Third-Rate Villain Of Fantasy Novel-Chapter 50: The Duke’s Command from Beyond the Crystal [2]
It was clear that Father was furious over Duke Joachim’s behavior, yet his anger didn’t translate into keeping us in Sarham.
By dawn the next day, his orders rang through the residence. Knights were summoned, attendants hurried through the halls, and the stables echoed with activity as the carriages were prepared for an expedition north.
Father cursed Duke Joachim openly, his voice sharp whenever the man’s name was mentioned.
Still, for all his shouting, it was obvious he had no intention of refusing the summons to Merohim. If we delayed too long, Archmage Joachim Edelweiss would simply teleport here himself and drag us there on his own terms.
Even so, Father had his reservations. Though everything was ready, he insisted that we depart on the second day—the very deadline Duke Joachim had set.
Strangely enough, I agreed with him.
The distance from the south to the north was no small matter.
A carriage journey to Merohim would take several days at best, and Kraus had no wizards capable of opening teleportation gates.
Even reaching a city where Joachim could create one would consume time. And with Elena going out so frequently these days, leaving immediately would only strain her already fragile stamina.
Yesterday, while we were walking through Sarham’s downtown together, Elena finally gave in to her drowsiness.
It hadn’t even been that long since we left, yet she still ended up leaning against me as we made our way back. Her steps slowed, her grip tightened slightly, and before I knew it, most of her weight was resting on my shoulder.
She clearly needed time to rest—at least a full day—before traveling again.
The carriage we would be using to head toward Merohim wasn’t from my family. It belonged to Edelweiss, brought personally by Elena. As I passed by it, my eyes lingered longer than I expected.
Calling it a carriage felt misleading. It looked more like a modern armored vehicle disguised with elegant craftsmanship, layered with countless magic formations and reinforced plating.
Every surface gave off the quiet confidence of something that had never known danger—or rather, something that danger had never succeeded in touching.
"Elena," I said, nodding toward it, "are you sure this thing isn’t overkill?"
She yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand before glancing at the carriage with mild pride.
"It’s normal for Edelweiss," she replied. "Safety comes first."
According to her, the inside was enchanted with temperature-regulating magic that adjusted itself automatically based on the surrounding environment, maintaining the most comfortable conditions possible.
There was also protective magic to absorb external shocks, preventing even the smallest jolt from reaching the passengers inside.
"And that’s not all," she added casually. "There’s a stabilization spell too. You won’t feel any shaking or motion sickness, no matter how rough the road gets."
I stared at her.
"...That’s ridiculous."
She tilted her head slightly. "Is it?"
"They say if your head is bad, your body suffers," I muttered. "Magic really does make life unfairly convenient."
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
If I had known traveling could be this comfortable, I might’ve seriously considered becoming a wizard. Instead, I had reincarnated into a warrior family—where sore muscles, bruises, and long marches were treated like rites of passage.
"Regretting your life choices?" Elena asked lightly as she stepped closer.
"Every day," I replied without hesitation. "I swing a sword until my arms go numb, while you sit in a moving fortress that feels like a bed."
She laughed softly, the sound surprisingly gentle. "You’re exaggerating."
"I’m really not."
Elena leaned back against the carriage, her eyes half-lidded again.
"Still," she said, "even with all that magic, it doesn’t matter if I’m exhausted. Comfort only goes so far."
"That’s true."
I didn’t know where I stood in terms of raw power, but one thing was certain—magic was a form of technology that made life absurdly convenient.
Out of pure curiosity, I asked Elena whether I had any talent for magic.
The answer came back clean and merciless.
None.
According to her, I had absolutely no aptitude for it.
Well... that wasn’t exactly shocking. From the start, it was said that knights couldn’t handle magic in the first place.
The path of a knight and the path of a magician might both lead to the same destination—strength—but they were like parallel lines that would never intersect.
A knight could never reproduce the miracles a magician achieved with spells, and a magician could never endure the brutal path of the sword.
Each had their own world.
Come to think of it, even in the original story, there were characters who wielded divine power and aura at the same time, but there wasn’t a single person who combined magic and aura.
Not one.
Wasn’t this romance fantasy setting a little too restrictive?
...Well, that limitation was part of the charm. That was why I read it in the first place.
Still, it meant that my childhood dream of becoming a magic swordsman ended before it even had the chance to begin.
As I quietly accepted that reality, Alphonse—who had been listening to the conversation in silence—wore a conflicted expression.
His brows furrowed slightly, and he stared at his hands as if imagining something slipping through his fingers.
"So... there’s really no way?" he asked after a moment.
Elena shook her head gently. "Not without breaking the laws that govern this world. Even attempting both would damage the body. Aura and magic reject each other."
Alphonse clicked his tongue softly.
No matter how much he thought about it, his talent was clearly in swordsmanship.
In the original story, Alphonse was an outstanding knight, and even now, his movements carried a sharpness that couldn’t be taught. It suited him—someone born into the Kraus family, a lineage steeped in steel and battle.
"If I had magic," Alphonse muttered, half to himself, "I thought I could protect more people."
His words were quiet, but sincere. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
I glanced at him. "You don’t need magic to do that."
He looked at me, surprised.
"You’re already strong," I continued. "And you’ll only get stronger. If you chase something that doesn’t suit you, you’ll just slow yourself down."
Elena nodded in agreement. "Forcing a path that doesn’t match your talent only leads to regret."
After a brief silence, Alphonse let out a small laugh and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah... I guess you’re right."
Just like that, he put down his lingering attachment to magic.
I wouldn’t have stopped him if he truly wanted to pursue it, but in the end, I didn’t need to. Alphonse was honest with himself—once he understood where he belonged, he didn’t hesitate.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve done nothing like this," I said, stretching slightly.
For once, there was no training schedule, no books waiting to be read, no sword to swing until my arms gave out.
Even I—someone who constantly kept his body moving—was enjoying a rare break.
Since becoming Damian, I hadn’t put my sword down for a single day. Not once. And now that I finally had, a strange feeling crept in.
Liberation.
And at the same time... an indescribable emptiness.
My body felt lighter than ever, as if years of tension had finally loosened.
But my mind refused to follow.
It kept wandering—back to the original story, to the paths I knew, and to the paths I was already changing.
I stared at my hands, no sword resting in them, and wondered how long this fragile peace would last.
In a world where strength decided everything, rest was nothing more than borrowed time.
And I knew it better than anyone.
