Episode 1014
Episode 1014
"Then let's proceed. Pengerin and Wardanaz, please provide support if the magic deviates from calculations."
"Understood."
The mages began preparations to completely remove the disguised veil hidden deep within the underground sewers.
Even now, more than a third of it had already been peeled away, and the energy of the dimension encroaching upon reality was seeping out. But now that the expedition team was fully prepared, it was time to fully reveal its form.
"Awaken, reveal yourself!"
"Activate!"
Crreeak!
Lee Han recalled his visit last year to the area where the Frost Giant King had descended.
The phenomenon where reality warped bizarrely under laws that should never have existed.
The sight below this area was exactly that.
"Gasp...!"
"It's far more gruesome than I expected."
The expedition team murmured in shock.
While the appearance of another dimension would naturally be unfamiliar and alien to the continent's races, even accounting for that, the sight before them was far from ordinary.
Dense spiderwebs thick enough to obscure their vision, and pools of acidic liquid gathered throughout the passage.
Where clean water should have flowed, acidic liquid now ran, emitting the sound of dissolving rock. It was immediately clear what kind of dimension this monster had come from.
"Are you alri—"
An expedition member, about to ask if they were okay, was startled to find Lee Han suddenly gone from beside them.
Turning their head, they saw Lee Han had already walked up to the acidic pool with Alsicle.
"Can this be detoxified?"
"Hmm. It might take some time. Rather than detoxifying it, it might be better to just avoid it. Hey! Why are you dipping your finger in and tasting it?!"
"Ah, I just wanted to check the toxicity level. It's fine."
'Now I understand why Archmage Erindarbel sent him along!'
The expedition member shuddered inwardly at the sight of such chilling words and actions.
Truly, the judgment of a grand archmage was never wrong.
The magic criminal Kitarenanum surveyed the assembled individuals with disdain, sneering inwardly.
'Just a gathering of worthless outcasts abandoned by the Empire.'
One might wonder how a magic criminal could say such a thing, but strictly speaking, he wasn't wrong.
Those gathered here were indeed deserving of such contempt.
The elf on the left was an Evil God Worshipper. Their face, including their eyes, was tightly wrapped in bandages, and the exposed skin bore blasphemous sigils so vile even a magic criminal would grimace.
The giant-blooded hybrid on the right was a Separatist. This warrior, who dreamed of leading giants out of the Empire to establish a kingdom ruling over countless enslaved races, had a bounty large enough to buy an entire castle.
The mage at the front was someone Kitarenanum truly wanted nothing to do with.
Among magic criminals, they were the most aberrant and terrifying—apocalypticists.
Madmen who, having gone insane on the path of magic, sought to bring about the end of reality itself!
Though magic criminals were infamous in the Empire, they were merely taking more efficient shortcuts for their own goals. They couldn't even be compared to apocalypticists.
Yet Kitarenanum had no choice but to cooperate with them.
The magic criminal faction he would have normally allied with—Antagondals' faction—had suddenly collapsed.
—That must be true, right?
—Yes. Believe the words of the Duke of Wrath's chief lieutenant and foremost herald, Esadojikwa.
Kitarenanum nodded at the demon's voice whispering in his mind.
Since forming their wicked pact, the demon and the magic criminal had maintained a mutually beneficial relationship.
How long it would last was uncertain, but at least for now, there had been no major issues.
—That creature is a monster infamous even among demons. If you can capture and control it, there will be no one in this land who can defeat you.
"I don't believe it, but I'll try to believe."
Kitarenanum naturally didn't fully trust the demon's words.
Demons who made contracts with mortals never acted out of pure kindness.
But even if only a tenth of what it said was true, that was reason enough to capture this monster now.
A creature that powerful...
"No idea what the others' reasons are."
The separatist giant hybrid was probably similar to himself.
But he couldn't even begin to guess what the Evil God Worshipper or the doomsayer were thinking. And he didn't want to.
Their insane goals and plans were impossible to understand without an equal level of madness.
"Doesn't matter. Use them to capture the monster, then cut them all loose. This Esadojikwa will help you."
"I know, so stop yapping, demon friend."
At the magic criminal's insolent words, the archdemon let out a low, furious growl.
But it didn't push further. This archdemon's power wasn't fully restored yet.
"Once this Esadojikwa regains his strength and the Duke of Wrath is resurrected..."
The archdemon repeated the same old refrain.
That it would regain its power and resurrect the master it served.
Kitarenanum, of course, didn't want that.
The only reason demons and magic criminals could coexist was because they both had their own shortcomings.
"Now."
The blindfolded elf Evil God Worshipper spoke.
Crreeeak!
As the underground aqueduct before them suddenly transformed into a hostile dimension filled with spiderwebs and acidic fluid, the gathered group erupted into murmurs.
When the mercenaries—bought with money—started muttering in alarm, the giant hybrid warrior abruptly stood up. In one hand, he held a greatsword as tall as a man.
"We move. They've cleared the path."
"Shouldn't we check if it's safe first?"
"Fair point."
The giant hybrid warrior grabbed the head of a nearby mercenary and hurled him forward.
Splash!
The mercenary thrown into the waterway melted away with a scream. Despite the gruesome sight, the warrior didn't stop, tossing in more mercenaries one by one.
"Breathable. Let's go! I'll ride that beast. It'll make a far better mount than sheep."
"Y-yes... much more useful than stupid sheep."
A terrified mercenary, barely keeping his wits, forced out the flattery.
The giant hybrid warrior suddenly stopped and glared at him.
"What did you say?"
"Huh? M-much more useful than stupid sheep—"
Splash!
The warrior shoved the mercenary into the waterway, then spat out:
"How dare you insult my sheep!"
"Quiet. If others hear, things will get messy."
Kitarenanum restrained the warrior.
What he wanted was to quietly capture the monster and slip away—not draw every powerhouse in the Empire here.
"Let them come. I'll kill them all."
-Stupid beast spawn.
As the demon muttered, Kitarenanum smirked. He agreed.
"At least we're underground. No matter how loud we are, it won't leak out."
"No one will come from outside."
The Evil God Worshipper elf suddenly spoke. Kitarenanum felt somewhat relieved.
That elf boasted considerable skill in divination magic. If she said that, chances were high they wouldn't be discovered.
"We'll meet the monster."
"Even better."
"No. It's not."
"???"
The Evil God Worshipper elf suddenly turned away.
"I'm leaving. Avoiding this place is better than offering the beast to my master."
"W-what the hell is wrong with that bastard?"
As the Evil God Worshipper abruptly left, the atmosphere grew strange. The mercenaries brought by the giant hybrid warrior frowned.
"Shouldn't we kill that guy? If he leaks our location..."
"Leave her. An Evil God Worshipper wouldn't play spy. Good—one less share to split."
The warrior didn't pay much attention even though the elf had left. Instead, he was only focused on and delighted by the increased bounty.
Kitarenanum also agreed, but for some reason, he felt uneasy.
Perhaps because of that, he found himself unconsciously asking the doomsday mage beside him a question.
"What do you think?"
"About what?"
"That elf bastard."
"Ah! You mean the prophecy!"
The doomsday mage's voice was gentle and kind, which made it all the more eerie.
Kitarenanum immediately regretted asking.
"Even if things get tangled up, it shouldn't be much of a problem."
"...Why do you say that?"
"If everyone here dies, that too would be progress toward the end!"
"......"
'What a creepy spellcaster.'
The demon muttered. Kitarenanum agreed with that sentiment too.
"Monster!"
"!" 'Already?' At the shouts of the mercenaries scouting ahead, those present turned their gazes.
Surprisingly, a massive spider was staring right at them.
"Don't kill it! Capture it! I'll make it my mount!"
"Step aside."
Kitarenanum stretched out one arm and chanted a spell. Immediately, his entire arm transformed through a pre-prepared magic.
It was one of the most bizarre and grotesque applications of Transmutation Magic.
To carry magic condensed into the shape of an arm.
But the effect was undeniable. The densely concentrated magic, once unleashed, violently expanded.
A vicious binding magic from which no creature of any dimension could easily escape.
Bakwantalana's Binding!
Thud!
Dozens of layers of nets and chains materialized like shadows in the air, tightly ensnaring the spider. The mercenaries gasped.
"Whoa, did you catch it? That's amazing!"
The half-giant warrior marveled, but Kitarenanum couldn't smile.
Something felt off.
"It's... too weak."
"Huh? Ah."
The warrior, about to ask what he meant, froze on the spot.
From the opposite side of the corroded spiderweb channel in the distance, dozens more spider monsters appeared, having multiplied.
"It wasn't just one!"
"They increased their numbers in the meantime. Be careful!"
The Empire's discarded outcasts roared fiercely as they clashed with the spider horde. From beyond the channel, countless spiders surged forward like a tidal wave.
"You traveled with Professor Bagrak during vacations?"
"Yes. The professor is a very valuable client."
The expedition included knights, patrolmen, stonemasons, alchemists, and even adventurers.
And surprisingly, the adventurers from the <Wasteland Peacock> party also had ties to Professor Voladi.
They were none other than the ones the professor frequently hired during vacations.
"Were you hired as test opponents for students... Ah. Never mind. That couldn't have been it anyway."
"?"
"It's nothing. What kind of requests did he usually make?"
"That's... confidential."
The adventurers averted their eyes awkwardly. Lee Han thought to himself, 'What the hell has he been up to?' "Plundering? Theft? Robbery? Illegal duels? Bounty hunting? Wait, why do you flinch every time I mention something?"
"N-no, you're misunderstanding."
Lee Han found it even more unsettling that they startled at every word.
Surely he hadn't done all of those... right?
"Wait. There's someone up ahead."
"What? Down here in the underground?"
Alsicle, who had been summoning cold air to protect the party's breathing, paused.
The others immediately sharpened their gazes.
"If it's not a monster, it's an unwelcome guest."
"We'll prepare."
The party instantly shifted into combat stance, their fighting spirit ignited. Lee Han also stored the necessary spells before casting Enhancement Magic.
"!"
In the distance appeared an elf whose face was grotesquely wrapped in bandages. The blasphemous patterns visible on his exposed skin made Alsicle click his beak in clear distaste.
The elf abruptly spoke.
"You've met the monster."
"...?"
Lee Han instinctively turned his head back. No monster was in sight. 'How dare he try such a shallow trick!' As a student of Einrogard, falling for such a cheap deception was shameful.
No matter how large their party was, this was something to be embarrassed about. Lee Han deeply reflected on it.