The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 125

The Nameless Archmage.

He was renowned as a hero who had disseminated the method for crafting mana suits without asking for anything in return, saving humanity from the suffering brought by dungeon portals.

‘But the mana suit… did he really develop it? The Demon Realm already had a far more advanced version.’

Kaylen recalled the Combine Suit that Black Skull Cesar had unveiled through the vampires.

The capabilities of the Combine Suit were on an entirely different level.

A technology that merged multiple mana suits into a single, massive suit—

it far surpassed anything the existing mana suits could achieve.

The idea that the mana suit was first developed in the Middle World and then somehow reverse-engineered in the Demon Realm was simply unreasonable.

‘If it didn’t originate from the Demon Realm, it wouldn’t make sense.’

Kaylen thought back to a conversation he had with Myorn.

— "At the Academy, they say the Nameless Archmage developed it and spread it widely."

— "It was the same for my people and the elves. That Archmage shared samples of the mana suit and the magic circles…"

— "The elders were ecstatic about the technology, saying it was ahead of its time."

— "Did you ever see his face?"

— "No. There's no information about him at all. The only thing known is that he wore a hooded robe and a jester’s mask."

A Grand Mage wearing a jester’s mask.

The world praised him as a great figure, but Kaylen felt uneasy about him.

And today, upon hearing from Violet that he had also modified the wheat seeds, his suspicions deepened even further.

‘Developing mana suits and solving the food crisis? Those are entirely different fields of expertise… Could one person really have accomplished both?’

It was close to impossible.

Still, credit had to be given where it was due.

Thanks to the Nameless Archmage, humanity had found a measure of security and managed to survive.

But if the origins of mana suits were indeed linked to the Demon Realm,

it was only natural to question his true intentions.

‘Mana suits may have saved humanity, but they are also the perfect tool for the Demon Realm to control us.’

By relying on mana suits, humanity had focused on strengthening its Meister forces.

However, against mana eaters inscribed with anti-magic formations, they were utterly powerless.

If the Demon Realm truly wanted to, they could unleash legion-command mana eaters and wipe out humanity in an instant.

If not for the existence of the Sanctuary’s Holy Legion, humanity would have had no countermeasure against mana eaters at all.

And as for this modified wheat—

was it truly created with pure intentions, just to increase food supply?

"We need to investigate this wheat."

"Wheat… Your Majesty?"

"Yes. Violet, send someone to collect a sample. Don't go yourself. There's no need for you to handle such trivial matters personally."

"Understood."

"And while we're on the subject… what happened to the maids who used to serve you?"

"I let them go. I couldn’t afford to pay them. Honestly, just having a place to stay in this castle is more than enough for me."

Violet spoke with a wry smile, and Kaylen tilted his head in confusion.

"I’m certain I provided you with ample wealth before."

"That was an inheritance from the Bormian royal family. I distributed it all among the remaining members of the royal bloodline."

"I see? But that inheritance wasn’t even half of it… The rest was your compensation. If you gave it all away, well, suit yourself."

Kaylen reached into a collection of demon relics and handed Violet a high-grade mana stone.

"That’s your salary for this month."

Swish.

Kaylen reached into the artifact once more and pulled out another mana stone.

"Use this for the upkeep of the royal castle."

"Understood. But… this is too much."

"I have an S-rank mana suit user working for me every day. This much is only fair."

"S-Still, there’s no need for this much…"

"Mana stones are the one thing we have in excess right now. You don’t need to indulge in luxury like before, but at least hire enough people to keep the castle running properly."

Kaylen reached into the artifact several more times, showing her piles of high-grade mana stones.

A mountain of shimmering stones—

all of them were treasures once hoarded by Cesar and the Seven Towers.

"That’s… an incredible amount…"

"From now on, don’t worry about the budget."

After ordering Violet to bring back a sample of the wheat and hire more people, Kaylen sent her on her way.

‘I only just realized she doesn’t have maids anymore.’

She had been doing her best, no doubt, but her lack of skill in applying makeup was obvious.

‘I should do something about that.’

* * *

"It’s been soooo long, Kaylen. I was bored to death~."

Inside the demon relic’s space, a nasally, playful voice rang out.

The demon, wearing the face of a second son, spoke in a teasing tone, making Kaylen frown.

"Cain. Stop that."

"Oh, come on. Who else do I have to talk to in here~? You’re my only company, Kaylen. So I have to make a good impression, right? Ehehe."

He regretted ever giving him a name.

Kaylen couldn’t even hide his disgust.

"Maybe I should just kill you."

"Hng. So cruel. Am I the only one devoted here?"

"Shut up and look at this."

Thud.

Kaylen casually tossed a handful of wheat and its seeds into the prison of swords.

"What’s that?"

"Wheat."

"Wheat? What’s that supposed to be?"

Squelch.

A slimy mass slithered from beneath Cain’s neck, creeping forward to engulf the wheat and its seeds.

He closed his eyes, seemingly savoring the taste, before tilting his head.

"Huh… this feels oddly familiar. Got any more?"

"Hmm."

Kaylen glanced at the remaining samples, then stepped out of the demon relic’s space and returned with an armful of bread.

‘All the bread in circulation now is made from this modified wheat.’

"Oh~ that’s bread. Ah, so you made bread using that stuff? Give it here, give it here."

Cain quickly devoured the bread before nodding.

"Ah! I think I know what this is. It feels just like the bread I ate back when I was imprisoned in the Demon Realm."

"You mean when you were held in Helmeier?"

"Yeah. Now that I think about it, Helmeier sold a lot of cooked meals. I always wondered where they came up with those recipes."

"Do demons not cook their food?"

"Hehe. Our staple food is mana, remember? Not like you ever fed me anything, Kaylen."

Kaylen nodded.

Demons.

Demons did not need to eat. Simply absorbing the mana in the atmosphere was enough to sustain them.

"The only time we bother eating something… is when we’re trying to absorb it."

Cain grinned widely, baring his teeth in an eerie smile.

"It’s so much more fun to swallow prey whole. Why bother cooking? Watching them struggle desperately inside me, trying to claw their way out… now that’s entertainment~."

"……"

Unlike humans, demons didn’t need to worry about food spoiling if left uncooked.

That must have been their typical perspective.

"Hmm… yeah, this stuff isn’t great."

Squirm. Squirm.

A slimy mass slithered from Cain’s throat, expelling the half-melted bread.

"Every time I eat it, the mana flow inside me gets momentarily blocked."

"…Is that so?"

"I don’t know how humans manage to survive on this stuff."

A disruption in mana flow.

Kaylen took a piece of the bread and ate it himself.

"I don’t notice anything."

"Hah, like a human could ever perceive something this subtle~."

That couldn’t be right.

A normal human might not notice,

but there was no way something like that could slip past Kaylen’s senses.

Internally, his mana flow was functioning normally even after eating the bread.

‘If it’s not affecting the internal flow, could it be interfering with mana absorption from external sources?’

If that were the case, he wouldn’t be able to determine anything here.

Within the confines of the demon relic, all mana was under his absolute control.

This was something that required further testing.

"Alright. Thanks for the information."

"Leaving already~? Ugh, I’m so bored. Just stay and play with me a little~."

Ignoring him, Kaylen exited the room where Cain was imprisoned.

While he was here, he decided to visit Armor as well.

[ I… will… never… submit… ]

Even as his legs regenerated, only to be torn apart again,

even as he suffered under the torment of light-infused mana,

Armor continued to mutter his defiance, refusing to yield.

"Do you recognize this?"

Thud.

Kaylen tossed some wheat and bread before Armor’s eyes.

Armor’s pupils rolled slightly.

[ …Is that not mere human food…? ]

"That’s all?"

[ Hah… what more is there to say? Must I concern myself with the diet of beasts? ]

Armor feigned indifference.

But Kaylen didn’t miss the slight tremor in his gaze.

"You know something."

[ E-Even if I do… do you really think I’d tell you? To a mere human?! ]

"If you talk, I’ll make things easier for you, depending on how valuable the information is."

[ I don’t know… I won’t tell you! Once the main forces arrive, we’ll repay you a hundredfold for what you’ve done! ]

Armor remained resolute.

‘Even after a month, he refuses to break. The Holy See would handle an interrogation like this much more effectively.’

During the Demon King’s subjugation campaign, whenever demons were captured alive, they were handed over to the inquisitors of the Holy See.

Before long, valuable information would start pouring out.

‘If he keeps holding out, I’ll have to request an inquisitor from Sanctuary.’

In the end, Armor did not give in to the carrot.

Kaylen let out a small sigh and silently left the demon relic’s space.

If he couldn’t extract a confession, then he would have to test it himself.@@novelbin@@

* * *

"Your Majesty… this bread is…"

Alkas, summoned by Kaylen, trailed off mid-sentence.

A mountain of bread was stacked on the table before him.

He had no idea why so much bread had suddenly appeared here.

"Alkas. First, perform mana breathing."

Was His Majesty personally overseeing his training?

Feeling a surge of anticipation, Alkas focused on his breathing and began gathering aura.

But before long, Kaylen stopped him.

"That’s enough… This is where you currently stand."

"That’s… it?"

"Yes. Stop your breathing exercise. Now, eat this bread."

"Gasp… Are you telling me to eat all of this…?"

"You don’t have to finish it all, but eat as much as you can."

Even the ever-loyal knight hesitated for a moment at the sheer amount of bread piled on the table.

But since it was a direct order from his lord, Alkas said nothing and began stuffing himself with bread.

‘Urgh…’

It was dry.

He had to gulp down water just to force it down.

Before long, through sheer determination, Alkas managed to consume an absurd amount of bread.

"Well done. Now, breathe again and try to accumulate aura."

"Ugh… Yes, Your Majesty…"

He still had no idea why he was being made to do this,

but as a faithful servant, Alkas obeyed without question.

Kaylen observed the flow of mana gathering within him.

Soon, his eyes sharpened.

‘There is a difference…’

The difference was subtle.

So subtle, in fact, that even someone as attuned to mana as Kaylen could only notice it through direct comparison.

But there was no doubt—this modified wheat did hinder human mana absorption.

‘Which means… people who have been eating this wheat since childhood must have been significantly affected.’

Up until now, it had been assumed that the Red Moon drained the atmosphere of mana,

which explained why this era’s people had such low mana levels.

But if the moon was absorbing ambient mana from the air, then wheat—humanity’s staple food—was covertly obstructing mana absorption.

‘The Nameless Archmage…’

Through mana suits, humanity had been able to protect itself.

Through modified wheat, they had survived food shortages.

But mana suits had a fatal weakness—mana eaters.

And this wheat had been sabotaging the very foundation of humanity’s growth.

In the end, these were tools designed to keep humanity alive, but never strong enough to break free from their subjugation.

Kaylen was certain now.

‘He saved humanity… but ensured we could never escape the Demon Realm’s rule. Humanity… has been nothing more than their livestock all along.’

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]