Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Lucky Amulet (2)
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“Da, Damin!?”
Todina let out a scream.
The maid Damin, who had been with her since childhood, had suddenly transformed into someone else.
...Into something so horrific it defied description.
A wrinkled old man in a maid's outfit with white hair.
The mental shock was one thing, but even her physical eyes stung.
Todina desperately clung to her sanity, which felt like it might fly away at any moment.
But the old man was just as flustered.
Black mage Gusra.
He had spent years preparing for this plan and months executing it.
All for perfection.
And the results had been perfect.
“What in the world is going on!!!”
Until Rishir handed Todina that lucky coin.
Gusra barely regained his composure and swiftly leaped from the carriage.
Being surrounded in this confined space was dangerous!
“Ah.”
As Gusra vanished, Todina cried out in dizziness and collapsed.
“Take care of Todina.”
A chilling voice, yet brimming with intense emotion.
Dares drew a staff topped with a red gem and pursued Gusra.
“Eltni!”
“Yes! Topin!”
Topin handed Todina to his assistant Eltni and followed the others.
“Let's go.”
Then Rishir's group.
The victims, their souls gravely wounded, chased the corrupter.
A single spear of fire scorched the air as it hurtled toward Gusra.
“Urk—”
With his mana destabilized by the sudden magic disruption, Gusra struggled to draw forth his power.
A black veil unfurled around him, nullifying the fiery spear.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The spear flared and extinguished upon hitting the barrier, repeating the cycle.
The once-cool surrounding air shimmered with heat haze.
The exchange finally settled.
“Why...!”
Dares spoke for the first time after expending half his power.
“Why approach Todina... why did it have to be Todina!”
“...”
Dark red blood trickled from Gusra's nose and mouth.
The accumulated damage from defending against Dares' attack in his unstable state post-disruption.
The successive mana surges had ravaged the old black mage's insides.
“Dares, excuse me for a moment.”
Topin healed Dares from the side.
No one stood beside Gusra.
Yet he conjured a leisurely smile befitting his age.
“Todina wasn't strictly necessary. She just happened to fall into my grasp as I reached out for an opportunity. If you're to blame someone, blame your lover's frailty and foolishness.”
“You bastard!!!”
Dares' mana surged wildly, flames engulfing his body.
“Dares!”
Topin cried out in alarm.
The unrestrained blaze roared fiercely, as if to incinerate everything.
Dares' skin rapidly dried out.
“This...!”
Gusra outwardly appeared overwhelmed, inwardly mocking Dares.
‘Durayeg or not, he's still just a novice.’
To lose composure so easily.
The old black mage's dark eyes gleamed like a snake eyeing prey.
Durayeg Dares.
A talent who would surpass even him in the future.
But now?
Far too green. To face me.
Gusra now saw Dares not as an enemy, but as prey.
Thus, his true wariness lay elsewhere.
“...”
Gusra's gaze swept past Rishir's distant group to the carriage.
‘That lucky coin...’
It was what he feared most now.
‘Bastard... after they approached the carriage, my power grew unstable.’
‘And the moment that lucky coin touched Todina's body— the power corrupting her was repelled.’
‘That's it. I must destroy it!’
‘Before that foolish bastard realizes the coin's value and power!’
Gusra felt both leisure and impatience.
His ideal scenario: the young mage before him losing control and self-destructing.
A talented mage.
A skilled healer.
And that damned coin.
Time favored them.
Delay meant massive losses.
“Dares. Why stop?”
“...”
“Is that enough? Revenge for your ridiculed lover?”
Gusra covered his face with his palm.
His skin writhed, reverting to the maid girl's form.
“Over the past months, I've spent so much time with Todina. Aren't you curious, Dares? What happened when we were alone together.”
Kekekekeke.
An ugly grin twisted the maid girl's face, one she could never make.
“...You bastard!!!”
Whoosh!
Flames near explosion engulfed Dares.
“Dares, calm down! He's provoking you!”
“How— how can you say that? How am I supposed to stay calm now!”
“Because you must. Your state is too unstable! Beyond mana turbulence, you could face mana overload!”
“I don't care!!! If I can burn that filthy bastard to ashes!!!”
“Damn it!”
A stabbing heat.
Topin hurriedly distanced himself from Dares.
‘What a disaster!’
Their sole combatant self-destructing to the black mage's ploy.
Topin reeled at the unfolding worst-case scenario.
A classic case of fiery temper backfiring for flame wielders.
“Damn it— snap out of it, Dares!!!”
Mid-tier healer Topin poured all his effort into calming Dares.
His healing mana enveloped Dares gently, but—
It scattered futilely against the raging aura consuming him.
“Step aside.”
A haughty gesture and voice pushed Topin away.
The girl in white approached Dares.
“Getting close now is dangerous!”
The hem of her robe singed in the heat from the flames.
Undeterred, she extended her arm toward Dares.
True Ancestor's mercy enveloped him.
“...!”
Dares' pupils dilated.
His body and aura rapidly relaxed.
Thud.
Dares propped himself on his staff and sank to the ground.
The flames that had even burned their master were now perfectly stabilized.
“How...?”
Topin was stunned.
The girl's power was beyond even his mid-tier healer's comprehension.
It didn't matter to the girl.
Having indifferently accomplished the feat, she indifferently turned back.
Returning to Rishir's side, Fienne snorted primly at him.
With an arrogant yet elegant smirk, she said,
“How about that. You couldn't do this with your power, could you?”
Grrr—
Rishir gave a thumbs-up in a baffling gesture.
“As expected of Fienne, our party's treasure. Not only does she refrain from harming people now, she even saves them.”
“...Are you mocking me?”
“Of course not! It's just my poor vocabulary failing to capture your greatness, leading to misunderstandings. Any words or phrases you'd like me to borrow?”
“Forget it. Just shut up.”
“You're cool. I love you. Hug me.”
Fienne turned away in disgust, but her expression twitched, not entirely displeased.
“...”
Gusra stared at the pair in a daze.
Enough said—even ashes scattered over a done meal was shocking,
but the way they did it was absurd.
“Topin...”
“Dares! You alright!?”
“Ah... I don't know what happened, but my head's clear now... Sorry to worry you...”
“What insane thing were you doing!!!”
Gusra couldn't hold back and shouted.
Again.
Again like this.
Everything was going perfectly, only for their interference to ruin it once more.
“You worm-like scum—”
The old black mage finally lost his composure.
Dark red blood poured from every orifice on his face.
The price of forcibly drawing full power despite instability from the disruption.
“...!”
And they would pay for drawing out the black mage's full strength.
Gusra abandoned his plan to achieve goals with minimal losses.
“I'll kill you all, you worms.”
Watching the entire scene from afar, Fienne said,
“Shall we get going?”
“Go?”
“What, you want to jump in there?”
Fienne glanced at Gusra and shook her head in disgust.
A black mage wielding power as grotesque as his attire.
There was no reason for Fienne to risk facing him.
Rishir felt the same.
“We've done enough. More than enough, really. Even if we seized the carriage in this gap, they couldn't complain, right? Isn't that so, Rona?”
“Y-yeah!? Yeah... I think the same. Here— we should probably leave.”
Rona, who had been boldly masculine moments ago, spoke in a more demure tone.
“You guys... crime runs in your veins... Your mindset's so different from ours...”
“That's not what you should say!”
“...Kidding— I get what Fienne means.”
They'd already helped plenty.
No need to suffer losses aiding them further.
Rishir understood rationally.
Yet why?
Why couldn't he abandon them despite knowing?
Dedication and sacrifice?
Heroic personality?
No. Different.
‘Any real risk to take...?’
His power's intuition told him:
No reason to avoid that black mage.
Like avoiding an ant.
“Haa.”
Fienne sighed at Rishir's demeanor.
“I know what you're thinking. With your power, it might work out somehow— vague thoughts like that, right? Let me ask: you know that's different from this, don't you?”
This?
Rona's face twisted in humiliation.
But no retort, just bitter resignation.
“Fienne, even so, Rona wasn't that hideous.”
“I... didn't say that... Wait, was I hideous...?”
“What do I do with this guy? Please, show a shred of seriousness?”
Fienne said that, but inwardly understood Rishir's reaction.
Like him, the black mage felt insignificant.
Hated to admit it— but thanks to the man beside her.
Couldn't define it precisely, but—
With that kind of power, she couldn't picture him suffering humiliation.
Just look at what happened earlier.
‘What was that?’
Disrupting a black mage's magic with a single coin.
Fienne no longer feared or revered Rishir's power.
Just absurd.
“So. What do you want to do?”
Fienne asked Rishir, still lost in thought.
“I get that you're worried about me, Fienne. Honestly, kinda touched.”
“I-I never worried!?”
“So let's do this.”
“I'm telling you upfront! I'm not helping, so don't expect it.”
“I wouldn't drag you in. I don't want you hurt because of me.”
Fienne's pursed lips twitched upward.
“I won't help... but if you beg desperately...”
Mumble mumble.
Rishir, head bowed, missed Fienne's mutterings as he headed to the carriage.
“UHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
A grotesque sound between scream and laughter burst from Gusra's mouth.
“As expected of Durayeg! So hot! Burning! But!”
The flames consuming the old man's body subsided.
His melted skin regenerated anew.
Smooth, supple skin. Back to the maid girl—Damin's form—Gusra spoke.
“Still too green. All too green! If you thought those flames could burn away this old man, big mistake!”
Urk—
Dares and Topin gasped raggedly.
“Dares. You holding up?”
“Honestly— nearing my limit.”
“Damn—”
They knew the black mage was no ordinary foe.
But to think late 5th circle, eyeing 6th.
As combat dragged, defeat loomed; they now fully grasped it.
Tsk.
Gusra eyed Dares and licked his lips.
“Such a pity! What a waste! To shatter such a fine vessel with my own hands!”
“What... did you do to Damin? Todina's maid?”
“Dares. Even now, worrying about such a worthless wench? Touching. No need to fret—she's my precious doll, dutifully handling other tasks. And for the record, your fiancée Todina will undergo the same. Body and soul devoured by my power, reduced to a shell.”
“...”
“Time to end this. Can't have that vile thing touching my Todina longer.”
“You dare with that filthy mouth—”
“Kekeke. Come, young mage. Reclaim your lover!”
The black mage drew power once more.
The mage and healer reluctantly squeezed out their last reserves.
As the final clash began—
“Dares!”
Their eyes turned to the carriage.
While they fought,
Rishir retrieved the coin from Todina and infused it with his power.
...Instantly intuiting the professional act called enchantment.
“...!”
Gusra shuddered at the coin in Rishir's hand.
‘Definite! That's— a holy relic!!!’
His vile power recoiled violently from the coin's aura.
Destroy it!
“Take this! Might help!”
The coin left Rishir's hand.
“Not so fast!!!”
Then.
Gusra's arm bubbled and boiled, elongating endlessly.
Snatching the coin mid-air.
Then, explosion in his grasp.
The coin's power clashed with Gusra's, shockwave sweeping around.
All in an instant.
“Hah— hah— hah—”
Gusra's elongated arm.
Half his face.
Melting like mud.
Yet he smirked in victory.
“Your cursed luck ends here.”
Destroying the relic brought Gusra immense fatigue.
Far beyond battle weariness.
But fine.
Nothing left to hinder him.
Dares and Topin, grasping late, despaired.
Gusra savored it, but no leisure to bask.
His own limits approached.
“Enough of you pests.”
The black mage advanced chillingly.
“Uh... wait!”
That bastard's voice interrupting again.
“Got one more! Take it!”
“?”
Casual, like pulling a mundane coin from his pocket.
Gusra doubted his ears; soon, despair colored his face.