The First Magic World War

If Magru Teller had not wanted to investigate Menilman behind the scenes, or forcefully made Charles betray his senior, no one could have shaken his position. He could have stayed comfortably as a warden in his cushy job.

Charles, too, did not understand why people in this world always employ unscrupulous means to climb the ladder of success. What's worse, they only see the potential benefits and never consider how dire the backlash could be once they faced retribution.

Magru Teller did not come from a prominent background, and if the former warden had even slight backing, he wouldn't have been helpless after losing power, nor would he have been tormented so badly by several army wardens. How much had he sacrificed and suffered to climb to the position of warden at Kilmainham Prison? Now that his family was ruined and he himself destroyed, it was as hateful as it was pitiful and lamentable.

Previously, Charles only had a conceptual understanding of the nobility from feudal dynasties through books, but after meeting Anne's cousin Krel Brittany and Ebner Sumei, he fully grasped that "the truth from books is shallow; one must experience it personally" is indeed an ultimate proverb. In this world, there is a vast difference between nobles and commoners.

He truly did not believe that these two young officers could become Seventeenth Rank knights purely by their own strength—one so young to be a 24th Rank First-Level Warrant Officer, and the other, slightly less distinguished, a 25th Rank Fifth Order Army Warden.

Although they were enemies, Charles deeply knew that the president of Liemar Detective Agency, Aubrey Barrington Atwood, and warden Magru Teller, represented the upper limit of what ordinary people could achieve.

After Magru Teller died, his body suffered the backlash of curse techniques and turned into ashes, leaving only a small, dark clump on the ground.

Charles walked over and kicked it twice, not recognizing what it was since he hadn't much exposure to Alchemy at university.

As he debated whether to crush Magru Teller's last remains under his foot or pick it up for someone else to identify, he was somewhat averse to handling residue extracted from a corpse. An eager voice then said, "Sir, could you sell me the remains of that curse technique under your foot?"

Looking up, Charles saw two men. He didn't recognize them, but he identified the black coats they wore as the signature of the Liemar Agency.

Charles asked somewhat playfully, "How much are you offering?"

The speaker was Reggie Asu, who immediately recognized the clump of cursed remains. Even though the cursed armament was completely destroyed, this clump, once processed, could yield some curse technique materials. He had long wanted to ask an Alchemist Master to help craft a set of cursed armaments but had yet to gather all the materials. Even if he couldn't use it himself, it could be traded, as Alchemy materials were priceless and many people wouldn't accept Aegeus but only barter.

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After pondering for a moment, Reggie responded, "Ten Aegeus!"

Feigning profundity, Charles smiled and said, "I graduated from Sheffield University."

Charles wasn't bragging about his alma mater but subtly informing the other party that he "knew his stuff," although he genuinely didn't recognize the item.

The prestige of Sheffield University indeed worked. After a moment's calculation, Reggie said, "Twenty-five Aegeus, that's the highest price I can offer. Perhaps you could get a slightly higher price selling to those merchants, but they would need to authenticate and assess it, which is very cumbersome, and you might not get the money within half a month."

Charles agreed with the other's view and said, "Cash!"

Reggie nodded, instructed his companion to stay, and then turned to leave.

Half an hour later, he returned carrying a money pouch with freshly withdrawn notes from the Savings Union. Charles counted and verified the authenticity of the notes using methods taught at his school and, satisfied, declared, "This clump is yours now."

The two completed the transaction, each getting what they needed and going their separate ways.

Calanda Modi glanced back at Charles, who had already climbed back into the carriage, and whispered to his companion, "He must have recognized us."

Reggie Asu responded with a slight smile, "But he pretended not to recognize us, didn't he?"

Calanda Modi, with a hint of envy, said, "With that mass of Curse Technique remnants, you should be able to complete that Cursed Armament set."

Excited, Reggie Asu nodded and remarked, "In a few days, I might need some cash, can you lend me some to tide me over?"

Spreading his hands, Calanda Modi replied, "No problem with lending money between old colleagues."

Charles returned to the carriage and said to Madam Nancy, "Back to Elysian Pastoral Street No. 58!"

The carriage started to move slowly, but Charles delved into his research on Bloody Glory. Through battle testing, he had discovered that rather than directly activating Bloody Glory, it was more effective to trigger each Bloody Rune and channel it to another Bloody Vortex, with each location amplifying the power by ten percent.

He had activated four Bloody Vortices, which meant that each Bloody Rune triggered could amplify the power of his techniques by thirty percent.

He finally understood why, in his time, Protagora had been invincible and became the nemesis of the Blood Clan! This Great Philosopher of the Human Race must have opened thirteen Bloody Vortices, which meant each of his techniques instantly amplified the power by 120 percent!

Who, at the same level, could withstand an enemy whose power suddenly more than doubled?

Harnessing this Secret Technique, Charles tried a new method to assimilate the life essence he had absorbed, finding it much faster than before. Having drawn from the intense life force of Magru Teller, a Seventh Rank Knight, by the time he returned to Elysian Pastoral Street No. 58, Charles's right leg trembled slightly as he finally activated the fifth Bloody Vortex.

In other words, Charles had finally ascended to a Fifth Order Transcendent.

The next morning, as soon as Charles had gotten out of bed, he heard a knock at the door. Madam Nancy hurried up from the basement to ask about the situation and then opened the door. Miss Annie burst into the house like a whirlwind, showing none of the restraint expected from a lady as she charged up to the third floor.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Charles had not even finished dressing when he saw Annie rush into his room. The young noblewoman, her face filled with urgency, said, "It's terrible! My cousin's army has been suddenly ordered to move and has already left for the front!"

"He specifically sent someone to apologize to me, saying he couldn't stand in for you at the duel."

Charles was startled, but he quickly regained his composure. Having never fully relied on foreign aid, he smiled and said, "Miss Annie, thank you for letting me know. Although I too am disappointed, I quite understand Krel and Ebner's position, as they are military men who must obey the commands of their country."

"My affair is merely a private duel and should not interfere with national security. Their choice is the right one."

Annie knew there was no use arguing about military deployments. Her cousin and Ebner didn't have a choice, but she didn't want Charles to face danger and said worriedly, "What will you do then? You can't cope with a High-Level Transcendent!"

Charles knew well that he had no chance of winning against a High-Level Transcendent in a duel, unless the duel took place at Machu Picchu Fortress.

He now found himself longing for that fortress, which had been transformed into a maze.