Chapter 190
I headed straight for the base of the ones who had attacked Porgel, taking Kuskel with me.
As expected, the mastermind behind the assault was one of the Demon Dukes.
The First Demon Duke, Libera.
Among the three Demon Dukes, he was the strongest.
I’d heard he had recently reached Black Magic Rank 7.
“So that’s why he attacked Porgel.”
From his point of view, it must have been intolerable that someone like Rdel—of similar rank—was sitting on the throne.
“…Come to think of it, what rank is Rdel at now?”
In the novel, when Lacresia killed him, he was already Rank 8.
Rdel was probably at that level already—or standing right on the verge of advancing.
“Not that I know where he is.”
Either way, the one I had to deal with right now wasn’t Rdel, but Libera.
A small fortress located south of Porgel.
Calling it a castle would be generous.
It was originally a forward base used by Porgel—a simple fortress.
That was where we were headed.
While we were riding at full speed, Kuskel asked me:
“…Just who are you, exactly?”
“Me?”
“I never imagined you were a knight of this caliber. And I suppose the claim that you’re a black mage was a lie as well.”
“Well… yes.”
“…If you’d rather not say more, you don’t have to. It wouldn’t be proper to interrogate someone who’s offering to save my son.”
If I were Kuskel, I would have been suspicious first.
But he wasn’t.
He was desperate—and naïve.
“…It’s true that I came from Isoter. And that I lost my father.”
“…I see.”
“…Do you happen to know the County of Impera? It’s located on the outskirts of Isoter.”
“Oh? You’re from there? I visited a few times before the Great War. Isn’t there a very tall mountain there?”
“Yes. And that land is mine.”
“Hm. So you lived there.”
Kuskel clearly had no idea that I was the lord of Impera.
At best, he probably thought I was just a knight born and raised there.
“I heard the lord there is a strange fellow. A hooligan as a child, yet now he’s even engaged to the Queen of Isoter. They say he won the Grand Tournament too—no one knows how.”
“……”
“But he doesn’t sound like a bad man. Wouldn’t it have been better for you to serve that lord? Why did you come all the way here?”
“…Because I am that lord.”
“…What?”
I pulled out a handkerchief from my coat.
Embroidered on it was the red lion crest of House Impera.
“…My apologies… sir.”
“It’s fine. I’ll explain everything later. Let’s move on for now.”
“…Very well.”
An awkward silence settled between us.
To ease the tension, I asked about the son we were going to rescue.
“What’s your son’s name?”
“Rigel.”
“…From what I heard yesterday, Rigel died during the Great War. So… have you been keeping him as a ghoul?”
“That’s correct. It happened when he was five. After that… I learned black magic and succeeded in reviving him, but…”
Kuskel’s voice faltered, choked with emotion.
But something in his story didn’t add up.
“Hmm…”
If they had lived together continuously since the Great War, that ghoul named Rigel would be over twenty years old by now.
A ghoul that had lived for over twenty years.
Ghouls don’t last that long.
They’re nothing more than corpses reanimated by black magic.
Surviving a year is already exceptional.
Yet Rigel had existed for over twenty.
It spoke volumes about how carefully Kuskel had treated him.
And—
“This isn’t just an ordinary ghoul.”
“There it is. Libera’s stronghold.”
“…I see. And you can speak casually to me.”
“That’s…”
“It’s more comfortable for me that way.”
“…Alright.”
We had arrived at Libera’s residence.
“This is their garrison.”
It wasn’t tall, but it was a sturdy fortress reinforced with thick stone pillars and wooden palisades.
Most of their forces had gone to attack Porgel, leaving the walls nearly empty.
“…Rigel is here.”
“You can sense him?”
“Yes. He’s been bound to me for nearly twenty years.”
“……”
If anyone could sense him, it was Kuskel.
A thrall who had been infused with mana for twenty years—mere proximity would be enough.
[Krkk!]
The ghouls left behind in the fortress spotted us.
They immediately leapt down from the walls.
Crunch!
Many shattered on impact, but even as broken heaps of flesh, they dragged themselves toward us.
Slash!
I swung my sword.
These ghouls were different from those in Porgel.
Their bodies were covered in unhealed wounds, their minds completely gone.
For creatures like this, death was mercy.
I quickly scanned for their magic cores.
[Skree!]
With dying screams, they collapsed one by one.
Flap!
Kuskel reopened his grimoire.
As he turned to the middle pages, black mist began to rise around him.
[Krkk?]
The ghouls hesitated.
The mist reached out toward them.
[Grk…!]
As it enveloped them, the raging ghouls quickly calmed.
“…You’re quite skilled.”
“Heh. This is all I know.”
The ghouls under Kuskel’s control clung to the fortress gate.
Individually weak, but in numbers, they forced the tightly shut gate open.
“What’s all this commo—”
“Gah!”
Black mages finally noticed and peeked over the wall.
“Hmph!”
Kuskel flipped to the first page.
The black mist gathered, sharpening into a spear.
Whoosh!
It shot toward the black mages.
Crack!
“Ghk!”
The spear pierced through their necks.
“B-block it—!”
They hastily raised shields.
But Kuskel’s fury shattered them.
Crash!
Shield and mage alike were destroyed.
“Wow.”
Kuskel’s kindness clearly didn’t extend to those who kidnapped his son.
“Come on! Let’s go!”
“Heh. Gladly.”
Creeeak…
The gate finally opened.
More ghouls and black mages rushed us, but all fell under Kuskel’s magic.
Crack! Crack!
“Take this!”
Occasionally, magic bullets flew toward us.
But they were ineffective.
Bang!
I slashed one midair—it burst like a popped balloon.
“Gah!”
Crack!
Kuskel’s spear pierced the man’s heart.
We broke through the gate without much trouble.
Most of their forces were gone.
Still—
“There will be some strong ones.”
“…My son is very close now.”
“Try not to panic. It’ll be fine.”
“…Thank you.”
We approached a small building at the center of the fortress.
A flag fluttered above it.
An open skull emblem.
Libera clearly fancied himself a lord.
“…It’s locked.”
Kuskel gathered mana, but cold sweat formed on his brow.
He was already controlling too many ghouls.
My turn.
“Step back.”
“…Alright.”
He moved aside.
I channeled mana into my leg—
And kicked.
BOOM!
The door shattered.
“Hii—!”
Inside were many black mages.
And one Death Knight, clad in black armor, blue flames glowing from its eyes.
The Death Knight pressed its blade against the neck of a ghoul.
[…Father!]
“Kuskel!”
That ghoul was Rigel.
He looked like a boy of thirteen.
Despite being a ghoul, he had blond hair and flesh tinged faintly with color.
“As I thought.”
Ghouls don’t age.
Yet he had grown.
Which meant—
“D-don’t move! One step and he dies!”
Kuskel’s fists trembled.
The Death Knight remained silent.
“…Kuskel.”
I spoke softly.
“…Yes. I’ll distract it, then you—”
“No. It won’t work. At this distance, the Death Knight will be faster.”
“T-then…!”
Despair crossed his face.
The black mages sneered.
“Fool! If you’d obeyed, Lord Libera could’ve used you well! What did you think bringing another man would change?”
“…Listen.”
“…What?”
“An ordinary ghoul lives at most one year.”
“……”
“And corpses revived after too long aren’t the same people anymore. They’re just imitations.”
“W-what are you saying?!”
Kuskel thought I was talking to him.
The black mage laughed.
“So? You’re telling him to abandon his son?”
“T-that’s not—!”
“Then hand that man over to us! He looks sturdy enough!”
Kuskel grabbed my arm.
“Please! Don’t say that! Don’t tell me to abandon my son!”
“I know how precious your child is to you.”
Then—
“I’ve been speaking politely this whole time. Didn’t you notice?”
“…Huh?”
“I was talking to your son.”
[……]
The trembling ghoul.
Not just a ghoul.
Not Rigel.
But a higher-order undead—a being that had guarded Kuskel’s side for twenty years.
[…I understand.]
With those words—
The ghoul’s eyes began to glow red.
