As Khaun continued talking, I asked him another question.
"What about the knights?"
He took a sip of beer from the pouch hanging at his side before answering.
"More than five were killed. Seven others were injured."
He shrugged.
"But those seven were healed by the duke healers. That's why Ron and Rany argued with the Duke about how you were treated."
I stayed silent for a moment.
Five dead.
Seven injured.
Compared to the scale of the battle, that number was small.
Still, for some reason, my heart felt heavy.
Khaun must have noticed my mood, because he suddenly changed the topic.
"Do you know what those caravans were carrying?" he asked.
"Vegetables… crops… things like that," I replied.
He laughed.
"You really are half right."
Then he leaned closer.
"The Duke ordered weapons."
I frowned.
"Why bring weapons from outside? There are blacksmiths here."
Khaun grinned.
"Boy, do you think only food becomes scarce during war? Weapons do too."
He continued explaining.
"When war begins, blacksmiths raise their prices. Demand becomes too high. So the Duke bought weapons from outside and flooded the market with them."
He took another sip of beer.
"It seems some merchants brought raw materials for weapons and sold them to blacksmiths at higher prices. War makes everyone greedy."
Then he waved his hand.
"Enough about that. Let's talk about magic. You can ask whatever you want."
Since he offered, I immediately asked about the spell he had used in the battle with the Red Crows.
When I mentioned it, he smiled.
"Ah, that one. My original spell."
"I combined two different magical applications into one. It consumes a lot of mana, but it becomes a powerful attack."
I hesitated before asking another question.
"What about dark magic?"
He looked at me strangely.
"What about it?"
"Can dark magic create offensive spells like that?"
For a few seconds, he didn't answer.
Then he sighed.
"Boy… do you think you're the first person born with dark affinity?"
I stayed silent.
"There were many before you," he continued.
"Some of them were extremely powerful."
"Then why doesn't anyone talk about them?" I asked.
He laughed bitterly.
"Because the world doesn't want to remember them."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Tell me something. If a dark magician saved an entire kingdom, what would people say?"
I didn't answer.
Khaun answered for me.
"They'd still say: 'He's a dark magician.'"
He drank again.
"As if dark magic can only curse people and spread misery."
His voice had become quieter now.
"Have you ever heard the name Zalex?"
I shook my head.
"No."
Khaun nodded slowly.
"Most people haven't."
"But once… he was considered the greatest dark magician alive."
My curiosity grew instantly.
"What did he do?"
"He created spells," Khaun said.
"Most of the dark magic spells used today came from him."
"Curses. Debuffs. Corruptions."
He paused.
"But that wasn't enough for him."
Khaun's eyes shifted toward the window.
"He hated how people viewed dark magic."
"So he disappeared."
"Into the forest."
"He built a cabin and spent years experimenting."
"Trying to create something the world said dark magic couldn't do."
My heart began beating slightly faster.
"Offensive magic," I whispered.
Khaun glanced at me.
"Exactly."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
"Did he succeed?" I asked.
Khaun didn't answer immediately.
Instead he took another long drink.
"Some say he did."
"Some say he wrote everything down in a book."
"A book filled with dark magic that could actually fight."
My curiosity burned even stronger now.
"What happened to it?"
Khaun shrugged.
"No one knows."
"Some say the soldiers of Holy Empire of Chogauth killed him."
"In that empire, dark aura is treated like miasma."
"Pure evil."
He leaned back again.
"And the book?"
"Gone."
"Burned."
"Hidden."
"Or maybe it never existed."
I studied his face carefully.
"You don't believe that."
He smiled faintly.
"Smart boy."
Then he stood up and stretched.
"Anyway, that's just an old story."
I hesitated before asking another question.
"Then why do you travel around like this?"
He paused near the door.
"For the same reason many old men wander the world."
He glanced back at me.
"Looking for someone worthy of carrying a forgotten legacy."
For a moment, I thought he was talking about me.
But then he shook his head.
"Don't get excited."
"You chose the sword, not magic."
For some reason, hearing that left a strange feeling in my chest.
Still, I asked one final question.
"I know this might be selfish…"
"But could you teach me one or two spells?"
Khaun stared at me.
Then he suddenly spat out the drink he had just taken.
And burst out laughing.