Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Execution Ceremony
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“…….”
The prison fell silent for a moment.
I had said everything I needed to say, so now I was simply waiting for the king's judgment. The grand archmage swallowed hard, revealing his anxious state of mind.
“……I.”
King Orpheus, who had been hanging his head low, now had a fierce glint in his eyes. Clenching his fist tightly, he reaffirmed his authority.
“cannot trust you.”
“…….”
“I won't deny that your words carry some persuasive power, but I am the king of this nation.”
The King Orpheus I had seen in the game had only been on the throne for a little over a year.
A young, vigorous king who ascended young.
A man who loved his people, possessed talent in martial arts with deep proficiency, and held firm convictions.
Naturally, I hadn't expected him to accept me outright.
“My decisions must not be swayed by personal bias. They must be fair and impartial. No matter how convincing your words, I cannot be swayed by a single individual.”
“Indeed, wise words, Your Majesty.”
I nodded gently, respecting the king's decision.
“I acknowledge the mysterious incidents occurring across the kingdom, with their frequency increasing by the day. Even if I wished to dispatch the Saintess in response, summoning her is no simple matter.”
The only one in the kingdom who could counter the phenomena caused by evil spirits was the Saintess.
She might be traveling everywhere, but the Church wouldn't look kindly on her being called about like a royal hound.
Each time she moved, there would likely be tedious political maneuvering between the palace and the Church.
“Thus, I shall give you a chance.”
Snap.
The king raised three fingers.
“I will now demand three things of you. Fulfill them all, and I shall trust you, a sinner in my eyes. Furthermore, I will officially proclaim the royal family's trust in you.”
“Your Majesty!”
The grand archmage cried out urgently from behind, but Orpheus gestured that it was fine.
“Remember, this trust is directed at you, not a black mage. And know that these tasks will not be easy.”
“I shall accept them.”
This was precisely why I trusted King Orpheus. His wisdom would allow him to recognize the truth in my words.
But he lacked sufficient information and background on me as an individual.
He was essentially saying that by completing this sort of assignment from him, I could prove myself worthy to stand by the king's side.
“The first is whether you can save yourself. A foolish savior who can't even protect their own body has no place in the kingdom.”
King Orpheus declared firmly, clenching his fist.
“We shall proceed with your execution. Magic Judge Tairn All Bellocus will carry it out.”
“…….”
“He is among the top five powerhouses in the kingdom. Can you survive?”
If I died here, it would simply end with the death of one black mage.
If I survived, it would at least prove a baseline of ability.
Even so, the grand archmage shook his head, deeming a duel with the Magic Judge impossible.
Magic Inquisitors were particularly formidable against mages, after all.
With my current skill, I wouldn't even pierce that space-warping armor and would lose in an instant.
“Indeed.”
A natural smile formed on my lips unbidden as I replied.
“Simple enough.”
* * *
Escorted by the Magic Inquisitors, King Orpheus stepped forward.
It was an odd feeling.
Refreshing, yet disconcerting. Fortunate, yet ill-fated.
Deus Verdi was truly a peculiar man.
“What do you make of the grand archmage?”
Thus, he sought counsel from the grand archmage Roc Pelican, who had brought him here.
Roc Pelican fell silent for a moment before answering gravely.
“He may be a once-in-a-generation genius or a fraud. But after seeing the self-willed spell he sent me... high probability...”
“A genius, you mean?”
“It might even fall short of that. I've faced several necromancers myself, but this is the first time I've encountered someone who handles souls so directly.”
It was the first time the grand archmage had openly praised and acknowledged another mage, excluding his own disciple.
“Hmm.”
The reason he made this proposal was, of course, for the kingdom's sake.
But honestly, personal feelings were involved as well.
“Because of His Late Majesty?”
When the grand archmage asked worriedly, Orpheus sighed in response.
His father, the late king who had passed suddenly. Orpheus had questions for his father, and if Deus Verdi was truly a capable necromancer, he might provide answers.
“I still can't grasp what Father's dying words meant.”
“…….”
“Why on earth did Father...”
He thrust his hand deep into the pocket of his thick coat, feeling an unfamiliar texture inside.
A neatly folded notepad.
Just before leaving, Deus Verdi had asked for pen and paper.
He wrote something briefly and handed him this memo.
‘When your faith in me wavers, look at this.’
He had chuckled at the audacity and taken it.
“My faith is already wavering.”
Now outside the prison, feeling toyed by the black mage's cunning tongue, King Orpheus laughed playfully and unfolded the memo.
The grand archmage subtly rolled his eyes, curious about the contents.
“…….”
But upon reading it, King Orpheus froze in place, unable to take another step.
The grand archmage panicked and checked for magical effects, but not a speck of mana was present.
“Phew.”
Crumple.
Regaining his composure, King Orpheus crumpled the memo like trash and shoved it back into his pocket.
His face bore a mix of outrage and incredulity.
“What...?”
When the grand archmage cautiously asked, Orpheus gritted his teeth uncomfortably.
“Just... always so foolish.”
“……!”
The grand archmage's eyes widened. Those words weren't mere insults to the king.
Rather, they heightened his intrigue toward Deus Verdi.
“That guy really can converse with the dead, it seems.”
Because.
“He even knows Father's dying words.”
* * *
My execution day came without needing much time.
Just one day after King Orpheus's visit, it proceeded.
The kingdom's grand execution ground.
Modeled after Rome's Colosseum, it was one of the most popular venues in the Griffin Kingdom.
Normally, executions were free for common citizens to watch, but this one was held in secret—no audience inside.
Only the king and his close aides overlooked from above.
“Quite the splendid venue.”
Bound in iron chains, I ascended the stage. A Magic Inquisitor dragged me to the center of the vast execution ground.
At the execution platform stood Tairn All Bellocus, clad in the distinctive armor blending robes and plate of the Magic Judge.
The space around him still rippled and distorted from the woven magic.
The other Inquisitors descended the stage, leaving only Tairn and me facing each other.
Expressionless, he addressed me.
“Look at the ground. It's dark red.”
“…….”
“Countless have spilled blood there. Even figures beyond your imagination.”
He was a solemn man.
In his hand was not the massive sword for executions, but a staff resembling the spear he always carried.
“I don't understand why His Majesty wishes to see a match between you and me. I simply obey.”
“......”
“So, black mage. Do as you please. This stage suits you perfectly, doesn't it?”
This was a far cry from his emotional demeanor in the prison. This was him in an official capacity.
“Draw all the mana of the living world. Break your limits. Otherwise.”
It wasn't for nothing that King Orpheus trusted him.
“You'll end up like the countless sinners who died here.”
“Now! The execution of Northwedden Count's younger brother! Second son of the Verdi Family! Black mage Deus Verdi shall commence!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Drums signaled the start. Not just King Orpheus and Grand Archmage Roc Pelican, but numerous aides craned their necks to watch us.
Crack!
The chains binding me snapped in half.
Now free, I rotated my stiff wrists. Tairn sneered mockingly.
“So, you broke free even from mana-suppressing chains. I've heard you're no ordinary one.”
My mana was sealed, but that didn't prevent using surrounding souls.
For warping in, the black necromancer had pre-converted her mana into spells for me to use.
“Good.”
Thud!
The staff's tip slammed violently into the ground. The earth vibrated like a scream, kicking up fierce dust.
“Magic Judge Tairn All Bellocus shall execute you.”
Intense mana erupted, sending the execution ground's evil spirits fleeing.
His aura was anything but ordinary.
‘No wonder he's one of the kingdom's top forces.’
Even current Aria couldn't guarantee victory against him—I had to admit that much.
Normally, this would be an unwinnable fight.
It could end in a split second without surprise.
[I'm really coming in!]
Whoosh!
The black necromancer possessed me. But I had no intention of yielding control of my body or mind.
Tairn's eyes twitched slightly—perhaps seeing her form above me.
I rebuked him.
“Judge, behold the blood staining your own hands.”
The Remegaton she had held for me was now in my grasp. It began emitting black light, forcibly awakening the countless souls dormant in the execution ground.
“Drenched and stained, your red hands, where even skin tone has lost meaning.”
It had awakened even Setima's grudge-filled spirits against their will, empowering them.
How much more these execution ground wraiths, who died unjustly and remembered their killer clearly.
“This is no mere execution ground. It is Graypond's grandest graveyard.”
A place where countless magnates perished.
I merely reached out to the vast mana held by those now awakened.
“Are you prepared to drown in the blood you yourself spilled, Tairn All Bellocus?”
[The ancestors call me, granting me this final stand!]
[Normally I'd charge for this! But I have a personal grudge against that guy.]
[Yes, this is our chance.]
Unlike ordinary evil spirits, they transformed my mana conversions into new spells on their own.
“Great Chieftain Catholer, Pirate King Owlman, Prophet Benton. All slain by my hand, I see.”
Tairn shook his head in disbelief at the sight.
“Very well, I salute you. You're different from any black mage I've faced.”
Evil spirits continued surging from the ground across the execution ground.
As the black necromancer and I converted their mana into spells, their numbers swelled endlessly.
Yet Tairn boldly raised his staff, unleashing mana fiercely.
Mana poured from him, painting the sky.
Spreading with a cracking sound, the judge's mana evoked a massive tree.
Or perhaps cracks in the shattering sky.
“But even so! They are all dead! Dead by none other than my hand, Magic Judge Tairn All Bellocus—they've died once already!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Though the evil spirits' attacks had begun, none pierced Tairn's armor.
The black necromancer marveled that even a ballista might fail—such was its defense.
“Sinners! Rise a hundred times! I shall execute you a hundred times over!”
Tairn swung his spear-like staff ferociously. His momentum was impressive, but...
“Let's see you try.”
Calmly, I straightened my clothes in response.
The light from Remegaton in my hand grew brighter, and the black necromancer's necromancy rapidly absorbed into me.
Tairn knew this was a battle of time.
After all, he couldn't strike souls directly.
If he broke through the horde to reach me, my defeat.
If not, my victory.
That was the nature of this fight.