Chapter 170

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince and his wife, I am grateful that you changed the location to prevent them from getting hurt, but what kind of monsters are these? In terms of attack power…”

“Wind, become blades.”

Even if I cut off limbs with wind blades,

“Lightning, crawl like a snake.”

Even if I scorch the entire body with a lightning snake,

“Fireball, swallow the enemy.”

Even if I turn the entire body into charcoal with a fireball,

“Absolute zero’s cold wind, imprison the enemy.”

Even if I freeze the enemy to death with extreme cold,

“Steel dragon’s scales, pierce the enemy.”

Even if I turn the enemy into minced meat with sharp steel scales,

“All-consuming darkness, it’s mealtime.”

Even if I summon a mouth of darkness to chew and devour the entire body,

“Sword of light, purify the evil.”

Even if I stab and burn with a fervent sword of light,

“Roots of the divine tree, absorb nutrients.”

Even if I bind with tree roots and drain all the nutrients, turning the body into a mummy,

“Horn of Earth, rise.”

Even if I pierce the neck with a rocky horn,

“Sword of water, cut through all things.”

Even if I slice the body to the heart with a high-pressure water cutter…

“Ouch, that hurts. As expected of the renowned Archmage Werner. You’re the first sorcerer to make me feel even a slight pain since Sir Tristan.”

The creature regenerated as if nothing had happened. Its regeneration ability was so absurdly overpowered that it was incredibly annoying.

I tried burning its body to stop the regeneration and searched for something that might be the core of its regeneration, but there was nothing.

It was as if the creature’s body automatically regenerated whenever it took damage, like how a leg moves when the knee is tapped or how tears flow when something gets in the eye. It didn’t need consciousness or intent; even near-fatal damage would be automatically repaired.

“Still, this is… With this, it’s impossible to determine a clear winner or loser.”

My body was filled with scalpels and paralysis needles. Honestly, maintaining consciousness was so difficult that I felt like I was going insane.

“Even if it’s temporary paralysis poison, and you’ll wake up fine after a night’s sleep, there’s a limit to what a normal person can endure. According to my diagnosis, your body isn’t in a normal state… If you want to enjoy a happy, carefree life… wouldn’t it be better to retreat now? I really don’t like fighting.”

“Don’t make me laugh. I’ve decided to send all the trash of the Black Round Table in this world to hell…”

“That’s a splendid resolution. Truly, a heroic decision. But…”

Screaaam!

“Resolutions, emotional things… and the current situation, material things, always run on different tracks. And the only concept that connects the two, running on parallel lines, is life and death.”

Another paralysis needle laced with poison pierced my body. Damn it, my body is getting slower. That’s why it’s getting harder to dodge the scalpels and needles he’s throwing.

“You dodged two out of three. The needles I use on you could knock out an elephant with one hit. It’s surprising that a human, let alone a non-warrior, can endure that. I might need to update my common sense.”

“…If this were lethal poison, I’d be dead by now.”

“Yes, but a doctor can’t kill a patient. Besides, this paralysis poison also has a fatigue recovery effect. When you wake up, your sore shoulders will feel lighter, and headaches will be completely gone.”

I can’t understand. Why aren’t you killing me? It’s not just about compatibility of abilities… that regeneration is just too broken. Honestly, even now, I can’t think of a clear way to win.

“I like you the most among my enemies… No, even if you weren’t an enemy, I’d still like someone like you.”

It felt like I was looking at Felinoir. Someone who took the wrong path but could still be redeemed. I could clearly feel that.

“Yes, I also wanted to keep treating an interesting patient like you. But I have no choice but to abandon this identity. It’s truly regrettable that we must part like this. But… life is a series of meetings and partings. Even if it’s an ugly and sad farewell… enduring it is the attitude of an adult.”

“…Don’t you want to come to my side?”

Even Uncle Tristan recommended that Bedivior would be a good ally. Since he recommended it even as he was dying, I offered to recruit him. If he were just some worthless trash, I wouldn’t have made such an offer.

“The place you stand is in the light.”

“You must have enjoyed playing with children in the light too, right?”

“…I am the trash of this world, one of a kind.”

He stopped smiling and looked at me with serious red eyes. I almost felt scared for a moment.

“I joined hands with evil for something I desired. I didn’t kill people, but I committed crimes like espionage, kidnapping, drug manufacturing, and providing experimental data. All for my personal greed. So you should despise me. You’re on the side of justice. And I must oppose you.”

The silver scalpel and needle in his hand glinted again.

“I am trash. And I have something I must repay.”

“Just in case, is it related to your child?”

“…Wanting to be a father who isn’t ashamed… that’s a common dream among fathers. But what comes first isn’t ‘not being ashamed,’ but ‘being a father.’ What’s the point of living a life without shame if you don’t have a child? Even if my child hates me, I must meet them.”

His voice sounded deeply sorrowful.

“If I could just see my wife… my daughter… Scarlet… Erika again… I’d gladly hold the dirty hands of the Black Round Table. No, I’d even sell my soul to a demon.”

“Then I’ll let you meet them. If they’re captured somewhere, I’ll save them. If you don’t know where they are, I’ll find them and bring them to you. So with me…”

“I know where they are. I also know how to get there. But the important thing is the means to reach that place. The one who holds that… as far as I know, it’s Sir Lancelot of the Black Round Table. That bastard is the only one.”

Lancelot again, that bastard…

“Then I’ll get that for you too. Whether it’s a ship, a carriage, or even riding a dragon, I’ll definitely…”

“Hah… ‘That place’ isn’t somewhere you can reach with just a ship or carriage.”

“Then why did you join hands with the Black Round Table? No matter how precious they are, you know it’s not honorable. So surrender…”

“You haven’t even left a single scratch on my body… I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re really naive. That brat from the damn Carven family over there, and you too… You’re just spouting nonsense because you don’t know death.”

Bedivior loosened his clothes and showed me a cross-shaped scar. Something was off. Even though his body regenerates from any wound, no matter how small or severe, this scar remained.

“It’s a wound left by Lancelot of the Black Round Table. This is proof that he can properly pay and the down payment of the contract. Something that brat from the Carven family or you could never give.”

Now things are starting to make sense. By the way, calling Ricardo ‘big brother’ a brat… how old is he?

“The only way to reach where my wife and daughter are is through ‘death’! But this cursed body won’t find the peace of death! For over 300 years, I’ve tried every method, but the god of death won’t come for me! You who can end your life whenever you want, what do you know…! I apologize. I got a little emotional. It’s not really the fault of that brat from the Carven family or you.”

“You’re seriously an old man, aren’t you? I’m so sorry for not realizing it until now.”

“…You don’t look very sorry.”

“As expected of someone your age… you’re quite sharp!”

I pulled out the scalpel stuck in my body and threw it, but it was futile. The scalpel did pierce him, but the wound disappeared as if nothing had happened.

“Meaningless struggle. If I could die from such an attack… how wonderful that would be. Then I wouldn’t be tangled up in these dirty affairs.”

“If you know it’s dirty, then don’t do it…”

“Sadly, parents can easily overlook the death of someone else’s child for the sake of their own.”

The scalpels I threw came back at me, and with the paralysis needles added, it was pure torture.

As my legs gave out and I was about to collapse, a bead I had kept in my pocket fell out. It was definitely the bead given to me by that apostle or whatever he was.