Chapter 222. Eradicating Evil (1)
When sothing tallic was aid at his back, number 2 was convinced that the situation had taken a wrong turn.
The 'number 3' he knew wouldn't do such things. This ant the one aiming the 'tal' at his back wasn't 'number 3'.
With just a little thought, he could easily co to a conclusion.
"... Where is number 3?"
"What do you think happened?"
A relaxed tone in stark contrast to the situation causing cold sweat.
"You ca out separately... just to ask that."
From the start, he couldn't not know. The changed voice and the formal speech. They were not 'number 3's.
For that reason, number 2 deliberately brought him to be in such a situation.
To have a conversation.
"Indeed, didn't you feel sothing was off from the first ti we talked?"
It seed he noticed it too. Despite trying to perform so that even other 'students' wouldn't notice.
"So? What happened to number 3?"
There was sothing he wanted to hear first. Number 2 kept speaking to hear that.
"He died."
The answer to number 2's question was a cold pronouncent. Upon hearing that, number 2 clenched his fist and his lips quivered.
"By your hand...?"
Even though, he was put into a catatonic state due to a 'trap', he wasn't fully dead.
However, if killed to strip off his ornants and clothes, it was a different story.
"From before."
Number 2 took a deep breath. Guilt engulfed him. If he hadn't initiated this in the first place, such a thing wouldn't have happened.
"Is he your brother?"
Biting his trembling lips hard, number 2 nodded.
"I see. It's a tragic matter."
The voice from behind sank even lower. After that, the sensation of 'tal' touching his back disappeared.
Sensing that, number 2 slowly looked up. As expected, the pursuer, Yulian, was standing there.
"Why did you put away the sword?"
To number 2's question, Yulian shrugged.
"I put it away because you are not soone worth pointing a sword at."
A joke that wasn't even funny.
Thinking so, number 2 checked Yulian's waist.
An undrawn scabbard remained. He who had the upper hand in the battle. With just a mont of lowering the blade, his head would no longer be on his shoulders.
"Shouldn't there be retribution?"
At that mont, Yulian spoke with a faint smile.
Not knowing if that smile was always there or not, number 2 unknowingly swallowed due to the unchanged atmosphere.
"For that, wasn't that the reason you hid from everyone that I wasn't 'number 3'?"
Indeed.
"And, isn't an 'outsider' necessary for revenge?"
That was true too.
Number 2 started to feel goosebumps forming. He thought he had called him in to talk, yet in reality, 'Yulian' created this situation to use him.
"How much... do you know?"
'A student' cannot harm 'the teacher'.
That's the magic cast on the students by 'Heml', the mage.
For that reason, no matter how dissatisfied the 'students' were, they couldn't lay even a fingertip on Heml.
"More than you know."
A dubious smile.
Like his confident tone, Yulian seed to know more than he did.
***
To check the safety of one of the two paths, number 2 and number 3 were sent.
Out of the two, 'number 2' returned. Heml, who received his report, opened his mouth with a surprised tone.
"Are you saying you found Yulian?"
"Yes, master."
Yulian, who entered before them. It was unknown how he knew of this 'dungeon'-like place's existence, but it was easy to tell he had a connection with it.
If there were no relation, he wouldn't be able to bypass the entrance traps and co inside here.
'Strange.'
Yet Heml felt sothing off in number 2's report.
The students standing before him were more akin to biological batteries than commonly known as 'students'.
The reason he insisted on calling them 'students' was because the more successors were trained, the more financial support would be provided by the Magic Tower.
'If not for money, I wouldn't have gone through such trouble.'
For that reason, Heml purchased orphans nationwide, inscribed his 'mana veins' on them, and labeled them as 'students'.
"What happened to number 3 who was sent together?"
"Number 3 was..."
At Heml's question, number 2 trailed off in a sorrowful voice.
"He fell victim to Yulian's ambush..."
"Useless fool."
Spitting out harsh words once, Heml stood up and straightened his staff.
"Lead the way, we'll chase imdiately."
"Won't you wait for number 4 and 5 to return?"
Thud──!
Annoyed at number 2's question, Heml struck him on the jaw with his staff.
"If Yulian delves deeper, won't it beco difficult to find him?"
Heml clicked his tongue, looking at number 2, whose vision was knocked askew from the pain.
"Moreover, since he knows we're pursuing, we can't afford to give him more ti."
This place was unknown to 'Heml', but it may not be so for Yulian.
There could be a backdoor he might secretly use, and if not, giving him ti would allow him to take a favorable position.
"Number 1, stay here and bring number 4 and 5 if they return."
"Yes, master."
"What are you doing, number 2? Lead the way."
"Understood."
At Heml's urging, number 2 wiped the blood off his lips and started moving forward.
Going deeper.
As Heml headed further into the dungeon, he started to feel sothing odd about 'Yulian'.
'Why can't I feel any mana?'
Mana resides in both living and non-living entities.
Though untrained people or non-living things might not have a 'mana vein', the 'mana vein' was rely an organ facilitating the easy manipulation of mana.
Thus, mages skilled in 'mana manipulation' could easily locate it with a bit of focus, whether it was a living being or an inanimate object.
Heml considered various possibilities.
'There's no chance soone like Yulian doesn't have mana.'
The reason for not sensing mana could be one of two:
His 'mana manipulation technique' was vastly superior to his own.
Or he reached a realm that couldn't be 'understood' by common thods.
'... Both are unsolvable matters.'
Heml was a mage.
An exceptional mage deserving of the title as one of the 'Three Colors' and an 'Imperial Mage'.
The idea that his 'mana manipulation' exceeded Heml's or that one reached an 'incomprehensible realm' was unthinkable.
"There it is, master."
Lost in thought, Heml looked up at number 2's voice.
Approaching the direction he pointed, darkness greeted him, obscuring everything.
"A place with no light."
Murmuring to himself, Heml swung his staff once.
Then, a globe of light emitted from his staff, providing enough faint light to proceed through the dark path.
"Hm?"
As he relied on the faint light to step forward, a prone 'student' lay before Heml's eyes.
Special attire for clear identification made recognition easy.
"Is it number 3?"
"... It seems so."
Scoffing at number 2's words, Heml ignored the student's corpse.
"Where is Yulian?"
"It seems we need to go a bit further."
"Hm."
A short sigh escaped Heml. Suddenly, he began to sense a peculiar 'gaze' from this place.
"Number 2."
"Yes?"
"From now on, you lead the way."
Saying so, Heml canceled the 'lantern' spell he had cast.
Darkness enveloped the area again, with only the torch number 2 was holding becoming a guide in this impenetrable space.
"Ah, understood."
Nodding, number 2 began leading the way. Heml maintained a distance and followed.
'This guy.'
To not be shaken by the sight of number 3's corpse.
'Suspicious.'
Betrayal was impossible; a 'student' couldn't harm the 'master'. That was the contract Heml implanted in the orphans he brought in from across the country.
'However, enlisting outside help was possible.'
The loophole in the contract he made. Heml wasn't unaware of it.
Thinking up to that point, Heml flicked his staff, trailing silver liquid onto the ground.
Reaching the zenith of the water elent, he could manipulate 'rcury' like a limb, turning it harder than steel when infused with mana.
"No matter if bought with money, I have granted them magic impossible to learn otherwise."
Clicking his tongue at the insolent notion, Heml aid his staff at number 2 who was leading the way.
"Did you think such a cheap trick would work?"
Upon that signal, the scattered rcury lunged at number 2.
However, before it touched him, the rcury veered, plunging into the ground.
The site of 3's body.
Crack──!
With a tallic grinding noise, the body lying on the floor beca a ss, along with its attire.
"Guh, guh..."
As an awkwardness graced number 2's face, a smile adorned Heml's lips.
"Feigning a corpse to conceal Yulian and then attempting a surprise attack, yet such cheap ploys don't work on ...?"
Rustle──!
Feeling sothing amiss, Heml promptly turned his gaze toward the presud 3's body, where Yulian was expected.
Where flesh fragnts and blood stains should lay wasn't there.
'... Eyes?'
Eyes floated amidst the space.
Rustling.
Mocking laughter emitted as the eyes glanced at Heml.
Due to the darkness, discerning the correct shape was challenging. As he attempted to recast the 'lantern' magic.
"Did it disappear?"
The eyes vanished.
Rustling laughter emanated from the left.
Clang──!
In haste, Heml launched 'rcury' toward that direction but ended up only slicing through air.
Rustling laughter from the right this ti.
"Damn."
An environnt where nothing was visible.
And those monstrous eyes assessing him.
'Damn it... Even Yulian's mana isn't detectable.'
While cold sweat trickled down his back with thoughts of not knowing when he might be attacked, Heml refrained from casting the 'lantern' spell.
Casting 'lantern' would reveal his location.
"Yulian."
Feigning composure to the best of his ability, Heml spoke.
"In this darkness, you shouldn't be able to see either?"
He couldn't be sure what that 'monster' was, but it was certain there had been a deal between it and 'number 2'.
The creature seed mindless, so presumably, it was linked to 'Yulian'. Considering this, Heml called Yulian's na.
If a voice rang out, resolving it by sending 'rcury' there would suffice.
"Huhut, Sir Heml."
A voice echoed. Right before him.
"Huaaaaaah!"
Shocked, Heml swung 'rcury', yet there was no sensation again.
"Gasp, gasp."
Terror began to shadow Heml's eyes.
'Ho-how...'
Yulian, that guy indeed reached right in front of him.
'Could it be.'
Does he possess 'eyes' capable of piercing through this abyssal darkness?
"You are right."
Seeming to read Heml's thoughts, a voice emanated from the darkness.
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