The Andras Empire...

The powerful so-called sword empire had existed as Meltor’s enemy for centuries. These two nations in the northern region of the continent had in some ways mirrored each other through their long rivalry. However, unlike Meltor, who dedicated themselves to fostering magic and senior magicians, the Andras Empire nourished aura and aura users.

The Andras Empire was said to be a kingdom of sword kings. All children were required to undergo mandatory training at one of the Imperial Household Agency’s schools when they reached the age of seven. Only a third of the students survived, but it allowed the empire to birth more aura users than any other country on the continent.

“The biggest problem with the Andras Empire was that its lunacy actually produced results. Only the Empire has ever produced seven sword masters in one generation.”

Those seven sword masters had become the Seven Swords who represented the Andras Empire. It was the reason the Andras Empire had yet to lose against the Meltor Kingdom’s two 8th Circle magicians and senior magician corps. Aura users who achieved the state of a sword master were already close to a living storm.

The most famous of the Seven Swords was rumored to have an offensive ability that rivaled Veronica.

Theodore carefully listened to Vince and asked, “... Then why is the empire sending a delegation? They seem like people who would rather speak with swords than words.”

Meltor had been struggling against the Empire for centuries. That constant struggle had seeped into every aspect of their lives. In fact, their education system was full of negative Andras Empire stereotypes. However, Vince didn’t argue against the stereotyping. In fact, the Andras Empire did prefer to fight rather than get into arguments, but only because they were powerful enough to ignore diplomacy and just battle.

“Hmm, that might be the case for those not involved with politics. Countries that just rely on force don’t last that long on this continent. However, the Andras Empire is scary because they figured out how to apply force in different ways.”

Theo’s brows furrowed. “Using it differently...”

Vince continued, “The delegation this time is coming to discuss the armistice that was signed after the last war. However, I would bet that you are also one of the topics on their agenda.”

“Huh? Me?” Theodore was surprised by the sudden change in topic.

However, Vince answered casually, “They’ll be wondering about your relationship with the high elf and Elvenheim. They also doubt the authenticity of the hero who seemingly appeared out of thin air. The ambassadors will probably start the bargaining in earnest after seeing your value.”

Theo groaned, “Hah, international relations are fairly complex.”

Vince chuckled. “It means that you are a key figure. A high elf is far more important than I’d thought.”

There were only five high elves in Elvenheim, despite having a population that numbered over half of all the elves on the continent. The recently added Ellenoa increased it to six, but that didn’t change the fact that they were extremely rare. Elvenheim had incurred an enormous debt to the magician who had rescued and protected the sixth high elf. They may even break the neutrality that they had maintained for hundreds of years.

The Magic Society might have reached out to him even if he hadn’t been of the Superior rank. From the perspective of the Magic Society, it was no surprise that Theo was treated exceptionally well in the Superior rank.

It is a specification that can be a little annoying.

Now that some uninvited guests had interrupted his magic training, Theo couldn’t help but click his tongue in irritation. He wasn’t going to complain about a mission, but he didn’t want to be treated as a political tool.

***

As they finished their conversation, Theo and Vince reached their destination.

Tch, as expected.

Theo walked forward while ignoring the gazes that started to land on him. They only increased as he walked through the doors of the auditorium. It was clear that they all recognized him. After all, there was only one young Superior with dark hair. After he had been sworn in at the court ball half a year ago, there was not a single member of the Magic Society who wouldn’t recognize him.

He could hear some of the gossip as he walked forward.

“That’s Theodore Miller...?”

“He’s younger than I thought? It seems like the rumor about him being barely twenty is true.”

“A 5th Circle master at that age... I can’t believe it. He’s also the only survivor of the convoy. Then again, he’s a Red Tower sprout, so maybe they exaggerated that achievement?”

“Well, let’s just watch for a while. We’ll find out soon enough whether things have been exaggerated or not.”

There was no need to respond, so Theo just ignored them in favor of taking his place in the auditorium. The Magic Society defaulted to this venue when they needed to make large presentations, so there was more than enough space for the hundred magicians gathered.

Yet, something else filled up the space.

It’s so big, yet the mana density is so suffocating… Ordinary people probably wouldn’t be able to breathe properly in this auditorium. 

The presence of one hundred and thirty-two Superior ranked magicians had raised the mana density to the point where normally intangible mana was visibly weighing down on the occupants. If the magicians had intentionally brought their magic power to bear, their target would be overwhelmed by the sheer pressure.

At that moment, an old man suddenly appeared on the auditorium stage. “Huhu, it’s nice to see everyone here so quickly.”

Strangely enough, the old man seemed to be unaffected by the heavy mana in the air. In fact, it almost seemed like the mana around him was abnormally calm, like the center of a hurricane. But Theo had met many examples by now, so he quickly realized who this old man was.

This old man’s definitely at the master level. 

Only masters, 7th Circle magicians who went beyond the limits of a human, could bend mana to their will so easily. It would be trivial for them to manipulate mana pressure. Theo had never met the president of the Magic Society before, but he seemed to be another one of Meltor’s masters. Indeed, he was qualified to be the president of the Magic Society.

“First, I would like to thank you for coming despite the suddenness of the announcement. This delegation of Andras was unexpected, so this old man only just heard about it. Thank you for your understanding.” The president of the Magic Society bowed and expressed his heartfelt gratitude for their presence.

The irritation on some of the magicians’ faces faded away. After all, the important issue was the Andras Empire’s intentions with this delegation to Meltor.

The Magic Society president raised his head. “I’ll be brief. Everyone has already heard that Andras is sending a delegation. We are gathered here to discuss how we are going to treat these uninvited guests.

The president’s words rang clearly through the auditorium. As he continued speaking, Theo’s attention was caught by some of the details. It seemed Andras had managed to infuse even its diplomatic efforts with its customary aggression and brutality.

Although… aren’t daily duels more akin to the customs of an orc village than a centuries old empire?

This was no modest sparring match. People had and continued to die in these duels. One of the more famous examples of this meritocracy was the member of the Seven Swords who had started as a slave. But there were also many men who claimed dukedoms as a result of winning their duels. Andras had taken this national practice and forced it into their diplomatic missions.

The president continued, “I’m sure everyone here is aware that Andras treats duels as a battle for survival, rather than the instructive sparring we are accustomed to. We learned this thirty years ago when a certain magician corp clashed with the ambassador and we had to deal with several casualties. It would be best if we avoided the same.

Andras only sent a delegation twice or thrice in a century, but they always resulted in bloodshed. Meltor was particularly vulnerable at the moment, since they had lost several capable magicians in the convoy battle. If Andras caught a whiff of their weakness, they might launch another war.

The gathered magicians nodded solemnly. The president’s words were reasonable, and they all knew it. But his next words caused a chill to run down their backs.

“I’ve been informed that two of the Seven Swords will be accompanying this delegation. No matter what the provocation, there is no hope if you meet the blade of a master in a duel.”

If a senior magician had a nemesis, it would be a sword master. These elite warriors could close a gap of several hundred meters in an instant and use their absurdly honed aura to cut right through defensive spells. All magicians grew up fearing these battlefield reapers, so the senior magicians stiffened at the president’s words. A sword wielded absolute strength, so magicians below the 7th Circle were just like straw to them.

As the auditorium grew quiet, the president’s eyes turned in another direction.

The president of the Magic Society met Theo’s gaze and advised clearly, “Theodore Miller, you should be especially careful. As the main target of the delegation, you shouldn’t accept their challenges no matter what.”

Theo politely inclined his head. “Yes, I understand.”

The president added, “I don’t doubt your competence, but this is a matter of nations. Uncertain gambles should be avoided at all costs. Don’t fall into the foolishness of youth.”

When he saw Theo acquiesce, the old man turned his attention to the other senior magicians.

The Andras delegation... and the sword masters.

Theo didn’t share the apprehension of the other magicians. In fact, he was feeling a little expectant. He had no illusions about competing against the masters. However, Theo was knocking against the wall of the 6th Circle, so he might find inspiration from the existence of the masters themselves.

As the atmosphere in the auditorium remained tense, Theodore silently formed fists in his sleeves. He had a feeling that his six months of quiet were ending.

Six days later, the Andras delegation arrived, accompanied by two sword masters.