CHAPTER 90. You Gonna Die? Pathetic.
The quiet Hamelin Great Forest.
Between the massive trees dried brittle by Destrow’s evil energy, I was running my breathing technique.
So this really was the Hamelin Great Forest.
“The mana accumulation array’s efficiency is insane.”
Mana should’ve thinned around here because of Destrow’s evil energy, and yet even so, the amount of mana flowing in with each breath was unmatched.
It was like being in a place full of steam, then suddenly splashing straight into the water.
The moment the core’s mana dropped, it immediately filled back up.
But—
“…Looks like it’s finally started in earnest.”
Feeling my mana getting yanked out in chunks, I guessed at Shine’s situation.
If I had to bet, that forbidden mage bastard had finally started pulling something.
That was when a voice came.
“U-um, senior… are you really sure this is okay?”
“Sure about what?”
I cracked my eyes open a little.
Normally, when you’re focusing on the breathing technique, you should avoid not just stray thoughts but even speaking—but right now, there was no need for that.
Just breathing brought in an enormous amount of mana, instantly converting it into magic power.
“I mean the Death Knight. No matter if she’s a dead (亡者), having her face a forbidden mage alone is….”
“It could be dangerous?”
“Yes. My master said they’re extremely cunning. We don’t even know what kind of trap they may have prepared, and…”
Even as he spoke, Oberon kept stacking mana accumulation arrays around us, and his expression was grim.
Like he couldn’t stand how worried he was about Shine, who’d gone ahead.
“Ah, of course I’m sure you had your reasons, senior, but I just… I can’t help thinking it might be dangerous….”
Was my blunt stare weighing on him?
Oberon hurriedly waved his hands as he added on, worried I might be offended by what he’d said.
Watching him, I let out a short laugh.
“You said you don’t know what trap’s prepared, right?”
“Ah—yes.”
“That’s why I sent her.”
“…What?”
Oberon’s eyes went wide as he stared at me.
Like he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly—like he was doubting his own ears.
But only for a moment.
“H-how….”
Shock welled up in his eyes, and it didn’t take long for it to turn into something like contempt.
“A-are you saying you used the Death Knight as bait? How could you…!”
Bait, huh… Well, no matter what fancy words you put on it, that really was the essence.
And yeah, I could see how my actions wouldn’t make sense to Oberon.
No matter if she was dead, she was still a rational being. Using that kind of existence as a bait piece was something Oberon’s common sense couldn’t accept.
But.
“So what. What do you want me to do instead?”
“…Pardon?”
“Go in together, out of ‘humanitarian concern,’ fall into some trap we don’t even understand, and all die together?”
“No, that’s not what I meant….”
Oberon floundered, words spilling out.
I knew exactly what he meant.
There had to be another way. We could’ve searched for a different method instead of doing it like this.
But there was something Oberon was misunderstanding.
“I get what you’re saying. I do, but….”
I stared straight at Oberon.
Unlike a moment ago, Oberon’s eyes sank deep. I met them head-on.
“Let’s settle on one thing.”
Oberon’s convictions were worth respecting.
He did it for everyone.
How many people wave around lofty causes like that while stuffing their own pockets?
With their short, short tongues they whip everyone up, demand sacrifice, then when it really matters, they slip away and pull their own feet out.
They package their lofty cause as “justice,” but in truth, what drives them isn’t “justice”—it’s their own gain.
And yet, they’re shamelessly proud.
Why?
“Because their face is thick? No.”
That short tongue doesn’t just fool others—it fools themselves. They swallow their own words and rationalize it.
In that sense, Oberon… no, Oberon and Senior Riheim, master and disciple, were people who deserved respect.
Before pushing others into the mud, they stepped into the mud themselves. Not just dipping a toe, either.
“They take a full mud shower.”
That was why—
- Please look after Oberon.
Senior Riheim’s request before we left. I nodded readily.
Even knowing full well he’d be dead weight, I still accepted Oberon and took the trouble—because of that.
But—
“This won’t do.”
I didn’t really care what happened to Oberon.
If he wavered, failed to commit, and died, that was his fate.
But if it happened right in front of me, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
“We have to stop Destrow, right?”
“…Yes, we do.”
“Protecting your convictions is fine. But don’t let the cart get before the horse. Nothing gets accomplished without getting a little filth on you.”
“That’s….”
Oberon started to say something, then clamped his mouth shut. A little later, he opened it again.
“…Are you telling me to compromise?”
“Not exactly. You have to find that answer yourself.”
It might’ve sounded irresponsible, but it was the only answer I could give.
It’s not like I’d lived my life with convictions like Oberon.
If anything…
“Snrrk, pff—”
I’d lived like that guy over there, sprawled out sleeping: Raileigh.
So-called, hollow backbone.
Anyway.
“Honestly, you’re frustrating as hell. You’re young, but you’re stubborn as a rock—this has to be this way, that has to be that way. Even when there’s an easy road, you tack on reasons and take the long way around.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry.”
I watched Oberon droop, then turned my gaze toward the direction of the ancient ruins—where Shine was.
That was all I could really say.
“You’re frustrating as hell… but it’s not bad.”
I just didn’t want him at my side.
“So don’t compromise. Protect your convictions. Even if you protect them until they dull and grind down—don’t compromise.”
It was just nonsense. Even I didn’t know what I was saying—rambling without structure.
But maybe something hit home.
“…Ah.”
Oberon let out a faint breath.
“I understand, senior.”
“Good.”
I didn’t bother looking at his face.
If I saw him making some serious, enlightened expression, I felt like my fist might fly on its own.
Hitting him wasn’t the problem. But if I hit Oberon and Senior Riheim found out, what then?
That’s what I was afraid of.
And—
“The Death Knight will probably be fine. I didn’t send her out without thinking.”
“…?”
“All a forbidden mage can really prepare is a curse, and the dead (亡者) have stronger resistance to curses than normal.”
You think I’d toss my precious slave No. 1 into a death trap without a plan?
With the Bracelet of Subjugation, slave No. 1 was a slave forever. Cheap labor… no, a horse-and-ox I could run nonstop as long as I kept feeding it magic power.
Of course—
- Don’t tell me you predicted even this?
The voice I heard the moment the trap sprang. Honestly, I didn’t understand what they meant, so I didn’t answer.
- A barrier that blocks curses… Ha! You slippery bastard. So you had something like this.
- Mm. Ahem. Right.
I didn’t really know what was going on.
From what I heard, some kind of barrier was blocking the curse, but I didn’t care to know the details.
If she liked it, that was enough.
- Fine, then. I’ll run wild to my heart’s content.
Anyway.
“The trap’s dealt with, and judging from how my mana’s getting drained… she’s probably fighting the Undead in earnest now.”
That was when Shine’s voice echoed in my mind.
- You damn bastard. How long am I supposed to hold out?!
A desperate voice. Unlike earlier, when she’d been full of swagger, she sounded like she had no room to spare.
- You gonna die? Pathetic.
- Pathetic? You rotten bastard…! Those little Undead are nothing. If only I had a horse…!
Horse? I had no idea what she was talking about. Was she saying there were Undead on horseback?
Well, whatever.
- You cleared the trap properly?
- I cleared it ages ago!
- Good.
With that, I rose to my feet.
- Then start coming this way. I’ll come meet you.
No reply.
She must’ve been pretty busy.
“Nice.”
Slaves look best when they’re hardworking. But beautiful is beautiful—
and losing a capable worker in a place like this wasn’t happening.
“Oberon.”
“Yes, senior.”
Oberon, still stacking mana accumulation arrays, lifted his head.
“Contact the 4th Base Camp.”
“Then….”
“Time to start.”
At my command, Oberon immediately took out a communication crystal orb.
Because the mana density in the Hamelin Great Forest was abnormal, communication didn’t go smoothly.
Maybe that was why.
“This is the strike team. Camp, this is the strike te—”
[I hear… chzzk. Hear… you.]
A noise-laced voice came through the crystal.
Oberon briefly flicked his eyes toward me, then spoke into the orb.
“Preparation is complete. You may… begin.”
[Under… stood.]
That ended the communication.
And then—
Tzzzzzz—
A strange bursting sound came from somewhere.
“…….”
Everyone’s gaze snapped toward the source.
A dome-shaped barrier invisible to the naked eye. But color began to bleed across it.
No one knew where the bleeding started, but it spread—crackling—widening its range…
“It’s starting.”
“…Yes.”
As Oberon nodded like he was entranced, I stepped out of the mana accumulation array and walked toward Raileigh, who was sleeping like the dead.
“Snrrk… pff—kh! K-kehk!”
The moment I kicked his side, he started gasping. Right after that, he yanked his sword free.
“M-Mage! An ambush! An ambu—kh!”
“Ambush my ass. Get up.”
“…Huh? Was I asleep?”
“Was I asleep? Want me to put you to sleep forever?”
“N-no, heh-heh.”
Raileigh scratched the back of his head awkwardly. I watched him for a second, then let out a short laugh.
“Your job’s done.”
“…What?”
“Now you can run out of the Hamelin Great Forest, or do whatever. Handle it yourself.”
“What are you—”
Raileigh stared blankly, confused. I patted his shoulder twice.
“You did good.”
Endgame of the operation.
To be honest, even I couldn’t guarantee it would succeed.
“A forbidden mage isn’t the problem.”
No matter how tough the Undead are, how can they hold out if you strike the caster directly?
But—
Wiiing— wiiing…!
The resonation of the Fire Seal. The feeling wasn’t normal.
How do I put it—like it was warning me of bad luck to come? No, more like the Fire Seal itself was the source of the bad luck, the way it hummed.
“I hope it’s just paranoia…”
But was it?
The Fire Seal and Destrow.
There was definitely some kind of connection.
The whole reason I chose to head to the Hamelin Great Forest in the first place was because the Fire Seal reacted to Destrow.
Well, anyway.
“M-Mage…?”
Raileigh seemed to sense something in my mood and went pale. Like he’d realized the situation was serious—
“…Then what about my wealth and glory?”
…No. He hadn’t.
“You took me as your right hand and promised me all the wealth and glory in the world, with luxury and pleasu—gak!”
“F**king bastard.”
The guy got punched in the solar plexus and looked like he might die happy.
“If you want a reward that badly, wait for me in Greentown.”
Raileigh’s gloomy face brightened instantly.
“Huh! Yes, sir! Understood!”
“You can make it out alive, right?”
“Yes! Even monsters are running off in this situation. I just have to follow my tail out.”
“Good. Then.”
“Then….”
Raileigh dipped his head slightly.
And when he lifted it again, his eyes were different.
“I’ll definitely see you again. Definitely.”
“Because of the reward?”
“Of course!”
I laughed.
He said it like that, but it wasn’t only about the reward. There was at least a grain of emotion mixed into those eyes.
Anyway.
“What about you? If you want to pull out now, go with Raileigh.”
I asked Oberon.
Originally, I was going to keep him with me until we destroyed Destrow’s sealed body, and if things went sideways, I’d drag him out myself—but somehow…
“This feels ominous.”
The Fire Seal on the left side of my chest. The sensation it gave me wasn’t normal.
At times like this, something shitty always happened. So how could I bring him along?
But—
“…I’ll go with you.”
Resolute eyes.
“…Fine.”
I didn’t ask twice.
Just—
“One condition. You said Overclock is dangerous if it stacks while the cooldown hasn’t passed?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“When I tell you, cast it without hesitation. Got it?”
“…Yes. Understood.”
That settled it.
Who goes forward, and who goes back.
“Mage, please come back alive.”
“Yeah.”
Raileigh, looking like he regretted leaving, glanced back a few times—then sprinted off.
And Oberon and I watched the barrier.
“Looks like it’s about to finish.”
“…Yes.”
Unlike before, the barrier was now fully dyed blue.
A few ancient specters had chased after Shine, but countless specters still lurked along the barrier’s edge.
And then—one instant.
Flash—!
Light flared across the barrier.
[Aaah, aaah, aaah!]
[Wh-why, why, why?]
[My body—! My body—! My body—!]
Ghost-wailing screams tore into our ears.
But only for a moment.
[The king’s command. The king’s command. The king’s command.]
[Interloper. Interloper. Interloper. Interloper.]
[Execute. Execute. Execute. Execute.]
Was this what a Night Parade of a Hundred Demons looked like?
Ancient specters became a milky way, streaking across the sky over the great forest.
There were so many you couldn’t even begin to count.
“The 4th Base Camp…”
Could they hold?
“I don’t know.”
No matter how thoroughly they’d prepared, if that many Undead swarmed, even I couldn’t promise anything. Maybe if they broke through and ran, sure.
But telling them to defend a stronghold against that?
Still—
“My master…”
“He’ll be fine.”
“…Yes.”
I reassured Oberon with words I didn’t really mean, then looked forward again.
“Alright. Then shall we go?”
“Yes, th—aaah!”
I grabbed Oberon by the back of the neck and moved toward the ancient ruins.
No—rather than “moved,” it would be more accurate to say I shot forward like an arrow.
Operation name… Slave Rescue Project.
- Slave, your master’s coming.
- You f**king bastard, who’s a sla—! Ah, my arm!
It was a truly delightful rhythm.
And yet—
Wiiiiiing—
the resonation of the Fire Seal was anything but delightful.
