Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Black Mage
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“Ha, that fucking bastard.”
Spitting out the gravelly curse, Pindenai ground her teeth and steadied her breathing.
The blade of her first axe had already been cleanly severed, so she discarded it and drew another from her belt.
She regretted not bringing any tobacco.
She had a pack in her pocket, but this wasn’t the time to light up.
It was a premium blend meant to be savored slowly, appreciating its flavor and aroma.
In the end, she stifled the urge and clenched her teeth once more, taking a deep breath.
She was struggling more than expected, and her opponent’s assaults were ferocious.
The presence or absence of a Great Warrior made a world of difference.
But Pindenai realized this wasn’t simply due to the Great Warrior’s skill.
Grraaah!
A magic beast resembling a black-skinned panther charged from the forest. Its long fangs were poised to smash her head entirely.
But Pindenai, who had already sensed its approach from the rustling, brought down the axe she had raised high.
Crack!
The magic beast’s skull shattered as it slammed into the ground, blood spraying everywhere.
The Great Warrior’s power was undoubtedly formidable.
But ever since Deus had overpowered him, he no longer wielded the might to sweep the battlefield alone.
Now, the dynamic had reversed.
Rather than the Great Warrior borrowing Horua’s strength, Horua was borrowing the Great Warrior’s body—the host and guest had switched places.
At Horua’s command, the former master of Marias Great Forest, the magic beasts now protected the Marias Tribe and fought alongside them.
Moreover, his flames possessed the mystical property of not recklessly burning the forest.
No one else on this battlefield had likely faced anything like it, but Pindenai was the one exception—she had fought a guardian deity before.
The day she crossed the North Wedden Mountains and first encountered Deus Verdi.
It hardly qualified as a fight; when she charged at Deus, who commanded souls, she was sent tumbling by a single blow from the Mountain Lord.
An overwhelming giant’s might that could never be defeated. A noble bearing that evoked awe.
She understood that the Mountain Lord of North Wedden Mountains and Horua were of the same ilk, but that didn’t mean he was equally dominant.
‘A god descended into a human body.’
Pindenai twisted her body slightly to peer at the clearing beyond the trees—the heart of the battlefield.
There stood the Great Warrior, wielding his flaming spear and dominating the field itself.
And facing him head-on in the only direct confrontation was Knight Captain Gloria.
Even for Pindenai, jumping into that fight recklessly would be dangerous.
Before skill even came into play, her gear was outmatched.
Gloria swung a greatsword worthy of the name, clad in red full plate armor.
Valkzar the Great Warrior was nearly bare-bodied, yet protected by the guardian deity’s power—superior to any armament.
“Hoo.”
But even so.
If she stayed put here, Pindenai never would have fought for freedom under the Clock Republic’s oppression.
Kneeling had no place in her life. Perhaps only beyond death.
“Ghost buddy. You there?”
At Pindenai’s call, a breeze laced with mana blew in.
While Deus had been in Mountain Path Village, the Black Necromancer had stayed by her side, aiding her in moments of peril.
“I’m heading in there now. Can you back me up?”
She couldn’t see him.
But their goals aligned.
Pindenai confirmed the protective barrier enveloping her. As a black mage, her proficiency in shielding spells was low, but better than nothing.
Seeing it, she took a deep breath, gripped her axe, and drew a short staff hidden at her waist with her other hand.
Shling!
“Master.”
The staff extended into a full axe. She held one in each hand, breathed deeply, and stepped out.
“Just hold off a bit longer.”
She couldn’t afford to drag this out.
Even if they couldn’t end the war, Deus Verdi needed to emerge after rescuing Iluania.
She hoped the ever-calm and collected man wouldn’t turn into another black mage.
“I’ll wrap this up quick.”
Pindenai and the Black Necromancer, in an unexpected alliance, charged toward the Great Warrior.
* * *
“Flee now, you fools!”
Great Warrior Valkzar was evolving beyond what could be called human.
A guardian deity could not casually harm humans. To those who protected nature, humans were part of it.
But Horua had abandoned his position as guardian.
He was losing power in exchange for shedding responsibility, but his vast reserves still made short work of humans.
The kingdom’s forces had no choice but to retreat, leaving behind Valkzar’s—or Horua’s—roar.
Magic beasts poured from all directions, while warriors used the forest for hit-and-run tactics centered on the Great Warrior.
Unlike before, when they could simply push forward, the knights’ heavy armor now hindered them in the great forest, leading to bitter defeats.
The retreating kingdom army fell back further to reorganize.
“It doesn’t feel like fighting tribesmen. It’s like battling Marias Great Forest itself.”
Gloria, having shed her Royal Knight Order’s red armor—melted by flames and radiating heat—wore only bandages over her bare skin.
Lucia, cautiously treating her, let out a bitter sigh.
“It’s no longer just Valkzar’s issue, is it?”
“Yeah. Horua, was it? Inside the great forest, I wonder if anyone could beat that thing.”
“……He said that since he abandoned his title as guardian deity, he’ll naturally dissipate in time.”
“When’s that?”
Gloria snapped at Lucia, but naturally, Lucia had no answer.
Even Deus Verdi couldn’t predict when that immense power would run dry.
“He wields fire freely throughout the forest without burning it. Even the Archmage couldn’t pull off something like that.”
The biggest problem was Horua’s flames.
They spread across the entire forest, reshaping the battlefield to his will, yet leaving no damage behind.
Flames that seemed eternal vanished at the Great Warrior’s gesture.
The fire fought for the enemy.
It was beyond absurd—infuriating.
With human limits laid bare, Gloria bit her lip and racked her brain for the next move.
He had mercilessly slaughtered her countrymen, after all.
She couldn’t just let him go.
Reviewing her fight with the Great Warrior, Gloria swallowed the bitter taste rising in her mouth and asked Lucia,
“Come to think of it, where’s that person?”
“That person?”
“The necromancer maid.”
“Ah…….”
Lucia’s face darkened instantly. Gloria had expected as much but needed confirmation.
The one who had lent aid when Gloria began to falter.
With her free-spirited movements and blood-red gauntlets, the maid had tenaciously battled the Great Warrior to the end.
Both her axes had melted, forcing her to take a mortal wound—until Gloria reentered and saved her.
“I finished treating her before you. But she won’t fight in the next battle.”
“……Obviously, but it’s a shame.”
She’d seen her fight at the palace before, and finding warriors of that caliber wasn’t easy.
Especially as combat dragged on—her movements quickened, her beast-like instincts sending chills even down Gloria’s spine.
Then.
Shh!
The tent flap parted, and a man entered. His mere presence cooled the sweltering heat from Horua’s flames.
His hair, damp from the pouring rain outside, carried an oddly ominous aura.
And.
“Kyaaah!”
Knight Captain Gloria hurriedly covered herself and screamed.
Having lived her life gripping a sword, serving as the king’s greatest blade, her knowledge of relations between men and women came solely from novels by her friend Lucia.
She desperately shielded her bandaged body, but the necromancer’s gaze remained unchanged from the start.
Unwavering eyes.
Any man might have glanced her way, but his stare fixed precisely on the Saintess.
“The send-off is complete.”
A short, concise statement.
Lucia ignored her friend’s seminude exposure, clasped her hands, and replied.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“My assistant Owen bore the brunt. Please tend to him, especially his fingers.”
“Understood.”
During the multi-day send-off for the deceased, Owen had played nonstop save for brief rests.
He now lay exhausted in a tent.
“But the battle hasn’t ended.”
Deus was surprised the war, which he’d expected to conclude quickly after weakening the Great Warrior, had dragged on.
At his words, Gloria hastily draped a blanket over herself and replied in humiliation.
“It’s because of Horua the guardian deity. He fled into Marias Great Forest, and we’re hitting a wall.”
“He ran in the end.”
Deus nodded, grasping the situation, then posed another question.
“Where’s Pindenai?”
“…….”
“…….”
Silence blanketed the tent.
That alone narrowed Deus’s brows as he issued a sharp command.
“Guide me.”
* * *
“Shit, you came out way too early.”
Pindenai greeted me in a raspy voice, looking up. The tips of her white hair were singed, bandages wrapped around her body.
Burns, apparently, but Lucia’s holy power would likely leave no scars.
Her energy seemed utterly spent; she couldn’t even rise.
[The end... has come.]
The Black Necromancer sitting silently beside her looked unwell too. Horua could damage souls themselves—her form was faint and precarious.
“Master, I haven’t lost yet. Go fight, and I’ll win.”
[That’s right. So you stay put.]
I watched the two in silence, then slowly spoke.
“Why did you fight this hard?”
“…….”
[……. ]
They clamped their mouths shut, refusing to speak. At their blatant silence, I asked again.
“Tell me.”
Silence persisted.
I glanced at the Saintess who’d followed me; she too bowed her head in silence.
A lump formed in my chest. Seeing Pindenai and the Black Necromancer so drained and collapsed stirred something inside, raging to burst forth.
Unfamiliar with such emotions.
Unsure how to vent them, I slowly drew up my mana.
“Must I drag a spirit here and interrogate it?”
Chilly mana began dominating the injury tent. Just as I considered fetching a spirit if they stayed silent.
What caught my eye.
A woman, half her body burned, emerging through the tent’s far end.
Drained of energy and fading, she crawled toward me—not her usual confident stride.
“Iluania?”
Why was her guardian spirit here?
The other three women flinched.
My head burned hot.
Never before had my emotions—ones I’d deemed faint—swayed my body like this.
“I won’t ask again. Speak.”
“O-okay! Just retract your mana! The other wounded are scared!”
The Saintess Lucia spoke first, judging my state off.
Her explanation was cautious, like tapping a stone bridge, but boiled down to one thing.
The Great Warrior, wishing to keep me from the battlefield, had kidnapped Iluania.
“Master, hold on. I’ll handle it...!”
Pindenai bolted up from her sickbed and grabbed my hand, but I shook her off.
“Wait! Just hold on! If you get involved, she’ll be in danger!”
The Saintess blocked my path, but I gripped her shoulder and shoved her aside.
[Deus, uphold your beliefs. Don’t become like Dante or me... other black mages.]
The Black Necromancer pleaded in a trembling voice, but I ignored her and stepped out.
Raaain.
Looking up at the downpour, I spoke.
“Relay this to Gloria.”
My voice was startlingly calm, even to me.
“Until I emerge, do not bring the army near the forest.”
My steps toward distant Marias Great Forest held no hesitation.
If anything, they quickened.
Fist clenched tight.
The emotional turmoil faintly touched the convictions I held as a necromancer, not a black mage.
But no regrets remained.
“That forest now belongs to the dead.”
Alone, I headed into the great forest.