Water Magician-Chapter 634: Taken Over

Editor: Tseirp

The lunch break was nearly over.

The conference room was once again populated with the various diplomatic delegations.

In one corner a few leaders had gathered.

“Ryo-dono, you ask strange questions. The qualities and abilities most required of a sorcery practitioner?”

“Yes. I come from the Central Countries where sorcery practitioners are uncommon… so I thought Sue Ku-san, who was active as an adventurer in the southern continent where Bosuntar lies, might know.”

“What first comes to mind… is, after all, an unshakable heart.”

Unlike ordinary magicians, sorcery practitioners can ‘launch’ talismans and charms to manifest magical phenomena.

But those acts—sending out talismans and manifesting magic—must be carried out with composure.

If one fails there, the sorcery can run wild.

Runaway sorcery can rebound onto the caster.

That is why those who become sorcery practitioners are trained from youth to keep their hearts steady.

That was Sue Ku’s explanation.

“So that means the famous sorcery practitioner Duke Helb has an unshakable heart…”

Hearing Ryo’s murmured words, Abel glanced at him silently.

“Yes — the one who chaired earlier. He is indeed a powerful sorcery practitioner. I’d heard his name before, but facing him makes his strength obvious.”

Sue Ku nodded.

There was also someone quietly listening to that conversation without speaking.

Queen Iliaja of the Suje Kingdom.

She had come close to where Ryo and Sue Ku were talking and was listening intently.

“Does Her Majesty Queen Iliaja have any thoughts?”

Ryo directed the question.

“No. I was also attacked by a sorcerer, but hearing you, I realise how difficult it all is.”

“To be able to say that laughingly is proof of the queen’s strong heart.”

Ryo praised Queen Iliaja, who said with a laugh, with a wry smile.

While Sue Ku looked surprised at the news of the attack.

Strangely, both of them had experience being attacked and confronting a sorcerer…

Prince Ryun and Princess Shio Fen of Darwei drew near and joined the conversation.

“We, too, have been attacked by sorcerers.”

Prince Ryun said, also with a laugh.

“Hearing this, it sounds like sorcerers only do assaults…”

“It’s not the sorcerers themselves who are to blame, but those who use them.”

Those who can use highly covert tools like talismans and charms might be well-suited to be attackers.

That peaceful air in the conference room was shattered in the next instant…

A thunderous roar, and the conference-room doors were blown off.

“”

Without a beat, Ryo erected a wall of ice.

But—

Crack.

It shattered under a rapid barrage.

“”

Clack, clack, clack…

“To take ten layers to finally repel it, huh…”

Ryo said in surprise as he took in the cause of the onslaught.

“Duke Helb…”

Duke Helb entered, holding a considerably fine sword in his right hand and four talismans floating around him.

“Duke Helb, who chaired earlier?”

“But his presence is different.”

Prince Ryun and Princess Shio Fen said.

Even without magical training, the two of them could sense that something about Duke Helb’s body was not normal.

“Ryo.”

“Yes, Abel. It seems what we feared has happened.”

Both Abel and Ryo had been warned by Helb himself.

He might be taken over by the Phantom King.

Several beams of light shot from Helb.

Clang…

But every beam was repelled by the ice wall.

“”

Because the repelling damaged the wall, Ryo quickly reinforced it.

Each strike was shockingly powerful.

Almost seemingly from an Akuma.

“Abel, Sue Ku-san. Evacuate everyone outside the building.”

“Ryo-dono, are you really going to face Duke Helb…?”

“Yes. I will restrain him.”

Ryo nodded firmly at Sue Ku’s words.

“Ryo, are you sure you can handle this alone?”

“Yes, I’ll manage. Abel, take Mifa and specially look after Prince Ryun and Princess Shio Fen. From the beginning, Helb’s attacks seem aimed at massacring all the leaders. If something were to happen to Darwei’s prince, the treaty we just signed would become meaningless.”

“Understood. It may be pointless to say, but be careful.”

Ryo turned to face Duke Helb.

Helb turned toward Ryo as well.

He could tell the walls of ice surrounding the area had been Ryo’s doing and moved to eliminate them.

“So Helb’s memories from when his consciousness was intact can’t be used.”

Ryo murmured.

When they faced one another at the embassy, Helb had known Ryo was a water-attribute magician.

But whoever was now occupying or commanding Helb’s body apparently didn’t know that.

“I knew I would fight you someday. But I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

Ryo said, speaking honestly from the bottom of his heart.

After the embassy affair, they had gone together to deal with the problem of the death dragons and had, for the time being, built a cooperating relationship.

Still, Ryo had a vague feeling that a catastrophic clash would inevitably happen.

Even so…

“I wanted to fight the composed you.”

The Helb before them had lost his crown, and his always perfectly set hair was dishevelled.

Some might find this appearance more terrifying.

“You are indeed difficult to defeat and feel strong. But your terrifying presence was greater when you were calm.”

Clang, clang, clang…

The hard, lightweight sounds of things striking repeatedly.

The noises were Ryo’s

repelling the attacks from multiple talismans Helb launched.

But as Ryo repelled them, he noticed something.

Helb’s demeanour slowly began to change.

“Is he calming down?”

Ryo’s words slipped out, though he didn’t know why he said them.

For a moment, it seemed the original person might have returned, or that Helb had wrested his body back from the Phantom King… but that did not appear to be the case.

Because…

“I’ve finally gotten used to it.”

Helb spoke.

The voice was the Helb Ryo had heard before.

Calm, and with a voice that conveyed dread-inspiring force.

But the inner core was different.

Ryo couldn’t say precisely why, but he could be certain.

The mind was not Helb’s.

“So you’re the Phantom King.”

Ryo declared.

This was an opportunity.

He could converse with this Phantom King, of whom they had no facts about.

Conversation yields information.

Even if the other side intends to give nothing, a keen listener with a trained mind can extract much.

That holds true in any age or world.

Darwei—including Ryo and Abel—would soon confront the Choouchi Empire, the nation of the Phantomkin.

The information gleaned now would surely be useful then.

So Ryo sought to draw the Phantom King into conversation.

The best trick to lure someone into a conversation is to surprise them.

He played that card.

“You say you know the Phantom King? Why do you, who aren’t even a Phantomkin, know of it?”

“Because I was told.”

“By whom?”

“By the Duke Helb you control.”

“Do not lie.”

Even though Ryo spoke the truth, the Phantom King dismissed it as a lie.

“Why call it a lie?”

“A Phantomkin would never tell such secret matters to a mere human.”

“Actually, it’s a fact. He also mentioned the similarity to the Demon King’s factor that allows a Demon King to control monsters.”

“…How much do you know?”

Just as Ryo had planned.

Mentioning the phrase ‘Demon King’s factor’ piqued this kind of being’s interest.

(Conversely, it’s intriguing to find out what knowing the ‘Demon King’s factor’ implies…)

The thought flickered through Ryo’s mind, but it was irrelevant now, and he shoved it aside.

“So, the Choouchi Empire’s goal is the conquest of the Eastern Countries and ultimately world domination, yes?”

“Do you think I’m the sort to answer that?”

“You won’t answer? That’s more narrow-minded than I thought.”

“…What?”

Ryo’s provocation drew anger into the Phantom King’s… through Helb’s voice. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“Obviously, the goal is world conquest! If one can’t say that outright, one shouldn’t dare declare ambitions of world conquest.”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Our King is far greater in scope and grandeur than you imagine.”

“…”

“Our King would, of course, seek world conquest. The question is time — he would declare we must conquer within a year. Unlike you.”

Ryo puffed out his chest and declared it.

If Abel had been listening, what would he have thought?

Abel certainly did not desire world conquest.

Not in the slightest.

It was Ryo’s own wild fantasy…

“Do as you like if you want to conquer the world.”

“Ooh?”

“I have my own desire.”

“Tell me.”

“I won’t.”

“That’s a shame.”

Ryo shrugged.

And strained his ears.

Sound from outside the room had entirely ceased.

In this situation, he did not want to use detection magic like .

He relied on his ears… likely the evacuation was complete.

And the amount of information he could draw from the Phantom King here was running low.

“This whole room’s ice walls — if I kill you, they’ll disappear.”

“Is that so?”

“And then I’ll kill the leaders of each nation.”

“Killing alone won’t get you any prize, you know?”

“Is that so? At least if I kill you, I can seize their lives.”

“Would you like to try?”

Thus, the opening shot of the battle between the Phantom King, occupying Duke Helb’s body, and Ryo was fired.

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations.

If you like my translations, please support me on Patreon and unlock early chapter releases! 7 day free trial is available for Bronze tier now!