Chapter 25
Black Mages had been treated as the world’s evil since ancient times.
Burning one’s own life to draw forth the energy of death was tantamount to defying the providence of the gods.
Moreover, they had annihilated the White Dragon, the essence of white magic. Their goal was to block the flow of life energy emanating from the dragon.
They succeeded in achieving that goal, but as a result, they were massacred.
They faced destruction, unable to withstand the hero, Heros Akion.
But not all Black Mages were exterminated.
Some survived, hiding and biding their time, concealing their blades of vengeance.
They were the ones now standing in the forest consumed by darkness.
“Today was the day to properly announce the resurrection of the Wraiths to the Empire.”
The man wrapped in bandages from head to toe spoke again. A far more sinister energy flowed from him than before.
“It was the day to declare that we, the Black Mages, have finally begun our revenge against those who deserve to be torn limb from limb!”
The secret organization formed by the surviving Black Mages, ‘Wraith’.
The man was the leader of Wraith, and his subordinates, following his orders, had attempted a bomb attack on the Marquis Finch household. The Finch family was one of the families that worshipped the Empire’s Gold Dragon. They intended to make an example by destroying them, but!
“And yet, you failed at such a simple task? I said if you failed, you should commit suicide on the spot. The fact that you came back alive anyway suggests you don’t fear me. What, do you think dying by my hand is preferable to killing yourselves?”
“N-No, that’s not it!”
“We are prepared to die! No, we wish to die! But before that, we had to tell you something, Leader! Please listen to us!”
The subordinates, half-prostrate, raised their voices.
“If it’s not something good to hear, know that your tongue will be cut out mid-sentence.”
“Yes!”
The subordinates wiped their cold sweat and shouted.
“Daphne Akion was there! That child cursed by the previous leader! The child of the hero!”
“That girl absorbed all the death energy from the bomb! It happened in an instant, and we couldn’t stop it!”
The man’s eyes narrowed.
“Daphne Akion? I thought she was killed.”
Months ago, the leader of Wraith had ordered his subordinates to kill Daphne.
Because Daphne was cursed by the previous leader, her body contained a vast amount of death energy.
If she were killed before the curse manifested, that death energy could be reclaimed.
For that reason, they tried to kill Daphne, and she was definitely supposed to be dead.
So how was she alive?
“Did you lie in your report…?”
“We would never do such a thing!”
“Or perhaps there’s some reason for this.”
Did she come back to life or something? Even so, how could she block a Black Magic bomb? The leader frowned.
“Those who obstruct the path of Wraith cannot be allowed to live. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes. We will deal with it immediately.”
“That child of the hero… persistently, stubbornly getting in our way.”
Damn child of the hero.
The one who killed our families, who killed our god.
Remembering him makes my body tremble with rage, but it’s fine. Eventually, he will die by our hands. We will surely kill him, no matter what!
“It would be nice to see father and daughter die side by side.”
The man, who had been chuckling, then snapped his fingers towards the prostrate subordinates.
Immediately, the bone-shaped tattoos on the back of their necks began to emit a pure white flame.
“Kuhuk!”
“Ugh…!”
The flames, rising like pillars of white salt, completely engulfed the subordinates’ bodies and soon vanished entirely. Along with the subordinates’ corpses.
Now, all the death energy they possessed would return to Wraith, becoming Wraith’s power once more.
Their lives weren’t a waste.
If they failed, they die.
By dying, they could contribute strength to Wraith.
Now alone, the man adjusted his slightly loosened bandages and stepped forward.
“I’m going to find the Calamity’s corpse.”
I will gather the power the Calamity left behind.
The man’s bright yellow eyes flashed like those of a beast.
[What measures are being taken after the ‘Black Magic Bomb Terror’ in the city center?]
[The Resurrection of the Black Mages: What were the Guardians doing?]
Heros roughly placed the delivered newspaper on the table. Even though three days had passed since the terror attack, public interest hadn’t waned.
The reason was that the Black Mages, who were believed to have been eradicated five years ago, had reappeared, and the Imperial family hadn’t taken clear action regarding this.
Right after the terror attack, Heros naturally assumed the Emperor would summon him. But there was no such order.
He guessed it might be because the hero who stopped the terror was his daughter, Daphne. And because Daphne still hadn’t woken up.
Perhaps the Emperor felt some sympathy, since due to his own orders, Heros was cursed to have his emotions severed, his beloved wife died, and even his own daughter was cursed.
Stopping his thoughts there, Heros sighed again and turned his gaze.
Towards Daphne, lying still on the bed as if dead, and the elf doctor beside her.
“It’s been three days,” Heros said.
“It’s been three days, and she hasn’t opened her eyes.”
Taity gulped dryly.
When Daphne was first brought in, Taity thought he was dreaming.
To see the mighty Dragon weakened and collapsed… If he told other elves, they’d mock him, saying ‘When did you go mad?’ or ‘So you’ve finally lost it.’
Anyway, after hearing the series of events, Taity realized that Daphne had absorbed the death energy to increase her magic power. And that she couldn’t recover her strength due to the suddenly increased magic power.
So, Taity was prescribing medicine good for restoring vitality, but he couldn’t tell Heros the truth directly. He could only evade, saying ‘Just a little more…’ or ‘She should wake up in a few days.’
“It’s only been three days. She will open her eyes soon.”
No matter how proud an elf Taity was, he wasn’t a ruffian who spoke informally to his employer.
Taity replied respectfully. Heros frowned.
“If she’s closer to death than life, tell me now. I need to prepare for the funeral.”
“……”
What is with this personality-disordered guy?
Even the elves, known as the most cold-blooded, don’t talk about their own children like that.
This is a matter of basic humanity. So Taity was taken aback. What’s wrong with this guy’s character? Is he trash?
“Well…”
But Heros was his employer. An employer who paid several times more than others. Taity barely swallowed the curse about to burst out and stood up.
“I’ll go get the medicine.”
Heros didn’t respond, just stared intently at Daphne. He continued until Taity left the room.
Daphne was breathing unevenly, her breath rasping. Her pale face looked like it was time to call the funeral director right now. And to think this happened again in less than a month. Heros let out a long sigh.
[From Troublemaker to Hero, Daphne Akion]
[How did Daphne Akion come to be called a hero?]
[The Hero and the Heroine, Their Blood is Noble]
He recalled the other headlines from the piled newspapers.
The public was more interested in the birth of a new hero than the resurrection of the Black Mages. Especially because that hero was the child once called the shame of her family and a good-for-nothing.
They were eagerly waiting for Daphne to wake up. Notably, the Marquis Finch household, who she had helped, sent people every day to inquire about her condition and sent gifts.
In other words, it meant that the only one completely uninterested in Daphne’s survival was her own father, Heros Akion.
‘How utterly pathetic.’
Heros smiled bitterly.
Five years ago, the Black Mage who fell by Heros’s hand cursed him.
- From now on, you shall feel nothing!
- You shall feel no joy, no sorrow, no love, no hatred, nothing!
It was a curse that erased emotions.
So Heros could feel nothing. None of the affection, worry, or sorrow a parent should feel… no emotion could dwell in his heart.
So it felt empty. That he felt nothing, even though Daphne, his wife’s last remaining legacy, might die.
Unconsciously, Heros touched the scar running across his face. It was a wound from a sword swung by Daphne a year ago.
- If it was going to be like this, why did you give birth to me?
- You should have killed me and saved Mom instead! Since I’m going to die anyway, why didn’t you just let me die!
What emotion did Heros feel when he heard those words?
He couldn’t feel any. He couldn’t hold any sorrow, anger, guilt, or anything.
So all he could do was let himself be hit by the child’s sword.
He even thought it might be better to die from it. But unfortunately, he didn’t die. The child’s swordsmanship was clumsy, and he lived.
Since then, Heros had been repeating the same days again.
Days of feeling nothing, holding nothing in his heart.
“It’s tedious.”
Heros let out a long sigh and shook his head. Then he stood up. He judged there was no need to stay any longer, since Daphne wasn’t going to wake up anyway.
Just then.
“Ugh… Ah…”
A voice escaped from between the teeth of Daphne, who had been sleeping all this time. Heros’s eyes widened as he looked back at her, and Daphne, who had been tossing, suddenly sprang up as if bouncing.
“Hyahaat!”
Daphne, who woke up with a energetic voice, looked around and soon spotted Heros. Immediately, her expression crumpled.
“Ah, damn it. The first thing I see upon opening my eyes is the hero bastard. Can luck get any worse than this?”
Daphne muttered and pulled the blanket over her head again.
“I’m going back to sleep, so you can leave. I’ll get up then.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean ‘Huh’? Think about how I feel seeing your face right after waking up.”
Is she really crazy?
“Ugh, my mood is ruined.”
She’s insane.
Watching Daphne’s actions, Heros momentarily felt the muscles in his face twitch and touched his cheek.
Had he smiled involuntarily?
‘Probably not.’
That would be nonsense.
He shook his head firmly.
