A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

Wizards usually look down on swordsmen.

When a wizard steps into the world of spells, they first awaken another sense.

A new hand, something new, something beyond the sixth sense, through that, they construct their own mental world, calling it their inner world, or the world of spells.

Reaching that place requires no key, no need to open a door, or even to walk.

The world of spells is within them.

They refine their world while gazing at the sky, at the flames, and at the glaciers.

That is the training and discipline of a wizard.

The reason why people often say that wizards are mad or insane is partly because of how they refine their inner world.

In the 48th year of the Empire, a wizard who built and adorned their entire inner world with flames burned down a city for a new world.

Using the completely burnt flames as a stepping stone, he sought to advance to a new world.

It was the most horrific arson incident in the history of the Empire.

Named the ‘Flood of Flames Incident’, the number of dead exceeded thousands.

The wizard’s goal in causing the flood of flames was not mass murder.

Having burned and killed many times, watching people burn no longer brought inspiration.

So, he burned the city.

Thus was born the worst fire wizard, The Flame Demon.

Many Knights and wizards lost their lives trying to kill him, but he eventually died.

When one does anything for exploration and inspiration, they become a mad wizard. Yet, those with a talent for spells do not hesitate to explore that world.

Magic is inherently like that.

A thirst for exploration, a desire for knowledge, the pursuit of truth and digging into it. When given the chance, they strive to grasp the truth.

Those who go mad with the ecstasy of awakening knowledge are called wizards by the world.

In any case, for these various reasons, it was natural for them to look down on swordsmen.

Wizards can roam a world that swordsmen cannot see.

For those who can wield spells, especially wizards specialized in such areas, killing even the most skilled swordsman is no challenge.

Therefore, this was obviously an easy task.

“Do the job, get paid, and go back.”

There are many places across the continent that train wizards, but not many that take on commissions.

Among them, the most publicly known is the ‘Shadow Nest’.

They were members of the Shadow Nest.

They hid themselves with black soot and overlaid their spell on the enemy’s tent.

They spread a thick sleeping scent with a gust of wind and cast a perception disruption spell over the entire tent.

It was a spell called ‘Darkly Painted Cover’, and such spells were commonly referred to as perception disruption spells.

This time, they painted the entire tent black and pushed it out of people’s awareness.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ordinary soldiers wouldn’t notice, and only those with sharp intuition might sense something amiss.

Those who were born with a well-developed sixth sense.

“Doesn’t that look strange over there?”

There was indeed such a person.

“Why?”

It was a soldier on patrol. There were three of them, and the one on the far right mumbled.

“Doesn’t it look, um, dark over there?”

The spell’s effect was to silence sounds and make appearances vanish. It was the effect of the darkly painted cover.

To those with good intuition, it might look slightly darker.

“It’s night, so it’s dark.”

It was meant to be a trick of the night.

“No, I mean, isn’t it kind of, um, darker? More gloomy.”

If suspicions arose here, they would just kill the three and dispose of the bodies inside.

The wizards’ eyes filled with murderous intent.

Whack!

As soon as he made up his mind, the soldier at the far end smacked the back of the perceptive one’s head.

“Fuck, I can’t sleep when I hear stuff like that. Cut it out.”

“Are you crazy, hitting me on the head?”

“Hey, hey, stop it. We’re on patrol.”

The soldier in the middle tried to mediate as the other two bickered, and thus the three patrolmen moved away.

No problem.

There were five wizards in total.

One was responsible for the perception disruption spell.

Another spread the sleeping scent.

Yet another used a spell called the ‘Dream of the Abyss’ to make everyone inside lose consciousness again.

It might be excessive preparation, but after seeing five mad soldiers fight, it was necessary.

‘Just in case there’s a Junior-Knight or something.’

Even though they looked down on swordsmen, those who had awakened ‘Will’ were troublesome.

Will, or what is called willpower.

The qualification of a Junior-Knight is precisely awakening even a part of the ‘Will’.

Is there someone who wields willpower?

It’s hard to notice just by watching.

However, there was one guy who showed signs.

‘The blonde one.’

There was a guy who threw off his helmet in frustration during the fight.

With well-groomed eyes, red pupils, blonde hair, and an extraordinary sword-wielding skill.

The leader had seen Junior-Knight level power several times. His wizard’s intuition said that guy was the most dangerous.

“It’s done.”

A subordinate said next to him.

The leader lifted the tent flap and entered.

Even if there were Junior-Knight level people, they wouldn’t be able to regain their senses properly.

That was the level of preparation.

Even if there was one person still fine, it would only be one.

This wasn’t even considered an adventure.

Thus, they opened the inside of the tent.

Thanks to the perception disruption spell, it looked like no one was there, but inside, there were two bright blue lights.

They resembled the ‘Ghost Flame’, a specter made entirely of flames.

Naturally, it wasn’t a monster.

“…A panther?”

A black panther was spewing fire from its eyes.

The leader instinctively knew.

Those flame-filled eyes were mixed with spells and mysteries or something equivalent.

Both wizards who came with the leader revealed their true forms as the soot on their bodies peeled away.

They were the two wizards standing there.

And the panther blocking their way.

There were no words. No sounds. The heavy air filled the tent.

Then.

“Sneeze!”

The panther sneezed.

‘A sneeze? Isn’t that out of place for the situation? It totally breaks the tension.’

The leader thought.

---

Esther reflected on the past.

She could sum up the most important event of her life in one word.

‘Fuck, the curse.’

The curse had tangled Esther’s life. It tangled badly. Although it was a pain, she felt somewhat at ease now.

Lifting a curse was like unraveling a tangled thread.

It took time to untangle it knot by knot, but once it started to unravel, the rest was just a matter of time.

Thanks to this loosened thread, Esther could now draw upon and utilize parts of her world again.

“Grrrr.”

The panther bared its fangs.

“…A familiar?”

A being that a wizard commands through spells.

Sometimes it was an animal, other times it was something spiritual.

It was a misconception, but understandable.

Esther ignored the two who had come in. No, she saw through the trickery as her magic swirled inside her and settled in her eyes, allowing her to see beyond, seeing all their manipulations.

‘Five.’

Perception disruption, wind spell, and the sleep spell.

They had used three spells to obscure sight, rob senses, and make people lose consciousness before coming in?

They weren’t here for fun.

Encrid seemed to be sound asleep, likely due to the sleeping scent and the magical duet.

Or maybe he was just tired to begin with.

Esther thought the others must have fallen asleep too.

So, was she the only one left to stop them?

“Kill her.”

The male wizard said. Esther immediately sensed the world of spells shifting.

It had been a long time since she saw a proper spell mimicry.

Right above her, a blade of wind appeared and fell vertically. It was a guillotine made purely of mystery, an execution blade, and a death made of wind.

Whoosh.

Esther kicked off the ground. A simple sideways leap was enough.

The wind blade that cut through the air struck the ground with a thud and vanished.

The curse was truly wretched, preventing her from using proper spells with this body.

If she did, there would definitely be backlash.

The other wizard started murmuring something while waving his hand.

It was an incantation and hand gesture.

The murmured words were hard to understand, probably a new set of runes he had personally created to prevent opponents from preparing for his spells.

The hand gestures were meant to guide the spells along with the incantation.

Esther saw through it all at a glance.

The level of their spells was, how should she put it?

‘Pathetic.’

The shadow beneath the male wizard stretched out and tried to grab the panther at a terrifying speed.

Esther struck the ground with her front paw. The transformation began simultaneously.

It wasn’t about inner reflection.

It was a physical change.

The thread was unraveling, and much of it was thanks to the strange power bestowed upon Encrid.

In other words, she no longer had to bear the backlash with the panther’s body.

This meant that, for a brief moment, she could return to her original form.

The spell nearing her was meant for restraint.

“Be intoxicated by my scent.”

The transformed Esther extended her hand and spoke. It was a hand, not a paw.

Her claws retracted, revealing smooth white skin. It seemed almost radiant. The approaching restraining shadow from the enemy transformed into a black robe that draped over Esther’s entire body.

As the panther’s fur disappeared, it turned white and her frame grew larger. It was natural that she quickly assumed a human form.

Thanks to the enemy’s spell, she didn’t end up naked.

The black robe covered her pale skin.

A short, heavy, and chilly silence pressed down on the tent. The eyes of the two enemy wizards widened, and their trapezius muscles tensed.

The woman who had transformed from a panther to a human opened her mouth again.

“…It’s been a really long time.”

Esther, transformed back into a human, was overwhelmed with emotion. The curse had been long and arduous, and though she still couldn’t fully dispel it, this brief escape was something.

She had almost spent her entire life trapped, but now she could step outside for a moment.

The air outside the tent was fresh, clear, and clean.

Even though enemy spells mingled in that air, they didn’t bother her.

Her long, black hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back.

Her fingertips and nails were sharp.

“Hello?”

When the beautiful woman with black hair greeted them, the leader and the two wizards were too shocked to respond.

A panther turning into a human?

What is this, terrifying.

“Not a familiar?”

The wizard next to the leader said.

“…Get a grip!”

The leader raised his voice. He was flustered and surprised. She took the spell his subordinate cast, reassembled it, and turned it into clothes?

Does that make sense? No, it doesn’t. Is this some kind of bizarre illusion magic?

Her white breasts were glimpsed through the robe she had made.

There was no time to feel anything sexual.

The leader swallowed hard.

The opponent was a wizard. And undoubtedly a high-ranking one.

“Well then, let’s get started.”

Esther was extremely delighted. How long had it been since she could properly cast spells and use parts of her world?

That joy manifested at her fingertips.

“D’muller’s Scythe.”

When the spell activated, a black scythe floated in the air. It was similar to the blade of wind but a higher-tier offensive spell.

“Companion of life, darker than the pitch-black night!”

The leader shouted urgently. A defensive spell engraved on his body activated.

Esther’s eyes sparkled. It seemed new types of spells had emerged while she was under the curse.

It was a type she had never seen before. A kind of defensive spell, but not borrowing the power of another world.

But judging by the implementation speed, it was incredibly fast.

She sensed the flow of magic. Where did the source of that magic come from? The inner side of the robe’s skin.

‘Magic tattoos?’

It was a method of implementing the form of a magic circle through incantation.

Simply put, it was a magical tattoo engraved on the body.

‘Useful, but.’

While efficient, high-level magic wouldn’t activate in that manner anyway.

It would be pointless.

Crack!

The black scythe and the barrier met in mid-air. The barrier tore and shattered, and part of the scythe broke as well.

Black fragments scattered like glass and fell to the ground.

Esther snapped her fingers in the air.

Snap!

With the finger snap, the scythe disappeared.

“Huff, huff.”

The leader was gasping for breath. With one clash, he understood. She was not his match.

“Get everyone in here!”

The leader shouted. He had four subordinates, so it was time for all five to combine their strength.

Esther was a wizard who knew how to fight.

She had faced wizards countless times before the curse.

When it came to spell battles, she had done it so many times she was sick of it.

“Born from a spark, become an inferno that envelops all.”

She didn’t stop chanting.

There was some enjoyment in returning to human form after such a long time.

Part of her spell world opened up, and flames erupted. They shot up from beneath the enemy’s feet.

“Block it!”

The group of wizards that rushed in hastily began waving their hands. Soon, a defensive barrier formed, but—

“Wrong. Incorrect.”

Esther twisted her red lips as she spoke.

Simultaneously, perhaps due to her time as a panther, she kicked off the ground, leaving an afterimage as she approached one of the wizards.

Spell: Blazing Hand.

Her palm glowed red. She grabbed the neck of one wizard.

“Aaaargh!”

The flesh melted to the point where his neck bone was visible. The scream was cut short as his vocal cords and neck bone burned, making further screams impossible.

Click, hiss.

Only the unsettling sound of his throat gurgling emerged.

“Next.”

Esther grinned, baring her fangs. Her red lips stood out.

“Shit!”

The leader felt the difference in their level. He couldn’t see how they could survive.

He felt a sense of intimidation he had never experienced, not even when facing his master.

His morale was broken before the fight had even started. He couldn’t even think of running away.

Esther grabbed two more with her burning hand.

The difference in physical ability was also evident.

Then she used D’muller’s Scythe to behead the leader and the remaining wizard.

There was no need to use any extraordinary spells. She couldn’t use truly deep-level spells right now anyway.

But this was enough.

Severed heads floated into the air.

“You thought I was sleeping.”

Rem’s voice echoed in the tent. He was lying on his side, supporting his chin with his fist, appearing lazy.

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