The news that I had stepped down from my position as the Soul Whisperer spread throughout the kingdom rapidly.
So were puzzled, others were delighted, but the overall reactions were quite polarized.
Yet, I, the one at the center of all this chaos, was quietly enjoying so solitude in the prison, away from the world’s turmoil.
[They say all great people have been imprisoned at least once, right?]
[If you’re imprisoned, you’re just a bad person, senior.]
Actually, I wouldn’t call it solitude. The Dark Spiritualist and Stella, on each side of , kept chattering away.
[Doesn’t this an that Deus is twice as great since he’s been imprisoned twice?]
[If you’ve been imprisoned twice, you’re not just a bad person—you’ve beco even worse.]
[Stella, do you not know how to comfort soone? Complints are the way to go.]
[Simple complints won’t be of any comfort, and that’s not even a complint, senior.]
A dark mage was attempting to fight the Saintess in her area of expertise. I could say her courage was comndable.
“I never sought comfort in the first place.”
When I interjected, both won’s eyes imdiately turned to . While being imprisoned certainly seed like a despairing situation from the general perspective, I had co here intentionally.
[But aren’t you secretly crying on the inside? Should I stroke your head? Do you want to rest in my arms?]
[What are you planning to do now?]
Completely ignoring the Dark Spiritualist’s pointless chatter, Stella asked and I answered without much hesitation.
“What the Griffin Kingdom needs right now is to show that I am no longer affiliated with the kingdom.”
[Because other countries are wary of you?]
“Yes, it is important to make it clear that the Griffin Kingdom has recognized the threat posed by Deus Verdi. That they will not use his power for personal gain and will align with the will of the other nations.”
[Do you believe King Orpheus can make that happen?]
“I have already made it possible.”
He definitely wouldn’t be foolish enough to break the situation I had already set up.
By eliminating soone like , he could save countless others. Additionally, he wouldn’t want the Griffin Kingdom to spill any blood.
[Unlike Heralhazard who made people spill their blood, you are spilling your own blood to save the kingdom.]
Stella said as she carefully leaned against . She did it so naturally, that I didn’t know what to say.
“I do not deserve such praise. I am only doing this to survive.”
Ultimately, no matter what form fate ca in, I must accept it in the direction I desire.
Because in the end, I would survive all of this.
Stella continued hugging , as if feeling warmth, and no longer spoke. However, this ti, it was the Dark Spiritualist on the other side who casually broke the silence.
[It’s rather fascinating.]
“What is fascinating?”
[You’ve been working so hard to beco the strongest necromancer. But now that you’ve actually beco the strongest on the continent, you have to concern yourself with what everyone else thinks.]
“…”
[Sotis, being too strong brings its own share of problems.]
“Because I never wanted to beco this strong in the first place.”
[I rember when we first t. You were still so weak, you couldn’t even use magic properly.]
I couldn’t understand why she was bringing that up now.
[You were unable to suppress the evil spirits with magic, and I still rember how you just kept talking.]
[Wow, tell more about that ti, senior.]
Seemingly intrigued, Stella, who had been rubbing her cheek against my shoulder, suddenly turned her head and gazed at the Dark Spiritualist with sparkling eyes.
The Dark Spiritualist seed to grow more excited, shrugging her shoulders and started rambling again.
[When he first learned Black Magic from , there was this stone called the Legeton, right? In fact, early on, Deus almost completely relied on it. You could even say the Legeton was Deu—!]
“Enough.”
I couldn’t bear to listen to her anymore, so I cut in. They stopped speaking right away, likely because they were still mindful of my presence, but I could clearly tell they’d continue their conversation once I was gone.
“Who are you talking to?”
“…”
And because of the Dark Spiritualist’s voice, I failed to notice the incoming footsteps.
Before I knew it, Tyren Ol Velocus, the Mage Tribunal Judge, and Gloria Grace, the Royal Knight Commander, were standing on the other side of the bars.
I wasn’t sure why they were there, but the atmosphere around them seed better than I had expected.
Given that I had challenged the royal authority, I had assud that they would direct their hostility toward .
“His Majesty has invited the foreign dignitaries.”
It was Tyren who spoke up in place of the silent Gloria.
“Jerman, Han, Valestan, Clark, and others. He invited them all. And thanks to that, you’ll have a bit more ti before your execution.”
“Is that supposed to be of so comfort?”
“No, the King just wanted you to know.”
A brief silence hung between us. It looked like both of them were struggling with their complex emotions, but neither of them seed ready to speak.
“It seems that His Majesty does not see you as a criminal, but as sothing else.”
“That is just your imagination.”
I answered coldly, and Tyren scratched his chin as if frustrated, but didn’t say anything more.
“If you say so, I’ll just accept it.”
Tyren slowly turned around, and Gloria remained silent as she prepared to leave. However…
“If you two…”
I had sothing I wanted to say to them.
“The mont you decide to execute , your forces will be scattered and consud by .”
Both of them stopped in their tracks, their gazes fixed on . It seed they were unable to comprehend what they were hearing.
“Even if you attempt a siege, it will be minimal at best. After all, my mobility isn’t great, and I don’t control one powerful soul but countless weaker ones.”
I continued speaking.
“Concentrate all your forces at one spot. In fact, it would be more helpful if you were to approach the battle assuming you can break through my siege.”
“…”
“…”
The two remained silent as they listened to intently. Although I had started with an “if,” I knew they must have been aware that such a ti would inevitably co.
“The Griffin Kingdom is still sowhat lacking when it cos to dealing with Black Magic. You could get help from a dark mage like Coltman from the Jerman Kingdom or those from the Clark Republic.”
Or.
“Even the Plaguebringer Becklin or the Blood Mage Pelestan, who are locked in the Magic Tower, would also be of great help.”
After all, I had left two capable dark mages alive for a reason.
“Dealing with souls is no different from fighting against formless mana. Unless you annihilate them, you cannot inflict any aningful damage on them.”
“…”
“Do not fight, just endure. With your defensive abilities, Tyren, you would be suited to be in the vanguard. What you will need to face is the Necromancer himself.”
I stopped there and slowly shut my mouth. This much should be enough.
I’d given them enough information to know how to counter .
Of course, it only seed easy because it was just a verbal description.
Once they entered the actual battle, they would realize how much more difficult it was than I made it sound.
However, I was sure they were aware of that.
“This is unexpectedly good information.”
Tyren smiled faintly, his expression awkward, but there was a hint of seriousness in his deanor.
“With the information you provided, I can’t just leave it at that. Do you need anything? I’ll grant one request.”
Gloria made a slightly sour expression at Tyren’s words, but after glancing at , she nodded.
“Tell .”
What I wanted.
Well, it wasn’t really necessary to ask them.
What I wanted most right now was…
“Erica Bright.”
My fiancée.
“I want to see her.”
***
“Deus.”
It took Erica just one day to co here.
Normally, it would have taken her quite a bit of ti to travel from Loberne Academy to Graypond, but considering how fast she arrived, it seed like the Mage Tribunal Judge had used warp magic to bring her.
She looked no better as she entered. Her face was noticeably pale even under the dim light of the prison.
She must have been carrying a lot of worries recently because of .
“Are you alright?”
However, the first thing she did as she approached the bars and looked at directly was express her concern for .
“Yes, I am fine.”
“…I heard that you were dismissed from your position as the Soul Whisperer. I’m sure there must have been a reason for it.”
Before I was dismissed, offers from various places must have co in to try and sway Erica, attempting to recruit her to their side.
Being my fiancée, they probably tried to convince her to stop .
However, Erica never ntioned such things.
It seed she thought there was no need to even bring it up in front of .
And I was sowhat grateful for that.
But because of that, I also felt guilty for the things I was about to say to her.
“The reason you called here is because you need to do sothing, right?”
[She’s happy about it.]
Stella, who had been observing from behind in silence, suddenly spoke up. It was as if she didn’t want to miss the point.
I knew as well.
She was happy she would be able to help , and because of that, a wave of guilt washed over .
“Erica.”
“Yes, just tell .”
“I am about to beco an enemy of the continent.”
“…”
It must have been a heavier subject than what she was expecting. She probably never imagined that the problem would be on such a scale. Despite that, the resolve in her eyes remained.
Her determination was unwavering or lessened.
“The Verdi Household in Norseweden and you, my fiancée, will inevitably be dragged into this.”
“I’m ready.”
“No.”
Just being ready wasn’t enough; she needed to walk a different path.
“You need to be the first to condemn .”
“…Deus?”
Her eyes widened, as if she couldn’t understand what I just said or hadn’t heard correctly.
But sotis, harsh words were necessary.
“Because you are my fiancée, you need to be the one to lead the charge, to publicly denounce and to be the one to hate the most.”
“Wait! Why… why ?”
“Because that is how the Bright Household will survive, and it will also increase the chances of surviving.”
“Ah…”
It seed like she wanted to say so much more, but there wasn’t much ti.
The Mage Tribunal Judges outside were waiting for Erica Bright to leave.
After all, this was an unauthorized visit.
The end was drawing near.
“Erica, I cannot explain everything right now, but I believe you will be able to understand the situation as things unfold.”
“…”
There was no response. Erica simply kept her mouth shut and lowered her head.
I gently reached out to her through the iron bars and touched her cheek.
Very slowly, I made her et my gaze again.
Tears were already welling up in her eyes.
She was a woman who shed a lot of tears. And at least just for this mont, I was glad I could wipe away the tears in her eyes.
A bitter smile ford on my face.
“You have already done it before, so you should be able to do it well.”
“Y-you bastard.”
Erica was the one who had gotten expelled from the Academy to save .
And it would be the sa this ti.
“Erica.”
Though the bars stood between us, it felt as if we were closer than ever.
“Co to kill faster than anyone else.”
“…”
“That is the only way to save .”
Again, there was no answer.
However, Erica’s slender shoulders trembled as she glared at with mixed emotions and let out a deep sigh.
“That’s a really cruel request.”
“I know.”
“If I knew it would co to this, I shouldn’t have loved you in the first place.”
“I am sorry.”
“I never wanted to repeat what happened at the Academy. I regretted it hundreds of tis, thinking we should’ve fought together instead of breaking up with you to save you.”
“…”
Slowly, Erica’s tears ran down her cheeks. How many tis had I made this woman cry?
“But you’re asking to repeat that again.”
Her sorrow reached , pressing down against my heart.
Emotions struggled within the tragedy and slowly drowned.
However, we needed to eventually suppress our emotions and act for the greater good.
“Deus.”
“Yes.”
“Kiss .”
She took a step closer and stared straight at .
“Whenever I struggle, let rember this mont so I can overco it.”
“…”
“Bind with regret, so I can never give up on you.”
For a brief mont, I pondered over whether it was right to follow her words.
She was a woman who suppressed her emotions and volunteered to sacrifice herself for my sake.
“Ah.”
The brief kiss left a lingering aftertaste, stronger than ever.
“You’ve definitely taken on this role while sacrificing yourself.”
Erica placed a finger on her lips, still warm from my touch, and slowly closed her eyes.
“But I, too, can dedicate myself to you in return.”
She said it as if it was sothing truly precious.
“It’s an honor, Deus.”
***
sko-fi/genesisforsaken
Reviews
All reviews (0)