The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 153

Leonard didn’t know if all the Wickeline mages were like Calantha. If he were to put it nicely, the man was honest, and if he were to put it less nicely, the man was tactless.

So, he was able to pick up on something from his demeanor.

Right... I feel like he treats me very differently from the other knights.

Leonard looked at him dubiously.

Was it because Demian himself had told Calantha that Leonard had the potential to be the next Commander of the Order of the White Dragons?

But even if that were the case, no matter how well-respected Leonard was in the Cardenas family, someone who was part of the Wickeline family had nothing in particular to gain from being friendly with him. After all, the alliance between the Three Noble Houses was an official one, and they didn’t get involved in each other’s personal business.

Then again, it would be strange to ask Calantha why he was so friendly to him, so Leonard moved on without giving it much thought.

“You said you wish to interact with a Demoniac yourself?” the Archmage asked after listening attentively to his request. He blinked. “I specialize in deity pantheons... but well, it’s not like I don’t have colleagues who research Demoniacs. If you trace the Demoniacs down to their roots, they were born from the remains of gods, so I can’t say that they are unrelated. I assume you already knew a little bit about them before you sought me out?”

“I did manage to learn a bit about the basics, but I felt that I should seek out the opinions of an expert.”

“An expert!” Calantha seemed to like the moniker very much. He muttered “an expert!” to himself a few times, eyes sparkling. “I understand. Since you said you were going to be dispatched to the Black Dragon Knights’ post, I believe we should be allowed in if we use that as an excuse. I believe my friend has some captured Demoniac specimens, so let’s go together.”

“Wait. Is it okay to go there without making an appointment?”

“My friend is currently an active-duty mage in the Order of the Black Dragon. Those who are currently in service cannot refuse visitors,” Calantha explained. They didn’t need permission; it was the opposite.

Active-duty mages were those who were selected from the Wickeline family to work with the Seven Orders. They were said to be especially proficient in combat, or especially useful on the battlefield. Unlike researchers, they weren’t allowed to cause any delay in communications because they knew what was happening on the front lines.

“That sounds like it would cause a lot of complaints,” Leonard commented.

“Of course. That’s how all mages are,” Calantha said immediately. “Unlike knights, mages don’t have much to gain from real battle experience. If we could, we would spend all our time locked up in our workshops doing research in our specialties. In fact, if people weren’t specifically assigned to be active-duty mages, I doubt anyone would volunteer.

“That is why mages assigned to the Order of the Red Dragon and the Order of the White Dragon are the most envied,” Calantha added, speaking highly of himself. “But even the highest-ranking mages will have their mana mastery greatly reduced in Corroded Realms and Divine Territories, which is why they usually post mages who are best suited for transportation and providing supplies. I, Calantha, am considered the best active-duty mage for teleportation.”

“I see.” Leonard nodded in understanding.

Other than the Order of the Golden Dragon, Cardenas’ Seven Orders all fought different types of monsters. Even though Rifts and Divine Territories were very similar, there were many differences between Void Deities and Outer Gods, so, well, if the knights wanted to fight Celestials, which all had flying abilities by nature, or Demoniacs, which had such outrageous vitality that they couldn’t be killed, they needed the right type of magic to deal with such challenges.

“What type of magic do the mages of the Black Dragon Knights need?” Leonard asked.

“Those with killing efficiency,” Calantha said. Leonard had expected as much. The mage launched into a more detailed explanation. “The fact that the Demoniacs born from Crom Dubh’s flesh are immune to acid and poison and that they’re weak to changes in temperature was discovered by the mages stationed with the Black Dragon Knights. After all, if they figure out ways to kill more Demoniacs just a little faster and a little bit more efficiently, they’ll have more time to do their own research.”

Leonard forgot what he was going to say for a moment. “Then I’d imagine that most of the mages who specialize in elemental magic are stationed with the Black Dragon Knights.”

“Hm, well, it’s easy to think about it that way, but it’s not always accurate.” Calantha shrugged, casually trying to show off his knowledge. “It’s true that elemental magic is intuitive and efficient in killing, but that intuitiveness is what makes it easy to react to. There are a significant number of Demoniacs who will quickly adapt to or build resistance to attacks if they are not killed with one hit.”

“Then...?”

“The most common type of magic used in the Order of the Black Dragon’s main fighting force is black magic involving necromancy and the wielding of disease.”

Leonard’s eyes widened. “Did you just say black magic?”

“Yes. Demoniacs are living beings too, so reviving their corpses and making them kill each other is an efficient method and prevents any human casualties,” Calantha explained. Then he realized why Leonard was so shocked, and waved his hand. “Black magic is not something as savage as the public imagination thinks it to be. People don’t have a good impression of it because it’s become a cultural taboo, but it does not corrupt its users or the like. The notorious users of black magic who have gone down in history were simply bad people themselves.”

“But aren’t there cases where they’ll forcefully take control over a dead person’s soul? Somehow I don’t get the impression that they receive consent from every Undead they manipulate.”

“At the very least, the Wickeline family—no, the Arcane Society itself—strictly prohibits what you just described. When someone is made into an Undead, there needs to be documentation of them or their family giving consent. But this excludes those who pose a threat to our world, such as Demoniacs.”

This felt like the equivalent of the Murim Alliance permitting the creation of jiangshi, so it was hard for Leonard to accept it.

However, creating jiangshi was originally a method used by the Jinzhouyan Clan to guide the dead to their graves, so its misuse was the fault of those who abused it. The method itself wasn’t evil.

“Oh, we should be able to teleport now.”

The two of them had exited the Forest of Swords at some point during their conversation. Calantha swiftly drew a magic array just as he had when the knights went on their mission, then gestured Leonard forward. Since he was only transporting two people, it required less time and energy.

“We’ll be going now. Multi Teleport!”

There was a blinding flash as always.

* * *

Typically, mages’ dwellings were closed spaces that were not open to outsiders. Even at Atlantis’s Magic Tower, the mages’ personal quarters were all perfectly compartmentalized, and it was common for mages not to see their neighbors for years.

“...This is a very open space for a mage’s apartment,” Leonard remarked.

When they reached their destination, everything Leonard knew about mages was shattered.

Aside from the openness of the room, there were teacups and a gramophone playing music, placed for the purpose of receiving guests. There were windows on multiple walls, and so much light flowed in that it was almost blinding. It felt more like a reception room at a nobleman’s estate than a mage’s dwelling.

Calantha replied, “It’s because there’s no reason to be secretive about your research here, unlike in the Magic Tower. The Arcane Society has different rules about sharing knowledge. Don’t you think it would be easier for people to come and go if you just keep your door open to others?”

“You’re not wrong, but you’re not one to talk. You’re quite famous for your horrible treatment of guests, Calantha.”

Just then, Leonard dimly heard a melodious voice. Both he and Calantha turned to the sound almost simultaneously.

A Class 7 Archmage with rare purple hair and green eyes was looking at them.

“It’s been a while, Meliora,” Calantha said.

The beautiful woman he called Meliora looked unamused, her eyebrows knitting together. She was obviously irritated. The ears poking out from her flowing hair even pricked up.

As she approached them, she turned to Calantha first and growled. “If we’re talking about the times you’ve come to me, it’s been much, much longer than ‘a while.’ Hasn’t it been almost thirty years?”

“To be precise, it has been 32 years, 2 months, and 17 days.”

“Oh really? Good for you! Why don’t you aim for a hundred next time?” she said, his correction ticking her off. Then she turned to Leonard, and the cold frustration in her eyes instantly melted away. “Oh?”

She inspected him closely, walking around him without even introducing herself.

She tilted her head. “You don’t seem like you have Wickeline blood in you, but you seem familiar for some reason. Who are you?”

“I am Leonard. From the Cardenas family,” he answered.

“I’m Meliora, an active-duty mage in the Order of the Black Dragon.” After giving him a short handshake, she seemed to remember something. “Aren’t you the one who came here with the Commander of the White Dragon Knights? Why did you come here alone with this dimwit?”

“It’s just a coincidence that he’s here. I’m here for reasons unrelated to the request for backup,” Leonard replied. He hadn’t known that Meliora’s unit was the one that had requested assistance, but that didn’t change anything.

“Hm? Then what are you here for?” she asked. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

When he explained, she seemed to understand. “Ah. So you have no experience fighting Demoniacs.”

As a mage, she was well aware of the power of knowledge, and she seemed pleased by Leonard’s intention to venture into the unknown.

Meliora agreed, giving him permission as if it were nothing. “All right. I’ll show you my specimens. It’s okay if they’re low-ranking Demoniacs, right?”

“Yes. That will be plenty.”

Leonard’s goal was to test whether his martial arts could be used on Demoniacs, so it wasn’t very important how strong they were. If they were too powerful, there was a chance that his attacks wouldn’t work on them anyway, so it would be better to test them on weaker ones.

Meliora led the two of them to the basement.

Hm. After only taking a few steps down the stairs, Leonard sensed tens of magic arrays that disturbed his senses. It was likely that the arrays were measures to prevent the captured Demoniacs from escaping.

“Please don’t touch the walls. If you set off any of the binding spells, it will take a whole day just to dispel it,” she said.

“I understand.”

Just as she instructed, Leonard kept his distance from the walls, and they reached the bottom.

His eyes narrowed. His goal was finally in front of him.

So this is a Demoniac.

Behind a sturdy-looking glass wall, a lump of flesh was writhing hideously. It seemed to be bound by magic and couldn’t do more than wriggle.

This was the lowest-ranking Demoniac, a monster born from Crom Dubh’s flesh.

Leonard watched it silently and felt a repulsion heat up within him. Surprisingly, that feeling was coming from neither his dragon blood nor his dragon heart.

Cultivation? My inner energy is rejecting that thing?

The energy of the One Origin Five Elements Cultivation Method was reacting against the fleshy monster.