A New Phase for the Rivan Count Family (2)
A New Phase for the Rivan Count Family (2)
On the evening the exhibition ended, a long red glow spread across the sky of Hellon.
In the eyes of Erica Rivan as she emerged from the exhibition hall, traces of burst capillaries, like that red light, were rampant.
The time she had been trapped in the secret room wasn't long, but to her, it felt agonizingly eternal. Her mind was still twisted, and her emotions, unresolved, were simmering somewhere deep inside.
Though it had only been a two-day confinement, her condition looked as devastated as a criminal who had undergone months of harsh torture.
Her hair was not just disheveled but looked as if it had been torn out, tear stains marked her face, and her dried lips were peeling.
The fact that she had fawned over and acted coquettishly toward the younger brother she so vehemently loathed had instantly dragged her to rock bottom.
"Erica-yeongae-nim?"
Erica's steps halted.
The man standing before her wore a smile with squinted eyes. Behind his round glasses, his pupils were barely visible, and his expression looked infinitely gentle.
Neatly combed-back hair, impeccable attire.
He was a man who exuded the atmosphere of a scholar.
"I am Count Calden Wiss, serving as the aide to Grand Duke Galliard Wintel."
He bowed politely as he revealed himself from the darkness.
In front of the hall where the exhibition had completely ended, there was only darkness and the three of them.
Erica, her attendant, and Calden Wiss.
Erica stared at him for a moment.
A memory flickered faintly.
It was a face she had seen at the exhibition hall.
However, her mind was currently not relaxed enough to care about him.
"...So?"
Erica's voice cracked like parched farmland.
Calden remained smiling.
Then, he began to pour out words that were difficult to understand.
Hatred becomes a sharp blade.
Resentment becomes a sturdy hilt.
I simply wish to offer words of comfort.
Disgrace gives desire to those who endure, and despair gives oblivion to those who seek to escape.
To Erica, who wanted nothing more than to completely escape this shameful space, such words were like the ramblings of a peddler that she had no intention of understanding or reason to listen to.
As the saying goes, a harsh voice cannot produce a sweet sound.
"...Stop talking nonsense and get out of my way."
She tried to push past him.
But Calden did not back down.
"Yeongae."
His voice was heard again.
"If hatred is not released, it eventually harms oneself. I would like to help you release that hatred."
Her eyes were filled with blatant annoyance.
"You really are a madman."
She said.
"You're not even worth dealing with—"
It was at that moment.
Seuk.
Calden's hand moved.
His fingers lightly scratched the air.
And the attendant standing behind Erica suddenly stiffened.
"...?"
Erica turned her head.
The attendant's eyes flew wide open.
His mouth hung agape.
"Keok—"
A single black line was drawn across his throat.
Blood erupted, and red droplets splattered into the air.
Erica's devastated eyes momentarily widened.
The attendant's body collapsed just like that.
"......."
Erica's breath hitched.
"...Wha, what is this."
Her voice trembled.
Even her broken mind recognized at this moment that her life was in danger.
"...."
Calden was still smiling.
"Without hatred, Black Magic is useless, and to prove its utility, Black Magic feeds on hatred."
Erica instinctively backed away.
But Calden's hand was already gripping her shoulder.
"Let go of—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a black current began to flow from Calden's fingertips.
It was Black Magic.
It pushed directly into Erica's body.
The purest power forged by hatred and anger.
The most powerless force if hatred and anger are absent.
It began to encroach upon Erica's flesh.
"Kkeut—!"
Erica's scream erupted.
Her body stiffened, and the black mana spread through her veins.
Her head felt hot as if it would explode, and her vision turned red.
Calden whispered into her ear in a very quiet voice.
"I have a special ability to read intangible hatred. Therefore, that hatred—I shall put it to good use."
No matter how much Black Magic he injected, she wouldn't be able to kill Iden.
He didn't know how great, how deep, or how solid the magnitude of her hatred and anger was, but the current Iden Summonfield was at a level comparable to himself.
In other words.
Erica Rivan was merely a warning sent to him.
No, to be precise, it was a provocation directed at the man who was interfering with his plans.
His squinted eyes opened.
A chilling and sinister black light was revealed.
The moment he looked at the mansion where the flag of the Rivan Count family was planted, Iden's footsteps stopped.
A faint lingering scent of Black Magic remained in the air.
A sticky and unpleasant sensation brushed against his skin.
He tilted his head slightly and looked at the flag hanging over the main gate.
The moment he saw the crest of the Rivan Count family, several memories quickly connected in his mind.
Belgorden Rivan.
He thought of Edom's father, who had personally visited his mansion a few weeks ago.
At that time, as soon as the man saw him, he had approached calling him 'son.' He had tried to embrace him while smiling like a benevolent father, spouting words full of lies about how much he had worried.
But when Iden summoned a Black Knight and gave a stern warning, the man retreated immediately.
And after that, just as warned, he hadn't shown his face even once.
Iden had thought that was strange.
Belgorden Rivan was a man who would use any means necessary for profit and gain.
He was the type of human who would change his approach multiple times if necessary, create opportunities, and cling persistently.
Yet, after that day, he had completely vanished.
It was hard to believe, but Iden didn't dwell on it for long.
He simply thought.
'He must have taken Erica and gone back.'
He figured that although the man had rushed all the way to the distant North for profit and gain, he had judged there was zero possibility for his plan and returned to the Rivan Count Territory.
But that flag was still hanging there.
And the traces of Black Magic were leading toward that place.
Iden's eyes narrowed.
"......."
An ominous feeling brushed past him.
He hurried toward the front of the mansion gate, and beyond the gate, it was silent. As if time had stopped.
For a noble's mansion, there should be some sign of life even during the day. A gardener, a servant, or at least a groom should be moving about.
But there was no one.
Even the sounds that should be heard were absent.
Inside the gate, several carriages stood in a line.
However, not a single sign of a person could be felt.
It was silent.
Iden slowly moved his steps toward the gate.
Since not even the guards who should be protecting a noble's mansion or the guards who should open the gate from the inside were visible, he intended to climb over himself.
Iden flared his mana and spoke to Vivienne.
"Wait here. It might be dangerous."
Vivienne stopped walking.
But she did not back down.
Instead, she untied a small bundle hanging from her waist.
"Don't worry. I brought this just in case."
Iden turned his head.
What Vivienne held in her hand was a small metal device.
It looked similar to a Resonance Device but had a slightly more complex structure.
"It's an improved version of the Black Magic Resonance Device. It doesn't just sense it; it absorbs it too."
Iden's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Absorbs?"
"Yeah."
Vivienne nodded.
"It's a device that pulls in and absorbs Black Magic. If an attack comes, it can neutralize a certain amount. I haven't been able to test what the maximum capacity is, though."
Iden stared at her for a moment.
Vivienne shrugged.
"Still, I won't be a hindrance."
Iden thought for a moment before finally nodding.
"...Fine. Then be careful."
He climbed onto the wall next to the gate, took Vivienne's hand to help her up, and they landed inside the mansion grounds together.
The two cautiously moved inside.
As seen from the outside, the garden was well-maintained, but strangely, it lacked vitality.
Only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind could be heard.
The Black Magic Resonance Device in Vivienne's hand began to vibrate subtly.
And its color slowly began to change.
The silver metal was gradually turning dark.
"The reaction is getting stronger."
Iden could feel it too.
The closer they got to the mansion, the thicker the sticky energy unique to Black Magic became in the air.
It was an unpleasant sensation, as if the air itself was rotting.
Iden naturally lowered his posture.
His body instinctively entered a combat-ready state.
He cautiously pushed the mansion door.
The door was not locked.
He went inside.
And he stopped immediately; at the same time, Vivienne's breath hitched.
"...I, Iden."
Iden said nothing.
There were several people on the hallway floor.
Their bodies were desiccated.
As if all moisture had been sucked out, their skin was nothing but leather, and their faces were sunken like skulls.
Iden's eyes moved slowly.
As expected, something extraordinary had happened here.
And the increasingly thick, unpleasant stickiness of the Black Magic meant that whatever caused this disaster was still here.
Cautiously, they continued the search.
The end of the hallway.
Under the stairs.
Inside the rooms.
Desiccated corpses were scattered throughout the mansion.
The device in Vivienne's hand had turned completely black.
Iden walked forward without a word.
And when they reached the large hall, Iden's footsteps halted.
In the middle of the floor lay a single corpse.
The attire was that of a noble, and it was a familiar outfit.
Iden looked down at the face.
It was likewise desiccated, but it wasn't difficult to recognize who it was.
It was the father of Edom Rivan.
"......."