Chapter 164
Chapter 164
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Plague Investigation (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After chasing away the two high-class knights, Demian headed deeper into the eastern region.
“Do we really need to investigate another village? We just have to hunt down the undead.”
Athena asked as she followed behind him. It was a perfectly valid question. The two of them had come to exterminate undead, not to resolve a plague.
“There’s something I need to check.”
However, when Demian had seen the plague-ridden corpses in the castle, he’d sensed a familiar energy.
The problem was that it had been too faint for him to identify exactly what it was.
That was why Demian had set out to investigate, to confirm his suspicions.
“Hey, Demian! There’s a village up ahead!”
Athena pointed straight in front of them. Demian checked the map. It seemed to be the village Viscount Barer had mentioned.
The two entered the village.
It was fairly large, but there were no signs of life.
Just as Viscount Barer had said, the people had all evacuated.
In the center of the village was a massive pit. The two approached it.
“……That’s gruesome.”
The moment she peered inside the pit, Athena muttered under her breath.
The pit was filled with plague-stricken corpses piled high. All of them had died with agonized expressions on their faces.
“The castle was supposed to be better off…… Looks like that was true.”
Perhaps tormented by the stench of rotting flesh, Athena covered her nose with her sleeve.
Demian silently observed the corpses.
Athena might not see it, but Demian could tell.
Black mana was emanating from the corpses.
‘So the energy I sensed was black mana.’
This wasn’t a normal plague. It had been artificially created by a black mage.
A plague with such high transmissibility and mortality wasn’t something that could be made easily.
Even if several black mages from the Venom School pooled their power, it would take over a decade—and even then, success wasn’t guaranteed.
‘There’s only one reason black mages would carry out a massacre on this scale……’
When black mages needed large quantities of black mana, they would orchestrate horrors like this.
Black mana could only be produced when souls suffered.
‘Disgusting bastards.’
They’d killed all these people just to harvest black mana.
And the people weren’t even freed from their suffering in death. Their souls were captured by the black mages and tormented until they disintegrated.
‘You really shouldn’t be allowed to live.’
Demian quietly swallowed his rage as he gazed at a child’s corpse.
That was when it happened.
A massive surge of black mana erupted from somewhere. Demian and Athena turned toward the source.
Black mana was billowing like a storm from a distant forest.
“Athena!”
“Got it!”
The two raced toward the source of the black mana. But by the time they arrived, it was already too late.
There were no undead in sight—only knights.
Faces Demian and Athena recognized: Olfys and Valet, the ones who’d been beaten and driven out of the castle by Demian.
“Y-You!”
Olfys spotted Demian and pointed at him, shouting.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here! Perfect! I challenge you to a duel!”
Olfys gripped his sword hilt and yelled. But Demian had no time to waste on Olfys.
Demian could sense faint traces of black mana coming from the two.
Not just them. The other knights reeked of it too.
“Who were you with?”
“Shut up and draw your weapon! This time I won’t let my guard down like last time……”
“Answer me! Who were you with? Someone must have approached you!”
Demian bellowed.
The black mana clinging to them was completely different from what he’d sensed in the plague victims.
It was far denser, more sinister. It even carried a faint scent of burning.
As far as Demian knew, no ordinary black mage could possess black mana like this.
A Grand Black Mage.
Only those transcendents possessed this aura.
“There was a young man who located the undead……”
Startled by Demian’s shout, Olfys replied with a sullen expression.
“Where is he?”
“He vanished suddenly. I don’t know.”
Demian’s brows furrowed sharply. The situation had turned urgent in an instant.
‘They were already targeting Fenrir.’
The black mage had likely informed the knights of Fenrir’s location to turn it into a true undead.
Undead were completed through hatred. But Fenrir was still too docile.
So the black mage had the knights attack Fenrir, to instill hatred toward them.
‘Judging by those two being unharmed, the plan failed.’
The messy scene suggested the knights had fought Fenrir with everything they had.
Yet Fenrir hadn’t attacked them—it had chosen to flee.
What would the black mage think upon seeing that?
‘He’s given up on completing it and plans to capture it alive instead.’
No matter how strong Fenrir was, it couldn’t challenge a Grand Black Mage.
It wouldn’t even put up a fight before being subdued in seconds.
‘I have to catch him before he takes Fenrir alive.’
If the black mage captured Fenrir and left the area, tracking him down would be a nightmare.
Demian amplified his senses to follow the trail of black mana. He could feel it faintly continuing onward.
Just as Demian turned to pursue it, Olfys and Valet blocked his path.
“Where do you think you’re going? We have unfinished business!”
“You think we’ll just let you leave?”
Demian looked at them with a weary expression.
He didn’t have time to deal with them now. He needed to chase the black mage as quickly as possible.
“You seem in a hurry.”
Athena spoke to Demian.
“Is there a reason you need to find the undead fast?”
“Yeah, I can’t afford to waste time.”
At those words, Athena drew her spear.
“Then go on ahead. I’ll handle these guys.”
Demian looked at her in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to be this cooperative.
With Athena’s skills, there was no need to worry. Demian decided to leave it all to her.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
Demian left Athena behind and pursued the black mana.
“You bastard! Where are you going!”
“Stop right there!”
The two knights tried to chase Demian. In that instant, Athena unleashed her lightning force.
A flash of lightning, and Athena appeared before the knights. She slammed her spear into the ground.
A bolt struck from the sky, shattering the earth with a deafening boom. The knights recoiled in shock.
“You’re not going any further.”
Athena pulled her spear from the ground.
“Demian trusted me with this. I can’t betray that.”
The two knights glared at her.
“Insolent wench…… You think you can take on both of us alone?”
“Even as the Mercenary King’s daughter, that’s pure arrogance!”
At their words, Athena sighed wearily.
“I’ve seen it before. Types like you who look down on others without ever facing true hardship.”
Athena unleashed her lightning force again. White currents enveloped her body.
The overwhelming pressure left the knights pale.
“After today, you’ll crawl on the ground at the mere mention of the Fafnir Mercenary Group.”
* * *
Mongchi came to a stop far away.
Its body was covered in wounds. Black mana leaked thickly from the gashes.
“Kiiing…….”
Mongchi licked its wounds, writhing in pain. Wounds from that haze-like attack didn’t regenerate quickly. It would take time.
“Kiiing…… Kiiing…….”
Mongchi lay on the ground, groaning as it waited for the pain to subside.
Owner…… It hurts…… Hurts so much……
Whenever it hurt like this, its owner would hug it tight with both arms. Feeling that warmth made the pain fade.
Owner……
That was when it happened.
The scent of its owner wafted in again. Mongchi jolted upright in surprise.
Owner? Is that you, Owner?
Mongchi turned toward the scent. But the person there wasn’t its owner.
It was a different human male.
“To move this far in such a short time. You really are something.”
The human male smiled broadly at Mongchi.
Mongchi could at least recognize that the human was smiling.
But for some reason, it felt ominous despite the smile.
“And your wounds are already regenerating? Definitely not your average undead. His Excellency will be pleased.”
Mongchi had no idea what the human male was saying.
Even if it had understood, it wouldn’t have cared.
Mongchi’s gaze was fixed on something behind the human male.
-Aaaagh! Stop! Stooop!
-It hurts! Hurts! Huurts!
-Please! Spare me! Please! Pleeease!
Thousands of souls were bound in black chains, writhing in agony.
They screamed in torment, begging to be killed.
Mongchi’s eyes locked on one soul in particular.
-…….
Was that even a soul?
Unlike the others, its form was indistinct. It looked like a clump of ash.
No facial features, not even a clear head.
Yet Mongchi recognized it. The scent told it everything.
Owner!
Overjoyed, Mongchi wagged its tail furiously.
Owner! I missed you!
But the owner didn’t respond. It simply floated in the air.
“What are you looking at? This, perhaps?”
The male yanked one of the black chains. The floating owner was dragged toward him.
“Oh dear…… The soul’s disintegrated, leaving just the husk. This is why I hate kids’ souls. They don’t last.”
The human male swatted at the owner with his hand. The owner’s body began crumbling into dust.
As the body dispersed, the scent faded. Soon, there was no scent at all.
……Owner?
Mongchi stared blankly at the scene. Toward Mongchi, the human male said brightly,
“There, all done. Thanks to you, I found the trash quick. Now there’s an open spot for a new soul…….”
Black mana erupted from Mongchi’s body.
The shockwave cracked the earth. Surrounding trees shattered to pieces. Clouds above tore apart.
Owner.
People always said Mongchi looked dumb.
Mongchi agreed. It knew nothing. It was a stupid idiot who didn’t even understand why its owner suffered.
Owner.
Even so, it knew what had happened to its owner.
My owner.
That man had killed its owner. Not content with that, he’d tormented it to the end. Erased it without a trace.
My precious owner.
It would never see its owner again. Because of that man. He’d taken it away! Stolen its owner from it! Its owner!
In that moment, the undead completed itself. It established its reason for being.
Kill.
Kill the man who tormented its owner.
Rip apart the man who stole its owner from it.
Mongchi threw its head back and let out a howl.