Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 123

Chapter 123: Exploration Required

TL: Potato-tan

Proofreader: Asianpotato

The Farrells were on the verge of collapsing after following the Irrucil running ahead of them.

“Haah, haah, haah. . .! Irrucil! Why are you running so fast?”

Even when asked by Farrells, Irrucil refused and continued running. She would occasionally turn around to check on Farrell, who was lagging behind. If it weren’t for that, she would have already passed through the dense forest and arrived at the estate.

“Dammit!”

Knowing this, Farrells used all his strength to run as if he was summoning every last drop. The battles he had fought while following Irrucil, as well as her frequent support for his magic, allowed him to run like this.

Farrells had almost reached the point where he was certain about some of the inferences he had made regarding Irrucil.

‘She is definitely not an ordinary person from a non-military family. . . Her status isn’t that low, either.’

He had already figured out that she was a noble, but her strong magical power and physical abilities were another matter. It was only natural for a noble who had achieved the superhuman feat of magic control to have one or two of them in their family.

However, Farrells had not seen many martial artists who were as proficient and at such a high level as she was.

‘On top of that, with such a striking appearance, she’s likely from the north. If that’s the case, then she’s one of the ducal noble families.’

As he continued running, deep in thought, he noticed Irrucil exiting the forest. Soon, Farrell also left the forest. The scene that unfolded before him was shocking.

“T, This is what?”

The first thing he smelled was the pungent odor of blood. And the atmosphere was filled with mana that had been heated up due to the battle. Even Farrells, who was still far from being considered an expert, felt goosebumps as the eerie mana swirled across the plains.

Graaaaaa-!

Two beings fighting in the center of the battlefield appeared.

“Good heavens, what is that.”

Farrell let out an exhausted voice. He was not very old, but Farrell had seen countless monsters along the way. Nevertheless, the monster he was seeing now was overwhelming.

It was about 2 meters tall with black skin, dynamic wriggling muscles, and large bat wings.

All the evil auras he had felt in the forest and mountains were gathered on the monster with black skin.

“A devil.”

“Yes? A devil?”

“Yeah.”

The sight of the man fighting with such a devil was amazing. Despite his distance, Farrells could not help but click his tongue as he watched the man skillfully swing a large greatsword and an axe, while his long ponytail fluttered.

With one hand, he wielded the greatsword, which was usually difficult for ordinary people to hold and swing, and with the other hand, he swung a long-handled, large, and ferocious-looking single-edged axe without rest.

The man wielded weapons in both hands, including swords and axes, each serving a distinct purpose, as if they were an integral part of his body. The devil was helpless against the man’s movements, and he was simply pushed back.

“He is amazing.”

“He is my younger brother.”

“I see. . . Huh? That person?”

“Yeah. He has gotten stronger. I boasted that I would tie him up and take him to our father. . .But I might not be able to keep that promise.”

While Irrucil was muttering, a scream of frustration rang out, and the devil’s body shook violently.

Its two wings were torn apart by the axe, and one of its shoulders bid farewell to its body right after being hit by the greatsword.

━Gulp, cough! I can’t, I can’t end like this. How dare you take away my body, this can’t be━!

Despite the distance, the devil’s screams through magic power were clearly heard by everyone standing or kneeling there.

The devil’s body began to transform into a strange form. The blood flowing on the ground gathered on the devil; its torso grew larger, and four legs protruded from the enlarged torso, tearing through the skin.

Watching the devil gradually transform into a more gruesome and disgusting form, Irrucil muttered.

“We can’t leave that alone.”

“Yes?”

Even before Farrell’s question was over, Irrucil and her magic power moved.

Bam!

As soon as Irrucil’s feet hit the ground, her body shot towards the devil like an arrow, and dozens of white iron chains sprang up from the ground and bound the devil.

The events that followed were also spectacular enough to blow Farrell’s mind.

To him, who could barely use magic to strengthen certain parts of his body or weapons, the range and efficiency of the magic used by Irrucil and the man who was her younger brother seemed so amazing that his eyeballs might pop out.

It was the same with her ability to pull out chains from designated coordinates to restrain the devil, or sometimes directly generate them from her hands to grab its limbs or burrow into its skin to use vibration resonance to disrupt the cohesion of its body.

The man who seemed to have a magical weapon was throwing a long-handled axe like a throwing axe, and the fact that he could create such a huge amount of frost from it made one wonder how many abilities he possessed.

The highlight was the dark-colored greatsword. The sword, which was almost as thick as Farrells’s torso, was as elegant as could be, as it carved through the devil and was lodged in its mouth.

With a deafening sound, a white thunderbolt tore through the devil’s body and illuminated the surroundings with a flash of lightning.

Pshhhhhhhhh. . . . . .

Irrucil’s younger brother eventually killed the devil, who had gradually grown in size and resembled the embodiment of disgust.

Afterwards, a dragon suddenly flew in, attempting to breathe lightning, but then it transformed into a small white-haired girl. An orc, adorned with brown skin and black tattoos, approached Russell and engaged in a conversation while shaking. Meanwhile, a young man approached, offering support to a green-haired woman. It was a completely confusing situation.

Farrell glanced at the tall man walking next to him.

Looking closely, he couldn’t believe that the face that seemed like it would be flirting with noble ladies in a social circle would be wielding a sword and axe without a single moment of retreat against a devil or a monster.

“I’m Russell.”

“Y, Yes?”

“You look like you want to ask something.”

“Ah, yes. My name is Farrell. You were amazing earlier. This is the first time I have ever seen a warrior like you.”

It was true. Even famous knights would not be able to survive if they were thrown into the same situation as before. Russell asked.

“How did you two end up traveling together? My sister is usually quite picky about who she travels with.”

“Ah, that is a long story.”

Farrell explained in detail how he first met Irrucil. Russell came to know that Farrell was more talkative than he had initially thought.

As they approached the estate’s gate, Lord Tatiana ran out in person to greet the group. Judging from her armor, which she had not yet removed, and the sword at her waist, it appeared that she had intended to lead the reinforcements if necessary.

The lord personally assigned soldiers to escort the group, and they entered the estate. Although they had returned in a day, it felt as if they had been outside for several days.

The inhabitants of the estate, who were only vaguely aware of the situation outside, looked at them with anxious and fearful eyes. It must have been quite unsettling, with the gates firmly closed and the sounds of monsters crying and the shouts of soldiers and mercenaries mixed together outside the castle walls.

The lord explained the situation to the adjutant, gave instructions to the mercenaries regarding their compensation, and then ordered the soldiers to be led to the barracks.

The group was able to enter the lord’s castle right away.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Russell opened his eyes.

‘Where is this?’

He was floating in a dark space. Russell instinctively knew that this was a dream—a lucid dream.

‘My body. . . can’t move.’

Even though he knew it was a lucid dream, his body would not move as he intended. All his senses, other than sight, were faint. Russell slowly recalled his memories.

It had already been a day since the battle ended.

Even though they had won against Geliotos, their appearance was no different from that of a defeated army. Even Russell had suffered internal injuries after being hit by the devil’s fist. If he had not had a trained body, it would not have been strange for him to lose half of his upper body from a single blow.

Of the rest of the group, Sarannen was the most seriously injured. Fortunately, as soon as Geliotos died, the magi who had been under the devil’s control all disappeared, and she was able to recover with the help of Jess’s divine power. She was still completely exhausted, however, and was currently resting in an empty room in the lord’s castle.

As always, Calia slipped into Russell’s shadow when no one was looking.

Kai, along with Chenpa and their tribal warriors, were assigned a temporary lodging in one corner of the manor. Many of them had died or been injured while fighting the monsters, so they also needed to rest.

Russell gradually felt his dream fading and his consciousness rising. He found himself in a dark, empty space, surrounded only by the sky or the earth, unable to project the world of his previous life, despite his ability to become lucid.

However, Russell felt comfortable in that darkness. And in that comfort, he gently accepted the sensations that were slowly returning.

He had gained some valuable insights from this battle. One thing he gained from this battle was an understanding of the limitations of his current body. It was like hitting a wall.

Up until now, he had been running as if there was no wall, but the battles against the ogre Lashe and the devil Geliotos allowed him to assess his current physical condition. He realized the extent of his future training needs.

He had made quite a good achievement in terms of magic power. First, the boundary of his sensory range had expanded, and his movements within it had become free. He had infused the greatsword Nahilnir and the axe Final Frost, which he had been using for a long time, with magic, and now he was able to strike and summon them from the air within the range of his senses.

He wasn’t sure if this was the same principle as the air-grasping technique from wuxia novels. It didn’t feel like the same sophisticated technique as the ‘sword-controlling’ technique.

For now, all he could do was summon the weapon he had thrown back into his hand. According to the novel’s description, the sword would be able to kill the enemy on its own, and later on, it would even be able to perform swordsmanship.

It still felt like a far-away story to Russell. However, the fact that it was far away did not bring him frustration or despair. Rather, he felt a thrilling emotion in the vast distance and the fact that there was still a long way to go.

He discovered that he was born into a realm teeming with mysteries, monsters, gods, devils, and superhumans.

Just like when he realized that his body was gifted enough to handle all those mysteries, and he trembled with joy.

At that moment, his consciousness fully returned, and Russell woke up from his sleep. As soon as he woke up, control of his body and information from all around him came at once.

When he opened them, the first thing that caught his eye was a pair of black pupils. His own reflection was visible in the clear, bright black pupils.

“What are you doing, sister?”

“I’m giving my younger brother a lap pillow after a long time. Didn’t I do it a lot in the past?”

“Weren’t you in the room next door?”

“I snuck in.”

‘It was certainly possible for her.’ Ever since he was little, he had no idea how many pranks he had been subjected to by Irrucil, who never made a sound, not even a footstep.

And she was so clever. He couldn’t even think of her as a child, she did such mature things with her incredible talent that he had lost count of how many times he had been put in a difficult position.

Russell let out a sigh and tried to get up, but Irrucil’s long, slender fingers pushed against his forehead. His forehead felt cold.

“No. Stay lying down.”

“For how long?”

“Until I’m satisfied.”

And then, Irrucil gently stroked Russell’s hair. Her touch was gentle, but her eyes sparkled as if she would peel off his scalp if he did anything foolish.

Because his physical condition was not yet perfect, he couldn’t resist and simply spread out his senses to find out where he was.

It was a special room at the Dancing Bear Inn. They had spent the previous night at the lord’s castle, but it was awkward to stay there any longer, so they had left.

Jess and Sarannen had something to discuss with the lord, and Russell had returned to the inn with Aellasis.

It seemed that dawn had just broken, as the sky visible through the window had the color of a larkspur. Aellasis was lying on the bed in a corner of the special room in a relaxed posture, snoring loudly.

It seemed like she was tired from turning back into a dragon and spitting fire yesterday. She was sleeping so soundly that someone could carry her away and she wouldn’t notice.

“That child—was she a dragon? Did you meet her in Calisden?”

“Yes.”

“. . .When are you going to stop speaking formally? Just speak like before.”

“Sister. I am now someone who has left the family. I can’t do that to the next head of the family. . . . . .”

“You don’t have to distance yourself from me that much. Even if I become the head of the family, the fact that I am your older sister and you are my younger brother will not change. Right?”

Russell looked up at his older sister without saying anything. Irrucil’s face was dark because she was facing away from the morning sun. However, Russell’s eyes could see the sad expression beyond that shadow.

“Yes.”

In the end, it was Russell who gave in. When he turned his head slightly and said that, Irrucil’s face brightened. She immediately hugged his face.

“Will you be nicer to me now?”

“Ugh, Irrucil. I’m twenty-one now, we can’t do this kind of thing. . . . . .”

“Whether you are twenty-one or thirty-one, you are just my little brother. I changed your diapers, fed you, and bathed with you.”

Russell sighed. Among his family members, Irrucil was the most difficult one to deal with. His father, Lahart, had a lot of work to do as the family head, and the circumstances surrounding Russell’s arrival were so mysterious that it was rather awkward.

Knock.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

“Russell-nim? It’s me, Jess.”

“Tch.”

Russell got out of bed and walked to the door, and Irrucil relaxed her grip. When he opened the door, Jess, who looked exhausted but had regained some energy, was standing there.

“I’m sorry to bother you early in the morning.”

“No. It must be because of Sir Hailyn.”

Jess nodded with a stiff face. Russell told Jess that he had figured out where Hailyn was by reading Kelpag’s mind with magic.

It was a long time coming, considering Jess’s original mission was to find Latham manor’s anomaly, the devil’s traces, and the missing Hailyn.

“Yes. How did. . .”

“First, let’s eat breakfast and then talk. I also need some time to sort out my memories.”

“. . .I understand. I’ll wait downstairs.”

Translator’s Blog