Chapter 25
Black mages have been treated as the evil of the world since ancient times.
Because burning one’s life to draw in the energy of death was tantamount to defying the will of the gods.
Moreover, they annihilated the White Dragon, the essence of white magic. It was with the purpose of blocking the life energy flowing from the dragon.
They succeeded in achieving that purpose, but as a result, they were massacred.
They met their end because they couldn’t withstand the hero Heros Akion.
But not all black mages were exterminated.
There were those who survived, hiding the blade of revenge and holding their breath.
They are the ones standing in the forest now consumed by darkness.
“Today was the day to make the Empire pay dearly for the resurrection of the specters.”
The man wrapped in bandages all over his body opened his mouth again. A much more ferocious aura flowed out than before.
“It was the day to declare to those who deserve to be torn limb from limb that we black mages have finally set out for revenge!”
The secret organization ‘Specter’ formed by the surviving black mages.
The man was the leader of Specter, and his subordinates had attempted a bomb terror on the Pinch Marquis family under his orders. The Pinch Marquis family is one of the families that worship the Empire’s Gold Dragon. Thus, they tried to make an example by toppling them!
“But to fail at this easy task? I told you to commit seppuku right there if you fail, yet you came back alive despite everything, so it seems you’re not afraid of me. Why, do you think dying by my hand is more comfortable than killing yourself?”
“Th-That’s not it!”
“We are fine with dying. No, we wish to die! But we came back because there’s something we absolutely must tell you first! Please hear us out!”
The subordinates, half-prostrated, raised their voices.
“If it’s not pleasing to hear, know that your tongue will be cut midway.”
“Yes!”
The subordinates wiped their cold sweat and shouted.
“There was Daphne Akion there. The child on whom the previous leader cast a curse! The hero’s child!”
“That wench absorbed all the death energy in the bomb. It happened in an instant, and we couldn’t stop it!”
The man’s eyes narrowed.
“If it’s Daphne Akion, she should have definitely been killed?”
A few months ago, he, as the leader of Specter, had ordered his subordinate to kill Daphne.
Since Daphne had received the curse from the previous leader, her body contained a massive amount of death energy.
If they killed her before the curse manifested, they could recover that death energy.
That’s why they tried to kill Daphne, and they surely did.
But she’s alive?
“Either you reported falsely to me……”
“That would never happen!”
“Or there’s some reason for it.”
Did she come back to life or something? No, even granting that, how could she block a black magic bomb? The leader furrowed his brows.
“We cannot let live anyone who obstructs the path of Specter. Do you understand?”
“Yes. We’ll handle it immediately.”
“That hero’s spawn, stubbornly getting in our way after all.”
Damn hero’s child.
The one who killed our families, killed our god.
Just thinking of him makes my body tremble with rage, but it’s fine. After all, that bastard will die by our hands. We’ll kill him to the end!
“It would be nice if the father and daughter died side by side and vanished.”
The man, giggling, snapped his fingers toward the prostrated subordinates.
At that instant, white fire began to rise from the bone-shaped tattoos engraved on the subordinates’ napes.
“Kuhk!”
“Ugh……!”
The fire, rising like a pure white salt pillar, completely engulfed the subordinates’ bodies, and soon they all vanished entirely. Including their corpses.
Now, all the death energy they possessed would return to Specter and become Specter’s power once more.
Lives are not precious.
If you fail, you die.
Because by dying, they could contribute strength to Specter.
The man, now left alone, re-tied his slightly loosened bandages and stepped forward.
“I’m going to find the corpse of the disaster.”
He would gather the power left by the disaster.
The man’s bright yellow pupils gleamed like those of a beast.
***
[What are the measures after the ‘Black Magic Bomb Terror’ in the heart of the capital?]
[Resurrection of Black Mages, What Did the Guardians Do?]
Heros roughly placed the received newspaper on the table. Even though three days had passed since the terror incident, the interest hadn’t waned.
The reason was that black mages, thought to have been exterminated five years ago, had reappeared, and the imperial family hadn’t taken any clear measures against it.
Right after the terror, Heros naturally thought the emperor would summon him. But there were no significant orders.
By his guess, it was because the hero who stopped the terror was his daughter Daphne. Since Daphne still hadn’t woken up.
Under his orders, Heros had been cursed to have his emotions severed, his beloved wife had died, and even his own daughter had been cursed, so he must have some sympathy.
Stopping further thoughts, Heros let out another sigh and turned his gaze.
Toward Daphne, lying quietly on the bed like the dead, and the elf doctor beside her.
“It’s the third day.”
Heros said.
“It’s the third day without opening her eyes.”
Teti gulped dryly.
When Daphne was first carried in, Teti thought he was dreaming.
To see the almighty dragon weakened and collapsed…… If he told other elves, they’d laugh saying he finally went mad after waiting for when he’d lose it.
In any case, Teti had figured out from hearing the sequence of events that Daphne had absorbed the death energy to increase her mana amount. And that because of the suddenly increased mana, she couldn’t recover her energy.
So Teti was only prescribing and administering tonics good for vitality recovery, but he couldn’t tell Heros the truth straightforwardly, so he could only evade with ‘Just a bit more……’, ‘She’ll wake up in a few days.’
“It’s only been three days. She’ll open her eyes soon.”
No matter how proud an elf Teti was, he wasn’t a thug who spoke informally to his employer.
Teti replied politely. Then Heros’s brows furrowed.
“If death is closer than life, tell me in advance. I need to prepare the funeral.”
“……”
What is this, this personality wreck?
Even the elves, called the pinnacle of cold-bloodedness, don’t speak like that about their own children.
This is a basic human decency issue. So Teti was flustered. What’s with this guy’s decency? Trash?
“Th……”
But Heros was the employer. An employer who paid several times more than others. Teti barely swallowed the curse that almost slipped out and rose.
“I’ll go get the medicine.”
Heros stared fixedly only at Daphne without answering. Until Teti left the room.
Daphne was breathing raggedly. Her pale face looked like he needed to call a funeral director right now. To have this happen again in less than a month. Heros let out a long sigh.
[From Problem Child to Hero, Daphne Akion]
[How Did Daphne Akion Come to Be Called a Hero?]
[The Hero and the Hero, Their Blood is Sublime]
He recalls other headlines from the piled newspapers.
The public was paying more attention to the birth of a new hero than the resurrection of black mages. Especially because that hero was the child once called the family’s disgrace and rogue.
They were earnestly hoping for Daphne to wake up, and especially the Pinch Marquis family, who received help, was sending people every day to inquire about her condition and sending gifts.
In other words, the only one with no interest in Daphne’s life or death was Daphne’s father, Heros Akion.
‘He’s going too far.’
Heros smiled bitterly.
Five years ago, the black mage felled by Heros’s hand had cursed him.
-You will no longer feel anything!
-Joy, sorrow, love, hatred, you will feel nothing!
It was a curse that erased emotions.
So Heros couldn’t feel anything. The affection, worry, sorrow that a parent should feel…… No emotions filled his heart.
So it was empty. Even though Daphne, the last legacy of his wife, might die, he couldn’t feel anything about himself.
Unconsciously, Heros traced the scar crossing his face. A wound from the sword Daphne swung a year ago.
-If you’re going to do this, why did you give birth to me?
-Rather kill me and save Mom! I’m going to die anyway, why didn’t you just let me die!
When he heard those words, what emotion did Heros have.
He had no emotions. No sorrow, no anger, no guilt, nothing.
Thus, he could only take the child’s sword.
Because he thought it might be better to die from that. But unfortunately, she didn’t die. The child’s swordsmanship was clumsy, and she survived.
After that, Heros was repeating the same days again.
Days of feeling nothing, harboring nothing in his heart.
“It’s tedious.”
Heros shook his head with a long sigh. And he rose. Because he judged there was no need to stay longer since Daphne wasn’t waking up anyway.
It was then.
“Ugh…… Ah……”
A voice leaked from between the teeth of Daphne, who had been sleeping all along. Heros widened his eyes and turned to Daphne, and Daphne, who had been tossing, suddenly shot up like a spring.
“Hiya!”
Daphne, who rose with a spirited voice, looked around and soon spotted Heros. At that moment, Daphne’s expression crumpled.
“Damn. Opening my eyes to see the hero bastard first thing. Even when luck’s bad, it can’t be this bad.”
Daphne grumbled and pulled the blanket up to her head again.
“Tell them I’m going back to sleep, so you leave. I’ll wake up then.”
“Hah?”
“What’s with the ‘hah’. Think about how I feel seeing your face first thing upon waking.”
Is she really crazy?
“Ugh, my mood’s ruined.”
She’s crazy.
Heros, who had only been watching Daphne’s actions, felt his facial muscles twitch for a moment and touched his cheek.
Could it be that a smile came out on its own.
‘No way.’
What nonsense is that.
He firmly shook his head.
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By Anna 💓
