Episode 50: “The Emperor’s Staff”
Well, yeah.
That’s how it is.
I apologize for acting all high and mighty, but…
Magicians, I’ve lived for over twenty years and traveled the world, but I’ve met less than ten magicians.
That’s how rare magicians are in this world.
So, what kind of etiquette is there when magicians fight each other? Or theories? I don’t know any of that.
“Dru…?”
Rosalinde, looking anxious, clings to my arm and peers at my face.
Hehe, don’t look at me like that.
I’m seriously, like, totally clueless too.
No, I understand perfectly what’s being done, okay? My understanding of magic is at the “I’ve completely mastered it” level. No, maybe “I kinda get it” feels more accurate…? Japanese is hard.
But what this means? I honestly have no idea.
I mean, if someone suddenly throws ‘Fire’ ‘Blast’ at me, I’d understand, “Ah, they’re trying to kill me,” and retaliate.
But this is kind of… a probing move?
They haven’t directly attacked, so I can’t just go, “Alright! Time to kill!”
You can only do that “kill anyone who pisses me off” move if you’re absolutely sure you can win even if you make the whole world your enemy.
I can confidently say that my repertoire of spells and amount of Magical Power are definitely the best in this world, but that’s about it.
I could become a Demon Lord, but I’d be the type to get killed by the hero.
Ah, that’s why it’s hard to suddenly get pissed off from my side.
“Umm… excuse me! Could you please stop with the magic!”
Then, from the sky…
A young man with white hair, a refreshing but suspicious guy, descended while floating in the air…
“My apologies, Magician-kun. I wanted to talk, so I had the others leave.”
Ears… pointed ears. Golden eyes.
White hair, golden eyes… a High Elf (True Ancestor Elf), huh?
“Well… if it’s already obvious, then whatever, but is this perhaps a declaration of war? Should I retaliate or something?”
“I think you have the right to. But before that, would you listen to me for a bit?”
Hmm…
“What do you think, Rosalinde?”
“…’White hair shines like the light of the moon, golden eyes hold the glimmer of the stars. His name is Marlene, the Emperor’s Staff.'”
She’s saying something.
“Haha, is that from ‘The Chronicles of Emperor Christoph’? Becoming famous is a problem, isn’t it? Though, Marlene is the modern pronunciation, Marlaine is actually closer… well, whatever.”
…Emperor Christoph?
If I remember correctly, he was the founding king of the great empire that preceded this country, right?
Come to think of it, the name of the legendary magician who served Emperor Christoph was… yes, Marlene.
I think it was Marlene.
Ah…?
I see, that’s right.
Elves, especially High Elves, could still be alive from the age of legends.
My observation range is just narrow… so there are Archmages.
“…So, what business does Mr. Legend have with me?”
“Hmm, that’s the thing… I thought I’d understand if I met you… but wow, you’re amazing, aren’t you? Aren’t you better at magic than me? You’re too good, I can’t figure it out like this…”
Hmm?
Indeed, I’m layering various incantations on myself, and on top of that, I’m minimizing the external emission of Magical Power to almost zero.
At the very least, I’m doing enough that I wouldn’t die even if a meteorite fell while I was sleeping. And I’m making sure it’s completely undetectable… so, unless I consciously use magic, my skills as a magician won’t be apparent… oh, I see!
“Get back, Rosa! מַחסוֹם (Prevent)!!!”
I deploy a ‘Barrier’.
Deflecting the ‘small’ ‘stone’ that flew at us.
It was a round stone that flew. A glass marble, huh?
“I really am sorry. But this is also an order from the royal family. Ah, no, I don’t intend to fight, that was just a little test of skill—”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, you scum. I might have let you off with a near-death experience if it was just me, but since you’re laying your hands on the girl, I’m going to kill you!!! ‘הורד לחץ מהחלל שצוין (Specified Space Decompression)’ 《המתנה כירורגית מספר 7 (Surgical Standby Slot Number 7)》 ‘פיצוץ פלזמה (Plasma Explosion)’ ‘השתמש בטכניקות ההמתנה, מספר 1 עד 3. (Release Standby Techniques, Numbers 1 through 3)’ ‘כוח קסום הנובע קרניים (Magical Power Emanation Rays)’…”
I don’t know any etiquette for battles between magicians.
If you shoot magic at me while I’m with the cute Rosalinde and my benefactor’s daughter, I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you with a saturation attack.
“Guh, gah, ah…?!!! T-that, um, hey…? I-I’m gonna die…”
…Hmm?
He’s in tatters.
Huh? Is that all there is to a legendary magician?
“…Did I do something again?”
“You always do, you know? Don’t worry?”
Rosalinde’s warm words…!!!
For now, I’ll revive the tattered (mild expression) legendary magician.
If I don’t use a mild expression, it’s more like his eyeballs popped out, one arm is twisted off, and his lower body is almost completely gone. That means my magic was too much, right?
Well, since there’s also resurrection magic, I guess I’ll bring him back to life.
Here you go.
“…You revived him from that state? Amazing.”
The legendary guy seems lighthearted.
“No, sorry, I thought since you were ‘legendary’ and all, you wouldn’t die from that much…”
“…Wasn’t that your full power, even then?”
“If I was serious, I would have killed you in a way that couldn’t be resurrected…”
“Ah, I see…”
“…………”
“…………”
T-there’s no conversation…!
Well, to be sure, even though I revived him, talking to the person I killed is a bit of a hurdle for me too.
“A-ah, um, it’s okay. Magic is, you know, in battles… it’s just luck of the draw. Skill and stuff, well, eventually, you know…”
“I’ve been a magician for eight hundred years, you know… hahaha…”
U-um…
“…No, I can’t be depressed. I have to admit that your power is far above mine.”
Oh, a person of character.
“This time, I really want you to listen to me. Do you know about the ‘Garden’ magic? Let’s move there for now.”