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Episode 86
Inferiority complex (2)
The group was all lying still at the entrance of the dungeon.
Although they had long since recovered their strength, none of them dared to rise from their seats.
It wasn’t just their bodies that were tired.
The mental pain of losing all of their comrades was enough to break the mercenaries’ will to live.
As the Blood Wolf mercenary group had a strong sense of camaraderie, the heartbreak was bound to be even greater.
“… … .”
[… … .]
A quiet silence flowed inside the dungeon.
Only the refreshing sound of water dripping from stalactites can be heard occasionally.
Same, same again─.
How much time has passed like that?
Riley, who was lying on the floor motionless, asked me a question.
‘Your Majesty.’
[why.]
‘You said earlier that necromancers are also among the evil worshippers, right?’
[huh.]
After hearing my answer, Riley pondered for a moment and then asked a new question.
‘Then why did that guy suddenly attack us?’
[well.]
I’m not sure about that either.
[Even I don’t know the exact information about necromancers.]
The guy’s identity.
The guy’s purpose.
Besides that, there’s also the reason why he’s roaming the continent and committing massacres, etc.
It’s been hundreds of years since the necromancers first appeared, but no one has yet figured out the exact truth about them.
[Because he’s a more cautious kid than he looks.]
This was a fact that could be seen just by looking at today’s raid.
The necromancers only attacked the Blood Wolf Mercenaries through their own followers, and did not personally attack them.
In this way, the necromancer was always one step away from doing anything.
Unless it was something really important, it was extremely rare for him to reveal his true identity.
Even if he did reveal his true identity, he would completely erase any traces of himself immediately after the incident was over.
To prevent others from tracking you.
This is why the Inquisitor and I have been hunting the necromancer for hundreds of years, yet have failed to uncover the truth about him.
[There are only three things I know about necromancers right now.]
The guy worships the devil.
Hostile to the empire.
The use of black magic that is so powerful that it can be compared to the strongest of an era.
‘Hmm… … .’
Riley’s expression became serious when she heard that.
‘I had a rough idea that necromancers would be strong, but I didn’t know they would be on par with the strongest of their time.’
[Well, even if they go head-to-head with Richie and Power, it would be difficult to determine who would win.]
‘… Is that it?’
[huh.]
Richie was also a strong guy.
The fact that the subordinates he commanded were boss monsters from even the highest level dungeons said it all.
But the necromancer was strong enough to fight on equal terms with such a lich.
How do you know that?
I know, because I actually saw that battle myself hundreds of years ago.
‘From what you say, it seems that necromancers have lived for a very long time.’
[I told you before. The Inquisitor and I have been tracking him for hundreds of years. The necromancer himself must be hundreds of years old by now.]
‘Hundreds of years old… … .’
Those who worship evil spirits can receive the “blessing” of ignoring the laws of heaven.
One of those “blessings” was this “long lifespan.”
This is what has allowed necromancers to survive for hundreds of years.
Of course, this “blessing” is not something you receive for free.
To maintain this, the demon worshippers must pay a certain price.
In the case of the Irantes Tower, the price was human sacrifice disguised as the “Art of Immortality.” Thanks to cleverly exploiting the loopholes in the chain of life and death, the mark of the demon was avoided.
but…….
We still don’t know what the ‘price’ of a necromancer is.
If we could just figure that out, we’d have our hands on his biggest weakness.
Same, same again─.
“… … .”
[… … .]
Well, I was just continuing to have those thoughts on my own.
Riley, who had been blankly watching the water droplets dripping from the stalactites, cautiously brought up a new topic.
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‘By the way, Master Magus. I wonder what happened to Ermin.’
[… … Ermin?]
After thinking about it for a while, I came up with an answer.
[I don’t know for sure… … But you know very well that Ermin isn’t the type of guy who’ll die that easily, right?]
“… … .”
No matter what, Ermin was a “Paladin ” of the Inquisitors . And a Paladin had the same level of power as a knight commander.
Ermin even had the ability to heal his own severed body parts in less than 30 seconds.
It seemed unlikely that he would be defeated by a mere necromancer’s retinue.
It would be another matter if the necromancer directly intervened and attacked him.
[But as I said before, I don’t think the necromancer will come out himself, so.]
According to the magic Riley detected, the necromancer was located far away from here.
So at least today Ermin won’t have to face the necromancer directly.
[No matter how much the Necromancer’s followers’ abilities are strengthened from their previous lives, they will not be able to compete with the ” Paladin” of the Great Temple.]
‘I see that the magician believes that Ermin will survive.’
[huh.]
Of course, Ermin himself seems to have chosen to save the remaining people, even though he was prepared to die… … .
I think that if we successfully clear the dungeon and emerge, he will greet us with a bright smile.
Well, I feel like I’ve been overly optimistic, but I guess there’s no need to be pessimistic in a situation as gloomy as this.
[Anyway, that’s the case.]
Rustle─.
I turned my gaze towards where the sound came from.
The two mercenaries who had been lying down without strength, Hancock and Marco, were slowly getting up from their seats, pushing against the ground.
[… … Now it seems like our mercenary uncles have come to their senses a little.]
The two mercenaries drew their weapons with solemn expressions.
They silently stared into the dark cavern where the real dungeon began.
“Philip, Raoul.”
“… … .”
“Get up now.”
Marco continued speaking, caressing the two hatchets he had taken from his waistband.
“Those who survive must struggle to survive until the end. How long can we just lie around like this?”
Hearing that, Hancock gave a lonely smile and replied.
“If I just sit here like this, I won’t have the face to face my colleagues who have already left.”
“… … .”
“Let’s live together, all of us.”
After hearing those words, Philip also slowly got up from his seat.
Thud, thud─.
The group began to walk again, towards the depths of the dark dungeon.
* * *
The dungeon had the typical appearance of a “mid- to high-level labyrinth.”
A dark and gloomy cave.
Philip was shivering in an atmosphere where it felt like a monster might jump out from somewhere at any moment.
“Philip.”
“Uh, huh?”
“Is it okay to just keep going like this?”
“Ah, yeah. I still don’t feel any signs of monsters.”
The cave passages were narrow and twisted.
The group walked in a single file as if they were playing a game of trains.
At the forefront was Hancock, holding a sword and shield, while behind him were Philip, Riley, and Marco.
It was then that Riley, who was slowly walking through the dungeon while looking at Philip’s back, spoke to me in a cautious voice.
‘Unlike the ruins we conquered in the second screening test, this dungeon is very narrow.’
[Yeah. It’s a top-tier dungeon or something unnecessarily wide. Most dungeons are cramped like this one.]
As I said last time, it’s not for nothing that ancient magic declined after the Continental War.
Imagine using powerful magic in a confined space like this.
If the ceiling collapses, we’ll all be buried to death.
[That’s how the modern magic system developed.]
Faster.
More precisely.
With magic that hits a narrower range.
‘Your style is similar to mine.’
[yes.]
In some ways, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Riley is the most ideal wizard that the modern magic system aims for.
Thud, thud─.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Fortunately, the narrow passage began to get wider as we walked.
Before long we were able to stop in front of a large open space.
“Phew.”
The mercenaries who had been complaining of stuffiness in the closed passageway were able to let go of their worries in the now greatly expanded space.
“ah…….”
But it didn’t take long for their sighs of relief to turn into sighs.
Because a fork in the road appeared right in front of us.
“It’s a fork in the road.”
Left or right?
Hancock, who was in the lead, looked back and forth between the forks of the road and then back at Philip.
“Philip.”
“Ah, uh, uh… … . I’m doing “Pathfinding” right now. Wait.”
Philip immediately deploys his Pathfinding magic.
Of course, Riley followed him and secretly imitated his magic.
Woof─!
The two magical powers intertwined and stretched out towards the fork in the dungeon.
As expected from a mid- to high-level dungeon, the “magic interference” wasn’t that strong. Thanks to that, Riley was able to give an answer in less than 10 seconds after deploying Pathfinding.
‘It’s on the right.’
[huh.]
The left path was full of all kinds of dangerous traps.
Moreover, the passage was narrow, so if you were not careful, a dangerous situation could unfold.
In contrast, a wide passageway stretched out on the right side.
Of course, after that, five or six monsters were detected… … .
Well, I think our group can easily handle something like this.
Swish─.
Just then Philip pointed to the right path with his finger.
“Oh, right. You have to go the right way.”
“… … .”
[… … .]
It took Riley five minutes to make up her mind before she gave an answer.
* * *
“Well, at this level, even an intermediate to advanced dungeon isn’t that bad.”
Hancock and Marco were stronger mercenaries than I thought.
According to the two, they are the most powerful members of the Blood Wolf Mercenaries, next to Captain Cobson.
Of course, I couldn’t tell the truth of those words because I had never seen the skills of other mercenary groups, but at least through this battle, I was able to determine that they weren’t just bragging without any basis.
“By the way… … .”
Marco slowly looked straight ahead.
Beyond the monster’s corpse lying helplessly on the ground, there was another fork in the road.
This time it was a three-way fork in the road.
“Philip, I think you have to step up this time too.”
“Uh, uh.”
At Marco’s request, Philip often walked quickly to the fork in the road.
He closed his eyes and concentrated.
Riley followed suit.
Not even ten seconds later, her eyes shot open.
‘I guess I should take the left passage.’
[huh.]
But unlike Riley, who came up with an answer easily, Phillip was unable to choose a path for a long time.
A task that took a full 10 minutes.
After squinting his eyes several times, Philip answered.
“Oh, oh, it’s the right way… … .”
Plague.
