Episode 623

Episode 623

Crack!

“!”

With a deafening roar, gigantic tentacle-like things began to sprout from the fallen fanatic’s body.

The tentacles, mingled with ominous and evil magic power, intertwined like a chimera and took form.

The fallen fanatic had already long since lost all semblance of a human shape.

“Fo… fo… fo… for the sake of Prahgal…”

“He’s an evil god worshiper!”

Giselle cried out in horror.

Among all the Empire’s enemies, these were the most insidious and twisted.

Those whose minds were tainted by worshipping a strange evil god—those were the evil god worshipers.

Swish!

“Become steel, cloak!”

As a tentacle arm, thick as a club, flew toward him, Lee Han did not dodge but went on the defense.

It was because his friend was behind him.

Thud!

Even as the impact sent his body floating backward, Lee Han maintained his focus.

“Strength, rise up!”

The spell taught by Professor Gonadaltes’ black book drew forth powerful physical strength.

As Lee Han felt his arm fill with a strength that felt like it could crush anything, he grabbed his cloak again.

Thud!

This time, his body didn’t get thrown.

“Lightning, imbue!”

Crackle!

At the same time, sparks of lightning began to arc across the cloak.

It was -Lightning Cloak Imbuement-, the most difficult 3rd-circle elemental lightning enchantment.

Even though he had shown the quintessential combat mage move—swiftly casting steel transformation, strength enhancement, and lightning imbuement—the fanatic didn’t care in the slightest.

The tentacle arm, disregarding that it was decaying, pressed forward.

“…Why aren’t you dodging?!”

Giselle, a half-beat late, rushed in with her twin swords at the fanatic.

She was startled because Wardanaz had blocked instead of dodging, her reaction late because of it.

And there was only one reason Wardanaz did not dodge but chose to block.

‘Damn it!’

Giselle bit her lip and awakened her swords.

A famous sword, crafted from northern floating ice in her family, glimmered with a sinister sound of icy blue and frost flowers.

Receiving her master’s mana, the sword began to pour out northern bitter cold from its blade.

Crackkkkk!

“Well done, Moradi!”

Thanks to his friend buying time, Lee Han quickly widened the distance and cast his next spell.

The other combat enhancement spells had already been cast earlier.

“Mist, spread!”

Suddenly, as the surroundings blurred, the fanatic’s movements stopped for a moment. Lee Han ordered the skeleton warriors to advance.

“Tangle his feet! Bones, shoot forth!”

Taking a bone fragment from his reagent pouch, Lee Han fired it like an arrow.

Though the bone struck the fanatic’s body, which had turned into a tentacle chimera, it didn’t even flinch.

‘How tough is this guy?!’

It was a rare reagent concentrated with dark element, yet he just took it bare-bodied.

The enhanced skeleton warriors stabbed at the fanatic and tangled his feet.

The fanatic, dulled by Moradi’s earlier attack, couldn’t immediately deal with them and faltered.

“Your arm?!”

“What arm?”

“Is your arm okay?!”

Lee Han was flustered by Giselle’s sudden random question.

“It’s fine, right?”

“Yeah, then that’s that!”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

“Just cast your magic!”

“What do you know about Prahgal? What kind of guy is he?”

“I think our family subjugated him once or twice in the past, but I don’t really have info…!”

Lee Han was weighing whether to use an elemental lightning spell, Aqua Bomb, or another offensive method.

He couldn’t choose immediately due to a severe lack of information on the opponent.

‘Why is that evil god worshiper so damn strong?’

The guy didn’t look that threatening at first, but he unleashed monstrous strength as he went berserk.

‘Because he’s crazy?’

Among the priests, there weren’t many who could wield holy magic.

The Wardanaz family’s patriarch always simply explained, “Because there aren’t that many truly mad people.”

Fanaticism was the greatest requirement for holy magic.

By that logic, it made sense that evil god worshipers were strong.

Because they were more crazed than anyone, they could wield stronger holy magic than anyone.

“There’s no choice. Moradi. Don’t come near. It might splash around.”

“What?”

“Burn!”

Lee Han summoned fire in midair.

Because of the opponent, he made it larger than usual when he typically restrained himself.

‘It’s the cold north, so it’ll probably be fine…. Maybe!’

“In the name of Afha!”

And it didn’t stop there.

Lee Han used the holy magic he had learned. Afha Order’s White Flame replaced the fire and started blazing.

Breaking through the siege after dealing with the skeleton warriors, the fanatic now showed a different reaction.

“Kuuuuuuuuh!”

‘Made the right choice!’

Lee Han felt that his decision was correct.

The opponent was afraid of holy magic from another Order!

“Rise, warriors made of bone!”

Once again, as the skeleton warriors tangled the feet, the white flame embers struck the fanatic one after another.

“It’s working!”

Giselle lowered her aimed sword and shouted.

The bastard that withstood any attack before was now screaming in pain with every hit of the flames.

“Pra, pra… Prahgal…!”

“He’s charging!”

Lee Han nodded and motioned with his eyes.

The skeleton warriors blocked the front, the heat of the flames growing stronger and more concentrated.

Wooooosh!

The flying embers gathered and nearly burned the fanatic to cinders.

The fanatic’s screams rang so loud they nearly tore at the pair’s ears.

At that moment, the fanatic squeezed the last of his strength, turning his entire flesh into a lance of tentacles.

“!”

Lee Han, who had predicted the incoming trajectory with foresight magic, grabbed Giselle and leaped aside.

But it was unnecessary.

Zeclen, who had rushed in from afar, swung his sword and cleaved the fanatic.

Slash!

“…!!”

Zeclen swung his sword, split the fanatic in two, and then swung again, quartering him.

Even then, as the fanatic still writhed and struggled to move, Zeclen rained down further slashes. The shredded fanatic could no longer endure and was completely engulfed in flames.

‘What power…?!’

Seeing the previously unyielding opponent get sliced like butter, Lee Han could hardly believe his eyes.

“Sorry for being late!”

“Ah… no, it’s fine.”

“Hey. Move.”

Giselle pushed Lee Han’s head aside and stood up. Zeclen apologized again to the two.

“I’m truly sorry. I put you both in danger while searching for the prey.”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han and Giselle exchanged glances.

They absolutely could not reveal that they had been the ones to approach the criminal first to finish the hunt quickly.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s nothing, really…”

“No. This was my mistake. Let’s end the hunt here.”

“!”

Lee Han and Giselle’s eyes widened a little.

Uh…

‘Wait. Don’t be too happy.’

‘I know. You keep calm too.’

“How regrettable…”

“I’m sorry too, Wardanaz. But I can’t bring guests along to such dangerous situations any longer.”

“Sniff…”

“…sniff, sniff.”

Giselle reluctantly matched her friend’s mood.

But she couldn’t suppress the self-contempt welling up from deep within.

“Please wait a moment.”

Zeclen stopped the two, then turned his head.

Then, he waved his sword to extinguish the white flames that were still burning vigorously.

By now, the surrounding trees had burned completely, and the fire was spreading with a vengeance.

Seeing this, Giselle asked as if she couldn’t understand.

“Why doesn’t he control fire magic and just lets it spread like that?”

“…It’s a secret.”

Lee Han dodged the answer.

• * *

“Prahgal? Here we go again.”

The skeletal principal, sitting in the patriarch’s study, sighed after receiving the report.

These damned evil god worshipers crawled out from somewhere no matter how often they were cleaned out, like mold.

Perhaps it was because of this painful world.

The skeletal principal had abandoned his flesh and achieved a state of enlightenment, but such could hardly be expected from other mortals…

‘What a pity indeed!’

“Professor Gonadaltes.”

“Ah. Sorry. Go on.”

“A few years ago, our family also hunted Prahgal fanatics. I suspect there’s a shrine of theirs somewhere in the north.”

Though Patriarch Moradi was past middle age, his outward appearance hadn’t changed. You’d think he was in the same age group as the skeletal principal.

A strong will settled into the patriarch’s cold, sharp features.

“Let us hunt them once again.”

“We just have to, don’t we?”

“We need the aid of excellent mages.”

“Hmmm…”

The skeletal principal openly revealed his unwillingness.

Finding a hidden evil god worshiper in the vast northern Empire was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

A needle in a haystack is easy with magic, but evil god worshipers required pouring in serious magic with conviction.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Yes. I’d appreciate it.”

Despite saying he’d appreciate it, the patriarch’s eyes did not look the least bit appreciative.

They glared as if to say he’d keep staring until his request was granted, as if he’d devour him.

But the skeletal principal didn’t care. With all the years he’d lived, he wasn’t about to be shaken by the pressure of some young elf brat.

“By the way, who found the Prahgal fanatic? Must’ve been hard to recognize these fanatics, yet you found one.”

“Sir Zeclen…”

“Ah.”

Both the skeletal principal and the patriarch made an expression of “makes sense.”

A knight of Zeclen’s caliber could find them by instinct.

“He went hunting with Giselle and Wardanaz, and they found him.”

The skeletal principal and the patriarch lowered their heads at the same time. That was how shocked they were.

‘What the hell are these kids up to?’

The skeletal principal was dumbfounded.

He’d told them to rest until the banquet, yet they couldn’t stand it and went out to catch a Prahgal fanatic.

Was he some ambition-crazed maniac?

‘It’s not like he wants his name known across the whole Empire…’

When the principal looked at the patriarch, the patriarch also looked quite flustered. His cold face was shaken.

Well, it made sense.

Zeclen’s hunts weren’t ordinary affairs.

He had taken along a guest from the Wardanaz family, a high noble house, on such a dangerous hunt.

For a rationalist and utilitarian like the patriarch, that was absolutely unacceptable.

But the skeletal principal saw the truth.

‘I bet it was Wardanaz who wanted to go first!’

Though he hadn’t asked yet, the skeletal principal would have wagered this session’s gold coins that Lee Han was responsible for instigating it.

“This is…”

“Ah. Ah. Don’t be too surprised. They’re close, that’s all.”

“What?”

The patriarch looked at the skeletal principal with eyes that read, ‘What nonsense are you spouting?’

No matter how he thought about it, that explanation made no sense.

“He’s an Einrogard student, you know.”

“Aren’t their towers different?”

“Come now! Since when does being in different towers keep people from forming friendships? How narrow-minded!”

“……”

Hearing such words from the very person who split the towers and made them compete, the patriarch was incredulous.

“In any case, it’s just because they’re close, so don’t be surprised. When you’re friends, you can go hunt together and even catch a fanatic or two.”

“…?”

The servant who was listening nearby tilted his head in confusion.

Really?

“Understood.”

Still not quite convinced, the patriarch nodded anyway.

Come to think of it, the skeletal principal had no reason to lie about this.

Also, neither Zeclen nor Giselle would take the family’s precious guest to dangerous places without cause.

‘…No. Zeclen actually might.’

“Professor Gonadaltes. I wish to meet the boy from the Wardanaz family.”

“Oh. I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

The skeletal principal sincerely advised, thinking the patriarch’s blood pressure might go up.

The patriarch hesitated at those words.

‘Is he trying to block friendships with the Wardanaz family as someone who maintains the balance of the Empire?’

“Go ahead, just let him meet.”

The skeletal principal said, revulsed.

This is why he hated overthinking youngsters.