Chapter 108 – Invitation to the Auction House (3)
The man and woman were, in their own right, promising black mages.
Each of them, at a relatively young age, had reached the upper 3rd tier in necromancy and curse-type magic, so in about two years, they could have reached the 4th tier.
Their tier limit was the 5th tier, so one day, they might have achieved mastery in the way of black magic.
They had talent.
That’s what they had always believed.
Until they met Verden.
“……”
“Ghhhk…! Khrrrk…!”
A man, dead with his head shattered, and a woman, clutching her abdomen and spitting foamy blood.
The old man, Ched, recalled the battle just moments before.
The man had been the first to summon a Lich.
Since a Lich rivaled a 3rd-tier mage, increasing numbers to pressure the opponent had been a sound tactic.
The woman, as always, had cast the curse-type spell <Chains of Pain>.
Her proficiency was so high that predicting the movement of the chains was extremely difficult. Even more so if the opponent was also a mage.
Neither of them had been careless.
Or rather, even if they had, their method of battle had been the same as always.
‘But what on earth was that?’
A sharp stone shard flew with a ripping sound through the air, shattering the Lich’s skull. Worse, it crushed the head of the man standing behind it. Naturally, it was instant death.
Seeing this, the woman panicked and whipped the chains.
But the ash-gray-haired mage brushed them aside lightly with his staff, then rushed at her instead.
A shockwave burst out from the swung staff.
Hit head-on, the woman rolled across the floor. Her organs must have been damaged, for bloody froth bubbled up from deep in her throat.
She could no longer rise again.
Seeing the two incapacitated in an instant, Ched frowned.
‘That spell is stronger than the magic I know. It’s as if he poured magic power into it to the very limit, but… even so, the power is abnormal. And he’s not even holding a magic tome.’
Even so, the tier could be roughly guessed.
The opponent before him was, like Ched, a 4th-tier mage, and one who had reached the upper level of that tier.
“Heh, I let myself be fooled by appearances. To think you’d be at the same realm as me, I never would have imagined. Getting older, I keep forgetting not to judge people by their looks.”
Ched leaned on the ground with his staff, carved from an old tree.
His demeanor was clearly different from that man and woman earlier. He might appear careless, but his gaze watched every movement of Verden’s fingertips.
Ched bared his teeth.
“But from here on, things will be different. I too have the ability to defeat them in a single move.”
“I hope so.”
Verden’s light provocation.
Ched laughed heartily, and released a baleful surge of magic power.
“Truly an arrogant young man.”
***
<Poison Spear>
A 3rd-tier black magic spell, the spear of deadly venom, clashed with Verden’s fire magic. The next spells were the same.
Ched smiled in admiration at Verden’s precision, accurately countering his spells.
“You’ve got sharp eyes. But what about this?”
Ched struck the ground with his gnarled staff.
Crack, crk-crk-crack.
From beneath the ground where Ched stood, countless undead pushed aside the soil and emerged. From skeletons armed with swords, shields, spears, or bows, to Grave Guardians, Liches, and even a Knight of Bone.
The number reached dozens.
Necromancy, by its nature, could not create something from nothing.
Through mediums like bones or corpses, undead were created. Once created, they remained until they were destroyed, or until the caster dispelled the spell.
Meaning, in other words.
“You’ve been dragging undead with you everywhere you go?”
“That’s right. A little troublesome, yes, but they serve as my hands and feet. Surely, you know well that a mage is one who prepares.”
Ched twisted his lips into a grin.
“A total of 67. That’s the number of undead I currently control. If it were only skeletons, a hundred or more would be no problem, but as you know, to create stronger undead, one must sacrifice many numbers. Creating that Knight of Bone was especially troublesome. And, of course, my magic isn’t limited to this.”
Not that Verden cared.
Expressionless, he spoke.
“So, what exactly is your point?”
“The fact that you don’t even understand that shows your intelligence lags behind your skill. It means you cannot defeat me. Even if your natural talent surpasses mine, the years I have lived far outweigh yours.”
Ched was also a 4th-tier upper mage.
On top of that, he had overwhelming numerical superiority. Having prepared everything he could, the thought of defeat never once crossed his mind.
But what Ched did not know—
That battles of one against many were precisely where Verden’s magic shone brightest, and compared to mages of the same tier, he was in a league of his own.
And Verden had already faced Rupel, standing alone against thousands.
Verden drew up his magic power.
At the tip of the Oculus, crimson flames and a raging storm surged forth together.
<Flame Storm>
In an instant, the gigantic blaze swallowed the undead and Ched whole.
***
“Hah, composite magic?!”
The smile vanished from Ched’s face.
He already knew the ash-gray-haired mage before him possessed great talent. But even so, never had he expected him to have mastered composite magic.
‘How did he reach a realm elemental mages so desperately seek, at such a young age…!’
Even more shocking was the casting speed.
A Flame Storm of such overwhelming scale, covering the entire area—did he calculate that in mere seconds? Impossible.
‘If I get caught in that, I’ll die.’
Ched immediately pressed a hand to the woman’s head.
Magic power ripped out. The woman, whose life had been hanging by a thread, perished instantly, but Ched did not care at all.
With the magic power he stole, added to his own, he cast necromancy.
<Soul Shroud>
A bluish-green shield enveloped him.
The next moment, the Flame Storm crashed down. Its immense power consumed weaker undead instantly, and even the Grave Guardians and Liches followed after.
“Ghhrrrrrhhk…!”
A crushing weight pressed from outside the shroud.
Ched gritted his teeth, endured, and finally, the storm abated. When it was gone, only the battered Knight of Bone and a sweating, exhausted Ched remained.
‘But the opponent must be drained as well.’
It was only natural, after casting such a large-scale composite magic.
Perhaps he was even suffering from magic power depletion. In contrast, Ched still had reserves left.
He raised his gaze.
But Verden was nowhere to be seen.
“Where…?”
Suddenly, the back of his head went cold.
On instinct, Ched ducked low, and with a whoosh, a stone shard tore through the space above him. Without the experience he had accumulated, his head might have been blown apart.
Swallowing dryly, Ched turned his head back.
Verden stood there, relaxed, giving his Oculus a slight flick toward him.
Ched twitched his eyebrow, and fully activated his mana circuits. At the same time, Verden’s magic flared.
<Acid Spear>
<Fire Spear>
Kwooaaang!
Spears of acid and flame clashed.
Acid smoke clouded the view, and Ched immediately cast more spells.
Poison, acid, and bone.
Ched unleashed the full extent of the necromancy he had honed over a lifetime. With Double Casting added, his power was befitting a mage on the cusp of the 5th tier.
But as time went on, his expression twisted.
Every spell he cast was blocked. Whether he attacked head-on, or tried to slip through with trickery, it was meaningless.
Verden neutralized every one of Ched’s spells with ruthless precision.
Having poured out a storm of magic power, Ched—
He caught his ragged breath, and furrowed his brows.
“Why are you still unscathed? You clearly used far more magic power than I did, and yet───”
───Shaaak!
Instead of an answer, a sharp gust of wind grazed across Ched’s face.
When he wiped it with the back of his hand, blood smeared. The cut was deep, pain throbbed inside his cheek.
“Y… you…!”
Bloodshot veins rose in Ched’s eyes.
Yet contrary to his outward reaction, his mind was cool. He was, after all, a mage who had survived into old age.
He did not allow himself to move rashly, swayed by emotion.
He merely faced the present.
Against an elemental mage specialized in firepower, he was being pushed back, that was fact. In terms of magic power as well. The difference in talent was vast.
But Ched was a black mage.
‘Now!’
Kwaaaah!
The Knight of Bone, hidden beneath the ground, lunged at Verden’s back.
Its body was in tatters, but sharp enough to pierce frail human flesh. At the same time, Ched cast a curse at Verden.
<Scream>
A wail brimming with resentment.
Whoever heard it would suffer mental shock. Even a mighty mage would surely reveal an opening. That was when the undead he commanded would strike.
That was Ched’s stratagem.
But, contrary to his expectation, Verden blocked with his staff, spun once, and sent the undead flying.
A pillar of earth then shot up from the ground, striking the Knight of Bone. With a heavy thud, the undead knight crashed and tumbled to the ground before Ched.
Ched could no longer conceal his dismay.
“H… how, how can your willpower remain intact even under a curse…!”
Crackle!
Again, without an answer, red light flared in Verden’s left hand.
<Fiery Lightning>
A crimson bolt struck the ground.
The searing blaze spread in all directions, engulfing Ched and the Knight of Bone.
***
Ched resisted with all his might.
He maximized the output of his mana circuits, forming a protective shroud around his body.
But he could not block it.
A composite spell of the high attribute, lightning. He tried desperately to endure, but a hastily raised barrier was no match for scorching currents of flame and thunder.
“Gyaaaaaaaah?!”
The barrier shattered, searing heat dug into his body.
His ancient wooden staff was smashed apart, his body half-charred as he collapsed to the ground. Barely clinging to life, but if left like this, he would soon perish, his wounds were that fatal.
Verden approached Ched.
Ched, moving only his eyes with difficulty, read his expression, and squeezed out words.
“Ghhk… y-you, you spared me on purpose. What is it you want from me?”
“Information.”
Ched smirked faintly.
“Are you curious, why black mages laid hands on the Merchant Guild? Too bad for you. Since I know you’ve no intention of letting me live, why should I bother to tell you?”
Then it can’t be helped.
Healing Ched’s wounds and interrogating him was an option, but unfortunately, Verden had no knowledge of torture techniques.
Even if he tried, it would only waste potions.
At that moment, Ched spoke.
“Ha, but I’ll tell you one thing. You meddled wrongly. Do you even know whose path you dared to block…! If that person were to learn of this, you will surely not survive.”
The light faded from the black mage’s eyes.
But then, in that instant, Ched’s eyes gleamed, and he expanded his mana circuits.
“Glory eternal, to the Great Corpse!”
Thud!
Ched’s body exploded.
The noise was loud, but the force itself wasn’t enough to even scratch Verden’s mana barrier. Staring at the blood-soaked earth, Verden pondered.
‘That person.’
So there truly was someone backing the black mages.
To command a 4th-tier upper mage as a subordinate, if that person was a mage, at the very least they must be 5th-tier, perhaps even one who had achieved the way of magic.
But despite Ched’s warning, Verden felt no fear, no dread. He too had long since joined the ranks of the strong.
Now that 4th-tier mages were no longer even opponents to him, Verden craved stronger adversaries.
‘At any rate, my work here is done.’
Verden buried all traces deep beneath the earth.
He left the wasteland clean, and set off toward the place he had promised to meet Medin.
***
Near an abandoned mine, Medin was hiding.
When he saw Verden coming his way, he ran quickly toward him. Seeing him unscathed, Medin let out a breath of relief, and asked cautiously.
“S-so, the black mages…?”
“You won’t be seeing them again.”
A voice full of certainty.
Medin found himself nodding without realizing.
“But what about the goods?”
“Ah, yes! I kept them safe. Including the auction house invitation.”
Medin pulled out what he had stored in his bag and laid them on the ground.
Thick bearer bonds and expensive ingots. He personally handed Verden the invitation.
“Most invitations are bearer, so however you use them, their source won’t be traced. The remaining one, you can sell, or take a companion if you have one. And please, take these as well.”
Medin handed over all the bonds and two-thirds of the ingots.
“These weren’t part of our deal… are you sure about this?”
“But of course. Without you, Sir Asher, I wouldn’t have had revenge, I wouldn’t even be alive. So I’ll be content with this. Let’s call it severance pay from the Merchant Guild.”
Medin cleanly severed his greed.
He kept only a single mithril ingot, three gold ingots, and two damascus steel ingots. Just enough for him to manage.
Verden asked.
“What will you do now?”
“Well… I suppose I’ll leave.”
Most of the Blue Cloud Guild’s connections had belonged to the guildmaster.
Now that he was dead, the guild was virtually dismantled. With careful handling, he could keep a few clients, but the scale of trade would shrink to a quarter at best.
Staying meant only ruin.
‘Besides, who knows what the Union will try.’
The Union’s black mages.
Whatever they were up to, Medin wanted no part of it. He had barely escaped with his life, he couldn’t risk it again.
And though he hadn’t done it directly, he had avenged the guildmaster, so his loyalty was fulfilled.
He had no regrets.
Scratching his head with a wry smile, Medin said,
“I think I’ll leave the kingdom, maybe head to the duchy. I could go stay with my uncle, Baron Pythe. If I hand him this, he’ll surely take me in. Either way, I want nothing more to do with the Union.”
It seemed Medin had found his own path.
Verden saw no need to involve himself further.
Medin extended his hand for a handshake.
Verden clasped it.
“If we meet again someday, I will surely repay this debt.”
And thus, Verden and Medin went their separate ways.
***
Perne was enjoying a happy day.
Not long ago, she had never dreamed she could savor such an expensive, sweet hot chocolate to warm herself. As she sipped, a spirit came to her, glittering.
“What is it, Blue? New information?”
Blue.
That was the name Perne had given the spirit.
At first, since it was an abnormal species, she had kept her distance. But, it was obedient and gentle. Growing close had only been a matter of time.
Blue carried information brought by her informants, using telekinesis.
Perne looked over the documents floating in the air. Most weren’t immediately useful, but not one was worthless. Gathered together, they would surely come in handy one day. That was her instinct as an information dealer.
Then, her eyes caught a familiar phrase.
Blue Cloud Merchant Guild.
Perne thought of Verden.
‘When will Sir Asher return, I wonder.’
It had only been a few days since he left, yet that was how much Verden’s presence meant to her. Without him, her intelligence network was as good as paralyzed.
Hoping for his swift return, she checked the report.
[Blue Cloud guildmaster missing. Mildruen incident. Tunnel collapse and mana stone explosion. Blue Cloud Guild effectively dismantled.]
“……?”
For a moment, she could not comprehend.
But soon, the pieces fell into place.
Because she knew all too well who had gone to Mildruen.
Realizing this, Perne’s eyes widened, then her hands fell limp. The cup slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.
The Union.
It seemed her greatest client had come into conflict with them.
“……What should I do?”
Her face reflected in the spilled hot chocolate on the floor.
A face on the verge of tears.
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