Chapter 171. Aftermath (1)
Calia kept watching Verden.
She had no choice. Even if she wanted to help, her injuries were too severe to hold a sword. That was why she could see everything, without missing a single moment.
The sight of the Grim Reaper dissipating.
The overwhelming Undead that neither Calia nor Gloss, who had gone all out, could leave a single scratch on.
A monster that not even if the entire White Crest Order and the Paladin Order joined forces could withstand, was subjugated by one Mage, alone. And overwhelmingly so.
'Is this truly reality...?'
A quantity of magic power greater than what she had felt in the Mausoleum.
The torrent of starlight that instantly swallowed the Grim Reaper, and the inferno forged from fire magic.
Not a single thing she could dare take her eyes off.
And the Mage Calia had hired, claimed victory as if to show her.
'I was mistaken.'
She had known he was no ordinary Mage.
At least, she had thought he was someone the Mages within the White Crest Order could never hope to rival. But even then, she had never imagined to this extent.
'This crossed the line.'
The strength that Calia witnessed with her own eyes.
That power surpassed the Magus protecting the Marquisate of Esperanza. Perhaps... truly perhaps, it could rival the pinnacle of the Kingdom itself.
Why would someone of such caliber be taking requests from Gray?
Wherever he belonged, if he simply proved his magic, he could obtain wealth enough to live in abundance for a lifetime, lofty authority, even glory that would be remembered after his death.
She could not fathom his intentions.
And the unknown soon turned into fear.
If that power ever turned toward the Marquisate, toward the Kingdom of Estiria, it was unimaginable what would happen.
That was why Calia had to ask.
Who are you?
'Hmm, that is far too fundamental a question.'
Verden stroked his chin.
He thought for a moment, but defining himself in words was extremely difficult.
For others, maybe, but Verden had not lived such a leisurely life that could be summed up in a few words. Avenger, test subject, researcher, countless lives overlapped.
'But if I had to summarize....'
Finishing his thought, Verden answered.
"I am a Mage."
"A Mage...?"
At such a simple answer, Calia blinked.
A Mage.
He must have known that was not what she meant to ask.
For a moment, Calia thought she was being mocked.
But Verden's eyes were endlessly sincere.
Not a joke, but truth. Calia stared blankly into those eyes, then let out a hollow chuckle. The tension that had bound her entire body melted away.
"Yes, you were a Mage... indeed. A very special one. I did not mean to be discourteous───"
"Let us drop the formalities."
Calia brightened.
"Ah, may I? Even I thought it sounded quite awkward, thank you. Then let's do that."
Calia cleared her throat lightly and said.
"Hrmm, anyway, thank you for saving me, Asher. Truly. Including the Mausoleum, this is already the second time my life has been saved by you."
"It is part of the request."
"Even so. I will make sure to reward you generously, not only with the agreed payment."
"Thank you."
"Yes. You may look forward to it."
Calia smiled.
At that moment, a presence was felt from afar.
"Lady Calia!"
"Captain Gloss!"
The White Crest Order's commander Vespa and the paladin Gelsia.
The two appeared from the passage and hurried this way.
With one arm dangling limply and limping on a leg, they too were in shambles, but it seemed they had survived the Death Knight.
'That is a relief.'
Calia leaned her head against the wall and let out a sigh of relief.
"It is time to leave."
Rumble...!
At that moment, fragments of stone and dust fell from the ceiling.
The faint tremor was almost identical to the unease felt within the Mausoleum.
"...It seems we must leave sooner."
"I agree."
Verden nodded.
***
"Everyone, board quickly!"
The Glory of the Dead subjugation force all boarded the airship Velos.
After confirming that even the wounded were all aboard, Calia started the airship. As magic power flickered within the mana stone that supplied energy, the airship floated.
Thus, they succeeded in leaving the canyon.
───Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
The passengers looked back.
With a massive tremor, cracks began to spread through the canyon they had just been in. Seeing the enormous rocks separating from the cliffs and falling, the subjugation members muttered.
"If we had been hit by that, the airship would have crashed."
"We almost got buried alive with the Undead."
Soon, the canyon where the ritual site had been collapsed completely.
The airship ascended in altitude and reached safety.
Once they had escaped the threat of being buried alive, the subjugation members began fainting one by one. Their stamina and mental strength had reached their limits after the harsh battle.
"Patients, over here!"
Even though the paladins were not unscathed themselves, they prioritized the critically injured first.
Inside the airship.
As a severely wounded person, Calia was treated first.
Receiving the miracle of healing, her injuries were partially restored, and she was bandaged all over with the emergency tools onboard. And since the end of her right pelvis was fractured, she had to use a crutch to move without discomfort.
"You should rest for now..."
"I am fine, please look after the others."
Despite the paladin's restraint, Calia staggered to her feet.
She looked around.
Gloss, Vespa, Gelsia, and the other subjugation members lay collapsed side by side.
Even relying on holy power, their injuries required at least two weeks, at worst a month of rest.
But fortunately, there were no fatalities.
Bishop Ronanderk.
As he had assured, he had protected the subjugation members from the Undead horde.
Of course, the bishop was not unscathed either.
From excessive use of holy power, he had collapsed unconscious among the wounded. She heard he would not wake for several days.
'I will have to make a great donation to the Luas Church later.'
After glancing over the wounded, Calia moved her steps.
Crossing the corridor, she entered the cockpit of the airship, where a man was standing.
Verden.
He turned his head toward Calia.
"Are you already able to move?"
"Though I did briefly explain to you the emergency landing method, I am the only one who can properly pilot this ship. Even if I sleep, it must be in the cockpit. But do you not need treatment yourself?"
"I have no problem."
Verden had suffered little more than scratches.
Even those had been completely healed by the Recovery Bracelet, so there was no need to borrow holy power.
'It is doubtful whether even miracles could heal this.'
Since the bishop's miracle had no effect, it was highly likely that the paladin's healing would not work either. It was an incomprehensible phenomenon, but one that could be investigated later.
Verden was also quite exhausted, so for now he did not want to cause unnecessary commotion.
"Ha, to think that even after fighting such enemies you do not have a single notable wound. My state feels utterly pathetic in comparison. Well, anyway. Asher, there is something I want to ask you."
Calia sat down on the bunk inside the cockpit.
"I heard the story about you and that old black magician. The Immortal World... From what I've heard, it seems like an organization that operates not just on the scale of nations, but across the entire world. The black magus who split the diocese in half, and the old black magician who contracted with a powerful Undead. What do you think their standing is?"
"At best, I believe they were only of executive level."
The two were certainly strong.
But it was not enough to invoke the name of the 'Immortal World'. Those who reign over the world are not so weak.
As expected.
Nodding, Calia spoke.
"Now that I think of it, that old black magician said so himself. That if we had not interfered, they would have already left the Kingdom. And besides the Undead, not a single other black magician was seen. Which means..."
"It means they already achieved some objective within the Kingdom."
"That would be the reasonable conclusion. And that also means they no longer have any business here."
Thud. Calia lay back on the bunk.
"A group of black magicians who want to stain the world with death. This seems far beyond what the child of a mere Marquisate can handle... Was what we did really meaningful? After all, they accomplished their goal anyway."
"At the very least, we managed to deal with the black magus and the Grim Reaper."
"And without you, even that would have been impossible. We would never have made it here from the diocese in the first place."
"You are the one who hired me, Lady Calia."
"...Thank you for saying that."
Calia's eyelids grew heavier.
"I feel drowsy. Well, it has been almost twenty days since we started from the Mausoleum and fought the Glory of the Dead, so it is only natural... You and I both should get some rest for a while..."
Calia's consciousness dropped instantly.
Confirming she had fallen asleep, Verden gently spread Telekinesis. A blanket nearby floated down to cover Calia.
'Perhaps I should sleep as well.'
Verden rubbed his eyes.
Though unwounded, he was equally exhausted.
Dragging his drowsy body, he left the cockpit and found an empty room. Collapsing onto the bed at once, Verden finally enjoyed deep sleep after a long time.
***
The Kingdom of Estiria, at the border.
The black magician Rimanen stood atop a cliff, gazing toward the Kingdom. But as time passed, nothing changed.
Nosa and Viola.
No news from either.
"Lord Rimanen, perhaps we should confirm the ritual site even now..."
"It is meaningless. The two are already dead."
The cause of death was unknown.
But the fact that they did not return even long after the Grim Reaper Ritual had ended meant they must have fallen to the pursuit squad.
'I do not know who could have killed the two.'
But he had no intention of wasting time searching.
Rimanen had a mission.
"We return as we are."
The Great Corpse.
At last, they had obtained its first body. Even if he were to die on the way, he must resurrect as an Undead and deliver that body to the 'First Servant'.
For the cherished wish dreamt of for ages.
Rimanen and the black magicians left the Kingdom behind.
Though they had stayed there for two or three years, and though many black magicians including Viola and Nosa had perished, there was no regret.
Whether or not the ritual site functioned properly, their most important objective had been achieved, so they would never return to the Kingdom.
But on the day the Great Corpse resurrected.
On that day, they would set foot on this land again.
And they would present it with a new world.
An Immortal World where only death existed.
***
The next day, Verden awoke.
Glancing out the window, he saw the day had dawned, meaning he had slept through the entire day. Washing in the bathroom attached to the room, Verden stretched lightly.
The drowsiness from yesterday was gone, and only refreshment remained.
'My magic power has also recovered considerably.'
His condition was excellent.
As he stepped outside, he saw a White Crest Knight with his arm in a splint. As Verden passed by, the knight bowed his head.
"You are awake, Sir Asher."
"Yes...? Ah, yes."
The greeting caught him off guard.
'What is this? Why the sudden greetings....'
Watching the knight's back as he walked away, Verden tilted his head.
He soon resumed walking. Strangely, everyone he met gave him a morning greeting. Even paladins.
Eventually, he knocked on the cockpit door.
"Asher? Enter."
Granted permission, he stepped inside.
Within the cockpit were not only Calia, but also Vespa.
"Hrmm, good morning," Vespa said.
He too was strangely cordial.
"...Good morning."
Verden replied awkwardly.
At that sight, Calia let out a small laugh.
"Judging by your reaction, it seems other knights greeted you similarly. How is it? Being addressed formally by quasi-nobles."
"Why is this happening all of a sudden?"
"It may feel sudden to you, but it is not strange. After all, you are their savior. Not only me and Vespa, but the entire White Crest Order and the Paladin Order as well."
...Hmm, now that she said it, it made sense.
'Being acknowledged is not such a bad feeling, but....'
To say it aloud would feel like painting his own face with gold. Roughly convinced, Verden changed the subject.
"Where are we headed?"
"For now, we plan to go to the diocese. By now, news of the diocese's attack must have spread. With the priests, paladins, and bishops who remained in the Kingdom gathered back, it will be a proper environment to tend to the wounded. Then, we will stop by the Territ Territory to return the airship, and it will be over. Simple, is it not?"
...It did not sound simple at all.
Others might not know of the Glory of the Dead, but they did know Calia had stolen the airship. Just as that thought arose, suddenly a knight's cry came from outside.
"L-Lady Calia!"
From the deck.
The three exchanged glances and immediately rushed outside. Everyone was staring at the sky. Following their gaze upward, Calia widened her eyes.
"That is...!"
A massive shadow blanketed the airship Velos.
One large airship occupying the sky, flanked by two smaller escort airships. Each bore the crest of the Marquisate of Esperanza.
The main force of the Marquisate of Esperanza.
At that moment, someone flew down from the central airship.
An old man wearing a robe with the Marquisate's crest, his face wrinkled, wielding a staff of green metal. The Magus landed on the deck of Velos.
"It has been a while, young lady Calia."
Edmon Rodliner.
Known by the alias 'Headwind', the Magus who protected the Marquisate of Esperanza.
"Grandfather Edmon...!"
"Yes, it is I."
Edmon smiled kindly.
"I always knew Lady Calia was a troublemaker since she was a child... But to think you would steal an airship from Count Territ. When this old man heard the news, even I was greatly shocked. And..."
Edmon's eyes scanned the faces of the injured.
"...Hoho, it seems this time you have caused quite a grand incident."
"T-That is what happened. But..."
Calia hesitated, then asked.
"Is Father... very angry?"
"Hohohohoho!"
Edmon roared with laughter.
Then suddenly, he stopped, his face turning serious.
"Immensely."