Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Shadow of the God: Creighton Lukebart (6)
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The desert located at the foot of the treacherous mountain range.
Creighton, standing in the barren plain devastated by magic, gazed at the lush mountains where dust was beginning to rise.
Atop the steep ridgeline.
From there, countless magical beasts were pouring down toward the ground.
Rumble rumble rumble—.
As an uncountable horde of magical beasts moved in unison, the thunderous roar they produced echoed across the entire mountain range.
Was this a precaution against interference from the Magic Corps before the job was finished?
Their numbers seemed far greater than what Creighton and the Magic Corps had faced just moments ago.
"Quite the black mage's finishing touch."
Whoosh—.
Creighton raised his staff, to which his grimoire was bound.
Boom!
From the direction his hand extended, sharp thorns erupted, piercing the enemy.
Creighton's magic had finished off the black mage that Austin had failed to dispatch.
"Cr, Creighton, sir..."
Austin, staring at the black mage impaled on the thorns, turned his head with a trembling voice.
His expression seemed to reproach himself for his mistake.
It was a face that suited the earnest holy knight well.
Creighton, watching Austin like that, soon waved his hand dismissively and spoke to him.
"You seem a bit short on experience, but your skills aren't bad at all."
"...I'm sorry. I made a novice mistake."
Swish—.
Was he taking Creighton's words as a rebuke?
Austin immediately bowed his head toward Creighton.
However, Creighton let out a light chuckle and continued speaking to Austin.
"I'll assign someone to you."
"...Pardon?"
"I'll hold them off, so keep pursuing the bastards."
Creighton's gaze, as he issued the pursuit order, fell on Austin's armor.
As far as he knew, the defensive gear blessed in the Holy City outperformed most magic tools.
Sword. Shield. And armor—
Items that couldn't be bought no matter how much money one paid were given to holy knights affiliated with the Church.
And Creighton was well aware that such items were particularly effective against black mages.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone else who can plug this gap but me. Don't you think so?"
That was why Creighton decided to send Austin ahead in his place.
After all, there was no one else present who could block that horde of monsters.
Understanding Creighton's decision, perhaps.
Austin nodded to him with eyes seemingly filled with emotion.
"To give me a chance to make up for my mistake..."
His voice, laced with moisture, rang out.
Creighton looked toward the mountains while listening to it.
"You're good at sensing things. Even if something dangerous happens, I believe you'll handle it somehow."
"..."
"I trust you, Sir Austin. So, it would be better if you pursue them first rather than me."
Rumble rumble—.
The number of magical beasts descending toward the ground was far from small.
Now was the time to test the performance of the reinforced 'Iron Wall.'
"Thank you! Sir Creighton!"
Clank—.
Hearing Creighton's order, Austin sheathed the sword he had drawn.
Then, he expressed his respects toward Creighton, who would now block the horde of beasts.
Confirming Austin's demeanor, Creighton turned his back to him with a relaxed attitude.
"I'll catch up soon."
"I won't disappoint you!"
Swish.
Creighton raised his staff.
Rumble rumble rumble—.
The ground surrounding Creighton began to tremble.
"Well then, let's see what the Veil of Truth's lackeys are capable of."
Creighton Lukebart.
The moment the Iron Wall mage stepped up to block the horde.
* * * * * *
One of the Five Candles, the highest-ranking executives of the Veil of Truth.
The Black Candle—Lionel was currently overseeing the work in a secluded mountain in the border region.
The ritual to summon a being from the outside world, conducted by Doctor Begerton Antares of the Extremist Magic Research Society.
It was to thoroughly manage and supervise the altar prepared for him.
"You useless dwarf bastard, can't even do the job I assigned properly!"
And now, before such a Lionel stood a dwarf covered head to toe in bruises.
Tuga, or was it Tung? Lionel couldn't even properly remember his name.
Thud, smack—!
Lionel's kicks repeatedly struck the dwarf in front of him.
The dwarf could only curl up, screaming loudly to protect his body.
"Aaack, aaah...!"
"Do you know how important this altar is? And you still haven't finished it!"
Lionel's enraged leg continued to beat the dwarf.
The altar to attract the attention of a being from outside the world.
That was the reason it still wasn't properly completed.
Thud!
Kicked by Lionel's leg, the dwarf flew far away and tumbled across the ground.
However, Lionel relentlessly approached the dwarf.
"Did you think a being from outside the world has no eyes just because it's from beyond? I prepared the sacrifices with great care, and this so-called craftsman makes something like this—!"
"Kwaaack! Sp, spare me...! I just did as I was told..."
"When did I ever tell you to make it like this!"
Crunch—.
Lionel's foot, in fury, stomped on the dwarf's head.
The ritual about to commence was one tied to the fate of the Veil of Truth and Lionel's own destiny.
Not even a single blemish could be tolerated.
If this failed, all the risks Lionel had shouldered would come back to haunt him.
To Lionel, this was a gamble of a lifetime.
It had to become the stepping stone for his ascent.
"Shut up! You useless thing!"
"Ughhh..."
Lionel's reddened eyes glared down at the dwarf.
The humiliation he had suffered at the hands of the Church long ago vividly resurfaced in his mind.
"Do you even know what this ritual means to us!"
He wanted to grow strong.
He wanted to get revenge on this world that had etched misfortune into his life, no matter what.
Power, authority, wealth.
He wanted to seize it all and reign supreme over this world.
There was only one way to achieve that.
—The Heptagon.
To ascend to the ranks of the great transcendents who would etch their names into the continent's history.
For that, Lionel had offered countless sacrifices until now.
And this ritual was merely another step forward, one built on those offerings.
"Answer me, dwarf Toga—!"
"I, I'm... ugh... Tuga..."
"Shut that mouth! From today, your name is Toga!"
Thud!
Lionel's kick struck the dwarf once more.
Cough—!
A dry cough burst from the dwarf's mouth.
Faced with the black mage's violence, the dwarf bowed his head with a pitiful expression and spoke.
"Ugh... Y, yes..."
"I'll give you 30 minutes. Finish the altar exactly as I instructed within that time!"
Toward the dwarf, Lionel extended three fingers and commanded.
A 30-minute reprieve.
Understanding that, the dwarf's complexion darkened in an instant.
"H, how... in just 30 minutes...?"
"Every 10 minutes you exceed, I'll cut off one of your fingers."
"..."
"If you don't finish by the time all your fingers are gone, next I'll offer you as a sacrifice on the altar!"
Lionel's sharp voice boomed loudly.
The dwarf Tuga's eyes met Lionel's for a moment.
He soon bowed his head deeply with a despairing face.
The next 30 minutes—
That time would determine Tuga's very life.
"I, I'll do it..."
Staggering, Tuga rose to his feet.
Hoo—.
A heavy sigh escaped Tuga's mouth.
"Move faster, dwarf! Exceed the time limit, and today will be your last!"
"Yes!"
Tuga, having stood up, began to move.
He searched for his hammer and saw, for the 30 minutes that might be the end of his life.
And Lionel, grimoire in hand, watched Tuga with dissatisfied eyes.
"Tsk—. A race born to be slaves, yet oblivious to their master's heart."
Black mage, Lionel.
Clear desire burned in his eyes.
* * * * * *
Holy knight, Austin Rainer.
He was currently carving through the middle of a rugged mountain path teeming with black mages.
Huff, huff huff—.
Rough breaths burst from Austin's mouth.
Perhaps because he had pursued the black mages so urgently.
The mages of the Magic Corps who had chased the black mages alongside Austin had, at some point, scattered in all directions to continue the battle.
"..."
And Austin, who had infiltrated the enemies' base, was swinging the sword in his hand with a busy expression.
Slash, slash—!
As Austin's sword cleaved a black mage in two, a faint light spread from his fingertips.
The blessing received from the Guide overlooking the earth—
The light imprinted when he was baptized as a holy knight began to infuse vitality into his entire body.
The stamina squeezed from the depths of his body returned, and Austin's steps moved forward once more.
"Haa, ha... No matter how many I kill, they never end..."
At some point, sweat-soaked and hair disheveled, Austin looked around and opened his mouth.
Perhaps because it was a fairly large group of black mages.
From the place they arrived chasing the fleeing wagons, Austin and the mages had to face a great number of foes.
In that process, several Magic Corps mages had fallen victim to traps.
Yet Austin and the mages hadn't stopped advancing because the black mages here exuded an unusual aura.
"Hurry... Before Sir Creighton arrives, I need to investigate as much as possible somehow..."
Drag drag—.
Amid the bloodied sword tip lightly scraping the ground.
Austin's footsteps waded through the fallen black mages.
Step, step—.
The holy knight Austin's footsteps echoed among the dead black mages.
The doubt lingering in Austin's heart.
To resolve it, he had to continue the investigation here somehow.
"No matter how I think about it... something's off."
Why had the black mages here attacked the Magic Corps?
It was a question that had lingered in Austin's heart even before leaving the city.
His intuition told him that the black mages before him were definitely not the culprits behind the recent incident.
Yet they had raided the site.
The reason they had occupied that place, risking considerable danger.
Holy knight Austin wanted to know that reason.
"At the very least, these guys aren't the culprits. That's for sure."
With a complicated expression, Austin reached out toward the crates the black mages had been moving.
Swish, swish—.
Austin's hand began rifling through the papers stuffed inside the crate one by one.
Creighton had told him that the enemies were erasing traces when they clashed with the Magic Corps.
However, Austin thought the possibility was low.
Even if black mages were enemies of the empire, clashing directly with the Magic Corps under the emperor's command carried no small risk.
"This... no. Not this either. These records... ugh, they've written all sorts of nonsense."
Rustle, rustle—.
Austin's hand sifted through the documents in the crate one by one.
Having already given up once and fled, what reason would they have to return, risking exposure?
Especially to retrieve documents they already possessed.
No matter how one looked at it, it wasn't a rational choice.
Even for extreme black mages, there was no need to go that far with security.
"The documents here are all duds. So, were the ones in the other cart the real deal?"
Rather, it was more reasonable to think they returned to obtain something they hadn't gotten.
Swish, swish—.
Austin's hand moved toward another cart nearby.
A cart pulled by grotesquely shaped magical beasts under control.
That cart was filled with what appeared to be records written by the black mages on-site.
His scarred, rough palm rummaged through that cart.
"..."
While Austin busily examined the documents like that.
Swish—.
One document caught Austin's eye.
A messy document with no title written on it.
Austin's eyes quickly scanned its contents.
"This is..."
A familiar name appeared in Austin's vision.
Doctor, Begerton Antares.
Information on the Magic Research Society's wanted criminal was written in the documents.
And below that criminal's name, the on-site information investigated by the black mages was recorded in detail.
Rustle—.
Austin's eyes read through the document carefully.
And soon, Austin grimaced and opened his mouth.
"Madman Begerton..."
Begerton Antares.
Magic Research Society.
Black magic.
Dangerous ritual.
As several keywords came to mind, Austin's intuition rang alarm bells.
Grit—.
Clenching his teeth, Austin wiped the bloodstains from his body onto his hand.
Then, using the blood, he began writing a prophecy on the document in his hand.
"So this is what the oracle meant!"
His hand trembled roughly as he wrote the words.
His intuition was warning him.
He had seen something dangerous.
And something even more dangerous was about to unfold here.
"This can't be, a dangerous ritual! I have to stop it somehow right now...!"
Holy knight, Austin Rainer.
He felt a greater fear echoing in his heart than anything he had sensed before.
Nevertheless, he understood the need to move first, even alone.
He had to take one more step forward.
That was the role of a holy knight as he knew it.