Other than that, the gap in magical ability was not all that large. Though it was the difference between the 9th Circle and the 10th Circle.
“But if I apply the dark arts in a variety of ways, then even if he casts 10th Circle mind magic,
I won’t be taken down so easily. So long as I can somehow make off with my Life Force Vessel,
that is.”
As if passion had surged up within him, his bony fist trembled. After becoming a lich, he was now in a state where he could use his arms
freely. After calming his emotions for a moment, Damon formed hand seals without delay.
“Dispel.”
As expected, there was no reaction from the bookshelf. Damon was not disappointed and cast
detection magic once more. He intended to search every corner of the bookshelf thoroughly
to find any traces of magic.
“Hmm?”
A strange light flashed through Damon’s empty eye sockets. An extremely faint trace of magic—one he probably would never have
noticed in the past—had been detected by his search magic. Without delay, he placed his hand
against the bookshelf. When he cast Dispel, a dazzling sphere of light formed around his bony hand
as its axis. The sphere spun round and round before, at one moment, violently emitting light.
Flash.
A modified Dispel, which dramatically increased the magical effect exerted per unit area through target limitation,
unfolded. Then at last, a change occurred in the bookshelf. The part where the books were placed spun
around, revealing a pitch-black space. A look of delight appeared on Damon’s face.
“So this was the place.”
Damon hurriedly reached his hand in, then hesitated for a moment. By now, he had become accustomed to the caution
of tapping even a stone bridge before crossing it.
“He may have done something to it, just in case……”
Hooking a finger lightly on the edge of the space, Damon cast the target-limited Dispel once more.
By the greatest good fortune, one spell was caught there. It was the very alarm spell spread throughout the study,
the one that had taken Damon five years to break. Damon’s face twisted subtly.
“This much is no problem for me now. I’ve already reached the realm of the 9th Circle……”
As he focused his mind, mana rearranged itself at an unimaginable speed.
In the end, the alarm spell did not last even a minute before being dismantled. Considering that it had taken
five years in the past, it was a remarkable growth. Letting out a sigh, Damon unhesitatingly thrust his hand into the space.
A moment later, a bundle of documents came out in his hand. Seeing them, Damon’s eyes
gleamed.
“This is it.”
Damon plopped down on the floor just like that and began poring over the documents.
After about two hours of concentration, Damon was able to grasp all the contents of the documents. Since he had cast several
spells to enhance his memory and application ability, Damon was able to learn many
facts in a short time. After reading the documents, a triumphant expression rose on his face.
Though, being a lich’s face, it could not reveal many expressions.
“I succeeded.”
There, Damon was finally able to find what he had been seeking. It was the whereabouts
of the vanished sealing orb.
The magical orb in which the Great Demon King Nidelhark was sealed. The sealing orb created by the Dragon Lord Kranus and massively infused
with the mana of the dragons under his command still held the Great Demon King Nidelhark
so tightly bound that he could not budge. Because of that very thing, Nidelhark could not
return to the Demon Realm and had to remain here, eternally asleep.
“It’s done.”
Damon rose to his feet, eyes gleaming. Of course, he had gained much other general knowledge as well,
but at present, this was the most important issue to him. If he could not extract Nidelhark’s
demonic power from the sealing orb and summon undead monsters, his revenge could not
succeed under any circumstances. The success or failure of the matter depended precisely on that.
“The problem now is how to steal Nidelhark’s sealing orb. Of course,
before that, I’ll have to steal my Life Force Vessel first.”
Through the documents, Damon was also able to learn one more fact. Namely, why there was no treasure
in Berkis’s lair.
Dragons generally had a nature of greatly liking jewels and treasures.
Of course, Berkis was no exception to that category. Damon had already seen countless jewels and
treasures being carried into the dragons’ lairs. Naturally, most of them
had been plundered from humans.
To win the dragons’ favor, the orcs offered all the valuables among the spoils they had seized
to the dragons. In any case, treasures were not particularly useful items to orcs. Of course,
the dragons must have accepted them with great joy.
However, while guarding Berkis’s lair for five hundred years, Damon had noticed one strange point.
It was certain that all the treasures plundered from humans had been moved to the dragons’ lairs.
But contrary to expectations, there was not much treasure in Berkis’s lair.
There might have been bulky treasures such as gold or silver, but even if one washed one’s eyes and searched, there were no expensive jewels
or magical armaments to be found. Damon, who had already examined every corner of Berkis’s lair, knew that
fact well. But through the documents, the answer was revealed in broad daylight……
“So that was it. They moved the jewels there for fear of theft.”
Although most of the dragons had currently entered their sleep period, not all dragons were asleep.
Only one green dragon by the name of Zikrate was, unusually,
awake. That was because during the war, he alone had been sleeping……
Therefore, Zikrate had not participated in the war against the humans.
But the dragons entrusted him with the most important duty. It was the duty of storing
their treasures during their sleep period. While they slept, Zikrate would remain awake
and guard the treasures. Nidelhark’s sealing orb was in Zikrate’s possession.
“According to the documents, he is a dragon who has not yet reached the wyrm class, one who can be considered relatively weak.
But the documents state that even if he is killed, the treasures can never be seized.
That is because Zikrate has hidden the sealing orb inside Increcia,
the magical treasury created by the combined power of the dragons.”
According to the documents, the magical treasury Increcia was a kind of treasury that could never be robbed by others.
That was because it was a treasury that did not materially exist in the human world.
It would be correct to see Increcia as a kind of dimensional gate. Since it was a treasury opened
only by the spell of the appointed one, and otherwise did not exist in the human world, theft could be
perfectly prevented. Of course, the treasures inside were also stored in another dimension,
one where living beings could never exist. Even a god could not lay a hand on the treasures.
Moreover, because it would never open its door to anyone other than the appointed one, Increcia could be regarded as
a truly impregnable treasury.
“But no matter what, I must obtain Nidelhark’s sealing orb.”
Besides that, Damon also bore the burden of having to steal his own Life Force Vessel.
But he would never bend his obsession. That was because he had a mission to rescue Daphne
along with exacting his revenge.
“No matter what happens, I will accomplish my will.”
In Berkis’s empty magic study, Damon was deep in thought. He was trying to think of a way
to steal the two items.
“Where is this?”
Someone looked around in all directions with an expectant gaze. The owner of the voice was a young man who looked extremely young.
He was a blond youth, somewhat too old to be called a boy and yet somewhat lacking to be called
a man. Astonishingly, he possessed an exceedingly noble and handsome appearance.
Beneath his fluttering blond hair were thick eyebrows, and his high nose bridge and
full lips seemed to show that a man could be as beautiful as a woman.
Regrettably, however, the young man’s face was filled only with childishness. His eyes somehow looked vacant,
and he frowned as if something failed to meet his expectations. An irritated voice
forced its way through his lips.
“You said that if I came here, there would be mountains of candy and cookies piled up.”
As soon as his words ended, a heavy voice sounded beside him as if it had been waiting.
“Please wait just a little. The candy and cookies are over there.”
The one who approached with a nod was a knight clad in armor. Since he was not wearing a helmet, his half-gray hair,
from which his age could be guessed, was fully exposed. But the terrible scar crossing his face
and his crushed left eye made him look anything but ordinary. The light streaming from his single eye
was intense enough to make the hearts of those who saw it ache. And with good reason,
for he was a powerhouse whose skill was second to none in Arcadia.
Ludwig von Amirt.
He was the vice-captain of the Crossen Imperial Guard Knights, a guard knight who held absolute loyalty
to the imperial family. He had obtained the qualification of Sword Master thirty years ago,
and was such a powerful swordsman that he prided himself on being among the top ten in all of Arcadia in swordsmanship.
Following after the captain of the guard knights, who protected the emperor, he was entrusted with the duty
of guarding the crown prince. It was only natural that the vice-captain would step forward to protect
the crown prince of a nation.
“The candy and cookies have already been prepared, so please do not worry.”
Upon hearing his words, the young man’s complexion suddenly brightened.
“Really? Sir Ludwig?”
“That is so.”
“Oh, how wonderful.”
The young man ran in the direction the knight indicated, looking extremely pleased. The royal guard knights
followed closely behind him. They had a duty to protect the young man even if it meant
throwing away their own lives.
But Ludwig walked slowly, as if there were no particular reason to hurry. As a high-ranking Sword Master,
he had the ability to catch up with them under any circumstances.
However, an incomprehensibly deep anguish was rising in his eyes.
‘Please forgive me, Your Majesty. It was a decision I had no choice but to make for the survival of the royal house.’
He glanced to the side. An old mage following behind met his gaze,
bit his lip, and nodded. The mage, too, was not someone of ordinary status.
His name was Payrun, a court mage of the Crossen Empire and a master of the 7th Circle……
A lonely melancholy likewise lingered on his face. Since they knew well what an enormous ripple
the thing they were doing would bring to the Crossen Empire, it could not be helped.
But it was unavoidable. Since they could not stand by and watch the Crossen Empire
be manipulated in the hands of the nobles, it could be seen as a choice they had no choice but to make.
As he walked after the young man, Ludwig recalled when Payrun had come to him just last night.
“Wh-what did you say?”
Hearing Payrun’s words, Ludwig felt a chill run down his spine and sprang to his feet.
Payrun, his old friend who had come late at night, had made a truly earth-shattering proposal.
Ludwig shook his head again and again, as if he could not even think of it.
“I-I cannot do it. How could I do that to the bloodline of Emperor Crossen……”
“But have you considered what will happen to the future of the Crossen Empire if we do not do this?
You already know well what is going on in the imperial court, do you not?”
“I-I am a knight. I simply cannot do such a thing……”
“Then do you mean to stand by and watch the imperial family fall?”
Ludwig was at a loss for words. Of course, there was no way he did not know the circumstances of the imperial court.
The ugly power struggles taking place at the center of authority over the young imperial descendant.
But Payrun’s proposal was something that, as a knight, he could not possibly dare to consider……
Payrun went on persuading Ludwig in a grave voice.
“If you do not make a decision now, we will have no more chances. Before long,
Duke Perschstein will certainly replace the crown prince’s guards with his own loyal confidants.
There is no time.”
“……”
“I know that you, too, are well aware that Crown Prince Alcaris must not ascend the throne.”
“But how can we, with our own hands, do that to His descendant……”
“There is no helping it.”
Looking at Peireon’s grief-stricken face, Ludwig bit down on his lip. Peireon and he were loyal retainers who had devoted their entire lives to the Crosen Empire. He truly could not believe that they had to plan something like this. Yet Ludwig instinctively knew that it was absolutely necessary. And he knew, too, that he would have no choice but to agree to it… In the end, he could only nod. It was a decision founded entirely on loyalty to the imperial family.
“There is no other way. I will do as you propose.”
“Thank you.”
Though he expressed his gratitude, a deep darkness lay over Peireon’s face. For he knew all too well that even if the mission succeeded, the price would be both their lives—and the fate of their families as well…
Recalling that fact, Ludwig composed his expression.
‘I have no regrets. I have been loyal to the imperial family all my life, and I intended to offer everything I had until the very end… I am only sorry to my family.’
But when he looked at the young crown prince, he could not help the gloom that settled in his heart. After all, he was the crown prince whom he and Peireon had guarded for twenty years already.
Though he was lacking in intellect, Alcaris was an exceedingly innocent and cheerful young man. During all the years they had guarded him, they had even come to feel as if he were their own grandson; it would have been a lie to say the two of them felt no pity for him…
But for the greater cause, Alcaris had to disappear without fail. Only then could the wise De Beers inherit the imperial throne, and only then could Duke Pershtein’s tyranny be stopped. And, with it, the survival of the Crosen imperial family preserved.
‘Forgive us, Your Majesty.’
In truth, even without the regent Theodore’s explanation, Peireon had vaguely sensed the crisis facing the empire. Ludwig had already heard Peireon lament over it several times. The two were friends like brothers, having graduated from the same faculty. That the regent had gone to such a Peireon could truly be called a stroke of heaven. The moment Peireon heard Theodore’s proposal, he agreed without a word of objection. That was how deeply those with purpose shuddered at Duke Pershtein’s despotism.
“I understand. I will do it.”
Though he had not been without conflict, Ludwig, too, resolved to share that will. The only ones capable of carrying out the plan were the two of them. No matter how exceptional one’s magic or how strong one’s swordsmanship, unless it was the two who guarded the crown prince from right beside him, the plan was highly likely to fail… Seeing Ludwig stiff with tension, Peireon murmured as if to console him.
“Do not let it weigh on you too much. We are not the ones who will deal with him directly, are we? Once we go there, everything will be resolved. There is a being there who will put an end not only to the ill-fated crown prince, but to our old lives as well.”
“You mean there is an existence that powerful?”
Peireon nodded as if to say there was.
“That place is none other than the lair of a Red Dragon. Moreover, we have received information that a terrifying lich who has reached the 9th Circle dwells there. Regent Theodore confirmed it directly from the mouth of the royal guard knight Heywood, so it is likely certain.”
Ludwig nodded as if it made sense.
“If it is a lich of the 9th Circle, then that would indeed be enough. Enough to put an end to us, and to the ill-fated Crown Prince Alcaris as well…”
His expression once again turning somber, Ludwig quietly turned his head. There, unaware of how his own fate had been decided, Crown Prince Alcaris was walking along with an innocent look on his face. The crown prince received sweets from the attendant beside him and kept popping them into his mouth. The gazes of the old knight and the old mage as they looked at him could not help but be exceedingly dark.