TME 10

Chapter 10

“Cain, can I talk to you?”

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about. We already talked plenty during class.”

As soon as class ended, Frey stopped Cain, who was about to leave.

Cain could feel the hand gripping his wrist trembling.

Apparently, Frey still had not gotten over his emotions from class.

“Why do you oppose everything I say? Do you have some kind of grudge against me?”

“No. We simply have different opinions.”

“You’re deliberately interfering with my opinions.”

“If you’re consumed by a persecution complex, I suppose you could see it that way.”

Cain cut him off coldly.

Then he shook off Frey’s hand and started walking away.

Frey grabbed Cain’s arm again.

“Don’t try to cowardly run away. I haven’t liked you lately, Cain. You’d better not underestimate me.”

“I’ve never underestimated you, nor am I trying to avoid you. I simply find it strange that you’re overreacting to such insignificant matters.”

“……”

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be going.”

Swish!

Cain shook off Frey’s hand once more and quickened his pace.

Crack.

Watching Cain’s retreating back, Frey ground his teeth.

And he made a vow.

Someday, he would knock that arrogant man down a peg.

2

Scratch. Scritch. Scratch.

After returning to his room, Allen began preparing documents summarizing the progress of the classes and the results of the practical combat training.

Today marked the end of the adaptation period, meaning that all six mages would officially be incorporated into the mercenary corps.

“Allen, among the six mages, who do you think has the most potential?”

Just then, someone visited Allen’s private room.

It was Mars, Allen’s friend and the commander of the Mars Mercenary Corps.

Mars was a knight who had never once accepted an official position from the central government. The knights called him a free spirit, while those in the less mainstream swordsmanship circles regarded him almost as an idol—the greatest swordsman among them.

Apparently curious about how things had gone, he immediately asked a question.

This particular recruitment of combat mages had attracted even more attention because Frey, who had become something of a hot topic in the magical community, had joined the corps.

Mars was no exception to that curiosity.

Although Mars managed the mercenary corps as a whole, he was originally a swordsman and therefore did not personally teach the mage members. That was why he had asked Allen, who was in charge of them.

“I rate Cain highly. If you ask me who will stand out first, I would point to Cain Adrian.”

“What about Frey? Doesn’t he have sufficient basic ability? And he’s also Duke Radian’s son.”

“He has received enough instruction from numerous mages, so his fundamentals should be solid. But I don’t think he has the determination to go beyond those fundamentals.”

“What is it about Cain that makes you rate him so highly?”

Mars asked again, clearly even more curious at Allen’s confident assessment.

Allen flipped through the documents he had compiled about Cain before answering.

“There’s a fire in his eyes. You can feel his intensity in every aspect of studying and applying magic in practice. I am somewhat concerned by the deep darkness in his eyes, but people with a natural talent for magic tend to have their own peculiarities.”

Allen saw potential in Cain.

Cain never treated anything he learned carelessly.

Unlike Frey, who would simply move on whenever something was familiar to him or he understood it to a certain degree, Cain was relentless.

He dug deeper and deeper into everything. And when he still could not understand something, he would come to Allen with questions regardless of the time.

Allen remembered how Cain had once come to see him before dawn, carrying a sheet of paper filled with questions, and silently writing down every answer Allen gave him.

Of course, neither of them knew that dark mana was circulating inside Cain’s body.

That was partly thanks to the Black Mana Ring, but it was also because Cain had worked tirelessly to conceal anything that might cause others to become suspicious of him.

In addition to the classes and practical experience he received within the mercenary corps, Cain was also studying black magic separately in the quarters provided by the corps.

The mana flowing through his body was undoubtedly the power of darkness, and it was a powerful force that could potentially transform him into a black mage.

Every day was filled with a busy schedule.

Cain practiced black magic using the books on the subject that Duke Forn had given him only after all his practical training was finished and he had returned to his quarters for the evening.

Black magic was even more difficult than white magic, and because he had to practice it while avoiding the eyes of those around him, it was even more complicated.

Normally, a mage had to repeatedly cast and perform spells, correcting errors in the formulas and gradually improving their perfection.

However, in the Rohan Empire, the birthplace of white magic, using black magic carelessly could immediately expose his true identity.

For that reason, instead of practicing with actual spells, Cain had to practice by writing theories down on blank sheets of paper.

He considered every possible outcome that could arise from magical errors and recorded them.

Then, whenever he got the opportunity, he intended to personally recheck the progress he had made in cultivating black magic.

A month had already passed.

Cain’s class level was still at the Fourth Circle, but his level of understanding had become extremely profound.

White magic, much like black magic, continued to stimulate his curiosity the more he learned about it.

Over the course of three months, Cain learned more and more about the Rohan Empire while carrying out various duties as a member of the mercenary corps.

Above all, he was able to truly experience the Rohan Empire for himself.

Unlike when he had been in Zergard, he was now able to sense the empire’s innermost workings, and he came to realize that it was by no means an easy opponent.

The Rohan Empire possessed enough destructive power to target the Magical Kingdom of Zergard—and even destroy it.

The empire’s system for managing its mages and knights was highly organized and professional, backed by thorough ideological education.

This ideological education ultimately manifested itself as hatred and anger toward black magic and the Magical Kingdom, becoming a catalyst that enabled them to draw out explosive power.

In particular, the religious indoctrination surrounding Rohas, the empire’s chief god worshiped by more than ninety percent of its citizens, could be said to bring this ideological education to its conclusion.

And that was not all.

There were also three intelligence organizations established directly under the Emperor.

The Imperial Security Bureau, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, and the Imperial Guard.

While the first two handled external affairs, the Imperial Guard dealt with internal matters.

For example, it detected signs or plans of rebellion in advance and prevented them from developing in the first place.

The Security Bureau and Intelligence Bureau dispatched professionally trained agents to various countries, monitored their movements, and observed developments.

The agents who had secretly contacted Duke Radian and Cain had also belonged to the Intelligence Bureau.

Even Cain, who had prided himself on being unmatched when it came to security, had never known about them.

That was how the Rohan Empire possessed an impenetrable solidity and perfection in so many areas.

As Cain experienced the Rohan Empire firsthand and came to understand the enemy he had vaguely regarded as the target of his revenge, he realized that it was far from an easy opponent.

“I need to learn more. I need to go deeper…”

Looking at the full moon shining brightly outside the window, Cain murmured to himself.

As he gazed at the moon and became lost in thought, he suddenly remembered Lopes, whom he had forgotten while devoting himself to his magical studies.

He remembered what Lopes had said.

Those words in which he had muttered that he was a person of Zergard.

Since Lopes had also applied to join the Mars Mercenary Corps, Cain would be able to see him someday if he had passed.

In any case, Cain would officially become a member of the mercenary corps tomorrow. If Lopes had joined at around the same time, he too would be formally incorporated into the corps.

“My empire…”

It was a night when Cain suddenly found himself lost in memories.

The Magical Kingdom of Zergard, buried in a distant past that had already slipped away.

Those faint memories seeped into Cain’s lonely heart like icy shards of coldness.

3 Notice

An examination will be held during the week for young mages, swordsmen, and knights residing in the capital city of Romanes.

The examination is intended to assess their understanding of the disciplines they are currently studying.

Although the exam is expected to be extremely difficult, those with a solid understanding of magic and swordsmanship will be fully capable of achieving excellent results.

Mages and swordsmen who place within the top 5% of the examination will receive the privilege of sitting beside His Majesty the Emperor at the “Grand Peace Festival,” which will be held two months from now.

This year’s Grand Peace Festival will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the destruction of the Magical Kingdom and the Crown Prince’s third birthday. A wide variety of events have been prepared, so we hope that you will display your abilities without reservation and become the center of the festival.

Eligibility:

Students of academies located in the capital
Members of mercenary corps
Knights and mages belonging to noble houses

Age Requirement:

Young people under the age of 30

Letis
President of the Rohan Academy of Magic

The following morning, notices were posted throughout the main streets of the capital, Romanes.

The Grand Peace Festival was the largest festival in the Rohan Empire, held once every two years to worship Rohas, the empire’s chief god and god of peace, and to pray for peace throughout the empire.

The date of this year’s festival had been determined through an oracle from the High Priest. It coincided with the birthday of Crown Prince Asen IV and the tenth-anniversary commemoration, so the scale of the celebration was expected to be even grander than usual.

“How can you be so indifferent? You obviously know we’re in the same mercenary corps, yet you didn’t even come looking for me.”

Pat!

Just then, someone cheerfully slapped Cain on the shoulder as he was reading the notice.

It was Lopes.

Lopes was wearing the gray-white uniform bearing the skull insignia that represented the members of the Mars Mercenary Corps, and he looked completely different from before.

With his hair neatly combed, his skin cleanly groomed, and even his clothes carefully arranged, he looked like an entirely different person.

“Good to see you.”

Cain extended his hand first.

Lopes suddenly stepped backward.

“What? Are you really Cain? Since when did you become so friendly?”

“I won’t say it twice.”

Cain spoke with a stiff expression.

“Ah, no! You’re offering your hand, so of course I’ll take it!”

Grip.

Lopes happily clasped Cain’s hand, and only then did the chilly atmosphere between them ease.

Today was a free day granted to them after officially becoming members of the mercenary corps. Although it was a weekday, they had no official schedule.

Cain had already moved into the dormitory and had come outside to relax, so he had plenty of time.

“Looks like you have the same day off as me. Is it because we joined around the same time?”

Lopes asked first, and Cain nodded.

Lopes nodded as well.

“How about a glass of black beer? This time, why don’t we find a hill where the wind blows nicely, climb up, and enjoy a drink in the autumn breeze?”

“Sounds fine.”

When Cain agreed, Lopes looked satisfied and immediately dashed out of the quarters.

And while Cain was slowly stepping outside, Lopes soon came running back with two glasses of black beer overflowing with foam.

“Thanks.”

Cain thanked him and accepted a glass of black beer from Lopes.

“You really seem to have warmed up lately. You even said thank you.”

“I’m not warmer. I’m simply saying what I should say.”