[Great Upheaval of the Magic Royal Family!]
[The Hero of Lacente—How far will his rise go?]
[Melvinger & Weyl: Where does their alliance lead?]
[Elric Melvinger, Chosen as the Next Blue Lion—A genius in both magic and martial arts, but what is his true strength?]
[Fervent Devotion of His Followers!]
Every day, headlines like these flooded the papers.
This was because the miracle sparked by Elric Melvinger had been nothing short of extraordinary.
Not long after he declared the territorial war, he succeeded in beheading Paul Weyl, who had been identified as the root cause of all the turmoil.
Not only that, but he had restored Herman, who had been unjustly expelled from his family, to the seat of the Blue Lion, and had even been offered the position of next in line.
There had never been a case where a magician took the title of Lion or a martial artist sat among the Hexagram.
It was no wonder everyone's attention was drawn to him.
After all, magic and martial arts—along with theology—were widely believed to be mutually exclusive fields.
Magic pursued truth,
Martial arts trained the self,
Theology followed the unseen god.
These were the well-known definitions of the three disciplines. There was no overlap between them.
Even devoting one's entire life to mastering just one field was rare; the idea of mastering two or more simultaneously? Unthinkable.
Especially when it came to magic and martial arts, they were often seen as completely opposite fields.
Magic was mental, while martial arts were physical—a widespread belief shared even among magicians and martial artists themselves.
『Nonsense.』
"What is?"
『This nonsense about martial arts and magic being completely separate paths. It's utter rubbish.』
Mephistopheles glanced over the headlines of the newspapers Elric had collected and snorted dismissively.
『They say magic is purely mental, and martial arts are limited to the physical? If you confine things to such simplistic definitions, the outcome is as predictable as day and night.』
There was a sharp cynicism in Mephistopheles' tone.
『The mind and body are inseparable. In fact, the three components—essence, energy, and mind—are fundamentally linked. If the body falters, mana and mental strength crumble with it. If mana wavers, the body can't remain healthy, and the mind falls into chaos. And when the mind is exhausted, the body becomes useless, and mana goes berserk.』
Elric recalled Herman's battle with reflux disease. Despite only one element being out of balance, it had taken Herman a long time to recover fully.
The same applied to Elric himself.
『And if we break it down further, essence relates to martial arts, energy to theology, and mind to magic. Yet here they claim everything is separate. It's idiotic. No, worse—it's downright ignorant.』
Nothing was more frustrating than hearing fools speak as if they understood. Mephistopheles added with disdain.
『And when balance is lost, progress inevitably hits a wall.』
Elric nodded in agreement.
Indeed, those who reached the pinnacle—whether they were "Absolute Beings" or "Supreme Masters"—never focused exclusively on one discipline.
Augustine, who had slain the Demon King himself, was a prime example. Guy also seemed to train his body diligently, and Herman's mental fortitude was impressive, often surprising Elric.
The same applied to Tiger King King.
But when such balance was destroyed, individuals like the Blood Wolf King or General Winter often became beings of mystery.
『Even among us demons, we do not pursue only black magic. Look no further than yourself for proof.』
Mephistopheles' rare compliment felt strange.
However, Elric's expression grew more serious as Mephistopheles continued.
『And most importantly…』
"…?"
『Martial arts and magic come from the same origin.』
"…!"
『To be more precise, magic is closer to that origin. Theology and the body strengthening art of the beastmen are nothing more than branches that have diverged from the origin. As for that technique they call "Aura Refining Method"—I've seen it many times. It's laughable.』
A smirk twisted one side of Mephistopheles' lips.
『It's nothing more than a fragment of the mana circulation method that magic established thousands of years ago, yet they prance around, claiming they invented it. How amusing.』
Mephistopheles' sharp gaze turned toward Elric.
『You've sensed it too, haven't you?』
Elric scratched his cheek with his finger.
"Fields of study often overlap, especially when they diverge over time," he replied, though inwardly he knew what Mephistopheles meant.
He had learned a great deal over time. But the more he delved into these vast subjects, the more he noticed the similarities and connections between them.
His ability to freely use both magic martial arts and body strengthening art was largely thanks to those connections.
『In the end, you cannot defy the original.』
Mephistopheles' eyes grew deep and contemplative.
『In any case, in my eyes, these Lions and whatnot are mere imitations of "us." Whatever path you choose, you will not stray from the teachings of the Melvingers.』
Elric smiled silently.
It seemed Mephistopheles had read his thoughts.
Elric had already made up his mind about Herman's offer. But there had been some hesitation.
The Melvinger family was known as a magic royal family, after all. He worried that accepting the position of Blue Lion might harm the family's identity.
But Mephistopheles had dismissed such concerns entirely, saying they were unnecessary distractions.
'Come to think of it… I remember a similar saying in Night's Chronicle: "All streams return to one source."'
Perhaps the saying meant something else.
Maybe it was suggesting that studying multiple fields was, in fact, the best way to return to the original truth, precisely because everything came from one place.
***
"So, have you made your decision?"
Elric was staying at the Weyl family's main house.
They had invited him to join them on their journey to Wynz. The Golden Bull had been issued to the Weyl family, just as it had to the Melvingers.
Elric initially wanted to refuse, but Isabelle persuaded him to stay, arguing that rejecting their offer would harm their pride.
However, despite Isabelle's best efforts to make his stay comfortable, Elric wasn't entirely at ease.
This was largely due to the constant stares he received from the Weyl family's vassals and servants wherever he went.
Their gaze was complicated.
To the Weyl family, Elric was both a benefactor and a source of resentment.
They were grateful to him for curing Herman's reflux disease. It was an achievement that none of them felt they could adequately repay.
But exposing the family's internal disgrace to the public during the territorial war? That only bred resentment.
Thus, their feelings toward him were understandably conflicted.
And now, on top of everything else, Elric had been offered the position of the next Blue Lion.
This caused further confusion among the knights.
Judging by Elric's achievements, it wasn't strange for him to be named Herman's successor.
But he was a magician. The idea of a magician becoming a Lion was unheard of, and no one knew what his true martial skills were.
Even though he had been verified as a prodigy in magic—becoming the youngest Magus—that was in the field of magic, not martial arts.
Moreover, some of the knights who had secretly hoped to become Herman's successor after Paul's death now saw Elric as an outsider coming in to steal what they thought was theirs.
Of course, none of them voiced these complaints openly.
Many were burdened by their own guilt for having pushed Isabelle into a dangerous situation, and Herman's determination was too strong to challenge.
Additionally, the Blue Hawks, who had filled many of the vacant positions after Paul's faction was purged, fully supported Elric.
Thus, they had no real means to reject him.
In the end, these were the reasons why Elric had been treated like an outsider during his stay at the Weyl family's mansion.
Not that Elric minded in the least.
Herman, knowing Elric's personality, made no effort to intervene.
He believed that Elric, as his chosen successor, would eventually shatter their biases and expectations.
Then, Elric had suddenly requested a private meeting with Herman.
Herman, sensing that Elric had made his decision, smiled faintly.
Elric nodded slowly and spoke.
"I'll do it."
In truth, even after Mephistopheles had given him advice, Elric had thought about it deeply.
But every time he considered it, he arrived at the same conclusion.
—If it was a path to greater strength, he would accept it.
Thus, he would use this opportunity as a stepping stone to reach what Mephistopheles had referred to as the "source."
If he could reach the place that only the Progenitor had touched, he would accept whatever it took.
"I knew you'd come to that conclusion," Herman said, smiling knowingly.
"However, I have a condition."
"What is it? Speak freely."
"My duties as the head of the Melvinger family take precedence over my duties as Blue Lion. If the two ever conflict, I won't accept the position."
"So it's the same condition you set when you became the successor to Night's Chronicle?"
"Yes."
Herman nodded without hesitation.
"I already anticipated as much. I won't burden you with the responsibilities of the Weyl family. If you truly become a Blue Lion, the knights will pledge their loyalty to you on their own. As for the family's duties, I plan to entrust them to my daughter."
Herman had learned much from the recent events.
He had long known the importance of naming a successor. But his pride in his achievements had made him greedy in his search for a perfect successor—one skilled in both martial arts and commerce. That was why he had delayed the decision for so long.
But now he realized there was no need to be so rigid.
He planned to pass on his swordsmanship to Elric and leave the family in Isabelle's hands.
He had no doubt that his daughter would excel, more than anyone.
Even if they didn't become lovers, Elric and Isabelle would be comrades with shared goals, and together, they would build a family greater than anything Herman could have accomplished.
Moreover,
'They will complete what I couldn't.'
Herman believed that his long-held wish was finally within reach.
"And I can't accept you as my master."
"I expected that as well. I'm only pulling you into this out of my own selfish desire. There's something I wish to achieve through you. But when it comes to teaching you, I won't hesitate for even a moment. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Elric smiled faintly and nodded.
"So, what should I do first?"
"What do you think?" Herman's lips curled into a grin.
"First, we'll wrap up the fundamentals we've been putting off. And after that, you'll begin to learn."
Herman's eyes deepened with intensity.
"The long-cherished wish of my sworn brothers."
[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]