Chapter 42: Black Mage (2)
Chapter 42: Black Mage (2)
Hailyn, who had just turned ten this year, was once a child of ordinary circumstances.
Full of curiosity, she had always loved going on adventures. They weren't the grand exploits found in chivalric romances, but small, thrilling adventures suited to her age.
She would climb the mountains behind the village with her friends, scale trees to find animals and insects to show off, and even when the adults strictly forbade it, she would sneak out late at night to gaze at the constellations. For Hailyn, living in a remote village, these were her small rebellions and grand adventures.
Hailyn never understood why the village elders were always warning her to be careful.
What could possibly happen in a backwater village like this that everyone was so worried about?
But there was one incident that shattered Hailyn’s worldview forever.
"Huh?"
While exploring the back mountain as usual, Hailyn discovered an old man collapsed in the bushes. He was an elderly man wearing a stained robe, his face pale and gaunt. Hailyn brought the unconscious man back to the village. If she had been a child with even a modicum of basic education, she never would have done such a thing.
Young Hailyn didn't know how dangerous it was to bring a stranger into a remote village. She didn't know that the gray necklace around the old man's neck was the mark of a banished wizard, nor did she know that the brand on his wrist was proof that he was a fugitive from the Sky Empire.
That was how the tragedy began.
The old man Hailyn brought back regained consciousness after eating some white porridge.
Upon opening his eyes, the old man chanted an unintelligible incantation and brought disaster upon the village with a single wave of his hand.
That day, Hailyn saw magic for the first time in her life.
And for the first time, she realized that a human being could be broken so easily. When Hailyn finally came to her senses, the village was a landscape of crimson. It was drenched in blood and scattered entrails, and in the center of the carnage sat the old man she had saved, his face expressionless.
The old man was sitting on the corpses of Hailyn’s parents.
As if they were a chair.
But Hailyn couldn't even feel anger toward him. She was paralyzed by the horrific scene, terrified by the disaster caused by a single gesture of his hand, and haunted by the magic she could not comprehend.
"Thank you, child. I lived because of you."
Furthermore, she grew to hate herself.
It felt as if the cold eyes of the dead were staring at her, whispering:
Ah, Hailyn.
Didn't we tell you?
To be careful, that there are many fearsome things in this world.
So please, stop doing dangerous things...
"I am Jerry Selfit, a noble formerly of the Blue Raven Tower and the Sky Empire Velma. Thanks to you, my life, which almost ended in vain, has been extended."
Regardless of Hailyn’s internal turmoil, the old man, Jerry Selfit, continued to drone on. It was a truly 'wizard-like' attitude.
"You are the benefactor who saved my life, child."
"..."
"As a reward, I shall allow you to become my servant. So that you may serve my noble self."
Thus, on that day, the fate of little Hailyn, who loved adventures, was dragged into the gutter.
Hailyn, who loved the forests and the stars, saw with her own eyes how wicked a human could become under the title of a wizard. Cruel novels couldn't even begin to describe the reality. To Hailyn, Jerry Selfit was a demon wearing a human shell.
Why did the righteous and great angels, who love life, allow such a demon to roam the world? Hailyn couldn't understand it at all.
Countless lives ended at Jerry Selfit's fingertips.
Jerry Selfit killed for the sake of inquiry, he killed for amusement, and sometimes he killed for no reason at all. Continuing this horrific journey together, Hailyn eventually arrived at this remote corner of the Iron Kingdom.
"I like that mansion. Let us settle there."
Since the journey began, Hailyn had always thought to herself:
I hope someone executes that demon.
And if that wasn't possible...
"That is... a good idea."
Please, let someone end this miserable fate of mine today.
* * *
"Jerry Selfit. A wizard kicked out of a place called the Blue Raven Tower. You don't know how powerful he is? I'd like more detailed information."
I asked while looking at the back of the child, Hailyn, who was walking ahead.
Throughout the trek, Hailyn had been chattering away, telling me things I hadn't even asked. I couldn't tell if it was a tactic to evoke sympathy or just a characteristic of children who talk about every little thing.
"I-I don't know what level of wizard he is. I've never seen any other wizard besides the Master. Besides, M-Master only looked for places where the weak lived."
"..."
"B-but one thing is for sure, Master isn't a wizard to be taken lightly. Once, we ran into a knight, and even a knight in full armor was killed in an instant without being able to do a thing. He couldn't even get close to Master before he started coughing up blood and..."
A knight.
That meant he was a wizard capable of instantly killing someone at least at the level of a Sword Walker. I frowned as I looked at the unfortunate child, Hailyn.
I didn't know much about wizards either.
Since noble people like wizards would never appear in a backwater place like this, I had never seen one in my life. The Orc Elder I saw recently was the first being I'd encountered who handled spiritual power. I hadn't even heard many stories about wizards.
He was essentially a completely unknown enemy.
I didn't know wizards, and I didn't know how to fight them.
"I-I'm telling you this for your own sake. Do you two really have to go to my Master yourselves?"
"Is there another way?"
"W-what about reporting him?"
While I was thinking, Hailyn came up with a suggestion.
"M-Master is a Black Mage. He was kicked out of his original tower for breaking the rules, and he's a fugitive being hunted by the Sky Empire because of the terrible things he's done."
"A fugitive."
"I-if you report him there, pursuers will show up and take Master away. The Sky Empire will send very scary judges."
A fugitive of the Sky Empire.
Hailyn's suggestion wasn't bad.
Rather than blindly fighting a wizard I had no information on, it would be better to leave it to other fixers who had clear information on him and were accustomed to fighting wizards. If I asked them, I wouldn't even have to pay anything. In fact, they might give me a large reward for reporting a fugitive. The people of the Sky Empire were famous for being generous.
Besides, there were no fixers as reliable as them.
Because the Sky Empire Velma was the most powerful nation on this vast continent.
But there was one problem.
"I don't know where to contact the Sky Empire or how. Even if I could, do you know how far it is between the Sky Empire and here? I can't wait that long."
After hearing the problem I pointed out, Hailyn's eyes trembled.
She soon said, "B-but wouldn't that be better than the two of you facing Master directly?"
"..."
"I-I saw you kill the golems earlier. I know you're strong. B-but I don't think you can beat Master. Master is... he's a demon, a demon."
The fear rooted in Hailyn's heart seemed to be quite large. While I was looking at Hailyn, whose face had turned pale, with pitying eyes, Liam spoke.
「A demon? How ridiculous. Only those who have never been to the 'Land of Despair' would say such a thing. Ignorant fools who have never seen a real demon.」
"..."
「Young descendant, are you afraid? Afraid of facing an enemy called a wizard, whom you have never encountered before?」
I looked at Liam and muttered inwardly.
Yes, I am.
「There is no need to fear. I shall tell you an interesting fact.」
Liam spoke as if he had heard the voice in my heart.
「The blood of Steel that flows in our bodies possesses the power to bring despair to those cunning things like magic-users.」
He said it with a smirk.
「That is why, a long time ago, wizards called the Caravan's territory this:」
「The Tomb of Wizards.」
* * *
Following the guidance of the beggar-like child, Hailyn, we arrived near a shack hidden in thick bushes. Indeed, ominous energy surged around the shack. It was much thicker and more intense than what had been spread around the village. Before entering, I asked Liam.
"What do you think is best?"
「About what?」
"He is an uninvited guest, but he hasn't caused me any actual harm yet. If there is room for conversation, shouldn't I try that? As I have always done."
「I suppose. He hasn't pulled any special tricks yet. At most, he just peeked at the territory a bit.」
My method so far had been to confirm each other's intentions through dialogue before taking action. Even if he was a wicked Black Mage, killing him instantly just because he was a Black Mage didn't fit my style.
"But I'm worried if that's okay."
However, this enemy was a wizard.
Other uninvited guests only had the weapons in their hands, but the one I was about to face was an unknown being who could manifest mysteries with a gesture. Was it right to talk to such a person and give him time?
Wouldn't it be better to ambush him and end his life in an instant before he even noticed my presence? Various doubts arose. Then, Liam spoke.
「Do as you wish, young descendant.」
"..."
「I will not blame you if you sneak in like an assassin to ambush and kill that Black Mage, nor will I blame you if you reveal yourself and try to talk, only to end up dead. Everything is your choice, and all results will be the consequence of your choice.」
Liam spoke sharply.
「Do as your heart dictates. Like upright Steel.」
"..."
「That is the Caravan way.」
Master was the same as always.
He never forced anything on me.
While contemplating for a moment, I became curious about one thing.
"If it were you, Master, what would you have done?"
「I would have killed him.」
It was an answer without a moment's hesitation.
「I would not have tolerated the fact that a mere magic-user dared to even think of coveting my territory.」
"Was that the Caravan way in the past?"
「No.」
Master glanced at me.
For some reason, his eyes felt colder than usual.
「That was my way.」
"..."
「So, you choose your own way.」
Liam's eyes looked colder and harder than usual.
At the same time, he looked somewhat lonely.
「That is the only way to avoid regret.」
* * *
The Black Mage, Jerry Selfit, was biting his fingernails inside the gloomy shack.
It was a habit Jerry Selfit performed whenever he was displeased.
"Why, exactly?"
Jerry Selfit did not like the current situation.
Not at all.
"Why do things keep appearing to interfere with me?"
By luck, he had discovered a magnificent mansion in this backwater territory. Compared to the mansion he had lived in back in his hometown, it was humble, but considering his life recently, it could be called a luxurious mansion. Until yesterday, he had been excited at the thought of moving in, establishing a new home, creating a magical labyrinth, and setting up his own hideout.
But everything was ruined in an instant.
"Why?"
The territory domination magic Jerry Selfit had deployed was futilely dismantled. The magic he had painstakingly constructed had collided with some kind of spiritual ability and shattered. Jerry Selfit noticed that it wasn't a magical tool, but a defense by a shamanistic tool. Furthermore, it belonged to a spiritual being with abilities far superior to his own.
"Why!"
Jerry Selfit immediately sent Hailyn with orders to destroy the shamanistic tool. Since a characteristic of shamanism was that it was excellent at spiritual defense but vulnerable to physical attacks. Whether that brat died from a curse while touching the shamanistic tool or not was none of Jerry Selfit's concern.
But Hailyn had failed.
Jerry Selfit realized this when all the golems he had sent ceased their activity. There wasn't just one young Sword Walker girl in that territory. There was someone else.
"Who dares to interfere with my noble plan? Why, exactly?"
Jerry Selfit's anger slowly began to boil.
His plans were completely ruined. Normally, by now, he should have entered that territory, washed his hot body in the mansion, changed into decent clothes, and been lying on a soft bed. It would have been perfect if he had wine and lamb to go with it. He had dreamed of living such a life last night.
A dream of reclaiming the peaceful daily life he hadn't enjoyed for over a decade because of those damn Tower pursuers and the Sky Empire's hunters...
Jerry Selfit found it hard to control his overflowing rage. While his eyes were bloodshot as if they were about to burst, the darkness settled within the gloomy shack surged. Along with it, an unfamiliar voice rang through the silence.
"I have something to ask."
"...?"
"Are you an uninvited guest, or a neighbor?"
Jerry Selfit frowned and turned his head.
There stood a young man with a beautiful appearance. A young man with a face so refined that, at first glance, he could even be mistaken for a woman.
"If you are hungry from a long journey and need food, I will share it with you. If you simply need a place to stay, I will provide an empty house. Our village has plenty of surplus food and many places to house those with nowhere to go. So, answer me."
"What—"
"Are you an uninvited guest here to threaten this village? Or are you a neighbor who is willing to settle here if I provide the things I mentioned?"
Listening to the young man's aristocratic tone, Jerry Selfit's expression contorted. He could feel a part of the 'trace' he had spread emanating from the young man. Having the trace on one's body meant one thing: that this pretty-boy bastard was the one who killed the golems Jerry Selfit had sent.
In other words, this was the culprit who ruined his plans...
Jerry Selfit glared at the young man with a cold face.
"Whether I am an uninvited guest or a neighbor is not for you to decide. That village is already mine. Because I have decided it to be so. Therefore, such a question cannot exist."
"You are someone who cannot be reasoned with."
At Jerry Selfit's words, the young man let out a long sigh.
Seeing him lamenting with a "Huu," Jerry Selfit's anger grew even more. Instead of venting his peak rage with words, the old wizard moved to action. Jerry Selfit moved his lips and chanted a short spell. In an instant, the mana around the old wizard surged violently, and magic was constructed.
A destruction magic designed to bind the designated creature and tear its limbs apart. The mystical violence was directed at the young man hiding in the darkness as soon as it was formed. As the magic poured forth, the young man did not move a single step. He simply drew the sword from his waist.
In the pitch-black darkness, that blade shone loftily on its own.
The sword moved gracefully, cutting through the empty air. He wasn't suddenly practicing swordsmanship alone. To the eyes of the wizard Jerry Selfit, the phenomenon occurring at the tip of the sword was clearly visible.
Mana was moving along the sword.
The mana, which had been surging like waves, soon gathered and thinned out, drawing a single line. The line thus created came into contact with Jerry Selfit's magic.
"Uh—"
And Jerry Selfit's magic shattered without a trace.
Like glass breaking from being hit by a thrown stone.
"W-what..."
It was a phenomenon that could not be understood with the knowledge Jerry Selfit had acquired over decades. The old wizard's eyes shook violently.
Dismantling magic with a sword?
That was impossible. A mere Sword Walker-level swordsman could never do that. Just as one cannot catch flowing water with their hands, cutting through magic with a sword was something that simply could not happen.
"This is easy to cut."
Indeed.
Jerry Selfit did not know.
"Try throwing it one more time. I've got the hang of it now."
He did not know that the young man before him was a Caravan.
In other words...
"Now, again."
That he was a descendant of Steel, who was called the natural enemy of all wizards in a history now forgotten.