Chapter 233 – Victory
Verden opened his eyes.
Only pitch-black darkness filled his vision. As he instinctively stretched out his hand and lifted his body, hard stone fragments rolled off from the pile of debris.
He hastily inhaled, his upper body shaking.
‘What happened?’
He couldn’t remember.
The last thing he recalled was his consciousness blurring as he forcibly squeezed out his magic power. Judging from the fact that his sense of touch still functioned, it didn’t seem like he had died.
As he struggled to regain his senses, a voice came from the front.
‘Administrator.’
His hands trembled, his legs quivered.
As expected, there were no side effects from Defying the Heavens, but lethargy bound his entire body. His magic power had been completely drained, leaving him in mana exhaustion.
The heart that had manifested omnipotence was now silent.
But he must not collapse.
Whooong.
Orient flew into his hand.
Using it as a staff, he barely managed to rise. Even in his exhausted state, the sight of Verden revealing fighting spirit and vigor made the Administrator shake his head in disbelief.
“With such a body, you still intend to fight?”
“The battle, has not yet been decided.”
“Ha, at such a young age, what kind of life have you lived to forge such unyielding will? At this point, it is not surprising, but tiresome.”
The staff disappeared from the Administrator’s hand.
He had retrieved the magic power and erased its form. The hostility he had shown earlier was nowhere to be found.
The Administrator murmured.
“……I am a magical being derived from the true body known as the Demon King. No matter how I struggle, I am but a counterfeit unable to deny the true body’s will, a clone that will vanish someday after following orders.”
The Administrator was expendable.
For him, everything outside of duty was meaningless.
But not now.
Only after his magic power had been consumed to the point he could no longer manifest spells, did he finally become able to make a choice.
Having lost the strength to defend the facility, he was freed from the mission of a clone.
For the first time, the Administrator wished to know.
“Young mage, I wish to hear your name.”
Verden had introduced himself as Asher.
Naturally, that was not what the Administrator was asking. To beings like the tower master or the Administrator, even concealing one’s name was no easy matter.
That must be why they were transcendents.
Panting, Verden spoke his true name for the first time in a long while.
“I am, Verden.”
“Verden…… Verden…….”
The Administrator repeated the name, as if determined not to forget it.
Nodding, he turned his gaze forward. A faint presence shimmered in the distance.
“As you can see, I no longer have the strength to guard this facility. At most, I can only maintain my form. If I attempt even a low-tier spell, I will dissipate before it can be completed.”
The Administrator declared.
“Verden, I affirm here and now, that you have achieved victory over me.”
“……”
“Henceforth, this facility is yours. I swear upon the true body, that I shall cause you no harm in any form.”
The outcome had been decided.
By acknowledging his own defeat, the Administrator confirmed Verden as victor. Realizing that this was truth and reality, the tension drained from Verden’s muscles.
The tenuous thread of consciousness he had forced himself to hold onto gradually slackened.
The Administrator closed his eyes.
“So now, you may collapse.”
Thud.
Verden’s body leaned forward and fell limply. Orient slipped from his grasp, rolled across the floor, and came to a halt.
Of course, he had only fainted as if dead, his life force was not extinguished. Listening closely, one could hear faint breaths.
“Phew.”
The Administrator let out a sigh of relief.
Though as a clone he had no biological functions, he sighed unconsciously. That was how eventful today had been.
But in the end, it was settled.
Strangely enough, he felt relieved.
It was then.
Creeeeak!
The door to the Administrator’s chamber opened.
Without his permission. Forced open, the door’s mechanism was badly damaged. Beyond it, golems appeared.
The Administrator blinked.
“……Alpha?”
[Confirmed Demon King’s survival. Initiating rescue. I will take responsibility for the Administrator.]
Alpha stood protectively in front of Verden.
Other golems lifted the unconscious Verden.
A completely unexpected situation.
The Administrator looked at Alpha. More precisely, at what Alpha was holding in one hand.
“You…… what are you carrying?”
[It is a small power source.]
The power source from the secondary power room.
It was mounted in Alpha’s hand.
“With that, you overheated the output and forced the door open? Why…….”
[Cease. Cease. The Administrator is advised not to move. If the power source is detonated, it will be fatal to a being like you, composed of magic power.]
The Administrator was dumbfounded.
Threatening to detonate the power source? Judging by the situation…… had he done all this to rescue Verden?
“Alpha, if you do that, you will die.”
[It does not matter. The safety of His Majesty the Demon King is priority. Administrator, cease. If even a trace of magic power is detected, there will be no delay.]
Alpha was resolute.
He shook the power source as if to show there would be no compromise.
The Administrator stroked his short beard.
More than surprising, it was strange. To threaten with self-destruction—never in the past 500 years had Alpha shown such abnormal behavior.
‘Well, he too inherited memories from the true body.’
Though only memories, not actual thought.
Still, it was change nonetheless. The cause, naturally, must have been Verden. Thinking so, the Administrator spoke.
“There is no need for threats. I already lack the magic power to do anything.”
[Scanning…… magic power confirmed. The Administrator speaks truth.]
“Of course. And I have already sworn that I will cause no further harm to Verden…… no, to His Majesty the Demon King. So hurry and move him. Even if he is not fatally wounded, leaving him here is not right.”
Alpha hesitated.
Looking between the power source and the Administrator, its single eye flashed.
Taking that as affirmation, the Administrator smiled and said.
“Alpha, you may set your worries aside.”
[…]
“Your Majesty is safe, so put down the power source now.”
[…]
“Put it down. If that explodes, everyone dies.”
The standoff dragged on a little longer.
***
The Perper Tavern, which had long served as a home, was completely gone.
Even so, Perne was not despondent, but brimming with energy. Thanks to the mage she served, she could now build a larger and more splendid building than before.
How should the design be made? How should the interior be decorated?
No, perhaps this was the chance to separate the information business and make it the greatest tavern in Asern.
A place to live could always be prepared anew.
Her days were filled with happiness.
Information broker Perne smiled like a child with a new toy.
……At least, until recently.
Deep within Sloan Forest.
Perne, hiding in a makeshift hut, asked cautiously.
“Karans, how is it today?”
“The same as yesterday. No outsiders detected.”
Reclining on the roof, Karans replied with a hum.
Though it was a forest crawling with dangerous demi-humans, to a guardian elf it was no different from home. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it more than life in the city.
Though good food was hard to come by.
“I see, that’s a relief……”
Perne sighed, resting her chin on her hand.
The unique scent of grass tickled her nose. From afar came ominous, eerie cries. Shrinking her shoulders in the unfamiliar environment, she ruffled her hair with her hand.
‘Ha, what in the world is this.’
A civil war had broken out in the Kingdom.
A bloody conflict between the coalition of the second and third princes, and the first prince. When she first heard the shocking news of such a physical struggle for the throne, her jaw had dropped.
The cause that sparked such a war was absurd beyond belief.
But her unease had not lasted long.
Asern was relatively unaffected by the war, and the Marquis of Esperanza, with whom she was aligned, was a leading neutral noble.
Naturally, there were no demands to infiltrate the other camp, gather intelligence, or carry out assassinations.
Thus, the war itself had little direct impact on Perne.
The problem was Roafra.
Vintert, rulers of the underworld, their assassins were pursuing Perne.
She had noticed thanks to a captured informant, who had sent a regular report saying all was well, but hid a warning of pursuit within a secret code.
Thanks to that, with Karans help, she had long since fled into the forest.
What happened to that informant? He was likely dead already.
Though she did not attend the Church, inwardly she prayed to Luas for him, offering silent mourning.
‘But why is Vintert after Lord Asher?’
No matter how she thought about it, she could not find an answer.
Still, it was surely with ill intent. For now, dealing with it was more important than finding the reason.
‘I did send an informant to the Marquisate of Esperanza, but…… it will take time.’
Vintert would surely be watching the path to Rines first. To avoid detection by detouring would require much time and effort.
That was her only hope of aid.
‘Or if Lord Asher returns.’
Of course, that was unlikely.
The fabled Demon King’s tomb—there was no guarantee of returning alive. He might be caught in a trap, his life in danger.
Perhaps he was even battling the Demon King’s wraith at this very moment.
‘Whatever the case, I can’t imagine that man dying.’
For now, she had no choice but to evade pursuit and survive in the wilds. Fortunately, an elf native to the forest guarded her side.
Her other informants had been told to scatter, so they should be well-hidden. Just in case, she had also planted one near the Eastern Marshlands.
“Blue, Lord Asher will return safely, won’t he?”
Blue, at her side, shone brightly.
It was a light filled with firm affirmation.
“Do not spout nonsense, human. Brother will return without incident.”
The same opinion came from above the ceiling.
Perne silently nodded, turning her gaze away.
Through the hut’s window, the sinister forest could be seen. The darkness lurking within was as impenetrable as the unreadable future.
***
Life at the orphanage was ordinary.
At that time, Verden had been nothing more than a naive child. Though his stubbornness was unusually strong compared to others.
Then, one day, he witnessed magic.
A small flame blooming in the hand of the elderly neighbor, a retired war mage. Though it was no more than a trick for the orphans’ amusement, it struck Verden differently.
I want that.
Verden was captivated by magic.
But no matter how much he begged, the old man would not teach him.
Even taking advantage of his youth brought no change. The old man always shook his head firmly. The answer never changed.
Why had he refused to teach magic?
It wasn’t simply because he found it troublesome, nor because it must only be passed to a disciple. The expression on his face as he looked at Verden had carried pity.
Looking back now, perhaps the old man had known. Known of Verden’s meager talent, his limit of a mere first-tier.
If so, Verden wanted to ask again.
Would you still think the same now?
***
Verden’s consciousness awakened.
A strange ceiling reflected upon clean walls.
“Ugh……”
When he tried to move his arm, searing pain shot through his body.
Struggling to tilt his chin and look down, he saw bandages wrapped around him in several places. On closer inspection, there were traces of potion as well.
Whoever had done it, to call it treatment…… was generous.
‘Still, this is decent enough.’
None of his broken bones were misaligned, and none of his wounds were festering.
His strength had partially returned, and his depleted magic power was slowly recovering. Well, just a little. Judging from the feeling, his exhausted body was indeed recovering.
If only he had a Recovery Bracelet, it would be much easier, but his wrist was bare. It must have been destroyed by the aftermath of the magic battle.
Given its accessory-level durability, that was only natural.
Verden exhaled, relaxing his muscles.
‘More importantly.’
His eyes shifted to the side.
“What are you doing there?”
“I was waiting for you to wake.”
The Administrator was chewing on premium jerky.
And in his hand, an entire bottle of wine. Its shape was very familiar.
Naturally so.
Both came from Verden’s spatial bag.
Meeting Verden’s gaze, the Administrator shook the wine bottle.
“Would you like a drink as well?”
“……”
Verden closed his eyes.
Sorting through his complicated thoughts, he moved his lips.
“Alcohol is forbidden for the severely injured.”
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