While he was fretting over finding a ship bound for Truvenia, a rumor about a powerful necromancer said to be living in Sevain happened to reach his ears.
Of course, to him, it was the news he had been waiting and waiting for.
“Rumors, by their nature, are bound to be passed on with tremendous exaggeration. That mages are weak against knights is an immutable truth throughout the ages. In that case, there’s no saying there’s absolutely no chance of catching him.”
Ranvain’s confidence stemmed from the anti-magic armor he had purchased at great expense. Since he could manipulate mana,
it possessed a certain degree of magic resistance, and taking into account all the circumstances—namely, that his opponent was a mage—it seemed there was more than enough chance of victory.
If, by some chance, he captured the necromancer, there was no doubt he would be granted the qualifications of a Paladin,
so he immediately took action. A large number of trainee knights in the same situation joined him.
“I’ll take part too.”
“Me too……”
In just a single day, no fewer than sixty trainee knights gathered. More than half of them
were wearing anti-magic armor, and every one of them burned with the desire to capture the necromancer.
Once enough people had assembled, they set out for the Sevain territory without delay. Among them, the belief was widespread that
with this many people, they would be more than enough to capture the necromancer. But it did not take long for them to discover
that it was, quite literally, like throwing eggs at a rock.
After a long journey, they were finally able to locate the necromancer’s lair. But what was poured upon them as a greeting
when they entered the cave was a baptism of Magic Missiles too numerous to count……
Papapapak.
With a single attack, two-thirds of the party was reduced to ruin. Needless to say, those who could not operate mana
were devastated, and even knights wearing anti-magic armor could not escape being left sprawled in tatters.
The higher the Circle, the greater the power of the magic deployed.
Magic Missile was only a 1st Circle spell, but because it had undergone no fewer than nine rearrangements,
the power of Damon’s Magic Missile surpassed that of a 5th Circle offensive spell. In that case,
the outcome had already been decided.
Only Sword Masters or Paladins could block offensive magic of 6th Circle or higher. Even if they wore
the same armor, there was a limit to the mana trainee knights could draw up, and they were bound to be vulnerable
to offensive magic of 5th Circle or higher. Thus, among them, only a very small number could block
Damon’s Magic Missiles, which possessed tremendous power. The greenhorns seeking fame
were annihilated, with only about ten left behind. But that was not the end.
“Kraaaah!”
Before those who had, by luck or by a slight difference in skill, managed to withstand the Magic Missile barrage,
there appeared a Dullahan clad in blackish armor. Damon had ordered Winslut, the gatekeeper,
to clean them up.
The Dullahan attacked without the slightest mercy, and the remaining knights were routed
in the blink of an eye. They were already exhausted from blocking the Magic Missile barrage,
and the mana within their bodies was nearly depleted. Moreover, Winslut was no ordinary Dullahan.
He was a monster with combat power nearly equal to that of a Death Knight. Because of that, the resisting knights
fell one by one, and even the last remaining Ranvain ended up with one leg broken,
rendered incapable of fighting. But the Dullahan showed not the slightest consideration.
Thud.
With a heavy sound of impact, Ranvain lost consciousness on the spot. His helmet was crushed into a ghastly state.
Ranvain’s resolve to become a Paladin at all costs was being broken here.
“These damned bastards.”
At the place where dozens of trainee knights lay sprawled in tatters, Damon stood with a scowl.
It was certainly welcome news that the Crocen Knights had not come.
However, there was no way Damon could be pleased by even this rabble flocking to him.
“This is already the third time this month. I’m going to go mad from the nuisance.”
Of course, flies chasing fame were mostly handled at Winslut’s level. There was not even any need
to call Helbertron, who was guarding the sealing orb. All he had to do was fire off one round of Magic Missiles
and then wait leisurely, and Winslut would take care of everything afterward.
The problem was making sure to deal with the fallen ones properly. If he simply let them go, they would surely
come swarming in again, so he had to punish them thoroughly enough that they could not return.
“If I had my way, I’d kill them all…… Mm.”
Perhaps because pain surged up at the thought of killing intent, Damon slightly frowned.
He wanted to kill them so badly he could hardly stand it, but that was something impossible from the start.
“To think you placed such a leech-like restriction on me. Holy Monk, you truly are remarkable.”
After grumbling for a moment toward the Holy Monk of Shaolin, who was no longer in this world, Damon gave an order
to Winslut.
“For now, lock them underground…… I’ll think about how to punish them after I return from Lorvain.”
“Kraaaah!”
Letting out a strange cry as if to say he understood, Winslut picked up one knight dangling in each hand
and began walking. Watching him, Damon selected only those among the knights who were seriously wounded
and cast Healing on them. All the while, he continued to grumble.
“What a bother. To think I have to waste mana even on bastards like these……”
However, if any deaths occurred among them, he could not know what sort of consequences would fall upon him.
Therefore, it was something Damon absolutely had to pay attention to.
“You have arrived?”
As light flashed and Damon appeared atop the magic circle, Zengart quickly approached him.
Of course, his outward appearance was, without the slightest discrepancy, that of Baron Romain.
The original Romain had already been sold off long ago.
Having heard a rumor that one of the high-ranking nobles of Penslut, a wealthy nation in the north, enjoyed male bed partners—
and extremely sadistic ones at that—Zengart had secretly attempted to contact that noble,
and in the end, the transaction was completed.
Baron Romain ultimately suffered the misfortune of being sold off as the very sort of male bed partner he himself had used countless times……
Since he had been made mute, there was no chance the secret would be exposed.
Even if, by some chance, he revealed the truth in writing, there would be no one who would believe the words
of a slave sold as a male bed partner. Baron Romain’s end was truly pitiful beyond measure. And his empty place
was perfectly filled by Zengart. Moreover, since he had begun managing it,
the Romain Trading Company had flourished even further.
Seeing Damon looking thoroughly irritated, Zengart spoke to him with a puzzled expression.
“Has something unpleasant happened?”
“Don’t ask. Reckless brats are swarming in without knowing whether they’ll live or die, and it’s driving me insane.
Normally, I should just close my eyes and kill them all, but I don’t want to, so really.”
At Damon’s endless complaints, Zengart smiled faintly.
“Even so, you are remarkable. Though you possess sufficient ability, you still try to spare those who intrude upon your residence.
When one possesses power, it is human instinct to use it without hesitation……”
At Zengart’s praise, Damon shrugged.
“I’ve always had a bit of mercy and patience, you see. In any case, how are things going
in the Crocen Empire right now? There isn’t any intelligence that a punitive force is being prepared, is there?”
In truth, the reason Damon could remain cooped up in his own residence and yet be well informed
about the state of the continent was entirely thanks to Zengart’s assistance. Since his main trade was jewelry,
he had no few dealings with high-ranking nobles of various nations, and with just a little effort, he could obtain information.
Of course, he had to grease the throats of the nobles’ adjutants and aides a bit.
Zengart was relaying all the information he obtained in that manner to Damon.
It was the only way he could be of help to Damon.
“I do not think you need to worry any further about a punitive force. At present, in Pelzentin,
the power struggle between the emperor’s faction and Duke Perstein has reached its peak.”
“Is that so?”
“It has already been nearly ten years since Emperor Valensius fell into a vegetative state. Therefore,
attention is focused on Crown Prince De Beers, the sole heir to the imperial throne.”
“That’s interesting. A mere noble coveting the emperor’s seat.”
Damon’s eyes gleamed as he sank into his chair. However, he never dreamed
that the body he possessed belonged to the elder brother of Crown Prince De Beers. Of course,
the same was true of Zengart, who sat across from him. He laid out before Damon, without omission,
the important information he had learned through jewel trading.
“For now, the core of the imperial faction is supported by the regent, Theodore, and the commander of the knight order, Marquis Williams.
However, in terms of strength and scale, Duke Perstein’s faction, which has won over nearly all the major nobles,
can be said to be far stronger. Most of the military authority held by the Crocen Empire has already passed
to Duke Perstein. With the sole exception of the Crocen Knights, that is.”
“The Crocen Knights are a force that can never be ignored either. After all, they have a hundred Sword Masters.”
Zengart smiled softly.
“They are the strongest knight order in Arcadia in both name and reality.”
“Putting that aside, this fellow Perstein seems quite capable, doesn’t he? To be able to seize control of a nation to that extent.”
Zengart nodded as if to say Damon was correct.
“That is so. Duke Perstein’s skill is already renowned throughout the continent.
Another point that cannot be overlooked is that he is both an outstanding tactician and commander.
His command-and-control ability has already been thoroughly verified through two battles.”
After hearing Zengart’s explanation, Damon nodded as if he understood and slipped a hand into his clothing.
In his hand was a pouch that looked fairly heavy.
“Anyway, I’ve brought a few more jewels. Would you dispose of these as well?”
“Of course.”
Without another word, Zengart accepted the pouch Damon held out. Inside that pouch
were jewels Damon had carefully selected from within Increcia. He had chosen only those
that did not seem particularly valuable, but their worth was immense. Until now, Damon had
handed over quite a number of jewels to Zengart, and they had all been converted into gold coins
and stored in Zengart’s underground warehouse, which had once been a prison. Holding the pouch,
Zengart smiled faintly.
“Because the jewels were of the highest quality, I was able to get quite a good price for them. But where did you get such jewels……”
“Don’t try to find out.”
After curtly saying that, Damon turned around. Now it was time to return to his residence and torment the prisoners.
Zengart watched Damon step onto the magic circle with a smiling face.
“Uaaaah!”
Ranvain was now running frantically. Behind him, countless ghouls and wights
were chasing after him, and there was no one who would not be scared out of his wits. He could not understand
what in the world was going on. When he opened his eyes, the world around him had been completely filled with undead.
Of course, at first, he too had fought bravely. One or two undead monsters fell after being struck
by his fists. But the entire world was covered in undead, and there was a limit
to how long he could fight back. In the end, after his fists became drenched in blood, Ranvain chose
to flee.
“Kieeeek!”
When a specter suddenly thrust out a hand right beside him, Ranvain was horrified and twisted his body away.
Somehow, everywhere he went was crawling with undead. It was enough to make even a ghost weep,
but Ranvain had no room whatsoever to assess the situation.
If he had even a weapon, he would try to fight again, but there was not so much as a dagger in his hand.
Moreover, the courage that had always filled him had vanished as if washed clean away.
So he had no choice but to focus frantically on fleeing……
“Huff, huff.”
His breath had risen all the way to his chin, but he could not stop. When the cries of undead monsters sounded
right behind his back, he threw himself forward with all his remaining strength. His eyes were filled
with nothing but terror.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
No matter how hard he searched, his comrades were nowhere to be seen. As he remained focused on fleeing,
a pitch-black shadow suddenly appeared beside him. It was a ghoul, its tongue flicking,
its bloodshot eyes blazing crimson. There was no time to dodge.
“Kekekeke.”
“Damn it!”
Ranvain threw a punch as if there was nothing to think about. But surprisingly, the ghoul possessed
greater fighting strength than Ranvain. The ghoul nimbly evaded him and mercilessly struck Ranvain’s jaw.
That was the end. Having taken a powerful blow while utterly exhausted, Ranvain
fainted on the spot.
“Good. Very good. Gulp, gulp.”
“Is that how you throw a punch? Tsk, tsk. Looks like your strength has run out.”
Damon was leisurely tilting back his cup of liquor as he devoted himself to watching the fight. A wide plaza spread underground.
The subterranean clearing that Winterdale had once used as a hiding place had now become a scene of pandemonium.
In other words, the sixty-odd greenhorns who had intruded here were beating one another in a brawl.
Thud. Thud.
Here and there, the sounds of fists striking flesh rang out. Amid rough breathing and shouts,
a scene that was difficult to watch unfolded in the underground clearing. Of course, they did not recognize
the ones they fought as their comrades at all. They merely fought back blindly or fled.
That was because, in their eyes, their opponents clearly appeared to be undead monsters.