Magus watched the scene before him with an indifferent and almost emotionless expression. The courtyard, dimly lit by moonlight, was shrouded in a faint mist that rose from the soil still damp from the evening dew. The scent of crushed vegetation lingered in the air as the ground trembled from the fading echoes of the earlier clash.
Originally, based on the middle-aged Knight's strength, even if he had been weaker than the hidden creature, the Hidden Dragon, he should not have been defeated so swiftly. But unfortunately for him, his downfall had been sealed the moment he stepped into the courtyard. He had completely misread the Hidden Dragon's abilities and nature, failing even to detect its existence until it was far too late.
Information asymmetry—when one side knew nothing about the true nature of its opponent—could sometimes be lethally decisive. Tonight, that lesson had been demonstrated with brutal clarity.
Magus withdrew his gaze from the middle-aged Knight's twisted corpse and calmly turned toward the Black Sword Knight, the last remaining assassin. The moment their eyes met, the Black Sword Knight felt an icy chill crawl up his spine as if death had brushed a finger along the back of his neck.
It was at this moment that understanding dawned upon him—terrifying, unavoidable, and suffocating.
The massive, terrifying Great Lizard that had crushed his companion like paper… was being controlled by Magus.
So this… this is a Wizard?
The Black Sword Knight felt his heartbeat quicken. This was not simply physical power or martial skill. This was something strange, uncanny, and utterly unpredictable—just as the legends whispered.
With his fellow assassin dead, the Black Sword Knight's situation had instantly become catastrophic. His mission had gone from challenging to impossible. Yet his instinct for survival did not allow him to remain still. In that split-second, his mind made a desperate decision.
Kill the wizard.
If he could eliminate Magus, the Great Lizard would lose its master. Even a brief moment of confusion would be enough. He could use that gap to flee, disappearing into the night before the creature regained control.
A dark blur flashed across the courtyard. Without hesitation, he burst forward like a phantom, his figure merging with the shadows. The distance of over a hundred meters vanished beneath his feet as if he were sprinting through air.
Rune, who had been standing near Magus, saw the assassin's sudden charge and felt his face drain of color. Panic shot through him. The Great Lizard was still dozens of meters away—far too distant to intervene in time. Instinctively, Rune took half a step forward, preparing to intercept the Black Sword Knight even if it meant sacrificing himself.
But then he saw Magus's expression. Calm. Peaceful. Completely unshaken.
Rune froze mid-step.
"Die!"
The roar of the Black Sword Knight tore through the courtyard. In a heartbeat, he had covered the last hundred meters, and the black blade in his hand cleaved downward with murderous intensity. Wherever the sword passed, a crescent-shaped arc of sword qi materialized, cutting through the air like lightning aimed straight at Magus's heart.
Aura Projection.
A high-level long-range technique that only Great Knights could master.
A strike that could kill lesser warriors outright.
As the lethal blade of energy shot forward, a fleeting spark of triumph appeared in the Black Sword Knight's eyes. His plan was working. One clean strike—and the wizard would fall.
But his confidence lasted only a moment.
In the instant before the sword qi reached its target, it collided with… something. Something invisible, something immovable. A muffled boom echoed through the courtyard. The crescent-shaped sword qi shattered like fragile glass, fragmenting into specks of dissipating energy. The distorted air around the point of collision faintly outlined the shape of a massive tower shield.
"—!!"
The Black Sword Knight's eyes widened to their limit.
A shield? A barrier? What arcane defense was this?
Before his mind could catch up, Magus simply raised his right hand. Pinched elegantly between his index finger and thumb was a sparkling red gemstone. Under the moonlight, intricate blue-green patterns shimmered across its polished surface, producing an enchanting glow.
The scene lasted but an instant.
Magus flicked his fingers.
Boom!
A crack of thunder exploded through the courtyard, so loud it made the onlookers flinch. A blinding flash of lightning shot forward, illuminating the night as if day had returned for a heartbeat.
The Black Sword Knight didn't even have time to scream.
The lightning bolt struck him squarely, blasting him off his feet. His body flew backward like a ragdoll, slamming into a towering tree.
Crack!
The tree trunk—thick enough that two men could barely wrap their arms around it—snapped cleanly in half. The upper portion toppled to the ground with a heavy thud, sending up a cloud of dirt and leaves.
When the dust finally settled, the Black Sword Knight lay sprawled where he had fallen. His entire body was charred black, smoking faintly, and he was completely unconscious.
Silence swept across the courtyard like a cold wind.
Everyone stared, stunned into speechlessness. Their eyes were wide, their mouths slightly open, as if they questioned whether the scene before them was real or an illusion.
Even Rune felt his mind blank out for several seconds.
He had known Magus had a way to deal with the assassin, but he never imagined it would be this easy.
One move.
Just one simple move, and a Great Knight had been taken out as easily as flicking away an insect.
A Great Knight!
Not a normal knight, not a trained soldier—one of the strongest elite warriors on the continent.
Rune swallowed hard.
Had Magus become… this powerful?
No—Rune suddenly realized that his assumption was wrong.
It wasn't that Magus had drastically increased his strength overnight.
It was that Rune had never truly understood Magus's full power. The younger brother he had watched grow up was no longer someone whose capabilities he could gauge.
And even now, Rune sensed that Magus had not used anywhere near his full strength.
Just what level has he reached…?
Before Rune could gather his thoughts, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard.
A squad of armored knights rushed in, led by Jorton.
"Lord Rune, we're here to support—where are the assassins…?"
His sentence died halfway.
He stared at the chaotic courtyard, the uninjured individuals standing calmly, and the charred assassin lying motionless near the broken tree. His eyebrows lifted, then twitched in disbelief.
It's already over?
Rune had regained his composure by then. He gave the soldiers crisp instructions to secure the area and take the unconscious Black Sword Knight away. Once the cleanup began, Rune walked toward Magus with a serious and heavy expression.
"It's the assassin sent by Owen," Rune said flatly.
Magus nodded. That conclusion was too obvious to require discussion.
"But how did he find an assassin of this caliber?" Rune muttered, frowning deeply.
Assassin organizations certainly existed in this world—but they were, without exception, low-tier underground forces. A Knight-level assassin was already considered extremely rare. A Great Knight-level assassin? Practically unheard of.
Rune had grown up among nobles, surrounded by information and connections, yet even he had never heard of any assassin organization possessing such a terrifying asset.
Magus thought for a moment before replying calmly, "Owen definitely doesn't have that kind of influence. If he did, he wouldn't have waited until Father's incident to make his move. I'd bet nine out of ten that it's through the Gold Rock Marquis."
Rune's expression tightened. The more he considered the possibility, the more it made sense. His face darkened.
Handling Owen was possible. He was ambitious, scheming, but ultimately a small-time noble. However, if the Gold Rock Marquis was involved, the situation escalated into something far more dangerous.
After all, the Marquis was the de facto overlord of Golden Rock Province, commanding tens of thousands of troops. Blackstone City, despite its size, was nothing more than an insignificant territory beneath him.
Magus, noticing Rune's fluctuating emotions, said calmly, "Don't worry. Since the Marquis didn't intervene directly, it means he still abides by the rules of nobility. He won't seize a vassal's land personally. We only need to be wary of assassins he may send."
Rune took a deep breath and gradually regained his composure. Embarrassment pricked at him. He was the Lord here, yet he had been less calm than Magus in the face of danger. Clearly, his mental resilience still lagged behind.
But Rune did not know the real reason behind Magus's composure.
To Magus, the territory was not so important.
Having survived the hardest early stage of his path, even if the territory were taken, Magus would merely lose a stable income source. He could easily take Rune and flee to the Thorn Flower Duchy, bide his time, strengthen himself, and return when he had fully become a Wizard.
Money? Resources?
He had countless ways to acquire them.
Of course, keeping the territory would be far more convenient. With his own forces and influence, acquiring materials, funding research, and expanding power would be far easier. But Magus would never tell Rune such things.
Not far away, Jorton was bombarding Brede with questions, craving details of the battle he had missed. After hearing Brede's recounting, Jorton's eyes widened to the size of copper coins. He looked around nervously as if expecting the massive Great Lizard to materialize out of thin air.
"A Great Lizard over ten meters long… invisible… and strong enough to crush a Great Knight?" Jorton muttered, almost delirious. "This is like a story from a Knight novel."
Brede rolled his eyes. "Stop looking around. I already told you—it can turn invisible. Even Great Knights can't sense it. How would you see it?"
Jorton scratched his head, embarrassed. "I was just curious. Still… Sir Magus is incredible. That Great Lizard was only at Peak Knight level when he captured it. And now? In just a few months, it can kill a Great Knight? That's unbelievable!"
The surrounding knights all nodded in awe.
Indeed.
Every time they witnessed Magus's methods, their understanding of the world was reshaped.
It was fortunate—immensely fortunate—that someone like him stood on their side.
Otherwise, the mere thought of facing such an enemy would make their scalps tingle with terror.
If
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