21st Century Archmage

Chapter 76: A Night in which the Moon and Stars Whisper

“How have you still not found His Highness?! What are you doing?! Use more men! We must find the Prince, even if the Kovilan Mountains are to be turned upside down! Contact every territory connected to the mountains right now! Find him, find His Highness the Imperial Prince! Dispatch men RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!”

Though he was nearly 70 years old, It would be easy to assume that the 190 cm tall man with broad shoulders, eyes as large as a cow’s, and a big head was a knight in his prime.

Moreover, he possessed swordsmanship at the Master level as well as the position of the empress’ father, making him a man who could wield power no less than that of the emperor in the Laviter Empire.

Right now, Duke Yanovis’ face was dyed bright red.

The cause was the disappearance of the Second Prince, Alskane.

All contact with the most beloved son of the current emperor, Emperor Hadveria, had been lost after leaving the territory yesterday. Alskane disappeared, leaving word that he was going to clear out black mages with the Imperial Skyknights guarding him and the territory’s Skyknights while he was out in the territory.

When Duke Yanovis found out, he felt like the sky was crumbling down and his heart would stop.

If something happened to the Prince, all the power and renown he had accumulated until now would dissipate like soap bubbles.

“Quickly send word to the Imperial Family! No, inform the Gauss Magic Tower as well! Call upon all of the Skyknights and soldiers we can mobilize! I will personally go out and find His Highness!”

An agonizing, heart-wrenching night had passed, but Prince Alskane seemed to have no intent to return. The duke could no longer sit around, so he personally took action.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh.  

Thud thud thud thud thud.

The hundred or so wyverns in the territory were rising to the air one after another, and knights on horseback galloped towards the Kovilan Mountains.

‘If there is someone who harmed His Highness the Prince… I will chase him to the ends of the world and skewer his heart!’

Flames of rage burned red-hot within him.

Grinding his teeth, Duke Yanovis got onto his wyvern.

He then flew his wyvern vigorously into the Kovilan Mountains, praying desperately that the prince was safe.

* * *

“It is the Saintess!”

“Ohhh!”

After the lord’s departure, Denfors enjoyed a peaceful morning like usual. Protected by four guard knights along with Aramis, who was called a saintess in Nerman, appeared among the people.

“May you grant us blessings!”

The people kneeled upon seeing her and bowed their heads.

“May peace be upon thee in the name of Neran-nim…”

Aramis went to each and every citizen and granted them a holy blessing. She didn’t pass a single person and gave them her sincere blessing. The people wept as they thanked the Goddess of Mercy, Neran, with all their hearts.

Swish.

Within a dark shadow cast by one of the buildings Aramis and the knights were passing on their way to the people, some people were watching the saintess and the knights.

Then, at some point, those people disappeared like phantoms, their movements so covert that even the guard knights with their eyes wide open could not detect them.

Just like a wildcat watching its prey….

* * *

“Ah!”

An exclamation burst out of me as I gazed down at the enormous shoulders of the Rual Mountains, which I was only now seeing again for the first time in nearly half a year.

It felt different this time. Before crossing over these mountains, I was a pathetic Skyknight chased off to Nerman, but before I knew it, I became the lord ruling over the huge land of Nerman.

A lot had happened in a short amount of time.

‘It’s hot.’

The burning heat that couldn’t cross over the Rual Mountains was trapped in the Bajran Empire. As soon as we passed through the mountains, I could instantly feel that the land had been an oven for quite some time.

‘What a boring flight.’

We had departed at the break of dawn, but it was already nearly dusk. We took a short break at the lake where Derval and I had rested before, but other than that, we flew nonstop.

Flap, flap, flap flap flap.

Even Bebeto, with his stamina of steel, was dead tired.

Swooooosh.

Countess Irene, who had been quietly following us, took the lead. Then she gave me a command to follow with a gesture of her hand.

‘Are we gonna rest?’

Unlike me, Countess Irene and the Skyknights of the Imperial Guard were welcome everywhere. It seemed that she intended to stay at one of the noble villas.

From here onwards, it was land actually ruled by the Bajran Empire.

Since I was the esteemed guest of Imperial Knights relaying an imperial mandate, no matter what kind of noble they were, they would have to treat me with the highest respect.

‘But this place is….’

The place we arrived at had an ill-fated relationship with me. Unaware of that, Irene flew onwards into that direction.

‘I’m someone following an imperial mandate, so they won’t bother me, right?’

I calmly made up my mind.

I was now an important guest who possessed a great territory far bigger than a territory like this.

I followed Irene with my characteristic courage.

If need be, all I had to do was to rip them a new one.

This world would move as I commanded.

* * *

“…..”

Everyone was stiff.

We arrived at a certain nobleman’s mansion just as the darkness began to creep in.

As soon as we landed at the mansion hangar, where a golden knight spear was proudly flapping on a flag, everyone’s expressions stiffened.

The expressions of the crewmates, servants, soldiers, and knights who had begun to move upon seeing the Black Wyverns all became enraged after seeing Bebeto and I. They were all glaring at Bebeto’s golden stripes.

“W-Welcome, Countess Irene.”

“Lord Coltrian, I fear we have come to stay the night here again.”

“It is no trouble at all. You are welcome any time.”

Irene hopped down from her wyvern and chatted with a territory Skyknight, who quickly returned to his senses.

Even as Irene spoke, the next master of the territory, Coltrian, did not miss the opportunity to glare at me, Hostility blazing in his eyes.

‘So I was right.’

I was sure of it now—this was the territory housing the foolish Skyknights who were beaten up by me and were robbed of their wyvern armor and spears. Otherwise, they wouldn’t look at Bebeto and I with this much obvious hostility.

‘Recovering three sets of wyvern armor and airplates as well as several dozen spears would take several years of territory funds. Huhu.’

“Which territory is this?” I asked Irene cooly after getting off Bebeto.

“It is Atman County.”

“It seems like a peaceful territory with a great view.”

I uttered some praise while absentmindedly listening to Irene’s words.

“Let us go inside. My father has prepared an evening feast,” said Coltrain.

I had definitely passed this place back when going to Nerman.

Clearly suppressing his rage, one of the knights gestured at me to go inside.

“Oh! Good timing, I was getting hungry,” I drawled with exaggeration.

‘You mad bro? You shitty bastards.’

These guys tried to kill me, an innocent person, before. This much was nothing. I even considered coming over one day after Nerman was stabilized and stripping them down for real.

‘The wyverns are also sturdy, that’s perfect.’

My eyes naturally moved to the wyverns in front of the hangar. They all looked like lumps of money to me.

“Let us go inside quickly. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”

Sir Rothello, who lived just as unrestrained as I did, rubbed his belly with a very un-noble-like gesture as he took the lead.

In that manner, Countess Irene and the knights walked forward into the mansion.

‘You jerks, if looks could kill…’

I followed them, feeling the sting of bloodthirst on my back.

I had the feeling that something fun would happen tonight.

* * *

“Geh…”

Before me was the feast of a noble house, something I’d only heard of.

The feast prepared for Imperial Skyknights acting under an imperial mandate did not disappoint. A full-course meal that took a whopping two hours to prepare sat in front of me.

It made me really happy. The dishes made from all kinds of meat, seafood, and vegetables were phenomenally delicious.

‘I should find myself a formal cook.’

It wasn’t like the food made by Lucia’s mom wasn’t tasty, but there was a limit. You only live once, and I wanted to live with excitement and delicious food.

‘Just look at these jerks.’

While I was eating, I saw the master of Atman County, whose face was twisted in a grimace. Even the most rigid and disciplined noble would be unable to look at me, the person who looted his possessions worth hundreds of thousands of Gold, with a smiling face. No, if not for Irene, he would probably want to call his knights and soldiers to rip me to shreds.

I looked at the scowling Count Atman with a friendly smile as I enjoyed the feast to my heart’s content.

Then I went outside. I was fine, but if they dared to do anything to Bebeto, I wouldn’t let them off the hook.

‘I’m not running away. Tsk tsk.’

Someone had been assigned to tail me—as soon as I went outside, I could feel gazes following my path. Ignoring them, I leisurely walked towards Bebeto.

‘Hooh, did they mix poison in there or something?’

GUOOO!

When I arrived at the mansion’s hangar where Bebeto was resting, I saw a pig laying there belly-up. However, Bebeto didn’t touch the meat and complained angrily to me when I showed up. It seemed the scumbags had meddled with the food.

‘The one the emperor invited was me, not Bebeto, huh.’ These guys were aiming for the fact that everything would be fine as long as I made it to the emperor, even if Bebeto wasn’t there. ‘You underestimated him. You think Bebeto would fall for a petty trick like this?’

Bebeto took after me and enjoyed only the finest of all-natural, wholesome foods. He must have sensed something and didn’t eat the meat.

“Bebeto, you didn’t eat, hm? Not to your taste? Then shall we go hunting? I can’t sleep anyway,” I said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

Guooo!

The hungry Bebeto naturally acquiesced to my suggestion.

“Shall we go over to the Rual Mountains? I saw quite a few animals on the way here.” I even told them our direction as I jumped onto Bebeto’s back. “Let’s not go too far. We should be careful, since we could get attacked by wild wyverns on a night like this.”

Emphasizing the “wild wyvern” part, I gave Bebeto an unusually friendly explanation.

‘This amount of bait should get them riled up. If they have any pride left, that is.’

Whenever wild wyverns appeared now and then, they would apparently hunt livestock and farmers.

Swooooosh.

Bebeto lifted into the air with ease and flew up.

‘Why play around when you can earn another cent, huhu.’

I led Bebeto ever so slowly towards the Rual Mountains, moving at a snail’s pace so that the Skyknights of House Atman could follow us right away.

* * *

Crunch crunch cruuuunch.

He must have been hungry, because he polished off two orcs that had crawled out of the mountains in mere moments.

‘Groooss!’

I had seen this happen multiple times, but the real-life sound of bones being crushed and flesh being ripped was nauseating. Even though wyverns were raised with much of their violent tendencies subdued through holy water, it was hard to get used to them eating monsters like the top tier predators they were.

‘You slowpokes. You’re finally here.’

We had flown at our absolute slowest speed, but the Skyknights appeared after a whole 20 minutes. It seemed that they had struggled to make a decision. After all, one needed more than a little recklessness to do something to someone who was going to the capital due to an imperial mandate.

However, it must have been intolerable for uppity bastards treated as top elites to miss an opportunity like this.

And as I expected, they took the bait and showed up.

‘Kuku. I’ve become a fishing pro. I can graduate now.’

There was a reason why I flew towards the Rual Mountains. It was a quiet place where these bastards could take care of me without a trace, but the opposite was also true.

‘One, two, three…. ten wyverns! Hooh, almost all of them flew over.’

During dinner, I had asked the grimacing Count exactly how many wyverns the territory had.

‘Ten out of fifteen. They’re going all out.’

“Bebeto, ready for a spin?”

Bebeto’s battle instinct was sharper than mine.

GUOOOOOOO!

Letting out an energetic bellow, he soared into the sky. He knew there were enemies nearby and took up a battle stance.

There was a phrase like this among the Skyknight fighting proverbs.

The highest flyer is the strongest.

Swooooooosh.

From Atman County’s fifteen wyverns, three wyverns had returned to the territory nearly disabled half a year ago. And to make things worse, they had returned as beggars who had lost all their mithril armor and even their airplates.

‘You’re dead!’

The territory was a county, but they were located on the very outskirts of the empire and could not develop the territory properly due to all the monsters coming from the mountains. They painstakingly saved up money, made connections in the capital, and were finally able to gather fifteen wyverns.

But then, the moment House Atman was about to become middle-class nobes, someone showed up and shattered all their dreams. Not only did the Atmans fail to fulfill Duke Ormere’s command, but their wyvern armor, airplates, and Blessed Spears were also robbed from them by the rookie Skyknight.

Lord Coltrian, the heir of Atman County, ground his teeth as he urged his wyvern to chase the wyvern ascending into the sky.

Their mortal enemy who had shattered the dreams of House Atman, Kyre.

Coltrian could never forgive him.

Flap flap flap flap flap.

The territory’s wyverns followed Coltrain’s lead, ascending with powerful wingbeats.

In the air, a battle to be the first to seize the highest position was already unfolding according to the law of victory for aerial combat.

Flash!

While their wyverns rose higher into the air, the Skyknights raised Blessed Spears in their hands, each of them exuding the bloodthirst to finish things with a single volley.

* * *

‘You funny bozos.’

While Bebeto and I were soaring upwards, I felt the prickling bloodthirst on my back. We were outside the effective range, but they were so intensely determined to kill me that their sharp bloodthirst pierced through the air.

However, they didn’t know that if they didn’t take this moment to back off, they would be opening the gates of hell.

I pulled back Bebeto’s reins. Bebeto responded instantly, turning his head and preparing to dive.

I silently raised a Blessed Spear.

The Atmans were an enemy household that could not happily coexist with me. I cleanly erased the word “mercy” from my head. Offering my throat with a smile like a saint to people wanting to kill me didn’t suit me at all.

‘Have a taste of this, you bastards!’

Tonight, the light of the moon and the stars brightened the sky with a blue glow. The mana scope installed in airplate helmets absorbed around three times as much light in order to see opponents at night. Therefore, the enemies wouldn’t be able to see me as clear as day, but at least as clear as dusk.

‘Ever heard of a firework show? Huhu!’

SWOOOOOSH.

After changing direction, the distance with the enemies flying over at incredible speed shortened within moments.

I poured mana into the Blessed Spear. Like a mana staff used by mages, the mana gathered and wavered at the tip of the spear.

“Light Missile!”

I shouted the incantation for a modified 1st Circle Light spell.

Flaaaash.

I closed my eyes, but I could feel the incredible flash of light through my eyelids.

This was a Light spell cast by someone who had reached the 6th Circle and possessed 7th Circle mana quantity. It was no tiny spark, but a burst of light nearly 10 meters in diameter.

Swooooooosh.

The Light Missile of a scale that only I could cast whistled towards the ground like the moon crashing into the earth.

The Skyknights keeping their eyes on me and readying their spears were probably blind as bats right now.

I opened my eyes and looked at the sky.

‘Wow! Impressive!’

The ray of light was so powerful that it extended its influence into the sky and made the moon and stars disappear. 1st Circle magic was cast with 7th Circle mana quantity, so the effect was beyond imagination. After a short moment, the light spell must have gone out, because the sky returned to its original state.

‘Shall we start the harvest now~?’

There was an old saying that the #1 way to fight was to achieve victory without spilling a drop of blood.

I looked down.

BAM!

KWAAAAAK!

KUAAAA!

“Uwaaaah!”

“S-Save me!!!!”

‘Uhahahahahaha!’

It was absolute chaos.

It wasn’t just the Skyknights who were blinded, but their wyverns, too—with better eyesight than most, the wyverns must have been dazed by the light, because they were either crashing into each other midair or spiralling down uncontrollably.

“Summon Shuriel!

Flash!

My good ol’ hunting dog, Shuriel, instantly opened a door from the Spirit Realm and appeared at my command.

“Sic ‘em!”

Swooosh.

As soon as I commanded it, Shuriel opened its opaque beak wide and raced towards a wyvern.

KWAAAAAAAAAK!

“UWAAAAAHHH!”

Then, the pitiful shriek of a wyvern and its Skyknight came shortly afterwards.

“Wind Press! Wind Press! Wind Press!”

I punched down the blinded wyverns with weakened 5th Circle wind offensive magic in quick succession.

Wooosh! Baaaam! Bam! Bam!

Unable to dodge, the wyverns were forced to land, flapping their wings wildly under the wind pressure of my magic.

“Wind Press! Wind Press!”

Rather than calling this tag with blind knights, it was more like taking candy from a baby and downing a refreshing cup of gatorade in one shot.

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

Still unable to recover their eyesight, the knights screamed, gripping their reins for dear life as they crashed with their wyverns.

Didn’t someone say that the higher you fell, the more it would hurt?

CRAAASH!

The wyverns and knights crashed into the earth with a huge cloud of dust. A wind punch taken while tottering around wasn’t something the wyverns could recover from with a few flaps. They lay collapsed on the ground, shivering like little sparrows.

‘You bastards, you get to have a nice, long rest thanks to me. Kukuku.’

They were able to avoid death thanks to resisting by flapping their wings, but the wyverns had definitely dislocated or broken their ribs and other bones. Even if they were treated with expensive holy water, they would probably have to lay around like corpses for at least a month.

‘I feel sorry for you, but this is something you guys started.’

The wyverns had landed in various places on the grasslands leading to the Rual Mountains. I directed Bebeto to land next to one pair.

“Euuughh…”

Kwak, kwaaak.

The injured wyvern and Skyknight gasped weakly.

I jumped onto the wyvern, unclasped the knight’s safety ring, and dragged the knight to the ground.

Click, click.

Then, I stripped his airplate.

“Heal!”

‘I’ll take this in exchange for your life.’

I didn’t want to go as far as murder just to nab some free stuff, so I cast Heal on the knight.

“Sleep!”

Then, I was even nice enough to cast Sleep on the knight, who was grimacing in pain. After a nice, deep rest, he would feel ‘refreshed’, as if he had just survived a big battle.

‘I think I’m too nice.’

Who else would grant such kindness to an enemy? I was a frickin’ saint.

“Bebeto,

Guoooo!

I gave a command to Bebeto, who blankly stared at me—his fighting steam must have been drained out of him.

“Or wait a sec, Shuriel! Can you come over here and lift this guy?”

Since I was gonna be an accursed bandit, I might as well become a mighty bandit whose name would ring throughout the land. I diligently stripped the grounded wyvern of its mithril armor as well.

“As expected, physical labor is tiresome. I’m already sweating.”

Once I finished removing the wyvern’s armor, my forehead beaded with cool drops of sweat.

Derval and the other Nerman knights were probably unaware.

That their lord was working himself day and night for Nerman’s sake.

* * *

‘T-THAT DEVIL!!!!!!’

Lord Coltrian, the next master of Atman County, ground his teeth at the sight that greeted him when he recovered his wits from shock.

How could anyone wearing human skin be so shameless?

They had flown far apart from each other in preparation for a magic attack, but a Light attack Coltrian had never heard of nor seen before turned them all into idiots in an instant.

Even an upper circle mage couldn’t cast offensive magic outside of the 2 km Blessed Spear attack range.

However, the bastard was most certainly a demon pledging loyalty to the devil himself.

He cast an utterly brute force Light spell on Coltrian and the knights that had followed him high into the sky. A burst of light as bright as ten exploding suns blinded them all, including the wyverns. The wyverns were flying dizzily, unable to recover their balance, when terrifying wind pressure came crashing down on them. The wyverns tried to resist, but the spell wasn’t something that could be overcome by dizzy, blind wyverns.

‘Eurgh….’

The impact of the landing was gruesome to remember. Coltrian could still clearly recall the sound and feeling of his wyvern’s legs being crushed and the wyvern armor folding in as the ribs were shattered. Thanks to his wyvern’s sacrifice, Coltrian avoided a fatal injury, but it would have been better if he had fainted. At least then, he wouldn’t have to watch the devilspawn cruelly stripping the unconscious knights and wyverns of their airplates and wyvern armor. After quickly dealing with eight wyvern-Skyknight pairs, the devilspawn was approaching him.

‘I’ll kill you!’

A few of his ribs hurt and one of his legs didn’t move as he wanted, but he could freely move both arms and use mana.

Holding a single Blessed Spear, Coltrian waited for the bastard to get closer.

A Blessed Spear fully charged with mana hurled in close quarters possessed destructive force that a regular mana-charged spear couldn’t compare to.

And the bastard came closer.

‘A little closer! Closer!’

Closing his eyes, Coltrian raised his senses to the max.

“Heyo~ Bebeto~”

But then, the bastard stopped approaching and suddenly called his wyvern.

Flap flap.

Coltrian heard Kyre’s wyvern flying over.

“Flip him! Shit, I’m so busy I could cry, but this guy is lying on his wings!”

“…..!!”

Coltrian was startled by the bastard’s sudden words and flashed open his eyes.

Crunch.

At that moment, he felt the enormous strength of steel claws lifting Coltrian’s wyvern.

“Uwaaah!”

Caught off-guard by the unexpected scenario, Coltrian screamed, feeling his body be shaken upside down the next moment.

And then, he saw the devil’s face.

‘…..’

The bastard knew.

Because Coltrian hadn’t yet unclasped the safety ring, he instinctively grabbed the reins and saw right then and there.

On the devil’s lips was a dirty, cold smile.

* * *

Thump!

‘Jerk, just who do you think you’re looking down on.’

No matter how busy I was, I wouldn’t miss the bloodthirst coming my way.

‘He shouldn’t be dead, right?’

Bebeto flipped the wyvern and attached Skyknight upside down before “lightly” throwing them back down. I couldn’t see the dude anymore—he was under the wyvern’s enormous body.

‘Well, if he dies, then that’s just his luck.’

It was a pain, so I finished the collection effort with this.

The battlefield was cleanly sorted out, and the even sounds of the Skyknights breathing and the wyverns’ moans could be heard in surround sound.

‘Guess it’s about time to go back.’

It was like that one ad in Korea that said “Those who work hard should rest to their heart’s content.” I could feel the fatigue creeping in.

‘I should bury these and come back for them on the way back.’

The stripped wyvern armor, airplates, and Blessed Spears lying around made up an incredible fortune that even a duke of an empire would find difficult to procure in a year.

“Unngh!”

I enjoyed a long stretch.

It was late at night.

The moon and stars were whispering.

They were telling me that I worked hard today as well….