Episode 15
It wasn't difficult to defeat the Knight Commander.
Although his movements were quite dazzling and unique, he was instantly destroyed when the magic bullet was added to the military command's attack.
All that remained on the streets were the corpses of countless soldiers and knights.
And one priest.
“Hee, heek…!”
As the commander growled and thrust his face in, he forcibly lifted the priest who was lying on the floor with a savage look.
"Is it because I used too much magic in a short period of time?" he asked, rubbing his forehead as fatigue suddenly washed over him.
“The priest who officiated the execution, correct?”
“What are you talking about! An execution? I don’t know…!”
“That’s right, but what.”
A priest who ordered the execution of people by calling out the name of the goddess. Seeing it up close, it was clear.
“There’s something I don’t quite understand. Can you explain it to me?”
“Let go, let go! The goddess Aision will not forgive you!”
“I’m talking about capturing and killing poor people.”
The priest's movements, which had been struggling, hesitated for a moment.
“It seems like Yeongju was trying to develop the city, but I don’t know why the religious order cooperated.”
“Just barely, just like that…!”
“Something like that?”
“Do you even know what you’ve done?! You killed a few poor bastards to do this to me? How dare you, ugh…!”
As he gave the order to crush one of his hands, the priest let out a terrible scream. He sensed several civilians peering through the cracks in the windows.
“Next time, it won’t end with just one hand.”
“…Huh, huk.”
The priest, barely able to speak, answered with sobs.
"The lord decided to build a large cathedral and dedicate it to the church. I, I was to become the bishop of that cathedral."
“….”
"This has been officially approved by the church. Do you understand? This is the will of the goddess! Right now, immediately…!"
My chest felt heavy. I had so much to say.
'Is it meaningless?'
If he had been a person who would listen, he wouldn't have done this in the first place.
From the start, I wanted to finish quickly and rest more than anything else. It was an exhausting night for an apprentice warlock to endure.
“Take care of it.”
The moment I left the priest in the care of the military commander and was about to head to the castle.
“….”
When I brought my hand to the strange sensation at the corner of my mouth, I felt red blood.
“…Did blood splatter?”
-You spilled it, you idiot.
"uh?"
-It's because my skill level is still low. I've been feeling uneasy ever since I started abusing soul magic. My body is slowly starting to lose control.
But it didn't stop. My body was yearning for rest, but it would soon end.
After dealing with the soldiers guarding the gate, enter the inner castle.
Perhaps because we had already killed a considerable number of soldiers on our way here, there weren't many clashes.
-Why is that?
"huh?"
-I'm saying this because you keep looking around.
Is it that obvious?
“I just thought it was really flashy.”
As expected of a place where a lord lives, the inner castle is extremely splendid with all sorts of decorations.
It was an unimaginable sight, something I had never seen before in my life.
-her….
But the Demon King let out a hollow laugh as if he found it absurd.
-You think this is all that fancy?
"…no?"
-You should have seen the Demon King's Castle when it was still in good condition. Compared to the Demon King's Castle, this is not only pathetic, but also inferior.
The Demon King continued speaking without stopping.
-You don't even have any artistic sense, just collecting whatever sparkles. You could say your tastes are no different from a crow's.
“….”
The Demon King's speech continued without interruption.
It was as if the Demon King had never spoken so much before. Even when discussing magic, it wasn't to this extent.
“He must have a lot of pride.”
-If you live a long time, your artistic eye will naturally develop.
He sighed and spoke to the Demon King.
“But it’s not there.”
-…What?
It was a well-known fact.
Legendary weapons, elixirs, and other magical potions that would cause chaos if revealed to the world, as well as paintings and ornaments by great artists.
The Demon King's Castle would naturally be full of all kinds of treasures.
When he heard the news of the war's end, why did he immediately head to the Demon Realm? Was it not his greed to pick up even a single scrap of that treasure and become rich?
“That Demon Castle you’re so proud of. It completely collapsed while fighting the hero.”
It didn't just collapse, it disappeared without a trace.
Even the warrior must have regretted it after the fight was over.
Even though they finally won, they probably didn't get a single decent trophy. Even if they weren't warriors, their comrades and the Allied forces must have felt regret.
“This place is much more colorful and beautiful than that desolate pit.”
-… .
For some reason, the Demon King did not speak for a long time.
"what's the matter?"
-… This is ridiculous.
What's the problem with just telling the truth?
-As I said before, even defeat was part of my plan. But didn't I anticipate the Demon King's castle being destroyed?
“As expected of the Demon King. He had it all planned out, huh?”
-All things of true value should be kept separately… .
This is a treasure that the Demon King stole before the war. It's a story that makes your mouth water.
“That’s an interesting story, but let’s save it for another time.”
While the Demon King was speaking, we arrived at the lord's room.
Finding it wasn't difficult, as the terrified servants would point out directions whenever they encountered it.
The moment I gently touched the large door that seemed to be twice my height.
-Step back.
As soon as I reflexively took a step back, the door burst open.
“Huh…!”
A body shoved back by the impact. Debris flying. Smoke filling the field of vision.
My body ached and hurt all over. The robe I was wearing wasn't enough to block all the shrapnel.
“You dodged that attack. You’re quite the perceptive one.”
"…who?"
As the smoke cleared, a young man with long hair was revealed.
The glasses on his face, the staff in his hand, and the blue robes were an appearance that anyone could tell was a wizard.
"Steve Al Mahib. A wizard indebted to Baron Bellib."
“Al Mahib?”
"Yes. I am the third son of the Al Mahib family, Shutab Al Mahib! Even if you are a filthy warlock, if you also walk the path of magic, you must know about the Al Mahib family, right?"
The Al Mahib family, that's… .
“…What is it? I don’t know, that kind of thing.”
“What…!”
Seeing them speak like that, I thought they must be a fairly famous family, but I had never heard of them.
I was lucky enough to catch the eye of my teacher and started learning magic, but I never really had any great interest in magic.
I've never really interacted with other wizards, nor have I ever been interested in useless information like famous families. I wondered if the Demon King would know.
-I don't know. There's no way I would remember the name of a lowly human being.
He was a useless, consistent demon king who had died twice to that human.
-But, it's dangerous.
"why?"
"By human standards, he's a fairly powerful wizard. Even if you possess some bizarre magical power manipulation, it's impossible to defeat him with magic right now. Well, he's insignificant to me, but…
Tension rose.
If the Demon King could say something like that, then he must be a wizard of considerable skill.
Up until now, I've managed to win with the overwhelming superiority of the military, but it's a different story if the opponent is a high-level magician.
“Hmm… How did you get through the soldiers and knights and get here?”
"Stop talking and get down to business, Al Mahib. Get rid of that disgusting warlock!"
"Don't worry, Baron. As you know, I'm Al Mahib. Warlocks are no match for me."
The wizard said that and walked towards me.
“You seem young, and the amount of magical power you feel is ridiculously low. Did you perhaps acquire some decent secret technique?”
With each step closer, the air felt heavier. The mana in the air was actually weighing me down.
"Or, yes. I've heard that black magic can slow down aging or restore youth. Either way, I'm tempted."
Blatant greed.
I was certain that if I got caught, I wouldn't die in peace.
The possibility that they may be tortured to extract information or used as test subjects cannot be ignored.
First of all, we need to get out of here.
"deception."
The moment the magic circle beneath your feet glows and you disappear.
“That won’t do. Dispel.”
Light emanated from the staff the wizard was holding, and strange waves emitted from it.
-this.
Simultaneously with the Demon King's sigh, an immense pain was felt in his heart.
In an instant, the spell was broken, and he collapsed on the spot, coughing.
“Coolook, this is….”
"Dispel. It's a spell that disrupts the surrounding mana, forcibly canceling any magic that's been deployed. What you experienced was the backlash. You'll likely be unable to use magic for a while."
A wizard approaches me and looks down at me.
"I told you one thing, so answer my question. What kind of magic was that? Was the magic circle drawn with magic? Even though it was using a magic circle, it activated quickly. It's not up to your standards. You must have some special secret technique. What was it? Where did you acquire it?"
The wizard seemed convinced that I could do nothing.
Unfortunately, that was true.
I was already overworked enough getting here, and what happened just now is making me feel worse.
The wizard's face right in front of me was visible as two or three. But.
“Mr. Wizard.”
“Yes, a warlock.”
“I’m asking just in case, but can you see spirits?”
"Are you talking about the spiritual eye? Unfortunately, I don't have one. I know it can be obtained through a special ritual, but it's not an ability worth going through all that trouble to acquire."
“I thought so.”
If there was a spirit, there wouldn't be this much of a reaction.
“Ask.”
Light was about to burst from the wizard's staff, but the reaction was delayed.
A mouth appeared on the face of the military commander standing next to him, opened wide, and bit off the wizard's entire head.
The body of a wizard collapses, spewing blood.
With trembling hands, I opened the soul file and collected the wizard's soul. I opened my eyes, which were about to close, and stood up.
Now there is only one person left.
“S-Stop it! Don’t come!”
The wizard is confident of victory and is full of energy, but Lord Bellive is frozen in place, unable to accept the situation.
“Do you even realize what you’re doing? It’s not too late…!”
"that."
The old scythe felt heavy again.
“I already heard it.”
But it was enough to deal with the terrified lord.
-The first trial is over.
Immediately after hearing the Demon King's voice, I realized that I had completed my contract with the military order.
at the same time….
-Is that how it is? Not bad.
* * *
The citizens of Bellive Estate were terrified all night long.
The situation was better for ordinary citizens who could see outside through their windows.
“Is there a war?”
“Then we will be released….”
“We’re all going to die. We’re going to die!”
"It'll be better if we're found. If no one finds us, we'll starve to death."
The hardest part was for the poor who were locked up in prison and could only understand the situation through sound.
Even after the noise died down, no soldiers came to the prison.
Hours passed, and at the moment when I was about to give up on my thoughts and go to sleep due to the cold and hunger.
Clank.
The prison doors began to open one by one.
"…uh?"
How long has it been there?
A young man wearing a tight-fitting robe and with a pale, weary face stood before the prison gates.
The poor, who did not understand the situation, could not rush out even though the moment they had longed for had arrived.
“Come out quickly. I’m tired.”
A voice thick with fatigue. Only then did the poor begin to move cautiously.
“Are you letting me go?”
“Hey, my house collapsed. Where should I go?”
“Mom… Where are you?”
As soon as one person opened his mouth, the prison became noisy.
But the moment the young man opened his mouth, people had no choice but to remain silent.
“I’m just letting you go. I’m not responsible for anything after that.”
"thank you…!"
At first glance, these words might seem irresponsible, but to those who were just waiting for their day to die, they were more earnest than anything else.
One of the poor people who were escaping from prison asked the young man.
“But, who are you…?”
The young man leaning against the iron bars thought for a moment, then smiled and answered as if a funny thought had occurred to him.
“Warlock.”
It's just an apprenticeship, after all.
The poor man stared at the sight with a blank expression, then woke up to the cold and ran outside.
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