Weapon Master of the Count’s Family

Chapter 81. The Immortal Great Mage (1)

Ernst Romarn, the Great Mage of the Lisen Kingdom.

Hundreds of years ago, even in an era when contact with the continent was severed, he was a genius who single-handedly devised numerous magical theories.

The mages of the continent felt deep awe at how Ernst had independently created so many theories in such an isolated environment.

They reportedly praised him unanimously, saying, “If he had been born on the continent, the advancement of magic would have been accelerated by a century.”

And now, that legendary Great Mage was wandering aimlessly in the afterlife world known as the Coast of the Dead.

“If it’s that Ernst, he might know the answer,” I said.

“There’s even more reason to find him now,” Gaiard added.

“The problem is that there isn’t even a hint of a clue,” I muttered.

I shook my head, resolute.

“No, there’s definitely a clue somewhere. If he hasn’t vanished into the sky or sunk into the ground, he’s got to be somewhere around here.”

At that moment, a figure sliced through the sky, folding its wings as it descended.

It was Commander Nidra.

“I agree,” he said coldly as he landed on the ground.

“A mere human couldn’t possibly come and go freely in the domain ruled by Hel.”

“What brings you here, Commander? For someone so busy to come in person,” I asked.

Nidra flashed a sharp smile.

“I was curious about what kind of scheme you’re cooking up.”

His gaze was still brimming with wariness.

“Well, that’s a problem. I haven’t managed to dig up anything worth scheming about yet,” I replied.

“As expected. But a word of advice: don’t think time is on your side. Even Hel, who has waited for centuries, won’t be patient forever.”

Hel was magnanimous.

But his subordinate, Nidra, was not.

It seemed that if Hel gave the order, Nidra was ready to slaughter me and Gaiard at any moment.

“By the way, why did you seek out the Scribe? Was that also related to finding that mage?” Nidra asked.

“No, that was personal business… but I can’t say it’s entirely unrelated,” I answered.

“Related?”

“Yes. The one I’m searching for also disrupted the order. They should have died but didn’t.”

As I spoke, a question flashed through my mind.

“But why doesn’t Hel intervene in things that defy this order?”

Perhaps it was a case similar to Ernst’s.

Both had rejected death, after all.

However, there was one clear difference between them.

“Hel is the ruler of this world called the Coast of the Dead. Unless something from your world crosses into this one, He has no reason to intervene,” Nidra explained.

“Then Ernst…”

“That human trespassed into His domain. That’s the end of it.”

Even for a god of one world, meddling in another was a dangerous affair.

Hel’s interest lay solely in those who stepped into the Coast of the Dead and defied their fate.

Whether an Emperor died or not was beyond his concern.

“So, use every means at your disposal to find Ernst’s whereabouts and report to me,” Nidra said, stepping forward with clear intent.

I gave a light smile in response.

“Will do.”

But behind that smile was the firm resolve not to hand over any information so easily.

Not until I met Ernst in person and resolved my own questions, at least.

***

Contrary to my confidence, clues about Ernst’s whereabouts didn’t come easily.

However, separately from that, many knew of him, likely because he was a renowned mage.

“Ernst, you say? Of course, I know him! The great mage!”

“Oh, Ernst Romarn? You mean the mage?”

His fame was undeniable, but no one actually knew where he was.

Everyone simply assumed he had vanished from the world without a trace.

“Humans are strange. To think that someone so famous could disappear, and they just assume he died,” Gaiard remarked.

“That’s probably because of the nature of being a mage. There’s hardly a mage who meets a peaceful death in their bed,” I replied.

“Hmm…”

Mages, obsessed with exploring the truths of the world and advancing magic, pursued spells that were far from safe.

As a result, magical accidents were frequent, and mages who died with their bodies intact were rare.

“Even so, how is it that other mages are nowhere to be seen?” Gaiard asked.

“How should I know?”

That wasn’t the only problem.

Finding a mage in the Citadel was nearly impossible.

When we asked souls if they knew any mages, most simply said they didn’t.

“Those humans obsessed with magic probably hoped to reincarnate quickly,” Gaiard mused.

“Or maybe they were so mad they threw themselves into that sea long ago.”

And so, we wandered the Citadel for days, coming up empty-handed.

We couldn’t find Ernst, nor even the soul of a single mage.

“This won’t do. We’re getting nowhere like this,” I said.

“Do you have some brilliant plan? You’re not thinking of asking Hel for help, are you? More requests would only show our incompetence,” Gaiard replied.

“Don’t worry. This is something we can handle on our own. Ever heard of how to catch a monster hiding in a cave?”

“Not really.”

I gave an example.

“It’s simple. You set a trap, like burning poisonous herbs inside the cave, or you place bait at the entrance. Then the monster comes out on its own.”

“So your plan is to use bait?”

“You could say that.”

I recalled the tendencies of the mages I’d observed.

“Most mages have a lot of pride. Especially when it comes to their magical research.”

Gaiard quickly caught on to my intent.

“You’re planning to provoke their pride to draw them out.”

“Exactly. If we can’t find them, we’ll make them come to us.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“To make them show up, we need to provoke them. Spread words they absolutely can’t ignore.”

“Got any specific words in mind?”

“I do. Words so provocative that mages would come running the moment they hear them.”

I gave a meaningful smile.

***

The next day, I instructed a few souls to spread the following rumor:

“Ether exists. And I am the only mage who has ever wielded it.”

The rumor began in a small plaza slightly off the center of the Citadel and spread from there.

Gaiard and I leisurely observed the souls spreading the rumor as we surveyed the plaza.

“Will this really work?” Gaiard asked.

“It will. You know what ether is, right?”

“Of course. The ultimate mana that mages dream of, the primal energy said to control the power of gods. And also complete nonsense.”

“Exactly. A ridiculous tale. Do you think other mages will let this slide? Especially those with the strong pride of true scholars?”

“They’d be annoyed by the nonsense, but shouldn’t we at least mobilize dozens of souls to spread the rumor?”

Gaiard’s point made sense.

To spread the rumor deep into a city of hundreds of thousands, mobilizing more souls would be effective.

But I had a different perspective.

“If we spread the same rumor simultaneously on a large scale, mages will sense something suspicious. They’ll think something’s being hidden and become wary. And this isn’t just any city, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

I gestured around us.

“Haven’t you noticed something while wandering this place?”

“…”

“This is a place where only stories exist. You can’t eat or drink here. The only pleasure is conversing with souls from other eras.”

This was a space where stories flowed all day long.

Souls listened intently to each other, sensitive to even the smallest changes.

Above all, time was meaningless here.

“That’s why they can’t help but take interest in even trivial changes. That’s exactly what I’m banking on.”

“Will the mages really react?”

“They will. If they’re true scholars.”

And sure enough, as I predicted, about two days later, a group of mages appeared in the plaza.

With serious expressions, they began interrogating the souls.

“Are you the mage who claims to have wielded ether?”

“No, not me.”

“Then you?”

“Huh?”

The souls, suddenly accosted, shook their heads in confusion and went on their way.

Still, the mage souls persistently searched for the one spreading the rumor.

“See?” I whispered.

Gaiard muttered under his breath, “Mages…”

Hidden in the shadows across the plaza, Gaiard and I began moving toward them.

“Now’s our chance. We can’t miss this.”

“Obviously.”

Gaiard spread his massive wings, blocking the mages’ path.

Behind him, I stood calmly, gripping my sword.

“You’re mages, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but what’s your business?”

Reapers were uncomfortable presences for souls.

Most souls avoided even making eye contact with them.

But these mages were different.

They treated the Reaper as they would any other soul, speaking without hesitation.

“Oh! Have you, Reaper, perhaps seen a soul spreading talk about ether?”

Their focus was solely on the information they sought. Gaiard and I exchanged a glance.

At this point, there was no need to resort to force.

I lowered my sword, and Gaiard folded his wings.

“Sorry, but that was a false rumor. I made it up to meet mages,” I said.

“Oh…”

The mage souls let out a collective sigh.

Seeing their disappointed expressions, I actually felt a bit guilty.

“I’m really sorry, but I had no choice if I wanted to meet mages. You’re impossible to find otherwise.”

The mages still looked disappointed, but one of them asked in a calm voice,

“I see… Then, what was so important that you went to such lengths to meet us?”

As I opened my mouth to respond, Gaiard stepped in with a question.

“Do you know anything about Ernst? Ernst Romarn.”

At that moment, the light that had faded from the mages’ eyes sparked back to life.

“Ernst? Are you talking about the mage who was active in the Lisen Kingdom around 200 years ago?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

Their response, however, was less than satisfying.

“Of course, we know his name. But we don’t know much about him in detail. I’m not from that era, so I’m not sure if we can give you the answers you want.”

“Is that so…”

Disappointment began to spread across Gaiard’s and my faces.

Then, a mage soul with a long white beard spoke quietly.

“However, there are those who might know about him.”

“Who?”

“The mages of the Ether Research Society.”

Ironically, the clue to finding Ernst lay with the very group of mages researching the ether I had dismissed as nonsense.

“So, would you like to come to the Research Society?”

Gaiard and I nodded simultaneously.