Episode 19. The Knight and the Mage (1)
The Black Guards vanished like the wind as soon as Torres's condition improved.
As the direct subordinates of the family head, they maintained a hotline using communication magic and crystal orbs. Yet they left without a single word to me, only abandoning a lone card.
Magic Card No. 9.
Abandonment or Survival.
A bitter taste lingered on my lips. It seemed the family head disapproved of my actions.
In the end, I’d acted in a manner unbefitting an Arahant, and the consequences came swiftly.
“……So this means I’m on my own now?”
“That’s the gist of it.”
“Our solid backing is gone too?”
“Are you disappointed?”
Riu sighed and hung his head. While losing the Black Guards’ support was regrettable, I considered it a blessing. At least we wouldn’t have outsiders complicating matters like during the Clark incident.
Riu pressed close to me, eyes darting as he lowered his voice.
“We’ll need to tread carefully from now on. Without the Black Guards’ protection, our corpses could rot on the roadside unnoticed.”
“That won’t happen.”
“Can’t you feel the tension here?”
We’d arrived at Tamaya with the knights.
Thanks to this, I’d even ridden Bahaal’s white steed. The beast lived up to its reputation as the empire’s finest mount – terrifyingly swift.
Though I’d expected knightly pride to forbid such permission, they’d granted me the rear seat. Likely because I’d aided Torres.
“The knights are blatantly wary of us. They’ll kill us at the first excuse.”
“If they were mages and I a knight, they’d have acted already.”
“If you were a knight? What nonsense—”
“Knights value honor above all. Senseless slaughter stains their pride.”
Single-minded factions are easiest to manipulate.
Offer mages sufficient profit. Appeal to knights’ sense of honor.
Ultimately, Torres’ survival was my doing. Even sworn enemies can’t murder their savior without cause – at least, not the Bahaal knights I knew.
They might even seek to repay the debt.
“They won’t act unless we give them cause.”
“I desperately hope you’re right.”
“Wait.”
The atmosphere shifted abruptly. Knights who’d been pacing outside now hurried into the tent, laughter and chatter soon echoing within.
Torres must have awakened.
“The Lord requests your presence. Follow me.”
A knight emerged moments later, his courteous demeanor putting Riu on edge. But I detected meaning in his formality – likely, Torres had ordered respectful treatment. A sign of non-hostility.
“Please be seated.”
Inside the tent, Torres sat enthroned at the head.
Though still recovering, he wore full armor before a mage – whether as protection or protocol, I couldn’t say.
I settled boldly into my seat. When Riu finally perched stiffly beside me, Torres offered tea with practiced grace.
“Minar tea from our family’s gardens. The aroma is exceptional.”
He sipped first – a pointless gesture given my poison immunity, but polite nonetheless. For Riu’s skeptical benefit, I drank before speaking.
“I hate stuffy formalities. Shall we drop honorifics?”
“……?”
“You’re seventeen this year? Let’s keep things comfortable.”
Torres blinked at the sudden proposal. My offer relied on sensing his lack of hostility. After a beat, he chuckled and nodded.
“Hm. And your age?”
“This body’s about fifteen.”
“I’m two years senior.”
“Want me to call you ‘hyung’?”
“I’ll decline. Mage and knight as sworn brothers? Unseemly.”
“Wasn’t planning to anyway.”
Torres snorted in amusement while Riu nervously monitored his reactions. My inexplicable sense of familiarity made the knight oddly endearing.
I knew better than anyone – Torres’ cool demeanor hid depths.
“Before business – my thanks. You saved this life.”
A knight thanking a mage. Remarkable.
The Lord of Bahaal, whose pride could pierce heavens, spoke such words.
“My gratitude as well. I rode Bahaal’s white steed thanks to you. Truly the empire’s finest.”
“……An Arahant praising Bahaal. Unexpected.”
“Everyone appreciates excellence. Homes, timepieces, vehicles.”
“Minar tea is also the empire’s finest. Its fragrance is unmatched.”
“Shame it’s not faster.”
“Quality tea demands patience.”
Observing him closely, I marveled at his heroic bearing. Only I could understand this thrill – conversing with my most cherished character.
Torres shifted gears, demeanor sobering.
“Enough pleasantries. You claimed Clark’s death was a misunderstanding. Explain.”
“Self-defense.”
“Detail the circumstances. I’ll judge its validity.”
So rigid.
But necessary to clear my name.
I recounted events from the detention center onward, omitting mentions of the System and synchronization. Mana awakening and lightning energy stayed secret.
Torres’ growing nods signaled acceptance.
“Arahant doesn’t flee approaching battles. They sought my death – I retaliated.”
“If truthful, self-defense applies.”
“Imperial law permits it. Hence ‘misunderstanding’.”
“All hinges on your account’s truthfulness.”
His surface skepticism didn’t fool me. Beneath formalities, he believed – else he’d never have shown courtesy. As southern commander, he simply followed protocol.
“Had I not sought truth, I’d have let you die. Cleanest solution.”
“……True enough.”
“Do you believe me now?”
“First answer this – why save me? With Black Guards present, you could’ve escaped unresolved. Moreover, Arahant and we…”
He trailed off.
Was he… moved?
“I don’t hate knights.”
“A mage who doesn’t despise knights?”
“They’re admirable. Devoting everything to their blade. Relentless training suits me.”
“Mages pursue strength similarly.”
“I’ve always preferred close combat.”
“……You’re peculiar.”
Torres studied me strangely. When I stared back, he coughed and produced a pouch.
“Powdered Minar tea. Brew with hot water anytime. An apology for the misunderstanding.”
“Hmm……”
"Hmm…"
"Why? I thought you said you liked the best."
"I’d rather have something else."
"Something else?"
"Bahal's white horse. Since you tried to attack me, I deserve that as an apology."
"……That’s impossible. Bahal's white horse isn’t something anyone can own."
He truly embodied the honor-bound nature of a knight.
He didn’t need to offer a gift at all, yet he looked visibly conflicted.
Nothing like that washed-up knight Clark. This was the true knight of 'Last Saber' I knew.
"If that’s too much, I’ll make another request."
"If it’s within my authority, I’ll grant it."
"Find Riu’s younger sibling."
When his name was called, Riu’s eyes widened as he stared at me.
His gaze seemed to ask why I’d waste such a valuable favor, though a flicker of gratitude lingered beneath.
Torres asked, "A sibling? Why make such a request?"
"I promised."
"What do you gain from this?"
"Strictly speaking, nothing."
"Then why?"
"I told you—promises must be kept."
"……Odd. Why act without gain? Aren’t you a mage?"
Mages prioritize profit. Torres viewed me through that lens.
What was obvious to me meant nothing to them.
"Clark lacked all honor. Just as not all knights value honor, not all mages are the same. To me, trust matters more than profit."
"Trust over profit…? You’re the first mage I’ve heard say that."
"You’re the first knight like Clark I’ve encountered."
"You’re nothing like the mages I know."
"With Bahal’s influence in the south, your help would expedite things."
"Seeking aid to uphold trust is honorable. I’ll devote my full efforts to assist."
Refreshingly decisive.
Claiming no personal benefit wasn’t entirely true.
In the south, no asset surpasses forging ties with Torres.
With the Black Guard out of the picture, the Bahal family would become my new backing.
I’d honor trust while securing practical gains.
Teleportation gates require time to recharge mana after each use.
Since Torres and his knights had used it to reach Tamaya, it would take 24 hours to reactivate.
Forced charging was possible, but Torres had no interest in that.
He provided Zed’s group with the most spacious quarters.
There, Zed trained as usual while Riu watched.
‘How embarrassing…’
Though too awkward to show gratitude, Riu felt genuinely moved.
This was Bahal himself. Their favor could unlock countless opportunities—Berti mountain beef, family influence, everything.
Yet he’d requested something as trivial as finding a street rat’s sibling…
Zed, observing nearby, defied every rumor about typical mages.
His training alone marked him as different.
"Zed, hungry? Want me to grab something? Any Berti mountain beef here?"
"Let’s finish this set and eat together."
Riu wasn’t alone in finding Zed peculiar. Torres, discreetly watching, shared the sentiment.
Torres couldn’t hide his astonishment at the sight of Zed drenched in sweat.
‘What’s this?! A mage sweating…? Since when?’
What defined a mage?
Those who scorned sweat as barbaric. Those who lounged in comfort, meditating like ascetics.
Yet here was Zed, training relentlessly as if such notions meant nothing.
‘Unbelievable. That Arahant produced someone like him…’
His physique showed years of discipline, not days.
His muscular frame surpassed most knights, every sinew honed through relentless effort.
‘Had I misjudged them all?’
Torres knew fragments of Zed’s story.
Abandoned for lacking mana. A half-breed cast out by his family.
Most would’ve crumbled, but not Zed.
‘…Compensating through sheer effort.’
A futile endeavor, yet his persistence commanded respect. Far nobler than surrendering to despair.
‘Zed Arahant…’
A knight needed no sword if they had honor.
But without honor, no sword could make them a knight.
Torres wondered:
Could I remain honorable like Zed if stripped of my blade?
A mage without mana was a knight without a sword.
An unthinkable horror—yet Zed faced it with unnerving calm.
He embodied the knightly ethos itself.
As Torres marveled, a subordinate approached.
"Sir Torres, here you are."
"Yes. Just a moment…"
"Dinner is ready. Will you join?"
"…Very well."
Torres turned toward the lodging, then paused. Glancing back at Zed, he asked:
"Can you procure Berti beef?"
"Possible, but… why?"
"I wish to invite Zed Arahant."
"Invite him?! You mean dine alongside a mage?!"
The knight recoiled.
A millennium of rivalry and loathing between their kinds.
Providing lodging already breached norms—now sharing a meal?
Yet Torres replied as though it were obvious:
"Even a mage can teach us much. Does knighthood not demand learning from all—even children?"
"But if the family head hears—"
"The head always said: ‘An open heart sees the wider world.’ Today, I finally understand."
Torres resolved then:
He’d befriend this mage who out-knighted every knight.
His eyes blazed with cerulean conviction.
