Chapter 55
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55
After speaking, Melju raised her head and stared intently at Swallow’s face.
Her expression was full of anticipation, clearly hoping for a surprised reaction. But since Swallow already knew the truth, he had no reason to be.
Ignoring Melju’s slightly dejected look, Swallow muttered to himself.
“…I figured as much.”
“Hm? You figured? Did you already know, Lord Swallow?”
“Yeah, I was looking into it myself. More importantly, Melju, how did Bathory find out?”
“Sir Bathory explained it to me. She said she could see a path of advancement within the anomalies.”
Beginning with, “I shall explain it to you in detail!” Melju launched into a lengthy explanation.
She spoke of the humans disappearing near the Astrisha Forest, the various unanswered questions, and the fact that the advance was aimed squarely at Hastin.
Bathory’s conclusion was merely a deduction, not a certainty, but given the circumstances, it was likely accurate.
Swallow’s expression remained unchanged throughout her explanation.
“…And Sir Bathory said this. That the one behind all of this is likely…”
Melju’s final words were the name Swallow had been considering.
“Erebos.”
“…”
He was certainly the most likely candidate. The vast majority of undead on the continent were under Erebos’s command.
“If this is Erebos’s doing, I don’t understand why he’s operating in another Great Evil Cave’s territory.”
“His reasons don’t matter.”
What mattered was the answer to a single question: Is Erebos responsible?
If Erebos was the one who had caused all this trouble, Swallow would simply crush him so thoroughly that he would never dare to look this way again.
“I need to find him.”
Locating Erebos was the top priority. He was one of the more cautious Great Evil Cave bosses, so he was almost certainly observing the situation from a safe distance.
“Um, Lord Swallow. I have a thought about that.”
As if reading his mind, Melju poked his arm with her finger.
“What is it?”
“When undead attack a village, they usually just overwhelm it with numbers, don’t they? They might use different tactics for a fortified territory, of course, but Hastin is hardly what I’d call fortified.”
“True.”
The town had been peaceful for decades. Moss grew in the shadows of its walls; it was the very opposite of fortified.
“So, I was wondering why they chose to infiltrate it from within. And beyond that, I’m also curious about the specific method they’re using to encroach on the town. In my opinion…”
Melju trailed off, her eyes darting around. Only after confirming no one was nearby did she pull out the staff hidden on her person.
Lower-tier magic: 〈Mana Detection〉.
She struck the staff against the ground. A faint ripple spread out from the point of impact, rapidly reading the surrounding mana.
“…Unless it’s a special region called a ‘Mana Spring,’ mana flows in every direction through the ground across most of the continent.”
Fine particles of blue magical dust swirled around her as she continued in a serious tone.
“And right now, the mana flowing beneath this town is being twisted into several strands, all heading in one direction.”
“You mean someone deliberately changed its flow?”
“Yes, that’s what I think. And it was done by someone exceptionally skilled. If an amateur had tampered with it, they would have bent more mana than necessary, causing obvious anomalies. But this was done so precisely that an ordinary human mage wouldn’t even notice. Only the exact amount of mana needed was redirected.”
A common mage would never have noticed if it weren't for a capable Demon King like me, Melju thought triumphantly. The ample chest of her ‘mature version’ puffed out proudly, but to Swallow, who knew the truth, it looked like nothing more than a childish boast.
“Ah, how impressive.”
“Ugh, there’s no sincerity in your praise, Lord Swallow… Fine! Anyway, the problem is figuring out why the ley lines were twisted like this.”
After saying this, Melju cleared her throat. As if she had more to show him, she suddenly grabbed Swallow’s hand.
Startled, Swallow let out a small, confused “Huh?” but allowed her to lead him. They stopped on the roof of a building far from the castle gate, where Melju stood on her tiptoes and surveyed the scenery below.
It wasn’t a particularly high vantage point, but most of Hastin was visible. As if confirming her prediction, she spoke in a highly excited voice.
“Look. I was right.”
As she spoke, she placed a magical veil over Swallow’s eyes.
Only then could he see what Melju saw. He stared down at Hastin in silence, his expression twisting slightly.
The town was surrounded by circular castle walls.
A thick ring of mana encircled those walls, and from it, countless paths of mana were drawn inward.
When connected, they formed a magic circle.
The mana of the earth flowing beneath Hastin had turned the town itself into one giant magic circle.
In that moment, every doubt solidified into certainty.
Hadn’t Melju just said, “A common mage would never have noticed if it weren't for a capable Demon King like me”? If so, the caster of this magic was undoubtedly someone who wielded magic far superior to a Demon King.
Though Melju hadn’t said it directly, there was only one such being among the undead.
Erebos.
“Then the ones reeking of undeath in the Lord’s Castle, and that cult leader spouting his nonsense…”
“They’re all likely Erebos’s subordinates.”
Swallow fell silent. Several dozen seconds passed before he spoke again, with Melju waiting patiently beside him.
“Melju, can you find out where the person who deployed this magic circle is right now?”
“There’s no certain way. However, for a massive magic circle like this, it’s common to use a method that continuously maintains the flow of the ley lines.”
It was a device to prevent interference. Because the direction was constantly maintained, even if someone cut off part of the flow, it would immediately revert to the direction intended by the user.
“If it’s being maintained… that means the user is nearby.”
“They could be, but not necessarily. There’s also a method that uses a medium to steadily maintain the mana’s direction. Ah, yes, it’s easier to think of it as the same principle as a ‘Teleportation Hub.’ I suspect it’s the latter. What do you think?”
“You’re probably right.”
Along with Bathory, Erebos was the most cautious of the Great Evil Cave bosses. If he was behind this incident, he would definitely be playing it safe. If he didn't have to be here in person, he wouldn't be.
Watching the pensive Swallow, Melju added, “This is just my guess, but a magic circle large enough to surround Hastin would require crystals containing a vast amount of mana to support it. You wouldn’t drive such a massive concentration of mana into the ground unless you intended to twist the ley lines. Therefore…”
Melju turned her head. Following her gaze, a single large building came into view.
The Lord’s Castle.
It was the only place in the territory where such a medium could be easily hidden and was sufficiently high above the ground.
“Of course, nothing is certain. This is all just guesswork.”
“It’s enough.”
He meant it.
He didn’t know what kind of scheme the undead bastards were cooking up, but if he tore down everything they were building, someone was bound to show up.
The best way to deal with schemers lurking in the shadows was to drag them out and make them beg for their lives. Not that he had any intention of showing mercy, even if they begged.
“Patrick should be over there anyway… Melju, you don’t have anything urgent to do, do you?”
“Of course not! Didn’t I say I came because I missed you, Lord Swallow?”
“Then come with me to the castle.”
He’d worry about the consequences later.
In the dead of night, Swallow let out a low laugh, a hint of madness lacing the sound.
He muttered, “It’s about time I replaced one of the Great Evil Caves anyway.”
Phase. 7
On the outskirts of Hastin, countless crows circled over a pit of corpses.
After looping through the air several times, the creatures perched atop the heap of bodies. Soon, their cawing blended into a bizarre, dismal chorus.
In contrast, the hooting of owls that usually filled the night was nowhere to be heard.
The crows on the corpses were all gaunt and festering, only half the size of normal birds. Even their black feathers were withered and unsightly.
Clutched in their cracked beaks were the fluid-drenched eyeballs of owls.
Living corpse birds, undead known as Monster Birds.
The flock cawed incessantly, a sound of desperate searching. Soon, as if in answer, a lone figure approached from the distance.
Though it had a human shape, it was just as dead as the birds.
It was the bishop of the pseudo-religion that had taken root in the shadows of Hastin.
A Lich disguised as that bishop.
Once a ‘Fallen Sage’ who had gained infamy across the continent, he was now the gatekeeper of the Great Evil Cave ‘Where Corpses Die,’ serving the Lord of the Dead from the closest proximity.
The Lich, ‘Simon Magus.’
Simon reached out his hand. Below his wrist, the flesh that had mimicked skin reverted to its true form.
His hideous hand had long since rotted away completely.
A Monster Bird flew over on gaunt wings and pecked at his palm.
Following it, dozens more gathered before Simon. As if by agreement, they began to peck at one another.
Black, viscous liquid burst forth, stretching and entangling them all. The intricately intertwined Monster Birds coalesced into a single, grotesque silhouette—a writhing, shapeless mass.
Simon Magus spoke in a low voice to the dark figure.
“Lord Erebos… Sovereign of all the dead.”
〈Is it Simon Magus?〉
A dismal voice echoed from the writhing form. Though he knew it was merely a means of communication, Simon bowed his head deeply in respect.
“I offer my final report before my Lord arrives in Hastin.”
〈I shall not forget the hardships you have endured.〉
“I have merely fulfilled my assigned mission, knowing it is for the Great Work.”
Simon bowed his head once more. Erebos’s voice followed.
〈I heard you have something to report.〉
“...There was one intruder not in the plan.”
Simon answered half a beat late. The voice came immediately from the black silhouette.
〈I just received a similar report from Uhomel. Was the intruder you encountered also clad in armor, radiating the energy of the dead?〉
“He did not radiate the energy of the dead, but he was one who contained darkness. He was not wearing armor.”
〈One who contains darkness.〉
Erebos repeated Simon’s words. This time, a long moment passed before the voice emerged again.
〈Always be wary of variables.〉
The response was heavy.
〈Before the Great Work, remember that one can never be too cautious.〉
“I have no excuse for failing to smoothly handle the task you entrusted to me for the Great Work.”
The Great Work.
These actions to consume Hastin were the first step toward making the Empire the domain of the undead. It was indeed worthy of being called a Great Work.
〈Uhomel has requested reinforcements in case of an emergency.〉
Uhomel was the one tasked with controlling the human Lord from behind the scenes, a powerhouse who oversaw the undead of the Ramares River basin.
“…May I ask whom you have sent?”
〈I have sent Masham to guard the dungeon.〉
The dungeon was where they were preparing the ‘Second Host.’ Masham was also one of the top powerhouses under Erebos’s command, so there was no need for concern.
〈Do you also require reinforcements for the intruder?〉 Erebos asked.
After a moment of thought, Simon answered, “…If I require reinforcements later, I shall ask for them then.”
〈I shall leave it to your judgment.〉
Simon bowed his head in respect once more. When Erebos asked if there were any other matters of note, Simon replied that everything was proceeding smoothly. The followers’ spiritual dependence was at its peak. With the entire territory in crisis, it was the perfect moment to ‘swallow the village whole.’
As the message concluded, the writhing silhouette began to fluctuate again. Simon remained in place, watching until the very end.
Soon, the black, viscous liquid dripped to the ground, and the Monster Birds that had been grotesquely entangled began to spread their wings, one by one.