Chapter 58

Chapter 58 - The Treasure the Emperor Seeks (2)

Is it the aftermath of being sealed for a long time, the blue eyes that were wavering without focus. They quickly become clear.

Because the messy ruins awakened the duty he had sworn to. That was returning the magician to his right mind more certainly than a hundred words of questions and answers.

[To steal from the King's laboratory.]

"Wait! I swear on my honor and soul we did not plunder this place!"

At Eugene's shout, the magician's boiling spirit stopped.

Because he is a spiritual existence, a single word containing sincerity had a stronger influence than dozens of swords containing physical strength.

[Your claim is truth.]

At the atmosphere seemingly able to avoid a fight, Eugene nodded his head.

"That is so. Ghost magician."

[I am not a ghost. I am a court magician who served the glorious His Highness Lucius.]

"Then reveal your name."

[My name... My name is...]

It seems the magician still cannot recall his own name. He shook his head hither and thither and tried to pull his memories out of oblivion.

In the meantime, Eugene asked Valda.

"Do you know who Lucius is?"

"He is the last King of the Ancient Kingdom. But that is not what is important."

Valda had an appalled face.

"To think his ego is distinct enough to make this level of conversation possible. This is extracting a human's soul and sealing it as a Guardian."

The majority of Guardians are existences similar to spiritual golems. Let alone conversations, they cannot even say simple greetings with words. They merely protect, chase away, and fight.

"It is a kind of something similar to being buried alive with the dead."

"It's more terrible than being buried alive with the dead. Being buried alive with the dead is liberation when the physical body dies, but this must be tied to this place eternally even after death."

At that time, blue will-o'-the-wisps were also generated in the helmet of the knight who was sitting.

Cling clank.

Making armor sounds, the knight who slowly stood up scans the ruins that became a mess. And wordlessly drew his longsword and aimed it at Eugene.

"I speak staking my honor, we did not..."

Unlike the magician with whom conversation worked, the knight charged with the spirit to fight without asking questions.

Thwang!

Homi immediately shot her crossbow, but it could not pierce the thick armor. It only left a considerable scratch and bounced off.

"Step back! Protect Lady Valda!"

Homi pulled out her shield and military hammer and dodged backwards together with Valda.

'To think the opponent is a Guardian of all things in a place where the power of vegetation is weak.'

For Valda, who is not suited for direct combat, both the terrain and affinity were bad.

Srrk.

The armor gouged by the bolt was restored to its original state like water filling in. To spiritual existences, proper blows cannot be dealt unless it's with silver arrows or weapons imbued with the power of magic.

As the knight swung his longsword, tremendous wind pressure raged.

Eugene dodged the first attack and blocked the second attack with his shield. Blue sparks flew from the iron shield where the soul sword clashed.

'It's not that I can't fight him.'

The steel shield is sturdy, and the ether-made sword contains the authority to destroy all magic.

Bang!

A shield bash set up with the flat side struck the knight's chest.

Compared to hitting with the edge, the power is dispersed, but the activation is fast like an orthodox boxing jab. Of course, it's a jab only from Eugene's standpoint; on the receiving side, it's practically a slap swung by a bear.

The knight staggered from the unexpected impact but still swung his longsword.

Claaang!

Eugene received it putting the shield forward and delivered a body slam carrying the strength of his whole body.

Crash!

The properly hit knight lost his weapon and flew through the air.

After colliding with a ruin pillar, he was slammed into the floor and slid away. The black armor was dragged on the stones and presented a kiss with sparks flying in all directions.

This is the reason Eugene dismounts his horse when facing strong enemies. Because he can maximize the utilization of his shield.

The steel shield that guarantees attack and defense by the surface area unit was the best insurance when fighting unknown enemies.

The Guardian slowly stood up while flowing black smoke from various places on his body that had dozens of cracks.

Swooosh.

The sword the knight dropped evaporated like smoke and then appeared again in his hand.

"Lady Valda, that bastard is cheating."

"It's not the time to joke! Do you not feel the erosion by evil energy or corpse poison?!"

"Not at all. There is no wicked aura, nor hatred towards the living. I can merely feel only pure fighting spirit that has lost its place to go. He must surely have been a wonderful knight during his lifetime."

Eugene could grasp the opponent's essence just by sparring briefly.

[Stop the attacks! That person is not a thief!]

Despite the magician's shout, the knight did not react. It seems there is not even enough reason left to hear a comrade's voice or speak words.

A magician who cultivates his mind while researching the secrets of the world, and a knight who pursues only physical training and glory.

The degree to which the two existences could maintain their sanity in front of the gnawing of magnificent time was different.

After deflecting the knight's sword with his shield, Eugene swung Last Autumn. The gauntlet was cleanly cut, and the sword he was holding fell to the ground again.

3 fingers and the palm severed diagonally evaporated like smoke. That does not regenerate unlike what was hit by Homi's bolt.

The moment the sword on the ground was about to become blurry again to return to its owner.

Stomp!

As Eugene's foot trampled the sword blade, it clumped back together and was firmly constrained.

'This works?'

It was an action done reflexively, Eugene didn't think he could really block it.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

The trampled sword repeatedly became blurry and clear, trying to escape somehow. However, Eugene's firm will became a single magic and bound the soul sword.

It was like seeing a snake skewered by a bird of prey's talons.

[Groooar.]

The knight let out an unidentifiable bizarre scream and charged with his fists.

Crunch!

After Last Autumn cut off the fist the knight threw, it pierced his chest.

Through the sword held in his hand, Eugene could feel the magic composing the knight collapsing consecutively.

Smack!

He flew backwards at Eugene's kick and stretched out spread-eagle on the ground. The will-o'-the-wisps inside the helmet disappeared, and the body of heavy armor scattered like smoke.

Eugene turned to the magician. Even while fighting the knight, he had occasionally been on guard, but he didn't seem to have thoughts of being hostile.

"I had no choice in order to protect my life and my comrades' lives."

[I acknowledge your self-defense, Sir. I am only thankful for giving the knight rest. We have been tied here for too long a time. Even though protecting it has already become meaningless.]

"Do you still not remember your name?"

[Decimus. My name is Decimus.]

Perhaps his mind was becoming clearer, the magician's tone became more stable than when he first appeared.

"A name ending in 'us' is the traditional naming method of the Ancient Kingdom nobles."

Valda whispered.

"Decimus. I had to fight innocently falsely framed as a thief. I want an apology for that insult and danger."

Actually, he didn't particularly think it was an insult and didn't feel danger or the like, but Eugene managed his facial expressions.

That unique face of knights resembling shame and anger, that is. Because he had seen it frequently lately, imitating it was easy.

[I acknowledge your demand. On behalf of my comrade, I shall apologize.]

Decimus meekly complied with the demand.

"In exchange, please share knowledge. Just where on earth is this place?"

[It is a place where magic was researched.]

"What kind of magic?"

[It is regarding the secret method of opening a passage heading to another world.]

It is as Valda expected.

It is also the reason why Eugene, who handles the power of another world, handled the magic circle properly rather than her, whose specialty is forest magic.

[It was the order of His Highness Lucius. It was research absolutely necessary to complete the Kingdom's final castle. Furthermore, also for His Highness's wish.]

"What was the wish? To think it's a desire bordering on what the leader of the Ancient Kingdom would covet."

[...]

Decimus's mouth and jaw, which were about to answer, scattered like smoke. His hands and feet were also decomposing.

Because the magic circle neglected for too long a time had exhausted its power by summoning the two Guardians. The supply of magical power maintaining Decimus's existence is quickly being cut off.

[The research... success... the castle is completed... in that place, still suffering...]

Decimus tried to convey more important words he thought of, but in the end, without finishing, he met his annihilation.

[Noble knight... this...]

With his final word at the end, he completely hid his traces.

"He has been released from his bindings. I can feel his existence returning to the world's cycle."

Valda gathered both her hands and offered an elves' prayer. As a fellow magician, it was respect and mourning offered to a senior from the distant past.

"Perhaps the Emperor might have also had experiences similar to what we just went through."

"Perhaps so. Since there wouldn't be just one or two ruins like this."

Roman is the land where the most legacies of the Ancient Kingdom sleep in the world. As he is the Emperor, the information entering his ears will also be plentiful.

"Thanks to Lady Valda, I passed another crisis."

Eugene stood Last Autumn upright. Even though it had slashed many enemies until now, the silver blade was sharp without a single nick.

"I wonder what would have happened if I didn't have this sword against spiritual existences."

Valda shook her head.

"Perhaps even without it, if it were you, you would have defeated him. Do you remember stepping on the Guardian knight's sword a while ago?"

"Yes. Since I thought it might return to that bastard's hand again, I stepped on it to try and stop it somehow. Although I didn't know it would really work."

"The moment I saw that scene, I was certain. You are already a magician."

Actually, there were already many omens.

The Holy Communion that seemed possible only for legendary popes.

The mental strength that ignored the magic of bewitchment spread in the Emerald Forest.

Restoring the broken magic circle just by existing nearby.

All of those were authorities that ordinary magicians dared not imitate.

"Magic is the act of constructing inner will into the form of miracles in reality. If it's a strong willpower on your level, even without the ether-made sword, you would have sufficiently defeated the Guardian."

"Well, I do feel like it would have disappeared on its own even if I just appropriately blocked with my shield and dragged out time."

"That is also true. The investigation team the Emperor dispatched might have also used a similar method."

If it's a fight with a time limit on the enemy, there's no need to even mobilize a magician. As long as tactics are set up well, knights and mercenaries alone can sufficiently handle it.

Meanwhile, Homi, who was趴趴 crawling on all fours like a puppy and searching through the bushes, picked something up. Intense mystery was felt from a golden key the length of a palm.

"..."

It didn't seem necessary to think about where this was to be used.

"It is an artifact of tremendous value, but I don't know whether I should be happy or not."

"Why is that so?"

"Because if one shows excessive greed, one ends up falling into danger. However, the existence called the Moving Castle keeps trying to form ties with you, so..."

Valda stopped speaking.

Even though they were words said out of a heart worrying about Eugene's safety, isn't he also a hot-blooded knight?

Placing one's flag on a huge castle and looking down at the world as a lord. That is an event like the ultimate dream of all knights.

To negate that in front of the person himself saying it's dangerous. No matter how much of a friend she is, she thought it was a rude remark.

"I am sorry. I spoke excessively."

"Do not apologize. If it's that kind of worry, I welcome it as much as you like. I also have no intention of becoming the shape of a snake dying from its stomach tearing while trying to swallow too large a prey."

Eugene shook the golden key he received from Homi.

"If push comes to shove, I could trade it with someone, right? Couldn't I receive quite a high price? Or it could be used as a card in negotiations."

"Thank you for speaking like that."

Now there was no more business to see in this ruin. Because it's a shell where nothing remains in terms of wealth or magic.

* * *

"Dismantle!"

When Eugene returned, Hind made the mercenaries destroy the temporarily set up barricades and erased the traces of stationing.

After collecting the subordinates and coming down to the highway, and a little time passing, tens of people could be seen departing from Veles City. They are heading straight for the place where the ruins were.

"Could it be that those people are also going up wondering if there's anything to salvage?"

"If they are adventurers, it would be so, and if they are city people, they might be going up to preserve the ruins. As you also saw, the people of Veles are exceedingly enthusiastic about the Ancient Kingdom."

"It seems it was good we hurried since dawn."

Even if they were a little late, they would have run into those people and it would have become a headache.

Varden might have talked about Eugene, but that is a matter outside of control. He merely makes the best response in the situation currently given.

The mercenaries did not ask what had happened inside. Because suppressing curiosity is a virtue of an excellent mercenary. Separate from their familiarity with the employer, they are veterans who keep the line.