By Zephyria Everyone buzzed about the fact that Leonardo Blaine was an All-Rounder, a mage capable of using all four elements.
Typically, mages undergo magic measurement and component analysis once upon graduating from the academy and again when joining a new organization.
However, the academy’s magic measurement was not precise, and in Leonardo Blaine’s case, he had enlisted in the military and served as a child soldier upon entering the academy, so there were few records. Even those were mostly erased.
Furthermore, the Imperial Army, especially the Dark Silver special elite unit to which Leonardo Blaine belonged, strictly kept information about its members’ abilities top secret.
Therefore, the most accurate and up-to-date data on Leonardo Blaine was what the Council possessed.
“What’s his rank? Is it S2 or higher?”
Someone asked, and the medical staff member from the Council who was giving the briefing replied.
“We were planning to introduce the magic rank in the next slide, but to give you the conclusion first, his magic capacity alone measures at S4.”
“S4?”
“Good heavens.”
The magic rank of Laina Rogia referred to a system that measured a mage’s magic capacity and usable skills, assigning them a grade.
First, excluding detailed technical aspects like control, the amount of magic a mage purely possessed was measured, starting from the lowest ‘F’, passing through ‘A’, and reaching the highest grade, ‘S’. Then, the alphabetical grades were further divided into four skill level stages, up to a maximum of level 4.
Of course, this data could vary slightly depending on one’s understanding of their own magic and the range of skills they could use, but generally, the more magic one possessed, the more skills they could use, so a higher grade meant a stronger mage.
Therefore, it was no wonder that the hall erupted in commotion at the mention of S4. It was the highest rank in existence. Even Hugo, who had expected it to some extent, was still amazed when he actually heard the grade.
It wasn’t that there had never been an S4 in the Council’s history, but currently, among the combat personnel available for deployment, only two were S4: Hugo Agrizendro, the commander, and Shorendo Hazelnut, the deputy commander.
In other words, Hugo Agrizendro had captured such a formidable individual.
“However, in the process of extracting Leonardo Blaine’s magic, we attempted to remove the black choker around his neck, but it could not be removed due to some kind of sealing magic. The black band appeared to be made of a material that combined leather and fine metal components, and its primary function seemed to be absorbing magic, though less potent than a magic stone.”
As the image transitioned to the next slide, a photograph of Leonardo Blaine’s neck filled the screen. The contrast between the white neck and the black line running across it was stark.
“The source is not precisely known, but it is presumed that the military fitted it on him when he was released from prison after his court-martial.”
Hugo found some of his questions about Leonardo Blaine answered by the medical staff’s briefing.
Hugo had also seen the black choker around his neck. However, when he first saw it, he had simply thought of it as a type of accessory and hadn’t paid much attention to it, unaware of its function.
He had expected the military to control the banished man in some way, but he hadn’t imagined it would be through such an inhumane method, akin to handling a dog, which made his brow furrow involuntarily.
Hearing about the choker’s function, Hugo recalled how, during the battle in frost territory, he had felt that Leonardo Blaine’s magic fluctuated irregularly, growing and shrinking even as he continuously emitted it.
He had thought it was simply because he was exhausted, but realizing that it was because he was struggling to emit magic while having it absorbed by the choker made him feel anew how remarkable the guy was.
‘To fight like that while wearing something like that.’
He was so strong that one couldn’t even sense that something was absorbing his magic.
If he hadn’t had that choker, a kind of handicap, how much stronger would he have been? It was already astonishing that he had escaped the iron bars in the middle of the capital, but from the start, he had been fighting with his magic suppressed in every moment he faced Hugo.
“So, he can’t properly use his original S4-level magic?”
One of the executives asked, and the medical staff replied somewhat ambiguously.
“Since the subject is a high-risk mage, measuring the magic emitted when casting spells is somewhat dangerous, so we barely managed to measure only the magic he possesses internally. Therefore, we cannot accurately say what level his magic usage is.”
The executive who had asked the question shrugged and crossed his arms, seemingly dissatisfied with the vague answer. However, the medical staff’s next words were enough to excite the solemn hall once more.
“Nevertheless, there is a separate reason why our medical team ranked Leonardo Blaine’s internal magic capacity as S4. It is because his magic is unmeasurable.”
“…Remarkable.”
“Unmeasurable?”
“Unbelievable. Another one….”
At the word “unmeasurable,” everyone turned their gaze to one person. Hugo, at the end of those gazes, smiled without realizing it. This was precisely why he felt an interest in Leonardo Blaine that he couldn’t feel in others.
“Unmeasurable, huh….”
Those who knew Commander Agrizendro stared at him strangely at Hugo’s exclamation mixed with admiration.
Currently, only one person in the Council had received an S4 grade with unmeasurable magic: Hugo Agrizendro himself. Since then, even among those from specific regions or bloodlines known for their exceptional magic, the title of “unmeasurable” had rarely appeared. But Leonardo Blaine had broken through that barrier.
“Wow, he was even more amazing than I thought. See, my arm didn’t get wrecked for nothing, right?”
Andreas Frederick, the commander of the 4th Division, who had a cast on his left arm, whistled. Meterion Kleinder, the commander of the 3rd Division next to him, glanced at him and added a word.
“Looks like you’re lucky you can use it to cover up how weak you are.”
“You really know how to talk—.”
Andreas glared at him, then shook his head, wondering why he was even talking to him, and closed his mouth.
“Alright, everyone, quiet down.”
Amidst the murmuring crowd, one of the Council’s councilors spoke up, organizing the atmosphere. Hugo narrowed his eyes and looked at him. He had a feeling he knew what was about to come out of that mouth.
“If it becomes known that he is an S4 mage, the other institutions will not stand idly by. Therefore, this information must be kept top secret. And we must think about how to recruit him to our side as much as possible.”
Some nodded at the councilor’s words. Certainly, with Leonardo Blaine now in the hands of the Council, the Council had the highest chance of recruiting him. However, some seemed to have different thoughts, and after much deliberation, one staff member cautiously opened his mouth.
“But Councilor, Leonardo Blaine has already been dishonorably discharged from the military once. Would he willingly be recruited by the Council?”
“No matter how strong he is, he must have learned through this experience that there is no benefit to wandering alone.”
At their words, Hugo rubbed his chin and thought. A mage with unmeasurable magic of an All-Rounder S4, who had appeared for the first time in twelve years besides himself. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem like someone with such a dazzling set of qualifications would obediently comply with the Council’s wishes.
Once the councilor opened the floodgates with that argument, there were many opinions. However, the majority still didn’t want to simply let go of the S4 mage they had struggled to capture this time.
That was because the Imperial Royal Guard, the military, and the Council, the three institutions, had always been engaged in an unseen power struggle. In the midst of that, having a rare unmeasurable All-Rounder affiliated with the Council meant a tremendous increase in their power.
Among the three institutions, the Council and the Imperial Army were particularly in constant opposition.
Of course, the Council was in charge of internal power, and the military was in charge of external power, but there was always a subtle tension between them. The fact that the military had not passed on the information to the Council even after banishing Leonardo Blaine, and the fact that the military’s support troops hadn’t even shown their faces when the Council arrested him, were all for that reason.
While engaging in a power struggle to prove that they were more dominant, the two institutions were always wary of personnel leaving for the other side. Therefore, if they could recruit Leonardo Blaine, who had once been a formidable force in the military, it would be like the Council landing a major blow on the military.
At the thought of that exhilarating situation alone, the once-quiet hall was now filled with heated debates as people put forward their opinions. And then, Abraham Lancaster, the quietly observing Chief Councilor of the Council, opened his mouth.
“How about including him in the upcoming Elder Millie Peninsula subjugation force?”