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Chapter 32 – Evil Rising in the Darkness (4)

Chapter 32 – Evil Rising in the Darkness (4)

Early morning.

The receptionists at the guild hall were already at work, even though it was early.

“Why bother coming in so early?”

Rosa murmured with a sleepy tone, as if she hadn’t fully woken up yet.

The mercenaries’ mornings were usually late.

They would only start trickling into the guild hall once the sun was high in the sky.

Until then, they often spent their time idly.

“Our guild leader can’t stand idleness, you know that.”

“Ugh, the guild hall in the neighboring territory is much more relaxed. It’s such a hassle being stuck here.”

As they chatted idly while preparing to receive the mercenaries, the door opened.

Rosa, upon seeing who it was, was surprised.

“Oh? Ketal, you’re here quite early today. The contracts aren’t fully prepared yet.”

Ketal had indeed arrived earlier than usual, but today he was even earlier than that.

He replied casually,

“Had some business.”

“Business?”

“Well, nothing extraordinary. It’s about the gem I showed you yesterday.”

The gem called out to him.

So, when he went to investigate, he found a hidden dungeon.

And there was a lich there.

He spoke matter-of-factly, in a tone as if recounting a casual stroll around the neighborhood.

Listening to his story, Rosa was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing.

“You must be joking.”

“Not joking.”

“Come on, a lich in these remote parts?”

A lich.

Among mages, only an extreme minority could reach that level.

There were only five in the entire world.

Each one held honor and prestige surpassing even a kingdom’s monarch.

But a lich near the territory?

That was impossible.

Rosa thought Ketal was joking by coming early in the morning.

She played along.

“How did you confront the lich? They’re said to possess powers capable of destroying kingdoms.”

“It wasn’t much. It ended up destroying itself while doing something foolish.”

“Destroyed itself?”

“Yeah. It’s all over now. No issues.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Oh, and I brought this orb that looks like a Life Vessel. Could it have sentimental value?”

“Huh?”

Ketal showed the orb.

“…Huh?”

Rosa’s eyes widened.

“Here, hold on.”

She hurriedly took the orb.

Even Rosa, an outsider, could sense the powerful energy contained within.

“Huh, what’s this?”

Something was off.

“Um, you were joking, right?”

“I’ve been saying it’s not a joke since earlier.”

Ketal wore a puzzled expression.

Rosa fell silent.

What was going on?

What exactly had happened?

Sleep was now out of the question.

But there was no time for Rosa to sort out her thoughts.

“Oh, and there were a few people inside.”

“…What?”

“About nine of them. I thought about bringing them, but their spirits seemed to be absent, so I left them for now. It would be good if the guild sent someone.”

“Nine?”

Rosa was startled.

Listening to the story, it didn’t seem like a proper dungeon.

In that case, the likelihood of them being ordinary citizens rather than mercenaries or adventurers was high.

“Wait a minute.”

The rumors of people disappearing near the territory occasionally reached her ears.

Several requests had been made to find them, but there was no news of success.

If it was due to a lich?

“And the lich’s name is Karthos… or something. Do you know?”

“Uh, no? I don’t know…”

She had no interest in history or such matters.

So even if she heard the name Karthos, she wouldn’t recognize it.

“Hmm, guess it was just bragging.”

With that kind of power, there’s no way it could have destroyed a kingdom or whatever.

Ketal shook his head.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s all over, just leave the rescue to me. Oh, and can I get a reward for this orb if it’s handled like a dungeon?”

“Uh…”

No.

A being like a lich shouldn’t have its story end like this.

Feeling dizzy for a moment, Rosa forced herself to speak up.

“Wait a moment. I’ll call someone.”

This wasn’t something she could handle.

She quickly left the guild hall.

And not long after, the head of guard rushed in, looking utterly shocked.

“What’s going on! A lich!?!”

“Oh. Hello there.”

Ketal waved his hand calmly.

“It’s not a big problem. It’s all over now.”

“No. What is…?”

Ketal roughly explained to the head of guard as well. The head of guard’s eyes widened upon hearing the name of the lich.

“Karthos Branius Kesiensis?”

“Oh. That was the name. Do you know it?”

“O-of course!”

The head of guard exclaimed involuntarily.

Karthos Branius Kesiensis.

A sorcerer who turned the world upside down centuries ago.

Creating magic that manipulated emotions, causing all sorts of chaos.

Turning trusted allies into traitors and wise kings into madmen.

How many kingdoms had he destroyed before heroes finally defeated him?

And such a being was right here, next to the territory?

“Is it really him?”

“Yeah. But it’s nothing special. He destroyed himself while doing something foolish.”

“No. What on earth…”

That a mage like Karthos would self-destruct was almost unbelievable.

The head of guard restrained the urge to scream.

“…Could you explain a bit more? I really don’t understand.”

But Ketal seemed perplexed rather than willing to elaborate.

“Even if I explain further, there’s nothing more to it.”

“….”

The head of guard felt a profound dizziness.

Clinging to composure, he opened his mouth.

“…Wait. Let me inform the Lord. ”

“To the Lord? But it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.”

Right.

Even though he wanted to argue, the head of guard held back and rushed out.

* * *

The Lord listened to the story and doubted his own ears.

A lich was next to the territory.

Moreover, it was Karthos Branius Kesiensis, the sorcerer who had upheaved the world centuries ago.

At first, the Lord laughed, thinking it was a joke.

It was simply too incomprehensible.

But seeing the desperate expression on the head of guard’s face, he realized it was no simple joke.

To confirm, the Lord dispatched a search party.

They headed towards the dungeon Barbarian mentioned.

The abandoned dungeon was slowly collapsing.

Breaking through the maze-like walls, they reached their destination and found it.

A single pupil adorned with numerous bones.

And scattered bone fragments in the center.

In the hidden chamber of the pupil were those who had disappeared.

Among them were individuals with influence in the territory.

And they realized.

Next to the territory, something ominous had taken root.

After bringing them all back, the Lord began to sort out the situation.

“What on earth is happening?”

A lich next to the territory.

As a Lord, it was a nightmare-like situation.

The Lord spoke with a thread of hope.

“…What is the possibility that it is not a lich, but a simple skeleton mage, or some kind of deceptive monster?”

Asking about the possibility of Barbarian’s mistake.

But the head of guard shook their head.

“Unfortunately, that possibility is low. Among those who regained consciousness, they all said the same thing.”

[I am Karthos Branius Kesiensis. You are my sacrifices for resurrection.]

That was the last thing they remembered him saying while wielding his staff.

That was their last memory.

“There are no inconsistencies. We also have an item to prove it.”

“The Life Vessel.”

“Yes.”

When the head of guard asked for it, Ketal readily handed it over for confirmation.

The Lord rubbed his forehead.

“Do you know if it’s been checked? The Life Vessel is said to reveal its essence.”

“…I can’t say for sure.”

The head of guard lacked the knowledge to distinguish.

He wasn’t someone who could sense mystique to begin with.

“But… it didn’t seem like a fake.”

Even the head of guard could feel the residual magical power within the Life Vessel.

It was like a lingering fragrance, but even such an outsider could feel the power the original owner possessed.

The Lord chuckled bitterly.

“This is troublesome.”

It wasn’t a small matter.

Even if it was just an ordinary lich, it was a problem.

To have a being like a lich secretly lurking near the territory was cause for immediate investigation by the kingdom.

And if it was indeed Karthos Branius Kesiensis, it was even more troublesome.

He was a sorcerer who had antagonized the empire.

A being who alone had destroyed countless kingdoms and controlled the minds of several superhumans.

If it was confirmed to be him, he might even move through the empire.

No, he probably would.

Elite forces from the empire would likely visit this small territory.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the repercussions.

His head throbbed.

But he couldn’t just sit idly by.

This wasn’t a problem the rural Lord could handle.

‘Of all times, he’s not here.’

Swordmaster Cain.

If he were here, things would proceed more smoothly in terms of verification and organization.

But he had stayed here for a few days, enjoying his vacation, and left just two days ago.

Why isn’t he here when we need him?

The Lord opened his mouth with a slight resentment.

“…Prepare to send people to the kingdom. Ensure strict control over the Life Vessel.”

“Yes.”

The head of guard nodded.

The Lord chuckled.

“Still, we’re fortunate.”

“Yes. If the Barbarian hadn’t discovered it, this territory would have been the first sacrifice.”

According to history books, when a sorcerer who committed past atrocities is resurrected, the first territory sacrificed, more or less, won’t be left unmarked.

In that sense, Barbarian had done a great service indeed.

“…But if he truly brought him down alone, how strong is he exactly?”

To single-handedly defeat a being that heroes should face, and return within a few hours.

They knew he was powerful since he subdued the Swordmaster, but they didn’t expect this level.

Evaluating Barbarian became even more challenging.

“He said Karthos was brought down by a hero. He was probably preparing for resurrection as a lich. It might not have been a normal situation.”

“That’s likely. But regardless, it’s a feat. We should give him appropriate compensation. I’m not sure if we can provide it from this territory.”

The Lord muttered thoughtfully.

It was late at night.

Since everyone was asleep, the Lord first sought rest.

It was to cool their head as much as possible and think of better solutions.

And so, time passed, and the next day arrived.

The Lord heard a rough knocking sound on the door and woke up.

“My Lord! My Lord!”

“I’m awake. Come in.”

The Lord got up from bed with a displeased expression. S

oon, the door opened, and a maid entered with a pale face.

The moment the Lord saw her face, he sensed that a more complicated problem had arisen.

The maid spoke, and the Lord closed their eyes tightly.

“T-the Heretic Inquisitor of the Sun God, Lord Aquaz, has arrived at the territory!”