The guard of the mage who had beaten him to a pulp earlier. It was none other than that very man who now blocked his path.
He twisted his face into a vicious sneer, as though he had run into exactly the man he’d been looking for, and began cracking his knuckles one by one.
“Disappear while I’m still asking nicely, ■■.”
Because the black-robed figure had nearly reached the top of the stairs, Damon grew anxious.
“I have no business with you. I’ll quietly head up to the second floor, so step aside.”
However, the approaching guards had already surrounded Damon in a circle. From afar, that same mage from before was watching this way with an amused expression.
“That won’t do. Seeing your ugly face spoils the Mage’s taste for drink. You’d best disappear while I’m still asking nicely.”
Damon cast a glance toward the second floor. The black-robed figure, who had been ascending, stopped briefly and was watching this way. Seeing that, Damon calmly steadied his mind. Judging by the man’s demeanor, he took it as a sign to resolve the situation with his own strength. If so, the most important thing for Damon in this moment was to return to a state of no-thought, no-self.
Though intoxicated and barely conscious, the thought that he had to defeat these men to reach the mage made Damon focus his mind with all his might. The vision that had seemed hazy from the alcohol gradually cleared. As he calmed his mind, a deeply settled voice slipped past his lips.
“Step aside. If you won’t, I’ll beat you down and go up.”
From the utter lack of emotion in his voice, it seemed he had fortunately achieved mental tranquility. Rather, it was the guards who had lost their composure.
“Well, well? Look at this punk? Guess he didn’t learn his lesson last time?”
“Crush one of his legs.”
The excited guards rushed Damon all at once. They were undoubtedly far superior in skill to the soldiers Damon had fought before, and the armor they wore looked extremely sturdy as well. However, no matter how carefully selected these guards were from among skilled warriors, in terms of basic martial arts alone, they could never be a match for Damon. No, the mere fact that Damon had mastered the vital points of the human body meant they stood no chance whatsoever.
Thud, thud-thud thud.
It took less than a minute for all six guards to collapse on the floor. In a state of no-thought, no-self, Damon nimbly dodged the attacking guards and struck only the most critical vital points. Having been hit in their fatal spots, they had no choice but to foam at the mouth and roll across the ground one after another. At least when it came to brawling, there was no one Damon feared.
“G-good heavens■■.”
At the sight, the mouths of everyone inside the tavern fell open at once. They couldn’t believe that the foreigner of such slight build had knocked down guards twice his size in an instant. Who were those men? Were they not the mage’s guards, handpicked from among skilled soldiers?
Even the mage they were protecting was simply chattering his teeth in astonishment. He was a mage who had never dreamed that his guards would be defeated so absurdly. Before long, burning fury welled up inside him, and the mage slowly rose from his seat. Mana he had gathered stealthily was gradually channeling into his magic staff.
Damon, dusting off his hands, tried to head up to the second floor as if he had no further business here. Then, suddenly, a danger signal flashed through his mind. It was a sense of crisis so acute that he wouldn’t have noticed it without the senses honed on the battlefield. Damon threw himself to the side without hesitation. At the same time, an explosion erupted from where he had been standing.
Boom.
The blast was quite powerful. The wooden floor burst apart, and shattered splinters flew in all directions. They rained down heavily, burying Damon’s body as he crouched nearby.
“Hup.”
He had managed to get up using a breakfall, but his lower back was throbbing. Damon saw the mage approaching with killing intent in his eyes. Ferocious whirlwinds of air swirled around the staff he held.
“To think you beat down my guards… I cannot forgive you.”
With a cold shout, a blinding light erupted from the staff. Using the crystal orb embedded in the staff as its axis, the whirlwind of air was rapidly condensing. Apparently, he intended to take revenge for the guards. Against Damon.
“Damn.”
Damon was at a loss. Of course, he was confident that no one could match him in martial arts, but if his opponent deployed magic from a distance like that, he had no choice but to take a beating. Like a fish on a hook.
Just then, a low voice came from the second floor. It was the voice of the very same black-robed figure who had brought him here, so a light of immense relief flashed across Damon’s face.
“If you attack him, I shall attack you as well.”
At those words, the mage instinctively turned his gaze, and terror instantly surfaced in his eyes.
On the second floor, a mage clad in a black robe was already standing and looking down. A fierce electrical discharge glowing with a reddish hue was raging between both his hands. The sphere of discharge was nearly the size of a human head. It was clearly an electrical offensive spell of at least the 4th Circle, so the mage’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. A level of magic like that was a realm he couldn’t even dream of reaching.
He hastily dispelled the Air Blast he had gathered in both hands. Judging by the black robe, he was presumed to be a dark mage, but judging by the scale of the discharge, that man was clearly a mage of a far higher rank than himself. After scattering the mana gathered in his hands, the mage twisted his face and looked up at the second floor.
“Why? You interfere with me? That man beat down my guards.”
“Because he is a guest I brought here.”
Having finished speaking, the black-robed figure turned away as if he had no further business. The red discharge had already vanished from his hands. Damon silently ran past the blankly frozen mage and went upstairs, while the guards, having come to their senses, were finally rising one by one.
After entering the room where the black-robed figure was staying, the two sat facing each other across a table. The black-robed figure was the first to speak.
“From what I saw earlier, your martial arts are truly remarkable.”
“Y-You flatter me■■.”
Damon hurriedly bowed his head. Having realized through the recent situation that this person was far more powerful than the mage who had insulted him, his heart was pounding uncontrollably. Naturally, the higher the mage’s level, the greater the possibility that he could learn magic. The black-robed figure continued to ask questions.
“So, what is your position here?”
“Yes, I am■■.”
Damon soon confessed everything without reservation: that he had been a rampart defender, that he had recently been selected for the royal guard but was discharged for having secretly learned magic, and even the hardships he had endured to learn magic. During this time, the black-robed figure simply listened, nodding his head.
“It’s understandable. Asking mages on holiday to teach you magic was truly an absurd notion■■.”
“But that was the only way I had to learn magic.”
“However, judging by your appearance, you seem to be a foreigner, which is a bit strange. They never use foreigners as royal guards in Icarot.”
“That is■■.”
When Damon explained the circumstances, the black-robed figure exclaimed in apparent surprise.
“Hah! That is astonishing. For a common soldier to fight and defeat a Twin-Headed Ogre alone…■■.”
“It is utterly trivial compared to your abilities.”
They continued their conversation, but because his face was hidden by the drawn hood, Damon could not make out the black-robed figure’s features at all. Thinking the atmosphere had ripened, Damon prostrated himself flat on the spot.
A sincere plea burst from his lips.
“Please, teach me magic. No matter what hardships await, I am confident I can overcome them all.”
Having finished speaking, Damon remained motionless in a full prostration. He was resolved to die in that spot if necessary. After looking down at his back for a while, the black-robed figure finally opened his mouth.
“Rise.”
“Unless you accept my request, I will not rise from this spot even in death.”
“If you still wish to learn magic even after knowing my identity, I shall grant your request.”
At those words, Damon raised his head with a start.
“R-really?”
“Indeed.”
As the black-robed figure nodded, tears were already streaming from Damon’s eyes. After enduring such humiliation and wandering in search, he had finally found a mage willing to accept him as a disciple.
“Th-thank you.”
In a voice choked with emotion, Damon bowed once, then twice. Like the customs of the Central Plains, he was offering the great bow of the master-disciple rite.
“I consider it an honor to have you as my master. From this day forth, I shall regard you as I would my own parents, and I will never betray you no matter what happens. So long as even a single fragment of bone remains in my body, I shall never forget the grace you have bestowed upon me.”
Every word he spoke was dripping with sincerity. Though the black-robed figure seemed somewhat surprised by his attitude, he showed no sign of agitation.
“Rise. From now on, I shall reveal my identity to you.”
As Damon gently raised his tear-stained face, the black-robed figure lifted the hood pulled deep over his head. The hidden face of the black-robed figure was finally revealed before Damon.
“Gasp.”
Damon was startled. The face of the black-robed figure was truly horrific. Surprisingly, his appearance was even uglier than Damon’s own. His skin was like burnt paper, as if from severe burns, and where a nose should have been, there were simply two gaping holes. Even his lips were curled back, exposing his teeth completely. It was truly a face too horrifying to look at. Had someone faint of heart or a woman seen it, they would surely have fainted on the spot.
“Why? Is my face completely beyond what you imagined?”
“N-no. Not at all.”
Damon forcibly calmed his mind. No matter what his appearance, the man was now his master. However, perhaps disappointed by Damon’s reaction, a bitter smile formed on the other’s lips.