Chapter 194 : Chapter 194
Chapter 194. Invitation from the Esven Marquisate (3)
‘An Imperial Knight Commander family, huh.’
Radel thought while lying down.
The information he heard from Armandy earlier drifted through his mind.
Kier Iern.
He was the person who attacked Radel along with Estina at the Combat Magic Tower.
According to Armandy, he was the second son of the Imperial Knight Commander family.
‘Since he’s from a Knight Commander family, why did he become Senior Estina’s follower instead of Senior Shartea’s?’
It was a natural question.
Because those who held swords mostly swore allegiance to Shartea.
That was a fact Armandy also acknowledged.
He said the Iern family had followed Shartea since long ago.
Then it meant Kier chose a royal contrary to his family’s will.
It was a rare case to find in noble families.
Then the answer Armandy gave was as follows:
‘It is an open secret among the nobles, but there is a story that Kier is a child Marquis Iern fathered outside.’
No wonder.
If it was like that, it was understandable why he dropped his surname when introducing himself to Radel.
An illegitimate child whose origin was unknown.
As long as that label was attached, Kier himself might not consider himself a member of the family.
‘However, he used a sword.’
When Kier blocked Radel running to catch the boss monster on the 20th floor, Radel honestly didn’t think he would draw a sword.
People who used swords were rare at the Academy.
Apart from people like Gusto, an apprentice holy knight, or Shartea who had trained in swordsmanship for a long time—people who had held swords from the beginning—most students wielded staffs.
Since it was a Magic Academy, it was natural.
However, he deliberately drew a sword, not a staff.
‘Furthermore, he was using Imperial Swordsmanship skillfully.’
He was surprised first because it was unexpected, and second because it wasn't unfamiliar.
Radel recalled the moment he briefly crossed swords with Kier.
A sword that was somewhat familiar.
‘I know that sword.’
When?
‘……About a month ago.’
Where?
‘In the territory!’
Radel, who recalled something in an instant, jumped up and searched his chest.
And took out a bundle of keys.
Six black keys and one purple key.
They were the black keys sealing Archdevil Belphegor and the purple key sealing Leviathan.
Radel stared piercingly at the purple key among them.
The time when a suspicious heretic appeared in the territory, killed the Lizardman Chieftain, and disappeared came vividly to mind.
The swordsmanship he wielded at him as well.
He clearly thought it was an invisible fast draw at that time but…….
‘It wasn’t. That is rather closer to being slow.’
A sword that isn’t invisible, but one whose trajectory is unknown even when seen.
A sword that cannot be blocked even though the swing is seen.
Radel didn’t know then, but now he knew very well.
That was Imperial Swordsmanship.
“I see. Then that heretic was……!”
It was the moment Radel realized the heretic’s identity.
FLASH!
Suddenly, a faint light emitted from the bundle of keys.
* * *
Armandy slipped out of the room and was secretly wandering around the Esven Marquisate.
There were so many places prohibited from entry that he would have to stay up all night to examine all the forbidden rooms.
‘I must find out what they are hiding.’
Although no one could see Armandy because he was moving with Illusion Magic cast, he was moving very carefully.
No matter how suspicious the Esven Marquisate was, it was a renowned mage family.
He couldn’t know what kind of magic might be cast on the mansion.
‘There is no particular alarm magic.’
Armandy stood in front of a passage marked with no entry and checked for traces of magic.
Fortunately, no magic was cast.
Armandy slowly took a step forward.
Portraits of successive heads of the Esven Marquisate lined the hallway.
Fitting for a mage family, he could feel that powerful preservation magic was cast on every portrait.
It was such a sophisticated formula that it wouldn’t be damaged even if wet or torn.
‘They didn’t cast alarm magic……. Why is the preservation magic so sophisticated?’
While grumbling, Armandy ended up admiring the Esven Marquisate’s magic skill a little.
Even for him, who was from the Mage Tower, it was his first time seeing this kind of formula.
‘Oops, I was on a mission.’
Armandy, who had been admiring the portraits for a while, moved his steps again.
As expected of a place where entry was forbidden, there was no one, but somehow he felt spooky.
It was a place without a single window, yet it seemed like wind was blowing from somewhere…….
‘More than that, how far does this hallway extend?’
Armandy was puzzled.
No matter how much he walked, the hallway didn’t end.
It was when he felt like he had been walking in the same place for a while.
Goosebumps rose on Armandy’s back.
The painting on the wall definitely moved.
Precisely, something inside the painting!
WHISH!
Feeling an ominous energy, Armandy turned his head and glared at the portrait.
But the portrait didn’t move an inch.
It was natural.
How could a painting move?
The moment he thought so.
Armandy made eye contact with the pupils of the portrait.
“HAAK!”
Armandy’s breathing became rough as he held back the scream rising up.
That portrait was definitely looking straight ahead just a moment ago.
However, now it was stealing a glance at Armandy sideways.
‘Crazy!’
Armandy took out holy water and sprinkled it without realizing.
Anyone would do so if they saw a painting rolling its eyes in a suspicious mansion.
SPLASH!
But the portrait showed no reaction.
‘This isn’t a heretic?’
At the unbelievable result, Armandy shouted inwardly.
‘No way!’
* * *
Radel went out of the room holding the glowing bundle of keys.
Because he noticed that the intensity of the light changed depending on the key’s location.
If he went inside the room, the light became weak, and if he headed towards the door, the light became strong.
“As expected, it gets brighter when I go outside.”
Radel, holding the bundle of keys, started walking down the dark hallway.
To move towards where the light became stronger.
Perhaps because everyone was asleep, the hallway was silent.
Radel moved forward carefully following the light coming from the keys.
And arrived at a dead-end wall with nothing.
It was then.
DING.
[Unknown magic interferes with the user’s perception.]
[Status Effect Nullification activates.]
[Conditions have been met.]
[Condition: Dragon’s Bone]
[The hidden space is revealed.]
[The Secret Exhibition Hall of the Esven Marquisate reveals itself!]
With a notification sound ringing in Radel’s ears, a new passage revealed itself.
RUMBLE!
“Secret Exhibition Hall?”
It was an appearance similar to Ancestor Hayden’s secret passage.
Of course, this wasn't made by Hayden but was a work of the Esven Marquisate.
Radel checked the condition that appeared before his eyes and made a puzzled expression.
Dragon’s bone is the condition, huh.
‘Did I have something like a dragon’s bone?’
Even Radel, whose knowledge of magic was all learned at the Academy, knew how precious a dragon’s bone was.
The bone of a dragon, which disappeared a long time ago, possessed immense magic power just by itself.
It was understandable since dragons were intelligent beings who first used magic, and were noble creatures created by the Nameless God bestowing all the blessings he could give when creating the world.
Also, dragons were magic itself.
A heart where magic power springs up endlessly, eyes that penetrate through truth, breath that melts everything, scales harder than metal, claws stronger than any magical beast in the world, and wisdom far surpassing humans.
They possessed all the states humans tried to achieve through magic.
It was not an exaggeration to say that most legendary magical tools or artifacts were made of dragon bones.
It was that difficult to obtain, and even if obtained, a very high price had to be paid.
“……Don’t tell me?”
Radel looked down at the keys held in his hand just in case.
The light that flowed from the keys had disappeared before he knew it as the passage appeared.
No matter how much he thought about it, these keys seemed to be the condition for discovering the passage.
“This was a dragon’s bone?”
Radel muttered with a bewildered feeling.
It seemed Hayden used dragon bones when sealing the devils.
To use this precious thing to seal devils.
Truly an ancestor who becomes more surprising the more you know him.
* * *
Radel entered the newly appeared hidden passage of the Esven Marquisate.
“It’s brighter than I thought.”
The brightly lit passage was decorated with murals depicting dragons.
When Radel examined them, they were not just murals but good enough to be called history books.
They were that detailed and meticulous records.
The era when the Nameless God fell asleep.
The Nameless God, exhausted from creating the world, created a great creature to rule the world on his behalf and fell into a long sleep.
The dragon, the agent of God and his great creation.
The mural started from the scene where the Nameless God entrusted the world to the dragon.
The next scene was the dragons dividing and ruling the continent.
The appearances of various dragons were drawn in detail.
Black dragon, white dragon, red dragon, golden dragon, etc…….
Among them, a blue dragon that Radel also knew was visible.
“This is a water dragon.”
Radel admired looking at the blue dragon he had seen at Raviedel Lake.
It was exactly the appearance of the water dragon the Great Spirit transformed into.
He remembered the content the Esven Marquisate siblings talked about at dinner time.
‘That spirit has actually seen a water dragon.’
Their conjecture seemed to be correct.
The image of them subtly rejoicing upon hearing Radel’s story about the water dragon also came to mind.
They must have grown their imagination about dragons while looking at these vivid murals.
“Let’s see…… Next is dragons teaching magic to humans.”
Radel guessed the content while looking at the mural where a large dragon was teaching something to small humans.
It was drawn vividly, so it was fun to watch.
After that, the history of dragons continued straight on.
The times when dragons and humans mingled together.
Even the content where dragons fought among themselves and went extinct.
And from some point, people wearing white clothes appeared continuously, attending to the dragons by their side.
Since the same family crest was drawn on the clothes they wore, it couldn’t help but be noticeable.
“Huh?”
When Radel looked closely, it was a familiar crest.
“Isn’t this the Esven Marquisate’s crest……?”
It was the moment he understood why there were dragon-related decorations all over the mansion.
The Esven Marquisate was a family that served dragons since ancient times.
“There was a reason they were sincere about dragons.”
Radel nodded and walked along the mural.
After the extinction of dragons.
When he saw the mural where those presumed to be ancestors of the Esven Marquisate changed their white clothes to black clothes, a sigh flowed from Radel’s mouth.
“I thought they liked black.”
The black clothes of the Esven Marquisate that Armandy was appalled by were actually their own history of mourning the death of dragons.
It was then.
From over there in the passage where the mural ended, the sound of someone speaking was heard.
It was a calm but sharp voice.
“Father, there is a mouse wandering around the mansion.”
It was a moment when Radel’s heart sank.