Chapter 111

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 6, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

Chapter 111

#111. Waves of Past Glory (3)

I don’t know how the meeting with her went.

To Her Grace, all I could offer were pitiful excuses and apologies.

Though we had prepared as best as we could, admitting our incompetence was the best course—our curse had been undone by the witches.

There was no way I could tell her that the curse we cast accidentally rebounded onto Beatrice herself.

‘The magic of the Golden Age… Did we misinterpret it?’

‘No, the interpretation was perfect.’

‘If there’s a cause, it must be Isabel, that witch.’

‘What in the world did she do?!’

We only understood why the curse hit Her Grace after learning about Haran’s curse later.

Isabel and the witches were under Haran’s curse, which was both a curse and a form of protection.

It was the will of the Great Witch Haran saying, “If anyone is going to torment or harm them, it’ll be me, not some other bastard.”

Thus, the curse we cast rebounded onto the pregnant woman closest to Isabel.

“I am merciful, so I shall give you another chance.”

“Mercy… Thank you.”

After finishing the meeting with Her Grace, I unwillingly ended up walking through the Lenslet Castle grounds with her.

“That woman’s child… Was it… killed…”

“Her Grace! Over here!”

“Wha?!”

Then, we happened to run into Isabel.

“Her Grace! It’s been too long! Haven’t seen you in almost half a year, right?”

“Yes…”

“Oh my! I heard you delivered a son. Congratulations are truly in order!”

“…Thank you.”

Isabel knew very well that Her Grace didn’t think highly of her.

That’s why, even though they lived in the same High City, Isabel made every effort to keep her distance.

They hadn’t met for nearly six months.

“Uh… Is Her Grace feeling alright?”

“Me? I’m always fine.”

“Hmm… That’s good then…?”

But Isabel’s reaction toward Her Grace was strange.

Her eyes were filled with shock and worry directed at Her Grace.

“How absolutely adorable your baby is?”

However, Her Grace didn’t notice Isabel’s gaze.

Her attention was entirely on the child cradled in Isabel’s arms.

‘Did Isabel notice too?’

Instinctively, I felt like I understood why Isabel was looking at Her Grace this way.

‘The curse that bounced off Isabel definitely landed on Beatrice.’

She can see it too—the mark of the curse branded on Beatrice.

“Have you named the child yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Hasn’t His Grace paid any mind? You haven’t even named the child yet…”

“We plan to name the child after their first birthday.”

“Well, that just shows His lack of care. Aren’t you implying that such a beautiful and healthy baby might not survive its first year?”

“That’s…”

“To be fair, the harsh cold of the Northern Region is incredibly cruel for newborns.”

“Yes…”

“Anyway, the palace inside the inner city should be completed soon. Isabel, you should try putting in more effort.”

“…”

Even amidst Her Grace’s rude comments, Isabel didn’t react much.

She simply glanced at me after staring at the mark on Her Grace.

“…”

Isabel alternated between looking at me and Her Grace with trembling eyes.

At the time, I had to endure her gaze as if my blood was freezing.

“Then, I shall take my leave…”

Thankfully, Isabel left without much ado.

Time passed again.

The due date for Her Grace approached.

Having many concerns, I sent a familiar to the inner castle of High City ahead of Her Grace’s childbirth.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!!”

“Ma, Ma’am?! Ma’am!!”

Lady Beatrice died while giving birth. The child remained trapped inside her womb, dying along with her.

It was undoubtedly because of the curse.

“Her Grace… She died while giving birth?”

“WAAAAHHHH… My Lord…”

“…”

But an unexpected event occurred right after.

“Isabel, let us adopt your son as Her Grace’s posthumous heir.”

“Excuse me?”

Before the warmth had even left Lady Beatrice’s body,

“Isn’t the child still unnamed?”

Northern Duke Rune Lenslet made a bold decision.

“Let’s name him now. This child’s name shall be ‘Pilgrim.’”

“Pilgrim…!”

“And from now on, you will become Pilgrim’s wet nurse. Though your name won’t officially appear on the family tree, your son will be recorded in the Lenslet family lineage—not as a bastard but as a legitimate heir.”

“!!”

Positions shape people.

In the short time I hadn’t seen him, Rune Lenslet had become a cold ruler.

He didn’t want the Empire sending a new Duchess to interfere in the internal affairs of the North.

So publicly, it was announced that Duchess Beatrice gave birth to a healthy son but tragically died shortly after due to puerperal fever.

“But… There are already too many ears that have heard this story…”

“That’s none of your concern. Dead men tell no tales.”

“Please spare me! Your Highness!!”

“AAAAAAAAAHH!!”

“KRAAAHHHH!!”

To silence witnesses, all the servants of High City were massacred.

The official reason given was that they failed to properly care for Beatrice.

In the sudden storm of blood, my heart trembled as if it would burst.

“…”

Then, I noticed something.

I saw Isabel’s face.

With Pilgrim in her arms, Isabel looked happy.

She stood calmly, showing no emotion as she gazed at the still-warm corpse of Her Grace and the bodies scattered around.

I began to understand why she ignored the curse marks on Beatrice back then.

“…”

Suddenly, Isabel’s indifferent eyes caught mine through the crow familiar observing her.

Her calm golden eyes turned cold.

To me, Isabel’s gaze felt like a warning.

From that day on,

I avoided visiting High City as much as possible.

Like someone obsessed, I strictly enforced silence among the Demon Den Dark Wizards.

Anxiety and restlessness drove us mad once again,

triggering the side effects of black magic.

“When will the witches attack?!”

“We need to prove our worth!”

“The Magic Realm! We need to decipher more of its ruins!”

“More! Bring more offerings for human sacrifices!”

Our base, Haven, gradually became a terrifying town shrouded in death.

Every day, women and children disappeared.

A few days later, their mangled corpses would be discarded at the outskirts of the village.

“Aiizak! What in the world are you doing?!”

Finally, Rune Lenslet arrived in Haven with his knights.

“Haven borders the Empire! If bad rumors spread here, the Imperial Court and the Theocratic Church will intervene!”

Lenslet and the knights seemed determined from the moment they descended into Haven, their aura filled with terrifying killing intent.

“Search the Demon Den thoroughly! I want to see what exactly has been happening here!”

“Ah, Nooo!!”

When we finally snapped out of our madness, everything was already on the brink of collapse.

“UUUUUGGGGHHH…!”

“You cursed bastards…!”

“They must die. Kill these insane cursed ones!”

“Witches, report! What exactly have you been doing in the Demon Den?!”

“It’s…”

“If regulations prevent you from speaking openly, give me the most abstract version!”

“Summoning… We were trying to summon legendary monsters…?”

Savage and violent as the northerners were, their brutality paled in comparison to the madness found in the Demon Den.

The knights who searched the place constantly gagged and stared at us with contemptuous eyes.

“This hardly deserves any excuse.”

Rune Lenslet’s gaze from atop his horse was no longer that of a friend.

“Annihilate them. Burn them all to ashes.”

That day, I and the dark wizards of the Demon Den met our end.

* * *

“?!?”

I woke up in a building constructed in the style of ancient Golden Age architecture.

An ancient ruin known only to me and the Demon Den’s dark wizards—unknown to the Empire, the Lenslet family, or the Coven.

“Did it succeed?”

This hideout, prepared just in case for such a day, performed its function perfectly.

Just as the ancient magicians of the Golden Age had hidden here, I followed their example.

“My God…”

Instead of my original eyes, deep green magical light flowed from my sockets.

D-d-d-d….

The two hands in my field of vision were mummified, almost skeletal when viewed from afar.

“Ahhh…”

Thanks to this ancient ruin, I managed to separate my physical body from my life essence, even without being a high-ranking magician.

The price was becoming a partial lich—a half-undead wizard—but it worked.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!”

Even with eternal life, I screamed in despair, green light streaming from my eyes.

“What have I… What have I done?!”

My body transformed from human flesh to undead, yet my mind remained more human than ever.

And as I wailed and regretted for a long while…

BOOOOOMMMM!

An artificial earthquake shook the ruin where I lay.

“?!?”

Regaining my senses, I hurried outside.

Normally, I’d shiver in the bitter cold, but as a partial lich, I felt no chill.

Outside was a land covered in ash. The sky was fierce with cold.

All around, various mutant monsters wandered aimlessly.

This was the Abyss of the Magic Realm.

[KWEEEEEE?]

“!!”

Standing outside the ruin, I couldn’t help but gasp.

Coiled before me, staring down at me, was an enormous white snake.

[Did you summon me?]

The legendary White Snake Jormungandr asked telepathically.

“Su… Summon?!”

[Not you? I thought I sensed a call…]

The white snake’s black tongue flickered out briefly before retreating back into its mouth.

‘Aha!’

I immediately understood what the white snake meant.

The ritual conducted in Haven…

Jormungandr responded to that very ritual.

[The reason I could answer your summoning is that our goals align.]

“Goals…?”

[Don’t you seek revenge?]

“!!”

[I need it too. To become a true dragon, I require their meat.]

Images of Jormungandr’s targets flashed through my mind.

[Raised by heaven’s chosen hero and the holy-cursed witch. I need the flesh of these two mortals…]

At the thought of Rune Lenslet and Isabel, acidic saliva dripped from the corners of the white snake’s mouth.

D-d-d-d…

Was it the fiendish aura emanating from the white snake? Or was it the aftermath of becoming a partial lich? Or perhaps it was the extreme emotional fluctuations typical of black wizards?

“Anything! I’ll assist in anything!”

The clear humanity I’d felt moments ago,

the regret and guilt, dissipated like smoke.

Only the pale emotions characteristic of a lich filled me.

“White Snake Jormungandr, welcome to the new Demon Den.”

Only vengeance, desire, curiosity, and thirst moved me now.

* * *

Whether it’s the Polar Wall of the northern Lenslet territory or the Ragolte Wall in the eastern wastelands of the Empire, they differ in scale but share one common trait.

They’re all extremely long.

Obviously, it’s impossible to station troops along the entire length of these massive walls.

Especially in the sparsely populated north, and even the most populous Empire couldn’t fully man its great wall.

They operated by placing squads of ten at intervals.

KOOOOOOO!

CHIIIIIIIICK!!

“And guards! Guards!”

“Passo! Passo!”

And the same applied to the enemies attacking the wall.

No matter how numerous they were, simultaneously assaulting the entire wall was impossible due to the dense enchantments and defensive spells woven into it.

Sieges against the wall always focused on specific sections.

TIIIIINGGGGGGGG-

“Battle formation, front line!”

An emergency alert sounded across the Polar Wall.

A massive monster wave was heading toward the section of the wall near High City.

“The White Snake! The legendary White Snake Jormungandr approaches!!”

Particularly, a monstrous creature roughly 300 meters long, the worst nightmare of the north, joined this wave.

Its overwhelming malevolence, beyond what even Arad Radar could measure, shook High City to its core.

“Is this good luck or bad?”

“Garrison troops, assemble at the wall!”

The expedition force preparing to set out naturally became the wall defenders.

“There’s the monster wave.”

Lowering her telescope, Isabel spoke.

“Don’t you feel grateful?”

“Who?”

“Them over there.”

Addressing Isabel, Valkyrie said,

“They’re so cute I want to kill them.”

“Y-you say that too,” replied Sun instead of Isabel.

“Originally, we’d have to shake in the cold during an expedition, but they’ve kindly come to us.”

While peering beyond the wall, Sun suddenly turned to Isabel and asked,

“Spring Mage, is His Highness well?”

“Over there.”

Pointing Isabel’s response towards Ariana standing steadfastly in the central tower of the wall.

“You mean the other one?”

Shaking his head, Sun replied,

The Ariana present here was an illusion created by Isabel.

“The safest place in the world,”

“Aah… So it’s like last time?”

Understanding Isabel’s words, Sun nodded.

“But isn’t there a risk that a special unit might head to the Workshop like last time? Perhaps moving His Highness to places like Cadia, Remme, or Haven would be better?”

“No matter what, His Highness refuses outright.”

“Our Highness’ stubbornness really is…”

“Unstoppable?”

“Exactly why we follow Him.”

Sun and Valkyrie glanced briefly at the outskirts of High City and smirked.

Isabel also smiled faintly.

Living for 200 years, the witch Isabel always addressed everyone except fellow witches respectfully.

The upper echelons of High City, especially Valkyrie and Sun, maintained polite speech despite knowing her age.

This was consideration. To avoid creating the impression that witches ruled over the north.

This consideration eventually became habit, tradition, and continued even after witches reincarnated as Lenslet mages.

“…”

The casual conversation to ease tension abruptly stopped.