How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 125

Chapter 125: Desert (1)

“Oh my, if it isn’t you.”

The person who greeted me with a bright smile and a large body was none other than the merchant Lucini, whom I had briefly met at the Grand Temple on Mount Calimphus not long ago.

He looked at me with a face mixed with surprise and joy.

“I had a strange dream last night, and I never thought the expert the Empire mentioned would be Inquisitor-nim.”

Before the Holy Synod began. We had only a short conversation at the restaurant, so I didn’t know him well, but it didn’t matter.

There was only one thing to know about merchants. Just as the Church worships God, merchants worship money.

“It is an honor to meet you again here, Your Excellency. Haha.”

“You seem to have a better complexion.”

He burst into laughter at my greeting.

Merchants are the ones who welcome the war turning into a war of attrition the most. He probably made a huge amount of money going back and forth between the Empire and the desert.

“……”

I glanced at his caravan. The fighting force was just a few mercenaries for minimal escort.

It wasn’t particularly unusual.

Unless they were attacking a supply unit carrying goods after the sale was over, neither the Empire nor the desert touched war merchants.

It was a kind of unwritten rule.

Unless they were in a state where they didn’t need to worry about the merchants’ position at all, if they treated them roughly now that there was a clear enemy, it would be a headache if all the merchant unions turned against them.

Of course, merchants had to strictly abide by the rules as well. If it was revealed that they had intentionally deceived one side, they would be immediately captured and hung on the Empire’s gallows or buried under the desert sand, regardless of the union.

Therefore, Lucini’s current behavior was a considerable gamble.

Of course, his job was just to take the three of us, Marchena, Kazan and me, to the desert city, but if the inside story was discovered by the enemy, he would surely die.

There was only one reason why he took such a risk and accepted Rushikella’s request.

“I’d rather die buried in smelly gold coins than in the desert sand.”

The huge amount of gold coins the Empire promised him.

“And the Empire promised that much gold in the name of the Emperor.”

Rather than those who secretly plot something behind their backs, saying they are not greedy, it was better to be honest and easy to understand like this.

Seeing the greedy look in the merchant’s eyes as he spoke cheerfully with a hearty laugh, I chuckled and replied lightly.

“Either way, the color will be similar.”

🔹🔹🔹

Whatever reward Lucini was promised and whatever risks he took for it, neither mattered much to me.

The war between the Emperor of the Empire and the Sultan of the desert.

And along with countless people, it would be the most important event of Lucini’s life, but anyway, it was a fairly humane war in my opinion.

Compared to the war between the Church and the devil worshipers, who burn or tear apart anything related to each other regardless of status, it belongs to the very gentlemanly side.

“There it is.”

On the seventh day of crossing the desert on a camel loaded with luggage, we were able to reach a city located on relatively flat ground.

The size of the city, which seemed to have developed around a large oasis, was quite large. A dry wind was blowing between the low buildings made of sand-like colors and the palm trees growing here and there.

The inspection wasn’t that strict. No, in fact, it was almost non-existent.

Merchants who came with a lot of luggage on several camels were always welcome in the desolate desert city.

There was nothing wrong with it. In order to hide the secret purpose, Lucini was actually planning to trade a large quantity of goods here.

“Whew. That’s a relief.”

After passing through the entrance of the city without any special inspection, Lucini wiped the sweat from his forehead and said. It must have been his first time doing this kind of thing, so he seemed a little nervous.

Except for me coming out after finishing the mission and joining from other areas, his mission was virtually over.

From here on, it’s my job.

I looked around the desert city. It wasn’t the capital where the Sultan lived, but it was a place with a certain scale.

Leaving behind him who began to fulfill his duties as a merchant with a good impression, we waited for darkness to fall on the desert city.

🔹🔹🔹

According to Rushikella, the Necromancer’s tomb was located underground in this city. The secret entrance buried in the sand was not far from our current location.

Based on what I saw during the day, this huge city was forming several patterns.

Wells and earthen walls placed in the right places. A magic circle hidden and emitting a faint reverberation.

I couldn’t see it at a glance, but it wasn’t difficult for me to figure out the connection between the wedge and the circuit.

‘Interesting.’

I nodded while looking at the desert moon that had already risen. The significance of this city’s existence was clear.

It was a huge sealing formation to protect the underground tomb.

Protective devices made in double and triple layers, not just the tomb. It was a clear fact, but the citizens here would never dream of it.

As the chilly desert night came and we left the building, we soon arrived at a corner of the city. It was a place where shabby buildings were randomly arranged.

Unusually for the late hour, several men were sprawled out in this remote place. At first glance, they looked like drunks, but the energy they felt proved that they were by no means ordinary people.

They were probably the guards here. I don’t know what method the Imperial Special Task Force agents, who had infiltrated first, used, but the security here was not very tight.

They must have used sleep magic or high-level invisibility magic to deceive and pass them.

But there was no reason for us to avoid conflict.

“……”

I narrowed my eyes. It was quite a distance. They hadn’t noticed our approach yet.

Wheeik!

As soon as my hand gesture fell, Kazan disappeared into the shadows, and Marchena, who had turned into red mist, soared straight into the air.

Their abilities specialized in surprise attacks.

“……!”

“Ugh─”

Those desert warriors, who were clearly quite skilled, collapsed without even being able to draw their curved swords.

“……”

After confirming that the situation was settled, I passed Marchena and Kazan, who were removing the fallen ones from sight, and moved on naturally.

We wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that we subdued the guards and infiltrated here for very long, but it didn’t matter.

Everything here would be decided within a few hours anyway.

🔹🔹🔹

As if to confirm that it was not a ruin for excavation or preservation, the inside was dark. Of course, it didn’t matter. With a light flick of the wrist, the light floating in the air illuminated the path downward.

The path that led straight down was quite deep. And at the same time, threatening.

Sharp arrows pouring down without any warning and traps appearing as the floor collapsed were commonplace, and there were also many spell-type devices such as poison-laden fog or fireballs.

Crack. Marchena, who had once again caught an arrow flying through the darkness from the front with her bare hands, shook her hand as if annoyed.

“This is annoying. This is almost a paranoid design.”

Kazan nodded in agreement with her.

It was a little different from ordinary ruins or dungeons that often test the qualifications of those who enter them.

If those were unfriendly problems that were very difficult but had one answer, this place was like a problem that didn’t have an answer in the first place.

Various weapons and magic flying in without any blind spots, as if determined to kill the intruder, were designed very meticulously.

Fizz.

I lightly waved my hand to block the fireball that flew towards me and examined the remnants of magic flowing from the disappearing spell.

“……”

It was impossible to pinpoint the exact date, but a rough guess was possible.

“They’re not very old traps.”

“……It seems so. The condition of the walls and the arrowheads of the traps are also relatively recent.”

Of course, the recent we were talking about referred to at least a hundred years.

“So. It’s very modern for a trap that exists in an ancient Necromancer’s tomb, right?”

Marchena’s question. I nodded and answered.

“Yes. They’re probably newly added.”

Traps installed on the path connected to the top of the tomb. They were a very tricky defense mechanism, filling the paths that branched out in many directions, but they weren’t enough to stop us from breaking through all the traps at tremendous speed and heading down.

Immediately after arriving at a flat place after passing through the passage built to prevent outside access. A strange silence hung in the air.

I turned my head slightly and stared at one corner of the wall.

“……”

Pick. I chuckled lightly and looked at the huge black door, which was the only one, unlike the passages above that existed in several branches.

The ominous black door, engraved with numerous letters and pictures, clearly showed the traces of time, unlike the passage above.

“……This is where it really begins.”

Marchena muttered with narrowed eyes.

I looked at the black door. This place, which should have been filled with only old and even sand, was full of traces of artificially disturbed sand that seemed relatively recent.

Of course, the door, which seemed to be made of a strange material, was still tightly closed.

“……”

Of course, it wasn’t difficult to guess who owned the traces.

Glance. I briefly turned my gaze and brought my hand to the black door, reading the ominous hieroglyphs.

Soon, a gloomy chant praising death and corpses began to flow from my mouth.

Kurururu.

And the door began to move slowly as if reacting to it.

Perhaps because of the flickering light in the air, the pictures and hieroglyphs drawn on the slowly moving huge door seemed to be dancing.

Drrr.

The door that finally opened completely. Beyond that, there was a passage illuminated by strange lights on both sides.

Saaaak!

The open door. A chilling breeze blowing from inside wrapped around our heads and passed by.

A tingling uneasiness was felt, but none of us hesitated.

“Stop trying to create a mood.”

“……”

The moment Marchena, shaking her head and wrapping her hands in red energy, was about to take a step.

Click.

The sound of metal friction, which didn’t seem to have much to do with the desert tomb, came from behind.

“Stop right there.”

Srrr.

Figures revealing themselves one by one from the air along with the short words.

“……!”

Marchena and Kazan, who seemed to have felt no presence, raised their powers with tense expressions.

It was like watching the process of sugar dissolving in water in reverse. The number of people who revealed themselves from one side of the wide space was a total of eight.

Past!

Marchena, who felt the unusual energy emanating from the opponent, waved her hand. Then, the red energy that stretched out covered them in an instant.

Crackle!

However, a transparent force field emanating from a small device quickly unfolded by one of them blocked the attack.

Kwaang!

An explosion fired from the other side at the same time.

I could smell the scent that didn’t suit the desert from them.

Acrid sulfur and oil and metal.

Except for the pungent smell of cigarettes, it was similar to what I had smelled from a woman not long ago.

With a slightly mischievous smile, I raised my hand, looking at the flames flying towards me.

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