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Doil nodded, his expression hardening as he explained why.
“Word came in yesterday that two corps of the allied army, which had been advancing in the direction where the Carnatic Kingdom once stood, were completely annihilated. Because of that, the allied command is in an uproar right now. This is just my thought, but……”
Doil glanced at Damon and continued.
“It seems likely that a dragon has intervened again.”
“A dragon?”
Damon’s eyes widened. Though he was not from this place, he knew better than anyone what sort of beings dragons were. Shrekheimer had already told him in detail about the history of the Truvenia continent and what kind of existence had brought about the current crisis, so the shock was all the greater. He had never seen one in person, but the pressure the very existence of a dragon exerted on him was beyond words.
“That’s right. The annihilated corps had a large number of capable mages stationed among them, yet not a single one survived. Judging from that, it seems certain that a dragon joined the fray……”
A lonely smile lingered at the corners of Doil’s mouth as he spoke. It had been some fifty years since he had staked his life on magic. He prided himself on no longer being inferior to anyone when it came to the study of magic, but even Doil could not dare say such a thing before one existence alone.
Dragons, the very originators of magic. No matter how much training a human mage had accumulated, before a dragon they could not even dare discuss magic. That was because a dragon’s magical ability was so outstanding that it could not even be compared to that of a human mage. If the opponent were a dragon in its prime, beyond Wyrm-class, even ten mages of Doil’s level attacking all at once would be no match at all.
In general, a mage of a higher class can easily handle many lower-class mages. Conversely, a mage of a lower class can never defeat a mage of a higher level than themselves, no matter what. This was due to the nature of magic, which grew step by step, and the difference in the level of magic one could deploy made that entirely possible.
In the world of magic, this fact had long remained an unchanging truth. It was another difference from the world of knights, where even those of lesser skill could gather in numbers and deal with an expert. In that sense, it could be said that there was currently no way for a human mage to surpass a dragon through magic. That was because dragons possessed an immense lifespan not permitted to humans.
Magic is a discipline in which mastery is determined by the length of one’s training. No matter how outstanding one’s talent may be, and no matter how excellent a teacher one studies under, it is difficult to achieve much if the time spent training is short. Of course, in the lower Circles, a certain degree of rapid advancement may be possible (Damon’s current case being one such example), but at least in the advanced courses of the 3rd Circle and above, one cannot hope for even the slightest stroke of luck like that. In that sense, for humans to catch up to dragons, who were guaranteed lifespans of over five thousand years, was quite literally absurd.
Thanks to their long lifespans, dragons had been able to break through the accursed 10th Circle, a wall humans had long been unable to overcome, with relative ease. A dragon that reached Wyrm-class was fully capable of attaining the realm of a 10th Circle master. However, to this day, not a single human had ever reached the 10th Circle.
A rare few mages, either exceptionally gifted or willing to become vampires unbound by lifespan in their pursuit of magic, had managed to climb to the 9th Circle.
Even so, they too failed to overcome the wall of the 10th Circle. In other words, 10th Circle magic never permitted itself to humans. Of course, that did not mean dragons were invincible under heaven, and throughout Truvenia’s history there had not been absolutely no precedents of dragons being slain. Thanks to powerful knights and mages joining forces in great numbers, humans had succeeded in dragon hunts several times thus far, and there were records of several Wyrm-class dragons being killed as well. However, there were almost no cases of dragons being slain by mages alone without the assistance of knights. Even when there were, most involved only young dragons less than a thousand years old. At least in the field of magic, dragons were like an insurmountable wall to humans.
As if trying to shake off his negative thoughts, Doil shook his head.
“We will have to march all night tonight. So let us go back and pack our belongings.”
“Understood, Master.”
Damon felt a little regretful that he would be unable to train, but he answered readily. After carefully collecting the two intact wooden dolls, Damon headed toward the encampment together with Doil.
The place where Damon trained was somewhat removed from where the 8th Corps was stationed. Due to the nature of martial artists from the Central Plains, who disliked showing their training process to others, Damon also preferred to train in a place of his own. Of course, Doil agreed with that idea as well. It was not exactly a good idea for a rejected black mage to publicly instruct a disciple.
“So, it seems you have achieved some results with Magic Missile. But you must not neglect other magic either. Even if you cannot train due to lack of time, you must keep the deployment theories firmly engraved in your mind.”
Looking at Doil, who spoke with concern, Damon smiled faintly.
“Do not worry, Master. I already remember the theories clearly.”
“Human fate is such that one does not know what will happen even tomorrow. Therefore, you must receive all of my knowledge as quickly as possible. Only then will you be able to continue training later, even if you are left alone.”
At Doil’s words, filled with concern, Damon felt his heart grow warm. Doil had already compiled everything about the process and methods by which he had learned magic and passed it on to Damon: the most optimal methods to avoid trial and error in learning magic, efficient mana rearrangement techniques, and more. This was, quite literally, the living knowledge Doil had honed over a lifetime. And he was handing such precious knowledge over to Damon without the slightest hesitation.
“Master. I do not know how I can ever repay this grace.”
Hearing Damon’s choked voice, Doil stopped walking and turned his head. An endlessly benevolent smile rested on his face. At this moment, who would see Doil as a black mage, called the very byword for evil? Gazing at Damon, Doil smiled softly.
“I truly consider it heavenly fortune that I accepted you as my disciple.”
“……”
“Though black magic is something everyone points fingers at, I have prided myself on having some understanding of it in my own way. I can be satisfied with just the fact that its lineage will not be severed. There is only one thing I ask of you.”
Having finished speaking, Doil raised a finger and pointed at Damon.
“Please survive this war and become an excellent black mage. Become a powerful mage possessing skill that no one would dare look down upon. That is the only thing I wish for. Do you understand?”
“I—I understand.”
“Though black magic cannot avoid the fate of being bound to a Demon King, in terms of power alone, it is by no means inferior to white magic. That is because black magic can use the mana of darkness.”
“The mana of darkness?”
“That is right. Generally, mages realize magic by rearranging the mana in the atmosphere. However, there is one kind of mana that mages cannot use: the mana of darkness, also called the mana of the yin dimension. That is because this mana possesses an attribute subordinated to the Demon King. Black magic can use precisely this mana of darkness. That is why its magic is powerful. Of course, because of that, one cannot avoid becoming bound to a Demon King.”
“……”
“Before long, you will choose one Demon King and form a contract. Once that happens, you will instantly rise to a level equivalent to the 3rd Circle. Merely being able to use the mana of darkness can achieve that much.”
At the words that he could become stronger in a short time, a gleam of joy flashed across Damon’s face. The realm of the 3rd Circle was one where he would be able to deploy Haste on his own. If that happened, he would no longer have to fear anyone. Because of that, Damon’s heart grew impatient.
“Which Demon King will I make a contract with? When will we perform the ritual?”
Seeing Damon ask back urgently, Doil shook his head.
“Not yet. When the time comes, I will tell you, so wait calmly. And are there any difficulties in learning magic?”
A memory from earlier suddenly came to Damon’s mind.
“Master, is it perhaps impossible to deploy magic using only a crystal orb, without using a magic staff? If that were possible, it would be much easier for me to move my body……”
Of course, Damon’s greatest strength was his agile movement. His movements, which did not fall behind even those of a seasoned knight, were difficult for even an agile ogre to catch up with easily. However, he had one difficulty. It was none other than the long magic staff, nearly one meter in length. To Damon, whose specialty was swift movement, the magic staff was truly nothing but a cumbersome object. If it were to break by some chance, the mana would scatter immediately, so Damon had to handle the staff with great care.
Naturally, upon hearing Damon’s words, Doil could not help but widen his eyes. Since time immemorial, if one were to name the most important thing for a mage, one would undoubtedly choose the magic staff. Doil wore a troubled expression.
“Mm! That matter does not seem very easy. In order to concentrate mana into the crystal orb, the staff must be of a certain length. I have never once thought about the matter of gripping only a crystal orb and deploying magic, as you say. Theoretically speaking, some mana would gather, but the amount would probably be pitiful.”
“But could that problem not be overcome once my magical ability improves?”
Damon still refused to give up his bullheaded insistence. Looking at such a disciple, Doil shook his head as if he had no choice.
“Then let us study it once. In fact, I have obtained a magic staff to give to you, so we shall have to ponder it using that as material. For now, give me mine.”
Snatching his own magic staff from Damon’s hand, Doil inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. If he did not retrieve it quickly, he had no idea what state the staff might end up in at the hands of this disciple, who possessed such a vigorous experimental spirit. At Doil’s words that he had obtained a magic staff, Damon’s eyes widened. That was because he knew how difficult such a thing was to obtain, especially on a battlefield.
“How did you obtain such a precious magic staff……?”
“I diverted one that came in as the relic of a mage who died in battle.”
Having learned the truth, Damon nodded as if it made sense. Though it was called a relic, he did not feel the least bit uneasy about it.
“Let us hurry down. It will be difficult to prepare for the march……”
“Yes, Master.”
After conversing for a while, master and disciple soon began descending the narrow path.
The 8th Corps, having packed all its equipment, began moving as one toward the assembly point. Of course, Doil and Damon were also among their ranks. Such things were happening all across the Truvenia continent. The allied forces, which had been spread out widely and launching sporadic attacks, were gathering in one place to launch an all-out offensive. If it was true that a dragon had entered the war, then it was certain that the orc tribe’s full offensive would follow. Because of that, the war situation, which had been in a lull for some time, began growing increasingly urgent.
“Hurry. We must arrive at the assembly point as quickly as possible, even if only by a single day.”
Because he did not know when the enemy’s offensive would begin, Marquis Hauzen moved his troops to a somewhat unreasonable extent. And he chose only the pitch-black depths of night to do so. Of course, several commanders were quite displeased with deliberately choosing the middle of the night for the march. After all, the enemy they were facing, the orcs, were a nocturnal race. If they fought at night, it would be even more advantageous to the orcs, so their concerns seemed reasonable. However, Marquis Hauzen, the supreme commander, had another scheme in mind.