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Chapter 92




Chapter 92. A Promise is a Promise, But Why?
“Ugh, ugh...”
Perhaps the high-speed movement was too much for him. I steadied Obern, who was vomiting.
“A, t-thank you...”
When I sent mana through his back, Obern quickly stabilized. I confirmed that he had composed himself and then focused on Shain.
“Weakling.”
[Weakling? Weakling, you say? If you hadn’t cut off my mana halfway, I wouldn’t have ended up like this!]
“Of course, I had to. How much mana do you consume?”
To my credit, my mana is pure.
Even in the same amount, it boasts several times the efficiency of other mages' mana.
I allowed him to use half of my core, and he still ended up like this?
‘Then you should be dead.’
Of course, I could understand Shain’s frustration.
After all, I was the one who suddenly cut off his mana.
[If you’re here, then give me your mana. You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you?]
“Promise? What promise?”
[The promise that I would take the black mage’s head for you.]
“Oh, that?”
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten.
The reason Shain became my servant, or rather, our collaborator, was because of that black mage over there.
Even though I could have shattered his head with the ambush just now, I only struck his chest, and that was for a reason.
However,
“A promise is a promise, but why?”
[What?]
“Isn’t it enough to just let me take the head? Why should I give you my mana?”
[What kind of wordplay is this...!]
Shain, whose body had no limbs, seemed to be getting angry as he tried to rise. Despite having no arms or legs, he was surprisingly strong.
I waved my hands at Shain, who looked ready to charge at me.
“Hey, you insolent one. Back off.”
[I, I...!]
The light inside his helmet burned fiercely.
Indeed, he was a fun one to tease. The more I poked, the more he reacted.
Well, anyway,
“Let’s stop playing around.”
[Playing around? Do I look like I’m playing around?]
“No, I was the one playing around.”
I calmed Shain, who was baring his teeth.
Of course, he didn’t calm down immediately.
Shain, who looked like he could kill me ten times over, glared at me.
But perhaps he read something in my serious expression.
[There must be... some reason.]
“Yeah, something like that.”
I nodded.
Giving Shain mana wasn’t difficult.
Reconstructing his limbs would only require a bit of mana, and supplying him with the energy to move wouldn’t be hard either.
There were still a few potent herbs left in the subspace.
However...
Whirring—
Humming—
The fiercely resonating Fire Seal.
‘It’s ominous.’
While running through the barrier area to find Shain, the resonance grew stronger.
As if... yes. Being drawn to Destrue or drawing Destrue to him.
Shivers—
With such a surge of unease, how could I waste even a bit of mana?
[Whatever it is, I understand. But how am I supposed to take that bastard’s head in this state?]
I gathered my thoughts at Shain’s voice.
“Clear your mind and observe yourself. Do you need my mana?”
[What... hmm?]
Shain, who looked puzzled, tilted his head. Then, he seemed to realize something and the light flickered.
[It... doesn’t seem necessary right now.]
“Right?”
I placed my hand on Shain’s body and flowed pure mana into the surface.
Soon—
Crack, crack...!
Dark red sparks spread over his body. With each spark, mysterious runes shattered and scattered.
[This...]
“I don’t know what it is, but I’ve removed the minor spells from your body.”
[Is that so easy?]
I shrugged.
‘Of course not.’
It looked simple, but it was a combination of several mana techniques.
No one else could do it... well, maybe Reheim-senpai could.
Anyway, it was a difficult technique!
“I didn’t remove everything. Just the incomplete spells. It seems there were parts that were disrupted while blocking a curse... Anyway, are you feeling better now?”
Shain nodded in response to my question.
[Much better. And... the black mana is overwhelming. Your petty mana can’t compare.]
Shain, who quickly regained his arrogance.
“Parasite.”
[Parasite, parasite! Damn...!]
I reaffirmed the hierarchy and glanced away.
“Those, dog-like creatures... cough, cough. How dare they...”
Though not hit that hard, the Golden Mage spat out a mouthful of blood. He was almost dead.
Well, it was an understandable situation.
Being attacked during a spell would naturally cause a backlash.
Anyway,
“That kid is getting up. Want to beat him?”
[Soon... I’ll go. Just wait. Let me assess the situation.]
With those words, Shain’s light dimmed.
The ghost fire that had been burning fiercely inside the helmet was now a small ember, flickering weakly.
After a moment,
[Tsk, I won’t be able to return to my previous form.]
Shain, who muttered incomprehensible words, floated in the air.
His armor decomposed into particles and then transformed into a black aura, swirling like a small vortex.
Thud.
Shain revealed himself to the world.
However, his appearance was different.
“Shorter?”
The giant who once made me crane my neck was gone.
He was probably around 150 to 160 cm tall, not much taller than me.
‘...Of course, I’m a bit taller.’
Anyway,
Shain, who had become cuter, clenched his fists and stretched his shoulders.
[A smaller body is more efficient.]
Shain kicked off the ground at that moment.
Thud, thud!
Shain, who had pulled out his sword from a withered tree, lightly stepped on the ground.
Whoosh!
He pointed the sword at the Golden Mage.
As if a noble knight was challenging to a duel, a dignified and solemn aura surrounded the area.
Shain looked at the Golden Mage and declared,
[You will die by my hand.]
The Golden Mage didn’t remain idle in the face of this declaration.
“Running like a rat, and now you’re just a mouthy one! Fine! I’ll kill you all!”
Wiping the blood from his mouth, he pulled out a cube from his robes.
Click—
As he turned the protrusion on the cube, a sharp grinding sound echoed.
Roar—
A resonant sound, like a giant beast howling, shook the air.
“What...”
I tilted my head slightly as I saw the black maw, or rather, the entrance to a subspace, opening behind the Golden Mage.
It wasn’t an ordinary subspace.
The thick black mana that poured out made me frown.
I soon realized what the subspace was.
“...The Tomb of the Dead?”
“You recognize it.”
I had seen it in Prezen’s notebook.
The ultimate artifact for storing undead.
It operates differently from the subspace of the Cursed Bracelet.
Any undead stored inside will be saturated with black mana, and the longer they stay, the more their abilities improve.
In other words, it’s an undead maturation device!
“I don’t need any of that. I’ll kill you all here!”
“Arrogance.”
Shain, who had been chasing him and failed to catch him, was now talking about killing him.
Anyway,
Thud, thud!
The undead emerged from the subspace.
[No wonder, I couldn’t see them from the middle. They were stored in the subspace.]
“You must have been quite nimble, like a rat. Shain von Remang, the great traitor, to be such a rat.”
Apparently, the undead, whose mobility had decreased while chasing Shain, were called back.
“Can you do it?”
[Can I do it?]
Shain, who smiled.
My question was nothing.
The Golden Mage, whose power was hindered by the mana backlash, was no problem.
‘The undead are also powered by the core.’
The core is the source and center of all magic.
If the core’s mana is unstable, no magic can be fully utilized. This applies to controlling undead as well.
While they don’t receive direct control from the core like other magic, the dominion over the undead would inevitably weaken.
However,
I looked at the now shorter Shain.
‘He’s too short.’
Even for mages, who don’t use their bodies much, the height and eye level affect the accuracy of spells. How much more so for a knight?
Even if Shain was Shain, the change from a 2-meter giant to a short figure was not a trivial matter.
His eye level and spatial perception would be disrupted.
But Shain smiled calmly.
[Who do you think I am?]
The guy who was tapping his chest as if to say, “Trust me.”
I looked at him with narrowed eyes and then turned my gaze back to the black mage.
If he says he’s fine, what more can I say?
“Then shut up. Bring that thing over.”
[What?]
“From now on, that will be your home. You should have a decent home, right?”
I picked up a few potent herbs from the subspace, which I had received from my senior, and threw them into the maw.
‘It’s annoying that he might develop resistance...’
But the Tomb of the Dead was worth it.
With this, I wouldn’t have to allocate my precious mana to this wretched Death Knight.
Not only that.
‘A stronger servant.’
A stronger servant benefits the world.
[Oh, you seem to covet that quite a bit.]
Shain, who smiled again at the granted mana. I didn’t respond.
Just.
Whoosh—
I stepped back to a place where the battle wouldn’t reach and began my breathing technique.
“Before my breathing technique ends, bring the subspace over. Parasite.”
[Parasite, parasite!]
It might look defenseless, but there’s no need to worry.
If I die, Shain will die first.
Meanwhile,
Thud, thud.
Obern, who naturally and stealthily ran over, drew a mana accumulation array around me.
“...”
“...Ah, should I not?”
“...No, do it.”
It was a good move.
Anyway,
[Good, the distance is closer, so the mana supply is very smooth. It’s incomparable to before.]
With those words, Shain leaped up.
“Kill them!”
With a typical villain’s line, the leading Death Knights swung their spears.
The Golden Mage and the traitor.
It couldn’t be anything but a battle of the century between these villains of equal standing.