If this succeeded, he would no longer have to fear the destruction of the Life Force Vessel
kept in Verchis’s possession.
But that, too, was just as uncertain as to whether it could truly succeed. Hoping that the mental wavelengths
and other conditions of the people here, so utterly different from those of the Central Plains,
would align was itself almost unthinkable… Of course, from Damon’s position, he had no choice
but to accept all those risks. As he ran on in a frenzy, Damon clenched his teeth.
“I have eternity. So long as the Great Art succeeds and I escape from Verchis’s clutches,
then using the body of a Sword Master as a foundation, I can train again and again and surely
seek my revenge. Though I won’t gain internal energy, with the well-tempered body of a Sword Master,
I should be able to reach the pinnacle in a short time.”
He did not know how powerful that Sword Master was, but praying that he had not fallen
to Gedenhide, Damon hurled himself onward in desperation.
“P-Payrun.”
Ludwig’s eyes filled with horror. There was no one who would not be horrified to see
a close friend of many years dying right before his eyes. Payrun’s body was already crumbling
to pieces.
It was because he had been struck directly by high-level Ninth Circle magic, something Ludwig had only
heard of in words. Payrun’s final words still echoed in Ludwig’s ears.
“N-Ninth Circle Horrid Wilting! Heywood’s report was true.”
Payrun’s body crumbled away before he could even finish speaking. As Ludwig stared at it,
the word death was already being engraved into his mind.
Their prediction that the plan would succeed if they came here had proven exactly right. In the dragon’s lair,
guardians stronger than anything they had imagined swarmed everywhere. Most of them were liches,
high-ranking undead monsters above the Sixth Circle. Never in their dreams
had they imagined there would be so many liches in the world.
Less than ten minutes after the fierce battle began, most of the Imperial Guards they had brought
had fallen dead. Most of them were paladins, but they were inevitably no match
for Sixth Circle liches.
Magical attacks rained down without giving them a moment to breathe, and the paladins had to meet
their end along with their anti-magic armor.
Only three people survived. Ludwig, an outstanding Sword Master; Payrun, a mage whose circle was higher
than that of the liches; and lastly, Crown Prince Alcaris, whom they protected with all their might.
Though they had brought him here with the intention of killing him, the two of them focused
all their strength on protecting Alcaris. Perhaps it was because they felt guilty for bringing him
to this place of death.
In any case, even if they did their utmost, this was not a place they could break through.
But even that had now reached its limit. Since Payrun had lost his life,
it was obvious that he himself would not be able to hold out for long. He turned his head and
looked at Alcaris.
“Haa, haa.”
At the repeated deaths of the Imperial Guards, Alcaris looked as though his soul had completely left him.
His wide-open eyes were filled with shock. He had already suffered a severe wound to his head,
and blood was streaming down his face. When had someone raised so delicately ever faced such a situation?
At the sight, Ludwig could not help but feel a considerable pang of conscience.
“I am sorry, Your Majesty! I will pay for this sin in death, in the underworld.”
After giving a slight bow, Ludwig turned his head. There stood the terrifying lich
that had annihilated Payrun in a single blow, its blue eye-lights gleaming. Even at a glance,
it was dressed differently from the other liches. A satisfied smile appeared at Ludwig’s lips.
“So you’re the Ninth Circle lich I’ve only heard about. Glad to meet you. At least
I don’t have to entrust my end to some worthless small fry.”
A strange light passed through Gedenhide’s eyes as he looked at him.
In truth, these intruders were showing behavior patterns completely different from past treasure hunters.
That human in particular seemed as if he had come here to die, did he not?
When the first clash broke out, Gedenhide had focused on forming an encirclement around the outskirts
so the humans could not flee. He had intended not to let them live no matter what.
But overturning his expectations, they continued pushing toward the area where the lair was located.
Nor did they possess enough strength to overwhelm his side. To be frank, it made no sense
to attempt such a reckless thing with only a few Sword Masters and one mage.
But Gedenhide was not one to think deeply. In any case, his opponents were nothing more than
intruders who had to be pursued to the ends of hell and slaughtered. Whether they were treasure hunters
or those dreaming of becoming dragon slayers, none of it mattered. Flashing his eye-lights, Gedenhide
growled savagely.
“I do not know for what reason you came, but it does not matter. The very fact that you dared
set foot in Trubenia is reason enough for death…”
“How astonishing. That a lich serves as a dragon’s guardian…”
Having made up his mind, Ludwig gripped his sword tightly. Reflected in his eyes was the ill-fated
crown prince, standing blankly and trembling. For an instant, his heart ached, but he forcibly
steeled himself. The thought of ending the prince’s life to lessen his suffering crossed his mind,
but the situation would never allow it.
“Attack.”
At Gedenhide’s command, the liches began their attacks simultaneously.
Kwakakakaka!
Mid-level attack spells such as Fire Blast, Chain Lightning, Shadow Blade, and Broken Sword
all concentrated on Ludwig at once. Ludwig’s body was soon enveloped in flashes of light.
“Ugh.”
At the pain that seemed to pierce through his entire body, Ludwig let out a heavy groan. Though his anti-magic armor
was working hard to block the magical attacks, it naturally had its limits. If the magic circles
inscribed on the armor were broken, or if the mana within his body was exhausted, then he too
would inevitably meet his end.
It was self-evident that no matter how much of a Sword Master he was, in such a disadvantageous situation
it was difficult to face mages. And were these not liches, each and every one of whom,
judging by their caliber, seemed to be a Sixth Circle master?
Feeling the magic circles of his armor collapsing, Ludwig gathered his mana to the fullest. Thinking that
he could not be taken down in vain, he was considering his final counterattack.
“I can’t just leave like this.”
He felt he would only be satisfied if he could take down at least one lich. Of course,
he dearly wished to accompany the lich that had annihilated Payrun on the road to the afterlife,
but that was, quite literally, only a wish.
“Haa!”
As he pushed mana into it, the magical letters inscribed on his armor shone dazzlingly. Ludwig’s body
shot forward at a speed invisible to the eye. His target was that very lich that had annihilated Payrun.
Raising his sword above his head, Ludwig shouted like a thunderbolt.
“My mission ends here.”
He saw a blinding radiance bloom from the lich’s hand, but he paid it no mind whatsoever.
Kwa-kwang!
No sooner had his words ended than an enormous shock pierced through his body. At the same time
he felt his armor shatter to pieces, his consciousness grew distant. The anti-magic armor, already pushed
to its limits by the liches’ attacks, had no chance of resisting a Ninth Circle spell from a lich.
“So this is the end…”
Feeling his body crumble along with the armor, Ludwig completely lost consciousness. His soul
left his flesh and rose into the sky.
Clang.
The sound of the sword that had lost its master falling to the floor rang out unusually loudly. Perhaps
it was the sound of mourning for the loyalty of an old knight who had given his life for the imperial family.
The situation was over. Though their purpose had been unclear, those who had invaded Verchis’s lair
had been killed without exception. Except for one. But that one seemed to have no ability to resist,
not even the will to do so.
“This one is a complete idiot.”
When he saw the final survivor, the vigilance vanished from Gedenhide’s eyes. The sight of the fellow
standing there blankly as though his soul had left him was almost laughable. He already clearly
understood the other’s condition. With eyes opened wide and drool dripping from the corners of his mouth,
one could tell at a glance that he was in a dazed state.
“He’s neither a knight nor a mage… Judging by how desperately they protected him,
he seems to be a fairly important person, but I cannot figure out his identity at all. Looking at his attire,
he seems like a high-ranking noble.”
After looking Alcaris over, Gedenhide released the mana he had drawn up. To be frank,
it was a waste of mana for him to personally deal with such an idiot.
“You!”
At Gedenhide’s designation, one lich bowed respectfully.
“Did you call?”
“Take this fellow away and lock him up where the prisoners are held. We could kill him,
but since he is still young, he should be useful for absorbing his life force.”
“Understood.”
The lich quickly approached and hoisted Alcaris over his shoulder. Whether he lacked even the mind
to resist, Alcaris did not move in the slightest. It seemed the shock of losing his guards right before
his eyes had been extremely great. And no wonder, for were those two not the people who had cared for him
since childhood? Moreover, even his attendants had all died miserably without a single one left,
so it would have been stranger if he had not been shocked.
As though his soul had completely fled, Alcaris merely kept his eyes wide open and drooled
from the corners of his mouth. At that sight, Gedenhide frowned.
“This feels unpleasant. Should I just kill him?”
As he tilted his head, an urgent shout suddenly came from behind him.
“Intruders. An urgent report says they are human knights, about one hundred in number,
and they are charging straight in this direction without hesitation.”
At those words, Gedenhide, who had been hesitating, recalled what he had to do. If they had charged in
despite knowing this place was a dragon’s lair, then they were certainly after something.
In that case, that dazed noble brat might be their target.
Having finished thinking, Gedenhide shouted like lightning at the lich holding Alcaris.
“Dispose of that fellow immediately and follow me. And the rest of you, follow me.”
After spitting out that brief order, Gedenhide launched himself away. The liches, having reorganized their formation,
all followed after him at once.
“How should I dispose of him?”
After setting Alcaris down, the lich tilted his head. His opponent was a human who could not even
bring himself to resist, and there were countless ways to kill him. There were so many methods
that he was troubled over which to choose. But he soon made up his mind and raised his hand.
“I suppose I should freeze him solid with Ice Bringer and then smash him to pieces with Air Blast.
That way, the smell of the corpse rotting will spread nicely.”
Having finished speaking, the lich rearranged his mana without delay. Since he intended to quickly
carry out the order and join the battle, he was in a hurry. But his spell was momentarily interrupted
by a shadow that appeared without a sound.
“Y-you are?”
The one who appeared was a lich, identical to himself. The problem was that he was one
who was usually shunned among the liches.
The lich glared at the other with suspicious eyes. It was only natural, for though the other was
a guardian of the same status, he was a lich whom Gedenhide utterly and terribly detested.
A lich by the name of Damon.
“I’ll take care of this fellow.”
Damon, who had appeared, unhesitatingly seized Alcaris’s head. Seeing that, a look of doubt
settled over the lich’s face. As far as he knew, the other was a peculiar lich who never tried
to kill humans. Whenever a fight broke out with human intruders, he avoided engagement by making
some excuse, and not a single human who had intruded into his guard zone had ever been killed by him.
Of course, the guard net had never once been breached, either.
For that reason, the other was in a position of extreme avoidance among the liches. For such a one
to suddenly appear and say he would dispose of a human… As though there was no need to think any further,
the lich shook his head.
“I do not know what scheme you have in mind, but I cannot allow it. Lord Gedenhide has already
ordered me to dispose of this fellow.”
“Could you not be understanding? As you know, the wounds I received from Gedenhide’s beating
have not healed. I would like to absorb some of this fellow’s life force…”
But the lich did not budge. That was because he had already received Gedenhide’s strict command
to monitor the other’s every move.
“If you do not hand him over, I will have no choice but to attack you.”
With the intention of turning both of them into blocks of ice if things went wrong, the lich gathered
as much mana as he could into both hands. Perhaps deciding there was no helping it, the other shook
his head from side to side.
“Good grief. I didn’t want to go this far… Look into my eyes.”
“Huk.”
With a short cry of shock, the lich’s pupils expanded to their fullest. It happened after he saw
the sinister eye-lights blazing within the other’s eye sockets.