The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

82 – The Sealed Spear and the Cultist

Franz, who arrived inside the castle through teleportation, looked around.

‘Is it all ice?’

What filled Franz’s vision was transparent yet blue-tinged ice.

Not ice made by nature, but ice made by magic.

Similar mana waves were felt throughout the castle, so this place made of ice was probably not the only one.

“Oh….”

Franz purely admired the craftsmanship, as even the intricate details were sculpted.

This could be considered the pride of the Duchy of Freesia.

The quality was something you’d expect to see at an ice festival in some region of the 21st century.

And if someone could create and maintain something like this, they certainly wouldn’t be just anyone.

At least when it comes to ice magic, they would be considered an expert.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter.’

Franz had no reason to be nervous, as he could create such a castle as easily as breathing if he put his mind to it.

But that didn’t mean he would let his guard down, so he maintained a suitable level of tension as he moved forward.

For a moment.

Click-, click-.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps began to be heard, quickly approaching.

The mana he felt was undoubtedly that of a cultist, so Franz pointed the tip of his staff towards the source of the sound, ready to use magic.

Soon, a man with white hair and blue eyes appeared before Franz.

Judging by the wrinkles and hair, he was undoubtedly an old man, but his robust physique seemed to defy the passage of time.

The man facing Franz came to a sudden halt.

“Not a demon…”

He spoke with a tone of disappointment, letting out a long sigh.

‘Was he waiting for a demon…?’

Although all cultists followed demons, it was the first time Franz had seen someone so blatantly waiting for one.

There might be a deep connection between the man before him and the demon.

Moreover, since he didn’t seem to be hostile, Franz lowered the staff he had pointed at him.

“Have you ever met a demon?”

“No, I’ve never met one. I’ve only heard its voice and received its power.”

He answered Franz’s question without hesitation.

As if it wasn’t something to hide.

‘This is an opportunity.’

Whether the man was stupid enough to answer or was a uniquely sane cultist, Franz didn’t know.

But it was certain that he could gain unknown information, so Franz decided to coax him as much as possible.

“If you’ve received power from the demon, isn’t that enough? Why are you waiting?”

“The demon gave me power and commanded me to guard the spear sealed here. And that was both a blessing and a curse. It’s been hundreds of years since the demon commanded me, yet I can’t die or leave this place. So I plan to ask. To finally be freed.”

He began to speak as if recalling a distant past, but ended with a frown.

It seemed he was truly weary of this life.

‘What on earth…?’

Despite his clear answer, Franz felt confused.

Until now, he had felt less guilt about killing cultists because they were, quite literally, the scum of humanity.

If left alone, they would take two lives with one, such heinous creatures they were.

But the one before him now wanted to quit being a cultist, making it difficult to kill him.

Moreover, if he couldn’t escape from here, he wouldn’t harm others, making it even more so.

That aside.

‘The Demon God himself said to guard the spear…?’

Arian’s grandfather had spoken about the spear.

A blade with an alien power to mana detection had been found.

Franz was curious about what kind of power it possessed that made the Demon God wary.

As if reading Franz’s thoughts, the man spoke first.

“If you ever think of touching the spear, I recommend against it. My body will guard the spear on its own, regardless of my will. Just recently, someone who served the Demon God came to take the spear, and I had no choice but to stain my hands with blood.”

“Then, may I ask one last question?”

“Go ahead, ask.”

“Why did those who serve the Demon God not cooperate with the Demon King?”

It was a question Franz had harbored for a long time.

The Demon King was a kin of the Demon God, and the cultists followed the Demon God, so it wouldn’t be strange for them to cooperate.

Of course, thanks to their lack of cooperation, it was easier to defeat the Demon King, but that aside, he was purely curious.

“You ask the obvious. The Demon King desires the demons to conquer the world. Is that the chaos the Demon God desires? No, it’s merely establishing a new peace. Thus, the two factions are similar yet cannot mix.”

“Thank you for your answer.”

Even as he thanked the cultist, Franz found it amusing to express gratitude to him.

Now, all his questions were answered….

“Ah, do you know where the other Seven Evils are?”

“I don’t know what the Seven Evils are, but I do know where another spear is sealed. It was when a ray of light shone on the lake in the west of the continent. Hmm, that should be right.”

According to him, there was more than one spear.

At least two, maybe more.

And yet, another damn riddle. Franz sighed at the thought of more work.

‘So, now that everything is done….’

Franz had two choices left.

Kill the man in front of him and take the sealed spear, or leave the man trapped in this ice prison and return.

Neither choice felt satisfying, and both left a bitter aftertaste.

As Franz was pondering, the man spoke.

“Since it seems all your questions are answered, may I ask a favor?”

“Let’s hear it first.”

“Kill me. No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like the demon will come. I just want to end it here and find peace.”

Even if he asked to be killed….

Franz couldn’t answer easily.

He had grown accustomed to seeing blood through countless battles, but that didn’t mean it was easy.

Killing someone always left a discomfort in his heart.

After a moment of contemplation, Franz asked in a very low voice.

“Are you sure about that? There might be a way to save you. The demon might appear someday.”

…It would be better if the demon didn’t appear, but anyway.

“I’ve already lived for hundreds of years. Even if I live longer, only regret remains. And I can only ask this of you. No one else could kill me.”

Sigh-

Franz sighed at his answer.

It was difficult to refuse when he put it that way.

Franz’s answer was soon decided.

“Yes, I will send you off peacefully.”

“Then I ask you. Be careful, I might be a bit strong.”

He might be strong.

Why would he say such a thing when he’s about to die?

Franz wondered, but soon found the answer.

Franz pointed his staff at him and used magic.

Compressed air in the form of a blade headed towards him.

As the magic was about to reach him.

Sss-

Small ice crystals burst from his body, covering the view like white smoke.

And when the smoke cleared, in place of the man stood a gigantic dragon.

A dragon made entirely of ice, truly an ice dragon.

The moment Franz saw it, he realized that the words about it being strong must have been said with this situation in mind.

“A dragon…”

An enemy that had long been extinct, one he had never faced before.

But he wasn’t particularly afraid.

He had been through too much to be scared of something like a dragon.

──!

The dragon roared.

The pressure was immense.

If it were an ordinary person, their legs would have given out and they would have wet their pants.

But it had no effect on Franz.

He just thought that the dragon, which he was seeing for the first time in his life, was really cool.

After all, a dragon is every man’s dream.

“Well, a promise is a promise.”

No matter how cool the dragon was, he had to keep his promise, so a red magic circle began to form at the tip of Franz’s staff.

It was a 6th circle fire attribute magic, Inferno.

But its power couldn’t be considered that of an ordinary 6th circle magic.

Franz had modified the core of the magic formula to increase its power without considering fuel efficiency, and on top of that, he had the staff of the World Tree.

Soon, the magic circle was completed, and a small orb, red to the point of being black, was shot out.

When the shot black-red orb touched the dragon’s body,

Boom-!!

An enormous explosion occurred with a tremendous roar.

Fortunately, Franz had blocked the external impact with magic, otherwise, the castle and the mountain would have been blown away.

But here’s the thing.

He had only blocked the external impact, yet the dragon in front of him was unharmed.

“Is it blocking the magic?”

It was only for a moment, but he saw a magic circle appear and disappear on the dragon’s body.

It seemed the dragon had something that only worked against magic.

Well then, let’s see how much it can block.

Franz felt a sudden surge of stubbornness.