Chapter 29: What is This Magic?
Chapter 29: Chapter 29: What is This Magic?
The entries for these three Black Armored Knights were all identical.
If not for their different weapons, it would have been difficult to tell them apart.
One held a Kite Shield and a Nailhead Warhammer; one leaned on a Dual-Wielded Greatsword; and the last one carried a Single-Bladed Long Axe.
Their mere presence exerted an intense pressure on everyone in the caravan. They were like three steel behemoths.
Guard Captain Bennett’s expression was grim, his brows tightly furrowed. His hand rubbed the hilt of his sword as he calculated his odds of winning against the three of them.
The result made his heart sink.
One-on-one, he was confident he could hold his own for a while, but victory would be difficult. It all came down to the difference in their equipment.
That black heavy armor was clearly of fine make; his own Longsword would probably have trouble piercing it. But if he took even a single hit, he’d be dead or crippled.
And there were three such Black Armored Knights!
Worse, their side far outnumbered his own. This was going to be a brutal, hard-fought battle!
"Captain Bennett, leave the three of them to me. You take your men and deal with those Crossbowmen."
Wang Xi said to the Guard Captain in a low voice.
Not only Bennett, but also White, who was hiding behind a carriage, and the rest of the guards were all startled.
’He dares to take on those three Black Armored Knights by himself!’
’So cool, but does he have a death wish?!’
But before Bennett could even respond, he saw the black-haired young man charge forward, Longsword in hand.
"Polk, take two men and follow me!"
He gritted his teeth and barked the order over his shoulder.
The enemy had over a dozen Crossbowmen. If ignored, once they reloaded their Arrows and fired a volley, they would inflict heavy casualties on the caravan.
Just then, the Black Armored Knight with the Long Axe roared in a muffled, booming voice:
"Kill everyone from the Spinning Wheel Commerce!"
He had just finished roaring when, through the slit of his visor, he saw a young, black-haired guard charging straight at him.
He couldn’t help but break into a cruel grin.
This kind of little whelp, who seemed brave but was actually just reckless, was his favorite type of target. His gauntlet tightened around the axe handle, as if he couldn’t wait to split the boy’s head open.
"Tec, Donovan, this kid’s mine! Don’t you fucking dare try to take him!"
"Ha, no one’s fighting you for him, Ruer,"
the other Black Armored Knight with the Two-Handed Sword chuckled.
"The Guard Captain over there is my..."
BEEP—
A red light flashed, followed by a CLANG.
The Two-Handed Sword Knight hadn’t finished his sentence before his head tilted to the side and his entire body fell backward, stiff as a board.
THUD!!
His Two-Handed Sword clattered to the ground beside him.
"?!"
Ruer and Donovan froze for a moment, then their expressions changed drastically, their hearts filled with horror.
They saw Tec, their fellow "Iron Finger Knight," lying motionless on the ground. A round hole had appeared on the side of his Dog-Faced Helmet, its edges glowing red like a branding iron.
An unstoppable flow of blood seeped from the gaps in his helmet, pooling behind his head—a glaring, crimson patch on the ground.
’Dead?’
’Tec just died?! Just like that?!’
’His Dog-Faced Helmet, which could easily block a shot from a Battle Crossbow, was pierced clean through. What just happened...?’
Ruer and Donovan whipped their heads around.
The young, black-haired guard stood ten meters away, a Longsword in his left hand and a strange black box in his right, which he was raising to aim at them.
BEEP—
A red light burst from the black box.
CLANG!!
Donovan didn’t even have time to raise the Kite Shield in his hand before he felt his body jolt.
He staggered back two steps and looked down to see a new hole in his black Plate Armor, its edges scorching hot and glowing red!
It was identical to the one on Tec’s helmet.
"Hkk... hkk!!"
Donovan tried to speak, but all the strength had been drained from his body, and a searing pain twisted in his heart.
CLANG!
Just like Tec, he fell backward.
He twitched a few times and then went still.
"What kind of Magic is this?!"
Ruer was instantly terrified. He backed away, holding his Long Axe, and let out a hoarse roar from beneath his Dog-Faced Helmet.
His roar drew the attention of both sides on the battlefield.
When everyone saw the two Black Armored Knights lying in pools of their own blood and the last axe-wielding Knight retreating with a tremor, they were all utterly stunned.
Guard Captain Bennett kicked away a Crossbowman and pulled his Longsword from the man’s chest, taking a spray of blood with it.
He turned his head, and his pupils contracted at the sight.
’Magic?’
He looked back at Gai, his expression a mixture of shock and uncertainty.
’That young nobleman knows Magic!’
Steward White peeked out, dumbfounded. And Goddalir, who had heeded Gai’s warning and obediently hidden in the carriage, stared blankly through a crack in the curtain.
’Gai’s Magic is so powerful!’
"A guard from the Spinning Wheel Commerce couldn’t possibly know Magic!"
Ruer had already retreated to his comrades’ side. Seemingly regaining some courage, he shouted in a low voice,
"I’ve never seen a Wizard this young! Who the hell are you?!"
"Gai Farrell of Randall."
Wang Xi said lightly after a moment’s thought.
He’d never used the Laser Pistol before, so he had deliberately closed the distance to ensure his accuracy. Though he had been prepared, the pistol’s power still far exceeded his expectations, piercing the black armor and scoring an instant kill with a single shot.
His confidence soared, and he spoke again.
"Alright, that’s enough small talk. Members of the ’Finger Association,’ you can all die now..."
Ruer froze, then his face filled with terror.
’This person knows our identity!’
’He really is a Wizard who uses divination Magic! No wonder he knew there was an ambush and killed a Crossbowman with an Arrow first!’
’It’s over! We’re completely finished!’
"Lord Gai, spare me!"
"Avada Kedavra—"
Ignoring the Black Armored Knight’s pleas for mercy, Wang Xi deliberately muttered a nonsensical Spell and pulled the trigger.
BEEP!
A red "Magic Lightning" bolt streaked through the air, leaving a glaring trail in everyone’s vision.
Immediately, a hole appeared in the Black Armored Knight’s visor, and his entire body fell backward.
THUD!
The entire scene erupted in an uproar.
"Run! Run for your lives!!"
The ambushers from the "Finger Association" dropped their weapons and ran, their will to fight completely shattered. They scrambled into the woods, more terrified than if they had seen a ghost.
’How are we supposed to fight this?’
’The three Lord "Iron Finger Knights" were instantly killed without even touching the hem of his clothes!’
’The Refined Black Armor that the Finger Association’s upper echelons had spent a fortune to acquire from the Anvil Brotherhood was like paper in the face of that terrifying Red Lightning.’
’Faced with such a terrifying Wizard, they only wished they had more legs to run with.’
"Iparion—"
"Crusio—"
"Off with your life—"
"Thunderbolt Nut—"
Wang Xi’s expression was grim as he continuously chanted incomprehensible but impressive-sounding, tongue-twisting "Spells." His strangely-shaped "Magic Wand" incessantly shot out crimson "lightning."
One armored enemy after another fell in the woods, sending the rest into a panic of screams and cries.
Wang Xi specifically targeted the enemies whose entries had reached One Star, mostly ignoring the rest.
Prompts from Kaos appeared continuously in his mind.
’Yes, yes!’
He chose ’yes’ for all of them.
White lights, visible only to him, continuously flew from the woods and entered the space between his eyebrows. Three clusters of green light, originating from the three Black Armored Knights, were also captured.
"Hooo..."
Wang Xi finally lowered his "Magic Wand."
He feigned exhaustion and let out a long breath.
He secretly glanced at the pistol’s battery level. Three bars remained, and the indicator had turned from its original green to Yellow.
Not all the enemies were eliminated. His marksmanship was limited, and there were simply too many of them for him to handle, so a dozen or so no-star lucky ones managed to escape.
’In total, I got 3 Green Cards and 6 White Cards.’
Wang Xi checked the spoils in his mind, feeling quite satisfied.
Just then, he noticed the surroundings had grown quiet. The atmosphere was strangely eerie. He turned to look at the people from the caravan.
They were all just staring at each other, not saying a word.
Guard Captain Bennett opened his mouth, but in the end, only let out a cough. The other guards didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, including the two who had been shot with arrows and were now trembling on the ground, trying to endure the pain.
It was as if they were afraid Gai, in a bloodthirsty frenzy, would chant "Thunderbolt Nut" at them and go on a killing spree.
’They had every reason to be afraid...’
’This was a cold and ruthless "Ice Heart Person," after all!’
’And he had an episode not long ago!’
Steward White emerged from behind the carriage. He adjusted his crooked hat and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Lord... Gai, I never imagined you were a noble Wizard."
White walked up to Wang Xi and bowed respectfully.
Then he said cautiously,
"Thank you for intervening. You saved my life and protected this important shipment for the Spinning Wheel Commerce. Otherwise, I’m afraid the guards alone would have been no match for those attackers."
"Thank you for your help, Lord Gai."
At that moment, Guard Captain Bennett also stepped forward. With his hand on his sword hilt, he placed a fist over his chest, bowed, and performed a Knight’s salute.
His gratitude was sincere.
It was also a sign of respect for the powerful.
The other guards exchanged glances and followed Captain Bennett’s lead, bowing to the black-haired young man to express their thanks.
Wang Xi was taken aback for a second, then waved his hand.
"There’s no need for that. Mr. White hired me for 20 Gold Coins; this is my duty."
Hearing this, Steward White was quite moved.
In his eyes, the figure of the young Warlock before him seemed to grow even taller.
"You are truly an Oathkeeper of high moral character, Lord Gai."
White said, then gritted his teeth.
"When we return to the Royal Capital, I will give you 200 Gold Coins as a token of my gratitude. I hope you will not refuse."
"Oh?" Wang Xi hadn’t expected such a good offer and was pleasantly surprised. After a moment’s thought, he guessed that the man was trying to take this opportunity to get on his good side and forge a connection with a powerful individual for the Spinning Wheel Commerce.
’Since I’ll need to settle in the Royal Capital and find a way to break my curse, it’s always good to have more friends and more options,’ he thought, then smiled and said,
"In that case, thank you, Mr. White."
"You’re most welcome, Lord Gai."
Only then did White secretly breathe a sigh of relief and break into a smile.
Just then, Goddalir also got out of the carriage and silently came to Wang Xi’s side.
Her eyes sparkled with admiration.
But before she could speak, a figure suddenly darted out from the woods nearby.
"Oh! What a tragic battle!"
Everyone turned toward the voice.
They saw a white-haired old man dressed in a wine-red, tight-fitting short robe, a deep green cape, and a soft brown hat.
His collar, cuffs, and trouser legs were adorned with embroidered tassels, and several colorful feathers were stuck in the brim of his hat.
From his appearance, he was clearly a Minstrel.
Wang Xi’s eyes narrowed.
’The mysterious Minstrel who appeared in the Retirement Preview...’
’According to the original timeline, this is the guy who saved a dying Goddalir and taught her how to use Magic Power.’
Wang Xi focused his gaze—
Above the Minstrel’s head, an entry surrounded by Bronze Patterns appeared:
「Forest Fairy Betina (Light Green/Four Stars)」