Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 202

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 202

* * *

A few years ago, there was an estate that suffered consecutive years of poor harvests as if cursed.

To make matters worse, when a plague broke out, the despair and anger of the estate’s people turned toward their incompetent lord.

The young baron tried to gather his family’s wealth to obtain grain, but the neighboring lords refused to even deal with the boy, as if they had made some agreement.

On the day when the young baron, who hadn’t even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony, shed tears at his own powerlessness.

His knight, who had served the boy from long ago, awakened the power to sprout a single grain of wheat.

However, one grain of wheat could not ward off the hunger of the estate’s people.

Then, someone who introduced himself as an ascetic approached the knight.

“Shall I teach you a dark magic circle that will bring prosperity to your lord’s estate?”

“Investigate the water source. Someone has poisoned it to make the land and people sick. You can probably guess who the culprit is.”

The ascetic was like a prophet.

Normally, she wouldn’t have believed the words of someone who hid their face, but at that time, the knight was too desperate.

In the end, she used the dark magic circle the ascetic taught her to make the estate prosperous, and was also able to take revenge on her lord’s uncle who had contaminated the water source.

However, as the price, she had to leave the estate with its golden waves of grain and her lord’s side.

Because now she was a dark mage.

“Hide your name and work as a mercenary until I need your help.”

When the knight said she would repay the favor, the ascetic spoke as if looking into the distant future.

Two years later.

Six companions gathered by the ascetic met in the port city of Baliko.

The original plan was to secretly handle the job taking advantage of the typhoon, but after the typhoon passed, only three survived.

‘No, perhaps it might become two people.’

The woman who was once a loyal knight lay on the inn’s bed, watching over the man who was hovering between life and death.

The alchemist’s face, which she had never seen bare since he always wore a mask, was a mess of burns. It was because he had detonated explosive magic tools at close range.

As she approached the alchemist’s side so he wouldn’t spend his final moments alone.

Suddenly, the door of the old inn where they were staying burst open and a small-framed figure rushed in.

“Ah, thank goodness. I’m not too late.”

The reason she didn’t stop the unexpected intruder was because the pure white mask he wore was familiar.

“Ascetic…”

It was the ascetic who had only communicated through letters since their first meeting.

The ascetic, who seemed to have been running for a while and was panting, immediately approached the bed, knelt down, and took the alchemist’s hand.

At first, she thought he was going to watch over his final moments.

“You endured well. I’m here now, so it’s okay.”

Until sacred light burst forth from the ascetic’s hand clasped with the alchemist’s.

“…!”

The surprised knight reflexively gripped her weapon. The assassin who had been quietly standing did the same.

They had no choice. What burst from the ascetic’s hand was divine power.

The ascetic, who had instantly healed the alchemist, looked back at the knight and assassin.

Hesitating at their wary faces, he slowly brought his hand to his mask and muttered.

“Ah, I should have introduced myself first. The situation was so urgent.”

Soon the mask was removed, revealing the ascetic’s face.

Silver hair like eternal snow sparkling in sunlight and peach-colored eyes full of sweet flesh.

“How is the Saintess…!”

It was none other than Saintess Ophelia.

“I don’t understand. How… can you be a dark mage?”

The knight could fully understand the assassin’s confusion.

The ascetic’s identity was the Saintess. Moreover, now that she looked, there were no traces of dark magic on Ophelia.

Yet she possessed more extensive knowledge of dark magic than the Red Mage Tower Master.

At the assassin’s question, Ophelia smiled with a slightly troubled expression.

“Hmm, would it be an answer if I said I was a dark mage in my previous life? Thanks to that, I have sufficient knowledge, but since I haven’t used dark magic yet, no traces of dark magic remain.”

Ophelia’s answer didn’t resolve the mystery.

However, instead of adding further explanation, she smoothly traced the alchemist’s cheek, erasing even the faint traces of burns that remained.

The knight watching this asked.

“Just answer this one thing. From the beginning, did you intend to… eliminate the Red Mage Tower Master?”

At those words, Ophelia’s eyes widened and she nodded as if pleased.

“What I need are reliable companions who will work with me to prevent the destruction six years from now. Within that circle, I don’t need merchants who move for their own wealth, nor priests who are so blindly devoted to me that their judgment is clouded. Needless to say, mages who only pursue knowledge.”

Well, they had their own roles too.

In the end, it meant the immortality magic circle Ophelia taught was a trap created from the beginning to eliminate the Red Mage Tower Master.

“Ah, though I was hoping the Red Mage Tower Master would at least take the High Priest’s life.”

Ophelia, who had muttered lightly, leisurely rose from her seat and looked around at everyone.

“I told you. The end will come in six years, and all people in this world will face death. However, you who were chosen by fate, so to speak, can avoid death.”

Both the arrogant words about being chosen by fate and the absurd talk of foreseeing the end in six years sounded like nasty jokes.

However, when Ophelia, who seemed to possess the power of divine insight, spoke, the meaning was not light.

“I’ll tell you the truth of the world hidden behind a veil. Of course, also the way to survive the disaster and protect those you hold dear.”

Looking at her silent companions, Ophelia smiled faintly.

“If we cannot prevent the disaster, we must become the disaster itself to survive.”

Those chosen by the ascetic and allowed to survive had things they needed to protect.

So there was no reason not to follow.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————