Episode 1172
Episode 1172
Rather than remain idle, the Crone decided to satisfy her curiosity by investigating personally.
After all, hadn't she recently met a mortal who might have answers?
This old granny would just ask a few questions.
"!"
Lee Han, who had been reviewing magical architecture blueprints with Catten in their dormitory, jumped in surprise.
To be fair, anyone would be startled when a powerful being from another dimension suddenly poked their head in.
"Th-that's the one you mentioned before?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"I-I'm honored. I'm Catten of the Jahan family."
Good, good. What a promising warrior. You seem skilled with blades—how about hunting some gargoyles for this old granny sometime?
"N-no! I'm a wizard."
?
The Crone was utterly baffled.
But you're clearly a warrior?
"One can be both a warrior and a wizard," Lee Han naturally retorted, already accustomed to his senior's eccentricities. Catten cried out in a tense voice:
"I've heard tales of your greatness and wisdom, revered Crone! It would be my greatest honor to receive your magical teachings!"
Normally, she would have tossed any brat who dared interrupt and demand lessons straight into her cauldron...
The Crone was cranky, but she wasn't unreasonable.
Hadn't she come here to ask questions herself?
What could she possibly want to know? Might as well ask.
Catten carefully extended a copy of <Basic Summoning Magic Theory Even First-Years Can Understand>.
A spectral hand suddenly materialized in midair and snatched the book sharply.
'Just how difficult could this book be...'
????
"Senior. You know you can just ask me if there's something you don't understand."
"Even so, I can't keep bothering my junior like this..."
For a moment, the Crone suspected this mortal was mocking her.
Yet Catten's gaze remained utterly sincere, without a trace of deceit.
What kind of person...?
"Our senior excels at swordsmanship but is still somewhat lacking in magic."
Somewhat?
The Crone stared incredulously before returning the book.
She'd dealt with countless mages and their wicked demands, but this level of stupidity was new.
Don't bother this old granny with such trivial matters. I'm not your nanny. Actually, I have questions of my own...
"Huh?"
Lee Han looked puzzled.
"So the negotiations failed after all?"
The Crone barely restrained herself from whacking him with her staff.
Failed? Nonsense. If she wanted, she could boil that tentacled freak until nothing remained but bones without leaving a single scrap of flesh. But then that tentacle monster started spouting nonsense—claiming someone had stolen his Authority.
"I didn't do it on purpose."
?
"?"
Both the Crone and Lee Han froze.
Huh?
What was this about?
"What exactly are you saying, revered Crone?"
From what this old granny heard... it sounded like you stole that tentacle freak's Authority? Must be a misunderstanding.
Just as that little warrior mistakenly thought himself a wizard, this little mage was clearly confused about something too.
Given how many misunderstandings kept cropping up in this conversation, perhaps some wicked magic was toying with fate itself.
"I did steal it, though?"
...What?
"I mentioned it last time we spoke... about how we clashed with the Prahgal Cult..."
Lee Han spoke as if this should have been obvious.
He'd definitely brought it up while sharing his concerns about the conflict with the Prahgal Cult.
Of course, the Crone currently wanted to strangle this shameless brat.
...If you fought well enough to steal an Authority, you should have mentioned that too, you little swindler!
"It's not like it's my first time learning Divine Magic—I didn't think it was that important. Sanguiros seemed more significant."
Not your first time?!
This even more outrageous statement shattered the Crone's composure.
What in the—?!
"Well. If that's making negotiations difficult, we don't have to proceed. I apologize. Let's just forget it ever happened."
"Listen well, you brat! This old woman never minces her words!"
The Crone scolded him with a voice full of anger. Lee Han felt bewildered.
Well, what was he supposed to do about it?
"I only tried to cancel because you called me a swindler. What else was I supposed to do?"
You should've told me properly from the start instead of toying with this old woman!
"...Ah... Yes..."
Having been outmaneuvered by a mere mortal for the first time in ages, The Crone fumed.
And the most infuriating part was that he hadn't even intended to toy with her. That made the blow to her pride even worse.
Beings from any dimension who dared deceive The Crone and seize what they wanted were always filled with ambition and pride—yet this brat was as bland as watered-down soup...!
How exactly did you steal the Authority?
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but I think it might have been an equivalent exchange with magical power."
For that to be possible, your magical power would have to be... Hmm. It's plausible, I suppose.
Crudely estimating based on when she struck him with her staff and sent insects after him, it was indeed possible.
'To think such a thing is possible. The fanatics would weep tears of blood if they heard!'
Evil God Worshippers who had reached a certain level were never naive devotees who offered faith without ulterior motives.
An ordinary believer might mindlessly fall into fanaticism, but the moment one reached a certain level, most Evil God Worshippers shared similar thoughts.
Grow stronger and stronger until you ascend as the Evil God itself!
From a purely religious standpoint, one might call this blasphemous. Gods were meant to be worshipped and served, not treated as goals to achieve.
But The Crone found these madmen's objectives somewhat reasonable.
If they didn't have such ambitions, why would they even bother worshipping those Evil Gods in the first place?
In any case, from that perspective, this mortal who casually siphoned away Authority without paying any price was an extremely threatening existence.
Far more than he himself realized.
When even a shred of power should be hoarded for one's own ascension, an outsider who didn't even believe could just steal it away, causing a leak in the Authority...
It was understandable that the bishop aiming to become an Evil God would be grinding his teeth in frustration. In a way, having his Authority stolen would hurt more than seeing his grand plans crumble.
...Do you understand now? What you did isn't something to be taken lightly.
"!"
Upon hearing the explanation, Lee Han was greatly startled. The Crone nodded in satisfaction at his reaction.
"That... I had no idea."
Good. You should be shocked! You brats wouldn't know the twisted minds of these lunatics.
"In that case, from now on... I should steal the Sanguiros Cult's Authority and sabotage them!"
......
The Crone was stunned.
Normally, when mortals heard of the absurd plan to ascend as an Evil God, they'd either be terrified or overwhelmed...
...But this mortal, regardless of all that, was already planning to strike back at those who had wronged him first.
Truly, the boldness worthy of Guest Star Arna's contractor.
Aren't you even slightly afraid?
"Huh? Oh, you mean them becoming Evil Gods? They've failed so far, so why would they succeed now?"
The Crone decided then and there to stop underestimating this mortal.
Though he might look like a mere rat pup, he was the kind that could bite through the strongest beings across dimensions at any moment.
Boldness isn't a bad thing. What a fearless little brat. The problem is that those tentacled freaks are absolutely livid because of this.
"How petty they are. The continent's other cults praise you when you learn Divine Magic."
That was the kind of remark that would make Evil God Worshippers fly into a rage.
It was only natural—the two cults had entirely different goals.
One sought ascension, the other genuine faith—how could their reactions possibly be the same?
Madmen are always like that. But this old woman is wiser. I have a method for situations like this.
"What exactly is that?"
Lee Han cast a slightly awestruck glance.
To think there was still a way in this situation.
The powerful beings of dimensions were truly different.
'We'll just pin it on someone else.'
"...Huh? Would that actually work?"
Though they had concealed the Einrogard emblem in the city, the scale of what had happened made it nearly impossible to prevent rumors from spreading.
Could they really deceive others by blaming someone else?
'Why wouldn't it work? Those tentacle freaks are holed up in some tiny dimensional corner, never coming out. Even if the prince changed his mind and revived the kingdom, they'd probably believe it for days. Besides, this granny here commands respect and reverence. Far more trustworthy than the testimony of some mediocre mortals.'
The higher one's level, the more critically they scrutinized the truth.
The testimonies of dozens could easily be distorted or manipulated.
In contrast, the words of a powerful dimensional being carried undeniable weight.
"Then... could we also say it was the work of those Sanguiros bastards?"
...She said the tentacle freaks were holed up in a corner, not that they were complete idiots.
The Crone gave Lee Han a disdainful look.
No matter how easy it was to deceive, one still needed to put in the bare minimum of effort.
If they lied that blatantly, even the most gullible wouldn't fall for it.
"Then what is it?"
Wait and see. Let this granny show you a spell.
A hand suddenly appeared in midair and began tracing an intricate pattern—one completely unlike any in the Empire's magical system.
Instinctively, Lee Han detected the flow of mana and committed the changes to memory. It was an occupational hazard for a trained mage.
Catten also stared intently at the unfamiliar magic. And that was as far as he got.
'Hmm. The mana is moving.'
A bubbling sound, like a boiling cauldron, filled the air, accompanied by the scent of something burning. Then, the Crone let out a satisfied cry.
Done! A perfectly suitable name has emerged. With this, those tentacle freaks will surely be fooled.
"What name is it?"
The name this granny picked is Stedal Nago.
"......"
Do you happen to recognize it?
This granny went and fetched a name just for you.
The Crone returned and inscribed the characters onto the broad back of a large toad.
For a moment, there was no response. That alone told her the other party was stunned.
'Truly the wisest of crones. Who could it be?'
Stedal Nago!
'Just as I suspected—it's that bastard! That damned little wretch!'
Surprisingly, the other party accepted it without suspicion.
Given his past record, Stedal Nago was already a prime suspect.
Rumors swirled—some said the Imperial Knights had handled it, others claimed Einrogard mages had intervened—but the Bishop didn't believe them.
There was little reason for either group to directly clash with them.
'All those unreliable rumors floating around—it must've been that cunning bastard's doing. I'll rip out his heart and use it as an offering slab for the Regenerator!'
'Those tentacle freaks won't last much longer either.'
The Crone inwardly scoffed at how easily the Undead Bishop had fallen for it.
'If the Bishop is this gullible, the cult's future looks rotten...'
'As for how he stole the Authority, you'll have to figure that out yourself. I don't know that part.'
No matter. I'll just ask him directly by smashing his skull open. ...What do you want in return?
The Bishop, the Undead, might be easy to deceive, but he wasn't stupid. He didn't believe the Crone's favor came without a price.
If he accepted the name blindly, he'd regret it for centuries to come.
'There are some folks this granny's been itching to smack lately. You might know them. Sanguiros...'
Ha. These fools were brought to the brink of annihilation once, yet they still haven't learned their lesson. Did they pick a fight with you too?
'You should worry about yourself first.'
The Crone's fingers itched to mock him.
How delightful it would be to reveal the truth and taunt him later!