Episode 37
Early morning.
Hundreds of soldiers, knights, and a series of hordes of mages marched towards the dungeon of Warlock Sevian.
Melissa, the woman who got on the horse and followed her, had a fatigue on her face. It was because I couldn't sleep last night.
Every time she spoke, she grabbed her sticky hair, and soon a group of people got closer.
"It's an honor to meet the Great Senior of the Green Demon Tower, Melissa."
Contrary to his polite tone, the corners of the man's mouth, which was wearing a red robe, did not contain any respect.
Instead, I feel a lot of confidence. And it was contempt.
"Have you heard that? The target of this subjugation, a warlock named Sevian... I thought he was just that kind of wanderer, but it turned out that he was from the Mage Tower."
"So?"
"Where was it? I don't think it was blue. Was it green? Do you know?"
Melissa, who had distorted her unpleasant expression as much as possible, asked.
"What is the name of our junior in the Red Demon Tower?"
"Silobel Om, a direct disciple of the teacher, the elder Handro Om, who inherited the surname..."
Melissa, who had been listening to the proud explanation, sighed.
The people from the Red Demon Pagoda have always looked like this. His pride in his hometown and his teacher exceeded the average level.
"Of course, it's the first magic tower built by a colleague of the first hero, so it's understandable..."
It wasn't incomprehensible to think that he was a descendant of the legendary archmage, but he couldn't help but feel unlucky from the opponent's point of view.
Even this time, he must have gone beyond simply being unlucky and was determined to scratch Melissa's nerves.
Unfortunately for Silobel, this wasn't the first time Melissa had dealt with the mage of the Red Mage Tower. I knew enough to know how to treat them.
"Oh, oh, that old man. Did you say you became an elder? How's that. How are you doing these days? Is there anything that hurts?"
At the voice that asked in a sorrowful voice, the man's face was dyed the same color as his robe.
"Insulting Master now...!"
"Hey, xylophone."
Immediately after hearing a cold voice, the horse the man was riding struggled. Melissa said to the man, who was trying to calm his words by hanging on without falling.
"It's good to respect your master, but remember who you're in front of now. Your teacher can't raise his voice in front of me in that way."
At the same time, the man's body hardened as it was.
It wasn't because of the content of Melissa's words. It was because of the tremendous pressure to press down on a man and a horse. At the same time, he could remember.
Why did the woman in front of her come to be nicknamed the witch?
“… I will not forget this incident."
"Yes, yes. Remember it for a long time!"
The man, who had been keeping his mouth shut and glaring at Melissa for a moment, turned around. So did the other wizards who followed him.
Looking at this, Melissa smiled and immediately hardened her face.
'It's good to have one less thing to worry about, but... Ugh.'
Her gaze turned somewhere.
"What the hell are they thinking?"
Leaving the castle until now. No, a group that has been chasing them from a certain distance since then. They were elves who exuded a strange aura that was hard to feel.
It seemed that the lord did not know the elves' hiding.
It wasn't just the lord. The mages of the Red Demon Tower who had been talking about it just now seemed to not notice it either.
The movements of the elves, whose intentions were unknown, were one of the causes of Melissa's headaches.
Even though he didn't seem to show any signs of attacking right away, he didn't know how long it would last. The possibility that they were aiming for a weakened gap after the subjugation could not be ignored. There were many possibilities for them to act as a danger, but Melissa did not tell the lord about the elves.
'Well, you just have to be careful.'
Unless it is the Tree Guardians that reside in the rainforest, even elves are not invincible. Still, when I thought about my relationship with the lord, who had become embarrassed by the failure of the last subjugation, I didn't think I would believe him even if I told him.
'If Atore had been there, the story would have been different...'
If it was the prince's words, the lord would not have been able to ignore it, but more than that, Attor's personality would not have been able to ignore this situation. Maybe he was making a fuss about having to face the elves before meeting Sevian.
Melissa's expression eased a little when she thought of the prince who was always driving troublesome cases.
I met him and joined the list, but this life was quite satisfying. His achievements were faster than when he was locked in a magic tower and continued his research, and he often had the opportunity to experience the magic of other high-ranking wizards, even though they were of different backgrounds.
"The last time I explored the ancient dungeon was really exciting."
When I found traces of dragons that had disappeared from the dark old world, I felt like the main character in the story. But Melissa's reminiscence didn't last long.
"Stop! I'll rest here for a while and then leave."
When the wide forest was in front of me, the driver who was leading the way shouted loudly. Immediately after, several people moved.
* * *
"Phew, I'll live."
"Isn't it hard for you?"
"It's worth it."
In response to the words of the team members, he sat down on the floor.
"He looks young, but he's completely a man, very."
"I saw him when I was washing the other day, and he was the best man among men."
"Don't lie, Billy. You've never washed with me."
"Well, that's what you say."
Billy's joke caused the team members to burst into laughter. As a person who was drafted while working in a theater company, he was popular because he was good at talking.
However, the atmosphere quickly subsided.
"If you go a little further, you will be in the realm of warlocks. We'll be leaving in an hour, so make sure everyone is fully prepared in the meantime!"
It was because the drivers were walking around shouting and reaffirming the current situation.
"I'm going to die soon. Did everyone write a suicide note? That warlock is not an ordinary bastard."
"I'm glad I died by the warlock. I'm going to die of exhaustion."
"Hey, you too?"
Because they had been awakening before sunrise and had been moving for several hours, the soldiers were not the only ones who complained. If I had informed them in advance, it wouldn't have been like this. The main commanders, including the knights, seemed to know about it, but it was only known to me, the leader of the Ten, that he would be going to war in a few days.
"It's probably because I don't have high expectations for the soldiers."
In battles with high-ranking warlocks, there is no corner where a soldier who doesn't know how to handle mana can play a big role. Nevertheless, the reason for conscripting troops on such a large scale was probably because they were concerned that the security of the territory would deteriorate while the existing troops were put into subjugation. Although this is just a guess.
As a warlock, it wasn't a very good idea.
Perform large-scale undead, deal with poison and curses... With corpses and souls sacrificed, black magic has the characteristics of being good for dealing with large forces.
I don't know what type of magic the guy who impersonated his master was dealing with, but most of the soldiers were likely to die in vain or become the power of the warlock.
"Let's eat something for now. Doesn't it say that ghosts that have eaten and died are good to be dirty?"
“… Is there such a thing?"
"Nothing."
I have seen many souls so far, but I have not been able to confirm whether eating or not has a significant impact on the state of the soul.
'If I observe carefully from now on, will I be able to find a significant difference?'
Soul magic was the foundation of my power, and it was clear that my new discovery of spirits would help me improve my abilities overall.
I took out a small notebook from my robe pocket and wrote down the thoughts I had just thought. It was my own research journal that I made after discovering my master's magic book.
"The leader is resting. I'll make it very right."
The members of the team said as they took supplies from the military commander.
One of the good things about unintentionally taking on the role of Deer Leader was this. At first, they didn't listen well, but after a simple sparring, for some reason, they tried to look good to me, so they felt comfortable.
Of course, most of the things they did didn't matter much to me doing myself. I've always been confident in my chores, and now that I've passed the first ordeal and my strength and stamina have become stronger, needless to say.
But having someone do the troublesome things for you... It was more convenient than I expected. Feeling lazy in real time. I understood why Master entrusted me with dungeon management right after he accepted me as a disciple.
'It's like this just to take on the position of ten captains, but what was the Demon King like?'
I thought of Simone, who was willing to sacrifice her life for the Demon King. The other demons would not have been much different from him. Thinking about it that way, I understood a little why people are obsessed with power.
"Chojang, stop sleeping and eat this. I made it, but it tastes amazing."
"Is this because of your skills? It's just a matter of beating it all up and boiling it."
"Tsk, I don't understand cooking, so I can say that."
"Don't let go of your strength."
The moment I mediated the quarrel among the group members and put a spoonful of the finished stew in my mouth, my eyes widened.
"It's delicious, isn't it?"
"As expected! The leader also knows how to taste it."
Seeing the happy soldier made me feel complicated.
After the battle broke out, it was not difficult to protect my life.
One of the magic taught by the Demon King, and a deception magic that no one has ever seen through. As long as it is, it's easy to get out of the chaotic battlefield naturally.
However, if I escaped like that, I couldn't guarantee the lives of the members who were smiling in front of me. If the subjugation fails, you will die, and even if you succeed, the probability of survival will not be that high.
This is something I wouldn't have cared about originally. But I wonder if they have been living together for a few days and have developed feelings. I didn't want to let my first subordinates die.
"Listen while eating."
"Hmm? What are you trying to say like that?"
"Inma, the leader is saying it, just listen."
"As soon as the battle begins, the order to charge will be issued."
“… Hmm."
No matter how powerful the opponent is, it is not easy to annihilate such a large number of troops. In other words, it was an operation to drain the magic power of the warlock before the knight and other mages entered the battle.
"I'm really going to die."
The atmosphere, which had been bright for a while, became stagnant again.
"We're going to pretend to charge from the rear, we're going to fall back again."
"Is that going to happen? If I run away, the knights won't stand still."
"Only trust me. Because there is a way."
The members seemed uneasy, but soon each nodded.
"Well, the leader seemed to be acquainted with a high-ranking person."
"High-ranking person? Oh, that recruiter. If so, it's safe."
"Recruiter?"
I didn't really understand what the recruiter was talking about, but it was important that the team members were convinced.
Now, you can naturally use deception to leave the battlefield and watch the warlock battle from a distance. It was the first time that deception was used against such a large number of people. However, it did not seem impossible.
"Clear the place! I'm leaving soon!"
At the centurion's cry from afar, the soldiers grumbled and cleared their seats.
But it didn't have to be.
A loud explosion occurred in the place where the centurion was. The centurion was caught in the explosion as he stood.
"It's a warlock!"
A cry from someone who grasped the situation.
The knights, who had been chattering leisurely, drew their swords and watched their surroundings, and the wizards chanted spells.
"Are you here to help me with my experiment?"
"Sevian!"
"Hmm? Someone said, Andril's lord came in person. This is an honor."
Little by little, warlocks appeared from the forest.
A deeply pressed robe. And six that came out of the robe...
"Count, I have been indebted to you a lot in your estate. I'm grateful."
The moment I saw it, my heart beat violently.
The undeniable arcane magic of the master. But what was more certain was a voice that I had never forgotten.
"Master...?"
The murmur that popped out of my mouth disappeared into the commotion of the battlefield.
"Charge!"
"Kill me! Whoever kills a warlock will be made a knight of the territory!"
"Leader, what should I do now?"
But as if it was responding to my voice... The warlock lifted the robe he had pressed.
"What is this..."
The true identity of the warlock who impersonated his master was his teacher.
0 Comments