Episode 1127
Episode 1127
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a spirit extortionist.
Even threatening an ordinary spirit to extort it was impressive, but to do so with a spirit like the General of Fire Heaven...
"What is it?"
Lee Han called out to Hamster in a somewhat bewildered voice.
Hamster's gaze had been making him feel oddly uncomfortable.
-Ah, no. I was just admiring how amazing it was.
"Hmm..."
Hamster broke out in a cold sweat.
He'd been so impressed by the skill of extorting spirits that he'd forgotten, but the kid's perception was getting sharper by the day.
Just how ridiculously fast was this brat growing?
Fortunately, Lee Han seemed to prioritize negotiating with the General of Fire Heaven and didn't press further.
"So you're withdrawing? When will you withdraw?"
As if it would be that easy.
The General of Fire Heaven spoke as if asking what nonsense this was.
Once a dimension overlapped with the continent, its ruler rarely withdrew willingly.
It was easier to understand if compared to Einrogard students.
If one day an unknown storage room suddenly appeared in your private dorm room, who would willingly go looking for its owner?
Even when the Frost Giant's dimension had encroached upon the school, it had taken tremendous effort to persuade them...
And their demand had been revenge, apparently.
"Revenge?"
Both Lee Han and Hamster found this to be an odd condition for a demand from another dimension's ruler.
Yes. Revenge. They said some foul-smelling creatures had attacked their subordinates.
Lee Han immediately understood what this meant.
The overlapping of dimensions meant one could cross from here to there.
It seemed someone nearby had crossed into the opposing dimension and attempted a counterattack.
'...Huh? It couldn't be Professor Bagrak, could it?'
Lee Han suddenly grew concerned.
Though they hadn't been in the village long, he worried the professor might have attempted a counterattack to resolve the issue during that time.
-Foul smell? You mean the Evil God Worshippers?
That must be it.
Hamster easily understood the General of Fire Heaven's analogy. With his experience, he knew beings from other dimensions despised Evil God Worshippers.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Lee Han nodded.
"Indeed. It could only be the Evil God Worshippers."
-?
Hamster wondered why the boy was suddenly repeating such random statements.
"...Wait, there were Evil God Worshippers around here?"
Lee Han was a beat late in his surprise.
Of course, the Empire's territory was unimaginably vast, and considering the scale of the western regions suffering from the current heatwave, it would be stranger if there weren't any Evil God Worshippers.
But given how often he'd been entangled with them recently, just hearing the name put him on edge.
Could they have been lying in wait specifically for Lee Han?
-Those Evil God Worshippers always stick their noses in whenever something like this happens. Not surprising.
Hamster said nonchalantly.
Confused people, unstable dimensions—these were all elements the Evil God Worshippers loved.
'I didn't want to get involved.'
He was already receiving more unwanted attention than he'd bargained for.
Lee Han decided it would be better to report this quickly rather than take action himself.
Hoho. Mage... You can't deny my contribution this time, can you?
The General of Fire Heaven asked in an expectant tone.
Honestly, no matter how curt a mage might be, it wasn't easy to ignore when a spirit offered its treasures in negotiation.
If they had any conscience...
"...Fine. I'll acknowledge this time—"
"Lord Wardanaz?"
"!"
Hearing Nigisor's voice from behind, Lee Han swiftly severed his connection with the General of Fire Heaven and banished the spirit back to the spirit realm.
He thought he might have heard faint curses in the distance, but Lee Han paid them no mind.
"Who were you speaking with?"
"Ah... Just Hamster here."
"......"
"No, I mean the magic hamster! Wait. Say something."
Though Lee Han shook him vigorously, Hamster stubbornly kept silent. It was his last shred of pride. Lee Han shook him harder before finally giving up.
"What's the matter?"
"Umm... I came to apologize for doubting Lord Wardanaz."
Nigisor spoke hesitantly, watching Lee Han's reaction.
He felt guilty in his conscience—despite all the times Lee Han had helped him, he hadn't trusted his friend and had doubted him instead. No matter how absurd it sounded, he should have believed him.
Glancing behind, Siana was also peeking out cautiously. Lee Han waved his hand dismissively to reassure them.
"Don't worry, I'm not angry at all. It was a pretty far-fetched story anyway."
"...Behind you! Behind you!!"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't play such childish pranks, though."
Siana stomped her feet in frustration at her friend's reaction.
Who knew a crack in their friendship would lead to this?
Dijiling, who arrived late, let out a startled scream.
"Look behind you!"
"?"
Lee Han immediately turned around. The dead-end alleyway was slowly twisting and transforming into a swirling vortex. The eerie, silent transformation sent chills down his spine—there wasn't even the slightest trace of energy emanating from it.
And from within, a group of people emerged. Their attire had no sense of uniformity whatsoever.
"......"
"......"
Juzen the vampire took the greatest pride in his family—one of the most ancient noble houses in the western Empire.
Among the Empire's races, vampire houses often boasted long histories due to their inherently exclusive nature and collective behavior.
Yet, most of those once-great western vampire houses no longer remained.
A past calamity had wiped out countless houses, scattering their surviving members.
From that moment on, the only pride Juzen had left was his second greatest—his unwavering faith in the Fair Regent.
"Sanguiros is—"
"Watch your tongue, vermin."
Juzen glared at the madman from the Ksaxarigol Cult standing beside him.
These wretched lunatics had the audacity to speak so irreverently.
Even if they lacked manners before a duke's descendant like himself, how dare they utter Sanguiros' name so carelessly?
But this deranged prophet paid no heed to Juzen's intimidation and replied:
"My apologies. Does the Fair Regent desire hearts from the Fire Giants' domain here?"
"!"
Juzen's expression darkened.
Indeed, these Ksaxarigol fanatics were not to be underestimated, even among fellow Evil God Worshippers.
Those with exceptional foresight were always this troublesome.
To already discern his intentions...
Currently, the Sanguiros Cult had suffered devastating losses. Not only was the organization in shambles, but Sanguiros himself had taken massive damage.
Rebuilding the cult and its followers was one thing, but offerings to the god were also necessary—and among the best offerings were the hearts of powerful beings from other dimensions.
Collecting Fire Giant hearts would make for a decent sacrifice.
"...Yes. You're right."
Up ahead, the mercenaries Juzen had hired snickered as they looted the Fire Giant corpses.
Since Juzen only wanted the hearts, he generously let them keep the rest. Lowly as they were, they still made useful meat shields.
"Then we should withdraw. The Fire Giants are enraged."
"......"
Juzen fell into thought.
Being ordered around was infuriating, but the madman had a point. They had slain quite a few Fire Giants—it was no surprise the creatures were furious.
They had profited well by exploiting the heatwave spreading in the west and the loosened spatial rifts. Perhaps it was time to retreat.
If the Fire Giants pursued them in their rage, that would be fine too. The Empire's people would be the ones to suffer the consequences.
"O Fair Regent! I offer this sacrifice—please look favorably upon your faithful!"
Juzen raised high a Fire Giant's heart, dripping with blood and flames.
Then Sanguiros swallowed the offering and bestowed power as an equivalent exchange.
It was a dimensional gate that even the giants, the masters of this dimension, couldn't track.
Even the mercenaries who had gathered their spoils flinched at the grotesque sight, as if frightened.
Many among the mercenaries worked with the Evil God Worshippers for money, but only a few truly stepped into the faith of an Evil God. Unless one was born with a twisted nature, believing in an Evil God wasn't easy.
"Let's go!"
Juzen, the Prophet, and the other mercenary subordinates slowly walked forward.
And then, they came face-to-face with an unfamiliar group of mages.
"......"
"......"
Cold sweat trickled down Juzen's back. The mercenaries seemed to share the sentiment, their faces pale with shock.
Killing a few mages was nothing, but there was no way mages like these would come to such a small village alone.
The likelihood of other mages, knights, or priests being nearby was high.
"I—I thought we were dead!"
One of the mercenaries shouted loudly.
"I thought we'd become lost in the dimensions!"
"Y-yeah. Where are we, anyway?"
'Not bad.'
Juzen was slightly impressed.
Even lowlifes had their own talents. Seasoned mercenaries were adept at coming up with plausible excuses on the spot.
While traveling the Empire, it wasn't uncommon to get swept into dimensional rifts and become lost between worlds. Especially now, when the gaps between dimensions had narrowed and overlapping regions had increased.
Most could return to where they came from, but some became eternal wanderers, never finding their way back.
Right now, the mercenaries were disguising themselves as survivors who had narrowly escaped death. In most cases, people wouldn't pry further.
"This is Furez Village."
"Furez Village! That's in the western Empire, right?! Thank goodness. We're alive!"
-...Something's fishy...
Hamster chirped in a way only Lee Han could hear.
There was something exaggerated about the mercenaries' behavior.
But what could it be?
Mercenaries often did shady things while on jobs, so it might have been something trivial.
Maybe they inflated their fees or stole something along the way...
"Monstermonstermonstermonstermonstermonster."
"?????"
Suddenly, the Prophet began muttering "monster" repeatedly like a malfunctioning artifact, startling not just the mercenaries but even Juzen.
"Wh-what's wrong, Mage?!"
"Meetamonsterbadmeetamonsterbad..."
"There are no giants! Looks like the shock from the giants is hitting him late. This is bad."
The mercenaries assumed the Prophet was reacting belatedly to the giants. Honestly, it was hard to think of any other reason.
"......"
Lee Han quietly sank into thought. Then, at an angle where the others couldn't see, he took out a crystal top, infused it with mana, and cast a divination.
The top stopped immediately—a warning sign of danger.
-Damn it. Are they Evil God Worshippers, or just nasty mercenaries?
Hamster frowned as he spoke.
Though he had seen Lee Han's divination, that didn't mean it gave a clear answer. The mercenaries were dangerous enough on their own.
Given the circumstances, the likelihood of them being Evil God Worshippers seemed high, but if he was wrong...
Whoosh!
In an instant, a curtain of fire spread through the air. With Nigisor's support, Lee Han immediately swung his staff and unleashed a barrage of Water Prison Bombs.
Caught off guard by the ambush from an unexpected angle, Juzen and the Evil God Worshippers of Ksaxarigol suffered severe injuries.
"An ambush! Damn it, we've been exposed!"
"This is why I said not to move with these lunatics!"
'So they are Evil God Worshippers!'
Hamster grew certain from the mercenaries' words. "Lunatics" was a term commonly used to refer to Evil God Worshippers.
-How did you figure it out?!
"Split apart, Perkuntra's—"
-...Don't tell me...
Did this bastard just attack without caring whether they were mercenaries or Evil God Worshippers?!