Preparing for the Storm
It was a classic case of fighting fire with fire. Unintentionally, my actions at the Ruin of the Anti-Mage had ended up helping Calandas. Eliminating the Four Heroes, the Grand Sage, and the Margrave; winning over Cecilia and seizing the Holy Relic... The Empire's core military strength had completely vanished, all because of me.
Of course, from Calandas's perspective, my actions so far had also been highly threatening. He surely knew that my feelings toward him were atrocious. Along with my unprecedented moves, I possessed a Holy Sword—the Solar Holy Sword, which wielded power far exceeding even a Holy Relic when turned against him. It wasn't for nothing that the bastard was so wary of me.
Or maybe he really knows. He had openly singled me out and warned me in front of the assembled Abyss Palace. Perhaps he had caught on to my stance.
"Hey, you piece-of-shit bag of bones." It was Rosesha's voice. She glared at Calandas, her face contorted with rage. I was the one being picked on, but she looked far more pissed off.
"Who do you think you're shouting at? You want to die?"
"Your mouth is vulgar. Truly, the Queen of Whores."
"What should I do with this bastard? What, kill and be killed with Bargore? Do you really think you're any match for him?"
No, why are you bringing me into this when I'm just minding my own business...
"You're going to get killed by Bargore at this rate. I'm not joking. You should be on your knees begging him not to interfere, yet here you are, threatening him without knowing your place?"
Stop it, please. If you're going to fight, fight each other. Why do you keep dragging me into it? Whenever Rosesha tried to verbally crush him, I was the one who felt intimidated. I wanted to find a mouse hole and crawl into it.
"My business here is done." Calandas turned around as if he didn't want to associate with us any longer. Fortunately, he lost interest. A gray portal opened, and Calandas stepped into it. But right before he left, he glared at me one last time.
"Bargore. Do not forget today's warning."
Calandas's figure vanished behind his chilling voice. Even after he left, I stared at the empty air where he had been. Calandas's warning made me realize one thing. Just looking at his level, it was a deep orange. He was far more wary of me than I had thought. And seeing how his level had risen in the meantime, it was clear he was preparing for a full-scale invasion.
...If he swallowed the Empire, would he leave me alone?
Not at all. I had been half-skeptical, but today I knew for sure. The mere existence of the Holy Sword was a threat. Once he gained a powerful force, he would naturally target me. Didn't he say that after the Empire, his targets would be the other Abyss Palaces?
I need to prepare quickly. I had to obtain the Mana Eater as soon as possible.
Ahem. A clearing of the throat drew everyone's attention to Dalon. Because of his physically massive vocal cords, it was impossible not to look.
"There's going to be a massive uproar. This old man is neutral, but if humanity is destroyed, how the aftermath will affect us..." Trailing off, Dalon looked down at me. "What about you, Bargore? As a fellow undead, do you also harbor a desire for destruction like the Elder Lich?"
It was true that most of the 72 Lords were hostile to humanity. But even among them, opinions clashed. Roxanne and Calandas wanted absolute destruction. Dalon and Renrin were neutral. Rosesha was neutral or friendly for the sake of her species' survival. There was no reason to hide my thoughts here.
"I do not hate humans. I do not like them either, but if we speak of destruction, I am against it."
"How unexpected. This is the first time I've seen such a thoughtful undead."
"Let me ask you as well. Standing by and watching Calandas like this will only allow him to grow his power." Dalon nodded slightly. "And yet, do you intend to just sit back and watch?"
"For now, shouldn't we? We must not interfere with a long-cherished desire. It's not like it harms us otherwise."
"Then what if he targets the Abyss Palace using the Empire's power as a foundation?"
"Then the other six of the Abyss Palace will have to execute the Elder Lich. However, stopping him out of worry for that future is the wrong way. How can one act with certainty of the future? Taking action out of concern for rank changes is even more presumptuous."
It was frustrating for me. Looking around, Renrin and Rosesha seemed to agree. They only kept the coming future in mind; they didn't know it for sure. Should I ask Renrin to use Insight? If I said I saw a future where Calandas turned the Abyss Palace into enemies...
It's ambiguous. Because it wasn't a future I had directly seen. When the player failed Calandas's Empire invasion episode, they couldn't see the story after that. All I had seen was the developer's official Q&A text addressing the story afterward. Unless it was a future that had actually been witnessed as it happened, Renrin's Insight wouldn't activate. Therefore, seeking their help against Calandas was difficult. I had guessed as much, so there was neither disappointment nor expectation.
...If I have to step up alone. The Decay Cave where Death Breeds and the Tomb of Faith. With humanity caught in the middle, the two Abyss Palaces would clash.
"I hope you will also stand by. One Abyss Palace stopping the long-cherished desire of another... Even Roxanne wouldn't be able to handle the backlash."
"..."
I stopped thinking about it. Thinking about the consequences only gave me a headache. Whatever the choice, the Mana Eater was the top priority right now.
"I enjoyed our conversation. See you later."
"I'll be going too. See you later, darling."
Thud. Thud. After talking for a bit, Dalon moved his massive body and disappeared into the portal. Rosesha left too, and naturally, only Renrin remained, circling around me. Leaving aside their distracting behavior, they chattered like sparrows.
"Bargore. Are you coming?"
"Should we go? Should we go?"
As they said, there was no need to waste time. When I gestured to the two, Cecilia stood awkwardly and showed her Moonlight Sword. Charlotte opened the backpack she was carrying and pulled out a black book as if showing off.
"I heard our destination is the Forest of Spirits. Therefore, I have brought the Necronomicon."
The Necronomicon was the pinnacle of necromancy. Magic that dealt with souls, including the undead, was necromancy. In the Forest of Spirits, mana and spiritual energy were mixed and spread like air, making the spiritual energy denser than oxygen. Lowly spirits, ghosts, evil spirits, and grudges—all kinds of spirits clinging to you was quite a troublesome obstacle.
The spiritual energy of the Forest of Spirits was quite harsh. While the death energy of the undead caused physical trembling, the spiritual energy of evil spirits interfered with the mind and soul, causing even greater harm. Charlotte's level was lagging, but she had built up immunity through necromancy, so she should be fine. Cecilia was high-level, so her mental strength would be considerable.
I have no problem. According to the lore, spirits can't even perceive the undead. I didn't know the details about the causality being distorted or whatever, but anyway, I benefited from being undead. If we broke through the Forest of Spirits, a ruin was hidden underground. The Ruin of the Anti-Mage. The Anti-Mage's legacy. The boss there was the Anti-Mage Great Wraith, but I wasn't too worried.
"Let's go."
"Are you coming to play right away?"
"Come right away! Rin! I want to play with Bargore!"
"Business first. Once everything is done, I will visit the Twin Stars Tower."
To be honest, I didn't want to go to the Twin Stars Tower. If Roxanne was the hardest boss to clear in the game, the Twin Stars Tower was the hardest dungeon to clear. The Twin Stars Tower, where time and seconds ran backward. Ren's tower reversed time, and Rin's tower reversed minutes and seconds. Just the fact that space-time was distorted was enough to guess the danger of that dungeon. Compared to the Twin Stars Tower, the Forest of Spirits was a playground. Well, I was going to be treated as a guest rather than clearing it, but even that was uncomfortable. Who would want to put themselves in a place where space-time was distorted?
"Hup! Hup!"
"Eek! Eek!"
A white portal had already appeared before us. Renrin pushed my legs from behind. Not that I budged at all. They looked like complete kids on the outside, but the reality was terrifying to think about. I nodded my chin, looking at Charlotte and Cecilia.
"Let's go."
The two stood on either side of me like attendants. Ren changed targets this time and pushed Charlotte's leg. Rin also pushed Cecilia's leg with her cute hands. While Charlotte clearly didn't know what to do, Cecilia suddenly patted Rin's head.
"You're cheeky! You!"
"Ah. Sorry."
"I'm holding back! You would've been dead! If not for Bargore!"
They weren't just saying that; they meant it. Cecilia could have died if things had gone slightly wrong. She must know that Renrin was the Rank 3 of the Abyss Palace, but her tension seemed to have eased due to their appearance. I stepped into the portal without hesitation. Once I returned with the Mana Eater... I would have to do something about that bastard Calandas.
After the three core forces of the Tomb of Faith left, the dungeon became even noisier. Perhaps it was a natural outcome, given that the most solemn and influential three had departed.
— *Kiriririririk!*
— "Mr. Balutak! Give it to me! Give it to me, you bug! Hey!!"
— *Kyeeeeek!*
Unable to bear the commotion, Estizel couldn't take it anymore and retreated into the deputy's room. Of all people, the ones left behind were the two noisiest. *Sigh.* Estizel let out a deep sigh that seemed to shake the ground.
"This is troubling... It's going to interfere with my studies."
Estizel shook her head. Contrary to her words, she was already sitting in front of the desk—the desk that the Lord had prepared solely for her. Estizel spent more than half of her day at this desk lately. Her rank among the 72 Lords was rising rapidly, and learning magic was fun. Her instinctive desire for self-improvement and magical accomplishment made this possible.
*The Boss becoming Rank 2?* At first, she felt empty comparing herself to him, but now that too had become a driving force. *I must defeat Rank 45 within this week.* Estizel clenched her fists with determination.
*Slide—* She opened the drawer and reached in without even looking at the empty space. Her fumbling fingertips only stopped after a while. Her eyes belatedly took in the empty drawer. The *Necronomicon*, which should have been there, had vanished without a trace. ...No way?
*Slide! Clack! Slide! Clack!* She repeatedly opened and closed all the drawers, but nothing appeared. The only black she could see was darkness.
"Ah, ah..."
Estizel's pupils darted around as if broken. Without the *Necronomicon*, she couldn't study magic properly. If her achievements were lackluster, her rank would stagnate. Estizel absolutely hated the idea of giving up her rank. How had she even gotten this far!
Then, to make matters worse, *flash!* The number engraved in her mind changed.
Current Rank: Rank 50
Her primal instinct already notified her of the demotion. Estizel's face was painted with despair.
"No, no. This can't be..."
*Bang!* The door burst open, and Isabella and Balutak walked in. As soon as they entered, they saw Estizel sitting at her desk.
"Ohhh...!" Isabella let out an exaggerated gasp of admiration. Remembering how downcast Estizel had been in front of everyone earlier, she had dropped by to cheer her up. Since Estizel happened to be studying, it was the perfect opportunity to shower her with praise.
"As expected, you're different. Well, that's why your rank keeps rising. The genius of the century, Estizel! At this rate, won't you reach Rank 48 in no time?"
"Kirik. Little Isabella. Getting stronger day by day-dak. Evolving day by day-dak."
There was no reply. Estizel just kept her head hung low. After a long silence, she pointed her finger toward the door.
"Everyone, please leave. I want to be alone."