The Genius Magician Hides His Swordsmanship - Chapter 24

Chapter 24. Bogum Pragarach

It was different from my previous life’s aura operation method. In my previous life, the aura that flowed from my dantian immediately wrapped around my sword.

‘This is a bit new.’

Because now I had to transmit the aura through my muscles.
Whoosh…!
As I channeled all the aura into my right arm, my fingertips went numb.

‘I wonder if it’s going to react to this level of aura.’

The 3 star level aura I’ve collected so far was enough to fill one arm.
There was a feeling of tingling in my right forearm, it was like pumping my muscles.

[Hmm, it seems waking him up will be difficult.]

In an instant, the aura that had gathered in my right hand flowed towards the sword.

‘Oh? It’s reacting.’

To be precise, I couldn’t let it go. Because the sword was absorbing my aura on its own.
Woooh…!
Around this time, Oberon and I focused our attention on the gently vibrating blade.

“Answer me.”

The vibration intensified a little more at that call.

“Your master is calling you.”

BZZZ!
There was a vibration that shook even the air around it. Even my bangs were fluttering in the air waves emitted from the sword.

[Oh! Is he reacting?]

The sword, which had not been touched by anyone for a thousand years, seemed to react violently.

‘Ha, I’ve already run out of aura.’

DDDD…
The vibrations gradually ceased. When I ran out of aura, the sword stopped responding.

[As expected, it’s still impossible.]

‘I thought I could at least change the sword’s shape.’

My beloved sword, Pragarach.
Though it now resembles an iron blade, it’s a sword that responds to the aura of its wielder.

[Because he’s a relatively picky guy.]

There was a different reason why Oberon referred to Pragarach as someone other than a sword.

‘It seems I’m still not at the level of conversations yet.’

It was a sword that could talk to its wielder as if it had its own life.

‘As expected, it sucks in too much aura.’

The only downside is that it drains the user’s aura too quickly.
It is certain that it is a famous sword, but very few people can use it. If someone wanted to use all the power hidden in this sword, even a 7 star or higher would be drained.

[Quite literally a double-edged sword.]

Its strength was certain, but the only flaw was that the sword could not control the aura it absorbed.
Thanks to that, when I reached 9 stars, the frequency of using Pragarach inevitably decreased, and there was no need to carry such a monster with me anymore.
Even if I picked up any other sword, I had no opponent.

‘But now I think I can send as much aura as I need.’

[Is it because your aura is in your muscles, not your core?]

‘Yeah, if I don’t drive the aura into the hand holding the sword, I don’t think I’ll lose the aura.’

Now that I can control my aura in my muscles, it is likely that I will be able to control it more precisely than before. If I could only control the aura it sucked in, I would be able to adjust the sword’s output to suit the situation.

‘I’m going to try again after collecting some more.’

Of course, I was still at a level where the sword could not be awakened, so for the time being, I used it only for swordsmanship training as a rusted iron sword.
Shuak!
As I was about to swing my sword, I heard a knock.

“Ian! Let’s go!”

It was Drew who came back.

“Okay, let’s go eat.”

I hid my sword again and headed outside.

* * * 

“Wow, this place is the best!”

Drew admired the food piled up on the table. We were 2 people, but the food we ordered was enough for more than 5 people.

“Wow, I’ve never seen the students of the mage tower eat so much! You must be working hard.”

Even the owner of the restaurant was gazing at the scene with delight.

‘It’s hard work, so it’s not really wrong.’

Eventually, Drew will realize the power he has. With me, that was in the not-too-distant future.
Drew’s hand stopped eating.

“Is something wrong?”

He recognized the serious look on my face from earlier.

“Just thinking about something.”

Apart from him, I’d been thinking about something for a while.

‘Aylen Dolph…’

Admun told me the story of his brother. I couldn’t get the idea of a child being taken away by the mages of the tower out of my head.

[You know, they most likely have already killed him.]

Oberon’s reasoning was far more rational. But this was not a matter for rational thought.

‘We can’t assume he’s dead yet. If there’s any chance he’s alive, I’m not giving up.’

The Dolphs, after a thousand years of loyalty to me, I will never give up on them. Even if the odds are less than 1 percent.

[Yes, I understand. I do wish we could find out if he’s alive or dead.]

‘First of all, I should be able to enter the upper floors of the mage tower.’

Only then would I be able to find out at least a little bit of information about Aylen.
However, the 19th floor was the maximum floor allowed for freshmen. I felt like I was blocked by a wall before I even looked up Aylen’s information.

“What’s wrong, Ian?”

While talking to Oberon for a while, Drew had finished the fish.

“I was wondering if I could move around the tower more freely.”
“You want to move more freely around the mage tower?”
“Yeah, we’re still freshmen though, so we can’t go up to the 20th floor. I want to go up there.”

Without realizing it, I let out a sigh.

‘There really is nothing I can hide from him.’

I guess I was worried about it for a while. Of course, he was a trusted friend, but I couldn’t believe I was venting to this boy.

“Hm? Is that what’s been bothering you?”

However, Drew twitched one eyebrow as if it was nothing special.

“Huh? Is there a way?”

My upper body leaned forward. Then Drew grinned.

“Well, do you want to eat out tomorrow as well?”

I hadn’t even eaten all the food I ordered yet.

“You’re already thinking about what to eat tomorrow?”
“Of course! There are still so many items on the menu that I haven’t tried here! As far as food goes, you have to plan what you’re going to eat for a week or so.”

He was a stickler when it came to food.

“Okay then, we’ll come tomorrow too. Actually, let’s come here everyday. So what’s the way?”

Only then was Drew wiping his lips in satisfaction.

“You can become a teaching assistant.”

Drew shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing, but it was the first time I had heard of it.

“Assistant?”
“Yeah, professor Andrei said so earlier. He said he would select assistants for each subject.”

During the old professor’s class, I had been concentrating on operating aura, so I hadn’t listened properly.

“Is there really such a thing?”
“Yeah, in a week, we’ll be tested in each subject, and the person who comes in first place will be chosen as a teaching assistant for that subject.”

Then Oberon also shook his head.

[That old man did say that earlier. He said that becoming a teaching assistant would give you the opportunity to become an assistant to a professor or associate professor. In other words, they are looking for a young and smart slave.]
‘Oh, really?’
[Pay attention to class carefully! You’re the student!]

Oberon was taking the magic tower classes more diligently than I was.

“If I become an assistant, wouldn’t it be easy to go up to the 20th floor?”

As Drew said, if I did, I would be able to go in and out of the floors where the professors and associate professors work without even being noticed.

“Yes, you should be able to. But remember, the only condition is that you get first place in any subject.”

Although that was not an easy mission. Being a teaching assistant means being able to build a close relationship with an excellent mage. It was a position that all the students who wanted to get a peek at the research going on were sure to at least want to take.

‘They’re all going to want to be the best.’

In a class full of talented kids, I had to come out on top with magic alone.

[How about the basic mana management class?]
‘Aloy’s class?’
[Yeah, your talent is overwhelming.]

Aloy has enemies in the Delemar family, so being his assistant would definitely give me more freedom to pursue other activities.

‘I’ll take a shot at it.’

I nodded.

“Drew, if you want to eat more, keep ordering. I’ll pay.”
“Oh, really?”

His eyes lit up. He looked so adorable after asking. I could buy him anything that he wanted.

“Boss!”

With that, Drew raised his hand and was about to order again.
Ring!
The door of the restaurant opened. A handsome guy who looked about three or four years older than us walked into the store.

[What the hell, he looks like a parasitic oraby or something.]

What Oberon meant was that the guy was very handsome.

“Oh… Look at that young man.”
“Wow, so cool. He’s gorgeous.”

Everyone inside the restaurant gazed at his direction.

‘But why is he coming this way?’

His steps were heading towards the table where Drew and I sat.

‘…Who is he?’

My hand reached for the dagger hidden in my holster, just in case.

“There you are, students.”

After hearing his voice my hand stopped from reaching for my dagger.

‘…Admun?’

It was his voice. His yesterday’s shabby demeanor was gone and now a hidden beauty was revealed.

“Ian, do you know him?”

Drew’s question made my heart skip a beat.

[Your eyes are red now!]

I told Admun that my name was Ain Khan. I’d been forced to lie about being of the Delemar’s blood.

‘Ha… Of all times, it had to happen now huh?’

Admun, too, frowned when he saw my eyes.

“There are a lot of people here, let’s talk outside for a while.”

He reached out and grabbed my wrist.

* * * 

In the southeast region of the continent.
A place where huge buildings such as palaces are lined up. Deep in the Delemar’s estate, Raxon Delemar had a grim expression.

“Did they do anything else?”
“Yes. In the evening, it seems they went to the marketplace to eat instead of going to the magic tower, but other than that, there was nothing special.”
“Marketplace… Yes, it’s their first time being outside of the Delemar household, so they should be curious about the outside world. Well done, don’t bother following them outside the magic tower anymore. Long tails can cause misunderstandings.”
“Okay. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

Raxon’s brow deepened.

“What is it?”
“It seemed like Ian was hanging out with a girl named Grendel.”
“What kind of child is this Grendel?”
“She’s a kid who entered the tower with Beauray two years ago, and what’s unusual about her is that she uses blue flames.”
“Interesting. Yes, people with great talent recognize each other.”

The corner of Raxon’s mouth curled and his laughter mirrored the moon.

“Alright. Is there anything else to report?”

The man knelt down in front of Raxon and cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um… But, isn’t Aloy also one of Mr. Raxon’s?”
“Aloy? Isn’t that guy an instructor at the academy?”
“Yes, but he was appointed as an associate professor at the magic tower…”
“Huh? I didn’t send him though.”

Raxon shook his head resolutely.

“An academy instructor……suddenly went to the magic tower.”

Hearing those words, the man on his knees bowed his head.

“I’ll look into him too.”

“Okay. He’s not a simple guy, so be extra careful.”
“Yes, I understand.”

“You may leave.”

“I am honored.”

The man faded into the shadows after responding. As he disappeared, the sound of Raxon’s voice flowed in the wind.

“Ian, this is fun……It’s fun.”

[To be continued…]