How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Trap (6)

It didn’t take long for the situation to be resolved. The black mages were quickly dealt with, and all that remained were Prince Arsen and a few knights.

“Ugh……!”

The body of the knight who had been trying to protect the prince until the very end slowly collapsed.

Perhaps they had known each other for a long time, as Bazenhar withdrew his sword from the knight’s body with a bitter expression.

“I can’t fall asleep. The pain will kill me. I can’t fall asleep……”

Prince Arsen was muttering, staring into the distance, even though all the knights protecting him had fallen.

He didn’t seem to be in his right mind. Well, every time he fell asleep, the people he had killed would appear in his dreams and strangle him, so he wouldn’t be able to hold on to his sanity.

Turning my gaze away from the prince, I glanced at the black mages lying scattered on the floor.

The plan to swallow the entire Pain Kingdom and secure a smooth passage to the eastern region was not a simple one, so there must have been big shots from the Modesta Catacomb behind it.

However, perhaps because they hadn’t anticipated a fight, the guys who showed up here today weren’t that strong.

They had achieved some level of accomplishment, but by my standards, they were all small fry. Guys from whom it would be difficult to get any useful information.

They weren’t much different from the guy I encountered in the empty city before. Of course, even this level of skill could have a fatal impact on a small kingdom.

“……Take him away.”

A gloomy order came from behind. It was the voice of King Bier II, whose health had recovered enough to walk lightly.

It wasn’t a situation where there could be misunderstandings, and it wasn’t a situation where excuses would work.

Everyone had clearly seen him having a close conversation with the black mages of the Catacomb in such a suspicious place prepared for a suspicious purpose.

I glanced at one side of the dark ceiling.

Marchena and Kazan, who had tracked the prince’s party and dealt with some of the black mages according to my words, had already disappeared.

“……Your skills are quite impressive.”

It was the old knight Bazenhar speaking.

He looked at the carnage around him with a face half-mixed with gloom and coolness, then turned his gaze to me and continued.

“For someone who believes in God, you have no mercy in your hands. The way you handle things also seems a bit different from ordinary priests.”

I shrugged and replied to the old knight, who spoke with a complicated expression.

“The important thing is the result, isn’t it?”

“……”

After a brief reply, I turned around and followed the kingdom soldiers who were escorting the prince out of the hall.

🔹🔹🔹

A dirty and damp underground prison. This was where the kingdom’s death row inmates were confined.

Clank.

The knight, who greeted me politely, took out an intricately carved key and opened the door made of solid and tightly spaced bars.

Creak. Leaving behind the unpleasant metallic friction sound, I entered a long and narrow corridor. In this place filled with the stench of filth, I could occasionally hear the squeaking of rats.

After walking for another ten minutes, I heard a familiar muttering. It was Prince Arsen. To be precise, he wasn’t a prince anymore.

“……”

I looked at Arsen, who was crouching beyond the bars.

Hollow cheeks and dull eyes. He didn’t look much different from a dying patient.

Slide. He, who belatedly felt my presence, slowly raised his head.

Perhaps he had slept a few times because he couldn’t hold on, as his mind seemed to have returned somewhat. I could see a clear emotion settling in his blurry eyes that were looking up at me.

The look of agonizing over whether to curse or beg for his life. I relieved him of that agony.

“Aren’t you curious?”

An abrupt question.

As he couldn’t understand what it was about, a slight puzzlement appeared on Arsen’s face.

“What will happen when that pain reaches your heart.”

“……!”

The moment the guy realized the meaning contained in my low-uttered words, clear anger and hatred surfaced on his face.

“You, it was you! You bastard, I’ll tear you to pieces. How dare you, how dare you!”

I looked down at Arsen and continued calmly.

“It looks like you don’t have much time left. One more sleep and it will be over.”

“I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!”

Bang. He slammed hard against the tightly spaced entrance of the prison.

“Unfortunately.”

I continued speaking calmly, looking at the bars that wouldn’t budge.

“It doesn’t seem like I’m the one who’s going to die here.”

I took a step towards him.

Flinch. The guy, who had been shouting that he would kill me until just now, hurriedly backed away at the sight of me approaching him. But it was still within the confines of the narrow prison.

I had already obtained the king’s consent.

Moreover, the prince’s execution was originally supposed to be carried out in secret. There was no problem.

I slowly raised my hand and opened my mouth.

“I will give you rest on behalf of God. There will be no salvation, though.”

Thwack. The energy from my hand struck Arsen’s head.

It wasn’t a particularly strong spell, but it was more than enough to knock out the exhausted guy.

As if he was having a terrible nightmare, I could see the guy’s face, who had collapsed unconscious, gradually contorting.

Literally, it was his last sleep.

“Ugh…… Cough─!”

Finally, the pain that started from his fingertips reached his heart. At the same time, I could feel the guy’s breathing, which had been rough and ragged, slowly coming to a stop.

The last breath of the prince, who had joined hands with the black mages of the Catacomb, brutally murdered his brother and mother, and finally even targeted his father, the king, was exhaled.

The sight of him breathing his last. But I, the one who had cursed him, knew.

His soul would suffer terrible agony in the never-ending nightmare created by his own sins. Until even his bones rotted away and turned into a handful of dust.

There is no salvation.

Because that’s what a real black mage’s curse was like.

🔹🔹🔹

Although the matter was settled for now, the Pain Kingdom was still in turmoil.

This was due to the large-scale search and subjugation that was turning the entire kingdom upside down.

There were many who had sided with Prince Arsen and betrayed the kingdom, but it was only a matter of time before they were all purged. If the middlemen or low-ranking members had been caught, they might have been able to cut their tails, but now that those at the very top had been caught, it would only be a matter of time before their identities were revealed one after another.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“You don’t seem to be in a good mood, Sir.”

Bazenhar responded to my words with a gloomy expression.

“The royal lineage has been completely severed.”

“But the King has regained his health.”

“……The young man doesn’t miss a beat.”

The old knight shook his head at my words and maintained a brief silence. He stared out the window for a while, then asked casually.

“The magic that drove Prince Arsen mad. Was it your doing?”

It didn’t seem like he was trying to blame me or question my wrongdoing, but rather a question stemming from pure curiosity.

“I don’t know much about magic, but it looked quite similar to the illness that afflicted Prince Edgar. That was the curse that Arsen got from the black mages.”

“Oh dear.”

I looked at his straight back and said.

“It would be an insult to compare it to the kind of lowly curses used by the black mages of the Catacomb.”

“……I didn’t know that the holy magic used by Inquisitors had such a cruel type of spell.”

I didn’t answer his words and just gave a slanted smile.

The biggest problem had been solved since the king had regained his health.

Of course, there was still the task of removing all the rotten parts, which would require considerable bleeding.

“It seems the bloodbath will continue for a while.”

The old knight let out a heavy sigh, as if worried about that part. Considering the size of the kingdom, which wasn’t that big, and the power of those who had sided with Prince Arsen, it could be quite a long fight.

But there was no need to worry too much.

The reinforcements led by Lephra would arrive soon.

Hesterica wasn’t just home to a small elite group of Inquisitors.

The Inquisition was the head of the vast holy city of Hesterica, but there were quite a few soldiers under its command.

Of course, they couldn’t compare to the Golden Cross Knights of the Holy See located in the Holy Land or the Griffin Knights possessed by the Grand Temple located on Mount Calimphus, but the soldiers of Hesterica were also elite troops who had undergone harsh training and had real combat experience.

They would be a far superior force compared to the soldiers of the Pain Kingdom.

“If your words are true……”

Bazenhar breathed a sigh of relief as if relieved by my explanation. Starting with this incident, the Pain Kingdom would fall under the influence of the Church, or to be precise, under the influence of Hesterica.

But surely, it would be a much better situation than having the country taken over entirely by Prince Arsen, who had joined hands with the black mages of the Catacomb.

“……Wait, you said they’ll arrive in a few days?”

The old knight, who had been looking relieved, seemed to have realized that the soldiers of Hesterica must have left the city weeks ago in order to arrive soon.

“When you first came here after receiving my letter, just how far ahead were you thinking?”

“The Inquisition’s own investigation only provided information that a significant force within the kingdom had already colluded with heretics. It was a natural response.”

I replied simply, but the experienced old knight knew very well that moving a large number of troops wasn’t done based on mere predictions or gut feelings.

“……”

Glancing at his gaze, which held admiration and even a hint of fear, I looked at the large map hanging on one side of the room.

From the beginning, Prince Arsen, and furthermore, this Pain Kingdom, was just a stepping stone to conquer the Modesta Catacomb.

“As I said before, you are quite bold and dangerous for someone who serves God.”

I smiled faintly at the old knight’s compliment, which didn’t quite suit a believer.

🔹🔹🔹

“……Is it really over now?”

“Yes.”

“Really? And we’re not getting involved in any other troublesome matters?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Marchena with a dubious expression. Was this guy originally this talkative?

Well, it hasn’t been that long since we started traveling together.

“Then……”

Marchena looked expectant after hearing my answer. Kazan also turned his head slightly to look at me.

“Yes, it’s time to go to the Black Dawn Society.”

“……!”

The faces of the two brightened at my words. Turning my gaze away from Kazan, who muttered”Finally,”I fiddled with the item I had obtained after dealing with the guy named Balder, who had been leading the bandits.

A small pendant engraved with the symbol of two intertwined snakes coiled together.

Even though I had absorbed all the demonic energy contained within it, the gloomy and chilly aura unique to the Modesta Catacomb remained strong.

I looked down at the pendant silently.

I had successfully shattered their plans. And now that the soldiers of Hesterica would be stationed in the kingdom, they wouldn’t be able to reach out again.

I had thrown a small spark into the snake’s den, so it was time for the guys, angered by the smoke, to wriggle and crawl out.

“The distance to headquarters is enormous. Of course, you would know if you’ve been there.”

“But it won’t take that long to get there.”

“……You really have been there.”

I smiled faintly at Kazan, who looked somewhat relieved, and said.

“It’s still too early to relax. If you find out why I’m going there, the members there won’t welcome me very much.”

At my confident words, the expressions of Marchena and Kazan simultaneously turned dubious.

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