CHAPTER 141…………………………………………………..
Every scene unfolded in slow motion.
My gaze met Shuhil’s, who looked at me with wide, startled eyes. His mouth opened as if to shout, No. He reached out his hand frantically, as if to grab me.
But it was already too late.
I felt the magic rising from the ground beneath me.
The magic circle flashed from below, blinding me. Red light shimmered across half of Shuhil’s face, as if foretelling some ominous future.
Fortunately, the magic circle was small.
It was enough that Shuhil was pushed back a few steps.
I wanted to whisper to him not to worry, because, as I had learned from the dark mages, death is not a permanent farewell.
For me, a dark mage, death was not something to fear.
My pounding heart cooled instead. My mind sharpened, and my field of vision widened.
Desperate Shuhil staring at me, Claude grinning smugly, and even the distant presence of my brothers running toward us—all of it became vividly clear. And an endless sense of comfort enveloped me.
The thought flashed through my mind: death is not the end; it is just returning to where one originally belonged.
I felt someone’s gentle touch. And something warm.
…Warm water?
Huh?
I was at a loss for words at the sight before me as soon as I opened my eyes. Drops of blood fell on my cheek, leaving a red trail.
“…Haha.”
Zeke forced a small smile.
His mouth was full of blood. And I saw a sharp spear piercing through his chest.
It had pierced from his back through to the front.
My mind slowly pieced it together. So… Zeke had embraced me and taken the spear in my place?
Cough.
Zeke coughed softly, and blood trickled naturally down my face. Plop—this time it landed on my eyelid.
“Geez…”
Zeke smiled faintly, as if the situation were a joke.
“The reaction I expected… cough… wasn’t exactly this…”
“Uncleee!”
Shuhil finally rushed over. When he caught Zeke, who was staggering, the spear crumbled into dust.
“Uncle! Stay with me! You can’t pass out. Do you know who I am?!”
Shuhil pressed him down and tried to cover the wound with his hands. But anyone could tell the injury was beyond healing.
“Huh? That was unnecessary.”
Claude tilted his head.
“The spear is made of magical energy anyway. Dark mages don’t get harmed by it.”
“…….”
“It’s basically a pointless death. Right, Emily?”
Claude casually dismissed Zeke’s sacrifice.
A high-pitched ringing filled my ears.
“Uncle, please…! Don’t leave me! Don’t abandon me!”
Shuhil’s crying mixed with Zeke’s metallic voice:
“Shuhil. Listen carefully. This dagger—now it will be yours. Understand?”
The dagger in Zeke’s hand vibrated as Shuhil took hold of it. The eye drawn on the sacred stone blinked.
“No. I don’t want it. It’s yours… Why are you giving this to me?!”
“Don’t be stubborn! Before I die, I must imprint the new owner; otherwise… sigh… it could fall into the enemies’ hands.”
Even after Zeke’s explanation, Shuhil only cried. Accepting the situation meant accepting everything.
So Shuhil chose to pretend not to understand.
“Then Uncle could just stay the owner…”
“Still whining… heh. Now, hand it over…”
With trembling hands, Zeke grasped one of Shuhil’s and placed it over the dagger.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid.”
At the same time, whoosh!
A sacred barrier enveloped them. Unknown symbols floated over the hemispherical surface of the barrier.
Inside, Zeke seemed to catch his breath, and Shuhil closed his eyes as if fainting.
Thanks to the sacred barrier, I had to vomit once.
“Ugh!”
I retched, but nothing came out. Glancing sideways, Claude’s face was equally pale.
Zeke and Shuhil would be safe inside the barrier for the time being. I didn’t know the details, but it was probably to prevent attacks while the dagger changed owners.
Claude, having checked them, turned his gaze to me.
“Just the two of us left, huh?”
He smiled slyly.
I looked back without emotion. The prey-like reaction I had in front of a beast vanished, and with trembling fingers, I calmly adjusted my clothes.
“Ready mentally, I see?”
Claude approached with a smirk.
“Come, let’s go back. To where you originally belonged.”
He reached out to me again.
I stared at his hand. He had crossed too many lines.
At one point, I had thought I could be with him, but now it felt utterly impossible.
“No. I’m not going.”
“Still saying that?”
“I just realized. I’m different from you.”
All my life I had searched for a place where I could rest peacefully. Perhaps it was supposed to be in their arms, but once again, I was wrong.
“…So?”
Claude raised an eyebrow.
“I thought you were smart. Apparently not.”
He flipped my hand over and gripped my wrist tightly.
“I told you there would be no choice, didn’t I?”
His magical power pressed down on me, clearly intending to force submission.
I looked at my burning wrist and raised my head again.
I didn’t want to do this.
I hoped I would never have to call him for something like this again.
Closing my eyes, I felt the markings beneath my collarbone flare red.
Focusing my magic there, the dark-purple pattern slowly stood out against my skin.
Claude, who hadn’t noticed at first, narrowed his eyes as the magic surged.
“Finally, I’ll see that face. I’ve always wondered which demon you contracted.”
He traced the markings on my skin with his fingertips.
“I’ve never seen these markings before…”
“That figures.”
As far as I knew, there were no records of this demon. All who had seen him had died.
So the name survived only as a legend, passed down orally until it was completely forgotten.
Whoooosh.
The wind surged around me.
A dense mist rose, thunder rolled in the distance, screams pierced the air, and beasts howled.
The morning hadn’t even come, yet roosters crowed, flowers bloomed and withered at random on the ground.
The sky groaned as if collapsing.
The rain and wind were as sharp as blades.
The world shuddered at the appearance of something that should never manifest.
Beyond the cracked sky, everything was black and red.
The magic circle that split the space demanded his true name from me. All creation held its breath for my answer.
Finally, I whispered the name slowly.
Not a playful nickname, but the true name.
“Leviathan.”
At that moment,
The world turned upside down.
“Ugh, uuaaah!”
Isaac suddenly clutched his head and rolled on the ground. Edmund and Yulia had no choice but to hit the floor as well.
“What’s wrong?”
Yulia prompted, and Isaac groaned lowly.
“I-I don’t know… suddenly… that same feeling as before…!”
When he lifted his head, his eyes were blackened.
“Ed oppa, Isaac oppa’s eyes…! …Huh?”
Looking beside them, they saw themselves reflected in each other’s eyes. Their eyes had changed in the same way.
“This has only happened once before.”
“Yes. The first time we faced the Saint.”
“Does that mean there’s a Saint nearby? But after strengthening, we were fine facing the Saint!”
Yulia shouted, and Edmund’s face hardened. Far off, where ominous clouds gathered, he strongly sensed Emily.
“…It seems something worse than her has appeared.”
“Worse than a Saint for a zombie?”
“Yes. Perhaps.”
“What?!”
Ignoring Yulia’s shock, Edmund recalled a verse from an old relic related to dark magic that he had carefully obtained.
“…It said demons are a threat to everything living on this land.”
This feeling, this premonition. If he was right, something similar had happened in the past.
Those events were quietly buried, but this time…
Edmund grew dizzy.
It seemed his sister had summoned something outrageous.
