As they walked, old Natton instructed his apprentice, "When we return and meet His Majesty, just report what you saw truthfully. Don't say anything unnecessary."
"Why?" Sanders asked, confused.
He looked around. Everywhere he turned, he saw something knight-themed.
The broad avenue was wide enough for eight carriages to travel abreast. On either side, every ten meters or so stood a statue of a knight mounted on a steed. The lifelike statues showed knights slaying demons, battling savage foreign races, or raising their swords and holding their lances in heroic poses.
Even an ordinary person gazing at the statues would feel their heart surge with excitement.
Aside from the statues, the most common shops along the road were weapon shops, armor shops, and saddlery shops, followed by all kinds of knight training schools.
Looking farther ahead, they could see that the broad avenue was flanked by countless large and small knight arenas.
Old Natton sighed. "Barbarossa has become a kingdom devoted entirely to knighthood."
Knights came first! Knights ruled!
Every other profession had to step aside.
In the entire Barbarossa Empire, at least eighty percent of all professionals were connected to knighthood.
Even the infantry consisted of foot knights or knight squires; those who wielded bows were mounted archers. Below the knights, there were only rank-and-file peasant soldiers.
It gave the kingdom a distinctly top-heavy feel.
There was no helping it. A hundred years ago, when magic vanished, the knights had defended the empire's borders with their own flesh and blood. Naturally, they had become the empire's dominant force.
When his master said that, Sanders was at a loss for words.
In fact, after they arrived at the palace and their report had been passed up through the proper channels, they were granted an audience with the emperor in less than an hour.
But the sight that greeted the two master and apprentice left them feeling a little uneasy.
The emperor received them in the main hall. Three Knight Order commanders and the head priest of the God of Light stood before his throne.
"Black Shadow, Shadow Guard, my two loyal subjects, tell everyone here what you saw and heard." Emperor Barbarossa the Thirteenth was in his sixties, and his age showed. His hair was entirely white, and without the crown covering his head, his bald spot would have been conspicuous. The wrinkles on his face and the crow's-feet at the corners of his eyes seemed to speak of the hardships endured by both him and the empire.
Sanders felt the intense gazes of the powerful figures fixed on him. Even the chill of the White Dragon leather armor he wore couldn't offset their scorching attention. For a moment, in a daze, he felt as though the heroic spirits represented by the three-man-high knight statues surrounding the hall had crossed time and space to fix their eyes on the pair of them.
Old Natton spoke first. "My judgment is that he is indeed a living human Legendary Archmage!"
A low murmur rose through the hall.
"Please continue your account, Lord Black Shadow." The Palace Minister gestured, temporarily quieting the commanders.
Natton recounted how he had followed the route provided by the Cervantes king and infiltrated Vulture Dragon Mountain; how he had found the valley and discovered the White Dragon's corpse, struck down by lightning beside the waterfall at the entrance; how he had been spotted by the Fire Bats after entering the valley and incurred the Archmage Lein's displeasure; and finally, how he had helped retrieve the White Dragon's treasure and assisted in building the Mage Tower.
He hadn't concealed a single thing.
"A Legendary Archmage with a Legendary Fire Bat magic pet that's evil-neutral?"
"Don't forget, his apprentice rides a Wind Rider."
The commanders immediately began arguing among themselves.
When the emperor seemed to realize the argument would get them nowhere, he waved a hand, and the hall fell silent again.
"Regardless, thank you for your hard work, my loyal subject Black Shadow." At the emperor's gesture, an attendant promptly brought over a small box.
The attendant opened it, and old Natton glanced inside.
The emperor had been reasonably generous. The box contained the land deed to a small manor on the outskirts of the imperial capital.
Honestly, it was a decent location. As compensation for sending a Legendary Shadow Dancer to risk his life probing a potential Legendary Archmage, the reward was passable.
Still, compared to the lord who had casually gifted them White Dragon leather, the emperor seemed a little stingy.
To be fair, the emperor had a thousand things to attend to. How could he have known that the two of them would come back with a set of White Dragon leather armor?
And with that, the master and apprentice were dismissed.
"Master, will they invite Lord Tesla to the imperial capital?"
Old Natton shook his head. "No! This is a kingdom of knights."
Sanders froze for a moment, then smiled wryly.
Every Barbarossa person knew exactly what that meant.
The kingdom that its knightly forebears had defended with blood and sacrifice wouldn't be handed over lightly. Perhaps the emperor thought maintaining the balance was ideal. But changing a vast nation was easier said than done.
It would take an opportunity—an enormous one.
Lein knew nothing of this, nor did he have the energy to care.
Not long after seeing old Natton and his apprentice off, Lein received a system notification.
[Congratulations, host. Your strength has earned the recognition of the Legendary Shadow Dancer Natton Black Shadow. Your Legendary Fame across the human world has increased by 1.]
Lein blinked at the notification.
He read it over carefully and realized it was confirmation. The news that the Cervantes Kingdom had spread had now been verified by the Barbarossa Empire.
If old Natton hadn't been mistaken, then there probably wouldn't be any more insignificant nobodies coming to bother him.
Either no one would come, or they'd come asking him to serve as a kingdom's court Archmage.
"Master, if you really don't want to be some Royal Family court Archmage, you could just refuse outright. Have the king pass along the message," Downs suggested.
No, actually, I do want to! Little work, good pay, and plenty of time to slack off—ideally, they'd worship me every day.
But I'm afraid I'll be exposed!
The words almost slipped out. Instead, Lein said, "I have no interest in worldly power. I only want to finish my research quietly."
"I know you want to keep a low profile, Master, but your strength won't let you!"
Was that the innocence of childhood? No, it was the audacity of youth!
Downs was such a simple-minded kid. After picking up a certain transmigrator's occasional catchphrase, he'd started saying things that Lein really did love to hear.
Even so, Lein couldn't show how much he liked it. He put on his masterly airs. "Hmph! I have my own plans. As for you, once you advance to High-Level Mage, don't stay here clinging to me. Reading ten thousand books is no substitute for traveling ten thousand miles. The path that leads each Legendary figure to greatness is unique. The moment you reach High-Level Mage, you're getting out of here."
"Yes..." Downs's voice fell at once.
Lein continued the lesson. "The so-called [Law of Conservation of Mass] means that during a physical change, the mass contained in an object remains unchanged, regardless of how its shape, state, or position changes..."
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Downs. He drew a small dagger and, right in front of Lein, drew countless black specks from the soil and gathered them onto the blade. Within a few breaths, the dagger had become something resembling a longsword.
Seeing the system notification, Lein knew that his apprentice had once again learned magic all on his own. He said coldly, "You attached the metal from the soil to the dagger. That increased its mass. It doesn't violate the Law of Conservation of Mass."
"Master, I was wondering, what if I removed the 'mass' from this metal sword right now?" As he spoke, Downs pointed at it from a distance. The crooked-looking, slightly rusty longsword shifted away from its original position. But while the sword had moved, what was that other sword left behind in its place?
Lein stared at the system notification, utterly exasperated: [Congratulations, host. After successfully casting the Level 3 Evocation Magic (Dance of Steel), your apprentice has successfully cast the Level 3 illusion magic (Greater Illusion)!]
What the hell!
That worked too?
First, he made an object, then used the power of "I think it works" to remove its "mass," leaving behind an image that was an illusion?
Downs, are you sure the "mass" you mean is the same thing as the mass I was talking about?
Physics... no longer exists!
Before you continue