Chapter 77/…………………………………………………………
Jane, naturally, asked:
“What happened?”
“I was granted a title.”
Eril said this with a smile, looking happier than ever.
“I told you! One day, you’d become an amazing magician!”
Hearing that, Jane felt a bit relieved.
If he could receive a title with pride, it meant he wasn’t practicing dark magic.
How foolish that thought was, she would realize later.
For now, however, a genuinely peaceful time continued.
“Here… I said I’d get you something better back then.”
She even received a necklace and earring set from Eril.
“Your hair is black, so I thought it would suit you. It’s pretty.”
So Jane had no reason to refuse Eril’s invitation to the ball.
At the same time, she found herself thinking again about something she’d considered years ago:
“Maybe it’s really okay.”
It seemed Eril had now stepped away from dangerous magic like dark sorcery.
Even if the title was minor, it was enough for him to live without trouble.
If things continued like this, everything could turn out well.
Of course, this was Jane’s misunderstanding.
A week later, Eril summoned a demon within the territory.
The entire domain was caught in it, and the forest burned down.
Even the residents of the lord’s castle ended their lives through suicide.
Among them, Jane’s death came last.
“It must be thanks to the gift you gave me.”
Except for the jewelry set, everything was of a type resistant to dark magic.
It was as if he had known she would get caught up in it beforehand.
“I guess he thought I’d still be alive.”
Jane still remembered the day she saw Eril after becoming a ghost.
Though she remained a spirit, she must have gone unnoticed by Eril.
She had deliberately hidden to avoid being seen.
“…He was crying.”
Jane would probably never understand why Eril had cried that day.
No matter how much she thought about it, it made no sense.
“Why did he do that? If it would hurt him that much, he shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”
The person Jane could not forgive was herself.
There had been so many opportunities to stop Eril before any of this happened.
Would things have been different if she had left with him?
Now, it was something she would never know.
“Still… I wish I could ask him just one more time.”
Then he could have really left.
But thinking about it now was pointless.
“No, actually… thinking about it makes me angry again.”
The head maid, who had briefly looked gloomy, suddenly stood up.
“What on earth did he do to make me trust him and follow him?”
Laseil didn’t know how to respond and awkwardly just nodded.
It was his first time hearing such a love story, and he didn’t know what to say.
“Anyway, he was obviously rotten… oh, that!”
The head maid, still fuming, suddenly looked at the jewelry set in surprise.
Laseil’s gaze also went toward the necklace.
“It just reacted? Did it activate?”
“…It’s probably about to fully react soon.”
It meant the dark magician was likely to appear.
Laseil asked the head maid for understanding and quickly headed out of the lord’s castle.
Thanks to his desperate running, he reached the forest entrance in no time.
‘Looks a bit… different?’
The sign with rules was new, and the trees were unusually dense—like the forest before it burned.
‘At least I’m sure he’s here.’
Reaching that conclusion, Laseil dashed into the forest.
Then he closed his eyes and quietly tried to sense where the presence was coming from.
‘He can’t not be here… over here.’
It was the deepest part of the forest, near the house where the fairies stayed.
As Laseil walked forward without hesitation, he suddenly stopped.
“Risena? Why are you here…”
It was someone he thought would be resting elsewhere.
Leaning against a tree, she looked unwell.
‘Did she come in herself?’
Normally, she avoided the forest for being unhygienic.
For her to come here willingly was strange no matter how he thought about it.
While Laseil was puzzled, a voice came from beside him.
“You know each other? Then things will go fast.”
“You…!”
A black robe, red eyes, and a scarred face.
Seeing the cross-shaped scar on the arm, a span long, confirmed it.
“You’re still alive?”
It was the dark magician who had stayed in the territory.
Normally, there’d be no reason for a scar like that.
He had made a unique wound and offered his blood to summon a demon.
Before thinking further, Laseil drew his sword.
‘It has been too peaceful lately.’
Since coming to the territory, he hadn’t needed to use his sword much.
Not that his skills had dulled, though.
After a short, deep breath, his sword glowed with aura.
‘Will he use magic? Or the sword?’
Some mages were variants who also used swords.
They were the most difficult type for a knight to face.
‘Either way, I can’t let my guard down.’
No matter how weak the opponent seemed, staying vigilant was crucial.
As Laseil looked for an opening, the opponent spoke:
“Wow, caught me…”
The tone had no sense of urgency.
He didn’t seem to feel guilt for what he’d done.
“I didn’t expect to be found out so quickly.”
‘He’s not preparing a spell… nor drawing a weapon.’
Quickly assessing, Laseil launched himself at him first.
Thanks to his speed, three consecutive strikes landed perfectly.
“Damn it…!”
Eril barely drew his sword after his arm was slashed three times.
He instinctively defended with magic, so the vital points weren’t hit.
‘It’d be safest to finish him now.’
Laseil thought this as he easily parried Eril’s sword.
It wasn’t just any aura; it carried dark magic energy.
Just looking at it was unpleasant, and he wanted it gone quickly.
Clang!
Their swords clashed. Normally, Eril’s sword should have broken by now.
But true to dark magic, it somehow compensated for his lack of skill.
‘He’s clumsy, so chances are…’
Laseil lowered his stance and pushed inside, planning to disable him with small cuts.
‘…maybe?’
His sword, aimed left, suddenly moved diagonally.
A long cut appeared on an entirely unguarded leg.
“Ah, this…!”
Eril ground his teeth, cursing silently.
The pain in his leg caused him to stagger.
Laseil didn’t miss the opportunity and aimed for Eril’s wrist.
Before he could defend, the sword dropped from Eril’s hand.
“This is really too much!”
Now came the most dangerous situation when fighting a mage.
[I pray to the Almighty Contract…]
It was a spell chant.
But this technique had a major weakness.
Bam!
If the chant wasn’t completed, the attack wouldn’t even occur.
Quickly realizing this, Laseil reversed his grip and swung toward Eril’s mouth.
The sword hit his jaw squarely, and Eril grimaced in pain.
“Isn’t it polite to let me finish my spell?”
He then teased jokingly.
Laseil didn’t fall for it and readjusted his grip.
The fact that he still had the luxury to joke meant he had another move ready.
“When facing a mage, that’s the proper etiquette…!”
Eril drew a new sword and shouted.
It seemed like an emergency backup carried in his clothes.
It was slightly heavier than the previous one.
‘He must have trained to handle dark magic properly.’
Both the speed and power were incomparable to before.
But whether he could control it properly was questionable.
‘Looks like it’s tough for him.’
The pain in his wrist was evident.
Compared to his physical strength, the sword was quite heavy.
If Laseil delayed just a little, an opening might appear easily.
‘Though I could just finish him quickly…’
He still didn’t fully know what the dark magic would do.
And Eril might be hiding another trick.
