[Translator - Kiteretsu]

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[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 43

Violet stood dazed, and the spot where Kaylen had collapsed.

The first to arrive there was Lioness.

“What on earth happened here…?”

From the middle of the battle, a blinding white radiance had erupted, making it impossible to see what had transpired.

If he had been closer, he might have seen it, but the mana emanating from Violet was so powerful that even staying in his original position had been difficult.

As things began to calm down, Lioness approached.

He gradually returned his flame-transformed body to its original form.

“It’s cold.”

Although Glacia was no longer emitting water mana, the residual mana in the air remained.

Was this the difference between S-rank and A-rank? Lioness smirked bitterly as he walked forward.

Violet stood blankly, and Kaylen lay collapsed.

It seemed the battle had concluded… but questions still lingered.

“Kaylen… that black-and-white flame, how on earth did he create it?”

At not even 20 years of age, Lioness had become a 4th-circle meister of fire.

When it came to talent in fire magic, there were few in the kingdom who could rival him.

Yet even for him, that flame was utterly foreign.

“There’s no record of anything like this in any literature.”

The holy white flame used by clergy or the black flame wielded by demonic beings—individually, they could produce such colors. However, a fusion of black and white flames was unheard of.

“Kaylen… When I investigated him, the report said he was just an ordinary underperforming student.”

How could a person change so drastically? It was baffling.

Despite losing, Kaylen had managed to push the princess to her limits.

“With that flame, he could even melt Glacia’s ice… If that happens, one of the key tools for keeping the First Prince’s faction in check will be gone.”

The core of the First Prince’s faction was Violet, the princess wielding an S-rank mana suit.

Beyond her brilliance, her overwhelming strength derived from the mana suit had been the reason the First Prince’s faction could compete on equal footing with the Second Prince’s.

Without her, the battle for the throne would easily end in victory for the Second Prince’s faction.

“Up until now, the fire mages under my command barely managed to hold their own. But as time goes on, Glacia’s power will only grow stronger. I thought they’d have no choice but to come to me eventually.”

Before Glacia’s penalties caused her entire body to freeze over, he had believed he could remove her from the First Prince’s faction through marriage.

But now, Kaylen had emerged as a significant variable.

“He must not join the First Prince’s faction.”

The best option would be to draw Kaylen into the Second Prince’s faction.

But if that didn’t happen…

Eliminating him might be the better choice.

If he joined the princess, the strategy of removing her through marriage would become impossible.

“A promising talent, but… if he won’t be mine, he must disappear.”

Kaylen, who had advanced to the finals of the Superior Mage Selection Tournament, had suddenly become a rising star.

However, the black-and-white flame he displayed during the battle with Glacia had now become a variable that could overturn the political landscape.

How should he handle this? Perhaps it would be best to deal with him now while he was unconscious…

“Lord Lioness, don’t even think about it.”

“Haha. So you’re awake, are you?”

“Step away from him immediately.”

At Violet’s cold voice, Lioness gave up on the idea of killing him.

Though it was disappointing to lose the simplest solution, there was no choice given the circumstances.

The sharp gaze of the princess made him take a few steps back.

Lioness shifted his thoughts elsewhere.

"Come to think of it, he doesn't look like a sword anymore."

Earlier, Kaylen had seemed like a sword, but now he looked like a normal person again.

A sword appearing in a mage's battle…

'Was it just a mistake on my part?'

Or perhaps…

Lioness turned his attention to Kaylen’s shattered mana suit.

Was it a function of the mana suit?

Step, step.

At that moment, a group of people who might have answers began walking toward him.

They were Myorn and her group, who had remained at their position throughout Violet and Kaylen’s confrontation.

“Myorn, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“You created Kaylen’s mana suit, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I modified it.”

“Does that mana suit have a function that makes him appear like a sword?”

“…? No, it doesn’t. Did he look like a sword to you?”

“Hmm. I see… Maybe I just saw it wrong.”

As Lioness tilted his head in confusion, Alkas, who had been following behind Myorn, felt utterly bewildered.

"He saw a sword? Could it be that Lord Lioness has the qualities of a swordmaster?"

Lioness, the prodigy of the Obline Ducal House, possessed looks, status, and talent that were unmatched.

A genius who, before the age of 20, had already achieved the pinnacle of a 4th-circle fire master—something many could not reach even with a lifetime of effort.

And now… could he also possess the gift of a swordmaster?

"If that’s true, the world is truly unfair."

Unlike Alkas, Myorn, who was unaware of swordmaster talents, didn’t dwell on the matter. Instead, she walked past Lioness and checked Kaylen’s condition.

“I couldn’t see anything because of the light, but… his mana suit is completely destroyed, and he’s fainted. At least he’s alive—that’s something.”

“This area is still freezing cold. We need to get him out of here quickly.”

“You’re right. His body temperature has dropped drastically.

For an ordinary human, it’s at a level that would be unsurvivable.”

Myorn glanced over at the princess.

“Your Highness, may I take him with me? He’s been defeated.”

“Yes. Take him immediately. Staying here any longer will only harm his health.”

“Understood.”

Whoosh.

A bundle of fur lifted Kaylen and tossed him over to Alkas.

“You carry him. He’s your lord, after all.”

“Understood.”

Step, step.

As Kaylen’s group departed, others began approaching from the opposite side.

These were the judges of the tournament and the princess’s attendants.

“As expected of Your Highness. Truly extraordinary.”

“Such power… incredible.”

“Congratulations on your victory, Your Highness.”

As Violet listened to the praises of those around her, she gave a bitter smile.

She had no memory of how she managed to win, yet victory was hers.

Inside Myorn's workshop.

“Lay him down over there.”

Myorn pointed to a bed piled high with fur, but Alkas hesitated for a moment.

The fur was scattered all over, giving the bed an unkempt and filthy appearance.

“What are you doing? Just lay him down already. It’s warm because of my fur.”

“…Understood.”

“Irene, do you know any clerics?

We’ll probably need a blessing of healing.”

“I’ll look into it.”

While the three of them busied themselves, significant changes were occurring inside Kaylen’s body as he was laid down from Alkas’s arms.

“…Glacia’s mana is even harder to control than I thought.”

Everyone had assumed Kaylen was unconscious, but in reality, he was focused entirely on managing the turbulent mana within him.

The mana unleashed by the angel sealed in Glacia—elemental mana of light and water—was wreaking havoc as he absorbed it, causing him considerable pain.

“I’ll have to give up on balance.”

The nameless angel’s mana, absorbed through the Abyss, was overwhelming in quantity.

The harmony of the Six Swords had shattered, leaving only the Water Sword and Light Sword as dominant forces within him.

“Even though the balance is broken… I’ve gained much in return.”

The harmony of the Six Swords was lost, but the growth of the Water Sword and Light Sword was extraordinary.

Previously no larger than daggers, the two swords had now grown to take on the form of longswords.

This development was entirely due to the absorption of the angel’s mana.

In this mana-starved era, achieving such growth would have required at least five years of effort. Thanks to Glacia, however, Kaylen had gained this unexpected fortune.

“The broken balance can be restored later.”

Until the balance was regained, the use of the Six Swords Technique would be restricted, but Kaylen couldn’t forget the angel’s final words:

["When I regain my strength, I will come for you. Until then, remember one thing—hide the power of the Dragon Blade Deity as much as you can."]

["Demons will target you. The power of darkness already rules the middle world…"]

Glacia’s warning to suppress the power of the Dragon Blade Deity couldn’t be taken lightly.

“If that stubborn angel spoke so gravely about it… there must be something humans haven’t realized—or perhaps something they’ve been hiding. Until I further cultivate the Six Swords, I must refrain from using the technique.”

The Six Swords Technique.

A swordsmanship style created by the first emperor of the Meier Empire, Ernstine.

It allows the wielder to freely wield six elemental swords—Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, and Darkness—and combine these elements to unleash overwhelming power.

The true might of the Six Swords Technique only begins to manifest with the combination of three attributes, known as the Three-Swords.

Kaylen decided to refrain from using the Three Swords until he had sufficiently developed the Six Swords equally.

“That means I won’t be able to use Hellfire Flame again for now.”

Hellfire Flame.

A Three Sword technique inspired by the high-level spell Hellfire.

Unlike the standard magic of humans, Hellfire was an exclusive domain of high-ranking demons, inaccessible to ordinary sorcerers.

The Hellfire wielded by the Demon King, however, differed from that of other demons.

While ordinary demons used fire and dark mana, the Demon King's version uniquely incorporated light mana.

This fusion of light and dark mana created a continuous clash, fueling an endless inferno—the Demon King's Hellfire.

Even a Grand Swordmaster would struggle to suppress such an extraordinary force.

“I couldn’t replicate it perfectly through magic… but with the sword, it was possible.”

The peculiar fusion of fire, light, and dark attributes was beyond the reach of even a Fourth Circle mage, making it unfeasible to cast as a spell.

But as a swordsman, Kaylen managed to partially emulate its power through his blade.

This was how he subdued an angel with just three sword strikes.

“The Demon King… I still don’t understand how he could wield light mana.”

The Demon King’s occasional use of light magic made him a particularly vexing opponent, resisting even the holy power of divine swords that should have been his natural weakness.

Had it not been for the intervention of the Grand Swordmaster Ernstine, defeating the Demon King would have been impossible.

“The angel’s reaction to my Hellfire was… telling. Perhaps that Demon King’s power has been passed down somehow.”

The previous Demon King had been so powerful that even the arrogant angels of Heaven had expressed deep concern:

- “We have never encountered a Demon King like this before.”

- “This Demon King is too strong. Even his lieutenants rival the previous Demon King in strength.”

- “Humans… are you truly capable of handling this? We believe Heaven’s intervention is crucial.”

Despite their fears, Ernestine successfully vanquished the Demon King, annihilating him so thoroughly that revival was impossible.

But judging by the angel’s vehement reaction to Kaylen’s Hellfire, it seemed some aspect of that power had lingered.

“I need to assume the worst and proceed cautiously.”

If Kaylen were to make the bleakest assumptions, it would mean the Middle World had already fallen under the dominion of demons, effectively becoming a colony of the Demon Realm.

Such a scenario might seem far-fetched, as there were no visible signs of demonic rulers. Humanity was holding its ground, countering the threat of dungeon cores, developing mana suits, and training masters to safeguard their territories.

To call it a colony without evidence of an overlord? It might be a stretch. It might be conjecture.

“But…”

The strange behavior of the moon.

The angel sealed within the mana suit.

These oddities demanded caution.

“I need to find out how much humanity truly understands about all this.”

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]