Episode 1212

Episode 1212

-What are you doing!!!

True to its reputation as a grand spell that felled heretics in a single strike, the Lightning Spear of Demonic Subjugation displayed terrifying power.

The ancient magic, which was being completed with countless sacrifices, scattered with a chilling scream. The magic that had been spreading its overwhelming scent of blood, and the souls within, all quickly fled out of the fortress.

-To destroy such a rare magic! Why on earth!!

The hamster shouted, looking ready to tear him apart at any second.

This magical criminal had committed countless evil deeds throughout his life, but compared to what the Wardanaz family’s rookie had just done, those were nothing.

Not only did he prevent the completion of this great magic, he even destroyed it.

A prayer from antiquity that no one was able to complete!

-Are you seriously going to babble like those imperial fools, refusing to learn “evil” magic?! There is no good or evil in magic! There is only magic!

The concept magical criminals hated most was ‘evil’ magic.

Poison, if used right, becomes medicine; a good man can become bad. What right does the Empire have to define evil magic?

If that’s why he destroyed it, the hamster would be sincerely contemptuous.

But Lee Han’s reason for unleashing grand magic right away was even more absurd than the hamster expected.

“That guy just kept making me angry.”

-……

Sometimes, when someone is too angry or dumbfounded, they’re simply left speechless.

That was the hamster right now.

It almost made “I sealed it forever because it was evil magic” sound reasonable.

-You… you destroyed that magic because it made you angry?

The hamster stammered without realizing it.

Sure, one could get mad at the drivel of a tainted evil god— but to destroy that power because of it?!!

An excellent choice. I feel pride in our contract.

But Perkuntra praised Lee Han.

Every time Perkuntra was summoned, he had felt swindled by this contractor, but this time he was filled with pride and satisfaction.

To resolutely refuse the evil god’s offer.

It didn’t matter how valid or reasonable the offer was—even if it was 100% profit.

What mattered was the will to reject it.

Without such will, even if you narrowly escaped a few times thanks to luck, eventually you’d fall into a trap or be bewitched.

-I concur. As a demon, I must pay my respects to a mind that rejects such “kindness.”

-These pitiful thought-forms who know nothing of true “magic”…

The hamster shouted, eyes reddening.

To hear such things from dimension-bound beings who are ignorant of the study of magic, who were born simply with power and nothing else.

-Has that wizard gone mad?

Saratan asked cautiously.

Like the vampire patriarchs who succumbed to the magic, the hamster, too, could be bewitched by magic at any time.

Even the one who pointed it out couldn’t completely escape, since he too was a mage.

“!”

At those words, Lee Han was startled.

No wonder the hamster was so angry!

“That’s very possible! To be honest, he really was too mad.”

-Not that getting mad is odd—but I’m talking about his obsession with the magic…

Getting angry was understandable.

But instantly destroying magic just because the evil god was infuriating was not normal behavior.

Unlike the Thunder King or demon, Saratan actually regretted it a little.

Regardless, Lee Han finished convincing himself and tossed the hamster into his bag. He planned to keep him in the basement until he came to his senses.

How dare you! How dare you!! How dare you!!!!

The evil god’s belated rage began to sweep over the entire swamp.

The blood-colored sky split open, and the already-weakened fortress collapsed downward.

The undead in the sector were sucked up into the split sky with screams, and the cultist priests fighting near the gate were wiped out by the sudden assault.

Be careful!

Perkuntra now protected his contractor with more seriousness than ever.

Fighting the ruler in their own realm was never an easy task. Even a spirit king had to brace himself earnestly.

Now, the enemy even seemed so furious as to devour all his own underlings as power.

-Behind you!

!

At Mafuda’s shout, Perkuntra turned his gaze in alarm.

Just as the demon said, a strong magic reaction was coming from behind Lee Han.

But it wasn’t the evil god’s ambush. The source was inside the backpack.

‘What is this?!’

Lee Han was as flustered as the rest.

Was the hamster he’d thrown into the basement about to cause trouble?

Pop!

Before he could even finish pondering, the culprit revealed itself. When a white grimoire bearing a familiar emblem appeared, Lee Han’s eyes grew wide.

The soul book left by the headmaster’s clone with a soul fragment inside.

The opened book injected information in letters of the soul instead of ordinary words. Instinctively, Lee Han learned the name of the spell the book was about to teach.

Small World, Dunamis!

There’s no need for reckless action. I can get you out of here on my own!

Feeling the powerful resonance of the spell, Perkuntra called out anxiously.

The contractor had already summoned both a spirit king and a powerful demon, so he was nearly at his physical limit.

No matter how much one endured with magic, the flesh was still that of a mortal.

Trying to confront the evil god with more overtaxed magic would only lead to disaster.

But already, Lee Han had fully assimilated the new magic.

Unlike Perkuntra, Mafuda—who shared Lee Han’s body—quivered with awe at the marvelous ancient Small World magic and shouted.

-What… what kind of magic is this?! Did mages really create magic like this?

I don’t care what kind of magic it is, just speak plainly! You damn demon! We need to escape!

Even at Perkuntra’s harsh words, Mafuda was confused rather than angry.

That’s how hard it was to explain this magic.

-I mean, this is… this is…

Just crawl back in and rot forever, you fool!

The Thunder King snapped and prepared for battle.

With that demon being no help, he had to step up. Grasping thunder and drawing jagged lines in the air, he summoned menacing thunder palaces to protect the area.

‘It’s coming!’

Through the rift in the blood-colored sky, a terrifying strike flew down—a tidal wave of immense grudge and curses.

Perkuntra let out a belligerent roar, drawing heavenly thunder up from earth to sky.

KWAHHHH—!

Ugh…!

Even a single clash made Perkuntra feel at a disadvantage. The enemy could mobilize everything stored in his domain, while Perkuntra had to endure with only his contractor’s power, in enemy territory.

Given the contractor’s physical condition, the longer the fight continued…

Shwik!

Suddenly, something flew in from behind.

It was a tiny droplet of water. Its smallness was so out of place among the battle tearing heaven and earth apart.

Even Perkuntra was a little surprised.

He knew Lee Han often used water element magic, but launching Water Orb Projectiles in this situation seemed pointless.

If there was energy left, it should be spent on defense, evasion—and escaping quickly.

‘Wait. Was it always like that?’

Perkuntra realized the strangeness late. Normally, the contractor’s magic was at least the size of a fist.

Why did it become so small?

!

The droplet revealed its true colors the higher it rose in the air.

Against the surging waves of grudge and curses pouring from the rift in the blood-red sky, the droplet, like a single leaf, soared calmly through the surging tide unfazed, gliding its way up.

Then Perkuntra recalled the true identity of this spell.

It wasn’t the Water Orb Projectile the contractor usually used.

It was the spell Huidor of the headmaster!

‘How did he do that?!’

Its power was the same as ever. Having been struck by the headmaster himself, the Thunder King remembered that force vividly.

The droplet pierced through the foe’s tide and left a mark on the evil god.

———!

The wound was not large, but the evil god howled and writhed in agony at the pain—a pain never before experienced, even once in life.

Is he here too?!

Perkuntra looked back in surprise. If the headmaster was here in person, nothing else made sense.

But there was no headmaster.

There was only Lee Han, staggering, gripping his staff.

Lee Han’s vision tinged red. The taste of iron from his nose and mouth confirmed it: the overload from the Small World spell.

“This Small World lets you bring and use magic from the future—”

-Don’t speak! Idiot!

Saratan tried to share the mage’s burden as much as possible.

The Small World spell had just demonstrated its astonishing power—even the demon found it baffling.

It allowed the wizard to wield spells he could only cast in the future.

But the backlash was enormous. The more powerful the spell pulled forward, the more the mage’s burden multiplied exponentially.

Then don’t focus on attacking—grab a spatial magic that can help us escape! Don’t do anything reckless!

“I… I’ll try.”

Perkuntra looked up at the sky in anxiety.

Strangely, the evil god did not reappear. Perhaps he was unaccustomed to pain, but for Lee Han and company, it was good luck.

They needed to get out now!

---

At last, the fool has shown an opening.

The Death Knights gaped at the sudden words of the Yaksha King.

Though the Yaksha King had full authority over the punitive expedition, he’d done little since arriving in the domain.

He had only issued orders to his successor and stood idly by—so much so that even Death Knights who knew he really was the Yaksha King whispered behind his back, “Is that guy for real?”

But suddenly, he claimed the enemy had shown an opening?

-What do you mean by showing an opening, sir?

If Osu’s disciple gains a new spell, the fool will always show an opening in his rage.

-???

The Death Knights were even more confused.

As with all wise beings, the words of the wise could be difficult for the less wise to understand.

Especially the Yaksha King—he was so cryptic that even when explained, it was impossible to grasp what he really meant.

What did it mean, that the evil god would show an opening if the successor got a new spell?

Now! Begin.

At that moment, the whole domain shook. The howl of cornets and conch horns resounded across dimensions, and yakshas surged in from all directions.

The army the king had brought had lain in ambush without even the knights noticing!

-What the… Wait, who is commanding this?

Even in their panic, a Death Knight raised a keen question.

Since the Yaksha King had deceived both enemy and ally here, there must be a separate commander leading the ambush army.

Not just anyone. The Death Knight worried that maybe the headmaster himself had come.

‘Surely the master hasn’t snuck out? In that case, the burden would be unthinkable…’

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

Ironclad Mantle Ibinta let out a scream and dropped to the ground. The knights looked on in puzzlement at this outburst.

-What’s wrong? Haven’t you seen a yaksha army before, country bumpkin?

“Back there! Back there! There’s a monster!”

-What… No, Lord Hierdan!

At last, the Death Knights realized as they saw the eldest son of House Wardanaz leading the yakshas from afar.

The headmaster had summoned both of them from the start.

It was a truly formidable combination that showed his determination to swiftly resolve the incident.

After climbing down from the chariot running through the sky, Hierdan gave a light bow to the Yaksha King.

“The ruse to lower the evil god’s guard was truly impressive.”

I accept your praise gladly, eldest of Wardanaz. Your ambush as well was excellent.

‘I really don’t want to get involved with this pair.’

The knights shuddered. They’d rather go to the punishment room than stand between these two.

“What ruse made the evil god drop his guard?”

Hierdan asked for clarification.

They were going to attack the enemy directly now, and knowing what bait had trapped the enemy was important information.

Osu’s disciple volunteered to play the worm within the lion’s belly.

“You mean Professor Garcia, who is Lord Gonadaltes’ disciple?”

No.

“Then do you mean Professor Baegrek?”

The Death Knights, swallowing nonexistent saliva, began to edge away.

They felt a primal fear.

This conversation, could it be…

No. I mean your younger brother.

“Ah.”