Chapter 328
Chapter 328
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 328
Chapter Title: Chapter 8-1. The Country of Dragonkin, Railisa.
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A flash, like lightning striking, and a memory surfaced.
It was identical to the pendant he had found in the study of Count Jinmu, whose body had been seized by a specter in the land of Calypso where the Langritsa Magic Tower stood, and who had dared to summon the Sixth Monarch Bel-Terza to the Middle Realm. Just as he opened <Bag> to retrieve the pendant he had obtained back then, he felt a flow of mana.
"Hmm?"
The moment he turned his head to the side, the black sorcerer who had vanished earlier reappeared right there. His neck, which had been severed by Selion, was somehow reattached, and he looked perfectly fine. The instant Judah's eyes met his, he reflexively summoned Altemia to his right hand, which he had been about to store in <Bag>, and swung it. As Altemia's blade manifested its power, a faint red glow swirled around it, extending like a whip toward the black sorcerer.
"Huh?"
Startled that Judah had suddenly attacked him while frowning in his direction, the sorcerer hurriedly cast a spell. But there was no way the barrier that had been torn apart by Selion's bare hands could withstand Altemia's attack. The red line silently pierced the protective shield he had conjured and slashed across his neck.
With a whoosh, spatial translocation was used, leaving his head behind as his body shifted back about five meters. Blood immediately spurted out, and the head lingering in the air fell due to gravity.
"Gasp?"
Before it hit the ground, the head drew in a breath. At the same time, the gushing blood stopped, and the falling head was summoned into the hand of the body standing alone.
'As expected, he doesn't die.'
Judah sniffed the acrid, spreading blood scent with a grunt. It was no different from the ordinary blood he had smelled until now. When he tried to absorb the blood scattered around using Altemia's power, it was absorbed without issue. This was normal blood.
'If he's a lich like Lime said... he shouldn't have normal blood like this, right?'
A sudden doubt arose. As he pondered that, the black sorcerer, who had barely regained his senses after having his neck severed yet again, let out an incredulous breath.
"Ha, have I ever seen such a ridiculous bastard? Chopping off someone's head the moment you meet—what kind of country's custom is that?"
Judah scoffed. He was talking big despite being five meters away, but that distance meant nothing. Judah was confident he could teleport behind him and stab at any moment. The fact that the sorcerer didn't know this only made his outburst amusing.
"Who knows? Isn't it more gentlemanly than suddenly appearing right in someone's face? And far more polite than mocking my stationary comrade."
"What? You're the one playing around."
Judah smirked mockingly at him, and the black sorcerer smirked back at Judah as he lifted his head with both hands and pressed it against the cross-section of his severed neck. The neck and head stuck together perfectly, like a bolt and nut with matching threads. As he twisted his neck this way and that, his face twisted as if the world had collapsed.
"Ah, this can't be! My precious robe...!"
The floral-patterned robe was soaked in blood. Being white fabric, the bloodstained appearance was particularly gruesome. Seemingly furious, his face flushed red and contorted. Then, with a gaze filled with hostility he hadn't shown before, he glared at Judah.
"You damn bastard. You ruined my favorite clothes?"
"Can't a sorcerer of your caliber clean it up spotless?"
"Ha, of course! But that's beside the point—it's disgusting that it's dirty at all!"
He snapped his fingers. The blood clinging to and drying on the robe vanished in an instant. Only after seeing the pristine floral robe did his face return to normal, calming somewhat—but his hostility toward Judah hadn't vanished. Judah paid it no mind. Down the hill below, his resting companions had spotted the black sorcerer in front of him; Iris was holding position while Selion rapidly climbed up. At her speed, she'd arrive here in moments.
Judah raised the hand holding Altemia in a gesture to stay back. Selion, who had been wearing a fiercer scowl than the sorcerer before her eyes, halted in place at that single motion. Watching this, the black sorcerer's eyes widened round.
"Treating dragonkin like a dog. What the hell are you?"
Dragonkin enslaved humans, taming them if anything—but he had never seen haughty, proud dragonkin obey a human's command in his life. He had never even heard such tales. Those noble beings would sooner choose death than submit to human orders.
An elf could be restrained with shackles to prevent suicide and forced to obey, but dragonkin, bearing dragon blood, had high magic resistance even to potions, and crude tools like shackles were useless. Magic couldn't achieve it either. Only sorcerers who transcended humanity could manipulate minds to that degree.
In that sense, Judah—who controlled a dragonkin with a mere gesture—didn't seem human to the black sorcerer.
"Who knows? More importantly, I have a question first... Why did you come back?"
"I asked first, didn't I?"
"I don't recall agreeing to answer that."
What a clown.
The black sorcerer curled his lips in a sly grin. By that logic, he didn't need to answer Judah's question either.
"Fine, I'll answer first. I forgot something."
"This?"
Judah held up the pendant in his left hand.
"Oh, yes. That's the one. I took it off because it was annoying while digging in the ground. Hand it over."
The black sorcerer snapped his fingers again. With a crisp snap echoing, Judah felt mana gathering on the pendant in his hand. Blink once, and it would vanish from his grasp. But assuming he intended to summon it like he had his falling head, Judah immediately used Valentine's <Dispel> to block the spell's activation.
"Huh?"
Snap, snap.
Bewildered that the magic hadn't activated properly, he tilted his head and snapped his fingers several times. Unfortunately, summoning a specific object didn't require much mana, so <Dispel> consumed little either. Judah dangled the pendant and shook it side to side.
"I don't think I said I'd return this either, right?"
The black sorcerer's face hardened. His upturned lips turned down as he adopted a serious expression.
"Interesting. Gives me chills."
"Flattery will get you nowhere. Since you're grateful for the compliment, here—take it."
Judah tossed the pendant toward him with a flick. It arced through the air like the wind and landed in the sorcerer's hand. He fell silent, pondering what scheme Judah had by suddenly returning it.
"No need to overthink it."
"What?"
As Judah gazed at the black sorcerer, he opened <Bag>. His memory of Count Jinmu's study held not just the pendant, but a diary as well. He didn't remember the diary's contents perfectly. He had only read it once then and paid it no further mind afterward—so perfectly recalling it would be stranger. Still, he retained a rough idea of what was in it.
'A beautiful woman with purple hair gave it to him, right?'
Uncertain, but if his assumption held, it was highly likely an avatar of Asmodeus. And what she had given Count Jinmu was this very pendant. Judah pulled another pendant from <Bag>, identical in shape to the one he had tossed.
"You madman! How do you have that?"
Seeing an identical pendant in Judah's hand, the black sorcerer looked utterly incredulous. The pendant's name was [Fragment Retriever]. It was also written in Count Jinmu's diary. Yet Judah knew nothing of the group bearing this name. The item description only indicated it symbolized membership in a certain group, with no further details.
"No need to panic like that. You know what this pendant signifies."
"......"
The black sorcerer seemed confused.
"What's wrong? You look really flustered. Need time to sort your thoughts?"
"No. No need for such consideration. It's just too suspicious. Suspicious as hell. I don't remember seeing a guy like you under Her ladyship. Did getting my head chopped twice today mess with my memory? Feels like a dream. The pendant can't be fake, and it doesn't make sense that you stole it from the others."
Judah chuckled coolly.
"A fool who loses his pendant doesn't deserve membership. Wasn't it a place only the chosen could enter, not somewhere you join just because you want to?"
"......"
"And the one I serve differs from the one you serve. I didn't even know something like this was happening here."
"...Which lady chose you?"
"Lady Asmodeus."
The black sorcerer fell silent. Lips pressed tight, he stared fixedly at Judah, deep in thought without stirring. His eyes darted about, then his expression gradually brightened. Nodding, he broke into a bright smile.
"What? Why didn't you say so earlier? Ha, this is something. We almost shed pointless blood for nothing? Though we already did, huh."
He shrugged, releasing his overt hostility. Whether truly released or merely concealed was unclear, but clearly, he no longer suspected Judah. As he spread his arms wide and approached, Judah stopped him.
"Stop right there. Don't come closer."
"Oh. Like that, huh... You don't like me? Well, fine. We've both been suspicious until just now, so fearing what I might do isn't weird. But no worries. If we were enemies, sure—but as allies, no reason to fight, right? Huh?"
========== Author's Note ==========
1) Alright, off to reserve army training! Good night, everyone!
2) For those asking why Judah didn't get mad about Arhil being insulted last chapter, I made a small edit, but... hmm. Truth is, I didn't see it as that insulting. Just teasing, and since Selion stepped in to attack, he had no opening—but the description lacked, so I added a bit!