Episode 1155
Episode 1155
"By any chance, are you acquainted with the wizards of Einrogard?"
"Are the bandits plotting some kind of rebellion in the west...?"
Unable to bring themselves to ask Lee Han—who was focused on healing with blood still smeared on his lips—the people instead directed their questions to Giselle standing beside him.
Giselle answered with an artificial smile.
"The only wizards I know are those from Baldrogard. I'm also unaware of any rebellion plots."
"......"
"......"
The White Tiger Tower students scattered around couldn't help but marvel.
Truly, Moradi was different in a way.
Had it been them, they wouldn't have been able to mention Baldrogard even if it meant biting their tongues.
'By saying she only knows Baldrogard wizards, she can convincingly claim ignorance of everything else.'
Cough!
Lee Han coughed again. His friends flinched in surprise.
Surely not again?
But Giselle remained composed. There was no way this friend from the Wardanaz family would make the same mistake twice.
"You just drank water wrong, didn't you?"
"No. I have some lung injuries, but since my stamina is inherently weak, it's difficult to heal them externally. I didn't want to waste time, so I transferred the wounds to my own body and cast healing magic."
"...Are you out of your damn mind?!"
"?!"
As his betrayed friend lashed out, Lee Han was taken aback.
Why?!
Though few in the Empire knew this, the Anti-Magic Zealots were actually a group with a tradition stretching back to ancient times.
Their grand ambition was to sever all magic and supernatural phenomena, completely isolating the Material Plane—including the continent—from other dimensions.
However, compared to their momentum in ancient times when they had seized several kingdoms, the current Anti-Magic Zealots were nothing more than a small extremist faction.
Most of those who had joined either held grudges against magic or were blinded by the wealth they could gain by killing mages.
Except for the leadership, the majority were mere puppets moving without understanding the cause.
The remnants hiding in Marheim were no different.
No matter how much combat experience they had or how skilled they were, without a grand purpose and driven only by greed, they were bound to be manipulated by others.
The Swordsman Hallenken, sipping on northern-brewed Poisonous Liquor in their hideout, muttered to himself.
"Lately, I've been feeling something off with my body. Are we really unaffected by the plague that priest is spreading?"
"Something off? You seem perfectly fine. If the plague affected us, we'd have collapsed long ago."
"Still, it's strange. Something... something feels wrong."
Hallenken, nicknamed Hellhest, was the most skilled among them.
Few mercenaries could wield Aura, and even fewer had killed more than three knights.
Hallenken was among both groups.
Because of this, the others didn't entirely dismiss his words. After all, one could never let their guard down around fanatics like Evil God Worshippers.
"I heard some highly skilled healing mages are in the city now. Should we have them examine us?"
"Healing mages?"
Though it sounded ridiculous for Anti-Magic Zealots to seek examination from mages, none of them cared about such things.
"How skilled are they? If they're just quacks taking money, I'd rather not waste my time."
The Empire had far more fraudulent mages than truly skilled ones.
Especially in the case of healing mages, many wandered around boasting exaggerated claims—scarcely different from snake-oil salesmen.
At best, they could heal minor wounds, so it was better to rely on the superior recovery and instincts of warriors who could wield Aura.
"They're supposedly quite good. Just a touch can cure the plague, and sometimes they even absorb the disease and take it away, they say."
"......"
The rumor sounded so much like a scam that the Anti-Magic Zealot remnants fell silent for a moment.
"You expect me to believe that? At that level, he should be an archbishop of some church."
"There might be some exaggeration, but it's true. What do we have to lose?"
"What do you mean 'nothing to lose'? There's no benefit in drawing unnecessary attention right now."
The vicious rumors about Einrogard mages had already reached the ears of these remnants.
Some thief or wandering mercenary had apparently caused trouble, and now the Einrogard mages had gone berserk, sweeping through every corner of the western regions.
These remnants couldn't even imagine that a single mage was causing such chaos for personal reasons.
They assumed some thief or mercenary must have committed an utterly despicable and insulting crime to make those Einrogard lunatics go on such a rampage!
In any case, since they weren't too far from the western regions, they needed to be cautious.
"Ah, if Einrogard mages were nearby, there'd already be chaos."
"Hmm..."
Hallenken wavered under his comrade's repeated persuasion.
After all, meeting him once wouldn't hurt.
"Fine. If he's really acting like some saint, he won't dare cause trouble even if we don't pay. Let's ask him to come here. Can we summon him?"
"If we say someone's too sick to move, he'll come in."
The remnants quickly made their plan.
Having done all sorts of things before, faking illness to call someone was child's play to them.
An hour later.
Lee Han and Giselle arrived at the hideout where the remnants were staying.
The low-ceilinged building was dark and cramped, but neither paid it much mind. Marheim was full of such buildings.
"Seems like most of the patients are gone now?"
"Looks like it. We should be able to wrap things up by today."
"What about that suspicious priest?"
"Hmm. I thought he'd approach us, but he's not."
"Maybe we look even more suspicious? They might've figured out we're from Einrogard."
"That could be... Honestly, skilled healing mages aren't that common. I casually mentioned being from Baldrogard earlier, but no one believed me."
"...So what's your plan?"
"Once the plague subsides, we'll proceed as usual."
The reason Lee Han wasn't using his usual methods right now was because of the plague in the city.
Forcing out a priest who currently holds the people's trust during a plague?
No matter how he thought about it, that would likely backfire. Lee Han wasn't foolish enough to overlook that.
Worst case, the citizens loyal to the priest might become human shields, blocking their way...
"Once the plague dies down, the crowd around the priest will thin out. Then we can grab him in a surprise attack."
"...Even if we drag him out, doing it without persuasion will cause backlash, won't it?"
"That's why I already dropped hints about Baldrogard."
'As if they'd fall for that.'
Giselle was dumbfounded.
Right now, they hadn't shown their true colors, so people were just suspicious. But if they suddenly dragged someone out, they'd immediately think 'Einrogard'!
Still, Giselle didn't say anything more.
She calculated that even if they used force, the fallout wouldn't be as bad as expected.
Since Wardanaz had tirelessly worked to suppress the plague, even if they snatched the priest abruptly...
'Combined with Einrogard's reputation, the citizens are more likely to trust us.'
Cough, cough. "Over here."
"!"
When the door opened, revealing Hallenken lying down, Lee Han and Giselle were both startled—though for different reasons.
Giselle was shocked because she sensed the aura of a strong warrior. Despite pretending to be sick, it was hard to hide the flawless posture unique to experts.
In contrast, Lee Han was startled because of the man's soul.
With his soul vision still active from treating patients, he could see a strange worm squirming deep within the man's soul.
Even the others nearby!
No matter how capable Lee Han was, making an immediate judgment in this situation was difficult.
'What is this? Are they enemies?'
However, he couldn't sense any hostility from them.
Instead, he faintly detected only curiosity about his own condition.
'Victims of the enemy? No, even if that were the case, it's strange. If they're strong individuals, how did all of them end up like this...?'
Lee Han quickly gathered his thoughts.
The most important thing right now was identifying the nature of that worm.
The faint pulse of energy emanating from the worm.
This was...
'There's a high probability this is the Authority of an Evil God!'
Lee Han's eyes flashed sharply.
After all this turmoil, the Sanguiros Cult had finally made their move again.
Their mindset was completely different from last time.
Back then, they had intended to handle things as cautiously and covertly as possible, but now, his fingers itched to strike first.
If they wanted a fight, then let's have it!
"There's a worm parasitizing your soul."
"?!!"
"What kind of nonsense... Stop spouting lies!"
The remnants flared up in anger.
Neither they nor Hallenken were so dull as to fail to notice a worm infesting their own souls.
"I believe it's likely a worm created by Evil God Worshippers."
"......"
Suddenly, the remnants froze.
This healing mage had spoken far too accurately for a mere quack.
A single thought flashed through the minds of everyone present, including Hallenken.
Could it be... this bastard...?
"Can you remove it?"
Hallenken coughed weakly and asked.
Taking revenge on that lunatic priest could wait. Right now, the priority was extracting the worm from his soul.
Lee Han nodded. He had already planned to extract it using Withering to examine it properly.
"Then I'll begin the healing."
The Anti-Magic Zealot remnants swallowed hard as they watched Lee Han.
Rumors said this healing mage could eradicate plagues with just a touch and even take on incurable diseases himself.
If that were true, it wouldn't be strange for him to be called a saint.
They hadn't believed the rumors, but after hearing him mention the worm, their perception shifted.
Maybe he really had some kind of ability...
Crunch!
Unlike the minor curse he had transferred earlier, the worm was on an entirely different level of power. A sound like something being forcibly torn from the soul echoed.
But no matter how powerful the Authority of an Evil God was, a mere worm couldn't overcome the legacy of an ancient archmage.
The worm, created by the Authority of an Evil God, was swiftly dragged out into Lee Han's soul. Then, unable to penetrate his soul, it was repelled.
'Got it.'
Lee Han stared intently at the worm clutched in his hand, intending to seal it.
Suddenly, Hallenken's expression twisted violently, as if he had been struck by dozens of vicious curses.
"...!!!"
Being an exceptional swordsman, Hallenken immediately recognized his condition.
The black curses pooled within his soul were now flowing out!
"The worm...! If the worm is removed...!"
"What? What are you saying?!"
"If the worm is removed... we die...!"
With those final words, Hallenken's eyes darkened completely. He had lost all reason.
Simultaneously, the head of the nearest Anti-Magic Zealot remnant flew off. By the time screams and shouts erupted, Lee Han and Giselle had already distanced themselves.
Whoosh!
A fierce chill emanated from the twin swords Giselle had drawn.
"Wardanaz! Get ready!"
But instead of chanting a spell, Lee Han simply stared blankly at the worm resting in his palm.
Giselle's heart sank at the sight. Clearly, there were aftereffects from transferring the Evil God Worshipper's worm to himself.
Having witnessed Wardanaz make mistake after mistake this time, it was even more chilling.
'...I should have stopped him!'
But what followed next surpassed Giselle's expectations once again.
"Obey my command!"
Lee Han clenched the worm tightly and issued an order. Immediately, the other remnants screamed in agony as the worms within their souls reacted.
"...What the hell are you?!"
In the midst of all this, was he really stealing and using the Authority of an Evil God?!