Black magic is not necessarily a type of magic that should be unequivocally rejected simply because it can lead to serious side effects or terrible consequences for beginners.
If handled by someone with sufficient skill, black magic can also yield certain results.
There are definitely areas in this world that can only be managed through black magic.
Even offerings such as blood or souls can be used as materials in some forms of magic, not necessarily black magic.
Therefore, to say that black magic itself is morally wrong is somewhat misleading.
Whether it’s black magic or any other form of magic, the knowledge to manipulate mana is fundamentally the same.
However, when asked why the perception of black magic is so negative, the reason is quite clear.
What black magic values above all else is ‘value.’
Many forms of magic emphasize value, but black magic tends to obsess over it far more.
The principles of magic are complex when explained in depth, but fundamentally, they refer to phenomena caused by borrowing mana and authority.
In this case, normal magic generates results proportional to the amount of mana invested.
This implies that the value invested to induce a phenomenon and the value that manifests are the same.
Even when using the same type of magic, the more effort and mana you invest, the more powerful the magic becomes, following a similar principle.
This is easily understood by everyone because the laws are clear and consistent.
On the other hand, in black magic, the exchange of value is not equivalent.
In most situations, black magic demands an astonishing amount of value to produce any result.
Blood of a saint, soul of a hero, corpses of kings…
Because of its extreme emphasis on ‘value,’ black magic can be horrifically inefficient when relying solely on the value possessed by an individual.
Yes, relying solely on the value of an ‘individual’…
————–
“Don’t you think there’s an awful smell of black magic coming from here since a while ago?”
“…….”
Upon hearing those words, Seyeo came to a sudden halt.
As a result, Luke, who had taken a few more steps forward, faced him directly.
And in the ensuing moment of silence.
Luke quietly observed Seyeo’s expression.
This silence had to be broken by Seyeo.
Then, he finally opened his mouth.
With a perplexed smile on his face.
“Black magic…? What do you mean? Is there something bad smelling here?”
Seyeo started to panic and stammer out excuses.
But at this point, no matter how many excuses Seyeo made, they didn’t resonate with Luke.
Luke set Liv down for a moment and silently gazed at Seyeo.
At that gaze, Seyeo began to speak in a slightly reprimanding tone this time.
“No, do you even know what black magic is when you say that? Where did you learn something like that?”
In response to his question, Luke raised his hand and looked at his fingernails.
“Seyeo, don’t change the subject.”
“…….”
Once Luke opened his mouth, the imbecilic and innocent tone completely disappeared from his voice.
“You know why I’m asking this.”
“What do you mean, you know?”
‘Really, if I don’t say anything, will you deny it to the end?’
Having grown tired of stalling for time, Luke clicked his tongue and said.
“I’m saying that the smell of corpses here is making my nose rot, and I have to bring it up myself.”
“….Ahaha.”
As Luke continued to press him, Seyeo wiped the bewildered expression off his face and adjusted his glasses.
“Is that what you meant? As expected, being a Hyun gives you a good nose.”
Soon, he began to explain quietly with a somewhat regretful look, as if he had no other choice.
“This is a secret, but… I’m actually not just a mage. I’m a secret agent dispatched by the Aires government. I often handle black magic to identify corpses.”
Taken aback by the unexpected response, Luke slightly raised an eyebrow.
“A secret agent?”
“Yes, yes. I have a mission that must not be discovered by others, so I can’t share the details with a kid like you. Hence, I had to hide the truth.”
“Oh ho…”
“Thus, even though there are a few corpses around, I’ve guided you down a safe path. There are really no monsters here.”
“I see…”
Indeed, if that was the truth he had hidden from himself, it makes quite a bit of sense.
A secret agent!
After all, if that’s the case, there could be things he didn’t know.
After all, he was just a 10-year-old kid in this society, and because of that, he couldn’t easily access information hidden in the shadows like that of a secret agent.
Luke thought this was the most interesting statement he had heard so far.
At least, among all the ‘lies’ Seyeo had told until now.
Luke grinned, intrigued, and asked.
“By the way, do they hire corpses in Aires these days?”
“What? What do you mean?”
Seyeo continued to smile, but Luke didn’t miss the momentary awkwardness that flickered in Seyeo’s smile.
“You are not alive, are you?”
Luke finally spoke the words that revealed the feeling of discomfort he had sensed from him.
“A lich, aren’t you?”
A lich.
A specter that refuses death and buries its self within a corpse.
It turns out he wasn’t a living being.
Though concealed by strong perfume, the smell of a corpse still could not be erased.
‘These days, liches seem quite alive. How did that happen?’
By the way, this was honestly surprising.
How could something that might seem nearly alive connect to a life vessel?
Given that the nature of that dark magic requires etching runes directly onto bones by peeling the flesh away, preserving such an outward appearance should be quite difficult.
Moreover, since more magical formulas must be inscribed in the skull, the fact that the face looks that neat is truly astonishing.
It seems that as magic has greatly advanced, black magic has also continued to develop.
With the old methods I know, there must be some new approach I cannot comprehend.
‘Is this the latest dark magic…?’
Luke felt quite curious about this information.
“Why are you silent? Are you planning to deny this too?”
No matter how he spoke, Seyeo stubbornly continued to make excuses, and Luke gradually began to find amusement in watching how he would make excuses this time.
However, his expectations could not be fulfilled this time.
“Sigh, I thought you’d be easy prey.”
He muttered with a frown, placing his hand on his forehead.
“When did you figure it out?”
“Is that really important?”
“It is important; I could be cautious next time.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
As Luke gestured towards Liv, who was sitting on a stone, Liv immediately stood up and walked over to stand in front of Luke.
It was quite a cute sight, and Seyeo couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! What? Could it be you’re a Circle user and a puppeteer? No wonder it looked suspiciously valuable from both sides!”
A Circle user who has accumulated quite a high mana at a young age, and a girl who operates puppets with that Circle?
Besides, considering that the mortality rate for Circle users among the Hyun is the highest and that she is so young.
That surely must make her quite valuable.
“Mm.”
However, Luke slightly scratched his chin at his words.
He was mistaken.
Though it might not seem much different on the outside, this is much closer to golem magic than puppetry.
But since it didn’t seem necessary to correct that fact with a kind explanation, Luke shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“Well, who knows.”
“Hah.”
Seyeo, still rearranging his disheveled glasses due to his laughter, said.
“In that case, I can’t help but show my seriousness.”
It was amusing to think he had to take things seriously over such childish antics, but he certainly did not want to miss that which had such a high value.
A body and soul higher than all the value he possessed!
Such an opportunity would never come easily.
‘If I have the ‘value’ that little kid possesses, I wouldn’t need to waste time gathering value here.’
It’s always better to have more than to have less.
Especially when it comes to black magic.
Seyeo leisurely chuckled and snapped his fingers.
At that moment, Luke witnessed the truly horrible source of the black magic’s smell that lingered in this place.
“Ugh…”
“Whoa…”
From behind Seyeo, lights began to rise, one by one, from within the darkness that blanketed the entire forest.
The number of those rising figures, emerging pointless sounds as they moved, was dense enough to fill the forest.
It resembled a legion of corpses.
It was not unreasonable to tremble in fear.
“What? I don’t want to lose your value, either. I’ll promise you that I won’t hurt you if you don’t resist.”
At his words about valuing him, Luke thought.
Because black magic requires far too much value for a single individual to manage, most mages obsessed with black magic tend to covet the values of others rather than honing their own.
That’s much quicker and more efficient.
Indeed, eventually, black mages all end up like this.
They are those who gaze greedily at the value of others.
When one falls into black magic, which can place both their own and others’ values on the scales of trade, they all develop this mindset.
In that state, black mages essentially resemble robbers.
However, that was a perspective entirely different for Luke, whose value was extraordinarily high.
The vessel of the goddess entwined with the final demon and dragon heart, and the circle of a hero holds a value that cannot be compared to such a lich.
As he counted values, folding his fingers one by one, Luke then muttered in boredom.
“The cost isn’t worth it at all. It’s a complete loss.”
Even considering all the value on the other side, there was hardly anything to be gained.
Wasn’t everything there nothing but useless corpses with no life?
Not to mention, he already lacked mana to build a circle, and now to have a battle with nothing to gain?
That was truly an irritating matter for Luke.
He lost all motivation to take action himself.
With no choice, Luke commanded Liv.
“Liv, from now on, you have no constraints placed upon you. However, you must not kill that lich until the end.”
At this point, he had to have that lich.
If there was nothing to be gained, at least his curiosity should be satisfied, right?
