Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts Are Heard
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Slowly moving his body, the lich tilted its head and stared straight at me.
I don’t know how those dark, empty eye sockets can see anything—but I could feel a gaze.
“Interesting. To think you could block my Word of Death. It’s been centuries since I’ve seen a mage like you.”
How it spoke without a tongue, I don’t know, but in a grating, unpleasant tone, the lich was clearly talking.
“…Hah, a dead dark mage bastard can even talk like a person.”
I let out a scoffing laugh toward the lich, as if finding it absurd. From the start, there’s only one possible case for a monster like that.
Namely, a living human who fell into corruption, abandoned body and mind, and turned into a monster.
“It seems the younger generation these days lacks manners. Not recognizing a senior who has lived an immeasurably long life.”
“A monster that mimics the heart and thoughts from its human days—who’s calling whom senior?”
The lich was putting on airs with the most refined tone it could muster, but I knew it was all an act and glared sharply.
From the beginning, necromancy isn’t about truly reviving the dead person—it’s about creating a fake that imitates them.
‘If it weren’t for my master, I might have tried to revive my parents that way too.’
Looking at the lich moving its body like that, a bitter taste welled up in my mouth.
I, too, once spent about a year searching for information on magic to bring back the dead.
Back then, I couldn’t accept that my parents had passed away, so I did a lot of stupid things.
“Courage and arrogance are separated by a fine line….”
“Bullshit. Who’d become a mage without even that stubbornness? Ah, so you ran away into necromancy because you were afraid of death?”
I provoked the lich as much as possible, waiting for it to show an opening. I mimicked the exact tone Victoria used on me.
‘This is actually helpful sometimes. Victoria.’
I smiled wryly in my heart. Living with Victoria, I learned which parts of a person to poke to make them angry, and which points to criticize to upset them.
Before I could hear inner thoughts, this was precisely why I thought Victoria hated me.
“Hmm….”
A sense of bewilderment flowed from the lich’s expression as it hummed. Though it was just a skull without muscles or flesh, I could see it was momentarily stunned, thinking of what to say.
“Hahaha! Talking with you is quite amusing. This forbidden library rarely gets visitors, so it’s been lonely, you see. Well, it’s perfect as a place to secretly research combining magic and divine power….”
The lich laughed loudly, its jawbone clattering. Dust fell from its mouth, as if it hadn’t moved in a long time.
Judging by its appearance, it had been staying here for a long time, sucking up divine power and others’ magical power like a parasite.
“…Dark magic and regular magic are different, you know? How can you put filthy magic that uses others’ life force on the same level? Do you people have no conscience?”
At the lich’s statement, the veins on my temples bulged.
Unlike magic that uses mana from the air or one’s own mana core as its driving force, dark magic uses others’ lives as a medium.
That’s precisely why mages of the Black Tower exercise to train their bodies and even take oaths imbued with mana to use only their own life force.
Unofficial dark mages who haven’t received formal approval from the Magic Tower often fall into this path of death.
“Great achievements require sacrifice. Minor disturbances that occur in the process are only natural, wouldn’t you say?”
The lich waved its hand dismissively, as if it were nothing. The fluctuating energy—how much life force had it drained?—was visible even without my special sight.
“…You madman. Seeing that golden robe, you must have been a mage of the Gold Tower. How did you even get your hands on dark magic?”
Looking at the lich holding a dazzling golden robe and staff, I could deduce its origin.
That robe is only given to mages of the Gold Tower. It’s on the same level as what I’m wearing now—each tower has different colors and patterns.
“Within a finite lifespan, there were limits to exploring truth. You too will think differently when you see your body gradually weakening and your face aging.”
“…Anyone can spout that kind of nonsense.”
“You think it’s sophistry? Do you not know the sorrow of burying a loved one with your own hands?”
“Of course I don’t. I haven’t loved anyone that much yet.”
I clenched my hands into fists, grinding my teeth.
For a moment, Victoria flashed through my mind. The Saint who lived a terminal life, pretending to be bright.
It was similar—wanting to experience love at the end of her life, she proposed a contract relationship to me.
“It’s a pity you don’t realize that by the time you feel helpless in the flow of time, it’s already too late.”
The lich, chattering its teeth, slowly stepped forward as if regretful.
“My name is Leozak. A mage who has touched the abyss, the supreme being who has mastered all things.”
“In the end, that just means you’re a shiny golden skeleton, doesn’t it?”
I found it absurd, watching the lich even introduce itself. In the end, the color of the magical power it accumulated in life was enveloping its body.
No matter what it says about the abyss or being supreme, it ultimately can’t escape its past in the Gold Tower.
“Lord Leozak! I have brought the insolent ones who threaten you! Please, eliminate these people and help me!!”
At that moment, Pope Porcus, who had been sneaking glances at me, quickly ran to Leozak’s side, bowing his head and pleading for help in a servile manner.
“Oh? I helped you poison the previous Pope and even raised you to the papal seat…. Aren’t you the one who betrayed expectations?”
“…!!!”
Crunch.
Leozak stared at Porcus for a moment, then made a hand motion as if grabbing and tearing the air.
“Guh, gahhhh…. Cough….”
Immediately, Porcus’s face contorted in pain. To my eyes, a hand formed of magical power was vividly gripping and twisting his heart.
“I thought I gave you many opportunities…. Yet you couldn’t even stop mere uninvited guests and made trouble.”
“I’m… sorry…. Please spare….”
“That’s not possible. We can just pick a new Pope, can’t we?”
Snap.
Lich Leozak absorbed all of the Pope’s life force before I could even react, and soon Porcus became a grotesque, withered figure like dried-up roots.
“…….”
A person died before my eyes. Of course, he was trash who colluded with monsters, so I didn’t have any particular thoughts, but I couldn’t erase the feeling of disgust.
“Now we can have a proper conversation. How about it—you who have come this far, becoming the new Pope?”
Tilting its head and pointing at me, Leozak made a sound as if something was interesting. I could gauge its mood from the rising tone.
“…What do you want so badly that you do such filthy things? Do you even know how many people have suffered because of trash like you?”
I said with a distorted expression. If only they hadn’t placed that bastard as Pope, the Saint Victoria and the nuns wouldn’t have suffered.
“Mastery over the extremes of magic. For that, I would even join hands with the Demon King—I am truly passionate about scholarly pursuit.”
Then Leozak clacked its jaw as if asking if there was a problem. Its shoulders shrugged upward.
“So you settled in here like a cockroach.”
“I’ve mastered dark magic and basic magic, but there are limits to the high-level divine magic only clergy can use. You too know that these three ultimately run on parallel tracks, don’t you?”
“No, that can never be a legitimate reason.”
Hearing that, I found it so absurd that I tightened the bandages wrapped around my fist again.
You’re saying you’d join hands with the Demon King and do such filthy deeds just for that reason?
“To me, magic is the study of failure. Leozak.”
I recited the maxim I heard from my master, Blue Tower Master Charlotte Snowrain. Words that saved me when I lost my parents and fell into despair.
“Magic to light a fire for those shivering in the cold was created, and levitation magic came into being for those who admired birds flying in the sky.”
“A mage of the Blue Tower…. It’s been a while since I’ve fought a Blue Tower opponent—this will be quite a difficult battle.”
Hearing my words, Leozak emitted golden mana from the staff it held, preparing to fight. Surging flows of magical power tightened around its body.
“I hear Blue Tower mages are madmen who memorize their opponent’s habits, breathing, even eye movements and footsteps to analyze them.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Golden skeleton.”
Watching that spectacle, I similarly created a three-dimensional magic circle above my palm. The opponent would use magic combining divine magic and dark magic.
Seeing opposing magical powers gathering at the tip of the staff, showing a turbid form mixed with black and white, I was certain.
“…Don’t tell me you’re using magic bare-handed, without even a staff? And with combinations of different magics?”
Then Leozak looked at me, tapped its forehead with a thump, and let out a scoffing laugh as if finding it absurd. Its jawbone clattered loudly as it moved.
“How can a greenhorn like you use a realm I barely achieved over hundreds of years…?”
Currently, the tip of Leozak’s staff was trembling slightly, showing it couldn’t hide its agitation. In its time, there probably weren’t lunatics like me.
In a way, this reaction was natural.
“There are plenty of people in this world far better than you.”
I smiled at the flustered Leozak.
Without Victoria, I couldn’t use high-level divine magic, but what ordinary people use—not clergy or priests—I could make use of.
“Truly an interesting being! Your name, what is your name! I beseech you to tell me!”
“The Harmless Mage, Astal Kaisaros. Mage of the hero party gathered to subjugate the Demon King.”
Leozak asked my name in an excited voice after seeing my magic, and I readily introduced myself as if granting mercy to someone about to die, but—
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “I pay my respects. Astal Kaisaros. When you die, I will surely resurrect your corpse and grant you eternal life!”
What returned was a chilling proposal. If I die by that bastard’s hand, my soul won’t be able to go to hell forever and will wander the nine heavens.
“…A life prolonged by a Life Vessel is exactly what I hate, so I refuse.”
I shook my head and told Leozak the reason I’d been buying time with conversation until now.
It was to find the weakness of the lich—the Life Vessel. Unless we destroy that first, it absolutely won’t die.