First, I should say I’m sorry. I’m thinking of taking a hiatus for a few days.
As of today, all my stockpiled chapters have run out. I plan to rest properly for about two days, then start writing again.
I hope you’ll understand……. Then, I’ll be going now.^^
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A strange light settled in Gedenhyde’s pupils as he looked at Shreheimer.
“Kekeke. I wondered who it was, and it turns out to be that fledgling priest from back then. Hm? That outfit is……. Kelkelkel.
To think a wretch like you became the High Pontiff— Icarot must have rotted away, eh?”
“Watch your tongue. Icarot is still not an empire the likes of you can dare look down on.”
“It’s also a name that will vanish before long. Beneath Lord Verkis’s mighty power, that is.”
But Shreheimer’s tongue was by no means easy to deal with either. A sneer crept faintly over his lips.
“You ran for your life after Neidelhark, and in the end you preserved that life by hiding away as a dragon’s dog? Why not bark for me? Woof, woof, like that.”
“You bastard?”
In Gedenhyde’s eyes, a blazing light seemed to waver. That was how insulting Shreheimer’s counterattack had been.
“I no longer serve Neidelhark. From now on, I intend to live forever as Lord Verkis’s faithful Guardian……. Human, you would do well to mind that chattering mouth if you wish to keep your life.”
“If Neidelhark heard that, his expression would be worth seeing.”
Though he was firing back sharply, Shreheimer’s complexion was not very good. Judging from the situation, it seemed certain that Gedenhyde had been brainwashed by the dragon’s hand. It could not be anything but unwelcome. Considering the bastard’s abilities, he was sure to become a considerable burden to humanity…….
Remembering his mission, Gedenhyde soon regained his composure. As if Shreheimer were not particularly worth his attention, he looked around and spoke coldly.
“Enough useless talk. Open the way. If you do not, I cannot guarantee the saintess’s life.”
At those words, the knights’ expressions hardened. As long as he held the saintess hostage, they had to consider that they could not attempt anything. Of course, there was no chance at all that he would escape through teleportation. Numerous mages had formed an encirclement and were preparing to disrupt magic, so no matter how high-ranking a mage Gedenhyde was, he could not break through this barrier. They could confidently say that even a dragon could not escape from this.
A direct attack was difficult, but disrupting the realization of magic was something these mages could sufficiently do…….
However, the decisive problem remained the same: there was no way to rescue the saintess. The most important person in the current situation was under Gedenhyde’s control.
Shreheimer’s face twisted miserably. He had never dreamed that the saintess would be captured at the most critical stage. And on top of that, the fact that the dragons had already seen through their plan…….
“What on earth are you scheming, trying to kidnap the saintess?”
“To break the paltry hopes of you humans, of course. No matter how much you struggle, you will not be able to escape the fate of annihilation.”
“Do you think you can leave Icarot’s palace so easily?”
But Gedenhyde looked relaxed.
“Well, if you don’t want to lose the saintess, you’ll have to open the way, won’t you? What will you do?”
At that moment, Shreheimer’s eyes flashed. Because one fact had occurred to him.
“I heard you obey a dragon’s orders. No matter how much of a dragon he may be, he cannot offend Lord Verhazel. The saintess can be seen as Lord Verhazel’s eyes and ears. Therefore, the dragon would never have ordered you to kill the saintess. In that case, you cannot touch her.”
Gedenhyde seemed somewhat surprised.
“You have a good head on your shoulders. But nothing changes. Of course I cannot kill her, but I can certainly turn her into an idiot……. Naturally, I am prepared to receive Verhazel’s punishment for Lord Verkis’s sake.”
Upon hearing those words, empty expressions appeared on the faces of the knights, Shreheimer included. As Gedenhyde said, if the saintess were reduced to an idiot, their plan to petition Verhazel would completely come to nothing.
Judging from the way he spoke, Gedenhyde was a man who would fully carry out such a plan. Considering his past record of murdering countless saintesses, there seemed to be no room for doubt.
“If you do not want to see the saintess become an idiot, open the way!”
However, the knights showed no sign of moving at all. The mages, too, had already perfectly deployed their preparations to block teleportation. In any case, the only hope left to them was the saintess. If she was taken from them, their hope would vanish completely.
When things did not proceed as he wished, a murderous gleam suddenly surged in Gedenhyde’s eyes. As if there were no longer any need to think, he covered the saintess’s head with his hand. Seeing the eerie light rising from his hand, it was clear he was executing some kind of magic.
“If that is what you want, I’ll make her an idiot. Kekeke.”
“W-wait…….”
In the end, unable to watch any longer, Shreheimer stepped forward. He could not possibly stand by and let the saintess become an idiot.
“How do you want us to open the way?”
“Let’s see? That is the problem. I can’t very well walk out……. Teleportation is far too risky, you see?”
Gedenhyde looked over the rows of knights. Among them, mages who had drawn up a great deal of mana were positioned here and there. If even a single one of them made up their mind, there was a very high possibility that teleportation would fail.
Teleportation was that difficult a spell to cast. If interference occurred, in the worst case, one could be warped into the ground. If that happened, it would be an extremely serious problem for him. Unlike humans, who would die quickly, he was an immortal lich and would have to live buried underground for the rest of his life. Therefore, he decided to choose a relatively safe method.
“I’ll have to have one of them draw a teleportation magic circle for me. A low-level mage, of course.”
At those words, Shreheimer’s complexion twisted.
“What a thoroughly meticulous bastard.”
A mage above the 6th Circle could, of course, teleport with spell incantation alone. Naturally, that came with the condition that they had to clearly remember the coordinates of the destination. However, there were bound to be many dangers involved.
Since time immemorial, when foreign matter existed at the destination, or when there was magical interference, fatal results followed for the mage attempting teleportation. The method of disrupting teleportation was extremely simple. All one had to do was subtly slip other mana into the path along which the caster intended to move, and if that happened, the resulting disturbance would inevitably grow beyond control.
For example, imagine applying a slight force to a bead rolling down a slope. If so, as time passed, the path the bead rolled along would inevitably change. The farther it traveled, the greater the distortion of its arrival point—in other words, it would end up somewhere completely unintended.
Teleportation was the same. Even if an extremely faint amount of mana slipped in, if the distance to be traveled was far, the warp would occur to a place no one could have imagined.
This was precisely why dragons, the progenitors of magic, did not dare barge into Feldrian. Even low-level human mages, whom they otherwise did not take into consideration at all, were fully capable of interfering with teleportation.
Because of that, in most cases, mages mainly used magic circles to perform teleportation. This was the same even for high-level mages. Since a magic circle with a fixed flow of mana left no room for other mana to intrude, it was relatively free from magical interference.
If the target was a great mage on Gedenhyde’s level, blocking the teleportation could be considered almost impossible. Gedenhyde, looking at Shreheimer’s twisted face as if enjoying it, surveyed the lined-up mages.
“Won’t you pick one for me to use? As you can see, I’m hardly in a position to draw the magic circle myself.”
Though he said that, Gedenhyde already seemed to have found a suitable person. He stretched out his hand and pointed to one side. Precisely toward the front. A somewhat bewildered expression appeared on the face of the one he had indicated. It was Damon.
“M-me?”
“That’s right. If I have to choose anyway, I’d like to choose a black mage familiar to me. Also, judging from your skill, you seem the least likely to be dangerous. Of course, you can draw something like a teleportation magic circle, can’t you?”
“I-I don’t know how to draw magic circles…….”
At that, a sneer appeared on Gedenhyde’s face.
“What a pathetic fellow. To think a man calling himself a mage can’t even draw a single magic circle……. It can’t be helped. I’ll teach you how to draw it, so first walk over there…….”
At that, everyone’s gazes focused on Damon. A few looks held expectation, but most wore expressions as if they had bitten into a bug.
Of course, if the target were a medium-sized monster, Damon’s Magic Missile would exert truly tremendous power. Unfortunately, however, his opponent was a lich. With no vital points, and with a difference in magical ability beyond comparison, the possibility of him rescuing the saintess had to be seen as zero from the start.
Gulp.
After swallowing once, Damon walked out as he was told. He looked somewhat frightened, but inside, his mind was turning rapidly to find a way to rescue Daphne. Fully prepared, of course. However, Gedenhyde was a man without any openings. Befitting a great mage of the 9th Circle, he quickly saw through Damon’s condition.
“Haste and Power-Up Gauntlets, is it. What a truly absurd combination. I don’t know what you’re plotting, but I suppose I should think of every possibility. Dispel!”
As soon as his incantation ended, the mana revolving around Damon vanished completely. The mana he had gone to such trouble to gather had been utterly wiped away. It was a moment when he felt, down to his bones, the difference in their levels of magic. Gedenhyde spoke coldly to Damon, whose face had twisted.
“Why don’t you take off those useless gauntlets?”
Damon silently removed the gauntlets and tossed them to one side. At the very least, his opponent was someone he could not possibly deal with through magic. Confirming that, Gedenhyde took a booklet from his bosom and threw it to Damon.
“If you look at page 61 of that book, a teleportation magic circle will be drawn there. You just have to draw it exactly as it is on the floor.”
“But I don’t know how to infuse mana into a magic circle…….”
“I’ll do that, so don’t concern yourself with it and just draw.”
As if he had no choice, Damon began drawing the magic circle on the floor. Gedenhyde observed every single one of Damon’s movements without missing anything. Each time he drew something incorrectly, a thunderous scolding fell.
“You stupid fool. Are you really a mage? Can’t you draw even one magic circle properly?”
While continuing to be cursed at, Damon silently drew the magic circle. Anger surged up within him, but he pressed it down and endured it. Until he saved Daphne, he had to endure no matter what. Having completed the magic circle, Damon looked at Gedenhyde.
“Is this good enough?”
“Good. I’ll infuse mana into the magic circle, so come here.”
Damon slowly moved his steps. As Gedenhyde watched him carefully, a strange light passed through his eyes.
“You have quite the impressive appearance. I doubt humans particularly welcome you. How about joining our side instead? If you wish, I’ll recommend you to Lord Verkis’s magic legion. Of course, you’ll have to build up your magical ability further.”
“That’s a rather tempting offer.”
To draw the other party’s interest, Damon nodded as if it sounded plausible. However, Gedenhyde did not seem to place much weight on what he himself had said.
“That is something to consider after I get out of here first……. Come in front of me.”
Damon obediently approached Gedenhyde and held out his hand.
“Hand over the saintess.”
“……….”
“If you’re going to infuse mana into the magic circle, you can’t do it while holding her, can you? As you can see, I”
“He is someone you have no need to be wary of.”
But Gedenhyde was thorough to the end.
“Klk-klk-klk. Don’t try any ridiculous tricks. Turn around. It is perfectly possible to pour mana in through your body as well.”
Having spoken, Gedenhyde reached out and gripped Damon’s shoulder. In that instant, a bone-cutting chill seeped in through his shoulder.
“Ghk.”
At the excruciating pain, Damon’s body staggered for a moment. But Gedenhyde paid it no mind and seized Damon’s body, spinning him around.
“Now, walk straight toward the magic circle… I advise you not to even dream of trying anything. If I so much as wish it, you will become a lump of ice on the spot…”
Clenching his teeth, Damon slowly moved his feet. As though it had frozen solid from the cold, his shoulder conveyed no sensation at all. In that state, the two of them slowly walked toward the magic circle. Of course, if one included Daphne, who was hanging limp and unconscious, there were three of them.
The knights who had formed the encirclement watched the scene tensely. Judging by the situation, there seemed to be no room at all for them to intervene.
“This is bad.”
Shreckheimer’s face had literally gone deathly pale. It was only natural, since he was about to have the Saintess taken from him with his eyes wide open. In this situation, even a Sword Master was useless.
The four Sword Masters, led by Helbertron, could only follow Gedenhyde little by little, swords gripped tightly in hand. Of course, they kept a fixed distance. Having failed to fulfill their duty of protecting the Saintess, they too could only feel their insides burning. After all, a brief moment of carelessness had brought about this result. Then, at that moment, something unexpected happened.
“Whoops.”
With a short groan, Damon sprawled forward. It looked as though he had tripped over a stone. A murderous light surged abruptly in Gedenhyde’s eyes. As if there were nothing more to think about, he raised his hand to seize Damon’s head.
“Trying tricks on me… If you want, I’ll kill—”
Unfortunately, he could not finish speaking. Still fallen forward, Damon had swept both legs out and kicked both of Gedenhyde’s ankles. It was an exceedingly swift strike. Even if a lich had no vital points, once the joints were kicked, he had no choice but to lose his balance. Because of that, the hand that had drawn up magic ended up grasping empty air. Damon did not miss the moment and extended both legs, wrapping them around the backs of Gedenhyde’s knees. All while still lying on the ground.
“Hah!”
With a shout, he put strength into his body and twisted, and Gedenhyde’s body tilted. Even though he had become a lich, the principles by which his body moved were still those of a human, and so he was taken down by the martial arts of the Central Plains, which made exquisite use of the opponent’s force. In the end, Gedenhyde slammed one knee into the ground with a thud.
“You bastard.”
Gedenhyde’s voice sounded as though he were enraged to the extreme. But Damon gave his opponent no opening at all. If Gedenhyde had even a brief instant to cast, Damon might as well consider himself already dead.
If he was to rescue Daphne, he had to stop his opponent from casting by any means necessary. To do that, it seemed he had no choice but to attack the head. Since Gedenhyde had become a lich, there was no way he had anything like internal organs, and if so, attacking the body would be utterly useless. The most important point was that Daphne was still firmly wrapped in Gedenhyde’s arm.
Of course, casting magic required extreme concentration, so if he kept striking the head, Gedenhyde might not be able to gather mana. This was a decision Damon had arrived at from his own experience learning magic. Firmly trusting in that one fact, Damon began his attack.
Papapapak.
Beginning with his shoulder, then his elbow, wrist, and knife-hand, he struck Gedenhyde’s face in rapid succession. It looked almost as though all the attacks had been delivered at the same time. Crisp sounds of impact burst out one after another. Gedenhyde’s head jerked repeatedly, as though it had been hit by an electric shock.
When the chained assault passed, fury blazed up like fire in Gedenhyde’s pupils. When had he ever been beaten like this? Because he did not feel pain, he was able to regain himself quickly. But Damon, too, was quite literally desperate.
“Hyah!”
Spinning his body around, he kicked the back of Gedenhyde’s remaining knee, and Gedenhyde had no choice but to drop to his other knee as well. Toward Gedenhyde, now fully kneeling, Damon poured out a indiscriminate chained assault. This was the very kind of martial art Damon had long since become experienced in.
Thud, thud, thud.
Both knees alternated as they smashed into Gedenhyde’s face. Next, the instep of his foot kicked up into the jaw, and the heel that had circled once through the air came down to strike the back of the head.
Damon mobilized every Chain Kicking Technique he knew, focusing on making sure Gedenhyde could not come to his senses. If he gave even the slightest opening, his opponent’s counterattack would follow.
Dudududu.
Gedenhyde’s head shook without pause, as though struck by lightning. It was to the point that concentrating was impossible. But Gedenhyde was, after all, an archmage.
Using the brief gap after one round of the Chain Kicking Technique had passed, he completed his casting in an instant.
“Die, you bastard.”
A tremendous stream of flame surged toward Damon’s body. It happened right before his nose. But Damon, too, was a seasoned master with abundant combat experience. In that sudden instant, Damon lowered his body and burrowed straight into Gedenhyde’s chest. The stream of flame merely seared Damon’s back red before flying uselessly into the air.
The moment flesh met flesh, a piercing cold dug into him, but Damon ignored it and drove his body into his opponent. The two soon became one mass and tumbled backward. Because of that, Gedenhyde’s arm came loose, and Daphne’s body fell to the floor. Confirming it, Damon shouted at the top of his lungs.
“What are you doing? Save the Saintess!”
With no time to judge the situation, he turned his head and saw Gedenhyde’s wide-open eyes right before his nose. They were eyes in which extreme rage burned fiercely. Then a gloomy voice dug into his ears.
“I will make you unable to die and unable to live.”
Gedenhyde was already gripping both of Damon’s arms tightly. It seemed that even he could not endure Damon’s martial arts. At the same time, extreme pain surged through both arms. The pain was so intense that an ordinary person would have lost consciousness on the spot. But Damon had already been tempered by pain to the utmost. Lightly ignoring the agony, he slammed his head straight into the opponent’s face.
Crack.
Gedenhyde’s head snapped sharply backward. With his arms free, Damon seized that opening and desperately rolled his body to the side.
“You bastard.”
Rising as if sliding to his feet, Gedenhyde tried to deliver the final blow toward Damon, who was rolling across the ground. Confident that this attack, at least, could not be avoided… In that instant, a cold voice stabbed into his ears.
“Now the positions have been reversed.”
At the same time, a chilling edge dug into his back. Startled, Gedenhyde hurriedly rearranged his mana.