Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 35
"Who is it! Who let that cursed wench into the village!"
A group dressed in black priest robes approached the village square, shouting loudly.
The man pressed his hand to his forehead and shook his head in dismay.
"Ah, they're here again. Those people."
Seo-jin also spoke with an unpleasant expression.
"......The Torch Order."
The Torch Order.
A native religious group that dominated this 4th floor filled with nothing but ash and death.
It was an organization that began from the custom of worshipping fire that brightened the dark night and cremated corpses.
Even now that burial has become commonplace over time, they maintain their power and are the greatest force on the 4th floor, managing each village in place of the powerless lords.
Meanwhile, the hook-nosed old woman who appeared to be the leader of this village approached Seo-jin and his party, spitting as she shouted.
"Get lost right now! Where do you think you're crawling into! Especially you!"
The old woman pointed at Lea and glared with bulging eyes.
At that threatening outcry, Lea hid behind Lubal with a pale face, trembling all over.
Seo-jin frowned as he watched that pitiful sight.
'This place is still the same.'
The exact same appearance as when he visited in his previous life. It was an era that hadn't strayed far from the medieval period when witch hunts were commonplace.
Considering the harsh environment of the 4th floor and the hellish situation, it could be seen as natural behavior.
However, he had no intention of just standing by and watching.
Seo-jin stepped forward and blocked between the old woman and Lea, asking.
"What's this, old hag? What are you supposed to be?"
The old woman might be a priest of the Torch Order with some influence in this village, but Seo-jin couldn't care less.
When Seo-jin openly blocked her way, the old woman looked him up and down, then clapped her hands.
"Ah~ Now I see, you're the one who brought that father and daughter into the village? There's no mercy just because you're a foreigner. Take those two and get lost right now! Otherwise!"
THUD-.
"I'll bring down divine punishment."
When the old woman extended her staff, the black priests lined up behind her also pointed their torches and maces, taking battle stances.
The Order side, led by the old woman, had come out hostilely.
Seo-jin shrugged his shoulders.
'Since it's come to this, there's no choice.'
At first, he had intended to persuade the Torch Order that managed the village's ley lines and receive guidance, but the buttons had been fastened wrong from the start.
Since the conciliatory approach had gone down the drain, he had no choice but to take a hardline approach.
Moreover,
'I can't just keep watching this situation.'
Seo-jin looked at the old woman and the priests lined up behind her with cold eyes.
Although Seo-jin usually faithfully practiced respecting elders, that also depended on the time and situation.
As long as these people ruled the village, there would continue to be those who suffered unjust treatment like Lea.
The epidemic excuse was just a pretext, and these people simply needed someone to blame.
Having finished his thoughts, Seo-jin quietly muttered.
"......I can't just stand by and watch those who oppress the weak while backed by power."
[Aren't you just annoyed and want to beat them up?]
"......"
Seo-jin glanced at Hyeon-wol who was subtly mocking him from the side.
Instead of answering those words, Seo-jin twisted the corner of his mouth.
If the old woman who appeared to be the leader fell, the priests behind her would also lose their center and collapse.
Taking advantage of that chaos, let's infiltrate the ley lines.
GURGLE-.
Reverse Heaven's mana flowing backward through Seo-jin's mana circuit.
What he was aiming for was neutralizing the priest group through Black Chain.
Just as Seo-jin was adjusting the power of his magic and seriously considering the timing to attack.
"Wait, wait! Don't fight!"
The familiar tower climber man intervened and came forward to mediate.
"And Matier Priest, please don't do this and check Lea's affected area once. Hasn't it improved much compared to before? Hm?"
"Check what? Do you think I want to catch that filthy disease?"
"Then please just check from a distance. I'll show you."
"......Fine."
There was no particular justification to refuse, and since it was the words of someone who usually resided in the village and helped block Undead Waves, the old woman at least pretended to listen.
The man who had obtained permission and Lubal calmed Lea and showed her affected area to the old woman.
"How is it? It's definitely improved, hasn't it? Only a small scar remains, and the symptoms have almost disappeared."
"......"
Lea's forehead where the previous terrible wound had completely disappeared and only minute scars remained.
Momentarily flustered by the unexpected situation, the old woman again shouted in a displeased voice.
"B-but she's not completely cured yet! There might still be contagiousness remaining. Until she's completely healed, no, even if she's healed, we can't be certain that the disease's contagiousness has disappeared!"
"That's too unreasonable......"
BANG-.
"Unreasonable! I have a duty to protect the village people from unknown diseases and curses! There are no exceptions!"
The old woman cried out as if screaming while banging the ground with the staff in her hand.
Before the stubbornly hardened wrong belief, logical persuasion or evidence was meaningless.
To think communication would be this impossible.
Finally, Seo-jin, who had been quietly watching the situation, stepped forward.
"Well then. What about this?"
In an instant, a black magic chain shot from Seo-jin's hand rushed toward the old woman.
"......!"
WHOOSH-.
Instead of targeting the old woman, Seo-jin's Black Chain aimed at the robe she was wearing.
Then, when the Black Chain tore off the hood part of the robe, a black scar on the back of the old woman's neck was revealed.
A scar similar to the terrible wound that had been on Lea's face.
Seo-jin narrowed his eyes as he saw this.
'If she's a priest, her upper dantian that receives and uses divine power should be developed.'
It was natural for her to be eroded by the Lich King's thoughts depending on the degree of upper dantian development.
Although her aptitude was inferior to Lea's so the symptoms weren't that severe, the old woman also had scars similar to Lea's.
The other priests would be the same.
They would have mild but similar symptoms.
Seo-jin continued speaking.
"Well, well, shouldn't you also leave this village?"
The old woman hurriedly covered the wound on the back of her neck with the torn cloth and squawked loudly.
"H-how dare you touch me! Drive that bastard away immediately! No, kill him!"
"......"
At the old woman's command, the priests hesitated and couldn't move readily.
It was all because they had seen the wound on the back of her neck.
Seo-jin took advantage of this opportunity to pressure the priests.
"I know you're all in similar situations. Just like I treated Lea, I can also cure the symptoms you're suffering from."
"Shut up! That woman's disease has definitely infected our priest group too!"
"Sorry, but this isn't an epidemic. It's closer to a divine disease. That's why priests suffer from similar symptoms. Also, if this were an epidemic, Lubal, who is Lea's father, wouldn't be this fine, would he?"
"GRR......"
Judging that there was nothing to gain from mixing words with me further, the old woman waved her hand and shouted.
"Don't listen to the heretic's words anymore! The wave of the dead will soon cover us. Before that, finish off all those bastards!"
"I can also solve that wave of the dead. Just let me examine this village's ley lines."
"Hurry up!"
When the old woman continued to urge with bulging eyes, the hesitating priest group had no choice but to point their weapons and drive away Seo-jin and his party.
Finally, Seo-jin and the father-daughter pair were driven out of the village by the priest group.
CRASH-.
The crude castle gate closed and rattled.
After staring at the gate for a moment, Seo-jin turned his gaze to Lea, who was tightly gripping his sleeve.
Had she grabbed his arm to prevent Seo-jin from casting more magic?
Seo-jin had both the ability and will to subdue the priest group. However, he had avoided combat due to Lea's restraint.
Seo-jin asked Lea.
"Why did you stop me, kid? Don't you hate those people?"
Those who had oppressed the girl and her father for years, preventing them from even setting foot in the village.
Instead of caring for a sick child, they had pinned the ridiculous false accusation of epidemic on her, while secretly hiding the fact that they themselves showed the same symptoms.
From Lea's position as the victim, she couldn't help but feel anger and betrayal.
To Seo-jin's question, Lea clenched her small fists and spoke.
"I hate them. But...... that method won't solve anything."
Lea continued speaking while looking at the tightly closed castle gate.
"Those people are also victims. They were just, scared."
"......"
Lea was right.
Facing the enormous enemy of the Lich King's thoughts and the army of the dead, every single day would be fearful and painful.
They needed an object of worship to give them comfort, and also needed a target to direct their anger at.
So they worshipped fire that could drive away darkness, and hated Lea, whom they thought would spread epidemic to them.
Lea understood this fact better than anyone.
"You're clever."
Seo-jin roughly patted Lea's head and said to her father Lubal.
"You're lucky to have such a smart daughter."
"The young child spoke presumptuously without knowing anything. Please don't mind it."
Seo-jin chuckled and pointed to the communal cemetery at the village entrance.
"Let's go back now."
Since it had come to this, although troublesome, he would go with Plan C, which was neither conciliatory nor hardline.
'The plan to sneak into where the ley lines are located like a thief in the dead of night.'
Since he didn't know the location of the ley lines, he would have to determine their position through the Eye of Insight and the hard labor of digging the ground, but it was a much safer method than attacking the village.
Just as Seo-jin, having made his decision, was about to return home with the father and daughter.
CREAK-.
The tightly closed castle gate opened slightly, and the familiar tower climber man peeked out his face.
He waved his hand toward Seo-jin and whispered in a small voice.
"Tonight at midnight, come alone to the village common area. I'll guide you to the ley lines."
***
Tower 3rd floor. Circe's hut.
"Here, take this."
Kim Se-yeon, who had been staying at Circe's house for several days.
Se-yeon had stayed in a training room in one corner of the hut, learning how to control her abilities.
To be precise, it was closer to throwing her a book and telling her to learn it herself.
Afterward, before leaving the hut, Se-yeon received items that Seo-jin had left from Circe.
A fist-sized magic stone and well-prepared materials like bat wing membranes, teeth, and claws.
These were the spoils that Seo-jin had obtained in the past after defeating the Vampire Bat King.
Se-yeon silently stared at the spoils that Circe handed over.
'I don't need these anymore......'
Se-yeon had already solo defeated the Vampire Bat King and climbed to the 3rd floor.
At first, she had been too upset about having this stolen from her.
Because of that, she had quickly climbed up to the 3rd floor, but now that she was here, these items didn't seem that important.
Nevertheless, Se-yeon received them and carefully stored them in her inventory, then bowed her head to Circe.
Circe grumbled in response to Se-yeon's thanks.
"I just lent a sleeping place for a few days at my disciple's request. I didn't particularly do anything to deserve thanks."
However.
'I think I understand why he entrusted this girl to me.'
Circe thought as she looked at the girl.
The chilling aura she felt from her.
Although it was slightly different in nature from Seo-jin's, the girl also had a single-minded darkness and madness about her.
If left alone, she would have buried herself in the abyss while harboring deep wounds in her heart and died.
Even if she survived, she would become an empty, hollow existence.
And to fill that emptiness, she might become a sword demon who would kill anything and take blood.
So this girl needed a guide or teacher.
Just as Circe had been such an existence to Seo-jin, though she had no memory of it.
Having finished her thoughts, Circe spoke.
"Where will you go now?"
After thinking for a moment, Se-yeon quietly parted her lips.
"Upstairs."
"Yes, of course it would be upstairs. That's not what I'm asking. Where exactly will you go?"
Se-yeon quickly closed her mouth, as if she hadn't thought that far.
Circe sighed as if she had expected this.
"Whew, of course. If you have nowhere to go, follow that guy's trail. He also went up not long ago. If you hurry, you should be able to catch up quickly. I'll tell you his location too."
"I never particularly thought about chasing after that person......"
When Circe glared, Se-yeon hurriedly added honorifics.
"......ma’am."
The only thing Circe had taught Se-yeon during her stay at the hut was honorific speech.
Circe took out a paper bag tied well with string from her bosom and handed it over, saying.
"It's written all over your face that you want to follow him, so there's no use denying it. Take this. It's an errand. Think of it as payment for the lodging you've used."
"What is this?"
When Se-yeon holding the paper bag tilted her head, Circe elaborated.
"Fire Grass. Give it to my disciple when you meet him. Don't give it all, keep some for yourself too. You'll have urgent use for it later."
"I understand...... ma’am."
Circe watched Se-yeon, who packed the bag without complaint.
Unless something unusual happened, that girl would successfully complete the mission of delivering the Fire Grass to her disciple.
This was also a request that her disciple had entrusted to her.
To borrow his words, it was about creating a trivial reason to climb the tower.
'A reason to climb the tower.'
Even if it was a trivial and small reason, this would become a reason for someone to climb the tower.
Not hatred or emptiness, but climbing the tower following signposts that gave small guidance.
It might be an insignificant change at first, but the results faced in the distant future would be clearly different.
Circe infused mana into the teleportation stone that Se-yeon was holding.
It was a teleportation stone with the coordinates where Seo-jin had been teleported recorded.
"Now go. I want to rest a bit too."
FLASH-.
The bright light emitted by the teleportation stone filled the hut.