Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Calypso's Nightmare
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"Hoh? That armor. The spear and shield. You're a Blue Lance Knight of the Byron Empire, aren't you? This is the first time we've met outside the battlefield."
He looked at Jeanne with eyes filled with nostalgia. As soon as the words "Blue Lance Knight" left his mouth, Jeanne flinched. Meeting on the battlefield meant facing each other as enemies. He leisurely took another sip of his coffee before continuing.
"Ah. Don't worry. No need to be so on guard. Not right now, anyway."
"Right now?"
"Yeah. Right now. You're quite lucky."
He smiled faintly.
"Ah. Why? Because you came to me while I'm still in control of my senses. If you'd shown up at any other time, the wraiths would've been tearing into you by now. I don't forgive those who break through the barrier I set up and trespass in my mansion. If you don't want to do something stupid and value your lives, leave this mansion—no, this whole area—immediately."
"That's a bit difficult for us."
"Difficult?"
"We were searching for missing people... and stumbled upon this place. You mentioned wraiths, and there were countless footprints at the mansion's entrance. Everything seems suspicious. Did the wraiths attack the village because of you?"
Judah, standing behind Jeanne, spoke up, and the man widened his eyes before bursting into laughter.
"Haha. Well, well. A smart kid showed up. You hit the nail on the head. Though I was possessed by the wraiths when I did it, it happened because of me, so you're right."
He wagged his finger. At that moment, a single wraith was summoned beside him.
"See it?"
It was the same wraith they'd seen endlessly before—a black silhouette radiating an unpleasant aura. The wraith let out a creepy "kee-hee-hee" laugh before vanishing into the wall. After demonstrating his control over it, he grinned and headed toward the corridor at the front of the room.
"Why did you do such a thing?"
Jinmu's faint smile darkened instantly. Why did he do it?
"Why? ...There are many reasons, but you could call it the pathetic end of a necromancer. I don't really want to talk about it. So, just turn back and go the way you came. I don't know when the wraiths might seize control again."
"What happens if the wraiths take your consciousness?"
"Well, first you'd get devoured by them..., and whichever path you took to reach this mansion, you must've passed through a village. Probably the whole area will turn into ruins like that one? It's horrific. That's why it's such a shame. If skilled adventurers had come instead of greenhorns like you, I might've at least begged them to kill me."
"You're asking someone to kill you? Can't you just stop yourself?"
He frowned at Jeanne's words.
"If I could, I wouldn't be chatting with you like this. Right now, I can't die, and I can't even harm my own body to make it happen. Sigh, let's end the conversation here. I've got a lot on my mind too. Don't rush to your deaths pointlessly—get out. Oh, and if you need anything, take some stuff from the mansion. I don't need it anymore. Well, goodbye."
He waved dismissively, turned his back, and walked into the corridor. His mutter of "This coffee's good" reached them. Judah glanced at his status window. Now that he knew the name, he could access the info.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Jinmu]
[Title: Reaper of the Battlefield]
[True Name: Calypso's Nightmare]
[Level: 78(-38)]
[Job: Necromancer(B+)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 78(-33) (B) / Potential B ]
[Vitality: 79(-33) (B) / Potential B ]
[Agility: 59(-17) (C) / Potential C ]
[Mana: 92(-37) (S) / Potential S ]
[Magic Resistance: 89(-36) (A) / Potential A ]
[Charisma: 65(-19) (B) / Potential A ]
[Charm: 60(-18) (B) / Potential B ] ◀ Special
[Knowledge: 78(-23) (B) / Potential A ] ◀ Special
[Luck: 59(-17) (C) / Potential C ] ◀ Special
[Favorability: 0(Neutral)]
[Trust: 0(Neutral)]
「Traits 7/7」
[Bell of Vel-Teraza] - Rank: A
[Wraith Handler] - Rank: B
[Hero of Baekje] - Rank: B
[One-Man Army] - Rank: B
[Possessed by Wraiths] - Rank: A
[Grudge] - Rank: B
「Skills 6/6」
[Black Magic - Necromancy] - Rank: A
[Black Magic - Magic Circles] - Rank: B
[Possession] - Rank: B
[Mana Amplification] - Rank: B
[Imperial Close Combat - Vala] - Rank: B
[Imperial Swordsmanship - Vala] - B
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The insanely high level and matching traits jumped out. With Judah and Jeanne's current skills, they couldn't possibly win. But that was when he was at full strength—now, constant possessions by wraiths had degraded his body, slashing many stats.
'Still higher level than I expected.'
If they'd come a bit later, his level and stats would've dropped more, making it an easy fight. But even now, they were sufficiently reduced, and it felt worth a shot.
He summoned Altemia in his left hand and hurled it at the man's exposed back. Sensing the streak of light, mana flowed from his body.
Woooong!
The mana turned a dark purple, enveloping him and blocking the incoming Altemia. No matter his level 70s traits and skills, the hastily formed shield couldn't fully stop it. The incomplete barrier tore apart like paper on Altemia's edge, grazing his collar before embedding in the floor. He froze almost simultaneously. Tension curled Judah's lips.
"I never said I was just leaving? Sounds like you need someone to kill you, and I can do it."
"......Hah."
He turned, gulped down the coffee, then stuck out his tongue and grimaced.
"Burn your tongue?"
"Of course, after chugging something hot."
As if wondering why ask the obvious, he glanced at Judah and hurled the mug. It bounced off the wall and rolled down the corridor without breaking. Sturdy make, from who-knows-where.
"Anyway. Cocky and fearless brat. Decent skill, but you think that little stunt can kill me, Count Jinmu? Me, who's fought on battlefields for twenty years? You'd need to be a Swordmaster at least. That's why I tried sending you off!"
"......"
Judah knew. Count Jinmu, Baekje Empire's necromancer who'd inflicted massive casualties on Byron Empire in every war. Byron had even sent assassins to kill him. They failed, burning his family estate instead. Enraged, he'd tormented Byron even more on the fields.
But he couldn't say that, so he stayed silent.
"Jinmu... Count?"
"Ah, yes. Your Blue Lance Knight knows me, huh. What do you think? Can you kill me? Think you two can handle the thousands of wraiths bound to my soul?!"
Jeanne swallowed hard, tense. She thanked the heavens for her helmet—no one saw her fear. Shield up, she whispered Judah's name.
"Judah. If he's really Count Jinmu, we should flee when he lets us."
She feigned calm, but Judah felt her tremble. Probably stories from her Blue Lance Knight days.
"Don't worry. He's not as strong as he used to be."
His quiet reply made Jinmu nod as if eavesdropping, remove his glasses, pull a cloth from his pocket, and wipe them.
"True. I'm much weaker now. But weaker than you two? I think listening to her is wise. I'm giving you a chance right now. A chance to live. While I'm aware, I don't want to kill anyone. Especially not weaklings who can't kill me."
"What if we can?"
He paused, then continued.
"Adventurers, mercenaries, soldiers—they all share one key thing. Judging if the opponent's stronger or weaker, knowing when to fight and when to run."
He replaced his glasses and met Judah's eyes.
"You've got skill, but you're lacking judgment. Think you can take me just because you broke my spell earlier?"
Judah nodded brazenly.
"Of course. Seeing a wraith handler possessed by his own wraiths? I don't know the past, but you're obviously weak now. Look—your legs are shaking."
Innocently, he looked down at his legs. They weren't shaking, of course. He just didn't trust his body anymore. In that gap, Judah stepped from behind Jeanne, threw Altemia, and drew his bastard sword.
"Such a cheap trick..."
Eyes narrowing at the flying dagger, Jinmu spread his hand. Swirling purple mana gathered, forming a sword.
Kclang!
He swung, deflecting it. But his mana sword took heavy damage. He'd timed and angled it perfectly; the dagger's force wasn't overwhelming. No reason for damage—except one. The weapon's performance.
"This... quite the weapon, huh?"
Reforming his sword with more mana, he eyed the embedded dagger, glanced ahead, then leaped back. Jeanne charged, leaped, and thrust her lance where he'd stood.
Boom!
A massive explosion shook him; bricks shattered, shards flying. Jeanne yanked her lance free like uprooting a plant and charged with shield forward.
"What makes Blue Lance Knights scary is their defense and charge. Pin their feet, and they're nothing!"
Jinmu shouted, mana surging. Black silhouettes rose from the floor, wrapping around Jeanne's feet.
"!"
Unpleasant energy seeped through her greaves; she tried lifting them but couldn't—like bound by rope.
────!
Creepy laughs echoed as wraiths emerged from walls, ceiling, floor. Then Judah's daggers flew, embedding in wall after wall toward Jinmu and wraiths. Jinmu dodged one of three aimed at him, deflected two with his sword. Wraiths, emerging, screamed and dissolved on impact. Seeing them sucked into Altemia, Jinmu's eyes widened with curiosity.
"Hoh—what's this? No ordinary gear? Absorbs wraiths—no, life force? Impressive."
He mistook Altemia for enchanted magic item. Judah smirked at his carelessness. Now's the chance. End it before he gets serious.
He activated Altemia's skill—not all ten, just those embedded in bare floor from his dodge.
"Hm?"
Battle-honed senses tingling, Jinmu turned. Too late—blood-red energy erupted from Altemia like thorns, piercing his back and hoisting him airborne.
"Grk...! Th,this!"
Altemia drained his life force; he gritted teeth, scowling. As other daggers tried activating, black silhouettes spawned wildly around him.
"Argh, aaaaaaagh────!"
Wraiths swarmed his side, ripping Altemia's straw from him with laughs. Judah triggered nearby daggers' skills, but wraiths body-blocked. Endless wraiths kept summoning.
─────!!!
Screaming wraiths surged like a tidal wave at Judah and Jeanne. He summoned Altemia, hurled it forward, and triggered unused <Release>. 5% vitality vanished; blood sprayed from the blade, spinning massively, shredding incoming wraiths like fruit in a blender.
The corridor filled with hundreds vanished in one blow. One or two recovered little, but hundreds at once refilled all spent vitality.
But how many did Jinmu command? More kept appearing. <Release> could handle, but Judah cut the wraiths on Jeanne's feet first, watching.
Post-attack wraiths circled Jinmu, chattering without attacking.
-Kee-hah-ha, see? Think you can do anything without us?
-Taking a fatal wound from a brat like that? Don't the ones who've died so far feel cheated? Oh, including me, of course.
-Know this? You, rolling battlefields for decades, nearly died just now? Or did you try? For rest? Ooh, no good. Trouble if you think we'll let your soul go easy?
Ignoring them, Jinmu glared at Judah with bloodshot eyes.
"D,damn brat! If you don't wanna die, get out! Now... from here!"
A wraith laid a hand on his shoulder, whispering.
-Kee-hee! Impressive. But why let him go? Just possess him too. Or... reminds you of your son? True, you spared village folk and adventurers his age, didn't include in your mind. We chased and killed 'em after, sure. Haha!
"Shut... up. I'm your master. I control you! Don't defy me!"
-Oh? Forgot? We took control long ago. You moved us once. But now...
Many wraiths sucked into him purple-like. He gagged, staggered, then froze. Slowly raising his head, his lips curled.
"We will move you."
Hundreds spoke through Jinmu's mouth at once.