Episode 160
Chapter 55: The Remnants of the Dark Magic Council (1)
October 22, 1796.
It had been five days since Jin and Enya became cadets. Just as Chip had predicted, none of the other cadets suspected a thing when they saw the two of them.
What was even more surprising was that the three cadets didn’t recognize Enya at all. The disguise was far more effective than Jin had expected, and the fact that most of them kept their faces hidden under hoods helped immensely.
“So, the real purge operation starts today.”
In the past five days, the remnants of the Dark Magic Council hadn’t once dared to invade the city.
There were thirty-six mages from the Academy dispatched to Horsen.
They were divided into eleven squads of three cadets each, mostly ranked around third or fourth star, and the remaining three were full-fledged mages—two with sixth star and one with seventh star.
For five days, they had scouted the forest paths where the Dark Magic Council remnants were said to be, coordinating with the lord’s forces, but no skirmishes had broken out.
Maybe that’s why.
The Academy mages were taking the purge operation far too lightly. There was no tension at all in the inn where they were staying; their faces all looked bored, as if they were on a dull picnic.
They assumed the targets had been scared off the moment they saw them. Since there hadn’t been a single ambush even when only cadets were scouting, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that way.
Naturally.
To Jin, they looked like arrogant rookies.
“Nearly fifty enemies are hiding somewhere in that forest, and yet they’re this careless? Even if it’s just to boost their own records, this is ridiculous.”
Everything about their approach was a mess, and Jin couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
“This is far from a good situation. No ambushes during scouting, sure, but there’s no sign the remnants have retreated either. They must be confident they can take on the Academy mages.”
They hadn’t even set traps along the forest path. It was as if the remnants were just waiting inside their cave for the mages to come find them.
“They didn’t scout inside the cave because it’s dangerous, but honestly, they were just too lazy. They want to take credit for the kill and then go back and brag about it.”
Jin could understand the cadets’ lack of foresight, but to see even the full mages—sixth and seventh stars—acting like this was shocking.
As Jin shook his head, Maura, Orel, and Chip exchanged glances.
At least the three cadets were behaving better than the others. After all, the special task force was overseeing this purge operation, so they couldn’t afford to slack off.
That made every second spent with Jin and Enya feel like sitting on a bed of nails. Even they could see how sloppy the Academy mages’ discipline was, but they couldn’t dream of revealing the existence of the special task force.
“Um, Seed Master, did we make some kind of mistake…?”
“No, the problem is that out of thirty-six mages, only you three are acting somewhat normal. Are the Academy mages always this careless when they’re dispatched?”
“N-no, that’s not it. This is our first deployment, so we don’t really know…”
“Before the operation starts, pack your gear properly. Follow the cadet deployment regulations to the letter.”
“Yes, sir!”
After the cadets left, Enya came over to Jin’s side.
“It’s amazing. How do you manage to keep such a thick skin? Your acting is incredible. You’d be a huge hit in theater. Honestly, you might become even more famous than Daniel Mafrio, the greatest actor in the Kingdom of Jan.”
“That’s a compliment, right?”
“Of course! You’re way better looking than Daniel Mafrio, too.”
“More importantly, I think this purge operation is going to fail. So once it starts, don’t leave my side.”
“But there are three full mages with us. Are you sure? One of them is even seventh star.”
From Enya’s perspective, having recently been part of the Academy, full mages were like gods. And a seventh star was practically a dragon in the clouds.
“Not all seventh stars are the same. Everything in the past five days has been under that guy’s command, and it’s hopeless. He’s high-ranking but inexperienced, and he’s not young—probably in his mid-forties.”
“Why is his age a problem?”
“Adults who’ve only ridden the wave of success don’t listen to their juniors. Even if their achievements are mostly due to their background and connections.”
If the purge operation started to fall apart just as Jin predicted, he planned to have Maura, Chip, and Orel add their input. His mind was full of contingency plans for every possible scenario.
“But they won’t listen.”
In truth, Jin had nothing to lose.
After all, his reason for coming to the Dark Magic Council was to practice reverse-flow magic and to help Enya gain experience.
Reverse-flow magic could be practiced even without the remnants, and Enya would surely learn something just by watching the Academy mages succeed or fail.
“We’re ready, Seed Master. And we just got orders—the operation starts in one hour, at six in the evening.”
The three cadets came over carrying their packed bags, sweat beading on their foreheads from how hard they’d worked.
“Understood.”
The forest at dusk was dark.
When the sun set, the city’s magical lamps lit up brightly everywhere, but the forest was already pitch black, the thick canopy blocking out the sunlight.
That was how it should be.
The Academy mages, however, were moving as a group with small magical lights glowing around them, almost as if they were announcing their presence.
“Magical lamps in a forest where a battle could break out at any moment? It’s like they’re advertising for an ambush. There’s no limit to underestimating the enemy. No wonder the Bimant Magic Academy can’t even dream of surpassing the schools in Ziphl.”
Of course, not all Academy mages were like this. Ziphl was just that much better, and Bimant was still a prestigious institution that had produced many great mages.
Yawn!
Even the seventh star commanding mage, who was yawning right now, would perform better if he actually tried.
But they were drunk on the sweet ease of padding their records and acting like a ragtag bunch.
“Surely, the Academy mages see the Dark Magic Council remnants as nothing more than street thugs.”
Jin and Enya were at the rear of the formation, carrying the cadets’ gear.
“Let’s take a short break here!”
What? Here?
Jin was horrified as he looked around. There were only a few low rocks scattered about, and the forest surrounded the path on all sides—a perfect spot for a skilled sniper to wipe out the cadet party in an instant.
“Cadet Chip.”
“Ah, yes.”
Chip nodded awkwardly. Jin and Enya spoke formally to avoid being overheard, while the three cadets spoke casually among themselves.
“Tell them this is a bad idea. There’s a better resting spot just thirty minutes ahead. If you pass a large rock in about five minutes and turn left, you’ll find it.”
Jin had joined scouting missions twice in the past five days as a cadet and had noted a good resting place.
“Well…”
“It’s an order.”
“Sir, Lord Ats!”
Ats was the sixth star mage acting as the deputy commander of this party. He turned around, looking for Chip.
“What is it?”
“There’s better ground for resting just thirty minutes ahead. After a large rock, turn left and you’ll find it…”
“Nonsense. If you’re worried, just cast a protective barrier and rest here.”
“But—”
“Trying to earn points, are you? Well, I thought all the cadets were just goofing off during scouting, but it seems you’re the only one with some sense. When we get back, I’ll recommend your professor give you a merit certificate.”
“Thank you…”
By this point, Jin decided to give up. It wasn’t really his place to interfere.
They rested for thirty minutes, and thankfully, nothing happened.
“Uh-oh?”
Suddenly, two figures burst out from the forest on the left side of the formation. They were orcs, twisted and broken by the Dark Magic Council’s tortures.
But after enduring so much torture, these two orcs were weaker and smaller than the typical orc.
“Graaah!”
One orc threw down its axe and roared, prompting the full mages to quickly raise protective barriers.
At the same time, the nearest cadet squad began casting spells, while the others gripped their staves, ready for battle.
Shiiik! Ice daggers shot from the second cadet squad pierced the orcs’ chests and abdomens. One orc fell into the bushes, screaming like metal scraping against metal, while the full mages shook their heads in tired disbelief.
“Orcs? Pathetic… Ats, take squads one, two, and three to find whoever’s controlling those things. Don’t kill them—bring them to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The rest, keep moving.”
They were already outnumbered, and now they split their forces for a predictable distraction. With three squads gone, only twenty-three remained. Including the cadets, just over fifty, but the cadets weren’t much help in combat.
And Ats, the mage, would probably just joke around with the cadets and join late.
Jin was about to scoff at the commanding mage but froze, fixing his gaze on him.
“This is seriously strange… Could it be?”
It was common for inexperienced elites to underestimate the enemy.
But even if their success was due to background and connections, a seventh star was no small feat. To understand the complex formulas of seventh star magic, you had to be sharp by nature.
But from the very first day until now, the command mage had consistently made nothing but the worst decisions.
‘I have to consider the possibility that the command mage is doing this on purpose. Maybe this 7-star mage is a spy for the Dark Magic Council, or perhaps he holds a grudge against one of the cadets and wants the mission to fail.’
As the procession resumed, Jin asked Maura, Chip, and Orel about the 7-star command mage, Sir Orton Melson.
Until now, he had avoided asking to prevent raising suspicion about his special forces status, but it was necessary to find out more.
“Cadets, do you know anything about Sir Orton? His leadership has been really strange.”
“Hmm, well, I heard that until a few years ago, he was aiming for a full professorship at the academy. But since the Hensark family seniors kept him down, he’s been stuck as an associate professor…”
“He’s probably pretty frustrated. Staying an associate professor is bad enough, but now he’s been sent out here with a bunch of green cadets.”
“Anything else unusual?”
“Nothing comes to mind… Oh, wait, Sir Orton ate meat yesterday.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Well, he’s usually a pretty strict vegetarian, as far as I know.”
Maura and Orel nodded in agreement at Chip’s answer.
Three hours later.
Jin, Enya, and the mages caught sight of a massive cave ahead. It was a rocky cavern artificially created using earth magic—the stronghold of the Dark Magic Council remnants.