Chapter 250. Witch (1)
Calia stayed in Rines, waiting for contact from Roafra.
Several times along the way, she thought of leading the knight order into the underworld, but… in the end she could only put that thought aside.
Asher was a far stronger man than Calia.
What's more, his strength when they met after a long while was completely different from before, enough that he could sink a small airship in an instant with a single spell.
'If I rashly tried to help, I might end up being a hindrance.'
So she could only wait.
Though some worry arose that he had gone alone, she was convinced the worst would not come to pass.
The mighty Undead summoned by the Glory of the Dead.
She still clearly remembered the sight of the mage who had overwhelmed an existence Calia herself had been powerless against.
To be honest, Calia could not even imagine Asher being defeated.
Then, at last, word came.
Earlier than she had expected, Calia immediately led the knight order to meet the two men who had come from Roafra.
Galliark and Gail.
And then Calia was struck by shocking news.
───Asher had subdued Roafra…?
For a moment, she was so startled she couldn't even maintain her composure.
No, she had expected it, but to think he would defeat Vintert this quickly. Including even Grond, called the strongest in history, the king of the underworld.
It was staggering.
This was a matter beyond faith.
'Wait, could this be a trap?'
It was a reasonable suspicion, but only groundless worry.
For Samwell, Charlotte, and Aiden, who were running an inn in Rines, vouched for Galliark's identity.
Saying he was the man who, with Asher, had rescued the siblings who were once slaves.
It matched exactly with what Asher himself had told her.
In the end, there was only one choice.
Knock, knock.
"Lady Calia, we'll soon arrive at our destination."
Calia, lost in thought, opened her eyes.
Then, stepping onto the deck of Velos, she saw beyond Vintert's small airship the great city of Aurofl.
Below lay Roafra. The underworld they had until now never set foot in because of the non-aggression treaty was right before their eyes.
"Haille, you will command the 2nd and 3rd divisions and guard Velos. Whoever approaches without permission, whoever they may be, is to be treated as an enemy."
"Yes, Lady Calia!"
"The rest will enter Roafra with me. And as for Perne and Karans…"
"I will go to meet my brother."
Karans gave Perne a sidelong glare.
He had been asked to guard Perne. Naturally, if Karans was going, she would be with him.
Perne answered without a care.
"I will go down to Roafra as well."
She already knew well of Karans' strength.
There was also Blue, who insisted on guarding her. And she was convinced that Asher had indeed subdued Roafra.
All these grounds combined, it was the judgment of an information broker.
"Of course, as long as it does not trouble Lady Calia."
"It matters not. I have more than enough strength to protect one like you."
Whoooong.
At last, Vintert's airship and Velos landed in turn.
Carriages arrived in a row from Aurofl to receive them.
At Galliark and Gail's signal, Calia, Vespa, the 1st Division of the White Crest Knight Order, along with Karans and Perne, descended to the ground.
Galliark climbed into the lead carriage.
"My work is done, so I'll go ahead and rest. Ah, my back aches."
"Understood, Lord Galliark."
Galliark departed first.
One of Vintert's men who had brought the carriages whispered to Gail.
Nodding, Gail politely gestured toward the carriage for Calia.
"The new king is waiting for you. So I will guide you straight to Roafra."
The new king…
As Calia's party boarded the carriage, they mulled over the unfamiliar title.
Vespa and the White Crest knights mounted their horses, surrounding the carriage in formation. For though it had not yet been proven not to be enemy territory, it was a wise precaution.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Without any inspection or questioning, they passed through Aurofl's gates.
Racing down a secured road, they soon reached the entrance to an underground passage, descended stairs, and boarded a mana elevator.
Through the moving glass window, the underground city came into view. Calia gazed at the streets as if entranced.
'So this is Roafra…'
It was different from what she had imagined.
She had thought it would be nothing but a terrible place, yet it held a kind of beauty, like viewing a great city's night streets.
But one thing caught her eye.
Crowds of people busily moving to rebuild structures, and far in the distance, the ruined Ashen Castle.
That was not a scene one would normally see in Roafra.
"Could it be that Asher did this?"
"…It is already much restored now."
Gail carefully nodded.
Though he had maintained a consistently calm demeanor, his face had gone pale. Enough to make clear, indirectly, how horrific that situation had been.
Perne, more than anyone, understood his feelings.
Thud.
By then, the elevator reached the ground.
The moment they stepped into Roafra, a man with a familiar presence approached.
"Ah, brother!"
Karans greeted him with overflowing joy.
Verden.
He stood there unscathed, without a single wound.
It was expected, yet laughable. To think he had stormed into the underworld that none dared touch, and yet looked perfectly fine.
Beside him, Gail bowed deeply.
"As ordered, I have brought the guests."
"Well done."
They now faced a man whose face they all knew.
All were dumbfounded, save only Karans, who grinned broadly. They had much they wished to say, but this was no place for conversation.
"Follow me."
Verden pointed toward Vintert's castle.
***
As always, Verden explained the situation concisely.
He excluded details, giving only the key points in clear order. Quietly listening, Calia set down the teacup she had been sipping from.
"So in other words, Asher, you have become the king of this place."
Political power or wealth mattered nothing.
The throne of Roafra was granted only to the strongest.
If one wished to seize the throne, as Grond had done in the past, one need only usurp it by force.
By that tradition, the current lord of the underworld was Verden.
'Lord Asher is the king of the underworld!'
Suddenly, Perne recalled the past.
When she first met him, she never dreamed, never imagined he was such a great man.
Now he had not only obtained the Demon King's artifact, but had single-handedly conquered the kingdom's shadow. He had risen to be a powerhouse on the scale of the world, not just a kingdom.
Looking back, her heart for some reason stirred.
Verden spoke.
"In name, that is how it is seen, but I have no thought to reign here in Roafra."
"May I ask the reason?"
"I did not build up this strength just to rule one underworld."
Roafra's scale was indeed large.
To rule it, one could reap vast profits like Grond had, and gain considerable influence in the criminal world.
'But the force of this power itself is insignificant.'
Not in the kingdom's standards, but in the world's.
For example, if they clashed with the battle division of the Bohemirn Magic Tower, the underworld, including Vintert, would be annihilated within days.
Even with Grond clad in artifacts, they could only hold out for a while. Once the tower's executives stepped in, it would only be a matter of time.
To Verden, dragging such people around was nothing but a burden.
It was true the Bohemirn Magic Tower had lost power from the rampage of its power source and its war with the Black Hour.
But even so, among the ten towers it still ranked 4th in overall strength, and tied for 2nd in military might. Its power remained overwhelming.
"To think you call it only an underworld… and yet it does not sound arrogant, which is strange enough. Well, surely with you it must be so. But why did you call us here, instead of coming to Rines?"
"There is a favor I would ask."
"A favor?"
Just then, Robert entered.
He placed the document he was holding in front of Verden.
"Asher-nim, this is the list of illegal slaves you mentioned."
"If you mean illegal slaves… don't tell me."
At Calia's doubt, Verden nodded.
The reason Verden had used Galliark as his contact in his stead was because there were two things to be done in Roafra.
'One is the reconstruction of Roafra.'
Criminal organizations aside, it was not possible to just leave the streets where civilians also lived in such a state.
For that reason, the collapsed and twisted terrain had been restored with Terrain Manipulation, and the sunken buildings were being rebuilt in real time under Robert's management.
'And the other is the matter of illegal slaves.'
To be frank, Verden had no intention of changing the system of the underworld. Even if he disliked slavery itself, he had neither the reason nor the leisure to take responsibility for all of their lives.
From the start, Verden was neither a saint nor a revolutionary.
But the circumstances had changed.
───Robert, are there those here who perform human experimentation?
───…Yes, there are.
Roafra teemed with all kinds of criminals.
Among them, there were naturally mages who crossed the line. Just as Ruin Costa once tried to gift Aiden and Charlotte to Verden.
───Find them all.
Verden mobilized Vintert to root out all illegal slaves, and personally executed those who had performed human experimentation.
Some begged for mercy, others resisted, but there was no exception before Verden's mace.
The problem was the slaves secured in the process.
It was not as if he could return them to where they had been, saying the matter was done, nor could he leave them as they were, for the conditions for human experimentation would soon be recreated.
So he decided.
To take this opportunity to abolish illegal slavery entirely.
He had never wished to be king, but at least for now, Verden was the ruler of Roafra. Naturally, there was no opposition.
"I've already paid their worth from Vintert's treasury, and prepared wealth to distribute to individuals, but the problem is housing. Their number is considerable, and I cannot simply leave them to live here in Roafra."
"Mm, that is true."
Calia nodded, understanding.
"By the name of the Marquisate of Esperanza, I will work with the mayor of Aurofl to handle the resettlement of these people. Indeed, this is a noble's field of expertise. Very well, leave this matter to me."
"Thank you."
"There is no need for thanks. This is something I wish to do myself."
It was, in other words, emancipation of slaves.
For Calia, it was a most righteous matter. She gazed at Verden with satisfaction.
Then Verden told Perne and Robert to assist Calia. And he asked Karans to continue serving as her guard.
"Leave it to me, Asher-nim."
"We will proceed without fail."
"It is a simple matter, brother."
Their answers came readily.
At that moment, Calia asked.
"Asher, there is something I wish to ask."
"What is it?"
"By any chance… are you thinking of leaving the kingdom?"
Everyone listened closely.
In the quiet atmosphere, Verden answered.
"The time is near, but not yet. There are still things to be done."
***
Leonil was seeking out trait-holders for a certain experiment, and was firmly mistaken that Verden was such a one.
If used as bait, he might be able to meet Leonil.
'But it's unclear.'
According to Robert, Grond had directly delivered trait-holders to the court mages. Until now, Leonil had never once come in person to take them.
In other words, it would be difficult to meet him outside.
'Even if I manage to use a disguise to reach Leonil himself… it would still be troublesome.'
If he made the capital the stage for a magical battle, the civilian casualties would be immeasurable. If possible, Leonil must be lured to a place where no people were nearby.
But no clear method came to mind.
Just as Verden's thoughts grew heavier, he felt a presence outside.
The other did not even need to knock. With Telekinesis, the doorknob was pulled, and Gail stood in the corridor.
"What is it?"
"Ah, yes. A guest has come to see you, Asher-nim."
A guest?
No one came to mind.
Tilting his head, Verden heard Gail say softly,
"It is the black-market merchant, Cland."
***
Cland, who had arrived suddenly, was not alone.
Beside him stood a man with golden hair and green eyes, and another man sitting weakly in a wheelchair, wearing a mask.
Verden, feeling a vague sense of dissonance, sat across from the three.
"It has been a while, Asher. Or should I now call you, Your Majesty?"
"I have no intention of calling myself king."
"…I see, indeed. For one who subdued Roafra single-handedly, this underground city would be far too small. I will be careful with my words."
Cland dipped his head slightly, as if apologetic.
Perhaps because he had learned Verden's true power, or perhaps for another reason, his demeanor was more cautious than before.
"But what brings you here?"
"Because I have business with you, of course. But before I get to the point, there is something I must say. Do you remember our first transaction?"
The first trade with the black-market merchant.
It had been an exchange of "information on a certain person" given by Perne, and a list of auction participants.
Verden recalled Cland's muttering at that time.
───Yes… that's right. Thrown into the slums, half of his head burned away. No wonder I could not find him, no matter how I tried. His appearance would be entirely different from what I remembered… so, you lived, you truly lived.
Why bring up that story now?
Verden's gaze shifted to the man in the wheelchair. On his neck, exposed above mask and clothes, were burn scars.
Similar to the ones on Cland's jaw.
"The one you were seeking then…"
"As expected, you are quick to see. Yes. It is this man."
Cland slowly removed the man's mask. The face revealed beneath was ghastly.
Most of his head and face were covered in burn scars, and even down his throat it seemed melted, making even the act of voicing words a struggle.
"U… uh…"
A single remaining eye fixed on Verden. In it glimmered gratitude.
Cland stroked the man's head.
A touch filled with entangled sorrow and anger.
"His name is Chemion. My disciple. He had gone missing long ago, his whereabouts unknown, but with the information from Perne you gave me, I was able to find him."
"That is fortunate, but…"
Verden narrowed his eyes.
He could not discern what Cland's true intention was in saying this.
"I know what you are thinking. That my coming is sudden, and suspicious. But none of this is entirely unrelated to you. For your actions, solving requests set forth by the Marquisate of Esperanza, are connected in ways you may not know."
Chemion, scarred by fire. Cland, hiding his true identity. Leonil's experiments. And even the Marquis of Esperanza, who sought to uncover them.
"…"
"I came here both to resolve these doubts, and to introduce you to a single person whom I would ask you to meet. The one I, we, truly serve."
His words carried deep loyalty.
And it was not directed toward the Marquis of Esperanza.
"Lorian."
The man, Lorian, released his magic power.
Verden sharpened his senses.
Ready to respond to anything.
But in that magic power, there was no trace of hostility. Rather… it felt as though it was leading Verden somewhere.
This was no ordinary hierarchical magic.
"…A trait?"
"A trait called telepathy. If you accept Lorian's magic, you will be able to meet that one, in the mental realm. Of course, if you refuse, there is nothing to be done."
Though Cland offered a choice, it was little different from compulsion.
A trait-holder named "Lorian".
Leonil's experiment, its ultimate goal still unknown.
Cland's true identity, and the one he served, someone beyond the Marquis of Esperanza.
'If I, as a mage, claimed not to be interested, it would be a lie.'
His hesitation was brief.
Verden, instead of answering, closed his eyes.
It was not that he trusted Cland. It was confidence, that even if he entered the mental realm, it would not matter.
He could leave at any time.
As Lorian's magic was gradually accepted, his consciousness was drawn into darkness. Cland's voice echoed by his ear.
"Remember this. We are not your enemies."
And then his awareness flashed.
Before he knew it, Verden was standing in the middle of a vast garden, set within the darkness.
The warmth of sunlight was felt on his skin, and the fragrance of flowers and grass brushed his nose.
'To build a mental realm with such detail…'
He had clearly reached the pinnacle of a mental-type mage.
As Verden was looking around, a woman stepped out of the darkness.
Hair and eyes of platinum hue. The thin dress she wore was of the same color. At a glance, it was clear.
This was the one to whom Cland gave his loyalty.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Asher."
The woman stopped.
"I am the First Princess of the Royal Family of Estiria, Silis Riven di Estiria."
Silis lifted the hem of her skirt slightly, offering a graceful courtesy.
Her appearance matched the word nobility more than anyone Verden had ever seen. At last, she smiled at him.
"Please, call me Silis."
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