Episode 45
My body rolled on the floor frantically.
If it weren't for Andril's land, which was infinitely close to the desert sand, the impact alone would have crushed the bones of his entire body.
Of course, the reduction in shock did not mean that my physical condition was normal. It bounced over and over again like a stone thrown into the river, so it was a matter of course.
'Who is the teacher?'
-Even in this situation, is it a teacher? Wouldn't it be better to take care of your body?
The Demon King spoke in a voice full of sneer as usual.
-Your spine is out. Bleeding and burning are also severe. No matter how much magic is used in his body, it can't be helped because he received the explosion on his back. I'm going to die soon.
I was excited by his carefree attitude, as if he were talking about someone else's business.
'I shouldn't die?'
It was not just a matter of belonging to me, but a contract that had to absolutely guarantee my safety. Just watching now will inflict terrible pain on the soul...
"Wow...!"
Screams rang out.
It was a very painful and desperate scream. It seems to have dried up and cracked, and even the power that does not exist has been gathered...
It was the voice of a teacher.
"Jude! You, you dare...!"
He didn't have the strength to lift a finger in his body, but he raised his head with a little bit of restored magic.
Master was cursing me in a terrible voice that I had never heard before.
His face, which had been thin and distorted, had taken on a horrific shape several times over. I was dealing with him until a while ago, but I think I might not have recognized him if I hadn't.
- I'm not dead yet. It's not just that you can't overcome the pain and scream. It is moving little by little.
The demon king warned me, who was mesmerized by that appearance.
At the end of the direction the teacher was heading, the severed right arm. And it was a branch of the World Tree that wriggled and searched for food.
-You don't want the monsters you have dealt with to run amok again, do you?
"Killing the teacher... Cool!"
-That's the neatest thing. If you can't do it, you should take it off.
However, he could not move.
As the demon king said, his physical condition was the worst. I had no sensation under my legs, and my arms couldn't move properly. In the meantime, I felt a huge burning pain in my back.
If you ask me who is closer to death, Master or me, I would choose about nine out of ten.
-Hmm? It looks like there is no blood on your head.
'Damn. What are the elves doing? Who was that wizard earlier?'
The distance from cutting off the master's arm and bouncing off is not short. Even if it was a distance that would normally take a few steps, now.
Even a little bit of magic power was enough to break the cracked magic core. Will he be able to reach the magic core before it breaks, before the master?
At that moment, an ice spirit popped out of the corner of his vision.
-Kie-e-eh!
Bingling touched his master's body like a child poking at food he didn't want to eat.
"You, you were earlier...!"
The master waved his arm as if he was in a bad mood, but such a slow movement could not stop the ice spirit.
Sometimes, when the Master's arm was about to touch the Ice Spirit, a wall of ice appeared and bounced off his hand, and soon a tree root sprouted from the ground.
I was nervous for a moment, but judging from the appearance of the root wrapping around the master's body, it seemed that the elves who had been watching stepped forward.
'First of all, did you feel sorry for me...?'
When the master's body was tied, the ice spirit became more active in playing with the master. You can't let the Bing Spirit play with your master forever. As I crawled on the floor towards my master, I heard the sound of footsteps.
"You..."
He was a wizard who introduced himself as Melissa.
She distorted her expression as if she was puzzled that her body, which had been restored by pouring an expensive potion, was ruined, but then she took out a new potion and thrust it into my back.
"Oh, it hurts..."
"Bear with me."
Then he sighed and cheered me up. The broken bones moved around and the pain caused my head to turn white, but thanks to this, I was able to reach my master sooner than I expected.
"Master."
"Die! Damn the church, release it now! Alas, mother.... Kill me!"
The teacher was not in a state of communication.
It was better than before, but I kept shouting sounds that didn't fit the situation at all. Even though Jin's broken throat was split open and he was vomiting blood, he didn't seem to care at all.
“….”
-It's because my soul is broken.
A branch of the World Tree that took root in the Master. Fragments of souls that were scattered every time they collided with the tree giant. Did he take away even the last chance to talk to his master?
"This is the end of Sebian, who was once mentioned as a candidate for the next top owner. It's miserable."
Melissa said in a somewhat confused tone.
"Do you know Master?"
"Of course. I've seen Sebian's papers. It wasn't new, but it was good. But is that okay?"
I absorbed the fragments of my master's soul and looked through quite a few memories, but I don't think this woman's face was there.
When I think about it, I don't think much of other people's faces. It's not just because the soul you absorbed was broken.
He sighed softly, looked straight into his eyes, and opened his mouth.
"Master."
"Die! Die! Dirty bastards. Dare to be a tax collector... Seri, Seri!"
Before I knew it, the bony arms that appeared behind the Master's back moved around, grabbing the tree that bound the Master.
It is a root that could not be completely penetrated even by the attack of the ice spirit. There is no way it can be solved easily. The master seemed to realize this, and soon his hands began to move and form a seal.
"Master!"
When I shouted loudly, my unruly pupils moved and stared at me.
I wasn't sure if I was what I was looking at in my teacher's eyes. However, until a while ago, it was definitely different.
"You...."
Various emotions came to mind on his face, which was gripped by unknown anger.
Anger, astonishment, despair, jealousy, disgust, boredom, suspicion...
Maybe it's because they absorbed a part of their souls. When I was with my teacher, I felt all kinds of emotions that I had not noticed vividly.
"Master, to Master, I..."
There were many stories I wanted to ask.
But was the bleeding on the severed arm the problem, or was it because the branches of the World Tree took away its vitality?
I intuitively realized that I had to choose my words carefully.
“… Who are you?"
The words I came up with after thinking about it.
I could feel Melissa staring at me from the side, as if asking what kind of question it was, but I stared into her eyes and waited for an answer.
“… I am."
Was it simply because of my mood that I felt that my teacher's eyes shook slightly?
"I'm a warlock."
But that's only for a moment. The master replied with a clear pronunciation.
"Warlock Sevian."
However, on the contrary, the power was rapidly draining from his face and voice. The vitality was lost. The bony arms that floated behind his back turned into powder and were blown away by the wind.
"And...."
“….”
I waited for a while, but no answer followed. What was the last thing the master was going to say?
-Are you curious?
The demon king spoke to me in a gentle tone.
I wonder if I would let you know. If you are the king of demons who play with humans, you may be able to guess what the Master's last words are.
Or one way is to absorb the Master's soul. The overloaded magic core will be completely destroyed, but you will be able to see the rest of your master's memories.
I shook my head.
"Okay."
In the end, I couldn't figure out why the teacher had changed. Maybe I just didn't know, but the Master hasn't changed from the beginning.
But I decided not to dwell on it anymore. No matter what kind of person my teacher was, in the end, he was definitely the teacher I remembered.
"All that's left..."
When he turned his head, he saw a group of elves silently appearing behind him.
It is true that they cooperated until a while ago, but elves are basically hostile to humans. Except for a very small number, it is dangerous.
If you collide with them in your current state, it will be over.
"Retrieve the World Tree."
However, the elves seemed to have no intention of turning against us.
The Master's arm was left with only bones. And the elves drawing magic circles even looked reverent, surrounded by the branches of the World Tree, which was still wriggling.
Is this how the branches of the World Tree are taken away? It was a pity, but it wasn't a waste to think that it was something that made the teacher like that.
-Hmm....
Before the magic circle was completed, the teacher's bones were shattered, and the wriggling branches stopped for a while.
-Look out.
Some of the elves who were chanting spells vomited blood.
The branches exploded and stretched in all directions.
The elves quickly retreated when they noticed the situation, but some of the people who fell down vomiting blood could not avoid it and pierced their bodies. And it quickly dried up.
If it weren't for the demon king's warning, I would have ended up in the same situation.
“….”
"Isn't it over yet? Why is that?"
The branch that passed through his head was already embedded in the body of the master, who had already taken his breath away.
-Do you remember what I talked about before? It's about how to break the seals of the Holy Sword materials.
The punctured soul that was about to escape from the white body was sucked into the branch.
-Due to excessive vitality, it is the effect of the seal being loosened. I'm trying to completely break the seal myself.
However, simply absorbing the Master's soul could not completely break the seal.
The remaining half of my soul has already been absorbed by me.
The branches of the world tree are facing me. I don't know if it's right to say this to a tree branch, but it seemed to be instinctively drawn to me.
And, I couldn't avoid it.
It is a body that is already ruined. He gave first aid with a potion, and Melissa, who was supporting him, led his body, and the ice spirit set up an ice wall, but in the end he could not avoid it.
I felt my back pierced just as I was running away.
-Whoa...
The Demon King let out a calm sigh. Even as he felt him dying, he laughed in vain.
Damn the Demon King.
If I die, the guy who will disappear with me is doing that.
-I should have said it clearly? I won't allow you to die until I fulfill all the contracts.
The Demon King said so.
-Congratulations. You've passed the second trial.
Blurred vision. In the fading consciousness, it seemed that such words were heard.
* * *
Warm sunshine, soft touch. A sluggish body.
I woke up to the chirping of small birds through the open window. The first thing that caught my eye was the richly decorated ceiling and the fluttering thin curtains.
“… Is he dead?"
-It looks like you haven't woken up yet.
The Demon King's voice was heard.
He wouldn't have followed me until he died, so maybe I'm alive. After all, if I had died, my soul would have disappeared due to the breach of the contract at that moment.
"Where is this?"
-It is the lord of Andril. When you lost your mind, the sorceress brought you here.
"To Yeongju Castle...? No, what is the branch of the World Tree? How am I alive..."
At that time, I heard a knock on the door, perhaps in response to my voice.
"May I go in for a while?"
“….”
A voice I heard for the first time in my life.
When he did not answer and froze, the door slowly opened.
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