I Became the Hero While Paving a Flower Path for My Niece - Chapter 61

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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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I Became a Hero by Laying Flowers on the Villain’s Path — Episode 61
“A 2nd Circle mage… wait, the Blue Tower mage became 3rd Circle? Then it must be the Xenor Tower Mage. Why is she here?”
“Who knows. If she didn’t come of her own accord, she was dragged here.”
Alex and his companions soon arrived at their destination.
“Here it is.”
Like before, there was a rock with a Magic Circle drawn on it.
[There are more Magic Circles than last time, probably because it’s their main base.]
“Do we have to dig another tunnel beside it this time?”
“Yeah. Touch that and they’ll know immediately.”
Alex, answering Dein’s words, took his position a short distance from the rock.
Dein’s companions, who had experienced this once before, stepped back, and Klaus Brodell and the Knight sensibly distanced themselves as well.
“Dig.”
A large hole opened before Alex.
“Dig.”
Multiple times over.
Klaus Brodell, who knew how other mages around him had cast spells when he was 2nd Circle, widened his eyes.
A typical 2nd Circle mage would have slight gaps between spells.
Even with the same spell, even with the same incantation, one had to calculate anew and mobilize magical power each time.
The ability to cast spells consecutively only began at the 3rd Circle stage.
Yet here was Alex, supposedly 2nd Circle, casting magic multiple times in succession.
‘His magical knowledge is unusual, and that Search Magic he used earlier to find people…’
A mage who possessed enough knowledge to glean such information from an incomplete Magic Circle, who could perform such specialized Search Magic, and who could cast spells continuously like this—was truly 2nd Circle?
Klaus found it hard to believe, though Alex had no reason to deliberately deceive them, and he showed no signs of lying.
“It seems the school of magic Alex learned originally functions that way.”
Dein, noticing Klaus’s bewildered expression, offered the explanation with a grin.
“I see. It appears to be an exceptional school.”
“He might well be the disciple of a reclusive sage.”
[Sage, yes, that checks out!]
[Reclusive though? Is he or isn’t he?]
Ibek tilted his head (though he had no head to tilt) while shrugging his shoulders (though he had no shoulders).
Living inside Alex’s body and not communicating with others made him seem reclusive, but since they traveled around, it didn’t quite seem like seclusion either.
While Ibek pondered, Alex had created a new passage with Dig, and Dein’s companions packed the soil to keep it from collapsing, with Klaus Brodell and the Knight quickly lending their aid.
Moments later.
As the final wall of earth broke through, a passage that someone had constructed appeared.
“It’s the same as before.”
“The interior will probably be similar.”
Alex nodded at Dein and Ben’s words.
“Right. It’s similar to the Underground Space from last time. The guards are in the front area, and the mages are in the back.”
As Alex walked along the passage, he briefed his companions on the enemy positions.
“What about the mages?”
“One 3rd Circle mage is stationary. The other 3rd Circle and a 2nd Circle are moving around. And…”
“And?”
Alex spoke as if he could see through the darkness of the passage ahead.
“There’s a foul magical aura.”
Even Ibek’s corrupted mana didn’t feel pleasant, but corrupted by Dark Magic, it carried an even more disagreeable and murky sensation.
[Dark Magic does have that quality to it.]
“A foul magical aura? Hmm. Alex, we’re not mages, so we don’t really understand when you describe it that way.”
Everyone nodded at Dein’s words.
[Can’t exactly call it Dark Magic without raising suspicion.]
[If they investigate, they’d figure out it departed from Belo Village recently.]
[If they ask how I knew that, it’d be a real problem.]
Alex had the same thought.
“I can only describe it that way. That’s how it feels to me.”
[It’s because it tastes like a ripe persimmon, so you call it a ripe persimmon!]
[The drama was entertaining though!]
Ignoring Ibek’s comments.
Alex continued.
“I’m warning you because it seems dangerous. And there are defensive spells inscribed in the back area, so be careful.”
“Understood.”
His companions nodded with grim faces.
!
Then it happened.
Alex’s brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong, Alex?”
“A Second Circle mage’s aura just vanished.”
“…You mean they’re dead?”
“Yes. It appears a Third Circle mage killed them.”
Right beside where the Second Circle mage’s aura had disappeared, there was a Third Circle mage’s presence.
“A Third Circle…”
Klaus Brodell’s expression darkened.
Was Domeric Brodell the culprit, or Baron Atin?
Or both?
Bright light came into view.
They had reached the forward chamber.
Alex drew a diagram on the ground with his finger, pointing out the guards’ positions.
The two weaker Guild Members would handle one guard each, while Dein and Ben, Klaus Brodell, and the Knight would each take one of the stronger guards.
Alex’s fingers folded down one by one.
Three, two,
One!
“Water Ball!”
“What?! Who goes there!”
The moment Alex’s spell shot forth, the rest of the group burst forward like arrows.
—!
The sound of steel clashing against steel rang out.
Klaus Brodell focused on discerning the guards’ Swordsmanship—if he could identify their style, he might be able to guess who had aided them in this.
But the guards moved more like assassins than soldiers.
Clang—!
Though their strikes lacked power, their speed matched that of Klaus Brodell using Body Enhancement.
“They’re faster than the ones we faced last time?!”
Dein, Ben, and the two Guild Members were all struggling.
“Water Ball!”
Alex assessed the battle’s flow and hurled his spell. Fire Ball would have been more destructive, but he needed to capture the guards alive to uncover who was behind this.
“…Ugh!”
No matter how swift they were, they couldn’t escape the vision of one who had fought alongside the Hero Party.
Alex’s Water Ball, fast as a bullet, tore through the guards’ arms and legs, leaving them hanging limp and useless.
—!
The talented heir of the Knight house and the skilled warrior he trusted did not miss their opening.
Their blades swept out in rapid succession, disarming the guards.
The Dark Magic dwelling in the guards’ minds became clearer to him.
It’s Brainwashing Magic!
Alex’s frown deepened.
Brainwashing Magic.
The same as the other victims, but the weight in his chest was heavier still when he thought of those afflicted by such magic.
They would never have chosen to do this of their own will.
!
But such thoughts were brief.
A sudden realization struck, and Alex rushed toward the incapacitated guards using Body Enhancement.
Yet he was too slow.
The two remaining guards moved first.
Thrust—!!
They drove their blades toward their fallen comrades, piercing their hearts instead of Alex’s party.
—!
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, they bit down on poison hidden in their mouths and ended their own lives.
!!
In an instant, five Corrupted Auras vanished from Alex’s mana detection.
They’re all dead.
The Brainwashing Magic forced them to take their own lives.
Alex exhaled slowly.
‘I’ve seen this before in the Future. I tried to stop it, but I was too late.’
The faces of Dein’s group, Klaus Brodell, and the Knight all grew grim.
‘To die without a single moment of hesitation like that.’
He couldn’t begin to fathom what was happening in this place, or who had sent an assassin of such caliber.
[We need to get inside before the magic circle activates!]
“Let’s go in.”
Everyone nodded at Alex’s words.
* * *
The moment the door swung open, the stench of blood that had been trapped behind its thick barrier came rushing out like a wave.
“Ugh!”
They all reflexively knitted their brows.
[Ugh, the smell of blood.]
Why do you hate it so much?
You’re a lich, aren’t you?
Alex stepped forward into the space, leaving the strange otherworldly lich behind.
The rear chamber was far more expansive than expected and brightly lit, though it was thick with a nauseating reek.
The stench of corpses.
Death-stink, pure and simple.
[There’s bone smell too.]
[Did they bring these from a cemetery?]
Just as Ibek had said.
Scattered throughout the space, strewn about haphazardly, were human corpses, bones, and skulls in grotesque abundance.
And at the center of the chamber, inscribed upon the floor, was a Magic Circle like the one they’d seen in the Underground Space before.
“This is….”
Strangely, that Magic Circle was filled with something glittering and a red liquid.
[Mana Stone Powder and blood.]
The party, already horrified by the ghastly sight of the rear chamber, went rigid at the sight of what filled the Magic Circle. The two Guild Members looked positively sickened.
“That looks like blood. Why hasn’t it congealed?”
Blood ought to harden once it left the body, yet the liquid in the Magic Circle sloshed about as though it might spill at any moment.
“Someone must have treated the blood to keep it fresh.”
Alex answered Dein’s question.
With Dark Magic circles, fresh subjects were paramount — the preparation had been made with that in mind.
“Just what kind of Magic Circle would demand something this abhorrent….”
Klaus Brodell clenched his teeth.
The suspected perpetrators were Third Circle mages affiliated with the Brodell house, which made it all the worse.
Then.
At the far end.
With sounds like something being stabbed repeatedly — thwack, thwack — a figure moved about, engaged in some dark work.
Concentrated as he was, he seemed unaware that Alex’s party had entered.
His head was bowed so his face wasn’t visible, but the face of the person sprawled lifelessly before him was plain to see.
Dein, recognizing the corpse, murmured softly.
“A Xenor Tower Mage….”
And a short distance away, there was an elderly man with his mouth gagged and his hands and feet bound, trembling in terror.
[That old man must be Baron Atin.]
It was Baron Atin, the Third Circle mage Alex and Ibek had never laid eyes on before.
The party could now clearly see who the man with a blade in hand was, methodically cutting the corpse’s wrists and ankles to draw blood.
When the man lifted his head as if the work were finished, his face was unmistakable despite being covered in blood.
It was Domeric Brodell.
[I knew it!]
[Call me the master detective!]
A sickly teal-green Magical Aura tinged with Dark Magic emanated from within Domeric Brodell’s mind, from his breast, and from a book at his side.
[The book looks like a Dark Grimoire, and he’s probably carrying a Dark Magic Tool or Scroll somewhere on him.]
The teal-green Magical Aura he felt was faint, but it seemed worth remaining cautious about.
“Domeric…!”
Unlike Alex’s party, who had already been certain, Klaus Brodell — who had been clinging to the hope that it couldn’t be, that it was impossible — received the revelation as a serious blow.
[I understand, though.]
[They’re family, after all. He used to be so fond of his brother.]
Domeric Brodell had now noticed Alex’s party and Klaus Brodell as well.
“Yeah, damn it, I knew you’d come. That’s why I told them to send stronger ones.”
Domeric Brodell’s displeasure was plain as he recalled the guards who had fallen so easily and the backing that had refused to comply with his demands.
Then, with an expression of disbelief, he ignored Klaus Brodell’s stare and fixed his gaze upon Alex.
[It burns.]
“A second-circle mage as well. Perfect timing. The more subjects I have, the better.”
It seemed he was delighted that Alex—who had carelessly trampled the Magic Circle he’d so carefully constructed—had arrived.
“The blood of insects is low quality. No matter how much you gather, it’s worthless.”
[He means commoners when he says insects?]
Klaus Brodell opened his mouth with a trembling voice, faced with Domeric Brodell flatly claiming to be the cause of all this.
“Domeric, what on earth… why….”
Domeric Brodell sneered at his brother, who could barely form words.
“Obviously to reach a higher plane of power. What other reason would there be?”
Domeric Brodell spoke as though he saw no need to hide anything.
“…Poison?”
“Yes. I’m the one who put poison in the food.”
Domeric Brodell answered before Klaus could even finish speaking. He looked bored.
“Watching you eat without knowing anything was rather satisfying. Though you’re annoyingly resilient—the poison barely took effect. I should have used more.”
Klaus Brodell found himself at a loss for words in the face of his brother’s cold confession.
[Villains always babble like this. I’m not even interested.]
[Should I attack now?]

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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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