Is There a Dark Mage? (1)
Ghislain first sent a letter to Rio, asking him to buy and send as many spell books as he could find.
Although it would mostly be low-circle spells, learning magic unknown to Astion wouldn't hurt.
"I can learn them all, anyway."
Ghislain spent the money he had on hand to gather as many commissions as possible from nearby territories, also searching for rumors of mages committing crimes and on the run.
While he used an information guild to collect data, Ghislain relentlessly learned every spell Astion knew.
Swish!
Chunks of ice flew through the air.
"Wow, this is great. I'll live comfortably when I go back."
Ghislain was delighted that magic could be used for everyday life, not just combat. He especially enjoyed drinking cold water.
Life as a mercenary had come with countless inconveniences. Purifying water, dealing with heat or cold, and keeping food fresh were always challenges.
After reaching a certain level, enduring those hardships became manageable, but enduring wasn't the same as convenience.
But now, look at this. All those daily inconveniences were being solved quickly.
"I feel like I've been missing out. I should've been a mage from the start."
If he truly had taken that path, he wouldn't have grown as much as he had now. With Ghislain's personality, sticking to the vast studies of magic would have been impossible.
This shortcut made it fun. In just a few days, he had wrung out every bit of magic Astion knew.
'Hey, are you sure you don't know anything else?'
— No... This is so unfair...
Astion was naturally sensitive enough to host souls.
This sensitivity allowed him to sense mana quickly and learn magic more easily than others.
But even he had to study for years to grasp the intricacies of magic, which was an incredibly complex field.
'I might be a genius. My talent is terrifying…'
Denying he'd ever thought this would be a lie. Astion took pride in his innate talent and hard-earned skills.
He was always grateful for the luck of being a host to spirits.
But watching Ghislain casually absorb several spells a day, without even knowing the principles, left Astion in despair.
— Maybe I'm… trash… Magic isn't done with the brain, but the body…
Astion, whose standards had skyrocketed because of Ghislain, lost sight of the world's average and sank into self-pity.
Feeling Astion's gloom, Ghislain chuckled.
'Hey, don't get discouraged. I'll help you grow stronger, too.'
Though it was currently his body, Ghislain planned to return it to Astion one day, stronger and filled with mana.
As Ghislain mastered magic, their training routines shifted slightly.
Whoosh!
Dozens of fireballs appeared in the air.
"From today, we'll train against mages."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fireballs rained down mercilessly on the trio.
The sudden increase in difficulty left the three dazed.
"What… what is this?!"
The magic targeted their weak points like a knight's sword—except it was dozens at once.
Ghislain, who had fought many mages, applied his experience. Even the high priests of the Salvation Church often fought more like mages than priests.
Using that knowledge, he demonstrated attack techniques that ordinary mages couldn't mimic, reaching a superhuman level.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Arghhh!"
The trio couldn't block even a few fireballs. The ground beneath them quaked, preventing proper footing.
Human physical attacks have limits, but magic opened infinite possibilities.
The three were battered by chunks of ice and fireballs.
And that wasn't all. Ghislain's creativity led to absurd attacks that tormented them further.
"Wow, magic is so convenient."
Ghislain grinned as he continued casting spells. Learning new techniques was always exciting for him.
Meanwhile, the trio simply felt the torment had reached a new level.
Eventually, hot-tempered Kyle snapped first.
"I quit! How are we supposed to block this?!"
He turned and ran. Seeing this, Yulian and Deneb quickly followed.
"Oh? Running away? This is all for your survival!"
"Survival?! We're going to die like this!"
"I won't kill you!"
Ghislain spun his staff, chasing after the trio. He looked genuinely thrilled, which made them grind their teeth.
Apart from training the trio, Ghislain also began stabilizing his body with magic.
It wasn't a process that could be completed in one go. For now, he focused solely on maintaining balance.
Astion, though worried, could only watch.
While learning magic, Ghislain didn't neglect mana accumulation.
Using the mage's meditation Astion had taught him, he gathered mana.
"It's a shame I can't create a core."
If he formed a core in Astion's body now, it might clash with the circle's mana and cause a dangerous situation.
While Ghislain could control both core and circle's mana simultaneously, Astion couldn't yet. Thus, he refrained from creating a core.
Instead, he used mana circulation techniques and subtle willpower manipulation to gather mana.
Though not as advanced as Ghislain's own techniques, it was far faster than Astion doing it alone.
'Hm, I should look into even faster ways to gather mana.'
Still, Ghislain wasn't satisfied. Even though the method was faster than usual, it paled compared to his perfected mana techniques.
Thus, he intended to search for methods to enhance mana accumulation while looking for spellbooks.
'The stronger this body gets, the better it'll be for Astion.'
Ghislain could already seamlessly use both circle mana and core mana. The only difference lay in efficiency.
When he returned to reality, he could cast spells with his mana core. Here, he used magic with circle mana, so the more he had, the better.
Thus, the Yulian Mercenary Corps dedicated themselves to training while spending the ample money provided by Rio. Meanwhile, commissions and information steadily flowed to Ghislain.
"Ugh, this one's no good."
"Anything involving mages?"
"Good jobs are hard to come by."
Ghislain rejected all incoming requests. Recently, he'd been engrossed in magic. He wanted work that would reward him with spells as well.
Efficiency was his priority.
"Maybe I should move to another region…"
Wandering around, he might find a mage or a magic tower to target. Just as he was preparing to move for training—
"Oh? A dark mage?"
News came from a nearby territory, Nodehill, about a dark mage wreaking havoc.
The lord had attempted two purges, failing both times, and had even lost his life.
The heir, now the new lord, was gathering forces in fury for another purge.
The report noted that their court mage had also perished, and they were offering high rewards to mages.
'This sounds promising.'
Dark mages were rare, their knowledge more secretive than any other magic.
Some magic towers and kingdoms captured dark mages for research, but those caught were usually low-circle mages, offering little advancement.
Ghislain was intrigued. He decided it was worth capturing this one.
On top of that, defeating an evil enemy aligned with the Yulian Mercenary Corps' mission of goodwill and provided excellent training.
"Let's go catch this wicked dark mage!"
Ghislain quickly packed up and moved out.
Dark mages were still mages, which meant they might possess valuable spellbooks or magic items. Ghislain planned to extract everything he could.
Thus, the party rode swiftly to Nodehill Barony.
Nodehill was in chaos, still reeling from its lord's death after failing to purge the dark mage.
The late lord's son, Andrew, now the new baron, was gathering mercenaries. However, the response was slow.
"They failed twice already. That must mean it's incredibly strong."
"There's a rumor that the dark mage is a 5th-circle master. That would make it hard to capture."
"They're skilled and fight stealthily. No way a small barony like this can catch someone like that."
Most mercenaries refused the request, finding it too risky. Naturally, the number of volunteers remained small.
So when the Yulian Mercenary Corps, which included a mage and a priest, arrived, Andrew, the new baron, personally came out to welcome them.
"Welcome! As long as you can capture the dark mage, we'll spare no expense to reward you!"
The young baron Andrew had no intention of giving up on revenge. The barony was already gripped by fear due to the dark mage's experiments, and a purge was necessary.
However, requesting aid from other territories was difficult. Once another force entered his lands, they would find some excuse to take control. It was that kind of era.
Whether Andrew failed the purge or sought external help, he would face ruin either way. He had no other options.
Faced with such enthusiasm, Yulian raised his head and put on a haughty expression.
"We, the Yulian Mercenary Corps… will capture that dark mage and, and bend them backward, b-break their spine if needed."
Despite his arrogant expression, his face turned red and his speech faltered. Ghislain had forced him to act this way.
"Just hearing you speak is reassuring."
But the baron didn't find it awkward at all. He had already heard that Yulian had defeated the best knight of the Margell Barony and that Ghislain was a 5th-circle mage.
On top of that, they had a priestess, a natural enemy of dark mages. It was a small but formidable mercenary group.
Wearing an expression like Claude's, Ghislain spoke up beside Yulian.
"We'll accept the reward as stated in the contract. Any additional requirements for the mission will be provided separately."
"Of course. We'll give you everything we can."
The group received lavish hospitality. Even after their arrival, Andrew drained the barony's treasury recruiting more mercenaries.
Despite these efforts, he couldn't hide his anxiety.
'Haa… If we fail again, this barony is finished… What should I do?'
His concerns were many. The dark mage's strength was a problem, but a bigger issue lingered.
During the last purge, some soldiers suddenly turned against their own forces. Though it lasted only a short time, the chaos during battle proved fatal.
The army fell into disarray and was quickly defeated by the dark mage.
Pacing his chamber, Andrew muttered aloud.
"Some soldiers were under mind control magic. That means someone in this barony already had the spell cast on them—and they're close."
This suggested an infiltrator aligned with the dark mage was hiding within the barony. Without identifying them, he couldn't risk another expedition.
Andrew decided to postpone the purge and investigate alongside the newly arrived mage and priestess.
The rumor soon reached Ghislain's group as they enjoyed fresh fruit.
Ghislain smirked.
"So someone aligned with the dark mage snuck in here. Starting the purge immediately would be impossible. How long would it take to check every soldier and servant?"
If anyone was indeed under mind control, they would need to be examined one by one using magic and holy power.
Deneb asked curiously.
"What if even the vassals are affected? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"The higher-ups are protected by knights, so they should be safe. Outsiders can't approach them easily. Besides, mind control magic isn't simple."
"What do you mean it's not simple?"
"Exactly what I said. It's not easy to cast, and even if it works, it's only temporary. If controlling minds were simple, this tiny barony would've been wiped out long ago. That would mean the mage's a high-ranking caster."
Kyle nodded in agreement.
"Since they only caused short-term chaos with a few soldiers, they probably just targeted the weaker ones."
"Right. They likely cast short-duration, conditional spells on a few people. Even against weak forces like these, that would've been enough."
In territories with proper mages, such incidents were rare. Regular inspections and magic scans ensured spies were caught early.
More importantly, a few rogue soldiers wouldn't be enough to disrupt well-trained forces.
That's why enemies rarely attempted such tactics.
But this small barony was different.
"Their only mage died during the first purge, right? That makes this even harder. The infiltrator's probably cautious too. They're likely around the 4th circle."
That level of magic could control weaker soldiers if given enough time.
The infiltrator was probably still monitoring the situation and preparing.
Deneb asked again.
"So what do we do now?"
The three looked at Ghislain expectantly. He always had a solution.
Ghislain picked up another piece of fruit and fell into thought.
"Well… In this situation, we probably have no choice but to investigate everyone one by one…"
It would take time, but there weren't many other options.
Postponing the purge and conducting a thorough investigation seemed unavoidable.
Not only did they need to identify those under mind control, but they also had to catch the infiltrator.
Deneb mumbled with a disappointed look.
"Isn't there a faster and easier way?"
Suddenly, Ghislain recalled something Maurice often said.
—That duckling! We should weigh it against a duck to see if it's the same weight!
"Wait, don't they have any superstitions like that in this era? About dark mages or witches weighing the same as ducks?"
"What? I've never heard of that."
"Ah, so it didn't exist in the past. It's just a random thought, don't take it too seriously. I'll talk to the baron and figure something out."
Ghislain decided he had no choice but to take charge. After all, he was the only one here capable of using magic.
Though it would delay the purge, minimizing casualties was more important.
However, something unexpected happened.
A servant, who had been attending to the group and overheard their conversation, reported it to their superior.
The report spread upward, eventually reaching the baron. Since it had come from the mage, it was taken seriously.
Soon, a new order was issued.
— All soldiers and servants, assemble in the training yard! We will verify who weighs the same as a duck!
Hearing the news, Ghislain stared blankly.
The baron was decisive and bold—but this was absurdly primitive.