Chapter 70: Chapter 59: Solomon and Merin’s First Meeting

Since they were on the road, it was inconvenient to conduct experiments. Isaac thus focused on more theoretical Magic Books while also taking the opportunity to take stock of his own combat capabilities.

Don’t be fooled by how badass he looked on the battlefield, wiping out several thousand Knights in an instant.

In reality, that was all accomplished through a ritual. It was filled with elements of luck and would be difficult to replicate.

His own actual strength was rather average.

With enough preparation, he could at most fight above his level against one or two Great Knights. Besides, he was currently a typical glass cannon Mage.

In terms of offense, he had Flaming Arrow for mid- to long-range combat, which was considered excellent for his rank as an Official Wizard. However, his true trump card remained the Demons created through Flesh Conversion.

Among them, his single-target Demon was a three-cored, two-headed Gale Demon Wolf. It possessed 2.5 times the Magic Power of a normal Tier One Gale Demon Wolf, and its casting speed for the Wind Blade spell was doubled.

Most importantly, the presence of two heads made it possible for the Gale Demon Wolf to fire consecutive Wind Blades, drastically increasing its combat effectiveness.

And aside from its Magic Power and spells, the three-cored, two-headed Gale Demon Wolf was also fused with the bloodline factor of a Demonized Wild Boar, giving it incredible physical strength. Its hide was thick and tough, making it extremely durable.

Its overall strength was that of a Tier One Upper-rank Demon.

This was his conventional Summoned Creature. But Isaac had also prepared an unconventional one—the Great Sword Ghost!

It was a rather special Tier Two Demon, born from the corpse of a Great Knight that had been stimulated by a unique form of Magic Power. It retained all the combat instincts from its former life, possessing both the superb combat skills of a human and the formidable physique of a Demon.

It was extremely powerful, even among Tier Two beings!

What made it even more special was that although the Great Sword Ghost originated from a corpse, it wasn’t actually one of the Undead. It was a living creature, albeit one with little to no consciousness.

The "Great Sword" part of its name came from its weapon of choice—the greatsword.

Caesar had captured one for him back when they were preparing for battle at the fortress, which had been a pleasant surprise. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He had originally wanted to run some experiments on it. Unfortunately, he couldn’t control a Great Knight by himself, so he had no choice but to reluctantly let Harmon devour it, converting it into a summoned Demon.

The only regret was that creating a Great Sword Ghost required an immense amount of Demonized Flesh. A single use would bankrupt him!

Fortunately, he could substitute it with Magic Power. However, this meant the ability could only be used while his Infinite Magic Power was active.

All in all, Isaac had maxed out his offensive capabilities as much as possible, but in other aspects... he was sorely lacking.

For defense, he only knew Enhanced Arcane Shield, which could only block attacks from opponents of the same tier. For mobility, he likewise only had Enhanced Arcane Teleportation. His repertoire was severely limited. If caught in a surprise attack, he stood a high chance of being assassinated!

It was frustrating, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Although Isaac’s progress in learning Magic had been rapid thanks to his Golden Finger filling in the gaps, he had simply been a Wizard for too short a time. He’d also been busy with other, more important matters, so he had naturally fallen behind in these areas.

’Can’t be helped,’ he thought. ’My Golden Finger isn’t the type that just lets you add stat points, is it?’

These things could only be accumulated slowly over time; they couldn’t be rushed.

Fortunately, the Empire’s borders were safe enough. He didn’t have to worry about any dangers on the road and would have ample time to shore up his weaknesses.

Within the Empire, most regions were free of Demons above Tier One. The most one might encounter were some goblins.

After all, if the people of an Empire lived in constant misery, what right would it have to call itself an Empire?

Thus, in this world—at least within the Empire’s borders—all dangerous Demons had been driven into designated regions. This not only maintained peace but also made the "resource" of Demons more concentrated and sustainable.

The only real danger when traveling was the possibility of running into bandits. They were difficult to eradicate in the Extraordinary World; after all, for powerful Transcendents, robbery was a much faster way to make money.

However, this was of no concern to Isaac, as their convoy flew the flag of the Solomons Family.

Nowadays, few bandits would dare to rob the Nobility, especially not a Border Nobility as martially renowned as the Solomons.

And so, the journey was uneventful. A month later, the group entered the Imperial Capital without incident and proceeded slowly toward the Norns Mansion.

The Norns Clan’s mansion was located in the southern district of the Imperial Capital. The members of the Norns family were already waiting at the entrance to welcome them.

As the carriage pulled up to the Norns’ gate, gentle sunlight cascaded over the entrance. Though it was winter, the light exuded a pleasant warmth.

’Ritual Magic can be used like this?’ Isaac raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Norns’ gate. ’You live and you learn. Is this what you’d expect from the Nobility, or is the Magic of this world just that integrated into daily life?’

Isaac leaped down from the pumpkin carriage. A puff of purple smoke billowed out, and the carriage vanished. The shifty-eyed Groom likewise transformed, becoming a small mouse perched on Isaac’s shoulder.

This magical scene made the servants of the Norns Clan stare. ’Transformation Magic... Could he be a Grand Wizard? But he’s so young!’

A middle-aged man in opulent attire also turned his gaze. Unlike the servants with their limited knowledge, he could tell with a single glance that Isaac was only an Official Wizard, whereas Transformation Magic could only be cast by a Grand Wizard. Therefore...

’Has the Solomons Family actually produced a Legendary Mage?’

At this thought, the middle-aged man’s gaze on Isaac filled with even greater astonishment.

"Prince Norns, good day," they said in unison.

Though the Prince’s Mansion before them was magnificent, the two did not stand there gaping. Instead, they quickly approached the middle-aged man and offered their greetings.

Prince Norns was the Emperor’s own younger sibling. Strength unknown, age unknown, and even...

...gender unknown!

In short, a very Mysterious person!

Though they were burning with curiosity, Isaac and Remington dared not show a hint of it, standing respectfully with their heads bowed.

Prince Norns smiled gently and shook their head, their voice warm. "Let’s dispense with the stiff formalities. Come, let’s go inside. Lunch has been prepared."

With that, the Prince led the way into the Prince’s Mansion. Isaac and Remington followed slowly, while Smith and the others remained behind to help the mansion’s staff with the dowry.

...

As Isaac and Remington followed Prince Norns to the dining hall, two young women were already seated inside. One, dressed in a white formal gown with white lace gloves, sat listlessly at the dining table. Though her delicate figure was still that of a youth, one could already discern breathtaking curves that only needed time to fully blossom.

And yet, despite being such a beautiful young woman, her lovely face was filled with dejection.

The other young woman was dressed far less formally. A loose Wizard Robe completely enveloped her figure, hiding any hint of its shape, and her beautiful hair was simply tied back, giving her an extremely casual appearance.

"Still moping about it? That young master Caesar is so talented, why would he ever be sent out for a political marriage? Besides, that Remington fellow isn’t bad either. A Great Knight in his twenties is a rare sight, even in the Imperial Capital," the Witch said casually, slumping ungracefully over the table while tapping a silver cup with a slender finger.

"Sigh... I know you’re right... but... sometimes I really envy my older sister. She gets to control her own destiny..."

"Tch. It’s not too late for you to become a Legendary Mage, you know," the Witch said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Hm? They’re here." Sensing someone approaching, the Witch quickly sat up straight. She straightened her slightly disheveled Wizard Robe, and her beautiful eyes turned toward the dining hall entrance.

"Tsk! I knew it was you!" came two voices at once.