[No title provided]
The situation had spiraled beyond serious into utter catastrophe. I was completely at a loss, with no idea what to do next.
Shit, how the hell do I handle this?
Even racking my brain offered no guarantee of a solution—and I didn't have the luxury of time to deliberate anyway. For now, Franz decided to act, win or lose. Thrashing around beat standing there like an idiot.
"Arian, Justia's probably in the basement of the heretic church hall. Go help her out."
"Pardon? The Saintess...? But how do I even get down there...."
"Sending you now."
Franz cast a spell on Arian. A magic circle etched itself beneath her feet, flashing with light as her figure vanished.
That should take care of the basement. Sure, Arian mostly handled paperwork as my secretary, but she was no slouch as a mage. No one raised a fuss when I appointed her—that said it all. Mediocre mages don't land secretary gigs.
Anyway.
Now to deal with this mess....
Franz's eyes darted back and forth between the two.
That was when it happened.
"Impressive, the hero's power. Withstanding that much demon blood. A monster beyond human bounds."
Istar Duke sneered at Yuna. Franz flinched in shock. Yuna was radiating pure fury—you could feel it—but what the hell was he thinking, provoking her like that?
Everyone's got a plan 'til they get punched in the mouth. Textbook case.
"Istar...."
A low growl escaped Yuna's lips, laced with rage beyond imagining.
Boom-!
She took a step forward, the air exploding outward and shattering every glass window in the heretic church hall.
"You... deceived me...."
Yuna slowly lifted her head to glare at Istar Duke. In that instant, Franz felt chills ripple across his skin. She looked like killing intent molded into human shape—his body reacted on instinct.
But Istar Duke remained smug.
"Still can't control your emotions. That's why you fall for it."
Snap-.
Istar Duke snapped his fingers, and a massive red magic circle began etching itself across the church hall floor. The candles on the walls shifted from red to blue flames.
Sealing magic?
Sealing magic. That was Franz's snap analysis after decoding the circle in a flash. But this was no ordinary spell. Its core structure matched the one that had sealed the Demon King—only tweaked with altered runes and script to bind the hero's power instead of demonic qi.
Amateurs couldn't pull this off. Only elite archmages, and even then, a handful pooling their mana.
Was the cult for this?
Living things naturally harbored mana. Demon blood supercharged it—perfect for sacrifices.
In the end, all this was to snag Yuna.
Clank-!
The circle completed, iron chains bursting from the floor to coil around Yuna's body.
"Istar...!"
She thrashed with all her might, but her body sank inexorably toward the ground. Soon enough, Yuna collapsed, bound tight by the chains.
"Without the hero's power, you're just a little girl."
His arrogance made sense now. With a trump card like this, who'd doubt themselves?
Watching from afar, Franz mulled it over.
If I save Yuna....
Just break the seal, and it'd be Yuna's overwhelming victory—no contest. One swing, and Istar Duke would vanish without a trace.
But then what? That rage would turn on the world. Could we handle it?
She'd been a rock-solid ally in the hero party, but as an enemy? Nightmare fuel. Like your bodyguard Mike Tyson suddenly snapping and coming at you.
Need time right now.
Justia was restoring Yuna's family. It'd just take a while. Once she saw they were fine, Yuna would snap back to normal. Sure, Istar Duke would be gone—but justly so.
Decision made, the plan was simple.
Protect sealed Yuna without breaking it.
Franz teleported between Yuna and Istar Duke.
Istar Duke nodded slowly.
"I see. You skipped the wine."
"No reason to drink it. Looked sketchy as hell."
"Smart one. Truth be told, I'd love to team up. Chance to seize the world. What do you say?"
Franz furrowed his brow, pretending to ponder. Then he carefully extended his middle finger.
"Know what this is?"
"What the hell is that."
Not a universal gesture here, but "Fuck off, you heretic bastard." Felt damn good.
Where the hell had this guy been hiding? Might as well call it the Five Demon Kings now—one human.
"Chose the hard road, eh? Pity, but enemies must die."
"What, kill the whole hero party and crown yourself Demon King?"
"I serve only the Demon God—but that's an amusing angle."
Istar Duke still oozed confidence.
What the fuck?
Franz couldn't figure him out. That smugness screamed hidden ace, but aside from absorbing nobles' mana, nothing else showed. Maybe because Yuna was sealed? Without the hero, I win—something like that.
I'm a 10th-circle archmage myself....
Istar was skilled, no denying it—but beating him? Easy. I could erase him right here if I wanted.
Problem was Franz's track record. Everyone begged for a 10th-circle miracle, but he'd never shown one publicly.
Not that he wanted to. 10th-circle spells pushed mana and life force to the brink. Without the saintess's miracle back then, he'd have died on the spot.
No way he'd demo that. It wasn't "exhausting"—it was lethal.
Franz didn't know, but rumors swirled behind his back: all hype, no substance. Jealous old tower mages spreading shit.
For reference, his last public spell was 6th-circle. The higher ones? Learned adventuring with the hero party.
So yeah, everything felt suspicious. Heretic like him? Probably plotting something.
"Shame. Farewell then."
A magic circle formed at Istar Duke's fingertips. Demonic qi tangled with mana, tracing red lines into complex runes and shapes, layering into an 8th-circle spell.
8th-circle? Top-tier even in the Magic Tower. Had to respect the skill.
Can decode it, but....
Heavy demonic qi meant dispel would take time. Spell fires first.
Even against Demon King, that's why no Anti-Magic.
But no biggie. Anti-Magic was just one tool in the kit.
Snap-.
Franz snapped his fingers. Dozens of magic circles ignited simultaneously—brilliant blue against the guy's ominous red.
Horror flashed across Istar Duke's face.
"Y-you! Heard the hero party's mage was dead weight! What the hell is that power?!"
"Who told you that?"
"You did!! I was right there!!"
"Said the hero soloed it all. Dead weight?"
How do you even twist words that bad?
No one brags openly anyway. Rice bends as it ripens—talented folks praise others, hide their own feats.
So whatever.
"Just be the sealing shuttle."
Nice, bought some time too.