The Sword and The Shadow

Magic Cannon Replication

"Leguna!" Annelotte cried out in shock. Even though she was mad about the foolish ramblings of the magi, killing them because of it was something she couldn't bring herself to do.

"Leave this to me," he said with a flat tone. But Annelotte heard an unmistakable determination in his voice.

The glacial girl carefully asked, "You haven't lost control, have you?"

She had heard her father say that Leguna would occasionally experience insatiable bloodlust due to the influence of Host of Darkness, and that she should stop him if he entered that state. She instantly suspected that was the case when she saw him kill that low-order magus without hesitation.

But it seemed she had worried excessively this time. He shook his head and whispered, "I'm fine. These fellows are simply far too arrogant and they won't stop being so unless we kill one or two of them."

"You..."

"Leave this kind of dirty work to me!" He smiled to her at an angle the other magi couldn't see and turned his head back to the other shivering magus.

"I... I'm a magus! I am a captive of your empire! You can't simply kill your captives!" the second magus forced out of his mouth.

"A captive?" Leguna let out a bone-chilling smile. "Lord Magus, what are you saying? You don't look like you have the least bit awareness of your status as a captive here! You all seem like mighty tycoons waiting to be served!"

"This is our right as magi! Magi should be given treatment different from other captives!" said a magus and he stood out bravely. Leguna had already killed one of them, so he refused to believe he would kill another. The assassin looked to be only in his twenties anyway so he couldn't have that high status in the first place. Hmph, he thinks he can simply kill us just because he was tasked to watch us? If this spreads, I'll see how he gets punished!

However, not every one of them was ignorant of who Leguna was. Some were personally brought there, so they knew that he had quite high status in Hocke despite his age. A few managed to find out who he was after talking to some others. So, nobody bothered to help that magus.

Leguna turned to him and smiled. "Let me guess. You stood up for yourself because you are certain that I won't kill you, right?"

"Hmph! Even as a captive, I won't cast away my pride as magus! If you think you can make me submit just by killing one person, forget it! I demand to be treated as a magus should!"

"Make your demands in hell then! Perhaps the god of death will satisfy your wish!" Leguna struck out again and pierced that magus's heart.

[Oh, not bad! The spirits of two magi make a good breakfast, even though they're only low-orders,] Gahrona said, [It's about time you stopped though! Control yourself. I don't want you to be a crazed killer!]

"Do you have something else to say?" Leguna tapped on the face of the magus who was talking about Annelotte just now with his sword. Even though he killed two people just now, Lighteater absorbed their blood cleanly and wasn't stained the slightest bit red.

"N-no... Please spare me, sir! It was my mistake! Please spare my life! I will definitely obey everything you say! Give me a chance!" The man was so terrified that he kneeled immediately.

"Very well!" Leguna kept his sword and looked at the pale magus. "Listen up! I don't care about the status you previously had nor the kind of treatment you received in Stok! Right now, you're captives of our empire! So, I hope that you will get your attitudes in check. Don't think you can get special treatment here! If you don't change your Stokian habits, then I won't mind sending you to the forges of hell! Understood?!"

One middle-aged female magus stood up and bowed to Leguna, before bravely saying, "Sir, we more or less understand what you're saying. I wonder if you can tell us who you are. At the very least, let us know who controls our fates."

"It's a reasonable request. I'm Leguna."

"Leguna?!" Most of the magi's expressions shifted. Was that fellow before them the young assassin that only shot to fame recently? The terrifying Dark Requiem that stood on the same level as Golden Eagle Alissanda and Crimsonflame Fiend Saron?

Upon making his identity known, the magi truly kept themselves in check. Though they were proud people, they knew they weren't much compared to the head of the bureau. The ones who died before thought that he wouldn't dare kill them, little did they know that two lives of low-orders weren't much for someone of Leguna's standing.

The female magus didn't look the least bit surprised. She nodded forcefully and said, "It's Leguna Dark Requiem as expected. I, Perelia, apologize for our previous offenses."

"You are the strongest among them here. What position did you hold back in Stok?" Leguna asked. She was the strongest of the captives, being at the 13th stratum. Leguna could also tell by their gazes that she seemed to have the highest standing.

"I used to serve as the leader of the magic cannon team. We were in charge of the repair and recharge of the cannons on one side of the walls." Even though she was talking to a young man, he was the head of an intelligence agency. If she lied, the consequences would be dire if she was found out.

"You have a really useful skill," Leguna praised, "So, if you're willing to work for her, you'll definitely be treated well."

"Her?" Perelia asked hesitantly, "Forgive me for asking, but who is this young miss?"

"She's Annelotte Ladis," he replied with a smile, "Do you remember the champion of the tournament one year ago? That's her."

"Oh!" The captives magus let out a surprised groan. Even though Annelotte's reputation among the common folk wasn't as great as Alissanda's or Leguna's, she was heralded as second to Saron in the world of magic. Annelotte was half a year younger than Saron when she reached the 17th stratum. Had it not been for Saron's training as a warrior, the magic community would no doubt consider Annelotte as the most accomplished young magus ever!

Regardless, Saron and Annelotte were freakish monsters they could never hope to approach, hence the surprise at the mention of her name. Being able to see a legend with their own eyes filled them with shock and awe.

"You asked me just now who has control over your fates," Leguna continued, "That person isn't me. It's actually her. She is the one you'll have to obey without question. Naturally, if anyone else has anything to say about it, I don't mind stepping in. You can be sure of it."

"If it's following a fellow colleague like Miss Annelotte, I don't have anything to complain about," Perelia said. The gaze she shot Annelotte was filled with respect. They were both magi and women, yet Annelotte's exploits in the field were so awe-inspiring. Perelia had long wanted to see the genius girl, little did she know being taken captive would actually see her wish fulfilled.

Annelotte looked at Perelia and didn't know why she seemed so warm to her. However, she didn't go out of her way to stop her. "May I ask if you understand the structure of the magic cannons?"

"Structure?" Perelia seemed surprised that she would be asked that.

"That's right," Annelotte explained, "I already have a rough idea of the construction of the cannons when I inspected it the last time. I was thinking that if I had someone who was familiar with them work with me to fill in the blanks, it'd be possible to duplicate the cannons."

Both Leguna and the magi all skipped a beat when they heard it. The magic cannons were the most advanced weapon of Stok. If Annelotte was able to replicate it, it would turn the tides of war!

"Annie, can you really do it?" Leguna asked.

"I only said it was possible. The complexity of the cannons is far beyond my imagination. Even with someone guiding me, I can't confidently claim that I'd be able to do it. People call me genius, but to me, the one who designed this weapon is the true genius."

Perelia consoled, "I heard that this weapon is the fruit of the years of research conducted by the principal of the school of magic and many other masters. If you can do the same, it'd already be phenomenal."

"So, Miss Perelia, how much do you know about the cannons? Are you willing to help me replicate it?" Annelotte asked.

It was a heavy question. If Perelia agreed, then the war between the two empires would change greatly. Perelia didn't think that a mid-order magus like herself actually had the power to influence two great empires.

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