The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 84
As a blinding flash of blue light appeared before my eyes, a gale unlike any I had ever experienced swept through.
Following Calisto, I had barely managed to climb to the edge of the rock when the fierce wind knocked me off balance.
A dizzying sensation of falling overwhelmed me.
A strong force grabbed my wrist.
Unaffected by the raging wind, the prince stood firm and easily held me.
As I struggled to open my eyes, holding my flying hair with one hand, I saw it.
A large circle had formed around the corpse.
Inside it, an invisible presence began to draw intricate patterns, which soon burst into a violent explosion of blue light.
Like flickering flames, an unknown intangible force raged around the corpse.
The strong gale seemed to be caused by this.
The tattered cloth draped over the bones flapped violently.
The prince, who had been watching silently, casually identified it.
Stunned by the unfamiliar term, I stared at the blue light emanating from the pattern.
Before long, the wind stopped.
The swirling intangible force gradually shrank and then vanished without a trace along with the pattern.
The once chaotic cave was now eerily quiet.
“There was indeed a subversive element who dared to use magic without the palace’s permission. But he died a long time ago.”
The prince released my wrist, which he had been holding tightly to keep me from being swept away.
As he said, the state of the skeleton, standing upright in the middle of the vanished magic circle, looked incredibly ancient.
Given the dampness of the cave, bones this old would usually have rotted away and lost their form.
‘Was it preserved by magic?’
Moreover, it was astonishing that it could stand so straight in an environment where even a healthy person would stagger in the fierce gale.
“...Why is the lower half missing?”
Sometimes, mummies are found standing upright, but that’s only possible if the skin and muscles of the lower body are preserved.
However, the skeleton in front of me was in no condition to be called a mummy.
The ribcage, devoid of any flesh, and the severed spine looked as if they were about to merge with the rock.
“Did the remains melt due to the stone and seep into the cracks?”
I was observing the skeleton with interest.
“The remaining magic is what has kept its form intact.”
“It seems he used his own body as a sacrifice for the magic circle to bind his soul to this place.”
Suddenly, the prince spoke, answering my unvoiced question.
I realized I had muttered it out loud.
“Have you seen a skull before? You don’t seem surprised.”
He was looking at me with interest as I observed the skeleton.
“Usually, animals are used... but this one seems to have been cut in half while still alive and couldn’t withstand it.”
Calisto nodded indifferently.
“A strong life force is needed to activate the magic circle.”
“...A strong life force?”
I knew nothing about magic circles or life forces.
‘What? This wasn’t detailed in the normal mode.’
Moreover, his answer was completely different from what I had expected, leaving me quite flustered.
‘This isn’t a fantasy movie. How do you bind a soul?’
But I immediately understood.
This wasn’t reality; it was a game world where magic is part of daily life.
“Why did this person want to bind their soul to this place?”
“He probably wanted the magic circle to continue activating even after his death. The magic he intended to cast must have been quite malevolent.”
“It’s a good thing this guy died halfway through.”
The idea of someone secretly casting magic deep in the forest within the palace grounds was quite unsettling.
The prince slowly walked around the area where the magic circle’s outline had been, examining the skeleton.
“The soul he wanted to bind has been destroyed, and only the magic left in the body is being held by the circle...”
“It’s still powerful enough to activate the circle, so he must have been quite skilled in life.”
I understood that the skeleton was preserved to this extent because of the remaining magic.
‘Without any chemicals, magic alone can preserve a skeleton...’
It was truly a wondrous and convenient world.
A faint vibration accompanied by a blue light began to appear on the rock again.
The magic circle seemed to be reactivating.
“It’s dangerous, step back, princess.”
Calisto extended his arm to stop me and ordered.
I obediently retreated to the bottom of the platform.
The moment the remaining magic in the corpse began to surge through the circle.
Swish, Crack! The prince, drawing his sword, ruthlessly plunged it into the intangible vortex.
Boom! A loud explosion echoed through the cave.
The concentrated magic and the sword’s energy clashed.
The fierce wind caused his golden hair to fly wildly.
But he seemed unconcerned, his crimson eyes flashing as he planted his sword in the ground.
Blue sparks ‘crackled’ around him.
Soon, cracks began to form where he had plunged his sword into the rock.
The thin cracks quickly deepened and spread across the entire magic circle.
With this, the fierce wind gradually subsided.
The chaotic magic and the circle suddenly vanished.
The prince pulled out his sword.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, indicating he had exerted a lot of energy.
“...Is it done, Your Highness?”
I asked, lowering my hands from my ears.
“It’s completely destroyed.”
Calisto nodded indifferently.
“Now, let’s see what magic he intended to cast.”
He crossed the cracked rock, still holding his sword, heading towards the skeleton’s bony arms, each holding a thick scroll.
Stopping in front of it, he stroked his chin thoughtfully before suddenly raising his sword.
He was clearly about to cut the skeleton’s arm.
Realizing what he was about to do, I widened my eyes and shouted.
Calisto paused and turned to look at me.
I hurriedly ran to where he was.
“I’m going to cut the arm.”
“To get a clue about why he tried to engrave a magic circle inside the palace by looking at the scroll.”
“You don’t need to damage the skeleton to get it.”
The prince raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding my point.
“Are you going to touch the corpse and remove it, princess?”
Lucky. I had always wanted to try excavating a skeleton.
Moreover, I couldn’t bear to see the skeleton’s form collapse instantly from the prince’s sword.
It was a unique skeleton, preserved for a long time in an unusual way.
“Step back, Your Highness, and put away that sword.”
I subtly pushed the prince back.
The prince let out a derisive laugh but obediently sheathed his sword.
His slanted eyes seemed to say, ‘Let’s see what you do.’
I confirmed he had moved back and stood directly in front of the skeleton.
I clasped my hands and bowed briefly.
“I’m sorry. I need to touch you.”
Archaeologists are always tense when excavating skeletons or tombs.
Unbelievably, many supernatural phenomena occur, so it’s common to perform rituals or prayers before starting the excavation.
Just as I finished my silent prayer, the prince, who had stepped back, was now right beside me, looking at me curiously.
“I’m showing respect before touching the skeleton.”
“To wish for the deceased’s peace and to ensure I can remove the item without any issues.”
“You do some useless things.”
The prince narrowed his eyes and glared at me.
“I didn’t know you believed in superstitions so much, princess.”
Before starting the excavation, I needed to assess the condition.
I bent down to examine the scroll and the finger bones holding it closely.
The part where the paper touched the bone was black and rotten, and dust and sand-like substances clung to it.
‘Is there a brush around?’
There was no such thing in this desolate cave.
As I looked around for a tool, an idea popped into my head.
I put down the crossbow I was carrying and carefully pulled out a dagger from my pocket.
I grabbed a handful of my hair and cut it.
My hand holding the dagger was grabbed, and I was roughly turned around.