The Price of Salvation

The evening I returned from the academy, Erielle suddenly took to her bed. The coughing never stopped, and her entire body burned with fierce heat.

"Cough... cough..."

"I'm sorry. I don't know the name of the illness either."

"Really... is there truly nothing that can be done?"

"I'm sorry. It's impossible for me. Even if you summoned the finest healer in the empire, the result would be the same."

When the healer stationed at Frost Castle shook his head and declared it hopeless, silence descended once more over Erielle's chamber.

No one could identify the disease. It wasn't a simple fever, nor was the cause clear. The Frost family watched their precious daughter—who had barely returned to them alive—suffer again, and their hearts shattered.

"Cough... cough... Veni...s."

"Yes. I'm right here, Lady Erielle."

"Why... is this happening to me? My head feels so dizzy..."

"Just rest, Lady Erielle. You'll get better. I promise."

I took the frail hand that reached for me and gently transferred my warmth to her. Her fingers had grown as cold as ice.

Talent Insight.

For some reason, the demonic energy left inside Erielle's body was devouring her at an even faster pace. Why... just why?

I absorbed as much as I could every single time we were together.

Even though I had spent nearly every moment we touched absorbing the energy, I had only managed to clear twenty-five percent. Just how much demonic energy had been embedded in her body? The limit still refused to reveal itself.

The time left for Erielle—and for me—was barely two weeks. With the erosion accelerating, even that was uncertain.

"Everyone except Venice... cough. Please leave. I want to rest a little..."

"...I'll leave her in your care. Please look after my daughter."

"Yes. Leave it to me."

"...Thank you, butler."

At Erielle's faint voice, her family left the room one by one, faces heavy with grief. Soon, only Erielle and I remained.

The sound of labored breathing and endless coughing were the only things disturbing the silence.

"Venice..."

"Yes, Lady Erielle."

"Am I... going to die?"

It seemed she had roughly guessed what was happening inside her own body. If nothing was done, the beautiful flower that had bloomed in the cold winter would wither and crumble.

"No. You won't die, Lady Erielle."

"But..."

"Because I won't let that happen. So... please rest easy."

"...Hah. Thank you, even if it's just words."

Those words seemed to have taken the last of her strength. Erielle fell asleep almost immediately.

They're not just words. No matter what it takes... I will save you.

Absorb.

Through our joined hands, the demonic energy inside Erielle began flowing into me at tremendous speed. At the same time, something hot and nauseating accumulated somewhere deep inside my body.

Shut up. I already know that.

I dismissed the flashing status window that seemed to scream at me to stop and continued absorbing Erielle's demonic energy. As the amount left inside her decreased, my own lifespan grew shorter.

"...Cough."

I couldn't hold back the foreign sensation rising in my throat. I covered my mouth with my hand, but when I looked down, my palm was soaked with blood.

The effect is incredible. Her condition is improving this quickly.

As the demonic energy diminished, Erielle's complexion returned to normal at a visible rate. At the same time, I could feel my own body deteriorating. But it didn't matter.

I had already decided to save her.

Absorb.

I didn't know how much longer we could remain alone like this. I decided to absorb as much as possible while I still could.

Beyond the firmly closed door, only the peaceful breathing of the sleeping girl and her pained coughing echoed quietly. It continued even after the sun had set and the moon had risen.

"Mister Venice, I'll take over nursing Lady Erielle from here."

"Haha... cough. Thank you. Then I'll..."

"Yes. Please go rest!"

It was late at night. The maid who had come to look after Erielle in my place had arrived, so I smiled, bowed, and left the room. The head of the Frost family must have sent her out of consideration for me.

As I headed to my own quarters, I recalled the status window I had seen earlier.

Since we had been alone and Erielle was asleep, I hadn't needed to worry about prying eyes. I had absorbed a great deal. At this rate, it seemed I could purge all the demonic energy left in her body within two or three days.

That's a relief. It's going faster than I expected.

In the end, because I had absorbed the energy without harming Erielle, my lifespan had been cut in half. But it didn't matter. This had all been my decision. My choice.

As always, I donned the black robe and crow mask and stood beside the window.

"I still have work to do."

Even if Erielle had collapsed, the black mages wouldn't show mercy. On the contrary, they would rejoice and run even more rampant. I could handle those worms alone. No—without anyone watching, I could rampage even more freely.

"Let's go. This is my duty."

The Night Crow, whose wingbeats and even shadow could not be seen, rose silently into the night while everyone slept.

While riding in the carriage with Erielle, I had memorized every trace of dark magic I faintly sensed amid the passing scenery. Thanks to my increased proficiency and level with dark magic, I could detect them even from a great distance.

That was how I arrived at a very small village right beside the Frost Territory. As soon as I entered the village, the remnants of dark magic stood out clearly, as if guiding me along a path.

"...The scent of blood."

At that moment, the thick stench of dark magic mixed with the metallic smell of blood permeated the small village.

Damn it. Was I already too late?

I noticed that the dark magic and blood scent were strongest near the well in the distance and ran toward it.

A small well in the center of the village. No residents were visible—only an even stronger scent of blood and dark magic. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠source was... beneath this well.

Stealth.

It might already be too late, but I hid my presence and climbed down the ladder inside the well.

"Aaaagh...! Anyone, please... save me...!"

"Hey, quiet down. You're disturbing my meal...!"

When I reached the dried-up bottom of the well, a small cave was revealed. Inside, a black mage was approaching a resident whose limbs were bound.

Glancing further back, I saw several other residents unconscious inside iron cages. Their chests still rose and fell, so they were alive for now.

Dark Spear.

With a sharp whistle, the spear pierced the black mage's back repeatedly.

"Kuh... kuhuk...!"

I immediately released stealth and embedded the Dark Spear in the mage's spine. Like the disgusting insect he was, even after spilling enough blood to kill an ordinary human, he remained standing and glared at me.

"You... you bastard—!"

"Be quiet, worm."

Shadow Lance.

Countless black spears erupted from the black mage's own shadow and impaled his entire body. This time they pierced his heart as well. Without even a final scream, the insect died.

"You... what are you? A traitor—!"

"How dare you do this to a fellow black mage...!"

It seemed there wasn't just one. Several more black mages rushed out from the darkness of the cave. They bared their teeth at their comrade who had died to the same dark ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magic. The sight was almost comical.

"Die—"

Dark Spears flew toward me. An attack that ordinary people—or even skilled mages—would have to dodge. Dark magic could only be countered by dark magic.

Crash!

"Wha... what? Why is the dark magic... kuhuk!"

The black mage who had stared in disbelief as his own spell shattered couldn't avoid the black spears that rose from his shadow either.

"You... at this level, you're at least a Priest... no, a High Priest... so why...! Kuhuk..."

"Be quiet. I'm not the same kind of worm as you lot."

Priest or High Priest, it didn't matter. Using Inverse Calculation on their dark magic, I trampled and killed every last insect that crawled out.

At some point, a status window asking whether to absorb vitality began appearing after I killed black mages. The effects—dark magic capacity, lifespan, proficiency—were absurdly good.

...So this was why those worms killed people and absorbed their vitality. Damn bastards.

Disappear.

If I absorbed vitality, I would be no different from these vermin. I dismissed the window and approached the resident who sat collapsed, staring at me blankly.

"P-please... just spare my life... ugh... I have a family... a family I need to feed... please..."

"......"

"...Huh?"

Without a word, I untied the ropes binding his limbs and shattered the lock on the iron cage, opening the door.

"Help me out. We need to get everyone up to the surface."

"Y-yes! Thank you... thank you so much...!"

The resident wept as he carried the unconscious villagers on his shoulders, lifting them up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the well one by one. After several trips, we managed to rescue everyone. Their conditions weren't great, but fortunately there were no deaths.

"Contact Frost Castle and tell them black mages have appeared. Support will arrive shortly. I'll take my leave."

"Y-yes? At least tell me your name..."

After confirming everyone was safe, I left the village without delay.

The next village should be this way.

"...Cough."

I wiped the blood from my mouth and headed straight for the next village without stopping. Dawn was still far off, and the worms were still crawling everywhere.