The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

“This is where you’ll be staying.”

“...Is this really a room?”

“Of course. You can sleep, rest, and eat here.”

After returning from Duaat’s realm, Nain Darhon wasted no time bringing Serica and Mikhail to the underground of the Grand Library.

The underground was divided into dozens of floors with seemingly endless, deep stairs, and each floor had numerous stone doors. When they opened one of them, they were surprised to find a small room just big enough for two people waiting for them inside.

“You’re lucky. The Immortal Council practices dark magic. They don’t teach any other kind of magic. Of course, there are books on other types of magic in the Grand Library. Aside from the Ivory Tower of the Dawn Council, there’s no place in the empire or any other principality that has as many magic books as we do.”

Nain Darhon folded his arms as he looked at Mikhail and Serica.

“You won’t find it cramped after you settle in. Just like during the Book of Challenges, you’ll be training within your own minds. Of course, rest and meals are guaranteed. Outside of that, it’s pure training.”

“...”

Mikhail swallowed dryly, appearing to tense up at Nain Darhon’s words.

“Oh, and don’t even think about trying anything funny just because you’re in the same space. Stay sharp.”

“Wh-What...?!”

But that was short-lived as Mikhail shouted in surprise, his face bright red.

***

“Haha, they really are noisy brats.”

Nain chuckled, sitting in the remaining chair of his ruined study after returning from the underground.

After the fierce battle with Duaat, the top of the library, with its roof completely blown off, had become a total wreck.

“You’re the noisy one. The Immortal Council are supposed to be more serious, more sober, ” Karyl replied with a smirk.

“There’s a greater sorcerer than me, and a kid who solved something I couldn’t. Why should I pretend to be serious?” Nain Darhon snorted, seeming somewhat relieved. Indeed, he could now exist in this place simply as an individual, rather than as the leader.

Whoosh...

Even the cold wind coming through the shattered ceiling and walls felt refreshing.

“Exactly. If a youngster tries to act all serious, it’s just pretentious and useless,” Allen added. “This guy’s become the lord of a state, and now he’s all high and mighty. I reckon you didn’t even finish the magic training I assigned you.”

“Stop nagging me. It’s been a long time since we met.”

“See? Look at him, look at him.” Allen Javius pointed at Karyl, looking at Nain as if seeking agreement.

“There’s more important work than conquering the continent,” Allen went on. “As you said, you need subordinates and allies. You can’t do everything alone. But if you’re weak, you can’t do anything.”

“I know.” Karyl nodded. How could he forget? After all, his comrades from his previous life had all died because of his own weakness.

“Karyl, our meeting was a bit unusual, but I don’t bother with those without potential. The same goes for you, Darhon.”

Nain Darhon, who had been listening quietly to Allen Javius, swallowed nervously.

“Training isn’t just for those kids. You two need it as well.”

“Allen, there are things we need to do first. The Void Speck can be dealt with later, but there’s one more person we need to find.”

“That necromancer from 250 years ago? Is it related to that Kaye Aesir fellow again?” Allen answered in a somewhat disinterested voice, recalling their initial comparison during their first meeting at the Gray Training Ground.

“Hey, rookie. You said you knew them, right? Spill it out, quickly. We don’t have time.”

“Yes? Ah, yes! Yes, sir,” Nain Darhon replied stiffly, like a new recruit in a magic society. A millennium ago, Allen Javius, an original Grand Sorcerer, held immense stature, yet not even other ordinary Grand Sorcerers would have frozen in fear before him as they did now.

The reason lay in the nature of their elements.

Unlike their innate elements, the sorcerers of the Immortal Council trained in the unique element of dark energy. This process was known as Element Transformation. It was the Immortal Council’s unique method of layering a new element over their innate one.

It was certainly an unconventional approach, feeling more like a shortcut—something akin to the Magic Transformation technique from the Eastern Land.

When Aidan unlocked the box from the corpse of the Bone Dragon in the Aerial Woods, he mentioned that the continent’s black magic might have been based on the Arcane technique of the Eastern Land.

In that sense, the black magic of the Immortal Council, which had evolved from ancient black magic, likely contained elements of Eastern techniques.

“Hmm...”

And of course, at the pinnacle of this was the Dark Spirit King, Duaat. With Allen Javius wielding his power, it was no exaggeration to say that, for Nain Darhon, facing Allen was similar to confronting a god.

“Even with the blood of the Darhon family, living for 250 years is impossible. You haven’t met him yourself, have you?” Allen asked.

“No, sir, I haven’t. It’s a story I heard from my father, Nike Darhon, the former leader of the Immortal Council.”

“Wait, your father? He was alive 250 years ago?” Karyl chuckled incredulously.

“Yes, he was alive. Can’t you tell by looking at me? Direct descendants of our family live long lives, almost up to three hundred years.”

Indeed, although Nain Darhon appeared to be a seventy-year-old man, his appearance was closer to Karyl’s age. Of course, Karyl’s appearance was also affected by the dragon heart, making him look more mature for his age, but even without that, Nain Darhon barely looked like an adult.

“Well, how old was he when he had you?”

“About 140, I guess.”

“I knew your family lived long lives, but not to that extent.”

“Israphil...?” Karyl muttered.

Nain Darhon tilted his head, trying to remember who that was, but it seemed to evade him.

“You probably wouldn’t know. If you find him later, let me know. He’s probably holed up somewhere in the Grand Library, reading books.”

“Hmm...”

“You won’t need him, so I’ll take him with me later.”

Nain was puzzled that Karyl knew someone that not even he, the leader of the Immortal Council, could remember, but such curiosity had become trivial by now.

“Is your father the necromancer Karyl is looking for?” Allen asked Nain Darhon again, who had been waiting.

“No. My father once mentioned that Kaye Aesir visited here before going to hunt the Flame Dragon.”

That must be it.

Karyl recalled the memory of Riseria when he had consumed the Flame Dragon’s heart.

But there were no other companions in that memory...?

It was clear that Kaye Aesir had hunted the Flame Dragon alone.

“They had a different purpose than dragon hunting. They were seeking a certain kind of magic," Nain Darhon responded to Karyl’s unspoken question.

“What was it?”

“The Great Magic.”

“...”

Karyl had heard of that before. It was something Ramine had mentioned when they first met in the Flame Dragon’s lair.

“In the past, there was one person who, like me, wielded dragon mana and used the power of spirits. That power was called the Great Magic.”

Ramine had definitely said that.

“That magic could even kill a god, quite literally.”

Recalling this, Karyl exhaled deeply. As one of the Ten of the Oracle, he had experienced many extraordinary things. But the more he learned, the more he realized that the path walked by the pioneers of the past was even more treacherous than the one he now tread.

What he so desperately desired—killing a god—had already been attempted two hundred fifty years ago, carrying significant implications.

“But, kid, aren’t you looking for the companion of this Kaye Aesir?”

“That’s right.”

“Is that guy truly a better necromancer than Wel Bahar of the Seven Elders? If not, is it really necessary to find him?” Allen spoke with a hint of pride in his voice. And why wouldn’t he? The Seven Elders were all masters in their respective fields.

“Wel... Wel Bahar?!” Nain Darhon exclaimed in astonishment. It was only natural for him to react like that. After all, if Allen was an original sorcerer, then Wel Bahar was an original necromancer.

Though the Immortal Council focused more on curses and black magic than necromancy, Wel Bahar’s name was revered among them.

“Well, I don't know. But I’m not looking for his expertise. I’m after the treasure he might have left behind. Considering Kaye Aesir’s last words, it's likely they hid something valuable.”

“Hmm...”

In his past life, Karyl had unearthed many relics for the Church, but he had never found any connected to Kaye Aesir’s companions. He hadn’t known about Einheri either, which suggested that the three of them were anything but ordinary.

“Master, I don’t know much either. However, as Karyl mentioned, one of Kaye Aesir’s comrades was a necromancer, and the other was a swordsman.”

Nain Darhon referred to Allen as “master” with a hint of cheekiness.

“A swordsman?” Karyl looked at him.

“Yes. But there’s no information about the swordsman. My father remembered the necromancer because they belonged to the same discipline as us.”

“Hmm... Any clues?”

“My father said he used a unique form of necromancy.”

“A unique form of necromancy?”

“They don’t exist on this continent. Or rather, they don’t anymore. It’s an extinct technique now, called puppetry, which involves placing a resurrected soul into a golem.”

This was something Karyl had never heard of before.

“Haha, I didn’t know someone was using that 250 years ago. That technique had nearly vanished even during the Magical Era,” Allen murmured in surprise.

“Really?”

“The biggest advantage of necromancy is that even if the body is destroyed, it can be restored with mana. But puppetry doesn’t work that way. It requires special strings at each joint for the puppeteer to control directly.]

“I recall that the necromancer’s puppets had their own will,” Nain Darhon added.

At that, Allen asked curiously, “Is that so? A puppeteer of that caliber existed back then? Now I’m curious.”

“High-level undead also have a will when resurrected with powerful magic, don’t they?” Karyl thought of the dormant Zarka Hochi in his Freezing Talon.

“True, but it’s different,” said Allen. “The main advantage of puppetry is that it uses special threads called Fate Strings, which connect the puppet to the sorcerer. Depending on the sorcerer’s skill, the spirit within the puppet can fully display the power it had in life.”

Most liches or wraiths revived through necromancy could barely use half of their power from when they were alive. In that sense, Zarka Hochi was an elf of extraordinary mana.

“Also, until the Fate String is severed, the puppet is forced to obey the sorcerer’s commands,” Allen explained. “The contract process is more complicated than regular necromancy, though.”

“That’s fascinating. I didn't know such a technique existed.”

Karyl turned to Nain Darhon. “Do you know who it is?”

Unfortunately, Nain Darhon shook his head.

“But I know the family.”

“Come to think of it, there was a family renowned for their puppetry even in the Magical Era.”

To their surprise, both Karyl and Allen spoke simultaneously.

“The Rothschild family, right?”

“The Rothschild family.”

As soon as the words left their mouths, Nain Darhon and Allen Javius exchanged glances.

“Could it be that the family still exists? It’s been a thousand years, and they’ve maintained their lineage?” Allen, appearing more astonished, questioned Nain Darhon.

“They do,” Karyl responded. “It’s amazing what you can live to see, that the Rothschild family still possesses such abilities.”

Nain Darhon found it absurd that Karyl, who appeared to be only fourteen, would say such things, but age was no longer relevant.

“Do you know something?”

“Yes. If my memory serves, they’re in the principality, not the empire.”

“Are you sure? If there was such a family in the principality, I would know.”

“I’m certain. It’s natural you don’t know. The Rothschild family was exterminated.”

“Exterminated...?”

Nain Darhon sensed something strange in Karyl's words.

Kay Rothschild.

However, Karyl seemed unconcerned with Nain Darhon’s question, instead recalling a name from his past.

I don’t know if it’s coincidence or fate, that one of the Ten of the Oracle is connected to puppetry...

The family had disappeared. Before the Oracle, no one knew of her existence. After the empire unified the continent, Karyl learned she was a fallen noble while finding the Ten of the Oracle.

Emperor Olivurn had promised to restore the Rothschild family if she completed the Oracle. Of course, it had all been a lie.

She was an unusual woman. But I never saw her use puppetry... Maybe the technique wasn’t passed down.

It was a mystery, but Karyl was certain he had to meet her in order to find out.

“It doesn’t matter. I was planning to go to the principality after dealing with the empire anyway. Now, I just have another reason to go.”

“You’re not planning to learn puppetry, are you?”

“If possible. But more importantly, finding a necromancer who can use that technique would be ideal.”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“Not yet. But someone with the blood of that family is likely better suited than me.”

“Must you go through all that trouble? You can learn necromancy from the Immortal Council.”

Karyl lifted his Freezing Talon and said, “There is a reason.”

“Ah, the one still sleeping.” Allen chuckled at the sight. Only Nain Darhon, unaware of the context, looked at him in confusion.

Sure, I can revive him with necromancy. But he won’t be able to use all his powers from when he was alive.

Even without using all his powers, Zarka Hochi had managed to build the Ghost Castle. Karyl couldn’t help getting excited at the prospect of using all of his abilities.

I shall revive Zarka Hochi with puppetry.

He slowly nodded to himself.