A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

74 – Eve (1)

Preparations for the festival have begun.

The title is that Noir Gibraltar was able to store mana in his sword and was qualified as a ‘knight’.

Putting everything else aside, let’s just talk about the external impression.

“Master. Are there many people who become knights at the age of 10?”

“It’s about 1 out of 10,000 people.”

While sparring with Sir Mente, I recalled the common sense and general awareness that Sir Mente possesses.

“Then when do you usually become a junior knight?”

“It’s common to consider yourself successful when you’re 20.”

“What about academy students?”

“Almost all of them are at the apprentice level, and assuming there are 300 students in one grade, only about 4% of them will be able to become qualified as knights.”

Those 300 people are also a ‘selected class’ such as the noble class that can enter the academy or the wealthy commoners.

“Being a knight doesn’t mean simply swinging a sword and improving your swordsmanship, right?”

“At least in the kingdom it is.”

If you think about the commoners who struggle with farming and taxes, how many people can have the qualifications of being a knight who can ‘put mana into a sword’?

“Do you want to take a look at this?”

Sir Mente takes a large step back, clutching his wooden sword with one hand.

“Each knight has a different weapon and a different way to store mana. This really varies from person to person.”

Place only your index and middle fingers on the handle of the sword and pull the sword back.

“I’m like this.”

Kagaga River.

It sounds like a sword being sharpened in a blacksmith shop.

“Huh…”

The mana collected at the tip of the finger seeped into the sword, and the jade-colored mana unique to Lord Mente stood like fog on the body of the wooden sword.

“What about you?”

“I am like this.”

This time I extended my sword forward.

“I’m not the type of person who pulls the sword, but I tend to keep the sword in place and move my hand.”

Lightly place your hand on top of the sword body, which is placed close to horizontal, and move your hand to the tip of the sword body, scattering mana.

“I can’t be a teacher. My arms are short.”

“…So you can’t just use a wooden sword?”

“It’s okay because I’ll grow up a little more.”

Cheeky guy.

Sir Mente glared at me with those exact eyes.

“You’ll see later. When I get bigger, I’ll change the way I store mana and show you properly.”

“Why not do it like Sir Robert?”

“That’s an ignorant method that only kids use without sense.”

Sir Mente retrieved the mana contained in the sword and grabbed the sword with both hands.

“The sword just spews out a ton of mana from the handle? What do you think of a sword? What if mana is forcibly poured into it like that?”

“…”

“What? “What do you want to say?”

“No, just.”

Future.

It’s similar to what Sir Mente, one of the Eight Lords, said.

‘It was a little more explicit that way.’

Since men handle swords like women, they sometimes say that they would rather have their mana poured in from below.

Either way.

Any way.

In the end, a knight’s qualifications are determined by putting mana into a weapon.

Chivalry is divided into low-level, high-level, and master levels depending on the amount of mana, maintenance time, and the presence or absence of an ‘auror’ that makes mana as tangible as a sword.

“I want to become stronger faster, but I still have a long way to go.”

“Why? Is it because you’re impatient because your younger brother has become a low-ranking knight? Are you afraid that your younger brother will surpass you like real people do?”

“I don’t mind the public opinion. Even if Noir becomes stronger than me, I don’t care.”

“Hmm… “

Sir Mente smiled sinisterly as if he knew something.

“Well, all men feel embarrassed if they are weaker than the girl they like.”

“Ha, what kind of nonsense is that?”

Really, this is nonsense.

“The idea that a man wants to become stronger because he is weaker than the woman he likes is simply a perspective caused by the evils of patriarchal social culture caused by social prejudice and traditional distribution of roles.”

“Wow, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you speak so quickly. Is it because you’re worried?”

“Who cares? Do you really think that the reason I’m trying to become stronger right now is because there’s a girl I like and she’s stronger than me?”

“Uh.”

Sir Mente chuckled lowly and swung his wooden sword sharply.

“Or else~”

“…”

“But I still need to become an intermediate knight quickly. Hehe!”

“If an older person smiles like that… I’m sorry.”

The wooden sword flew to the side and got stuck in the wall, so I pulled out the wooden sword and hung it properly on the wall.

“Still, it’s true that I want to become stronger quickly.”

“Yes, yes. It is still better to be escorted by the master than to be escorted by the girl you like during the festival.”

“…”

“But, really, isn’t that kind of meaningless no matter how you say it?”

Sir Mente pointed at me and laughed.

“Anyway, the public perception is that our Master Gray Gibraltar is a being with a talent for swordsmanship that is surpassed by his younger brother his.”

“…”

“He said something to his younger brother, that’s right! A child who gets angry. That’s the perception that Yeongjimin has now.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m a Gibraltar who can’t even store mana in my sword and can’t even become a low-level knight.”

I obediently raised both hands.

“So you must protect me, Master.”

“…Wait a minute. I’m on vacation. Order Robert.”

“Don’t forget that Sir Mente’s duties include escorting me.”

“Look, master. You’re going to be taking Jabeth and Ellie with you anyway!”

“Ha.”

That’s ridiculous.

“If anyone hears it, will they think that those two are strong enough to protect me?”

“What?”

“Jabeth is certainly good with a musket, but she is a fragile girl.”

“Fragile…?”

Sir Mente laughed.

“And of course Ellie.”

“Look, Master Gibraltar.”

“Ellie is a weak girl. I need to protect her.”

“You just have Gibraltar in your eyes.”

“…I’ve never heard that expression before in my life.”

It was the same before the regression, and it is the same now.

“Yes, yes. Okay. The master said he would enjoy the festival with two maids on each side, so what can I do? I have to help.”

“If you want to enjoy the festival…”

“Hey.”

Sir Mente came straight in front of me.

“I am.”

Puck.

“Whether it’s a maid uniform or a knight’s uniform.”

Sir Mente tilted his head back and hit my chest with his forehead.

“If I follow behind you three, what will people think of me?”

“…Lord Mente?”

“I will look at it that way.”

Sir Mente raised his hand horizontally to the top of his head, then raised the blade of his hand and stabbed me.

“Even in a place like this?”

The solar plexus hurts a little.

“My name is not widely known in the territory-“

“Then let me tell you this time.”

I grabbed Sir Mente’s shoulder and pushed him back before the blade flew into his solar plexus.

“I believe that Lord Mente will win the ranking of knights.”

“What about the escort?”

“It’s okay.”

Because.

“Just because it’s a festival, I won’t go to a dangerous place without any escort.”

I cannot imagine an accident occurring while walking around without an escort.

“Perhaps there will be another Margrave…”

“I’m not saying I’m going to use the Marquis.”

To be serious.

“The life at stake is too important to act like such a child.”

I’m not some kind of noir.

* * *

When people judge someone, they only look at their appearance.

Just by looking at Sir Mente’s appearance, you think he is a child.

Other factors besides appearance play a role in judging people.

Age.

Identity.

Social position.

In addition, humans judge specific objects based on various other factors, and that background knowledge becomes the standard for understanding a person’s tendencies.

So, can we even know what’s inside?

Not at all.

Just as you have to cut a fruit to see if it has bugs inside, even if it looks pretty on the outside, you can’t judge a person just by looking at the outside.

Everyone knows that.

“Are you Gray Gibraltar?”

To this person, that doesn’t matter that much.

“He said he was pushed out by his younger brother. Hehe. I thought he was going to greet a guest like this.”

Does this scrawny-looking middle-aged man know?

‘How should I kill him?’

I’m thinking about how to kill myself and how to remove him safely without causing as much damage to Gibraltar as possible.

“Meet Lord Archen.”

“Gilarus.”

“…”

“Ha. Don’t you know that? I am Baron Gilarus.”

This cocky brown-haired human wearing a wizard’s robe and raising his head is Archen Gilarus.

“Excuse me. Viscount Hex’s letter only included his name.”

“Heh, hex… ? You, you… ! How dare you call the name of the Minister of Foreign Affairs so carelessly!”

“The name Viscount Hex is more familiar to me than the name Viscount Romana.”

“Insolent…”

A typical person of strength and weakness, one who quickly bows down to even those who are connected to the strong.

‘Queen Carmen said this is the problem.’

Because Carmen is so high up, she doesn’t have much interest in those lower than her.

‘You don’t know how merciless this type of person is to those they think are weaker than them.’

It’s not Carmen’s fault.

“Don’t be mistaken. I didn’t come here just for the 5 million gold or pennies!”

Even though this person is said to be the ‘best human being’, the magicians in the kingdom are not very good in humanity even with good words.

“Hurry and lead the way to the Earl of Gibraltar!”

“Follow me.”

I took the lead from Sir Archen and headed to the drawing room.

I could clearly hear a muttering towards me from behind-

‘Because I’m also a person with a bit of a backbone.’

I keep it inside, and with each step forward, I am weighing whether to live or die.

‘A wizard is definitely a talented person.’

Just as physical warriors who store mana in their weapons are revered as knights, wizards who use magic to the extreme, even if they lack physical skills, are also recognized as noble within the kingdom.

‘It feels like Nostrum has been safe so far because of the wizards.’

Being a master is not limited to prosecutors or knights.

If a person who has reached the limit of the sword is called a sword master, then a person who has reached the limit of magic should be called an arch mage.

‘But it’s not there now.’

Currently, there are no Arch Mages in the kingdom.

As a court mage, the most outstanding among high-level magicians holds the position, but he cannot become an arch mage until he dies.

‘It may be because the dragon’s blessing has left.’

This may just be a coincidence.

After Saint Geo Nostrum broke the dragon’s egg, fried it in oil, and ate it.

After the last dragon remaining in the kingdom spread its small 5m wings and disappeared.

There was no one in the kingdom who achieved success through magic anymore.

It’s as if the age of magic is coming to an end, the empire is taking over the kingdom, and it is a natural trend for humanity to live without the blessings of magic anymore and with magic engineering.

‘The Empire’s efforts to overcome the wizards of Nostrum were almost in vain.’

While the kingdom used teleportation to move through space, the empire built trains and improved roads to reduce travel time.

While the Kingdom unleashed meteor strikes with a single swing of its wand, the Empire mobilized alchemists to refine magical gunpowder that would produce similar explosions.

While the kingdom used magic to make it rain every dry season, the empire built dams and reservoirs, plowed waterways, and stored and used water.

From noble mtl dot come

While the kingdom would quickly use healing magic to heal anyone’s leg if it was cut off, the empire would sew needles, apply medicine, prevent the wound from festering, and use a well-made prosthetic leg instead.

‘This is a country that has lived a long life believing only in blessings and miracles.’

Since that blessing is gone.

Unless that miracle doesn’t happen anymore.

The moment when magic, like a blessing left behind by a dragon, is overtaken by magical engineering developed and created by humans themselves.

That will be the moment when the empire truly surpasses the kingdom.

‘Actually, I feel like I’ve already surpassed it.’

Over there.

In an invisible part of the kingdom.

While the kingdom uses magic to create drakes and griffins, the empire works to create equivalent flying power –

‘Ah.’

Come to think of it.

“Lord Gilarus.”

“What is it all of a sudden?”

This man.

I remembered.

“If you have time later, would you please check the condition of the gate in the canyon?”

“Tongue, canyon?”

“Yes. Actually, I’d like to get some advice about elevators.”

“…Ha! Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do. I’ll let you know with this body’s excellent knowledge.”

A traitor and rare inventor who leaked technology to the empire.

The background that allowed the empire to secure the power to crush the kingdom’s dragon knights-

He was one of the developers of ‘Wind Stone’.