Chapter 70

(70)

The deeper we went, the wider the magical realms grew.

Huge blue mushrooms, much taller than any of us, filled a common area as wide as a large square.

Zzzziiiiip!

These mushrooms discharged an electric current every few seconds from the edges of their caps. Each time, my sword would draw in some of the current, and my left waist and thigh would get repeatedly shocked.

“Why is Your Majesty unharmed?”

“My sword, ‘Glass Mirror,’ is not made of metal. Do you feel wronged?”

“Not at all. It would be better for me to burn in the fires of hell than see Your Majesty shocked.”

Zzzziiiiip!

“Ah!”

“Come here…”

Seeing I couldn’t endure it, Lady Jeilliris switched places, positioning herself to my left, shielding my sword with her body. Still, we were walking among the blue mushrooms.

Originally, only my left thigh suffered, but now the current was reaching between us, shocking Jeilliris as well.

“Your Majesty, I apologize deeply.”

“Can’t you take it?!”

She grabbed her famed sword ‘Glass Mirror’ in frustration.

A blade with a translucent edge emerged from its sheath, decorated with ebony, gold, and large diamonds.

This was Lady Jeilliris’s trusted weapon and a legendary blade from her past life that had contributed greatly to the world’s population decline.

“Your Majesty! Please forgive me! I’ll leave my sword behind!”

I thought she might chop off my head.

Throwing all dignity to the wind, I prostrated myself flat on the ground.

But she wasn’t looking at me; her cold, authoritative gaze was directed at the mushrooms.

“How dare these blue trash dare to grab at anyone’s ankles!”

She swung her sword horizontally.

Sssswoooosh!

A golden aura blade erupted without warning.

The brilliant and intense golden light illuminated the pale glow of the common area.

The aura blade stretched endlessly as it flew, fanning out to sweep through the mushrooms ahead.

Boom!

Finally, the aura blade collided with the wall at the far end of the common area, shattering a long section of the rock wall before disappearing.

“Remarkable.”

Even knowing her strength, I couldn’t help but gape in amazement.

Hundreds, even thousands, of mushrooms, each over 10 meters tall and 4 meters wide, had their bases cleanly cut and now rolled around on the ground.

The blue and cyan electrical currents beneath the mushroom caps gradually faded.

From here on, we should be able to walk peacefully to the end of the common area.

“How refreshing. Hmm? Duke, why are you prostrating yourself? Surely you’re not frightened? I don’t wish to believe my kin would be startled by such a mere trifle.”

“Yes, yes, indeed.”

I vigorously nodded.

If I hadn’t seen similar displays a few times in my previous life, I might already be speechless.

“Your Majesty, there’s something intriguing over there.”

A few steps later, we noticed the flat tops of the mushroom caps.

Where there should have been smooth, round surfaces, they were instead riddled with holes like a sieve, some exceeding a meter in diameter.

Something wriggled out of those holes.

“Apparently, these are neither plants nor animals.”

“Isn’t that always how it works in the magical realms?”

The creatures had translucent blue bodies with long tentacles, and electric currents crackled from them.

They were small sky jellyfish.

“Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

“Suppose these mushroom-like things aren’t just part of the magical realm but are akin to a nest or eggs?”

“Indeed?”

Saying this, I looked up and pushed Jeilliris with all my might.

Indeed unprepared, a look of panic briefly crossed her face.

Boom!

Lightning struck the very spot where we had been.

The stone floor fractured and shards flew everywhere.

Had I not reinforced my white uniform with the ‘Aquateague’ liquid armor, those shards and the flowing current would have killed me instantly.

Breathing heavily and groaning, I barely managed to lift my head.

“Freaking…”

A crater almost 5 meters in diameter formed between Jeilliris and me.

Did she consider this ‘quite strong?’

The pushed-aside Jeilliris glanced alternately between me and the sky.

Then she addressed me.

“Lord Valenciaunos.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The insolence of laying hands on me will not be forgiven.”

“Your mercy is profound.”

“However, the monsters that dared to attack me and you cannot be forgiven.”

Dozens of sky jellyfish were gathering in the common area’s sky.

The enormous bioluminescent creatures emitted overwhelming electricity from their elongated tentacles.

Even at this distance, my skin and hair tingled.

If these creatures make their way outside, it will cause a major disaster.

“However, killing these without finding the core is meaningless.”

“Unimportant. We only need this brief respite and catharsis.”

She raised her famed sword ‘Glass Mirror’ again.

Golden mana swirled in her left hand.

As if responding, ten massive sky jellyfish raised their tentacles to gather electricity.

Below them, smaller sky jellyfish about 5 meters in size approached, fluttering.

“Then, Your Majesty, leave these to me.”

“Hmm?”

Lady Jeilliris paused a moment, then nodded enthusiastically.

“Indeed, you are my kin.”

As she launched her aura blade into the sky, I struck the approaching sky jellyfish with my mana blade-imbued sword.

* * *

Electrical properties were the most exhausting to handle.

Without mana, there was no way to block them, and even with mana, it was highly inefficient.

Conversely, for the attacker, they just needed some part of the body to make contact, and the current would find its own way into the opponent’s metal weapons.

With these foreign entities from the magical realms, Duke Valenciaunos’ specialties of provocation and psychological warfare were ineffective.

The reason he didn’t retreat from such an unfavorable battle was because of Emperor Jeilliris’s presence.

Though the world might mock him for worrying about Lady Jeilliris, that’s simply how hearts function.

Duke Valenciaunos set fire to the nearest sky jellyfish.

“Clutching fire!”

Though the mana behaved erratically and required immense effort to control, it wasn’t something he couldn’t use.

Keeeeeek?!

The tentacles crackling with electricity twitched violently as the sky jellyfish slumped and crashed to the ground.

“The instant the fire touches them, they revert to mere flies! I shall bring about the conclusion to your miserable lives today!”

Though the creatures couldn’t possibly hear him, he rallied his own courage by voicing his thoughts anyway.

Zzzziiiiip!

Several smaller sky jellyfish gathered electricity simultaneously and launched it downward.

However, Duke Valenciaunos, through experience with Sorelazie and battles from his previous life, knew how to handle electrical attacks.

Trusting the liquid metal armor embedded in his white uniform, he planted his sword in the ground and crouched.

Fzzz!

The electricity coursing through his body flowed harmlessly into the ground.

For a moment, his vision went dark, but ultimately, he managed to get back up.

Whoooom!

More smaller sky jellyfish gathered, recharging their electrical attacks.

Electricity gathered in their translucent blue tentacles and bodies, glowing yellow.

With the golden mana blade gleaming on his sword, Valenciaunos gripped it tightly and unleashed imperial swordsmanship.

Third stage of imperial swordsmanship: Zaraiita (Self-Benefit Others)

This technique, imbued with the meaning of helping others as a way to help oneself, doesn’t aim to directly break the opponent’s attack but instead slips into the gaps to restrain both sides safely.

It also contains the principle of later movement still being first strike.

Different from the first stage ‘Ityagaego’ or the second stage ‘Bulwang’, the mana flowing within him didn’t rise uncontrollably.

Rather, it flowed peacefully, enhancing his swordplay.

Duke Valenciaunos closed his golden eyes briefly before opening them again and swinging his sword.

When the 5-meter sky jellyfish launched their electricity together

Ssswooosh!

A dazzling arc, slashing upwards, sent the sky jellyfish plummeting to the ground.

“Haa…”

Breathing heavily, he looked up.

The enemy’s numbers were still overwhelming, but he just realized something crucial from his latest attack.

Tuck! He leapt onto the fallen mushroom stump and onto the head of a sky jellyfish.

“It seems the electricity isn’t flowing through their heads.”

!

The creature seemed to flinch.

“I know that electrical shocks occur when electricity that normally doesn’t flow is forced to do so.”

The nearby sky jellyfish targeted Valenciaunos with their electric strikes.

Timing it perfectly, he launched himself toward the next sky jellyfish.

Woooom! And flash!

“Will you get shocked or not?”

The sky jellyfish he had been riding was struck by its comrades and fell, its translucent body turning pitch black.

“Die you pests of the sky!”

Duke Valenciaunos jumped around, causing the jellyfish to fall one after another.

He severed their cores with his sword and set some ablaze with fire magic.

“Are you fleeing?”

“A collective consciousness? Or strategy? Do individuals of this species possess intelligence?”

The smaller sky jellyfish that had been clustered together began to spread out.

Duke Valenciaunos then summoned a fire magic technique already familiar to him.

“Jarring fire lance!”

Though, as before, the mana proved difficult to shape as desired, he gritted his teeth and managed to form it.

Boom!

The sky jellyfish struck by it curled its body and rolled on the ground.

“Your Majesty! When do you plan to retreat?”

Yet, he absolutely didn’t get drunk on the brief victory.

This magical realm was quite peaceful compared to others he’d been in.

Of course, that was partly due to Lady Jeilliris dealing with stronger foreign entities.

However, not being subjected to psychic attacks was certainly strange.

It was as if the entities were cowed by some presence.

‘Could it be Jeilliris? It seems familiar yet different…’

“Only one more to knock down!”

Sky jellyfish capable only of launching lightning bolts were being cleaved in two by Lady Jeilliris’s aura blade and falling to the ground.

Kaboom!

One entity crashed, kicking up dust.

“That’s enough. Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The two started running again toward the lower area.

* * *

In front of the Duke’s castle square, splendid flags had gathered.

“The Count of the Lonely River pays his respects to Lord Sigmain.”

“The Bronze Mountain Count follows the summon.”

“The Silver Plains Baron has arrived.”

“The Knight of the Iron Mountain has heeded his lord’s call.”

“The Gate Baron is here to fulfill his esteemed duty.”

From a tall tower on the side of the castle, Duke Sorelazie observed sharply.

Lady Trentia, voice filled with concern, said,

“They’re gathering vassals. It seems they’ve decided to raise an army.”

She maintained her white armor even during rest, only wiping her red hair with a moist towel, and never parted from Duke Sorelazie’s side.

Rudi, who had been meditating on cushions, opened his green eyes.

The usually gentle and smiling face was now hardened as if experiencing a seizure.

Duke Sorelazie, with a look of sorrow, looked at her and picked up pen and paper.

Having visited once before, she could now read the flow of the manna concealed by the sealing stone.

All it would take is lifting the veil slightly, a simple task for her.

She read the magical aura of the west mountain as if deciphering colorful powder mixed in the wind, carefully sketching it onto her paper.

“Indeed, you’re getting stronger.”

“My Lord Sorelazie. The Duke is curious when the results will be available.”

A knight approached and asked from the tower.

Instead of answering, Duke Sorelazie lifted an ink bottle beside her and splashed it at the knight.

“Quiet, my calculations are being disrupted. Don’t you know this will take days?”

“…Then I’ll separate the three of you briefly so I can assist in focusing. Lady Trentia? How about a sparring session with the Duke’s knights on the training grounds?”

“Shut up. Both of you are necessary for this task.”

“Why would a knight and maid be necessary for a magician’s observation?”

The knight lodged a reasonable objection.

But for Sorelazie, there was a spell called status.

“Are you a magician? If you find it bothersome, why don’t you do the observation?”

“Seems I’m becoming more like Valenciaunos every day. What an unpleasant development.”

Duke Sorelazie tried to shake off the disturbing thought and picked up the pen again.

“I’m calculating until my head bursts, please convey to him to wait patiently.”

“The Duke eagerly awaits the results.”

As the knight left, the three let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Hearing the stories in his office, Sigmain, the noble with sharp features and blue eyes like a hawk, said,

“They’re stalling. Do they still believe the Emperor and Duke are alive?”

“Then that’s not a problem, is it?”

“Perfect. No matter how great the Emperor is, there’s no surviving in the magical realms.”

“But she’s both a swordsman master and level 6 grand mage.”

The knight captain and the mansion’s court magician showed uneasiness.

The Duke, with his usually stubborn face, showed a rare smile.

“Even so, they couldn’t defeat a dragon, could they?”