Episode 939
by Cristae-We have no intention of stopping the play.
The Death Knights said, their blue eyes flashing ominously.
Some let out worried sighs; others insisted this was only proper.
-If we were to call off our plans prematurely due to the vile schemes of evil ones, that would be even more humiliating.
The information the Death Knights extracted from interrogating the evil god worshipper was fragmentary.
Worshippers of Prahgal were targeting the palace, and one of them—Madpr—had infiltrated first, lying in wait to cause a disturbance upon receiving the signal.
Even Madpr himself didn’t know when or how the attack would begin. The evil god worshippers, who had long survived in the empire’s shadows, were meticulously prepared so that none of them knew each other’s full plans.
‘Canceling the play arbitrarily would be a problem, but it’d be even worse if the evil god worshippers just withdrew.’
The Death Knights planned to use this opportunity to draw out and eliminate the worshippers entirely.
If they called off the play now, the worshippers would sense something was wrong and vanish once more; then, who knew when or where there might be casualties?
“As expected of the knights of justice—so aggressive.”
Alsicle, like Lee Han, saw right through the Death Knights’ reasoning.
On the surface, it was about saving face for the play, but inside, it was a resolve to catch the worshippers for good.
They truly lived up to being knights of the Spirit Hall.
“…Wait, what about the illusion spells we prepared?”
“We need to cancel them. Is that even a question right now?”
Lee Han whispered darkly.
No one knew how or when the worshippers would strike, and the idea of surprising the audience with a staged play…
It could very easily make them look like collaborators with the evil god worshippers.
“We worked so hard…”
Alsicle looked like a penguin who’d lost all his sardines after a day of fishing.
Seeing that face, Lee Han felt sorry—but there was nothing to be done.
“Forget it and focus on the worshippers.”
“And escape?”
“Escape…has to be given up.”
After thinking it over, Lee Han spoke.
The Drama Club students would be disappointed, but now all plans were on hold.
With evil god worshippers lurking nearby, how could anyone think of escaping individually?
‘At least I can still get out.’
The one saving grace was that even if the Drama Club students couldn’t leave, Lee Han still could.
And after some time, the Drama Club students would realize they’d joined the wrong club.
-Lord Nago. Lord Pengerine.
“Yes.”
-Please, search for any suspicious individuals among the guests inside the palace.
Alsicle of House Pengerine was recognized by the Death Knights for his skills, and Stedal of House Nago was the first to spot an abnormality in someone’s soul.
If anyone else had infiltrated, these two could uncover it.
“Leave it to us.”
“It will be my honor!”
-Lord Clbic, please ask the illusion magicians to reinforce the magical defenses of the palace.
“Certainly! Though, the illusion magicians here aren’t that exceptional—don’t expect too much!”
-Of course. Let us know what spells have been set up, and our knights will take them into account.
‘How humble.’
Lee Han thought to himself.
For a group of magicians that included Baldororn to be so humble…
-The Einrogard students, divide up and remain flexible in your responses.
“We’ll prepare potions to handle unexpected situations.”
“We’ll secure evacuation routes and lead the nobles out of the palace if needed.”
“We’ll create secret passages and remove nobles discreetly if circumstances require.”
-…Students!
The Death Knights were deeply touched.
When had the Einrogard students become so reliable?
Whereas they would usually whine and complain, now they acted in disciplined unity without wasting a single moment. The Death Knights were moved without even realizing it.
The students bowed their heads with grave expressions, as if they bore a heavy sense of responsibility befitting students of the empire’s greatest magic academy.
‘I hope we didn’t get caught.’
‘We probably didn’t. …Probably.’
‘Wait. Is this worshipper business going to mess up our escape? We’re still escaping as planned, right?’
‘No, it’s on hold.’
‘…If someone comes for me, I’ll kill them!’
“I don’t see anyone suspicious.”
“Seems the same to me.”
Alsicle lightly swung a pendulum adorned with ice crystals.
He couldn’t see into souls as deeply as Lee Han, but this Cold Divination magic was highly sensitive in detecting malice or evil plans.
Knowing how restrictive and tricky divination magic could be, Lee Han asked with interest:
“Could I learn this kind of fortune-telling?”
“This? If it’s you, probably.”
Just in case, Alsicle asked what kinds of divination Lee Han had studied.
Granted, this Wardanaz was a monstrous genius, but among all schools, divination magic was the easiest and fastest way to ruin oneself.
The more talented the magician, the more dangerous it was. The deeper one delved into the future, the greater the price and the nastier the backlash.
What truly mattered for a talented diviner wasn’t talent but humility or restraint.
“I’ve learned things like the Crystal Top, Spirit Coin, and Demon of the Five.”
“That’s good then.”
Alsicle nodded.
If he’d used those spells without trouble, Lee Han must have used them with control.
“Wait. Isn’t the price for the Crystal Top fortune telling mana?”
“That’s correct.”
“…What a shameless cheater.”
“!?”
Grumbling at his junior’s overpowering talent even in divination, Alsicle began to explain.
To use this pendulum divination, they needed a water drop-cut diamond as a price.
“……”
Lee Han looked at Alsicle in astonished horror. But not noticing, Alsicle continued his explanation.
“It’s turned to cold energy as a sacrifice and forms this ice crystal pendulum, which then shouldered the risk of peering into the future… Why that look?”
“It’s just… such an absurd price, I was shocked.”
“What do you mean? This is nothing. At least it’s not demanding a hand or a foot.”
Alsicle was the one who found it ridiculous.
There were many divination magics that required even more wicked and powerful prices; a gemstone was cheap by comparison.
‘No wonder you’re always short on research funds.’
Lee Han thought rudely to himself.
Meanwhile, they finished checking everyone present.
No one’s soul felt unnatural, nor did the pendulum waver.
“Guess there really isn’t anyone else. I figured they wouldn’t sneak in multiple worshippers.”
“Then let’s move to the stage area.”
Up above, it would be easier to monitor or respond to any incidents during the play.
Alsicle, in a voice tinged with regret, asked:
“Any chance we’ll use those illusion spells?”
“No. Just take them home.”
“What am I supposed to do with them at home? I’d just scare little kids.”
As they walked, Lee Han spotted Baldororn moaning near the palace stairs.
“Elastic Labyrinth magic?”
“Yes. He’s about half done.”
Both Alsicle and Lee Han instantly guessed what spell he was preparing.
-Summon Elastic Labyrinth-, a 3rd Circle spell, called up an illusion maze with strong physical defense power to trap an intruder.
It wasn’t the easiest spell but nothing that would trouble either of them. Alsicle asked curiously,
“Why’s he struggling with that?”
“He’s probably brooding because it’s so basic and boring. But casting a high-circle spell solo would be unbalanced, and even run him out of reagents.”
Lee Han nodded like he understood.
When working as a group, one couldn’t arbitrarily switch spells just because they didn’t like them.
They had to keep balance with other magicians.
Baldororn was surely trying to find a better method within those constraints.
“Let’s go. No need to bother him.”
“Right.”
As they kept walking and didn’t help, Baldororn grumbled to himself.
‘Couldn’t one of those great wizards help a bit…!’
They’d both been recommended as amazing magicians, but not a single word of advice when he was stuck?
Even among talented magicians, all manner of eccentrics abounded.
“Something’s odd.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t the atmosphere in the palace getting tense?”
“Maybe. But it changes nothing.”
A priest with a beetle mark carved into his forehead muttered.
Evil god worshippers’ ways of thinking were fundamentally twisted and tainted with madness.
Ordinary devotees or collaborators might function in regular society, but once someone was a priest, inside they were more like a being from another dimension than a person.
Their thought process defied all normal logic; one couldn’t predict it.
The priest with the beetle mark was one such being. He had offered everything, even his name, to the evil god long ago, leaving only the carved badge behind.
It was the same for the priest with the tree mark and the priest with the sun mark on their foreheads.
“The blasphemer descends, and Lord Prahgal will rejoice.”
“The blasphemer descends, and Lord Prahgal will rejoice!”
As they chanted ominously, the priests’ shapes began to shrink.
Even after they became smaller than a child, the shrinking didn’t stop. At last, the priests turned into small lumps of flesh and disappeared.
No one noticed this quiet ritual on the distant hillside from the palace.
But the sky above the palace noticed. An undead being, pleased with the sacrifice, began to fulfill the contract.
-From above!
-How!?
The Death Knights reacted immediately.
They’d been considering how the attack would come, but summoning from the sky!?
‘Nonsense! There was no approach, no preparation, and yet they summon such a strong foe?’
Even as they moved to respond, the Death Knights were disconcerted.
Theirs was a knightly order, but also versed in magic as befit their master.
Magic was not an all-purpose art. It was a cold science—possible only by paying the appropriate price, within the rules.
The power now felt from above was formidable.
How could they summon such a strong being with no approach, no ritual?
-Did they really just offer themselves as sacrifice? That’s their specialty, after all!
-Nonsense. Even for a human sacrifice, it’d take several high priests for this power…
The Death Knight trailed off.
Normally, sacrificing multiple high priests to attack a simple play at a palace would be insane.
But evil god worshippers were anything but normal, and they worshipped vast schemes only they could comprehend.
They could really be sacrificing high priests for the plan.
-But what for? For what purpose?
-Who cares what that mad god’s minions are thinking! Prepare for battle! Evacuate those below!
The Death Knight clicked his tongue.
He’d been wondering where an attack might come from, but this was just brute-force terrorism.
Forget clever plans; evacuation was the answer.
KWAJIIIIJIK-!
Chains of negative energy wound around the dimensional gate, and the Death Knights’ siege engines began their assault.
The onslaught tore through the dimensional gate in the sky.
But the summoning of the undead did not stop. The Death Knights cursed at the revolting stench.
-It’s the blasphemer! And a tough one!
-Buy time! If it takes interest below, things get messy!
Hee, hee, hee!
As the undead, leading the armies of decay and corruption, forced its way out, the Death Knights tensed.
At that moment, a massive dragon burst forth from below the palace.
-!!!?!
A d-d-dragon?!
Even the blasphemer was so startled it fell back in haste.