Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 131

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 131
* * *
Kelkita. The moment I heard the name from Sergei Lebanon, it flashed through Auredhian’s mind. He turned the word over on his tongue.
“Kelkita….”
“But, but the Vice-Bishop’s letter clearly stated that work in Kelkita was finished….”
Aiven Count fumbled to unfold the letter and check it again. But Auredhian didn’t even glance at it. Yes. The letter had definitely said all work through Kelkita was complete. It came from Diego, so it had to be reliable.
“It said only final touches remained… So it couldn’t possibly be Kelkita…!”
No. It was Kelkita. Every instinct within him screamed Kelkita. So at this very moment, what filled Auredhian’s mind wasn’t where Yerenika had been taken.
Was it possible to send a voice message to the Capital? Among his four direct Holy Knights, Selbier was the one in the Capital. The person he needed to summon was in the underground of the Imperial Palace in Barishard. His current location was Libne, the capital of Lebovni, and Kelkita, where he needed to go, lay at the southernmost reaches of vast Belgot. It was a distance that required crossing the Sezan Mountains diagonally for quite some time.
He had no intention of covering that distance on foot. Without magic, there was no way to traverse it in a single bound, and there was only one mage capable of deploying such a long-distance teleportation circle.
“….”
His thoughts circled back. Was it possible to send a voice message to Selbier across such a distance? In truth, there was no need to deliberate. He would make it possible.
Ordinary priests or Holy Knights couldn’t send him a voice message with their divine power. But him? He had simply never attempted it across such a distance—it wasn’t impossible. Auredhian didn’t waste many words.
“Bring him out.”
“Pardon?”
Aiven Count, who had been meticulously examining the letter, asked back stupidly.
“Your Majesty, what did you just say…?”
“He’s only worth keeping alive if he’s useful.”
The sensation of a voice message being transmitted was distinctly felt. Auredhian ground his teeth as he muttered.
“No time to waste. Selbier, hurry.”
And less than thirty minutes later, the door to the underground dungeon swung open.
“Come with me.”
A polite yet menacing voice echoed loudly through the dungeon. An old man with both arms and legs shackled by chains in the corner lifted his head. Clink. Something fell before the old man.
“…?”
It was a monocle. The former Magic Tower Master, Chernata Rosel, blinked blankly and stared down at the monocle that had rolled before him.
“Come out. It is the King’s command.”
“Am I being released?”
That couldn’t be. Rosel trembled, recalling the Emperor’s overwhelming presence that had burned him entirely.
Clang. The holy restraints that had been firmly fastened around his wrists and ankles came undone of their own accord. Only the restraint around his neck remained.
“A teleportation circle.”
Selbier, the Holy Knight guarding him, spoke coldly.
“A long-distance teleportation circle. It should be nothing for you.”
Rosel put on the monocle and pressed his lips firmly together. There was only one reason the Emperor would summon him.
Soleia. His most powerful and most feared disciple, who had been quiet for two years, had begun to move.
“…Where is the destination?”
“The Capital of Lebovni.”
Click. Even the restraint around his neck came undone. But the moment it fell completely to the ground with a clang, a sword was leveled at the old man’s throat.
“I’d advise against any foolish thoughts, former Magic Tower Master.”
“…I have no such thoughts.”
Rosel rose slowly with a sigh. From the moment he was captured in Hejad and imprisoned underground in the Imperial Palace of Barishard, he had no choice. Help the Emperor, and his life would be spared.
“The capital of Lebovni, then. You mean Libne? What’s the final destination?”
“Kelkita.”
The answer came curt and brief. Kelkita. The southernmost point of Belgot. It seemed that was where Soleia Elad had begun her movements. Moreover, if Lebovni was involved, it was also the nation where the Emperor’s cherished Princess resided. I didn’t need to hear the full story to grasp the situation. Rosel nodded silently in acknowledgment.
On the floor of the dark, damp underground dungeon, a crimson magical circle began to slowly inscribe itself. The teleportation circle’s completion was imminent. The only one capable of constructing a teleportation spell powerful enough to cross borders barricaded by mountain ranges in a single breath. Rosel stepped onto the magical circle.
“Go.”
The crimson circle flashed brilliantly, swallowing him and the Holy Knight’s shadows.
* * *
My calculations had been slightly off. The black magic that transformed corpses into puppets proved far stronger and more resilient than I’d anticipated. The amount I’d allocated was woefully insufficient.
“Ugh….”
Yet I had succeeded nonetheless. The young girl’s body, whose ankles had been bound to the magical circle, crumpled downward like a marionette with its strings cut.
But I had no time to concern myself with her. Every organ within my body twisted as though completing a full rotation. Yet I had even less time to voice my agony. The words I barely managed to squeeze out trembled violently.
“Hey.”
“Ugh…. M-Mother….”
I had no mind to choose my words carefully. I spat them out harshly.
“Listen. Get yourself together.”
It was almost as though I were speaking to myself.
“This… is all I can do.”
Even uttering that single short phrase left me breathless. I managed to force the words out.
“I can’t… take you… out of here. As you can see, I’m currently….”
My insides twisted again. I barely suppressed the bile rising in my throat and continued.
“From here on, you have to go alone.”
The girl’s face drained of color, consumed by terror.
“I-I can’t go alone….”
“You can. If even a speck like me can do it, what’s stopping you?”
“Don’t leave me behind!”
“Ah…!”
Skeletal fingers clamped around my arm. Where the hand—still bearing traces of black magic—made contact, searing pain bloomed as though my flesh were burning. I barely stifled a scream. The girl wept and pleaded desperately.
“Don’t abandon me…. Sob, I’m, I’m scared….”
But I had to be cold about this. I exhaled sharply and pried the girl’s hand away. I’m sorry, but I had absolutely no intention of dying in this underground if I took her with me. I refused to meet my end in such a pathetic manner.
“….”
So… I can’t take responsibility for you. Yet those words lodged in my throat like a thorn, refusing to emerge. What came out instead was something different.
“What’s your name?”
“N-Nia….”
“Nia. That’s a beautiful name.”
My vision swayed violently. Raulus’s perspective overlapped with mine, flickering in and out. I couldn’t bring myself to place my hand on the girl’s shoulder, so instead I brought my fingertips to the back of her small hand. Even that slight contact sent a searing pain through my fingers as though they were being severed.
“Going with me is more dangerous than staying here.”
The last of the sacred power I could offer flowed through my fingertips into the girl’s body. The girl, who had been sobbing uncontrollably, flinched in surprise and lifted her head.
“What is this…?”
“You’ll understand later. Up there.”
With that whisper as my farewell, I rose to my feet. My body swayed dangerously, but I managed to regain my balance. I sidestepped the girl’s grasping hands and turned away completely. There was truly no more time to waste.
And a few minutes later.
“I’m telling you, it’s more dangerous if you follow me!”
I finally lost my patience. A metallic taste bloomed at the root of my tongue. I clenched my teeth, barely suppressing the urge to retch, fearing I might cough up blood at any moment. The young girl who had stubbornly pursued me answered with unwavering resolve.
“Whether I stay here or follow you, I’ll die either way. The Black Mages come to inspect once a day.”
“….”
“If death is the same no matter where I am, I’d rather be with you.”
My silence stemmed purely from exhaustion. I had to trace Raulus’s presence, periodically check the sights he was seeing, and maintain control over my body that threatened to collapse at any moment. I was drowning in this triple burden—I felt as though I might die from the sheer mental strain!
In the end, I turned my head sharply away from Nia.
“Fine. Do whatever you want. But I’m telling you, I don’t care. I don’t even have enough strength left to save myself anymore.”
“It’s okay. I’m the one following you, so don’t worry…!”
The child’s voice was resolute, yet it still trembled slightly with each word.
“B-besides, you saved me….”
“….”
Even as I quickened my pace, Nia kept up effortlessly. But then, hearing her next words, I finally came to an abrupt halt.
“If it looks like you’re going to die, I’ll die in your place…!”
“….”
“Y-you can even use me as bait if you need to. Just please don’t abandon me….”
“….”
Raulus. How am I supposed to leave her behind?

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