Chapter 49
Chapter 49: The Experienced Hunter (4)
"Marquis Aaron, I place you under arrest for treason."
Knights clad in black armor stormed into Marquis Aaron's mansion.
It was the arrival of the Empire's most infamous Possessor Management Bureau—an organization that moved only at the Emperor's command.
"Stop them!"
"For the Marquis House!"
The branch-line house's knights stood against the Imperial Bureau.
The appearance of the Bureau meant one thing: the Marquis' lifeline was already severed. Because of this, the house's knights had no choice but to fight.
"What in the world have I done to bring the Bureau to my doorstep?"
Watching his own knights being thoroughly suppressed, the Marquis swallowed hard.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't recall doing anything that would displease His Imperial Majesty.
If he had to think of something...
'I merely conducted business on a small scale...'
He had provided considerable assistance to Duke Raffin's Magic Tower, but there shouldn't be a problem. He had clearly defined ownership and responsibility.
The only ventures he had personally undertaken were creating a few small clothing brands.
Even that Northern Archduke operated a brand called Yeti Coat...
Shouldn't this be overlooked?
As the Marquis stood bewildered,
"My lord, might there be some other matter you're unaware of?"
His strategist approached and asked. He was a gifted graduate who topped the Imperial Military Academy and had earned his reputation on the battlefield during his time in the Imperial Army.
"I truly can't think of anything."
"What about the tax evasion issue from a few years ago—"
Cutting off the strategist's probing question, the Marquis said,
"His Imperial Majesty is not the sort to summon the Bureau over a nobleman's tax evasion."
The Emperor was quite merciful. Especially toward houses like Marquis Aaron's that fulfilled their noble duties.
"Strategist Yoon, now that the Bureau has arrived, there's no need to search for reasons."
Whatever the reason may be, the Bureau's arrival presumed guilt unconditionally. It was a kind of presumption of guilt principle.
Strategist Yoon Jung-sik's mind raced rapidly. There was no way to resolve this from the Ducal House's position.
"I will send an emergency signal to Duke Raffin."
"The Bureau, you say... The Duke will likely abandon me as well."
Just as the strategist sent an emergency magical communication signal, a coded response came back as if waiting.
It was a signal system used by the military.
"...An answer already? What did Duke Raffin say?"
The Marquis's anxiety grew at that swift response.
'He knew in advance and abandons me—'
"The Duke will use Teleportation Magic for you, he says."
"What... what?"
"He will install a Teleportation Magic Circle here, he says."
"That so? Yes! After all, I am the third-ranking figure in the Magical Alliance—he wouldn't abandon me!"
Marquis Aaron heaved a deep sigh of relief.
The fact that the Duke would personally open a Teleportation Magic Circle when the Bureau had arrived meant the Duke would give him his protection.
'How much knowledge did I reveal to obtain that factory stake...'
He felt the reward for pouring an unreasonable amount of money and time.
The Marquis delivered his final command to Strategist Yoon.
"Inform all the house members: surrender instead of resistance."
As the head of a house now, he had to save as many people as possible. That way, when he cleared his name with the Duke's help, the Ducal House would be able to stand tall again.
"I will entrust my movements to the Duke and seek a way to resolve this wrongful accusation."
The moment he finished speaking, a massive Magic Circle appeared before the Marquis.
The Marquis stepped onto the Magic Circle.
"Strategist Yoon, I entrust matters to your handling."
Uuuuung!
With a blue light, the Marquis vanished.
***
Possessors bearing the mark of the Almanism Church crossed the Empire's city gates.
Without a moment's hesitation, they bypassed the checkpoint managed by the Imperial Army and headed directly to the Almanism Church's checkpoint.
"Alman's grace!"
Chirp!
Pale smoke was rising from beneath their robes.
The priest in charge of the checkpoint hurriedly withdrew his divine power and asked in panic,
"...Are you the ones he mentioned?"
The priest of the Almanism Church found himself in a truly bewildering situation.
'They truly are possessors.'
He recalled the orders given by the Daughter of the Almanism Church's Archbishop, who was also the Empire's Second Empress.
"Some possessors will pass through. Simply let them through."
"No matter how much it's the Highness's order..."
"My order? This is my father's will."
The Highness's father—he was the Archbishop.
'It wasn't nonsense...'
True to her word, possessors in Almanism Church robes had appeared.
On a whim, the priest attempted to manifest his divine power.
"Ah hot."
Once again, smoke rose from beneath the robes.
This time, a scream was heard.
'Truly possessors! What is this!'
As the priest panicked, five possessors in white robes exchanged glances with one another.
Swoosh!
Then one man approached the priest.
Pitch-black pupils gleamed between the robes.
He whispered into the priest's ear,
"Hey, you bastard. Didn't you hear the orders from above?"
At that eerie voice, the priest gave the signal as planned and opened the checkpoint gate.
"Useless bastard, that's why you're stuck here spinning your wheels!"
The man who spat on the priest walked through the opposite gate with his companions.
"Ah..."
Watching their receding figures, the priest took the posture of prayer.
Bringing both fists together beneath his chin, he closed his eyes tightly.
'This ignorant believer asks:'
Is it truly your will to protect such morally bankrupt possessors?
And what great undertaking will follow, I cannot fathom.
Only as a servant of God, I will regard this also as part of a greater flow and continue my prayers.
"Heh, that bastard."
Seeing the devout prayer, a possessor in robes raised his middle finger.
The other possessors beside him giggled.
"What do you expect from NPC-level bastards?"
"They're thick-headed things without basic education, so they just do prayers like that. What's the deal with God anyway."
"The Black Mage Group is just as pathetic, right?"
"But still! The original chairman was our comrade, you know. It's different from the others."
Click!
After chattering for a bit, they had already crossed the Empire's city wall.
Beyond the checkpoint passage, a vast view of the Inner Fortress came into view.
"Wow..."
The five possessors in Almanism Church robes opened their mouths wide at seeing the Empire's appearance for the first time.
"So damn primitive."
"They called it a great empire, but is this really medieval level?"
Buildings constructed from rough bricks.
People of modest appearance walking along the streets.
The Empire's borderlands were utterly ordinary.
"Hey, nothing worth seeing. Let's take a speed potion and get going."
The five possessors pulled acceleration potions from their Inventory.
Now that they were inside the Empire, there would be no surprise inspections.
They wore the robes of the Almanism Church, meaning the white robes indicated they were 'undertaking Church duties.'
The Imperial soldiers would generally not interfere.
"Kuuu, this buzz is killer."
The effect of the Acceleration Potion was tremendous. They crossed the city in an instant and arrived at the opposite city wall.
And they moved outside the wall without any obstruction.
"Wow, shit. What's that."
"The Great Granary Region, they said..."
The possessors looked out in astonishment at the crops stretching to the horizon.
"Insane... is all of that cultivated by magic?"
Compared to the rough clothing and outdated buildings, the food cultivation method was far too magnificent.
"Not all of it, look—there are separate farms in the middle."
Even if cultivation was done by magic, people were needed to manage it.
And typically, such work was handled by the common folk of the territory.
"Let's eat."
Those possessing the Pleasure of Murder and Human Failure achievements drooled upon seeing people.
"Hey, we should call the Master first."
The possessors held back their desires temporarily for their assigned mission.
Five people who had advanced to second class changed with the Black Mage class.
"Let's prepare the skill."
Moreover, all of them possessed the Portal Creation and Designated Summonskills.
The skill they would use this time was Designated Summon, and because the summoned target was too powerful, all five had to perform the summoning simultaneously.
"Three, two, one—"
The five people stretched their hands toward the ground.
In response to the skill motion, black magic power surged.
The black vortex blooming from their fingertips merged into one, turning it the size of a small door, dyed pitch-black.
This was the erosion effect inherent to black magic power.
"This much shouldn't be detected, right?"
And Designated Summonhad the weakest erosion effect unique to black magic.
If it wasn't within a hundred meters, detection was impossible, and since the erosion occurred in empty space, there was no way for the Elves to notice—
"Shit, everyone defend!"
Min Jun-ho, the team leader of the black mage possessors, shouted urgently.
The Crisis Sense trait had activated.
The five who had lived as one for two years after possession simultaneously reached their hands to empty space.
From the direction they reached, a massive golden sphere was approaching.
Shhhhhhhh!
"M-meteor?"
Rocks resembling a meteor shower.
But golden?
Sizzle!
"Ahhh! This is divine power!"
The defensive barrier skill unfolded by the five black mages dissipated.
This happened before the golden rocks even arrived.
The black mages couldn't even scream at the horrendous pain.
'Why is divine power here'
It was natural for possessors bearing black magic to suffer more from divine power.
Baaang!
The golden rocks fell upon the burning possessors.
Then.
Kieeeeeeeeek!!
A horrific sound erupted.
Something pitch-black appeared among the burning black mages.
"Ah, this terrible power, what is it?"
***
The capital of Duke Rafin's territory was right next to the Imperial Capital, but the Duke's Magic Tower stood at the borderlands closest to the Empire's southern region.
At that time, the Elves had protested to the Empire in a frenzy.
"Are you targeting the World Tree!"
The World Tree was the homeland of the Elves, the source of Great Mother Nature herself.
They had made a covenant with the Emperor.
In exchange for the Empire withdrawing its army from the south, they would bring abundance to the Great Granary Region.
Saaaaaaa!
Following the wind, the golden-ripened rice moved its head gracefully.
Seen from afar, the sight was truly beautiful.
"Erik, the Elves are fulfilling the covenant well."
Watching that blessing of nature, Erica advocated for the Elves.
To that, Erik tilted his head.
"Commander Erica, don't overdo the nonsense."
Seeing Erik's trembling trapezius muscle, Erica closed her mouth firmly.
'Not even a whisper of presence...'
Great Nature itself, the land blessed by the World Tree.
Beyond the Elves' territory, that blessing extended to the Empire's south, so if black magic power was felt, the Elves would surely have come forward... yet—
"Something is attempting to summon."
Erik's eyes were fixed on the very edge of the horizon.
The distance was so great that even rushing would take several minutes, and the long-range divine power obtained from 3rd Tier didn't reach that range either.
Moreover, the summoning had already begun.
[Star Summon: 100,000,000 Gold]
Erik used 100 million Gold without hesitation.
It was his determination to unleash a barrage of holy bombardment the moment anything was summoned.
"Evil bastards."
Erik speculated on why the black mages were targeting the Empire's south.
'Sacrifices.'
In the Great Granary Region lived powerless farmers.
They farmed using magical tools, but managing this vast land required thousands of laborers.
'And food, of course.'
The Empire's southern region, blessed by the World Tree, produced enough food to feed the entire Empire.
If they merely caused erosion here, nearly half the Empire's population would starve, and to restore it, countless priests would need to conduct purification work.
"These vile fucking bastards."
Erik ground his teeth and raised his hand.
From his fingertips, brilliant divine light surged upward, soaring high into the sky.
Drop by drop, small lights like water droplets flew into the clouds above—
Kuung!
A heavy sound of air being torn echoed high in the sky.
'It really is black mages...'
Feeling the endlessly heavy divine power, Erica grasped the gravity of the situation.
"Guards, prepare the charge!!!"
Erica doesn't know where to go.
She doesn't even know who the enemy is.
But that direction, Erik would guide her to.
Erica began running nonetheless.
Swoosh!
Watching the red afterimage of Erica disappearing before him, Erik lowered his hand.
"Follow the light!"
Following his gesture, streaks of light began pouring down, tearing through that high sky.
Shhhhhhhh!!!
Oppressively massive golden spheres tore through the wind and flew toward the horizon.
"Stars are falling."
A line carelessly uttered by Erica running at the very front as she beheld the unfolding spectacle.
The golden spheres left long afterimages along the horizon.
As the divine gold scattered, leaving silver traces, it felt exactly like watching a meteor shower in the night sky.
And at the end of those beautiful falling stars—
"A disgusting power."
Something sinister stood.
Bang! Bang!!!
That black thing swung its hand and erased the divine spheres.
At the piercing shockwave, the charging guards froze.
"A filthy existence."
The black thing gazed at the guards.
Holy stars continued to fall from above it, yet it walked forward indifferently as if unconcerned.
"Rise, followers of darkness."
It was a heavy and terrifying voice.
At those words, the five black mages who had been burning suddenly stood upright.
"We greet our Master."
They simultaneously bowed their heads in salute to the black thing.
Holy boulders continued to rain down from the sky, yet they were no longer a threat to the possessors.
'What... what is that...'
The divine light vanished the moment it approached.
Something stained black erased the divine power.
At that bizarre phenomenon, Erica examined the black thing closely.
'Lines on its forehead...'
The black thing was pitch-black in every way, yet seven clear lines were drawn on its forehead.
"S-seven?"
A guard member's voice trembled as he took a step backward in fear.
"E-everyone, don't be afraid!"
Erica hurriedly boosted her Order's morale.
Though she spoke thus...
Inwardly, she too was gripped by fear.
'A catastrophe-class disaster...'
A black mage who had harvested a million souls.
Even six lines were called 'calamity-class,' warranting military mobilization. Seven lines had appeared.
Erica too wanted to flee.
Yet she still had something to believe in.
"Behind us stands the Saint!"
Therefore, she took a step forward.
Yet the black mage wielding authority easily shattered her courage.
The black thing commanded,
"Kill yourselves, scum of the Empire."
Whoosh!
Immediately, all the knights, with Erica at the front, turned their blades to their own necks.
In the moment when they felt the keenness of the blade pressing against their throats,
Keeeeng!
Space tore crosswise.
'E-Erik—'
From within, a colossal Paladin emerged, radiating overwhelming divine power.
The Saint of the Astia Religious Order, a Pilgrim, called the natural enemy of black mages—Erik.
"Protect this land"
The massive Paladin recited reverent prayer.