chapter 12
to change the future (2)
“Eh, magic? Unbelievable!”
It wasn’t long before I came to my senses.
We were standing in the same place as the central hall of a temple.
To be precise, it was a sudden movement of the body without even having time to notice the abnormality.
‘Space movement magic.’
indeed. Is this because it’s worthy of the name of a hideout for black magicians?
It was a magic that was more complete than I had heard, so I was a little surprised.
“Your Highness, are you okay!”
“hmm.”
“Such a sudden move… … It may be more dangerous than we thought.”
“It’s just simple movement magic.”
I strode forward as if to prove that the words were not a lie.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t ignorant of his worries, but he had already spread his senses widely.
There were no factors that could threaten safety, so there was no need to waste energy.
“There’s nothing good about moving passively.”
“Let’s do it… … .”
by the way.
In the meantime, there was something that caught my attention.
I left the bewildered baron behind and approached the statue in the center.
“… … .”
A crow that is so lively that it is hard to believe it is a stone statue.
However, for some reason, the wings of the crow trying to fly into the sky were dotted with flames.
The pain and anger in those jewel-like eyes. regret and defeat.
The light faded because it was made so long ago, but it could not damage the intention of the work.
“It seems to represent the warlock subjugation crusade.”
“Right.”
“hmm? Why?”
“It is nothing.”
The existence of black magic is ‘denial’ that should not exist on the continent.
Contrary to common sense, that is an unchanging truth, and their downfall was like a piece of history.
Anyone would have grown up learning like that, and the history of victory is sure to be handed down like that in the future.
‘It’s a temple… … .’
50 years ago. An operation to annihilate the warlocks of the temples led by the Holy Empire.
Regardless of necessity, everything involved in black magic was burned to ashes.
Every warlock was killed, and even those who managed to escape never had the luxury of seeing the sun again.
If the hiding places of the remnants were not discovered, even the traces of them could not be found.
In that sense, this statue was a very rare item.
The cries of crows, who had no choice but to fall because they were oppressed even for flying in the sky.
And the flame of greed that destroys false malice.
The phrase of ‘truth’ written under it… … .
“what? There is something like a box here!”
I was lost in my thoughts when I heard the baron’s furious voice from the other side of the statue.
I had no choice but to step out of my thoughts.
“Here it is.”
Baron Vidor handed me a small box.
A beautiful black box made of an unknown metal.
The baron’s expression brightened even more.
“Maybe it contains some kind of expensive artifact?”
“You’ll find out when you open it.”
Since this was also in the report before returning, he already guessed the identity of the box.
But I didn’t want to kill his expectations, so I didn’t pretend to know.
“ah! It could be dangerous, so I’ll open it.”
“as you please.”
I took a step back and gestured as if to open it.
The baron carefully opens the box after permission is given.
The look of anticipation on his face grew stronger.
but… … .
“huh?”
The lid of the box did not budge for some reason.
It was the same even if I applied enough force to make my face frown.
“Sir, is it broken?”
The baron, who had been wrestling with the box for a long time, began to look at me with a puzzled expression.
It was a matter of course. It wasn’t his fault, just the way he opened it.
I supplemented the explanation before the baron gave a more pitiful expression.
“It is a magic device. There would be no use trying to open it by force.”
“indeed! You see through that!”
In the first place, there is no way that an ordinary box will come out of the black magician’s hideout… … .
I thought so and slowly relaxed my shoulders.
Then, the baron looked at me with questioning eyes.
“… … majesty?”
“Stay still in that position.”
There are several ways to open a magically treated chest.
Decrypt the enchantment on the box and open it normally.
Forcibly unlocking the box with stronger magic power.
finally.
“Break it down with force.”
Kwajik!
“Aww!”
Suddenly, the drawn sword slashed through the box, and a fierce sword wind swept through the surroundings.
The baron fell, screaming as if he would soon die, but he did not have a single scratch on his body.
It was because it was a sword attack with an accurate trajectory.
“Um, are you okay?”
“Stop making a fuss and get up.”
Making a fuss about the subject that provided the cause… … .
The baron rose from his seat with eyes filled with resentment.
Even so, checking the body to see if there were any injuries was a pretty interesting response.
“Your body is fine, so check the contents.”
“yes? Oh, I see.”
The baron started looking around for a box that had flown somewhere.
Soon after, I found the remains of a broken box behind me and put on an absurd expression.
… … no. Could that bleeding thing be the remains of a box?
“That… … .”
“It’s a mimic.”
An artificial monster that preys on adventurers by disguising itself as a treasure chest, a symbol of desire.
It is a masterpiece that even black magicians wrapped it with magic to make it look like a real treasure chest.
It was probably a trap to kill the priests who would find the hideout.
The baron’s expression collapsed.
“Unbelievable… … I thought I was going to give you something like this… … .”
“Fate doesn’t always go the way you want it to.”
What I thought was a treasure was actually a monster that was aiming for my life.
It would be a disappointing situation for the baron, who must have experienced this for the first time.
I did or not, I smiled and moved on.
“Go inside.”
“… … All right.”
I thought I would need comfort, but at least not now.
Because restoring the power of the past has become a priority.
Kki-Ik-Clap!
Small rooms connected by a huge central hall.
When I opened the rusty iron door that made a creepy sound and faced the inside, there was not much difference.
“… … storage?”
“Or it must have been used for a similar purpose.”
Interior of a room full of empty boxes and storage cabinets.
The furniture arranged in a certain standard made him guess the purpose of the room.
Soon after, the baron, who was opening the closet here and there, licked his lips with regret.
“But you didn’t leave a single really miscellaneous artifact.”
“It seems that they have in mind the case of being pursued because of the things they left behind.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The baron licked his lips.
“Should I be thorough… … I expected it because it was a hideout, but it’s a bit disappointing.”
“It doesn’t seem like that.”
“yes?”
I ignored the baron’s words and continued walking.
It would be natural. Whatever the Baron’s thoughts were, miscellaneous items were out of his interest.
Because only this guy who grabbed my spirits from the central hall was important.
“found.”
A small box, just like any other box, that has been neglected.
And what was inside was the head of a corroded skeleton.
The baron asked with a puzzled face.
“Ugh… … Isn’t this an ordinary black magic object?”
Seemingly and in reality, it is nothing more than a junk found in hiding places.
A representative medium of black magic.
That’s why I can understand the absurd reaction.
However, it was never the shape that mattered.
Above all, this guy was so great that he could even raise a corpse with just his presence.
“Baron Vidor. It is an order.”
“yes? Please tell me, Your Highness.”
“From now on, we will begin the purification ceremony. You go out and wait.”
purification?
The baron asked with a puzzled face at the word that did not suit the situation.
“Purification, what do you mean suddenly?”
“The concentration of dark magic is more serious than expected. If you leave it like this, it is sure that something big will happen.”
“Huh! Is that so?”
Surprised by those words, Baron Vidor looked around.
I shook my head and continued.
“Even though I came here for an investigation, how can I be an example to all citizens if I ignore such a terrible magic right in front of me?”
“Well, if so… … .”
Actually, I added the word purification because it was a convenient excuse to use, but… … .
“Surely it’s not dangerous, is it?”
I didn’t want to waste time like this, so I dismissed it briefly and nodded.
“No need to worry.”
“… … I will obey your order.”
It would be absurd, but who would refuse to say it was safe?
Unfortunately, my order was not yet finished.
“Also, if I don’t come out after 30 minutes, I will definitely have to go back to the palace.”
“yes? Are you telling me to go back to the palace first?”
“okay. Of course, I will never allow you to come into this room.”
“Okay.”
“If you understand, let’s get out of here.”
So, with a face full of worries and doubts, the baron moved toward the outside of the warehouse.
It was only after that that I began to examine the skeleton closely.
‘The culprit can’t feel this energy, is it?’
It’s like squeezing the inside of a hideout. It is truly a terrible magic that gives goosebumps.
Just as the archmage’s mana cannot be felt by others, the negative dimension mana hidden in this skull can be said to be such a case.
‘It’s interesting.’
It was nothing out of the ordinary.
Isn’t it such an insignificant thing that it could exist everywhere in the first place?
It wasn’t common for such a skeleton to evolve into a kind of artifact that could even raise a dead body.
That’s what makes this place so special.
A hideout built under a cemetery rich in yin-dimensional mana.
They must have felt the need to gather their strength even at the risk of being easily discovered.
If that were the case, how much was the amount of mana he had been gathering like that?
‘The amount that I threw away and ran away because I couldn’t carry it carelessly.’
It is an object that holds the souls of dead black magicians and at the same time accumulates magical powers of different levels.
Even after being abandoned there, he must have been exposed to the remnants of emotions derived from the cemetery for a long time.
This is a kind of ego, and it was the conclusion of the investigators before returning that it was enough to grow into an artifact over a period of several decades.
‘And negative emotions are the driving force behind growth.’
With the knowledge of the future, a safer and more reliable artifact could have been obtained.
Nevertheless, that was the reason why they chose the hideout of the black magicians.
“Absorb.”
Before returning, it was an object that the Holy Empire had retrieved under the name of purification.
That’s why I didn’t know the benefit of absorbing it, nor the risk that comes out of it.
Maybe I’ll lose my sanity because I’m eaten by the grudges of the black magicians.
But my senses were calling out.
The fact that this opportunity will never come again.
“And I will never fail.”
I will definitely do it.
You could say that was all of my confidence in being called the Sword King.
Enjoying the negative emotions felt in the skull, I slowly began to turn the energy inside my body.
“… … !”
At that moment, all negative human emotions surged up like a whirlwind and swallowed the whole body.
anger and remorse. Further, to the desire to long for life.
Visions of warlocks watching comrades being killed came to mind, and moments later the life of a starving loser ate my consciousness.
Soon, the pain that seemed to crush my whole body came, and my body was writhing on the floor before I knew it.
“Suck!”
Human beings cannot accept even their own death.
What about the miserable feelings left by dozens or hundreds of humans?
And what if it really felt like it was my job?
The pain I felt in such a short amount of time is unimaginable.
No, is it really a short time to go through someone else’s life?
It seemed that he had already lost his self.
A bloody struggle for supremacy.
Negatives who covet the body erode the mind in order to squeeze in any gaps.
Is it because of pain or because of emotion? I had no idea.
Why am I here, why do I crave power?
Now that I can’t even feel the passage of time, it’s no longer a level that I can endure with just one word, mental strength.
Even so… … .
“… … Don’t be funny.”
Blood leaked from his clenched mouth.
Why was it that he sought the god he did not believe in even while dying?
What was the reason for hiring George after realizing his own shortcomings?
i never give up
I can never fall until I kill all the enemies who made me and my people suffer.
Koo Goo Goo!
The negative energies, which had been wildly rioting, gathered together and the atmosphere vibrated.
It’s the exact opposite of that proud momentum that eroded my head at the beginning. It was close to some kind of outburst.
As evidence of that, I no longer manipulated the memories of others, but began to persistently dig into my own weaknesses.
“ha ha ha!”
Laughter comes out in the scenes that pass by like a kaleidoscope.
The memories of those days when I moved helplessly without any goal.
Every day when I was fighting a lonely fight in a kingdom lined with tribals.
and… … .
-Peacock. I am so afraid.
The me of the past who only spoke weakly in front of my enemies.
– I want to forget everything and go far away.
The me of the past who wanted to forget even my own mistakes and run away.
Even if I pretended to forget, I didn’t try to forget for a moment.
how can i forget
No matter how much I deny it, everything is a factor that made ‘me’ myself.
That it all happened because of me, a fool.
The moment I thought so.
“Take the throne well. I’m not going to say good-bye to an idiot.”
I was in a nightmare
“… … Asus.”
I came face to face with Asus stabbing me in the heart.