Novel

Chapter 76: The Black Lion Castle (1)

“—Aaaaaaahhh…,” Cyan’s scream was slowly drifting away.

Even as Eugene was falling to the ground far below, he didn’t take his eyes off Cyan.

Cyan was the young master of the Lionheart’s direct line, a famous and prestigious clan of warriors. With such a background, Cyan had definitely been taught many things from an early age, yet there was no way he could have been familiarized with a freefall like this.

And wasn’t this only natural? Having passed through a warp gate, they were immediately left to fall to the ground from high in the sky. So right at this moment, Cyan was flapping his arms in mid-air, still screaming his head off.

Eugene considered, ‘Do I need to help him out?’

For now, Eugene decided to take care of his own safety first. After he slowed his fall with some flotation magic, he looked at Cyan once more. With Cyan’s abilities alone, he wouldn’t be able to survive a fall from this height. Even with the greatest of luck, some of his bones would be completely shattered.

‘It seems I don’t need to help him out,’ Eugene decided.

This wasn’t a simple accident. If someone had planned to drop them from the sky from the very start, they must have prepared some safety measures just in case.Fôllôw 𝒏ew stories at n𝒐/v(e)lb/in(.)com

It was just as Eugene had expected. Though Cyan was still screaming and squawking for help, his fall was slowly being decelerated. Somewhere in the forest below, a wizard must have cast a spell on Cyan.

Without paying any more attention to Cyan, Eugene turned his head. He could see a castle built near the peak of the nearby mountain. Eugene eyed the flag waving from the top of a tower’s spire.

The flag bore an emblem of a lion baring its claws and fangs, proving that this was the Black Lion Castle where they were originally meant to have arrived. Would they allow Eugene to just fly over there from here? No. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have had him fall from this height in the first place.

Although he didn’t know the specific reasons behind this happening, for now, Eugene just decided to accept this situation optimistically. Although Vermouth’s grave might be hidden somewhere on the grounds of the Black Lion Castle, it also might be hidden somewhere on this mountain.

‘Though I don’t think they’re just going to let us wander around as we please.’

To start with, Eugene decided to just take a look at any of the places that caught his attention while making his way to the castle. With this in mind, Eugene started accelerating his descent. The wind wrapped around Eugene began pushing him forward.

Far away, a voice inquired, “Was that all Wynnyd’s power?”

They received an answer, “No. Before he summoned a spirit of the wind, he first used a flotation spell.”

“He also showed no sign of panic…. As expected. He’s also skilled in magic,” yet another voice observed.

Doynes smiled brightly as he stood with his hands behind his back. He and the other members of the Council of Elders were standing on the castle wall, observing Eugene and Cyan. Even without using something like a telescope, they were able to see Eugene and Cyan far off in the distance, as clearly as if the two were right in front of them.

“How proficient is he in magic?” Doynes asked.

“…With flotation magic, even the easiest spells belong to the Fourth Circle. Even when falling from such a height, his speed is constant, and… he also has good control of his balance. I can’t say for sure, but it looks like he’s reached the Fifth Circle at the very least.”

The one who had answered Doynes’s question was an elder wearing large glasses. He came from a family renowned for their skill in magic, even among all the collateral branches of the Lionheart clan.

As such, he couldn’t help but be astonished by Eugene’s grasp of magic. For Eugene Lionheart to have reached at least the Fifth Circle when he was only nineteen years old was absurd. The elder had even heard that Eugene’s progress with the White Flame Formula was also so rapid that it was unprecedented. Could Eugene really have risen to the Fifth Circle already when he had only started learning magic two years ago?

“…Patriarch, do you know which Star Eugene Lionheart has reached in the White Flame Formula?” The elder hid his alarm as he turned to look at Gilead.

Gilead was looking at Eugene and Cyan with a slightly stiff expression. He pondered this question for a few moments before replying, “…Before he left for Aroth, Eugene had reached the Third Star, and I received a letter sometime last year informing me that he had reached the Fourth Star.”

“Hoho!”

The one who had responded to this revelation with laughter was Doynes.

Nodding his head, he rubbed his chin and said, “For a nineteen-year-old to have reached the Fourth Star…! Perhaps he might even advance to the next level in a year.”

“…Something like that… is impossible,” the one who had replied this time was a middle-aged man who gave off a neatly-kept impression.

Among the ten council elders, only three of them were members of the direct line who practiced the White Flame Formula.

The eldest of the direct line and Head of the Council, Doynes Lionheart.

The former Patriarch’s sibling, Carmen Lionheart.

And the one who had just claimed it was impossible was another of the former Patriarch’s siblings, Carmen’s younger brother, Klein Lionheart. He had already separated from the main family several decades ago and founded his own branch of the family; then, ten years ago, he had retired from active duty and had been accepted as one of the Elders of the Council.

Although he may have retired, Klein still trained in the White Flame Formula during his daily practice.

Yet even with this, Klein still hadn’t been able to break through the wall that lay between him and the Seventh Star. Among the current living Lionhearts, only two people — Doynes and Carmen — had been able to cross that wall and reach the Seventh Star. Even the current Patriarch Gilead, and his younger brother, Gion, had yet to cross the wall into the Seventh Star, meaning they were still lingering at the final steps of the Sixth Star.

But this brat, who had yet to reach adulthood, was said to have the potential of reaching the Fifth Star of the White Formula within a year. Klein absolutely refused to recognize such a possibility.

“Just because you’re incompetent doesn’t mean that everyone else is as incompetent as you,” Carmen muttered as she pulled a cigar from an opulent case.

“Ugh, big sister!” Klein shouted in protest.

“Don’t call me big sister with a face like that,” Carmen ordered.

“What’s wrong with my face?” Klein asked defensively.

Carmen sniffed, “Anyone who looks at us would think that you were my father or even my grandfather.”

“That’s because you won’t act your age and stubbornly insist on keeping your face young, sister…!” Klein accused. “Just how long do you plan on sticking to that young appearance?”

“It’s far better to look young than to look old,” Carmen defended herself.

“But I’m saying that, with your appearance, there’s no sense of dignity, none at all! When you started hearing people call you elder, you should have tried to cultivate a sense of dignity that matched that title; instead, sister, even though you’re over sixty, you still act like you’re a young maiden in her twenties….”

Crack.

Carmen’s teeth bit right through the cigar, and Klein found himself unable to say anything more. Although it was embarrassing to admit this when he was already at such an age, Klein was afraid of his sister’s fists.

However, he still believed that it was important to cultivate a sense of dignity that was worthy of their positions as elders. Carmen was the only one of the ten elders who insisted on remaining on active duty.

And just look at the current Carmen. She had placed another unlit cigar in her mouth, and a coat large enough to fit her like a cloak was draped across her shoulders. On top of that, she had raised one of her boot-clad feet up onto the railing, and even as the wind blew right into her face, Carmen still kept up the pose.

Klein sighed, ‘She’s even doing this where our nephew can see her….’

It might not matter when only the elders gathered together, but Klein at least wanted Carmen to look a little more deserving of respect when their nephew, Gilead, was around to see her. Even more so now that their great-nephews would be arriving soon….

‘…It’s already too late,’ Klein admitted with a sigh as he stroked his beard.

After all, hadn’t Carmen already accepted their great-niece Ciel as her squire two years ago? Whenever he recalled this, Klein couldn’t help but cringe in second-hand embarrassment[1] in place of his still-immature older sister.

“They’ve landed,” Doynes declared.

After seeing Cyan and Eugene fall into the forest, Doynes turned around. Standing behind him were the elders and the ten captains who led the divisions of the Knights of the Black Lion.

“Klein,” Carmen said as she dropped the booted foot that she had propped up on the railing with a thud.

At this sight, Klein couldn’t help but release another sigh. This childish elder sister of his was prided as one of the most veteran members of the Lionheart clan, next to Doynes, but she still had yet to retire from active duty and continued to lead her division in the Knights of the Black Lion.

Hearing Carmen clearly call out his name, Klein quickly shook his head.

“I’m not going with you,” he insisted.

Now that he’d already become an elder, why should he have to work his body?

Carmen’s eyes narrowed at this response. Similar to how Klein thought his big sister was immature, Carmen also believed that her little brother was childish. Instead of showing an example for their descendants to follow, he was only thinking of how to spend his days in comfort on the grounds that he was getting older….

‘That’s why he hasn’t been able to make any advancements.’

Carmen shook her head at her little brother’s pitiful nature and then walked to the stairs leading down from the castle walls. Carmen wasn’t the only one looking to leave. Apart from her, six other captains also began to move away in ones and twos.

“Dominic,” Doynes called out to his grandson, who was among the captains preparing to leave.

Dominic Lionheart was the captain of the First Division, and instead of answering his grandfather’s call, he just nodded his head slightly as he continued to depart.

“…It shouldn’t be too late if we wait to test them after they’ve arrived at the castle…,” Gilead hesitantly argued.

Doynes shot him down, “Then it wouldn’t be much of a test, now would it, Patriarch? Could it be that you don’t trust your children?”

“…Of course not,” Gilead denied the accusation.

Doynes stated, “Things are different from the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. It would have no meaning if we were to adjust the criteria out of consideration for the age and experience of the children. Especially since… the Patriarch’s children are…. Haha. It might not be the most comfortable thing for you to hear this, Patriarch, but aren’t they a lot more exceptional than you were at their age?”

“…If the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was going to be held like this, I feel like it would have been fine to include Eward as well,” Gilead gritted out as he fought back the urge to frown.

However, there was nothing that Gilead could do about the feelings swelling deep within his chest. Guessing the source of Gilead’s displeasure, Doynes shook his head as if he was sympathizing with Gilead.

“Do you still have some regrets for your eldest son?” Doynes asked.

Gilead remained silent, “….”

“Patriarch, I know it can’t be helped since he is your son, but you should let go of your regrets towards Eward. Because that child doesn’t want to have anything to do with your regrets. You should be aware of it as well, right? Eward is living a peaceful life at your in-laws, and he’s finding his own happiness there.”

“…That might be the case, but Eward is my son, and he remains the eldest child of the direct line. It may be impossible for him to succeed me as Patriarch, but we should at least have the right to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony for him.”

“That child has already become an adult,” Doynes said with a wry smile as he patted Gilead on the shoulder.

Although Gilead didn’t continue speaking, he couldn’t quite comprehend what Doynes meant by these words.

It had been two years since Tanis and Eward had returned to the home of Gilead’s in-laws. During this time, Gilead had never once been able to meet with the two of them.

This was because the Council headed by Doynes would not allow him to do so. No matter how serious his son’s sins might have been, Gilead couldn’t accept being denied a meeting with him. However, he hadn’t even been able to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Eward, and he also hadn’t been allowed to visit his in-laws for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony that they had held for his son in his stead.

The fact that the eldest son of the main family had tried to learn black magic was a grave sin that had splashed mud all over the name of the Lionheart clan, which had been passed down for over three hundred years. Usually, it wouldn’t have been strange for Eward to have been cast out of the family because of this issue.

‘…Though, in fact, he practically has been cast out,’ Gilead grumbled to himself.

If they weren’t going to the extent of casting him out, shouldn’t they have at least given Eward a chance to atone for his sins by assigning him a punishment? Gilead had questioned the Council about this matter several times, but Doynes refused to change his position.

As for his reasons for this… Gilead could only make vague assumptions. Doynes and the Council members might suspect that Eward may have been tempted into trying to learn black magic at the behest of someone else. And perhaps Eward, taking advantage of the main family — including Gilead — turning their attention away from him, might just try to learn black magic once again….

So the Council was using Eward as bait to draw out their internal and external enemies.

Although Gilead could understand the logic behind this, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of dissatisfaction, disappointment, and rage towards the Council. In any case, even though he was the Patriarch of the main family, since his son had committed such a crime, Gilead could not oppose the Council’s will.

‘…Eward,’ Gilead thought wistfully as he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.

He might believe in his son, but the Council would never trust Eward.

* * *

Rustle.

Eugene glanced down at the leaves and branches that were cracking beneath his feet, then looked back up at the sky, but the sky was hard to see because the foliage was so thick.

“…Hm,” Eugene hummed consideringly as he rubbed his chin and turned to look at his surroundings.

A few traces that had been carved into the tree trunks caught his eye.

‘There’s a barrier.’

Although he had already predicted that there would be one, now he knew for sure. This barrier seemed designed to distort the sense of direction of anyone caught within it, making them go around and around in the same places. Eugene grinned as he picked up a few branches that had fallen onto the forest floor and cracked them between his hands.

Then, as he dropped the wood fragments one by one, Eugene started to move forward. He wasn’t just dropping the pieces of wood straight down, but instead throwing them in various directions. He thought about shattering the barrier entirely with the Moonlight Sword, but it was clear that doing so would only cause trouble for him afterward.

The Moonlight Sword’s name hadn’t been left in any historical records. Even the books passed down through the direct line had nothing written about the Moonlight Sword.

‘Though in the first place, I wonder if it’s even possible to break a barrier of this size with the current Moonlight Sword.’

Having dropped them into the forest, were they just supposed to make their way back to the Black Lion Castle? That was what Eugene had initially thought, but this couldn’t just be a simple orienteering exercise.

This forest was quite dangerous. Although it hadn’t been that long since he was dropped off in the forest, Eugene had already encountered two Twin-Headed Ogres, which — like their name suggested — were ogres with two heads.

‘Usually, there’s no way that the two of them would be found in the same area,’ Eugene observed.

Ogres were one of the most powerful among all medium-sized monsters, and the two-headed variants were especially strong. When settling down, they usually took an entire forest as their territory. There was no way that it was a coincidence that Eugene had met two such ogres, who didn’t form groups and instead lived solitary lives, in such a short period of time.

They had to have been born and raised here. It wasn’t just ogres either. The entire forest was probably a huge breeding ground for monsters.

‘Isn’t this too much for a kid’s test?’ Eugene asked himself.

Though that’s only if they were talking about normal kids. As the children of the direct line, could they be trusting Cyan and Eugene to easily pass something like this? No. If that was what they were thinking, this was actually too easy. No matter how dangerous ogres might be, as long as you were able to wield sword-force skillfully, they weren’t too difficult as opponents.

‘It’s not like they’ve restricted our mana like during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony.’

The only thing that was currently bothering Eugene was the barrier that was making him wander through the forest, unable to find his way. But if they were just going to keep the hindrances to something like this, there was no way they would have dropped Eugene and Cyan from the sky at the start of the test.

There was a change in the wind.

“Indeed, just as expected,” Eugene said with a grin as he bent his knees.

Cracracrack!

Tree branches falling from a high place crashed down onto Eugene’s head. In order not to get caught up in that, Eugene leaped backward and then looked up again.

“Huh,” Eugene grunted.

This time, he really was surprised. The next thing to swoop down from the sky towards him was a giant wyvern. Even though a monster of that size was plunging down on him from straight above, he had been late in noticing it because of the barrier.

The wyvern’s attack was surprising enough, but the person riding in the saddle on the wyvern’s back surprised Eugene even more.

Eugene bluntly asked, “Since when did you go around riding wyverns?”

The rider was Ciel Lionheart. While pulling back on its reins, she gave him a puzzled look.

“How could you tell I was coming?” She asked him.

Ciel couldn’t help but be surprised. The barrier spread throughout the entire forest was the work of the Sixth Division, which was made up of battle wizards who could be found even among the ranks of the Knights of the Black Lion.

This barrier was meant to completely obscure the attacker’s presence. Yet, despite this, Eugene hadn’t panicked at being caught in a barrier and had been able to respond to the unexpected attack. Ciel just couldn’t believe that this was true.

“The wind was too noisy,” Eugene explained.

“What kind of crazy talk is that?” Ciel questioned as she reined back her wyvern.

Whoosh!

With a large flap of its wings that overturned a whole patch of the forest floor, the wyvern struck at Eugene. Once again, Eugene retreated quickly and pushed his hands into his cloak.

“As expected, you’re here to stop me,” Eugene commented. “I thought it would be too easy if it were just these monsters.”

“It’s been a long time since we last saw each other, and is that all you have to say?” Ciel complained.

“That goes for you as well. Don’t you think you’re too much by attacking me without even saying hello?” Eugene argued back.

“…Doesn’t your head hurt?” Ciel asked instead of answering his question