Yuric woke up with a splitting headache, his hand pressed against his head. He had just lain down, but already a faint light was seeping through the window.
He lay there for a while, staring at the spider-webbed ceiling. The thin wooden walls were pierced by the sound of someone snoring on both sides.
After a while, Yuric got up, placed his two feet on the floor, and rubbed his dry face with his hands. Then he grabbed the bag beside the bed and carefully left the room to avoid waking Cecilia, descending to the first-floor hall.
The hall was predictably in disarray. Yuric sat at the counter and quickly finished a bowl of soup with freshly baked soft bread early in the morning before leaving the building.
Early morning streets still filled with cool air.
He asked a woman drawing water from a well for a bucket of water and walked leisurely through the streets. It seemed it had rained overnight, as the dirt ground was just wet enough not to raise dust. Yuric wandered around, feeling the squishy sensation of wet earth under his feet, watching the city gradually come to life.
After wandering around, Yuric eventually settled at one corner of the square.
The sun slowly rose.
The movement of the cosmos, the stirring of nature.
Yuric silently watched this scene for a long time.
The southernmost tip of the continent that humans can reach.
After leaving Arphenheim for a year and a half, Yuric arrived at the southernmost part of the continent and captured this impressive sunrise in his retina.
He depicted the scene and his feelings on paper.
After finishing the drawing, he climbed the wall once more. The land in front of the wall was desolate, covered with numerous magic spells, and no tall trees could be seen. Only clumps of resilient weeds grew here and there among the overturned soil.
His gaze swept across the land and soon landed on the watchtower in the distance. That eerie and massive eye continued to observe the human continent without rest.
Soon, full morning approached.
Descending from the wall, Yuric headed toward the branch office of the Mage Tower at the wall. Many mages were already present in the corridors of the building.
Yuric paid the fee and entered the library. First, he searched for books related to dragon knights.
– A dragon knight refers to those chosen by dragons.
– Dragon knights rode dragons, using their swift mobility to confront demons. The feats of dragon knights, combining the magic of dragons and their own martial prowess, were truly remarkable.
– Among the few dragons that did not follow the decision of the dragon race, some chose to become dragon knights.
– To unify command structures, dragon knights established a collective known as [Arcanum].
– Dragon knights have not been reported since the death of Count Reigenstein 197 years ago. Arcanum also ceased to exist after the death of Count Reigenstein.
Yuric learned that dragon knights, like the Magic Association, had once formed a collective. However, it seemed that the organization Arcanum had ceased to exist. This book was written twenty years ago, making the officially recorded last dragon knight over 200 years ago.
‘…Perhaps Senior Grand Mage knows.’
Grand Mages typically lived for 200 to 300 years, making them walking history.
Thus, Yuric decided to meet the Grand Mage Oromor at the branch office of the Mage Tower and closed the book.
Meeting Grand Mage Oromor was not difficult. Once he mentioned being the one who improved the barrier magic, he was immediately granted an audience.
Oromor was a white-bearded old mage, resembling the typical image of a mage with his beard reaching his navel.
He observed Yuric with great interest, especially the magic flowing through his entire body.
“Indeed, you are a genius in circuitry.”
Hearing this, Yuric suddenly felt his face heat up.
“That’s too much praise.”
“If we don’t call you a genius, then no one else would deserve that title.”
A prodigy in circuitry who had single-handedly revamped the barrier magic on the southern front. Yuric’s reputation at the Mage Tower was such that if a laboratory were built right now, hundreds of mages would flock to it.
Oromor couldn’t help but marvel at the improved barrier magic circuit. Although he wasn’t an expert in circuitry, he could clearly see the genius behind it. He even thought about the possibility of Oromor becoming the next Grand Mage.
“But why did you request an audience? Is there something wrong with the circuits?”
“In fact, I didn’t come because of the barrier magic. I have questions about dragon knights, so I came here.”
“…Dragon knights?”
Honestly, it was quite sudden. Yuric’s mentioning of “dragon knights” was unexpected.
Fortunately, Oromor was a deeply knowledgeable figure in the history of magic. Perhaps among the Grand Mages, none could match him in terms of historical knowledge.
“It’s quite an old history. We’re talking about events from at least several hundred years ago.”
“I read about dragon knights in the library. They say the last dragon knight, Count Reigenstein, marked the end of the line.”
“Yes, there haven’t been any reports of dragon knights since then.”
“Then what happened to the group called Arcanum? The book says they ceased to exist.”
Oromor stroked his long beard and replied.
“I’m not sure exactly where I read it, but there was a report that Arcanum was active until about thirty years ago. After that, I don’t know.”
“…Thirty years ago?”
“In practice, it doesn’t matter. Dragon knights haven’t been reported for 200 years. It’s merely a matter of keeping alive. They can’t really be considered true Arcanum anymore.”
“So, is that based on the last dragon knight’s account?”
“If Arcanum had continued, it might be. Since he was the last dragon knight… But why do you suddenly ask about dragon knights?”
“I have a lot of interest in history. I happened to learn about dragon knights, and found the content quite intriguing.”
Oromor nodded approvingly.
“Yes, indeed. A nation that forgets its history has no future. That’s a very commendable attitude. Today’s mages are truly problematic for being indifferent to history.”
Grand Mage Oromor began to reminisce like his senior colleague Silson used to do, saying, “In my time…”
Yuric imagined that if Silson became a Grand Mage, he would act like this.
“Then, Arcanum, like other associations, must have had a headquarters. Do you know where it was?”
“Let’s see, the headquarters of Arcanum… I know they mainly operated in the central-southern region, but I’m not sure about the exact location. Sorry, dragon knights aren’t my specialty.”
“No, that’s already very helpful.”
“There is a researcher specializing in dragon knights. I’ve met him a few times at conferences. He isn’t affiliated with the Mage Tower but with the Dawn Society. His name is… Ah, Adele Reigenstein.”
“If it’s Reigenstein…”
“Yes, he is the descendant of the last dragon knight.”
Yuric wrote down “Dawn Society Adele Reigenstein” on a piece of paper and stored it. Now, when he visits Bemberg next time, he will have another person to meet.
“Thank you very much.”
“It wasn’t difficult.”
“Also, there’s one more thing I want to ask.”
“Go ahead. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Yuric slightly gestured towards the window and asked.
“Do you know anything about the Watchtower? …Actually, I experienced a severe initiation last night.”
“I see. That must have been quite a shock.”
“I was prepared for it, but it was worse than I expected. I was surprised.”
Yuric continued speaking as he looked at the Grand Mage Oromor, who was chuckling.
“In fact, I’m not sure if it’s magic.”
“It’s indeed hard to understand with human magic. In fact, we don’t think it’s demon magic either.”
“Then…?”
“We consider it devil magic.”
Oromor’s expression became very serious.
“There are various theories about why sensitive mages experience these things, but my opinion is this.”
Yuric listened intently to the Grand Mage’s words.
“Do you know the Codex?”
“Yes, I know it as the Book of Hell.”
“That makes things easier. Look at this.”
Oromor stood up and walked towards the wall. There was a map of the continent hanging there. He pointed to the central-southern region with his finger, occasionally touching the eastern or western parts.
“Can you guess where I just pointed?”
“Is it… the place where the Codex was first discovered?”
The Grand Mage smiled faintly.
“You have sharp intuition. Yes, the Codex mainly appeared in the southern part of the central region and throughout the southern region.”
“So, you believe the Watchtower’s influence is involved?”
“The tower’s eyes are searching for something. They are looking for sacrificial offerings, objects that would bring curses.”
“But isn’t the initiation phenomenon only happening here?”
“That’s because this area is most strongly affected by the tower’s influence.”
Oromor slapped the southern part of the map with his palm.
“The eyes are watching the entire south. That’s why curses keep appearing on the continent.”
“Then is there no way to stop it?”
“We try our best to prevent it. The Mage Tower, the Dawn Society, and the Holy Magic Group all contribute. But it’s impossible to prevent everything. That’s why curses occur.”
Yuric nodded regretfully.
“Of course, if we could enclose the entire continent with barrier magic, it would be different. Otherwise, it’s impossible to prevent everything. So, various associations handle the occurrences.”
“I see.”
“In fact, there was once a special task force organized a long time ago to destroy the Watchtower.”
Yuric’s ears perked up at this new information.
“They failed. Twenty men set out, and only six returned. It was a painful loss, as they were all top-tier fighters. Still, they managed to gather a lot of information. They reached the Watchtower itself.”
Grand Mage Oromor directed his gaze toward the direction of the Watchtower.
“The Watchtower is not a structure.”
“…What?”
He made a shocking statement.
“It was a massive living creature.”
