How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 79: Jurein Marhargel (1)

Uldemir had advanced the departure date of the trade ship as much as possible, just as Karl had requested.

Though truthfully, even without that request, it would have been difficult for the ship to remain on the island for long.

Due to the spider invasion, Lugesium had been flooded with tasks related to handling issues from Sector 11 Island.

Because of that, the crew, who had barely gotten any rest, were brimming with complaints—but in any case, once the supply loading was complete, the ship immediately finished its preparations for departure.

“You could have stayed just a bit longer.”

Uldemir, who had personally come to the harbor to see them off, looked at Karl with a regretful expression.

To both sides stood Henry and Rail, and behind them were the Black Shark Knights and the members of the 3rd squad.

Karl swept his gaze over them and gave a faint smile.

“Two days is more than enough to rest.”

After all, once he boarded the ship again, he’d be forced to rest until he was sick of it.

It had only been briefly fascinating when he first arrived—whether it was the island or the ship, both were boring in the end. There was no reason to stay longer with nothing to do.

“Karl, please do visit the royal castle of Sehton someday. The Black Shark Knights will never forget their benefactor.”

Henry spoke up as well.

He now addressed Karl with the formality of a knight.

Even though Uldemir, his superior, was still offering formal words of gratitude, Henry couldn't treat Karl as casually as he usually might have.

Karl nodded and turned his gaze to Rail beside him.

For some reason, Rail flinched and hesitated awkwardly, wearing a very uncharacteristic expression for someone of her usual nature.

Karl knew exactly why.

Just yesterday, she had insisted on treating him to good alcohol and ended up making quite the scene.

Repeating herself over and over while drunk was only the beginning—she had lamented her downfall from her noble family, and by the end, was sobbing loudly as she mumbled the names of fallen comrades.

Perhaps she could only unburden herself so freely because Karl was an outsider.

At any rate, he had to handle the aftermath all by himself, even carrying her limp body to her lodging after she completely lost her grip on reality.

He still vividly remembered the strange looks from a passing squad member when he used force magic to float her body and carry her through the air.

“Sir Rail, I...”

“......”

“Stay strong.”

After hesitating on what to say, Karl just offered those few words.

How she interpreted them, no one could say, but she squeezed her eyes shut, as if struggling to contain a flood of embarrassment and shame.

“...If you visit again, I’ll treat you to far better alcohol.”

Mumbling her farewell with visible reluctance, Karl only chuckled in response.

Not long after boarding, the trade ship set sail.

Karl stood on the deck, watching the island grow smaller in the distance.

It was time to continue the journey that still lay ahead.

* * *

The Mon Continent.

Among the five continents in the world of Glorious Soul, alongside the Rune Continent, it was one of the two lands where humanity’s influence was dominant.

Thus, when people referred to “the continent,” they generally meant Rune or Mon—at least from a human perspective.

Of the other three continents, one was a demonic zone uninhabitable by humans, and the remaining two were practically overrun by non-human races.

Even so, across all five continents, humanity was still the most dominant race overall.

This was because Rune alone was as vast as the other four combined, and Mon was the second largest.

With the two largest continents under human rule, it was only natural that humanity boasted the largest influence.

‘We’ve arrived.’

The end of a long, dull voyage.

Standing on deck and feeling the sea breeze on his face, Karl looked toward the land now visible in the distance.

He had finally arrived at the Mon Continent.

“If you follow that road straight ahead, you’ll find a stable. You can rent a horse there.”

After receiving the necessary information from the crew and bidding them farewell, Karl walked through the streets while unfolding a piece of paper.

A map of the Mon Continent—also obtained from the sailors in advance.

“Just one country to cross, huh.”

Karl muttered as he scanned the map.

He was currently in the port city of Lontiol, in a country called the Kingdom of Raymond.

To reach the Kingdom of Marhargel, he would need to pass through the capital and head onward.

Karl didn’t even stop to rest at an inn—he immediately rented a horse and left the city.

It was his first time stepping foot on this land, but hopping between countries with just a map was nothing new—he’d done the same on the Rune Continent.

As long as he was headed in the right direction, no obstacle on the path truly mattered to Karl.

He rode across endless plains, crossed forests and canyons, reminded the occasional bandit of the value of life, passed through cities.

And so, Karl finally arrived in the Kingdom of Marhargel—specifically in a small frontier city called Selok.

“Welcome!”

He picked a random inn, walked in, sat down, and casually ordered a meal.

When he slipped a few copper coins as a tip, the young boy serving him beamed and promised to bring the best meal the kitchen could offer before rushing off.

Letting the chatter and clamor of the crowded room wash over him, Karl sank into thought.

It was time to plan his next moves.

‘First, I need information.’

Jurein Marhargel.

He couldn’t exactly march up to the Fifth Prince of the kingdom and demand the Fragment of Dimension. He didn’t even know how to meet the guy.

First, he had to learn more about who this Jurein really was—only then could he devise an approach.

‘Maybe I should’ve dropped by Herlando first.’

Being a major intelligence guild, they might’ve had some useful data even on another continent.

But now that he’d come this far, there was no point in second-guessing.

To understand the situation, he’d need to gather information locally. That would be the most accurate method.

He’d have to move quickly, but with enough money and the power to protect himself, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

Suddenly struck by a thought, Karl used magic to enhance his hearing.

An inn—where all kinds of people came and went, sharing all kinds of stories.

He couldn’t expect top-quality intel, but at the very least, he might get a general sense of the kingdom’s current state.

“Damn those mercenary bastards. They take the money and never do the job. I swear, I’m going to the guild tomorrow to file a complaint...”

“Hey, did you hear? A new gambling den popped up in 8th Street alley...”

Amid the useless gossip, something he couldn’t ignore suddenly tickled his ears.

“I’m telling you, I’m right! You think the other princes and princesses are gonna just sit back and let the Fifth Prince return unharmed? It’s the perfect chance to get rid of him—”

“Keep your damn voice down, idiot!”

The Fifth Prince?

Karl widened his eyes slightly and subtly shifted his gaze.

In a far corner of the room, two men were deep in conversation.

One was drunkenly ranting, while the other tried to rein him in.

Clatter.

Karl rose from his seat and approached them.

They jumped slightly, caught off guard while whispering.

“Mind letting me in on what you were just talking about?”

“......”

The two men stared at Karl with pale expressions.

The one who had been rambling drunkenly looked instantly sober now.

“Wh-who are you...?”

It seemed he’d startled them.

Rather than waste words, Karl simply pulled out two silver coins from his pouch and slowly placed them on the table.

The men’s eyes went wide at the sudden sight of that much money.

“I don’t mean you any harm. Just share what you were talking about. I’ll give you another two coins once the story’s done.”

“......”

After a moment of hesitation, the two men each took a coin and glanced around nervously before speaking.

“So... what exactly do you want to know...?”

“The part about the Fifth Prince. The other royals wanting to ‘get rid of him.’”

“Ah.”

The man looked around again, then lowered his voice as much as possible.

“It’s nothing serious. The Fifth Prince is coming of age soon, right? So he’s heading to the Dragonhorn Mountains to undergo the royal rite. And, well, people think the other royals won’t just sit back and let that happen. I was just drunkenly speculating, really...”

Karl didn’t understand, so he asked again.

“What is this ‘royal rite’ exactly?”

At that question, the two men gave him a confused look instead.

Karl quickly improvised.

“I’m from pretty far away. Don’t know much about Marhargel.”

The man nodded and continued.

“The royal rite is an old tradition in Marhargel’s royal family. You’ve heard of the founding legend, right? Where the first king cut off a giant king’s head atop the Dragonhorn Peaks? Oh, right, you probably haven’t. I’ll explain in more detail—”

A flood of information about the kingdom’s founding myths poured out, none of which Karl cared for.

He cut him off and asked again.

“So, what exactly happens in the rite?”

“Oh, right. The prince climbs to the summit of the Dragonhorn Mountains, receives a sword from a royal guardian stationed there, then returns to the capital’s Grand Plaza, where—before the royal family, nobles, and citizens—he’s officially appointed as a member of the royal line. That day also marks the kingdom’s grandest festival.”

From the sounds of it, it was just one of those needlessly elaborate traditions every kingdom seemed to have.

“So, the Fifth Prince is currently headed to the mountains for this rite?”

“His coming-of-age is very soon. He must have already left the palace for the mountains by now.”

Then the man leaned in and whispered lower still.

“But that’s not the real problem.”

“......?”

“The Fifth Prince has been completely cast aside by the royal family. You think the other princes and princesses will pass up such a perfect chance now that he’s left the palace? I’m telling you, he’s as good as—”

The man slowly drew a finger across his throat.

Karl was curious why the Fifth Prince had been abandoned, but there was something more pressing at hand.

[You have become aware of a threat to a key figure.]

[Jurein Marhargel will be ambushed somewhere in the Dragonhorn Mountains.]

Karl frowned at the message that surfaced in his mind.

This was the first time a quest had ever presented itself like this—just outright stating the character’s name rather than vaguely hinting.

‘Damn it, they must really be short on time.’

The one most frustrated by the situation was none other than Karl himself.

Jurein Marhargel, the Fifth Prince, was the one in possession of the Fragment of Dimension.

If he died, all the effort Karl had put in up until now would be for nothing.

Karl sprang to his feet.

The sudden movement made the two men flinch and turn their eyes to him.

“Where is this Dragonhorn Mountain Range?”

Without wasting even a second, Karl rushed out of the inn and began preparing to depart.

He consulted the map to locate the Dragonhorn Mountains mentioned by the two men.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too far. He estimated he could reach it within two weeks.

Though there was always the chance the ambush might happen before that, all he could do for now was hurry as much as possible.

Riding through the northern gate of the city, Karl fell into thought.

‘...Even if I get to the mountains, how the hell am I supposed to find the prince? I don’t even know where he is right now.’

Even for Karl, scouring an entire mountain range to find one person was impossible.

If he could at least figure out the route the prince had taken from the capital to the mountains, he might be able to follow—but there was no way to know that.

Karl unfolded the map again atop his horse, scanning the cities near the mountains.

There were three nearby towns, including Selok, the small city he had just departed.

If the prince was heading into the mountains, he likely passed through one of those three.

And by simple geography, Selok, being closest to the mountain range, seemed like the most probable path.

‘The road from the city to the mountains is all open plains. There’d be no reason to take a detour when you could go straight... Ah!’

Karl’s train of thought was interrupted by a sudden realization, and he let out a breath of astonishment.

He reached into his inventory and pulled out an ancient spellbook.

There was a spell perfect for this situation.

<Reading Earth’s Memory – 6-Circle, Secret Spell>

Reads the memory of the earth to trace the paths of living creatures that have passed over it.

Cannot read traces that are too old.

If the prince had passed through Selok on his way to the mountains, he would’ve traveled along this very road Karl was now following.

[You have learned ‘Reading Earth’s Memory.’]

Without hesitation, Karl spent hundreds of thousands of SP to master the spell and immediately cast it.

A vast surge of circle magic spread out, scanning and reading the land in a wide radius.

Countless pieces of information flooded into Karl’s mind. He narrowed his eyes.

‘There it is.’

Chaotic footprints of animals.

And among them, faint hoofprints. A linear path continuing forward along the road.

Someone had clearly passed by on horseback.

“......”

Karl pulled his horse to a brief halt and surveyed the tracks.

There were faint traces of three distinct sets of hoofprints leading down the road, followed by many more sets trailing behind them.

‘They’re being pursued.’

Now it was certain.

The leading three must have been the prince and his escort, and the numerous hoofprints behind them likely belonged to assassins in pursuit.

Of course, they could have been unrelated groups, but given the circumstances, that seemed unlikely.

And now, there was no other option but to follow the trail. Even finding it in the first place was a stroke of tremendous luck.

Karl urged his horse forward again and galloped after the tracks.

* * *

“...So this is the end.”

A young man with silver hair murmured as though sighing in defeat.

In a forest at the edge of the Dragonhorn Mountains.

There, a group of masked assailants had surrounded three people.

No—one of them was already dead. Only the young man and his knight remained.

The knight, Sephiel, breathed heavily, casting a fierce glare at the enemies around them.

Several of the attackers already lay cold and dead at her feet, cut down by her sword.

But she had paid a terrible price—her light armor was slashed and torn, soaked with blood that wouldn’t stop flowing.

It was clear that she couldn’t last much longer. Just a few more clashes, and she would collapse.

“Your Highness, run. I’ll break through somehow.”

At Sephiel’s plea, the young man—Jurein—just gave a bitter smile.

Because no matter how you looked at it, it was an impossible request.

Even if she threw her life away to clear a path, it would only delay the inevitable. Death would still come.

“There’s loyalty that brings tears to your eyes.”

The man who seemed to be the leader of the assailants spoke with a mocking tone, looking at Sephiel.

“Unlike that idiot mage who died like a moron, you’re annoyingly persistent. Though it seems you’ve reached your limit.”

“Shut your mouth, you treacherous dog.”

Sephiel ground her teeth.

Jurein, standing behind her, opened his mouth.

“Was this your doing, Brother Teins?”

Teins Marhargel, the Fourth Prince.

Among the royal siblings, he had always harbored the most intense hatred for Jurein.

Though it wasn’t just Teins—every half-sibling had more than enough reason to wish for Jurein’s death. Still, Jurein felt certain.

“What a pointless question, Fifth Prince.”

As the man said, it didn’t really matter who had sent them.

Whoever it was, the outcome was the same—he was going to die here.

“You should’ve kept your head down, considering you’ve already been cast aside. If you’d given up on the rite, maybe you could’ve extended that pathetic life a little longer.”

Jurein looked up at the sky with a resigned expression.

‘All that effort to keep a low profile...’

And this is how it ends?

He’d always known it was a hopeless fight—just a futile struggle. But this end was still bitterly hollow.

With a flick of the man’s finger, the assassins charged once more.

Sephiel swung her sword desperately to block them, but her strength finally gave out.

“...Kuh!”

She collapsed to the ground, a deep slash torn across her back.

Jurein bit his lip and watched helplessly.

Crunch!

The man stepped on Sephiel’s fallen body and strode up to Jurein.

Spinning his blood-dripping sword in one hand, he grinned.

“Not gonna beg for your life?”

“You lowly mongrel. Just kill me and go wag your tail for my dear brother.”

At those cold, measured words, a vein bulged ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) on the man’s forehead.

Thunk!

The sword stabbed into Jurein’s abdomen.

The man twisted the blade, and blood burst out as Jurein’s body bent forward sharply.

“Gahk...!!”

The man laughed like he was enjoying himself.

“A noble prince bowing to a filthy cur like me. Got anything else to say? Huh?”

With another ruthless twist, Jurein crumpled to his knees.

The man raised his bloodstained sword again—this time to finish it with a stroke to the neck.

But at that moment—

“...?!”

The sword stopped in midair, caught by something invisible.

The man tried to push harder, but the blade wouldn’t budge—as if it had been locked in place by an unseen force.

It was a sudden, unnatural situation—impossible to explain.

Reflexively, the man looked up. And then he saw it.

Beyond the tip of his sword, in the sun-blocked sky—

“......”

A lone young man stood above, staring coldly down at them from high in the air.

It was impossible to say how long he had been watching.