Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Engagement

The wizard Albert had greatly enhanced the Scrying Orb, a combination of a Far Sight spell and a Mirror Image spell, through which Lord Frederick and Priestess Elenora watched the battlefield.

Albert’s magical prowess was truly impressive, allowing them to see the scene hundreds of meters away with pinpoint accuracy. Russell, if he were here, would have called it a live broadcast. However, Lord Frederick, watching the carnage unfold before his eyes, was too absorbed in the spectacle to notice its grandeur.

The Lord winced every time his daughter, Zeona, spurred her horse and charged into the fray of monsters. Albert, watching from the side, could see the pride radiating from his face as he watched his daughter.

“Well done, Zeona! Kill them all!”

“Such thoughtful words from a father, my Lord.”

Despite Albert’s teasing, Lord Frederick continued to cheer his daughter on, even clapping his hands. However, the appearance of a minotaur quickly interrupted his cheers.

Zeona lost control of her horse, Ista, as the Minotaur swung its axe. The Lord gasped.

“Oh no! Oh, Albert! My daughter, my Zeona!”

His demeanor was a far cry from the cold and collected face and voice he had just a few dozen minutes ago, when Zeona had sallied forth. It was simply the face of a father. Albert felt a small sense of relief at seeing such a side of Frederick. He did care for his daughter, after all.

“. . .Just a moment, my Lord. Let us watch a little longer.”

Despite his words, Albert also raised the staff in his hand. The crystal orb at the end of the staff hummed, pulsating with the telltale signs of magic.

They watched, holding their breaths, as Zeona confronted and engaged the Minotaur in combat.

Lord Frederick clenched and unclenched his sweat-soaked hands as Zeona, fueled by a surge of blue magic, fought to fend off the Minotaur’s massive axe.

“Please, please,” Lord Frederick silently implored. However, Albert’s eyes discerned a significant disturbance in Zeona’s magical flow. Moreover, the Minotaur was not fighting at full strength, toying with her like a plaything.

“Gah!”

The Minotaur kicked Zeona away as she screamed, causing her to roll on the ground. The relic necklace she wore, imbued with spells, was shattered, and a mouthful of blood spurted from Zeona’s fallen form. Lord Frederick’s eyes flashed with fury.

“That little bastard! Albert! What are you doing, standing there? My daughter will die at this rate!”

“. . . . . .”

“Albert!”

Lord Frederick, whose face contorted in rage, grabbed Albert by the collar, ready to shake him,

“Look, my Lord.”

Elenora pointed a finger at the mirror. Lord Frederick turned his head while still clutching Albert’s collar.

The Minotaur, who had been about to bring its axe down on Zeona, suddenly recoiled. The axe flew high into the air, spinning. It carried a familiar greatsword with it.

Soon, the axe fell to the ground, and the greatsword plunged into it. A giant warrior reached out his massive hand and picked up the greatsword. Lord Frederick’s face lit up. He waved his hands wildly, and as a result, Albert’s head, still in his grip, shook back and forth.

“That’s right! Hahahaha! It’s that guy! Thank goodness! Thank goodness!”

“If you would be so kind as to release my collar, my Lord,”

Albert spoke calmly. The Lord cleared his throat, straightened Albert’s collar, and then turned his back to him.

“Ugh, I made a fool of myself. I apologize, Albert.”

“It is nothing. Rather, I was glad to see your genuine side as a father.”

Lord Frederick apologized, and Albert calmly accepted it, smoothing his ruffled hair. That was why only Elenora had seen Russell’s glowing purple eyes, as well as the momentary change in Zeona that followed. Elenora watched as Zeona’s dazed expression returned to normal when Russell withdrew the magic from his eyes.

“. . . . . .”

Russell said something to the dark elf who had accompanied him, then approached the Minotaur, greatsword in hand. The dark elf stood by Zeona’s side, drawing his sword and surveying his surroundings, seemingly tasked with guarding her. Russell picked up the axe that had fallen to the ground and threw it back to the Minotaur. Albert pointed it out.

“Why would he give it back to him? It would be easier to deal with him if he were unarmed.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Lord Frederick clicked his tongue.

“Naive, aren’t you? Russell does not fight anyone who is unarmed. Not even if it’s a mindless monster! He is such a noble man! A warrior among warriors, is he not?”

“To me, he just seems like an idiot who makes fights harder than they need to be. . .”

“Is he married? He looks young, so he probably isn’t yet. Zeona is quite the beauty, taking after her mother. . .”

“My Lord!”

“What, can’t I even joke, boy?”

“. . .Please be quiet, both of you.”

As the blonde priestess glared at them with her blue eyes, the man and the elf shut their mouths and looked back at Russell and the Minotaur. After receiving its axe back, the brute monster charged forward, snorting. It was clearly enraged. A current of enchantment coursed through its flesh. Albert’s eyes gleamed. Lord Frederick said,

“Is that red glow on the monster magic?”

“Yes, it is magic. However, for a minotaur to awaken its magic, It is not unheard of, but the chances of it happening are incredibly low. . .”

The elven wizard fell into a moment of contemplation. He recalled the time he bought a troll corpse from an auction house. The auctioneer had claimed that the troll had awakened its magic and that its blood possessed healing properties far beyond those of an average troll.

There had been many bidders, but of course, it was Albert who ultimately acquired it. And when he examined it himself, he found the auctioneer’s words to be true. It was indeed a troll that had awakened its magic. The extracted and purified essence of the troll’s blood had incredible regenerative properties.

The healing potions made from the essence, combined with herbs, were incredibly potent. They were comparable to the holy water that the Pope or the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom would create by pouring their divine power directly into it.

He summoned the auctioneer and asked him how this had come about. He discovered that a peddler had brought the corpse to the South Gate the previous day, and the individual responsible for killing the troll was merely a mercenary. Although he had the help of a wizard and a priestess standing right next to him, Elenora, it was clear that it had been a great feat.

Albert brought his train of thought, which had strayed off the rails, back on track. The important thing was that strange things had been happening in Calisden lately. Bandits had appeared in the forests to the north and west, causing harm to people, and now, out of nowhere, an army of monsters had invaded the city. However, the humans believed to be these bandits remained unseen.

In addition, a troll that had awakened its magic appeared at the city’s South Gate and blocked the passage. Fortunately, a warrior killed the troll a few days after it appeared. The warrior had awakened the magic within the troll. A swarm of monsters swept in from the north. And now, a Minotaur had awakened its magic. What did these events signify?

The monsters were gathered together, and at the same time, two monsters had awakened their magic, defying the low odds. If that was intentional, If the intention wasn’t just a delusion, but something an entity with the necessary power could actually carry out,

“Oooooh!”

Lord Frederick’s exclamation brought Albert’s mind back to reality after his past memories and deductions. Russell was currently slicing through the Minotaur’s steel axe. Then, the great sword moved with ghostly speed, severing the monster’s limbs. Their movements were so fast that there was hardly any time between them.

The Minotaur, whose severed limbs touched the ground, raised its head. Its neck was cleanly sliced off. The brute that had been pressing Zeona fell to the ground, its shoulders slumping.

“Yaaaay!”

Lord Frederick cheered, forgetting all about decorum. Elenora maintained her expressionless demeanor throughout, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised. Albert was the only one who stared at Russell with a slightly hardened expression.

The Minotaur’s death led to the defeat of the remaining monsters. Knights rushed to Zeona’s side, and Lord Frederick sighed in relief as the battle came to an end.

“Well, that went well. I, for one. What the heck is this sudden disaster in early fall? I hope the fields haven’t sustained too much damage.

Albert dismissed the hypothesis he had briefly entertained at Lord Frederick’s concern. The situation was still uncertain, and even though the odds were low, that did not mean they were zero. He could investigate the monsters, the troll, and the Minotaur that had suddenly appeared later. For now, he had to say what he needed to say as the city’s wizard and the Lord’s advisor.

“Thanks to the fact that the lord sent out the knights in time, the area that was trampled on is not that large. With a little care, we should be able to expect a large harvest as usual.”

“Is that so? If that’s the case, then that’s a relief. In any case, we now have to give them the rewards they deserve. Is there enough money in the Treasury?”

“According to the report from the Finance Department, it may be a little short. Recently, we ordered numerous weapons and armor from the forge, and the price of the relic we bought for your daughter was not insignificant. We consumed a significant amount of magical material to activate the protective spell within the relic. Furthermore, we will need to hold a festival to calm the agitated atmosphere, as well as give a separate reward to that warrior named Russell. I may have to borrow from the Dwarven Bank.”

As Albert continued to speak, Lord Frederick’s face, which had been sagging, jumped up at the last words, “Dwarven Bank” and “borrow.”

“What?! Borrow! Are you saying that our city’s finances have deteriorated to the point where we have to borrow money from those vile dwarves?!”

“The exact amount will only be known after further calculations. I said it may come to that, and that’s all. But you should start thinking about it.”

“Uuuuuugh. . . . .!”

The Lord groaned and fell into contemplation. He muttered in a small voice, “Not the Dwarven Bank. . . Not the borrowing. . .!” In fact, the city of Calisden’s finances were good.

Selling just a few of the healing potions he had made would bring in more than enough money to cover the expenses. Healing potions, which could cure both internal and external injuries, were popular items that sold so well that supply could not keep up with demand.

Even so, Albert exaggerated a little because he had not forgotten the Lord grabbing him by the collar earlier. Having taken his petty revenge on Frederick in this way, the elven wizard smiled faintly. Lord Frederick would surely fly into a rage when he learned the truth, but he could just smooth things over when that happened.

“. . . . . .”

Until then, Elenora, who had been listening to the two of them with one ear and letting it go out the other, continued to watch the scene reflected in the mirror. Her eyes never left Russell’s.

That was why she was able to see Russell’s face harden, and when he turned his body, she could see what had caused it.

“My Lord.”

“Hmm? What is it, Priestess Elenora?”

At her call, Frederick, who had been clutching his head in distress, and Albert, who had been watching the Lord with an amused smile, approached her. And then their faces hardened. Albert, who had been the first to recognize the entity, let out a scream.

“A drakan! Why is a dragonkin here?!”

“W, What? drakan? Dragonkin? What are you talking about, Albert?”

“This is not the time for that! We have to get to them now. . .!”

As Albert, his staff in hand, was about to cast a spell, a huge flash of light and a shockwave erupted in the mirror. The shockwave was so large that it was visible not only in the mirror but also from the city walls where they stood.

“. . . . . .!”

Lord Frederick, Albert, and Elenora stared at the mirror and the distant explosion with wide eyes. Albert muttered in a dazed voice.

“So. . . . that’s why the monsters were charging towards the city like they had lost their minds, and how the troll and the Minotaur awakened their magic. . . Haha. If a dragonkin, a drakan at that, was behind it all, it all makes sense. How could I have been so stupid?”

“My, my daughter. Zeona! Zeona!”

As Albert silently waved his staff, the mirror expanded greatly. Soon, the dust that had billowed up like a storm settled down. In the center of it all, the drakan still stood, his metallic staff planted in the ground.

And the scene that unfolded. Someone had turned a hemispherical area of land, centered on the drakan, upside down. Bodies lay there, their presence indicated only by the blood that stained the ground. The shockwave had spared a few.

One could see skilled wizards with keen senses deploying barriers here and there. They were surrounded by fallen soldiers and mercenaries. On one side, knights had gathered in a circle and were emitting magic to deflect the shockwave. As several of the knights outside collapsed, coughing up blood, Zeona, her face pale, emerged from within.

The dark elf appeared to have used two swords to block the shockwave, but the half-broken swords and the blood oozing from her skin indicated that she was not unharmed.

Finally, Russell. He stood there, looking more intact than anyone else. He held a greatsword in both hands, his grip firm, as if he had just drawn it. The intact, V-shaped area of land, spared from the shockwave and the people who had fallen to the ground, lay behind him. He had protected not only himself but also the people behind him.

The Lord had confirmed his daughter’s safety, but his expression was not as bright as before. A single dragonkin had killed half of the soldiers and mercenaries. There were not many survivors. At best, there were less than a hundred.

“Albert.”

“Yes, my Lord. I will indeed rescue the young lady. . .

“Can we defeat that dragonkin?”

The elven wizard raised his head. The Lord’s face was terrifyingly hard.

“Is that dragonkin the mastermind who sent the monsters from the north and harmed my people?”

“It is likely. If that drakan is the culprit, many of the mysteries will be solved at once. We need to understand how the monsters, typically engaged in territorial conflicts, decided to invade the city together, and how the troll and the Minotaur triggered their magical abilities.

“Then I ask you again. Can we defeat that dragonkin, that drakan?”

Albert was silent for a moment. He too was a long-lived elf, a member of a long-lived race, and a wizard who had spent countless years studying the truth of magic. However, his opponent was a dragonkin, a descendant of a great being. The drakans were believed to have inherited the dragon’s blood more strongly than any other.

Could he win? Could he defeat that formidable race, which outlived elves and boasted powerful bodies and magical organs?

The wizard’s mind calculated his chances of winning coldly. Judging from the drakan’s size, it was clear that he was an adult. However, since he was not close, it was impossible to know exactly how old he was or how powerful his magic was.

He was proud to have accumulated powerful magic and spells over his 150 years of life, but a spell duel with a dragonkin was a different matter. To be honest, he could not be sure that he could win completely. At best, it would be a draw, or he might even lose.

However, Albert Delquines, an elf who loved the human city of Calisden, a close friend of the previous Lord, Patrick, who had watched over his son, Frederick, since he was a child, and who also adored his daughter, Zeona, spoke. It was the words that came from his heart, not his head.

“I will win. By all means.”

“Very well. Albert Delquines. I, Frederick Deosen, command you. Go. Go and bring me the head of the mastermind who has plunged our city into chaos!”

“I will obey.”

At that moment, Elenora, who had been standing still, raised her hand.

“I will go, too.”

“Priestess. We have not yet received permission from the Grand Church to officially allow you to participate in the battle. . .”

“It is my will. The Grand Church will not be able to say anything. Do not worry.”

“Thank you. It will be of great help. Calisden will not forget this favor.”

Elenora nodded. Albert immediately cast a spell, and her body floated up.

“How do you plan to get there, Priestess?”

“I have my own way. Go ahead. I will follow you right away.”

“I understand.”

Albert immediately soared into the sky, his robe fluttering behind him. Under thick clouds, the elven wizard’s silhouette faded into the darkness.

Elenora kneeled down on one knee and began to recite a prayer in a small voice. A brilliant, golden light of divine power began to rise from her skin.

Lord Frederick watched the battlefield through the mirror that Albert had left behind. His clenched fists were white.

Rumble.

As if it were about to rain at any moment, thunder roared in the sky. It was as if the gods were looking forward to the battle that was about to begin.

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