Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 105 - 아, 맞다
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Translator: crow
Chapter 105: The Back Alley's Collapse
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Ah, right...
Gaderok fiddled with the black flame earring dangling from his ear.
This wasn't to send any kind of signal or warning to his opponent, as usual.
'What the hell is this thing! What the hell is it!!!'
He was barely suppressing the urge to rip the earring right out of his ear.
The gold bracelet that converted the wearer's life force into mana.
The 'Golden Vein' that Gaderok had obtained by sacrificing a huge chunk of his life was his trump card, his final ace.
Now that he had activated the Golden Vein, he had to achieve his goal no matter what.
To expand and maintain his forces.
And that goal was right in front of him.
He could feel the room submitting to the fear he inspired, just as planned.
But then—
This earring ruined everything.
And it wasn't just this time.
Thinking back, it had been like this from the start.
When the flames engulfing Brimport suddenly went out.
When Dejong's guards were abruptly incinerated.
Whenever things were going smoothly, some unexpected event would inevitably occur and throw everything into chaos.
Shifting the situation in his favor.
And now.
The trend had reached its peak.
"Damn it, what do we do...? Should we help Lord Gaderok—"
"Help Gaderok my ass, you fuck! Didn't you hear that demon's voice just now!? Gaderok's a warlock! If we stay under him, we'll end up as demon sacrifices!"
"M-Maybe he's been controlling us with black magic all along!"
These were the murmurs among Gaderok's and Dejong's subordinates.
The fear they felt toward their leader no longer inspired awe or loyalty. It was pure, unadulterated terror.
They could understand criminals chasing objective goals like wealth and power.
But a warlock serving demons? That was beyond comprehension.
Gaderok could clearly feel it.
Everything was over.
No matter how this ended, his organization would be completely shattered.
The old Gaderok would have lost his reason to rage at that fact.
But not this Gaderok.
"Listen up!!!"
His reason was already paralyzed by fury.
Only one thought filled his mind now.
Killing the bastard who had driven things to this point.
That's why he actually welcomed the current situation, where everyone feared him as a warlock.
As long as they believed he was one, they'd avoid clashing with him directly.
"I have only one goal right now!!! Kill that deputy councilor! I swear on my magic! I'll stake my life and soul to kill him!!! If I fail in life, I'll do it as a ghost!!! Anyone uninvolved, get out now!!!"
Gaderok bellowed with bloodshot eyes, unleashing his 7th Circle aura at full force.
Being a temporary and unstable power, the aura was wildly unstable.
Clatter clatter
The unrefined energy shook the entire room.
Tables rattled, windows shuddered.
It was perfect theatrics to stoke fears of a warlock.
"H-Huh...!"
"D-Demon!!!"
These mere criminals, far too low in rank to withstand a 7th Circle mage's aura, turned pale and fled without looking back.
Of the dozens of Gaderok's and Dejong's men, only five remained.
"..."
Even they openly showed their discomfort as they slowly backed away.
"Wise choice, you vermin!"
A cold blaze in the shape of flames surged up, freezing the round table where the bosses sat.
Gaderok cackled maniacally as he smashed the icy table.
It shattered, scattering fragments everywhere.
"Step back!"
"It's dangerous!"
The guards behind rushed to protect the bosses.
"Lord Rishir!"
Dogal, who had stepped forward similarly, halted awkwardly.
The ice shards had avoided only him.
Gaderok's intent was clear.
Everyone but Rishir, fall back.
"Saintess, this way...!"
"Fall back for now!"
"Lord Brimport!"
The guards hurriedly pulled the bosses back, evacuating from the living room to the corridor.
Thus, only Gaderok and Rishir remained in the vast living room.
Rock, the warrior of the 'Golden Barley' caravan.
He was currently escorting the saintess at the earnest request of the caravan's lady, 'Karia', to this back-alley meeting.
"Let's go."
He urged the saintess urgently.
"He's dead serious. A warlock willing to embrace death. If we get tangled up, it won't end well. Best to retreat for now."
Everyone nearby nodded in agreement with Rock.
The bosses and their escorts.
Even Gaderok's and Dejong's remaining men.
"...No."
Yet the saintess shook her head.
From beneath that iron mask came her signature androgynous, mystical voice.
"I'll stay and help him."
She then looked at her master standing beside her.
The master nodded as well.
"I'll stay too, and help him."
"No—"
Rock clutched his forehead.
He was just a Golden Barley warrior. If this outsider saintess got herself killed tangling with a warlock for no reason, it wouldn't bother him.
But what about Karia, who was utterly smitten with her?
'She'd either kill me or hang herself...!'
The escort shuddered at the thought of the lady's state.
Then the master spoke.
"If we abandon the deputy councilor here and just save ourselves, that'll cause problems too."
"You saying we charge that warlock!?"
"Yes. If we all combine our strength, it's possible."
"Sure! Possible, yeah. But—"
Rock glanced toward the living room.
Gaderok and the deputy councilor were in a standoff there.
Gaderok wasn't acting yet, wary of the deputy's hidden power and those who hadn't fully evacuated.
But that aura of threat. That presence. That mana.
Rock was certain.
"Didn't you hear what he just said? He's lost it completely! If he charges with full intent, that deputy councilor is dead! Taking one or two of us along in the process? Piece of cake!"
"..."
"..."
The saintess and master.
No, Roera and Fienne showed distress from behind their masks.
They had already realized.
Gaderok wasn't actually a warlock.
If he were, he'd have lost all power the moment he clashed with Rishir.
Their anguish stemmed from that.
'A 7th Circle mage...'
They partially understood the nature of Rishir's power.
That mysterious force acted absolutely against alien, evil powers.
But pure power?
Rishir, facing Gaderok, was just a pure mage.
They recalled their last meeting with Rishir, his level then.
He had been a 5th Circle mage.
Of course!
With that ridiculous man, he might have reached 6th Circle in that short time.
Even so, it wasn't enough to overcome the current situation.
'That's why—'
They thought.
While Rishir was holed up in the magic tower, they had gained countless experiences outside.
Harsh, immense experiences incomparable to tower life.
Based on that, Rishir had achieved unimaginable growth.
'I have to protect him.'
Resolution filled their eyes.
Thus, their anguish deepened.
Rock's point was valid.
If everyone combined forces, they could take down Gaderok.
But there would inevitably be casualties in the process.
Could Rishir, at best early 6th Circle, protect himself from a death-defying 7th Circle mage's attacks?
'Please...!'
They racked their brains frantically.
This was the last chance to save Rishir, while Gaderok hesitated, wary of his unknown power.
Miss it and—
"...!"
Then, Roera and Fienne simultaneously swallowed.
Rock and the others did too.
Rishir.
He struck first in the standoff.
He formed a mana bullet and fired it at Gaderok.
Exquisite mana control. But Gaderok dispersed it with a casual wave.
Their mana gap was stark.
At that sight, escort Rock inwardly lamented.
'Oh no. Striking first in this situation— Is he some green mage who knows nothing?'
Rock's two convictions solidified.
They absolutely had to avoid fighting Gaderok.
'That guy's even more of a monster than I thought—'
The mana barrier enveloping Gaderok as he deflected the attack.
Rock could vaguely gauge its sturdiness.
'Wary of the deputy's hidden power, huh?'
Gaderok was hyped to the point of death-defiance, yet rational enough to embrace it.
The caravan warrior found no opening in him.
Then.
Another commotion from the living room.
The deputy councilor, untiring, attacked Gaderok again.
The exact same way.
'Completely read—'
Rock sighed, glancing at the saintess.
No matter how he sliced it, the deputy councilor escaping alive from here seemed impossible.
He began scouting an exit.
-What the hell are you doing!
Clana, watching from the inner world, shrieked in horror at Rishir's action.
-He's barely crossed into 7th Circle, unstable as it is! You can't handle him head-on right now! Get out somehow first!
Rishir inwardly nodded at Clana's words.
Gaderok's aura and power, felt viscerally up close.
He knew better than anyone that he couldn't match him directly.
So why—
Even though his reason fully grasped it, why was he acting against it?
'It's possible.'
Because of instinct's cry.
'Look at his state now.'
Gaderok was wary of Rishir's hidden power.
Wary of the people not fully retreated in the corridor.
That state of vigilance against all threats seemed airtight, without flaw.
'No.'
But.
Gaderok's state looked entirely different in Rishir's eyes.
'That's not solid. It's sloppy. He's overlooking what he should really fear, distracted.'
Rishir felt the weight of the blue lotus at his waist.
'He firmly believes I'm a mage. Just once. He's completely defenseless against this swordsman's strike.'
Rishir's gaze swept over the mana barrier enveloping Gaderok.
'My magic can't pierce that.'
Through spars with Meltas, Rishir had amassed real combat experience between mages.
He knew how hard it was to break a mage's mana barrier.
Even against equals, shattering it in one go was extremely tricky.
And he, just entering late 6th Circle—
Against Gaderok, who had crossed into 7th?
In one strike?
Impossible.
Reason insisted strongly.
'Plenty possible.'
And instinct countered as always.
Sensation and instinct joined hands, guiding Rishir to his next move, drawing out everything he had.
Experiences utterly unrelated to magic.
Swinging his sword in the Bendel training grounds until his whole body was spent.
Feinting apprentice knights in spars, then striking their openings.
Following the murder demon's teachings, chasing her path.
It was an odd sensation.
Rishir felt like a 'command key' had popped up.
The actions were new, yet vividly mapped in his mind.
Rishir crouched slightly.
Just like when he fired the mana bullet before.
"That again!!! Fine, hide your power to the end!? Alright, let's see! How amazing is this power you're hiding so desperately! Whether that black flame saves you this time too!!!"
Rishir didn't interrupt Gaderok.
He drew out his vigilance and battle intent to the max.
Vigilance and intent toward a mage, that is.
Rishir's eyes clearly saw it.
The opening in Gaderok. Widened to its maximum.
Depth of breath. Blink of eyes.
The fleeting state that shifted with such tiny differences.
Rishir's senses didn't miss that instant.
His crouched body sprang lightly.
Just like when he swung his arm to fire the mana bullet before.
"Ha!"
That was how it looked in Gaderok's laughing eyes.
The deputy councilor firing a mana bullet.
Thus, the cunning motion thoroughly deceived and toyed with the foe.
Rishir's body replicated the murder demon's movements.
He was already gone from where Gaderok's gaze pointed.
His body slid forward, led by his front foot.
In his hand was the blade drawn from its sheath—the blue lotus.
The sword had already swung.
The time to fool the opponent's mind was short, and the distance coverable in that time even shorter.
It was reasonable for a strike in that brief deception not to reach.
Yet the murder demon overcame that reason, finding ways to achieve the absurd.
The gap precisely adjusted by the feint.
Filling that slight shortfall was the formed aura.
The blade in Rishir's grip had extended faintly.
That sharply honed aura was sword aura.
A feat allowed only to swordsmen who reached superhuman realms.
"Guh...!"
Gaderok clutched his throat.
Had he sensed the strike and concentrated his mana barrier there, that first and final blow might have failed.
But the mage's mind couldn't catch the motion that fooled even sword masters.
Gaderok's throat split.
Blood and breath leaked from the gash.
The murder demon's strike that reduced the target to a helpless prey.
Clana-style, Breath-Stealer unfolded.
Rishir.
His strike briefly touched sword master realm.
"Now!!! I'm about to collapse, so handle the rest!!!"
Rishir, who had poured everything into that strike, vomited blood and fell.
"..."
Despite Rishir's earnest plea, those in the corridor hesitated to act.
They were simply dumbfounded, staring at the scene.
Fortunately, that brief delay didn't lead to disaster.
"Gack—...!"
Rishir's strike had cut deeper than he thought.
Gaderok, clutching his throat, couldn't steady himself and collapsed.
And then.
The saintess and master gazed at Rishir, muttering as if remembering something.
"Ah, right..."
The back alleys crumbled.
In that process, tales of one man's exploits began to spread quietly across all of Bondales.