Chapter 118. Unexpected (3)
The Owl swiftly climbed the castle wall, and crossed it without a sound.
Toreld's subordinates on guard, the alarm-raising magic circle, and the hidden traps blocked his path, yet he was never discovered.
'Too easy.'
No one could sense the faint presence of the Owl, and the traps had already been seen through. The magic circle, formed by some magical item, was not even worth worrying about.
It was a common type, using the 1st-tier spell mana detection, but the Owl possessed a magical item that could distort the detection of magic power.
Thus, having successfully infiltrated the castle without incident, he began his search swiftly.
There were places without blind spots, but breaking through was simple.
With the dagger hidden on his thigh, he assassinated the guards.
He disposed of them without leaving behind corpses, not even blood. Proceeding deeper in that way, he found a luxuriously decorated door.
Sliding a small mirror at an angle beneath the door, he checked the inside. As expected, the Black Wolf Toreld was there.
He sprawled across the sofa, as if flaunting himself.
'So he's asleep. Still, he's certainly different from before.'
The equipment Toreld was wearing,
Earrings, armor, boots, belt—there was nothing that did not look expensive. And on his forearms were two folded claws, and at his waist, twin blades.
Being armed at all times was the same as ever.
'Then I should aim for the head.'
The Owl activated the small crossbow strapped to his wrist.
He loaded a bolt infused with magic. It was a dual-stage type, the first meant to pierce, the second to discharge lightning, a magical item of high attribute, worth a fortune.
The Owl aimed at the door.
Beyond it lay the head of the slumbering Toreld.
Not a trace of error.
With conviction, he pulled the trigger.
Crack!
The bolt pierced through the door.
The split tip flew toward Toreld's head. Even on a direct hit, it would not pierce the skull. The instant it touched, it would release lightning and cause a small explosion.
It would injure him, but as a means of subjugation, it was second to none.
Soon, a familiar feedback was felt in his hand, and a flash of blue light burst forth.
'A perfect hit.'
The Owl opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was a wreck, scorched and blackened. Yet Toreld, who should have been collapsed on the floor, had vanished. Then, a voice rang from above.
"So, someone was aiming for my head, huh? Turns out it was you, Owl?"
Toreld floated in the air.
Around his neck, a feather-shaped pendant gleamed.
"A magic item imbued with flight? You managed to get your hands on that rare thing."
"Bought it off the underworld. Bit troublesome to recharge, but useful. Anyway, that aside."
Toreld descended to the floor.
"What business do you have with me? As far as I recall, there's no bounty on my head. I haven't even operated openly in years."
"You've grown talkative since we last met."
The Owl gripped his bow.
And in his other hand, arrows appeared, grasped several at once.
"Since when did we explain our reasons in this line of work?"
Toreld laughed.
With a metallic click, the folded claws extended. From their blades seeped a green glow—paralysis poison.
"Fair enough, that's true."
The moment their gazes crossed,
The Owl and the Black Wolf Toreld released killing intent and kicked off the floor.
***
In the underground prison, the dark mage.
Before he could even sense anything, his right hand shattered to pieces. Blood and fragments of flesh sprayed everywhere, and the staff he had been holding clattered to the floor.
The dark mage stared blankly at his wrist.
What just happened? What was that? Before he could process the situation, pain tore through his nerves, ravaging his brain.
"───Aaaaaaaagh!"
The dark mage clutched at his wrist.
Blood gushed endlessly, drenching his body crimson. As he screamed in agony, Verden, whose invisibility had dissolved, moved.
His aim was singular.
'Knock him out first.'
The dark mage of Mildruen had self-destructed.
There was no guarantee that this one before him would not do the same.
So this time, he meant to seize the man's consciousness first.
Only then, preventing him from suicide, could he interrogate him for information.
A shard of frozen ice pierced the dark mage's left arm.
For a mage, hands were the foundation of spellcasting. And now, with the only hand remaining frozen solid, he would hardly be able to cast dark magic.
Next, Verden closed in on him, striking his knee with the Oculus.
Crunch!
The dark mage collapsed instantly.
Spinning his staff, Verden pressed the man's throat against the ground.
"Gghhhk... krrkk...!"
The Oculus crushed his neck with brutal force.
His airway blocked, choking sounds escaped. His face, eyes bloodshot, was smeared with panic.
Yet before he could even glimpse Verden's face, his consciousness blurred, and his eyes rolled back.
"Simple enou—"
At that instant, the dark mage's magic power swelled.
A familiar phenomenon.
Verden immediately hurled him aside and manipulated the terrain, enclosing him in a dome.
Boom!
The sound of an explosion erupted inside. When the magic was released, only dark-red blood remained. As in Mildruen, not even a corpse was left behind.
Verden furrowed his brows.
'To think he'd explode even after being knocked out.'
It wasn't voluntary.
The moment the dark mage lost consciousness, Verden sensed a magical reaction within his body. Likely a form of curse magic.
'To seal their mouths, to keep information from leaking out.'
Tch. Verden clicked his tongue, lowering his gaze.
Another mage lay collapsed on the floor, his head drooping.
'The wounds are severe.'
The wanted man's entire body was in ruins. Verden considered giving him a potion for first aid, but there was a high chance the man would die instantly.
Even healing potions required a minimum of stamina to withstand them. His wounds festered with pus, inflammation spread across his body, and upon closer inspection, the flesh below was rotting away.
'A curse?'
In any case, to recover from such injuries would require at least a high-ranking priest.
At that moment, the mage muttered.
"D-dark... magic... must be stopped..."
With those words, he lost consciousness.
His heartbeat grew faint. No matter how one looked at it, the mage would not last more than three days.
Verden looked at him and thought.
The mage who was the cause of the flight ban.
And the dark mage who had been torturing him.
What connection did they have?
'There is a clue.'
The Orb of Necromancy.
Whatever it was, the dark mage had been searching for it. And he had even called the mage a traitor.
Then, did that mean this mage was also a dark mage?
'So he must be connected to the Union's dark mages....'
Had there been a schism among them?
He could not know.
But if he found out, it might become the key to learning what the dark mages were planning within the kingdom.
One way or another, he had to take this mage.
At best, he could serve as proof of the dark mages for Calia. If so, she would press the Union and the nobles with even greater force, and Perne would be able to seize the Union's vacant position without hesitation.
'So I must keep him alive if possible... but if not, I must at least take his corpse.'
Separate from the dark mages, it was also to lift the flight ban.
If he presented the mage's body to Calia, the kingdom's wanted order would be lifted. Even with the royal family's influence, with the man dead there would be no justification to maintain the ban.
───Rumble!
At that moment, the ground trembled.
The sound came from the ceiling, so it was no earthquake. And the rhythm was irregular. From experience, it was clear that a battle was taking place.
"Looks like the suppression has failed."
For all his confidence.
Quickly subdue Toreld, then heal the mage.
With his goal clear, Verden immediately headed for the surface.
***
The Owl nimbly widened the distance as he loosed arrows, while Toreld dodged or cleaved through them, closing the gap.
A battle that ignored floor, wall, and ceiling, impossible for ordinary eyes to follow.
The slash of the claw blades sliced through a stone pillar as if it were tofu.
Falling debris.
Barely evading the strike, the Owl retreated with a click of his tongue.
'He's covered in equipment that enhances physical ability.'
No wonder he had evaded the surprise attack.
Strength, speed, senses.
Nothing about him was the same as the Toreld he had once known. More beastlike now, his quadrupedal movements using both arms and legs made it difficult even for the Owl to react.
'And his defenses are formidable as well.'
He had succeeded in landing arrows by predicting his movements, but they had only scratched the breastplate. The rest of his body was no different.
The joints were the weak points, but Toreld gave him no chance.
"Kehihihihi! Owl! How long are you going to keep running like a rat?"
Toreld bared his teeth in mockery.
It was an irritating voice, but the Owl had no time to answer. Ahead, Toreld's subordinates had gathered, drawn by the commotion.
"Hey! Don't let that bastard escape!"
The men brandished their weapons.
Avoiding the Black Wolf's claws while breaking through that many foes would be no easy feat.
'Annoying pests.'
The Owl drew three arrows.
He infused them with aura at full power, then fired them in succession at the ceiling, floor, and walls. The arrows exploded, unleashing torrents of steel fragments.
"Gaghhh!"
"Ugh!"
The ricocheting shards tore through the men indiscriminately.
"You bastard...!"
Several shards came flying at Toreld.
He raised his arms to shield his head.
In that brief moment, the Owl broke through the encirclement and reached the end of the corridor.
Without hesitation, he hurled himself through a window, rolling upon the ground to land. Then, he readied an arrow that gleamed faintly with golden light.
'This will finish it.'
An arrow forged of Damascus steel.
With it, he would pierce a leg and cause bleeding, robbing Toreld of mobility. Once he had slowed him down, he could subdue him. The subordinates left behind could be handled easily enough.
A presence above.
The Owl spun around, bow raised.
'What...?!'
But instead of Toreld, it was a sword in the sky. Its trajectory twisted, and it flew toward him.
'A magic item!'
He kicked off the ground, retreating backward.
Then, sensing a sinister intent, he looked up. Toreld, using
The boots Toreld wore activated.
They were magical items that temporarily increased the wearer's weight, adding tremendous acceleration to his charge.
Slashhh!
The claws grazed the Owl's flank. By twisting his body at the last instant, he avoided injury. Using the recoil of his muscles, he sprang back to a distance.
Toreld sneered.
"Ah, too bad. A little faster, and that would have been the end."
He waved his hand.
The sword that had been floating in the air returned to his grip.
"What do you think? A sword imbued with telekinesis, not bad, huh? It's linked with this ring, though controlling it is tricky. And that's just one sword. I don't know how telekinesis mages manage several at once. Don't you agree?"
"..."
"Oh, no time to answer? Fine. I'll just catch you first, then ask who sent you. Save your words until then."
Toreld set the sword flying once more.
The levitating sword, the Black Wolf Toreld, and his pursuing subordinates. The Owl calculated how to subdue Toreld without killing him.
Then, suddenly, the sword halted in midair.
"Huh? What the hell?"
No matter how Toreld moved his hand, the sword did not budge.
It felt as though it were lodged in stone. No matter how hard he strained, it was the same.
Crack!
Toreld's ring shattered. Overused, its durability had given out completely. The sword, no longer bound, flew back toward the castle.
There stood Verden.
The Owl spoke.
"Right on time."
Seeing the stranger, Toreld tilted his head.
"You had an ally? Owl, I thought you worked alone.... Hey, you, in the robe! Who the hell are you?"
Toreld demanded, but Verden ignored him.
Instead, his eyes swept over Toreld's equipment, and he nodded as though impressed.
"Not bad. Could make a decent bit of extra profit."
"Extra profit? The hell are you───"
A bolt of lightning shot down at Toreld.