Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Black Sorcerer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While running, Rachel spotted the rabbit again. At the fork splitting in three directions, it vanished around the left corner.
“Rabbit!”
“What’s that?”
“Didn’t you see the rabbit that just went that way?”
With soldiers chasing from behind, Enoch was running at the rear, while Henri and Rachel ran side by side up front. If Rachel had seen it, Henri should have too, but he quickly shook his head.
“I didn’t.”
He hesitated at the fork, unsure which way to go. Sensing Henri’s pause, Rachel pointed toward where the rabbit had gone.
“That way!”
They decided to follow the rabbit’s path, figuring it was worth a shot. They couldn’t waste time at the fork with enemies closing in.
‘Worst case, I die and that’s it!’
“Did you see something?”
“I don’t know! Lingering here won’t give us answers anyway!”
“True. We need to head somewhere, anywhere.”
Enoch, catching up from behind, agreed.
The three dashed down the left corridor. As they went, the torches grew farther apart, their light dimming.
Her lungs burned, her heart pounding like it might burst, and Rachel’s legs slowed.
‘I’m gonna die of a heart attack at this rate.’
Panting heavily, Rachel glanced at Enoch. He’d infused her with Divine Power earlier when she was tired, but now he just stared ahead down the corridor.
“They’re not chasing anymore.”
“I sense strong Black Magic ahead. What should we do?”
Enoch asked the two for their input.
Paris Emporus wasn’t a Black Sorcerer, but traces of Black Magic existed. That meant another one was here.
“Let’s go check it out. Black Magic requires secrecy, so there might be a hidden passage nearby.”
Escaping through the front gate of this castle was impossible anyway. Rachel suggested heading toward the thick Black Magic aura.
If a Black Sorcerer resided here, they’d surely hide their identity. Or maybe even the fact of their presence.
If the latter, there’d be a secret passage somewhere for the Black Sorcerer’s use—and they might be able to use it too.
“Alright.”
Henri, who hadn’t believed Rachel and gotten them into this mess, followed her lead this time.
The three walked and walked. The distant torches vanished entirely. If Henri hadn’t grabbed one from the wall midway, they’d have wandered in pitch black.
They reached the end of the corridor. But there was nothing—just a dead end.
“It’s blocked.”
“No. There’s something around here.”
In the sealed corridor with no windows or doors, Enoch looked around.
Rachel rubbed her chin, staring at the wall, as Enoch—who’d instantly found the Demon Summoning Circle in the manor basement—fumbled.
‘If this is a horror game...’
There’d be a hidden space. Rachel plucked a strand of her hair and let it hang. It leaned toward where they’d come from.
“There’s wind coming from ahead.”
The wall looked solid, but this meant space beyond.
‘In comics, if you lean against it like this...’
Rachel pressed against the wall. Not expecting much, but the moment she did, it spun like a revolving door.
Creak.
“Rachel!”
The two men shouted her name. Just like that, Rachel was sent alone beyond the wall.
“I’m fine! There’s space here.”
But the torch was on their side, so she couldn’t see a thing.
“We’re coming.”
Rachel slowly backed away from the wall. It rotated back, and Henri and Enoch entered.
The torch illuminated the space. On the floor was an engraved pattern similar to the Demon Summoning Circle they’d seen in the manor basement.
“Ah!”
Enoch let out a short gasp as he stared at it.
“What’s wrong?”
“I misjudged. The baron is a Pseudo-Contractor.”
“What’s that?”
Black Magic was power gained through contracts with demons. To draw demonic power from another realm into this world required a conduit—usually the contractor’s body during the pact.
That left demonic traces on Black Sorcerers, detectable by priests with Divine Power.
But there was an exception.
“It refers to those who promise a specific sacrifice to a demon and receive power in advance via a demonic mark.”
The contract finalizes when the promised sacrifice is offered. Priests can’t detect Pseudo-Contractors if they bear the mark beforehand.
“This is an inactive contract circle. Offer the sacrifice here, and the contract activates.”
Now Rachel understood why Paris Emporus had targeted her. He’d promised her to a demon.
“The Curse Medium in the manor was definitely placed by the baron.”
“My brother...!”
“No time to be shocked. Let’s move.”
Rachel urged them on before Henri could dwell on the betrayal. Escape came first.
She could regress if they failed, but she didn’t want to experience death or regression if she could help it.
Even if her regression ability had amplified, who knew how long it would last? If she died one day and that was it?
‘That’d be so unfair.’
Dying after spinning like a top without enjoying life would piss her off like nothing else.
Rachel spotted a wooden door leading down and opened it. A spiral staircase descended.
“Let’s take these stairs.”
As expected of a hidden space, a secret passage existed.
The three descended the spiral stairs until they reached an exit. No one chased them, despite how it seemed someone should.
Only their footsteps echoed in the space.
‘This feels ominous.’
It was too quiet. Would the baron really think they wouldn’t find the hidden space? But with no windows, they couldn’t check outside.
“The coachman’s probably asleep. How do we get out of the estate?”
Enoch asked.
Even escaping the inner castle, they couldn’t cross the outer walls encircling the territory without getting caught. The baron would seal it off and bolster guards. The longer they delayed, the worse off they’d be.
“We’ll figure it out somehow.”
His utterly half-hearted response killed the mood entirely. Rachel glared at Henri, who’d failed to rally spirits and instead crushed them.
Honestly, Enoch was basically an outsider in this. He’d just gotten dragged in and nearly killed.
Rachel let out a shallow sigh and answered.
“We disguise ourselves as beggars, ask someone to contact the temple, or sneak onto a cart leaving the territory.”
The Emporus family had risen through commerce. They’d moved from the old lord’s manor to Harpa Castle because this territory had smooth trade flows.
They couldn’t fully blockade it. Merchants would be inspected, but not held forever. Rachel believed an opportunity would come.
“So...”
As she started to say not to give up, the torch suddenly snuffed out, plunging them into thick darkness. And then,
“Found, you!”
A high-pitched male voice rang out. The click-clack of shoes echoed from below.
Enoch conjured light with Divine Power. But there was no time to question if he could do that.
At the bottom of the stairs stood a slender man. Even from down there, his eye level wasn’t much lower.
“Black Sorcerer!”
Enoch shouted, extending his right arm to shield Rachel and Henri.
“A pigeon-loving newbie, huh? The baron didn’t mention that.”
Instead of bristling at the words, Enoch swung his sword. The pure white blade gleamed as it thrust toward the enemy.
A sound like tearing flesh echoed. But the one who fell wasn’t the Black Sorcerer.
“Father!”
A black sword of magic energy flew in, grazing Enoch and piercing Henri’s chest.
Hot blood gushed from his mouth. His hand reached toward Rachel’s face.
“Live... on...”
With those words, his head lolled limply.
Rachel whipped her head away. She wanted to burn the image of Henri’s killer into her eyes.
But the smirking face distorted vertically, stretching into a line.
-Family member has died. Returning to checkpoint.
‘Damn it.’
***
Her eyes stung. Instead of the dark, cramped stairs, a bright dining room appeared. Turn 16 began.
“Rachel? Why are you crying?”
Evelyn asked, pausing mid-bite. Rachel touched under her eyes. They were wet.
“You’re a crybaby. A crybaby! Sis cried while eating!”
Only twelve-year-old Deyner failed to read the room, teasing his sister.
“Maybe the food was spicy.”
“There’s nothing spicy?”
Evelyn and the Peace priestess gave worried looks at Rachel’s excuse. Enoch stopped picking at his carrots to gaze at her.
Rachel thought. Henri wouldn’t believe her until he experienced it himself. And Enoch alone couldn’t protect both her and Henri.
They shouldn’t go to the castle at all. That was the answer. But Henri wouldn’t skip it just because Rachel said so.
‘No incidents like this for two years. Without me, the baron won’t kill Father.’
But she couldn’t abandon meeting Abyss.
“A Black Sorcerer appears at Harpa Castle. That’s why I saw a future where Father dies.”
“A Black Sorcerer?”
“Father, can we avoid that castle?”
“This is no small matter!”
The Peace priestess grew serious.
“We’ll contact the nearest temple first. Sister, may we request aid?”
“Of course. Black Sorcerers are dangerous. Dear, please skip Harpa Castle as Rachel says.”
“Got it.”
Peace priestess, Enoch, and Evelyn busied themselves. This time, they said the three of them would go to Harpa Castle.
“Isn’t it dangerous for you to go yourself?”
“I’ll be fine, dear. I’m pretty strong, you know?”
‘Mother’s skilled, so she won’t die.’
Rachel trusted Evelyn’s abilities. From what she’d heard, she wasn’t going alone but with priests.
Enoch alone couldn’t save Henri while facing the Black Sorcerer, but with multiple priests, they could heal any injuries.
After lunch, everyone except Deyner boarded the carriage. Even the horse that had been resting last time was mobilized.
Enoch took the driver’s seat, while inside sat Henri, Mother, Peace priestess, and Rachel.
“Any more details?”
At the Peace priestess’s question, Rachel recalled if she’d omitted anything.
She’d shared all traits of the Black Sorcerer she’d seen. That’s all Evelyn and the priestess had asked about.
Rachel remembered what she hadn’t said.
“There’s a secret passage in Harpa Castle. The Black Sorcerer appears from there.”
She wanted to give more specifics, but the escape route didn’t come clearly to mind.
Rachel bit her lip.
She hoped the priests would find the secret space and expose the baron as a Pseudo-Contractor.
“A secret passage?”
“The Black Sorcerer seems to infiltrate the castle through it.”
Rachel added a lie, hoping they’d find the secret space.
She wanted to spill that the baron and Black Sorcerer were allies, but couldn’t with Henri there.
He’d surely rush to confirm with his own eyes if he heard his brother was tied to demons.
“It’s probably on the same floor as the dining hall, but I’m not certain.”
“Understood. Thank you for the info, Miss Rachel.”
That was all Rachel could do for now. She hoped the temple would uncover the baron’s identity.