Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Unharmed Mage
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"What in the world... is going on...?"
Seeing the vast white scenery filling his vision and the clergy surrounding him, Graktar couldn't help but wear a bewildered expression.
Just a moment ago, hadn't he been fighting Astal in the arena of Poseiken Hollow, ruled by Durhan, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the demon realm?
Unlike the demon realm where succubi ran churches and offered prayers to deities, the clergy here wore pure white armor and vestments.
"Ah, you mustn't move yet! Your wounds aren't fully healed!"
Among them, a masked boy who seemed to be leading the others. Clad in silver armor, he was performing a healing prayer on Graktar.
That appearance was unmistakably that of a paladin.
These were individuals who, by nature, shunned monsters and demons rumored to be evil and acted according to the will of the Heavenly God Lumina. Why were they healing him?
"Have I... come to heaven or something?"
Graktar muttered, looking at the halo of light enveloping his body. He thought it was the only plausible explanation.
Astal's Supernova was certainly powerful enough to turn him to ashes. He had unraveled the magic circles like threads, seemingly surpassing the inherent limits of a human.
"A mere frenzy shouldn't have been enough to withstand that heat..."
Recalling the moment a supernova exploded before his eyes, Graktar clenched his fist. It felt strange that the sensation in his fingertips had returned.
"Please don't speak such ominous words! Anyone who follows the teachings of Heavenly God Lumina can go to heaven!"
At that moment, the paladin before him slapped the back of his hand and smiled.
The stinging pain that spread across his body indicated that he wasn't truly dead after all.
"I am Wilhelm, a paladin of the Holy Kingdom of Aurelium! I've been asked by my hyung to heal you!"
"I am Graktar. Your hyung... you don't mean Astal, do you?"
"Yes! The only hyung I follow is him! There's no one on this continent who doesn't know the Harmless Mage, Astal Kaisaros!"
Seeing Wilhelm treat him, an orc, with such impeccable courtesy, Graktar couldn't help but laugh out of sheer disbelief.
So this is what the mage of the Hero's party, humanity's champion, is like.
The fact that he had somehow found a way to save him even inside Durhan's arena was utterly baffling.
Wouldn't it have been simpler to just kill him, advance to the finals, win, and succeed in killing Durhan?
"...A moment ago, hyung tore through space at an incredible speed, dropped you off here, and left!"
The story he heard from Wilhelm was even more unbelievable.
To save him, he had transformed his body into living lightning and unraveled various defensive spells like threads to use them.
"How did you know that?"
"I was born with a constitution that makes others' magic ineffective on me! I just noticed when I touched that cocoon-like thing and an orc with burns came tumbling out!"
"I could be an enemy, you know? You're quite a fearless one."
Looking at Wilhelm, who beamed at him with a bright smile, Graktar could only let out a snort of laughter. How could he be so identical to Astal?
Normally, humans, monsters, and demons have such twisted values and ways of thinking that they can't understand each other.
But the two in this place were an exception.
Of course, the paladins and nuns around Wilhelm were trembling slightly and showing fear at the sight of Graktar the orc.
"Ah, come on, my hyung has his epithet... He wouldn't have come running to me saying he wanted to save someone he was supposed to kill, right?"
Hearing Wilhelm's words, Graktar recalled Astal's true epithet once more.
In the demon realm, he was called by terrible nicknames like the Mad Mage or the Living Nightmare, but his original epithet was the "Harmless Mage," named for making sure no one got hurt.
"Harmless Mage... I never understood why such a strange word was used until now. So this is what it meant."
"Yes! My hyung is the hero who saved my hometown when I was young! Thanks to him, no one died!"
"...A hero, right. That guy is indeed a hero."
Graktar heaved a deep sigh and added a comment.
He had devised a plan to save him in an arena where someone had to die to end it, and he had gathered these clergy just to save a mere orc like him.
"Ah, right! Hyung gave me this to give to you as well!"
Wilhelm reached out toward Graktar, who wore a dazed expression, and handed him something. What lay in the boy's hand was something Graktar could never forget.
"This is..."
"He said it was something you forgot."
A locket containing a picture of him with his lover, Shalana. He had definitely thrown it on the arena floor just minutes before his fight with Astal began, hoping someone would pick it up.
Seeing it, Graktar couldn't hold back his tears.
The miserable past where he had to kill his beloved lover with his own hands to survive in the arena flashed through his mind.
Thinking of his lover, who had deliberately exposed her vitals or thrown herself into danger so that he alone could survive, he had initially believed he should follow her will.
But after the fights in this arena repeated dozens, hundreds of times, he finally realized it was wrong.
In the end, for the sake of a loved one, you must die together or live together.----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Saint's Inner Thoughts Are Heard
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"Just what in the... How did this happen...?"
Seeing the pure white scenery filling his vision and the clergy surrounding him, Gragtarl couldn't help but look utterly bewildered.
Just a moment ago, hadn't he been fighting Astal in the arena of Poseyken Hollow, ruled by Dullahan, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, in the Demon Realm?
Unlike the succubi running a church and offering prayers to gods in the Demon Realm, the clergy here wore pristine white armor and vestments.
p>“Ah, you mustn't move yet! Your wounds haven't fully healed!”
Among them, a masked boy who seemed to be in charge. Clad in silver armor, he was praying over Gragtarl and using healing magic.
That figure was unmistakably a paladin.
Originally, they were people who shunned monsters and demons rumored to be evil and acted according to the words of the Heavenly God Lumina. Why were they healing him?
"Have I... come to heaven?"
Gragtarl muttered, looking at the halo of light enveloping his body. Because if not, he thought it was nearly impossible.
Clearly, the Supernova Astal used was powerful enough to turn him to ashes. He had unraveled the magic circle like a tangled thread, seemingly surpassing the limits inherent to a human.
"It should have been a heat that couldn't be endured with mere frenzy..."
Recalling the moment a supernova exploded before his eyes, Gragtarl clenched his fist. It felt miraculous that the sensation in his fingertips had returned.
"Don't speak such ominous words! If one follows the teachings of the Heavenly God Lumina, anyone can go to heaven!"
At that moment, the paladin before him slapped his own hand and smiled.
Seeing the stinging pain travel up his body, it seemed he really wasn't dead after all.
"I am Wilhelm, a paladin of the Holy Kingdom of Aurelium! By my brother's request, I've been treating you!"
"I am Gragtarl. Your brother... you don't mean Astal, do you?"
"Yes! The only brother I follow is him! There's no one on this continent who doesn't know the Harmless Mage, Astal Kaiseroth!"
Looking at Wilhelm, who treated even him, an orc, with perfect courtesy, Gragtarl couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
So this is what it means to be the mage of the hero's party, humanity's champions.
The fact that he had somehow found a way to save him even inside Dullahan's arena was utterly beyond belief.
Wouldn't it have been enough to just kill him, advance to the finals, win, and succeed in killing Dullahan?
"...My brother, just a moment ago, pierced through space at an incredible speed, placed you here, and left!"
The story he heard through Wilhelm was even more unbelievable.
That to save him, he had transformed his body into living lightning and unraveled various defensive magics like threads to use them.
"How did you know that?"
"I've had a constitution since birth that makes others' magic ineffective on me! I only realized when I touched something that looked like a cocoon and a burnt orc came tumbling out!"
"I could have been an enemy, you know? Quite the fearless one, aren't you."
Looking at Wilhelm, who beamed at him, Gragtarl couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. How could he be so identical to Astal?
Normally, humans and monsters, or demons, have twisted values and thoughts from the start, so it's normal not to understand each other.
But the two in this place right now were an exception.
Of course, the paladins and nuns around Wilhelm were also seen trembling slightly and showing fear at the sight of Gragtarl the orc.
"Eh, my brother does have an epithet, you know... He wouldn't have come running to me saying he'd save someone he was supposed to kill, right?"
Hearing Wilhelm's words, Gragtarl was reminded once again of Astal's true epithet.
In the Demon Realm, he's called by terrible nicknames like the Mad Mage or the Living Nightmare, but originally his epithet was the "Harmless Mage" because he made it so no one got hurt.
"Harmless Mage... I never understood why he used such a strange word until now, but was it for this?"
"Yes! My brother is the hero who saved my hometown when I was little! Thanks to him, no one died!"
"...A hero, right. That guy is indeed a hero."
Gragtarl sighed deeply and added a comment.
In an arena where someone had to die for it to end, he had used tricks to save him, and to save a mere orc like him, he had gathered these clergy.
"Ah, that's right! My brother gave this to me as well!"
Wilhelm reached out toward the dazed-looking Gragtarl and handed him something. What lay in the boy's hand was something he could never forget.
"This is..."
"He said it was something you forgot."
The locket containing a picture of him with his lover, Sharana. He had definitely thrown it on the arena floor just minutes before the fight with Astal began, hoping someone would pick it up.
Seeing it, Gragtarl couldn't help but shed tears.
Because the miserable past where he had to kill his beloved lover with his own hands to survive in the arena flashed through his mind.
Thinking of his lover, who insisted only he should survive, deliberately exposing her vitals or throwing herself into the line of fire to die, he initially thought he should follow her will.
But as the fights in this arena repeated dozens, hundreds of times, he finally realized that was wrong.
In the end, for the sake of a loved one, you must die together if you die, and live together if you live. Knowing that better than anyone, that's why Gragtarl had advised Astal.
"...I don't deserve to receive this. I already discarded it."
"Unfortunately, as a paladin, I cannot accept bribes either!"
Facing Gragtarl, who refused to put the locket back around his neck, Wilhelm didn't yield an inch.
Even before Gragtarl could wave his hands in refusal, Wilhelm took the action of placing the locket around his neck. Being a well-trained elite knight, gaining the upper hand against a wounded, exhausted orc wasn't difficult.
"It really suits you!"
"......"
Wilhelm smiled brightly, looking at Gragtarl wearing the locket. The boy's pure smile was something even he found hard to counter.
"Hah, really..."
Seeing that, Gragtarl couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth rise.
He had surely entered the arena prepared to die, but the problem was that his opponent happened to be the Harmless Mage.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After defeating Gragtarl (in reality, hiding him in the Holy Kingdom of Aurelium) and lightening the burden on my heart, I defeated the arena's warriors at a speed faster than anyone else and advanced to the finals.
"Astal! Astal! Astal! Astal!!"
After numerous battles, even demons and monsters were now seen shouting my name and cheering.
Of course, to prevent wiretapping or information leaks, I didn't tell anyone that Gragtarl was alive.
There were a few times when Victoria looked at me with sad eyes, but each time I just silently nodded and smiled at her.
Because Dullahan, who often uses underhanded tricks, had shown such meticulousness as to embed a magic stone in Gragtarl's body to track his location.
I deliberately used flame to burn and shatter the magic stone inside him, so no one should now know I spared him,
but you never know.
"Fight and kill! Fight and kill! The weak have no right to live!"
Hearing the voices of the spectators shouting the famous phrase of Poseyken Hollow, wanting their opponents killed as cruelly as possible, I couldn't help but frown.
Just what kind of psychopathic thinking do demons and monsters have,
that they consider eating people or violating them mere entertainment?
To reach the arena finals, I faced countless enemies.
A hydra with multiple heads, a basilisk said to be the grave of mages, even a famous archdemon with horns on its head.
Using the methods Gragtarl taught me,
I froze them all, then dismembered their limbs, or turned them to ashes using Supernova.
"...Is this the last one?"
Looking at the massive tentacled monster before me, I swallowed bitter saliva.
A monster with such a bizarre body structure it was hard to tell where its eyes, mouth, or vitals were.
If I hadn't focused on its movements as Gragtarl advised and discerned its weak points, it would have been my limbs torn off by its tentacles.
"W-wait... Just spare me! I'll give you anything you want! Women? Or power? I'll even give you money or a dragon's heart! Please...!!"
"I don't need it."
Freezing and burning the strangely named tentacle monster, erasing its very existence, I spoke. Now, next, I would truly get the chance to fight Dullahan.
"The only thing I desire is revenge."
Thinking of Dullahan watching this match from the VIP seats far away, I muttered to myself.