Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Archmage (2)

Before departing for Karantang Forest, I didn’t forget to give Osten and Rina one last reminder.

It was because of the companions who weren’t in Chenarus due to the schedule. Well, in fact, the only problem among them was Denif.

I had told them before leaving, but I was worried about Denif’s competitive spirit. In case he might follow.

He’s not the type to act rashly, but you never know.

The fact that I hadn’t been able to spar with him much because I was busy preventing Erendil’s coming-of-age ceremony wasn’t a big problem.

However, I felt a bit uneasy about originally telling Denif we’d face the Archmage together.

‘Though the plan changed after that.’

Denif still wanted to go. He said he wanted to see the glowstone explode, even if from afar.

I told him we’d see how things went.

I wasn’t worried about Denif’s skills. I trust those. And there’s no concern about getting caught if he moves with me.

It was just a scheduling issue. Denif was now in charge of the mercenary work instead of me. There were still 2 days left until his return.

‘It’s awkward to wait, and meeting later is dangerous.’

There’s a possibility that Denif might belatedly follow me and get entangled with the devil worshippers or Shahri.

That would complicate things.

In a situation where separate communication was impossible, late joining was forbidden unless we were going together from the start.

Still, I told them to let him know I’d spar with him 3 times after I return, so Denif might wait patiently.

Anyway, I adjusted my disguise, bought a new horse, and set out for Karantang.

I didn’t bring much.

Moonlight, their magic tools, glowstone, some simple food and tools. My body was light, but my heart was heavy.

‘I’m quite nervous.’

Although I know there shouldn’t be any problems, I can’t predict how the situation will unfold.

Hmm, thinking about it slowly, it seems I feel some aversion to facing the devil again.

I steeled myself. I believe this glowstone will somehow resolve things well.

I received Shahri’s letter this afternoon and sent a reply, so Shahri will check it in 3 days at the earliest.

Of course, such cases are rare. Usually, it takes about 5 days. Still, I needed to move as quickly as possible.

Although I set an agreed date, there was a possibility that Shahri might arrive at the forest a bit earlier. No, the probability was high.

‘Whether she’s digging a trap for me or coming early to observe due to suspicion.’

I intended to lure in the devil worshippers as well. I don’t know how quickly they’ll come.

Most of them should be in the north.

In other words, to match that schedule, I too had to move as quickly as possible.

Well, no matter how late, the devil worshippers will surely come to the forest within the agreed date.

‘Even if Shahri comes first, I can detonate it when they arrive.’

Whether they’re in cooperation or attacking each other in the forest, it doesn’t matter in any situation.

What I care about is just that Shahri and the devil worshippers meet in this forest.

Still, the one thing I’m worried about is a situation where those two don’t encounter each other in this forest.

Either the devil worshippers don’t respond to my call, or Shahri comes and leaves feeling something’s off.

Although the possibilities are low for both, they can’t be ruled out. Reality doesn’t always go as planned.

Shahri might not come at all in the end.

It might seem strange to target a prince at this time without any prior notice, unlike during the terrorist attack on Erendil.

I was worried that using a bomb might not yield significant results.

‘If Shahri doesn’t come at all, I’ll assess the situation. Otherwise, it’s better to target Shahri.’

Assuming Shahri comes and tries to leave first, I plan to boldly use the glowstone.

It’s better to use it than to save it when I don’t even know who will come from the devil worshippers’ side.

‘Let’s see how things unfold for now.’

***

After several days of minimal rest, I arrived at Karantang Forest.

There were two main reasons for choosing this place to detonate the glowstone, which is incomparable to a magic bomb.

The first was the geographical aspect I considered most important, and the second was that it’s a sparsely populated area.

I know it’s impossible to completely avoid unnecessary casualties in what I’m about to do.

But there was no reason to create unnecessary victims either. Karantang Forest is a sparsely populated area located between two mountains.

Since there are no cities near the forest, people don’t come here to hunt animals or gather plants.

‘It’s perfect for detonating the glowstone.’

I deployed winds the moment I entered the forest.

Winds spreading at full power, there was no sign of presence even though there should be one or two people.

I slowly explored the forest, heading towards the center. It was a place with a small lake and a clearing.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

There were no paths since people rarely frequented the area. Bushes touched my body with every step, and insects flew around.

It was fortunate that I could use winds. Not a single thing touched me due to the winds barrier surrounding my body.

Immediately after arriving at the center of the forest, I took out the magic tool that detects Devil’s Blood from my bag.

I took a deep breath to calm the rising tension.

“Hoo.”

The memory of facing the devil last time comes to mind. Its enormous and overwhelming presence, honestly, I felt powerless.

I shouldn’t feel that way today, but no matter how I prepare myself, it won’t be an easy task.

However, I need to act strongly. I had to irritate it a bit.

The devil would know that there’s a reason I’m calling it here.

‘It’s not stupid, of course it would notice that I’m calling it into a trap.’

Still, I think it will have to come. I shattered the plan they had been preparing for a year.

Even before that, I revealed their identity to the world and hindered them at every turn.

They’ll either send someone, gritting their teeth in anger, or to investigate in some way.

When I first formulated this plan, what I wanted was for them to consider Shahri as my companion.

‘Now it doesn’t matter either way.’

Anyway, it’s time to face it now. The sooner, the earlier they’ll come looking.

I held a dagger in my right hand and drew a small line on my left palm. Just enough to draw a little blood.

Blood beads up in a line on the shallow wound. I grabbed the magic tool with that hand.

Like before, the dark purple magic tool reacted. Was it remembering this tool?

The reaction was faster than in the past.

The devil’s sinister power erupts violently from inside the magic tool. My vision inverted to dark purple.

‘This isn’t easy.’

Despite preparing to remember and overcome this moment, my body stiffened for an instant.

Goosebumps rise on my skin a half-beat late. Rising tension, my heartbeat quickens.

And from within the purple sphere, the devil with black sclera and ominous red eyes stared directly at me.

The intense gaze seemed emotionless, but looking closely, it also seemed filled with anger.

Those eyes scanned me and behind me.

It would have immediately known where I was. I wonder if it’s gathering information on what I’m doing here.

I gritted my teeth imperceptibly. It’s time to overcome this tremendous presence and fear.

I deliberately smirked.

“That was quite flashy. Must have been hard to gather those bombs. I enjoyed watching.”

The devil raised one corner of its mouth eerily. Of course, it didn’t look like it was smiling at all.

The devil of domination said nothing to me.

But the overflowing killing intent in its eyes was constricting me through the magic tool.

If it were an ordinary person, wouldn’t they have gone into cardiac arrest just from that gaze? I didn’t lose my smile.

“I think you know what I mean. I’ll be waiting here.”

I shifted the magic tool to my right hand. One-sided communication. The devil was still staring at me with a fierce gaze.

Three seconds passed like that. As my inverted vision returned to normal, the connection with the magic tool was cut off.

“Haah.”

I exhaled deeply again. The pressure was intense. Still, there was progress compared to before.

This time I cut off the connection myself and didn’t forget to provoke it.

It’s hard to call this progress, but it’s not easy to do this in front of a devil even with a magic tool as a medium.

In reality, most people, even if they’re strong, freeze and can’t move in front of a devil.

Well, anyway. Now all that’s left is to wait. I lifted my head and looked at the mountains on either side.

I was planning to climb up the mountain now. Staying in the forest would make it easy to be detected and difficult to observe.

‘Which way should I go?’

It doesn’t matter which side. I didn’t decide in advance either.

But maybe because I just faced the devil, even this trivial issue suddenly felt concerning.

I checked the wind above the sky. It was blowing from the right mountain to the left.

If it doesn’t matter which side, it’s better to consider the wind’s influence. Let’s go right.

If this is temporary, I can always move to the left mountain later.

***

After setting up a hideout just below the mountain peak, I observed Karantang Forest with a telescope.

While telescopes originally exist in this world too, Osten had modified it to allow for much more detailed viewing.

There were two reasons for using a telescope.

Shahri, being an Archmage, can sense my winds. The same goes for if the devil worshippers sent a strong person comparable to a Sword Master.

Also, the mountain and forest were wider than expected, making it quite draining to observe all areas with winds.

Anyway, waiting without a set time was quite boring.

Since I was hiding, I couldn’t just swing my sword around, and I couldn’t light a fire for meals either.

After three days passed like that, a group appeared. I couldn’t help but tilt my head at the sight of them.

Unexpectedly, the devil worshippers arrived before Shahri.

‘What’s this?’

They’re faster than I imagined. Even if the devil gave orders after seeing me, this speed was abnormal.

A thought flashed through my mind.

Could it be that they were targeting the First Prince? That would make sense. They would have been in this area.

At the same time, I recalled the princes’ meeting from before. The Third Prince knew that the Second Prince had warned the First Prince.

If that conversation was relayed, they might have come to threaten the First Prince to exploit that conflict.

‘…Still, it’s strange.’

But there’s no reason for that. I saved Erendil. In this situation, is there a need to drive a wedge between the First and Second Princes?

It would have been better to make them unite and target the Imperial Princess. Of course, that’s already impossible now.

Ah… my thoughts lead in a different direction. I might have been heading in the wrong direction.

Erendil is alive. The Third Prince who sided with them is essentially useless now.

And a prince who rarely left the imperial palace came out with minimal escorts.

‘Could they be trying to recruit the First Prince?’

That possibility was high.

With Erendil still active, it’s better to approach the First Prince than the disconnected Third Prince.

They could easily predict that war would break out soon by observing the capital’s atmosphere.

If they join hands with the First Prince, they could help him achieve military success, and use information from this side to target Erendil.

‘They’ve been busy brainstorming in this short time.’

Of course, it’s not certain yet, but I think that’s the case. I felt a bit of self-reproach for not having thought this far.

Huff, useless emotion. Let’s focus on what’s happened. Have they already made contact and come looking for me?

I’m not sure. The schedule would have been too tight for that.

Even if they met, the First Prince wouldn’t have easily fallen for those guys. Still, I should check it out.

‘Huh?’

They set up in the central clearing of the forest, but a new person caught my eye through the telescope.

I wondered what they were doing as they settled in and waited, but it turns out they were waiting for a superior. It was a familiar face.

‘Tilivan.’

A high-ranking executor of the devil worshippers. I didn’t expect to see that face here at this time. He’s quite a high-ranking person.

Unlike the half-baked Pelia, he’s someone who can freely use the devil’s power.

Two things became certain.

Seeing him come all the way here, it’s clear they intended to make contact with the First Prince.

And given that they likely haven’t met due to the schedule, the fact that he’s come to this forest now means… killing me is a higher priority than recruiting the First Prince.

A laugh escaped inappropriately. If he moved immediately to this extent, it means they’re quite angry about what I’ve done.

‘This might be an even bigger fish than the Archmage.’

Author's Thoughts

Hi everyone, I've completely translated this novel! For those who love this novel and wanted to binge read until the last chapter, you can go to my Patreon "Shop" page. There, I have a product in which you can read them with discounted price instead of buying them here with normal price. Thank you for the attention! P.S: If you want to buy the chapters in bulk and wanted a custom price, do hit me up on my discord account @_dawn24