizens. They were all handsome men with stylish mustaches, riding their horses proudly with faint smiles on their faces. Looking at them, Damon instinctively examined their armor. Unlike the heavy knights who had passed before, they wore armor that appeared relatively thin, and, peculiarly, it was densely covered in geometric patterns.
“Th-their armor is even th-thinner, isn’t it?”
At Damon’s stammered words, McMillan shook his head as if to say that was not the case.
“They don’t need thick armor at all. They’re knights who can proudly call themselves invincible by skill alone……. The armor they’re wearing is magic armor. Armor that can efficiently block magical attacks. Of course, it’s staggeringly expensive. On top of that, they’re capable of increasing the strength of their armor with the mana they possess, so you mustn’t underestimate them.”
It was rare indeed to see McMillan, usually so calm, getting this worked up. In fact, Damon had not seen him like this once in the past six months, so his eyes widened.
“Wh-who are they?”
“They are…”
Though he was explaining with his mouth, McMillan’s eyes remained fixed on the knights passing by.
“The strongest men possessed by the Icarotte Empire. Among the Sword Masters belonging to the knight orders, they are the most skilled of all. That’s who they are. Do you understand now?”
McMillan’s unwavering gaze held an ambiguous light that was hard to describe. Seen one way, it seemed filled with intense longing and awe; seen another, there seemed to be something bitter hidden in his expression. After looking at them for a moment, Damon patted McMillan’s shoulder again.
“You’re saying they’re that strong?”
“That goes without saying. Even if a hundred low-ranking soldiers like you and me attacked them together, they’d have the skill to hold us off. Though you probably won’t believe it.”
At those words, Damon gave a bitter smile. Of course, in the past, he too had been a powerhouse whose abilities were by no means inferior to theirs. Before he lost his inner strength, that is.
‘Just how strong are they……? It truly pains me to have lost my martial arts. I’d like to fight them once, to my heart’s content…….’
Though he had lost his martial arts, the competitive spirit of a warrior still remained in his heart, and Damon felt his mood rising without realizing it. But he soon understood reality and lowered his head deeply. The past had now vanished forever. There was no need to recall it any longer.
As if to shake off his troubled thoughts, he changed the subject.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“If those men were compared to Emperor Crosen, who do you think would be stronger?”
McMillan, who had been listening half-heartedly, suddenly opened his eyes as wide as saucers. He quickly looked around, trying to see if anyone nearby had heard Damon’s words. But Damon’s pronunciation was so awkward that no one seemed to have understood. Even McMillan himself would not have been able to make out Damon’s words if they had not been conversing for quite some time. McMillan, extremely tense, brought a finger to his lips.
“Shh, be quiet.”
He looked around once more, then took Damon’s hand and quietly left the place. He was trying to go somewhere with fewer people. After walking for quite some time, they were able to push their way out of the crowd. Only after arriving at a quiet place a little distance away did McMillan finally calm his startled heart.
“Where on earth did you hear that name?”
Only then realizing his own mistake, Damon gave a bitter smile.
“I-I just……”
“I won’t ask where you heard it. But I hope you never utter that name again. If this reaches the ears of the guards……”
McMillan raised a finger to his throat and made a slicing gesture.
“The two of us are finished on the spot. Understand?”
At his unusually sharp attitude, Damon nodded.
“I-I understand.”
Only then did McMillan’s rigid face relax.
“Well, I suppose you made that mistake because you don’t know much about the circumstances here. I understand.”
“S-sorry.”
“No need to apologize. To tell the truth, it’s something I’ve been very curious about too. But since I’ve never seen him, I’m not in a position to argue about who would be stronger. Keep my warning firmly in mind.”
“I will.”
By now, the marching column had nearly left the city streets, so the two decided to end their sightseeing. They headed for their lodgings in silence. McMillan seemed to have nothing in mind but hurrying back and wetting his throat with warm soup.
As they walked toward the lodgings, Damon, who had been deep in thought, abruptly opened his mouth.
“What kind of beings are magicians in this place, exactly?”
“Did you say magicians?”
McMillan furrowed his brow slightly. Naturally, as a low-ranking soldier, he could not know about magicians in any great depth. Still, he resolved to tell Damon what he knew. Though Damon’s appearance was hideous, McMillan had begun to feel a certain liking for him.
“In this place, magicians can be described as beings who form the core of the army together with the knight orders. Depending on the situation, a single magician can be equivalent to an entire knight order.”
“Is that so?”
Even as they walked, McMillan continued explaining. Damon gradually became absorbed in his explanation.
“To infantrymen like us, magicians are practically beings of terror. There are plenty of cases where one spell determines the lives of a hundred infantrymen. That’s how fearsome a magician’s magic is.”
After finishing those words, McMillan glanced at Damon’s face.
“But if that magician is on our side, the situation changes. In that case, we must protect the magician even at the cost of our lives. The success or failure of a war can depend on his performance.”
“Amazing.”
“I don’t know all that much about magicians. Only that to become a magician, talent is more important than effort. In other words, it’s known that aptitude for magic is something you’re born with. And…”
McMillan looked at Damon, whose face was full of interest, and continued.
“I’ve heard that to become a proper magician, one must receive education in handling mana from at least before the age of ten. So after becoming an adult, even if one learns magic, it’s difficult to achieve greatness.”
“……….”
McMillan’s words shocked him somewhat, but Damon did not show it outwardly at all.
“Then is there no way to learn magic when one is already o-old?”
“That’s how it can be seen. Of course, there are exceptions.”
“E-exceptions?”
McMillan looked at Damon and smiled faintly.
“Did you perhaps see those people in black robes who were following closely behind the knights in the procession earlier?”
“Mm. I think I saw them.”
Though he did not particularly remember them, Damon nodded perfunctorily.
“They could be considered the exceptions I mentioned. They are none other than black magicians……”
“R-really?”
Damon was startled. Since Shrekheimer had told him in detail about the history of this place, there was something he could not understand.
“I heard that b-black magicians were d-defeated in the last great war against the Dark Army and all executed……”
McMillan’s eyes grew round.
“You knew that too? Hm. Then this will be easier to explain. Of course, during the Dark War, every last black magician and necromancer sided with the Demon King and fought the war. Because of that, it’s true they were executed on a large scale after the war ended. But it wasn’t as if none survived at all. There were a few black magicians who had been imprisoned for a long time, and I heard they were reinstated because of this war. Of course, on the condition that they participate in the war against the orcs.”
“So that’s how it was.”
Damon nodded as if he now understood. Given the situation, it made perfect sense.
“From what I’ve heard, black magic can be learned even when one is older. That’s because they receive magical power through a contract with the Demon King. Of course, even if one learns it late, one can reach the level of a 1st Circle magician without much difficulty. Once that happens, one can make a contract with the Demon King at any time.”
“Is there a d-difference in power?”
“In terms of attack, the power of black magic is known to be relatively stronger than white magic. It’s the only way ordinary people like us can become magicians. But you probably wouldn’t find anyone willing to do it even if you washed your eyes and looked.”
“Wh-why is that?”
“Because in exchange for obtaining magical power, you have to sell your soul to the Demon King. Mm. The case of the Dark War would be a good example. At the time, all the black magicians scattered across the Truvenia continent sided with the Demon King. There wasn’t a single exception. Because their souls already belonged to the Demon King, they could never defy his will. So if you want to learn black magic, you have to firmly prepare yourself for the day when the Demon King takes over your body.”
“……….”
“Also, black magicians are greatly shunned here. Not only do people not look kindly on them, but if they’re unlucky, they’re likely to meet their end at the hands of knights seeking fame. After all, killing a black magician isn’t considered a crime, and in the past, you could even receive a bounty from the Berhazel Order. Of course, not anymore……. That’s why, unless there are unusual circumstances, no one tries to become a black magician. Unless, of course, they’re someone whose hatred is carved down to the bone……”
After hearing the explanation, Damon let out a long sigh.
“So th-there was such a reason behind it.”
“Don’t get any strange ideas. Just focus on your duties. As time passes, the war situation may improve……”
“I will.”
Just then, they arrived at the lodgings, so their conversation ended there. Since most of the soldiers were out, the dining hall was fairly quiet. The two finished their meal in a relatively short time and were able to go up to their quarters.