Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Back on the Road

 

‘What were those eyes?’ Runebas had never seen such eyes in his life.

 

His eyes were blazing purple, as if they would suck him in. Runebas swallowed hard, leaving his throat dry.

 

When did his mouth become so dry? His tongue and the roof of his mouth felt rough, like he had been chewing on desert sand.

 

“I see.”

 

It was a casual remark, but Runebas didn’t dare point it out. Russell’s eyes continued to brighten, while Runebas remained motionless like a statue.

 

“Very well.”

 

The momentum vanished, akin to extinguishing a candle. Russell’s glowing eyes had returned to their original state.

 

“. . . . . .That’s it?”

 

“I am simply stating what I have heard.”

 

Runebas didn’t dare ask what strange things he had heard. He could tell, with his honed senses, that it would be irreversible.

 

Those who intake mana and refine their magical power gain a keen sense and body, whether they want it or not.

 

The nature of magical power changes according to the wizard’s will, and those who use their bodies, such as knights, warriors, and mercenaries, desire physical strength. To that end, they must undergo arduous physical training.

 

In contrast, wizards and witches have a greater desire to change the rules of the world through magical power. To do so, they must know complex spells and hand signs.

 

The law of equivalent exchange. One gives, and one receives.

 

And those who practice magical power, whether they are warriors or wizards, can feel the threat of death more vividly than anyone else.

 

One could argue that the world tells or shows them their fate.

 

Runebas felt that if he pursued Russell any further or acted out, his own life would be in danger.

 

The scales of life and death would tilt further towards death. Runebas still wanted to live.

 

“Heh heh. I don’t know what the rumors are, but I have no interest in that girl, Aella, or you. I’m already busy verifying the authenticity and magical power of the relics that the Lord has commissioned me to find. Additionally, I have numerous other studies to complete.

 

“I’m glad to hear that.”

 

Russell smiled and rose from his seat. Only then did Runebas realize that he and Russell were in the reception room of the Magic Tower.

 

Russell’s aura was so fierce and menacing that Runebas had forgotten where he was.

 

“I hope you don’t keep bothering us.”

 

Russell left the reception room. Runebas, left alone, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

 

“Damn it.”

 

He cursed involuntarily. He was frustrated that he had not gained the upper hand in the magical duel with the young man, and that he had not been able to maintain his pride as the master of the Magic Tower.

 

The old wizard’s eyes burned with anger. But as quickly as they had flared, they died out.

 

After all, a wizard must be realistic. It may sound like an inappropriate statement for someone who deals with unrealistic or even surreal phenomena, but both the unreal and the surreal must have a foundation in reality in order to exist.

 

In any case, they were people who lived in reality. Russell was someone who stood on the border between the unreal and the surreal. At least that’s how it appeared to Runebas.

 

‘My God, what terrible darkness and gloom!’

 

The realistic old wizard decided to bide his time. It was clear that the time was not now. This was not his own grand magic tower, but a small magic tower in the territory, and his research base and tools were not here.

 

Nevertheless, Runebas had to sit on the sofa in the reception room for a while to shake off the magical power and aura that Russell had forced upon him. It was not easy.

 

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

 

“Farewell again.”

 

Russell nodded. He and Evelyn walked out of the Magic Tower and into the street.

 

The street was bustling with people. Merchants are preparing to open their shops, innkeepers are opening their doors, and peddlers are preparing to start their rounds.

 

“I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”

 

“We met after almost half a year, so won’t it be almost a year before we meet again?”

 

“I don’t think it will take that long.”

 

“Where are you going now?”

 

Russell looked up at the sky for a moment. It was approaching noon. The sun, which had defeated the morning mist, was slowly rising in the sky.

 

“I’ll have to go a little further down. I’m still in the central part.”

 

To be precise, it was a little further north. Russell decided to go a little further down and think about whether to go east or west. To the east was the Great Forest, and below that was a port city.

 

If you go west from the central part, you’ll reach the Empire. The Empire represents the apex of human civilization. He had to go there someday.

 

Russell walked slowly, lost in thought. It was because Evelyn seemed to want to walk slowly. Fortunately, the distance from the Magic Tower to the Black Barley Inn was quite long.

 

Evelyn said.

 

“I’ve heard a lot of rumors lately that the situation is strange. The lords of the central part, as well as the monsters of the foothills, are running wild. Be careful.”

 

“They should be the ones who are careful.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

Evelyn couldn’t help but smile at the sight of this large man. He was literally a big man.

 

Evelyn thought back to when she first met Russell. It was already last year. She had embarked on this journey without any prior thought, as part of a university assignment. With what courage and confidence had she suddenly gone on a march?

 

On the march to the northeastern city, monster attacks were commonplace, and she had almost lost her life.

 

Russell saved her life at the moment when her studies and over ten years of magical power were about to become worthless trash.

 

Since then, there have been many things that have happened in Calisden. Russell was always at the forefront of everything. Everyone wanted to catch him, but he left without hesitation. He’s still the same.

 

It was time to part ways. Russell shook hands with Evelyn.

 

“No need for a goodbye?”

 

“No.”

 

Evelyn smiled and turned around. Her red hair fluttered in the wind. Russell also walked towards the inn, feeling a faint scent of lime.

 

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

 

Russell returned and began packing. He needed to pack enough for a long journey.

 

His equipment check, which was the first thing he had to do, was quickly completed. Russell’s attire was simple.

 

Lord Ramon Errandis provided a tunic and trousers, two pairs of leather gloves, and good-quality boots. The spare clothes were all in his magic coat, Bael.

 

The coat also covered the obsidian greatsword Nahilnir and the white single-edged axe Final Frost, giving him a simple, if not plain, appearance.

 

Aellasis still hated wearing armor. Russell decided to leave her alone. Even now, as she was transforming into a human body, if she let her guard down for a moment, her pupils would become elongated or horns would sprout from her temples, making it reckless to wear armor.

 

Her body may seem slender at first glance, but it is like the other bodies of a dragon. Of course, it’s not as hard as scales. Nevertheless, her sense of agility is different from that of ordinary people.

 

Russell had also considered other defense methods. Russell glanced at the shadow, then looked at Kai.

 

Kai was bare-chested, wearing only pants and boots. He wore no other equipment.

 

The luggage contained a variety of items. First of all, there was food. Of course, Russell and Aellasis needed to eat, but Kai also ate a considerable amount of food.

 

“We’ll help you with that. Robin! Come and peel some potatoes!”

 

Laura raised her hand. With her and Robin’s help, Russell received over a week’s worth of groceries. Russell took a gold coin out of his pocket and handed it to the two siblings.

 

Of course, the eyes of the two siblings who saw the gold coin grew as big as saucers. Laura waved her hand.

 

“Oh, no! You saved us, and this is too much. . . . . .”

 

“Take it. I have a lot of money.”

 

He hadn’t counted it himself, but he had more than enough money. Some of it he had received from the Lord of Calisden, and some of it he had obtained from Ismenios’s room. On top of that, he had received gold coins and silver coins from Lord Ramon Errandis.

 

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had about a year’s worth of taxes from a small territory. Unlike Laura, who was embarrassed, Robin looked at Russell with a slightly more challenging expression.

 

“Something to say?”

 

“Yes. I want to be strong like Russell-nim.”

 

Russell looked down at Robin. Robin had dark brown hair and eyes. The freckles on his young face had not yet faded. He seemed to have grown taller recently, but he was still just a boy who barely reached Russell’s waist.

 

Behind him, Luke and Laura looked at Robin anxiously. They appeared to be concerned about the perceived absurdity of Robin’s request.

 

Russell crouched down.

 

“You want to be strong?”

 

Robin nodded vigorously.

 

“I’ve thought about it a lot. Whenever the other guilds come to collect protection money, I wish I was strong enough to protect our inn without paying protection money.”

 

Tom and Jerry turned their heads away with pained expressions. Kai also averted his gaze, appearing as though he had suffered a prickle.

 

“It was the same with those monsters two weeks ago. At the very least, I wanted to protect my sister, my grandfather, and my family at the inn. Can I be strong too? Like Russell-nim?”

 

Russell carefully observed the boy. And for the first time in a long time, he opened up his clairvoyance ability.

 

Clairvoyance is one of the abilities that everyone in modern times dreams of, but in reality, it is a difficult kind of ability to endure.

 

The human heart beats, takes in blood, and then pumps it out again. The lungs contract and then expand again. Blood vessels, muscles, and nerves relax and contract with electrical signals.

 

The internal organs move vigorously. Observing the creation of excrement in real time could lead to a loss of appetite throughout the day. That’s why he stayed in his room as much as possible and avoided meeting people when he was home.

 

However, now that he had learned to control his various eye abilities, he could see only what he wanted. For instance, he could perceive something akin to a magical circuit. Russell’s eyes narrowed.

 

He said this to Robin.

 

“Turn around and sit down. Can you sit cross-legged?”

 

“Cross-legged?”

 

“Sit like this.”

 

Gulp. Robin swallowed and turned around. Russell held the boy’s legs and arms in place.

 

Luke, sensing that something serious was about to happen, came out from behind the counter. So did Laura.

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

Russell said it quietly.

 

“This kid wants to be strong. I’m going to help him a little because he’s been through a lot.”

 

“No, why don’t you go to a room and do it?”

 

“It doesn’t matter where. As long as the person who wants to do it has a strong will, it doesn’t matter where.

 

Tom and Jerry, who had been working on their own, immediately closed the inn door. Remeron and Phel, who had been downstairs, watched with interest.

 

Aellasis cocked her head, and Kai folded her arms nearby. Russell slowly placed his hand on Robin’s back. Suddenly, the wind blew on the first floor of the inn, where there had been no wind. People’s hair and clothes fluttered.

 

Nevertheless, they dared not take their eyes off what was happening now.

 

“Don’t open your mouth. Unless you want to be paralyzed.”

 

Robin couldn’t even answer, so he just nodded.

 

Russell breathed in mana. Not his magical power. No one else could accept Russell’s magical power.

 

The gentle breeze began to blow like a storm wind. But not all of that wind spread outward. It was because Russell’s magical power field, which he had already deployed, was holding the wind back.

 

Using his own body as a conduit, he drew the scattered mana and breathed it into Robin. He could see the rough flow of mana that others could not.

 

It was like a rainbow dance scene. The multicolored light was rippling like waves, like light reflected from a prism.

 

Robin’s magical circuit reacted.

 

Thump, his heart beat. Robin felt as if something—a new and unknown sensation—was spreading from his heart to his whole body.

 

Paths that circulated, bent, and continued opened up and became more refined.

 

It felt like blood was suddenly flowing back to a part of the body that hadn’t had blood flowing through it for a long time.

 

“You can talk now.”

 

Robin fumbled and said,.

 

“. . . Just now, that was?”

 

“It’s the feeling of your circuit opening up. Remember this well.”

 

Robin nodded blankly. Russell took his hand away immediately. He didn’t want Robin to feel his magical power and go crazy.

 

What he’d just done was not an easy thing to do. No, it would be fair to say that it was close to impossible. First of all, it was a matter of looking inside someone else’s body with clairvoyance to find their magical circuit. On top of that, it was a matter of stimulating the circuit with a very small amount of mana and gradually awakening it.

 

Russell rubbed his hand. It had been a long time since he had done this, and it had become easier than it had been before. In fact, he would not have been able to do this without his improved magical power control.

 

He was convinced that the situation was completely different from when he was at home, so Russell was able to open Robin’s magical circuit.

 

It was also easier because Robin was very young and did not have many impurities. In addition, he had been around beings with very powerful magical powers lately, so many of his circuits were already open.

 

Aellasis was probably the biggest reason. She was a dragon. Dragons are a race that attracts the attention of the world’s mana just by being there.

 

In the presence of such Aellasis, Robin had been taking care of her, preparing her meals, and so on, every day, so his body had prepared for awakening in response to his will.

 

Mana does not respond unless the will follows first. Like a cow catching a mouse while backing up, those who wait can seize luck and opportunity.

 

Robin bowed deeply to Russell.

 

“Thank you! Thank you!”

 

Robin’s eyes, looking at Russell, were like those of a believer meeting a god himself. This was reminiscent of Jirach’s gaze upon Russell.

 

Luke said this to Russell with a puzzled but joyful expression.

 

“Is it okay? I don’t really understand why you’re doing this for us.”

 

“Didn’t you take good care of Kry and Aella for two weeks? I’m just paying you back now, so don’t worry.”

 

Russell said. Laura helped Robin up. Robin was still fumbling with the new sensation in his body.

 

“And when I heard him say he wanted to be strong, I thought of someone. That person didn’t have the same opportunity as him. But now Robin has both the opportunity and the person, so that’s all I did.”

 

Luke wasn’t sure exactly what Russell meant by that. Nevertheless, he vaguely understood that Russell was thinking of something from the past as he looked at Robin.

 

“How much magical power you can refine depends on your will. Since your circuit has been opened up on its own, mana will be absorbed even if you just stay still, but if you lose control, the circuit may close again. Live a regular life and train your body.”

 

Robin bowed deeply once more.

 

“I understand!”

 

Russell nodded and rose to his feet.

 

“Well, then, I’ll be going.”

 

Russell put his own luggage in his coat. Kai also picked up his bag and put it over his shoulder.

 

As Russell’s group left, Remeron and Phel followed them. Luke, Robin, Laura, Tom, and Jerry went to the front of the inn to see them off.

 

“Have a good trip! Next time you come, the stout will always be free.”

 

“Come again!”

 

“Take care!”

 

Aellasis, who was riding on Kry, waved her hand with a bright smile. Russell smiled and turned his head. It was time to get back on the road.

 

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