Episode 30
It was not easy to leave the royal capital.
The walls and gates are incomparably higher than other estates, and the soldiers control the gates. Even the pain in the magic core that I feel every time I move the magic power.
Even if the soldiers' attention wasn't directed at me, it wasn't a good idea to reveal my identity and get out.
Moreover, in a situation where war might break, it didn't seem like they would pass it just by giving them a few gold coins.
“… It can't be helped."
It was the sewer that was chosen to escape from the royal road.
After stopping by the mall to buy bags and food, I returned to the sewer where I had escaped a few hours ago.
"Whoa...."
As I endured the foul smell and lit the torch, I saw a scene stained with all kinds of filth.
No matter how much the lights are lit, it is easy to lose your sense of direction underground. Just being able to get out of a maze-like complex underpass was close to a miracle.
'Still, because there is a torch... It won't take long.'
Holding back the sigh again, I moved my feet into the sewer, and the palm-sized insects ran away from the light. I was impressed by the terrible appearance at first glance.
Just a few hours ago, when I was unconscious, I thought they were covering my body, and I felt nauseous.
"Isn't that almost a monster?"
If it had been the same, the sneering voice of the demon king would have returned, but my words became a meaningless murmur and returned as an echo.
I was worried about the condition of the new demon king.
The fading of the soul connection is probably the reason why I can't hear his voice. What should I do to restore it?
Jijik-!
It seems that not everyone who lives in the sewer is afraid of light.
As I was walking in contemplation, a mouse pounced on me with a terrible cry.
The rat that was hit by the reflexively waved torch bounced off.
It was good to protect my body, but the flames that shook so hard that seemed to go out in an instant made my liver cold.
It is not good for the lights to go out now.
He took out the sickle that had been kept in his arms and struck down the rat. The mouse, which looked almost the size of a child, died like that. and.
“… Soul?"
Near the body of the dead mouse, a gray soul emerged. It was smaller than a human being, and its light was also pale, but it was definitely a soul.
'Does this beast have a soul...'
It seemed that a weak soul that would not have been discovered was captured in the spirit eye that had become more sensitive as his proficiency in soul magic increased. It is like the soul fragment found in the Veliv estate.
Of course, it was not something that I would be interested in as a knight commander or a mage, who had absorbed valuable souls.
The moment when I was about to leave satisfied that I had learned something I didn't know. One thought caught my foot.
'If the soul has been damaged, can it be healed with the soul?'
No, there was no way he could heal his soul with anything other than his soul.
I put the mouse's soul in the soul file and started drawing a magic circle with his blood.
"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've drawn a magic circle like this."
It was a soul magic circle that I could now master and draw with my eyes closed, but of course, it took an incomparably longer time than when I drew with magic alone.
However, the mana consumed and the burden of mana cores have been greatly reduced.
"Huh..."
He took a deep breath and released his magic power into the completed magic circle, and a faint light emitted from the red magic circle.
Enduring the pain felt in the magic core, he opened the lid of the soul file, and a thin chain rose out and captured the soul. I put my soul in my mouth without dragging it for long.
"Uh..."
A terrible taste that is different from eating human souls. With the feeling of eating filth flowing from the sewers, short scenes flashed in front of me.
After shaking his head to shake off the mouse's memory, he checked his physical condition.
As expected, not only did he connect with the Demon King's soul, but his magical core was also restored.
“….”
A performance that is definitely worth celebrating.
If you continue to absorb your soul as it is, you will soon be able to return to its previous state.
But my nerves were all focused elsewhere.
Because I was able to focus on the change, I was able to realize something I didn't know before.
"Demon King...."
Just as the vessel of my soul grew, so did the soul of the Demon King.
In a way, it could be seen as recovery.
"Somehow."
It seems like it's been quite a long time since I signed a contract with the Demon King, but only a few weeks have actually passed.
It's still too early to know much about him. However, based on the contents of the contract, I could infer what he wanted.
What he wants from me is revenge.
Killing those involved in the death of the Demon King, including goddesses and warriors, was such a difficult condition that it was impossible to say.
But when I think about it, that wasn't the only condition he offered me.
Resurrection.
The Demon King, the ruler of all evil things, was the only one left to revive himself.
It was a condition that I had never thought of because I had been frantically following his lead.
That's why I was wary the moment he told me about necromancy.
It was natural to worry that they were trying to take away my body and resurrect it through it. Looking at the current situation, fortunately, that wasn't the case, but I couldn't be completely relieved.
Demons are things that aim for moments when you are caught off guard.
Anyway, through the soul magic I used this time, I was able to notice one of his plans for resurrection.
He was regaining his strength by sharing the soul I absorbed little by little.
I didn't even know that, I was being used by him.
I seemed to understand why the first magic he taught me was soul magic, and why he didn't want to teach me any magic other than deception.
"Hmm..."
He sat in front of the magic circle that had lost its light and stared at it for a long time.
The soul magic he taught me is real. It has grown my soul and opened up possibilities.
However, some of them were also sharing their benefits with the Demon King.
In the end, the answer came out.
"I don't know."
No matter how much you look at it, you don't know.
My knowledge of magic is infinitely shallow. It is difficult to analyze the magic circle and understand which part contains what meaning.
Moreover, if it was something the Demon King had decided to hide.
'Is there any way?'
It was possible because rewriting the magic circle the other day was not much different from reorganizing the notes I had written in a mess.
Since the contents of the magic circle rotate organically, if you modify one thing, the whole thing will be distorted.
The only way to do this is to accumulate sufficient knowledge about magic.
Devising new magic is difficult to accomplish even if you try to do it all your life, but a proficient wizard will be able to do it at the level of analyzing the magic you already know.
One thing is for sure, you need to recover your body first.
"For now..."
He struck his scythe at the rat that rushed to eat the corpse of his own people.
It took a soul.
There are so many souls.
* * *
"Did you hear that? He said that the church had carried out a terrorist attack on the royal capital this time."
"What? Does that make sense? How faithful the priests are."
Rumors spread quickly.
"I heard the opposite. The royal family joined hands with the warlock and attacked the archbishop of the Church..."
"You! You're talking about big things. Is it blasphemy against the royal family?"
"Oh, no, when did I do that? It's just a rumor."
There were those who believed in the royal family and those who defended the denomination.
The arguments of both sides were so contradictory that people could not know what was true.
Those who were dissatisfied with the taxes collected by the country, and those who were faithful in the goddess, believed in the church. Those who were more patriotic than faithful, and those who remembered not being healed by a priest due to lack of money, believed in the royal family.
Even in the midst of the confusion, one thing was certain.
war.
It was something that many people didn't want to think about, but it would come soon.
In fact, it was widely known that the royal family had been stockpiling supplies on a large scale for several weeks, and that the atmosphere of the church was unusual.
Therefore, there was a place where people flocked, and that was Andril, a border city in the east of the kingdom.
Most of them fled secretly for fear of war, but that was not all.
With bodies trying to sell goods at high prices, slave hunters trying to catch and sell fugitives, and mercenaries trying to participate in wars, Andriel has been enjoying a boom that is hard to find since the founding of the country.
The Wind Wolf Mercenaries were one of those who found Andril.
"The atmosphere is ugly these days. Shouldn't I have come this far?"
"If you don't like it, you go back, Geli."
"What are you saying again? It's a shameful person."
Although the number of monsters has decreased recently, this border area, which is far from the center, is a different story.
If he walked around alone and encountered even a group of goblins, it would be difficult to survive. Isn't it time to worry about people more than monsters?
The mercenary, called Gelli, pursed his lips and turned his words.
"So it's right to be around here? Warlock's Dawn...."
"Shhh!"
The mercenary leader glared and looked around. Fortunately, realizing that there was no one around to overhear, he sighed and complained.
"How many times have I told you to be careful with your mouth?"
"I'm already talking about everything, haha...."
A mercenary called Gelli smiled and scratched his head. Seeing this, the mercenary leader felt a sigh come out again.
Among the people who visit this city for various reasons, the reason for the Wind Wolf Mercenary Corps was a bit unique.
"I haven't found any dungeons that are common elsewhere, but not a single one in this area. The center of it is here, Andril."
"What does that mean?"
“… This means that there was a high possibility that there was a powerful warlock who used this area as a domain. If he were such a warlock, of course, he would have been mobilized for war. How many times have you said it?"
At the mercenary leader's words, Gelli beat his chest and asked back, as if he was more frustrated.
"No, if there really was such a thing, others would have found it long ago. How do we find things that others can't find?"
"That's...."
"Do you really believe that woman?"
Gelli asked, winking backwards.
Where his gaze was directed, there was someone wrapped around his body. The appearance of him keeping a little distance from the other members was alien to anyone.
"I told you. I believe in different races..."
"Stop!"
The mercenary leader twisted his face and covered Gelli's mouth.
Although it is quite a distance, it should not be judged that it will not be heard by human standards.
"She is different from other races."
"What's the difference?"
"Because I'm an elf."
Gelli looked like she was wondering what was going on, but the mercenary leader noticed what she had heard.
However, she didn't seem interested in their conversation.
“….”
The elf's eyes stopped and looked at the way back, and he saw a man walking alone in the wind in the distance.
The deeply pressed robe was covered in thick blood stains that changed color, and his steps were unsteady as if he was about to collapse.
"Hey! It is Andril. If you don't want to be homeless today, move quickly!"
Before I knew it, the mercenary leader's cry was far away. The elf straight away from the man, and walked towards the city.
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