Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 189
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 189
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The magic I had seen from Leo and Chaser until now was beautiful, solid, and filled with good intentions.
Perhaps because I had always kept such things close by, I might have unknowingly underestimated black magic.
In an instant, the pitch-black magic circle that covered the temple area like a giant snake emitted such an ominous light that it could take one’s breath away.
The novice priest—no, the dark mage—who instinctively realized that Giuseppe had discovered their identity, cast a terrible explosion spell at the cost of their own life.
It was powerful enough to char the dark mage’s corpse black, but surprisingly, there was only one casualty besides the dark mage.
The massive explosion and people’s screams.
The abundant bloodstains and the acrid smell that stung the nose.
All of it was still too vivid, and I was squeezing my eyes shut when—
Creak.
With the sound of hinges twisting, the infirmary door that had been closed all along opened, and Ophelia emerged with a weary complexion.
“How is the High Priest?”
At my urgent question, she bit her lips as if holding back tears, then sat down beside me.
“Fortunately, he’s passed the critical stage. Though he hasn’t recovered enough to regain consciousness immediately.”
“Even after healing with divine power?”
In this world, divine power is nothing short of a miracle.
Yet Ophelia couldn’t guarantee Giuseppe’s recovery.
“Healing someone with high divine status requires a lot of divine power. Ordinary priests’ divine power wouldn’t even be able to stop the bleeding, so I have no choice but to check his condition daily and pour my divine power into him.”
I was left speechless at those words.
Knowing this, had Giuseppe still deployed a barrier around himself and the dark mage during the explosion to prevent others from getting caught up in it?
Thanks to that, the people there were safe, but Giuseppe ended up severely injured.
Then, Ophelia grabbed my hand and spoke earnestly.
“Belinda, as you can see, this place isn’t safe. If something goes wrong, you could be in danger too. So please, return to the Royal Capital.”
I looked at her trembling hand and slowly shook my head.
I felt I needed to at least see Giuseppe regain consciousness to put my mind somewhat at ease. After all, I was able to preserve my life thanks to him.
However, Ophelia’s intention was firm.
“I don’t want to say this, but the High Priest is… a harsh person. To himself and to others as well. When I think that you could have been caught up in the explosion too, I…”
Ophelia couldn’t continue her words and tightened her grip on my hand.
I could fully understand Ophelia’s feelings.
Any sane person would prioritize their own life rather than choose to trap themselves in a barrier to reduce the explosion’s power in order to protect others.
‘He must be completely insane.’
I had thought this since seeing how he took the sacrifice of the few for the many for granted and treated Lord Cheri like a chess piece, but Giuseppe’s values were twisted somewhere.
Especially in how he took even his own sacrifice for granted and treated himself like a chess piece.
Being near such a person would inevitably involve getting caught up in dangerous situations, whether one liked it or not.
‘What should I do now?’
Giuseppe had lost consciousness, and we still hadn’t found the black magic organization’s stronghold.
I had only wanted to get information about the destruction six years from now from Giuseppe, but how did things end up like this?
As I sighed, I noticed bloodstains on the hem of my skirt.
“Stand back!”
Ah, of all things, I ended up owing Giuseppe a debt.
After thinking for a moment, I nodded as if I would follow Ophelia’s words.
“Alright, if that’s what you want, I’ll go back.”
Only then did relief appear on Ophelia’s face.
“You made the right decision. Don’t worry about the High Priest. Even if I have to pour out all my divine power, I’ll definitely heal him so he can nag about today’s events for a whole year.”
I bid farewell to Ophelia, who was deliberately speaking playfully to lighten the mood, and turned around without hesitation.
However, my steps weren’t heading toward the temple dormitory.
‘Sorry to Ophelia, but I didn’t say I’d leave right now.’
Offering a small apology to her in my mind, I knocked on the door of the 5-star hotel suite.
“How many times have I told you not to bother me… Master!”
Chaser, who had mistaken me for someone else and opened the door with an annoyed expression, immediately brightened upon seeing me.
“Did you perhaps come to see me…”
“Chaser, I have information about the Red Mage Tower Master.”
“Ah, right. I should have known it was about work. I really should have known.”
At my words, Chaser grumbled and stepped aside.
As I entered, the entire view of the port city could be seen at a glance through the large window.
Right after the explosion incident, I had rushed straight to Giuseppe to check whether he was alive or dead.
Though his whole body was covered in blood, he was barely maintaining consciousness.
“Don’t lose consciousness, stay with me. I have a potion that can heal wounds. With just that…”
I was babbling anything to reassure him and had gotten up to immediately fetch the ‘Spring of All Things’ when—
Giuseppe’s hand grabbed the hem of my skirt. He shook his head at me with difficulty.
“In the temple… there’s another…”
Instead of shaking off his hand, I stayed by his side again.
In the temple, another person.
I grasped the gist of those words with unbelievable speed.
“You mean there’s another traitor in the temple? Someone who knows the High Priest’s face.”
He exhaled a shallow breath and nodded. Then he barely whispered in a fading voice.
“The Red Mage Tower Master… *cough*, they gathered to fulfill his wish.”
That was the dark mage’s past that Giuseppe had managed to read with his power of insight in the moment his hand touched the novice priest.
I wanted to ask for more details, but the priests who had rushed over quickly moved Giuseppe inside the temple.
I stood still in that place reeking of burnt smell for a while.
Being wary that the other enemy Giuseppe mentioned might be watching me at this very moment.
“Master, what are these bloodstains? Are you hurt somewhere?”
“It’s not my blood. More importantly, Chaser, it seems things have gotten seriously tangled up.”
Calming the startled Chaser, I decided to finish the work Giuseppe couldn’t complete.
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Chaser’s face was unusually serious after hearing Giuseppe’s information.
“According to that priest’s power assessment, it means the black magic organization believes they can achieve the Red Mage Tower Master’s purpose.”
The Red Mage Tower Master’s purpose was to become immortal.
He was already making a name for himself across the continent as the worst criminal, and I didn’t even want to imagine what kind of disaster it would be if he obtained immortality.
“Is immortality really possible?”
Though I didn’t know much about magic in detail, I had learned things by attending Chaser’s lessons with Leo.
In those lessons, Chaser had said that black magic was by no means omnipotent.
Chaser seemed to be thinking the same thing as me, as his answer came immediately.
“Theoretically, it’s possible. However, I can’t believe the Red Mage Tower Master has already reached that level. So probably…”
Chaser paused for a moment, then ran his hand through his hair as if troubled and continued.
“There must be a collaborator within the organization who is extremely skilled in dark magic. If multiple dark mages cooperate around that person, immortality would indeed be possible, but… Ha, dark mages cooperating? That’s as absurd as a priest joining hands with a mage from the Magic Tower.”
In the end, it meant that it wasn’t entirely impossible for the Red Mage Tower Master to achieve his desire.
“Then what would be the price?”
“….”
Chaser immediately understood what I was trying to say.
If one could reach the realm of immortality through dark magic, what price would have to be paid?
“The Red Mage Tower Master has already used many human lives as the price for dark magic. If that old man truly intends to obtain immortality…”
Chaser’s gaze, which had sunk low, turned toward the cityscape of Baliko, teeming with people trapped by the typhoon.
“Probably even hundreds of human sacrifices wouldn’t be enough.”
Chaser’s following words sounded like a terrible prophecy that would determine their fate.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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