The Bishop's True Identity

The flames that burned the Eye of the Storm Orphanage also swallowed the house right beside it. The crash of collapsing walls and the roar of something exploding tore through the quiet village. Between those violent sounds came the intermittent screams of dark mages and the wet noises of flesh being ripped apart.

"...If the Bishop learns what you're doing, he'll have you executed!! Kugh..."

"Hoo... Why is everyone so damn talkative?"

I silenced another dark mage twisted by malice. The Dark Spear he had summoned dissolved under my Inverse Calculation, and a spear surging from the shadows pierced his throat, shutting his noisy mouth forever.

...How many had I killed by now? Ten? Twenty? I couldn't even keep count.

Just how many of them came? There weren't nearly this many at the academy's dark mage gathering.

When Erielle and I had hunted dark mages before, we usually faced three or four at a time. Even our largest encounter had never exceeded ten. Yet here I had already slaughtered more than twenty, and the dark magic pulsing across the entire village showed no sign of weakening. If anything, it seemed to be growing stronger with every passing minute—an inexplicable phenomenon.

-!!!

From somewhere in the distance came the faint but unmistakable overlap of human screams and shattering objects. The direction...

"The place where the people were?! Damn it!"

I broke into a desperate sprint. I prayed with everything I had that no one had been hurt. If even one person I had spoken with, one face I recognized, lay injured or dead, I wasn't sure I could endure the guilt. The weight of failing to protect them would crush me.

No. Don't think like that.

I shoved down the rising dread and focused only on running faster. My feet pounded the ground as I raced toward the chaos.

"You rats caught in a trap! Taste true dark magic...!"

"...Ugh, someone—anyone—help us...!"

-Waaaaah!

-Save me... please, save me...!

-I don't want to die...!

The villagers who hadn't managed to flee yet wept or shrieked at the dark mages closing in around them. Only a handful dared to resist. How could ordinary people who had never taken a life be expected to risk everything against such vicious enemies? The few who showed open hostility were a handful of sturdy young men, Beri the former knight, and Leni. Even they lacked proper weapons or armor; they could only glare and grind their teeth in helpless fury.

The dark mages' mocking laughter rose alongside the thickening dark magic. Beri and Leni looked ready to charge, but the moment the mages pointed threateningly at the children behind them, the two were forced to retreat.

In that moment of absolute crisis—when the entire village could be slaughtered at any second—I walked slowly and naturally through the ranks of the dark mages. I forced my boiling rage and killing intent down, focusing every ounce of concentration on raising my own dark magic.

"This dark magic... Bishop?!"

"Hehehe... The Bishop has arrived. You're all finished now!"

When I released my dark magic, they mistook me for their Bishop. Their laughter swelled, mingling with the screams and sobs of the villagers until the noise became deafening.

"Bishop...! Please, lend us your strength! We've gathered them all nicely in one spot!"

"Hmm. I see. They really are gathered... quite beautifully."

No need to search for them separately. And not a single one of them suspected I was an enemy. The blade forged from pure rage lifted toward their throats.

"...Huh? That voice doesn't belong to the Bishop."

"Understood. Allow me to assist."

Pufufufufuk—!

From the shadows beneath the dark mages, darkness boiled upward like bubbling tar, forming countless spears. Before they could even register the threat at their feet, the spears erupted. The moment one noticed his comrade being impaled, another spear burst from beneath his own feet. None of them had time to react.

The first to realize I wasn't the Bishop tried to chant a spell and shout a warning. I kindly performed Inverse Calculation on his magic and drove dozens of Dark Spears into his body.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Thud. Thud.

I reversed any magic the instant before it could activate. Those who weren't casting died to swift, merciless strikes. Soon every last dark mage lay crumpled on the ground.

"............... "

All that remained were the corpses and me standing among them, along with the villagers who stared in utter confusion, looking between me and their surroundings.

"Why did you save us..."

"This is no time for questions! Everyone, children—run! We'll hold them off!"

Thanks to Beri's quick thinking, the residents and children helped one another up and fled the square, racing out of the village. Beri and Leni lowered their stances, watching me with eyes that said they would attack ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the slightest provocation.

I wanted to thank them. To tell them to run and protect the children and villagers. They might actually believe my innocence.

".........!"

Before I could answer, I felt it—from the center of the village. It was weaker than the old man's had been, but still vastly stronger than any dark mage I had encountered so far. From the way the dying mages had spoken, the one at the village center had to be the Bishop.

At the same time, dark magic began condensing rapidly in that direction, as if something massive was about to manifest. I couldn't even spare a word for Beri and Leni; I simply sprinted toward the village square.

"...Why isn't he attacking? Why would he kill fellow dark mages..."

"Leni! This isn't the time! This is our best chance!! Let's get back to the villagers!"

"...Yeah. I understand!"

"Hmm. So you've come. You're the one who slaughtered all your comrades, aren't you?"

"...How did you know?"

"Simple. Every time I sensed dark magic flare, the number of my comrades decreased. And... you're covered in quite a lot of blood."

The Bishop stood with an air of casual ease, having gathered all the dark magic that had been rising across the village into a single point. The overwhelming power made his relaxed demeanor almost natural.

"Besides, when someone radiates killing intent like that... anyone can tell, can't they?"

"............"

Talent Insight.

"...So it was you. Kal Vent."

"Oh? You know who I am?"

The Bishop's true ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠identity was Kal Vent—the noble who had flirted with Erielle on my first day at the academy and been put in his place instantly. I had thought the strange, oddly familiar feeling I'd sensed from him back then was nothing more than coincidence. But it had been the kinship shared between dark mages.

Now I can feel it clearly. Just how much demonic energy this bastard is carrying.

Having grown this much, I could sense the immense dark magic swirling inside Kal Vent. An overwhelming amount. From his status, it was clear he wasn't born with the talent like I was; he had become a dark mage through acquired means. And the severity of his Demonic Energy Erosion was striking. It was the same affliction Erielle had suffered, yet Kal Vent still had more than a year of life remaining. Which meant—

"Kal Vent. Exactly how many lives have you stolen?"

"What? Puhahahahat...! I suspected as much, but you really don't absorb life force even after killing your own kind?"

Kal Vent clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. I forged my rage into cold, sharp steel. The sight of him mocking people who had been sacrificed for his own survival without the slightest remorse nearly made me explode, but I held it in.

"Sigh... How many did I eat, you ask? Do you count every piece of bread you've ever consumed?"

"...That's enough. Just die."

I could hold back no longer. Raising the dark magic I had been suppressing, I charged straight at him. Kal Vent cackled wildly and gathered dark magic into both hands.

This battle would be more dangerous than any I had fought before. Even so, I ran forward. It was the least courtesy I could offer the people who had been sacrificed to this monster.