Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Archmage and the Spirit User (1)
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Valdes had taken a two-day vacation.
It had been less than two months since he joined the Knight Order, but he was still basking in the favor of the princesses and the Knight Commander. Getting permission from them was a breeze. Not many people paid much attention to him anyway. Plus, squires had an easier time taking leave than actual knights.
The training of Etilene and Marie was still well underway, and there was the matter of Beatrice too—but this was a choice made with all that in mind.
"Beatrice needs more time to mull things over, and it's about time to let the other two stew a bit."
He planned to stoke their bodies' fires for one final push.
But that wasn't the real reason he had taken the vacation.
—We found the Archmage's dungeon.
Irina had sent an urgent message through the crystal orb.
This was a trace of one of his most important enemies—he simply couldn't wait. The distance was considerable, but Irina had sent the coordinates and even prepared a magic circle, allowing him to arrive in an instant via spatial magic.
"…Whew. It's been a while."
"It's been too long, young master."
"Lord Valdes…."
Unlike Irina, who welcomed him warmly, Bilma called his name with a dark expression.
"Bilma, you… figured it out, didn't you?"
"…Yes."
She bowed her head deeply as she answered. If anything captured Bilma's current feelings, it would be utter despair. After all, she had just learned the dark truth about the mage she had so admired.
"We'll catch up later. Let's head inside for now."
"Yes."
"……."
Moving the magic circle inside the dungeon risked reactions from mana or spatial magic interference, so it had been drawn up outside the entrance.
The Archmage's dungeon had been discovered within a pile of rocks in a wasteland near the Dezak Empire. More precisely, the entrance had been found there, while the dungeon itself lay deeper within.
What emerged was a massive laboratory and testing ground.
To Bilma, the scale here rivaled ten floors of the Mage Tower combined. The facilities were comparable—in some ways, even superior. The problem was their dangerous bent.
Traces of countless human experiments, illegal research, and forbidden magic lurked throughout the dungeon.
"Lord Valdes, how did you know? About his true nature…."
Her eyes drifted to the horrific remnants scattered around as she murmured in a gloomy voice.
"A normal guy wouldn't have betrayed me in the first place. There were suspicious signs along the way too."
"…Betrayed you?"
She tilted her head in confusion.
It was an out-of-left-field comment. The Archmage had been part of the Hero's party—what betrayal of a demonkin was he talking about? Besides, the Archmage had died twelve years ago, when Valdes was still just a child.
"What? I didn't tell her?"
Valdes turned to Irina at Bilma's bewildered reaction.
She shrugged with an annoyed look.
"Was there any need? She gets the work done without knowing."
"Well, true, but…."
"Hey, if it's that important, shouldn't you tell me too? I mean, with that, um, lewd tattoo thing, I can't even blab anyway. I'm your contractor now, not just a comrade!"
She had started to say "comrade" but quickly switched when she caught Irina's glance.
"Listen up without freaking out."
"Okay."
"Truth is, I'm the Hero Pedro. Well, was."
"…Huh?"
"Take a good look."
Valdes turned his head toward Bilma and pointed at his own face.
"I look like the Hero, right?"
"Uh… Whoa! You do?!"
She jumped in shock at the unexpected truth.
The Dezak Empire favored magic over swords, and since the Archmage—the then lord of the imperial Mage Tower—had been in the Hero's party, his feats were publicized far more than the Hero's. It was patriotic propaganda aimed at their citizens.
There may have been some fabrications, but the Archmage had indeed accomplished much, so the Hero's achievements seemed lesser by comparison. As a result, Bilma had never properly seen Hero Pedro's face and only now realized Valdes resembled him.
"How could a demonkin… Wait! Don't tell me a homunculus using the Hero's genes?! And the Archmage helped with that? Th-that's the betrayal…."
"What are you on about? I am him."
"Eh? No, that doesn't…."
"The Hero's party betrayed me—or rather, the Hero. He didn't actually kill the Demon King; he hid her away in secret. So he got betrayed, went to the Demon King, and she reincarnated him as a half-demon."
"Eek…?"
What kind of bombshell was this now?
But there was no reason for him to lie about something so absurd. It wasn't like he needed it as an excuse for invading the continent. What had his invasions been about so far? And no one would suddenly side with demons just because he claimed this.
"Huh? Huh? Lord Valdes is the Hero? And the Demon King reincarnated him?"
Leaving the flustered Bilma behind, Valdes headed deeper in with Irina.
It took nearly an hour of walking from the entrance to reach what they presumed was the Archmage's main chamber. There had been chimeras and golems that seemed to serve as dungeon guardians along the way, but the two who arrived first had already dealt with them all.
In the center of the Archmage's chamber sat stacks of books and papers.
"Nicely organized."
"I gathered only the most important-looking ones. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Yeah."
Valdes sat in a chair and began reading through what Irina had compiled.
He would've preferred to have her summarize it, but his own magical knowledge surpassed hers. To avoid missing anything crucial, he needed to read it himself.
He was also curious about what the Archmage had been preparing. True to his grandiose title, he was a genius among the continent's historical figures. Only Valdes's own talent in magic outstripped him—though Valdes's leaned more toward combat and dark magic.
Since the Archmage excelled in fields beyond combat magic, Valdes figured there'd be plenty to gain from this.
By the time Bilma had sorted her thoughts, Valdes finished the books and burst into laughter.
"Kuhahaha!!"
"Ow, you scared me… Why are you laughing like that? Valdes… er, Pe-Pedro, sir."
"What's going on?"
The two, who had been resting nearby, hurried over at the sight of Valdes laughing like a maniac.
"This bastard was a real psycho. Dodged a bullet by finding this now."
"Huh? What on earth for?"
"Glad our efforts paid off."
He drew close to Irina—so close they were pressed together—and reached back to grab her ass.
"Hng…!"
"Oh my!"
Ignoring Bilma's shock beside them, Valdes kneaded her plump flesh and whispered.
"You did great. I've got leave until tomorrow, so look forward to tonight."
"Y-yes…♡"
She nodded shyly.
Just imagining the reward he would bestow made her body heat up. Still, she tried to hold back. There was still a long way until night—if she lost it now, her pride as his secretary would crumble.
"What is it already?!"
"Bilma."
"Yes!"
"Call me Valdes like usual. It's easier for me that way. You've checked out the facilities here, right? What'd you think?"
She hesitated a moment before opening her mouth with a sullen expression.
"Honestly, I'm disappointed in the former Mage Tower lord. Even a black mage wouldn't run experiments like this. It's the kind of stuff that warrants a continent-wide manhunt. Thousands must've died here just counting the humans—there were traces of other races and demons too. How rotten do you have to be to prepare something like this…."
"That's it? Anything odd stand out?"
"Huh? Odd how… Oh. Oh? Now that you mention it…."
Being sharp, she quickly grasped what Valdes meant.
"I-it's weird. The Mage Tower lord clearly died twelve years ago in a magic experiment. But the newest traces here are from nine years ago… and it feels like they were hastily cleaned up."
"Exactly."
With that, Valdes walked toward the study. The two women followed.
Upon arriving, he fiddled with books and tools several times.
Clunk—
"Ahh…."
"A secret passage."
After about ten tries, a small mechanical click sounded, revealing stairs hidden behind the study.
"The real deal was separate, huh."
"N-no way…."
They descended the stairs. Unlike elsewhere, there was no light, so they had to conjure their own. No dust or human traces suggested these stairs hadn't been used in about nine years either.
"That old coot probably hit a wall with his Mage Tower research. Pretending to be a good human cramped his style. So he faked his death and came here to continue. Roughly three years, I'd say."
"……."
Valdes explained his deductions as they walked.
"Then his long research bore fruit. But it wasn't something he could test right away. His body was failing, and the final product wasn't ready. So he planned for about ten more years."
"About a year left. That's why you…."
"Yeah. Realistically, even less."
As they spoke, the stairs ended at a single door. Valdes casually coated his finger in aura and sliced through the iron door. Kicking the bisected halves aside, he stepped in—and a shocking sight filled their vision.
"Wh-what is this…."
"…Holy…."
The first thing they saw was an old man's body inside a massive glass tube. The tube was filled with a mysterious, translucent fluid like amniotic liquid, and tubes snaked from the old man's head and respirator.
Calling it a body wasn't quite accurate. They couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. But surviving in that state would be horrific in its own right. The old man was naked, and one shoulder was blackened.
"Lord Mage Tower…."
"Long time no see."
Naturally, the old man's identity was the former Mage Tower lord—the Archmage.
"That wound…."
"That's the bodily strain I mentioned. A curse from fighting the Elder Lich. And the other side."
Following his words, Bilma looked at the opposite shoulder—or rather, arm. There was a faint scar where it had been severed and reattached.
"The mark I left when I betrayed him. The Saintess probably reattached it, but who reattaches a severed limb perfectly?"
"……."
"You get what this old fart was preparing now, right?"
Bilma felt utter dismay.
To think all those upper-level experiments and research were just for swapping into a homunculus body.
Mages had a subtle hierarchy based on research goals.
The highest was the pure pursuit of truth. There were others—like benefiting the masses or becoming the strongest mage—but rock bottom was reserved for one thing.
Body-swapping for immortality. Even turning oneself into a lich or researching eternal life was somewhat acceptable. A lich was just a means to an end for research, and eternal life benefited humanity as a whole.
But swapping via homunculus or chimera was pure selfishness. And such pursuits inevitably demanded countless sacrifices.
"That other glass tube connected to it must be the new body."
Inside was a homunculus male—visibly robust and sturdy. No doubt its magic circuits, mana capacity, physical prowess, and senses were superhuman.
"I-is that so…."
"Now I'm gonna swap him into it."
"…Huh?"
What was this now?
Bilma had assumed he'd smash the tube and kill the still-living Archmage. But swapping bodies? Why?
"Ah. N-no way…."
"Oh, your head works fast. Right. I'm shoving that old fart's soul into a sturdy female homunculus. Just tweak the senses a bit."
"…My god."
It was too gruesome to even call revenge.
"Um, Lord Valdes? Even so, that kind of taste is a bit…."
"You nuts? Why would I stick it in that? Obviously to torment him right up to death. Plus, that old coot's granddaughter and disciple are still around. Gotta show them getting railed too. Empire's fall is just icing."
"Ah, oh…."
Irina, listening beside them, inwardly sighed in relief.
If Valdes had said he'd fuck the homunculus with the Archmage's soul, she would've opposed it outright. Even as the future Demon King ruling the continent, she couldn't tolerate such bizarre tastes.
If that became possible, he'd start soul-swapping not just annoying women but men too. It could lead to rivals or concubines being men. As subordinate or lover, that was a hard no.
"Should we keep guarding this place?"
"Hm…."
Valdes pondered Irina's question.
Judging by the unfinished homunculus, the soul-transfer magic wouldn't trigger for another two or three months at least. Stationing them here that long was a waste of manpower.
"How's stirring up the nobles going?"
"Deeper grudges and more cracks than expected—it's progressing smoothly."
"Pull back then. The royals are starting to catch on anyway. I'll handle the palace pressure from here."
"Understood."
"And…."
As he was about to discuss future plans and assignments, a massive roar and faint tremor hit.
"Eek!"
"What the hell now."
They were deeper than the main dungeon. Sound aside, vibrations reaching here meant it was no small matter. Not a minor quake either.
"You two come up slowly!"
Sensing an ominous vibe, he raced upward. The closer to the surface, the more familiar the aura felt.
"Fuck my life."
Bursting out at explosive speed, he saw it.
"Kyahahahaha!!"
A pink-haired madwoman, with a bluish giant rampaging behind her.
"…Yuelli."
"I knew it! I knew it! Your looks changed, but you're definitely Pedro!!"
—Huh, this is real?
Her name was Yuelli. The madwoman who had been the Spirit User in the Hero's party.