Memoirs of a Wicked Magician - Chapter 121

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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 121
Liriope felt every fine hair on her body stand on end.
Beyond the door lay a darkness so ominous it seemed an abyss—one from which a monster’s claws might at any moment lurch forth to seize her by the throat and drag her within.
Liriope and Caliona instinctively unfurled a Defensive Barrier Magic and retreated.
Whoosh.
But what happened next defied their expectations.
From the darkness ahead, a skeletal branch suddenly shot out. At its tip hung a budded flower, and in the next instant its petals unfurled, revealing a round eyeball fixed at its center.
– Three individuals confirmed.
“Gasp.”
A voice emanated from the eyeball, strange and alien as though filtered through Voice Modulation Magic.
Samuel, unfamiliar with such strangeness, faltered and shuffled backward. Caliona too drew a sharp breath at the bizarre scene.
Then a crimson beam shot straight from the eyeball, trained upon Samuel’s brow.
– Passphrase.
“I, I swear to slumber in the cradle of the moon.”
The sisters’ eyes met for an instant.
“Ah, and the two here are—”
Samuel began to explain, but before he could finish, the crimson beam pivoted to Liriope’s forehead.
– Passphrase.
“In the depths of winter, I offer corroded devotion beneath the blazing sun.”
– Passphrase.
“Beneath the white birch’s shadow, I shall share a hundred farewells.”
Once Liriope and Caliona finished their responses, the threatening crimson beam vanished entirely. The branch withdrew smoothly to one side.
– Verification complete. Enjoy your time.
Samuel regarded the sisters with bewildered eyes.
Liriope looked up at Caliona, her face grave.
Caliona tightened her grip on Liriope’s arm.
Though they had inadvertently provided the passphrases and gained entry, warning bells continued to toll in her mind.
Liriope had originally intended to investigate this suspicious gathering today, but now her resolve wavered.
Having detected an unknown danger, there was no reason to push forward today with Caliona in tow.
– Sister, let’s leave now.
Liriope sent the message to Caliona through Magic.
Caliona had been staring into the darkness beyond the door as though trying to pierce it.
– No. We go in together right now.
But to Liriope’s surprise, Caliona bound the two of them firmly with threads of Mana, then stepped forward.
– With your nature, if we leave now, you’ll only come back alone later anyway. So we might as well investigate together.
– ……
Caught off guard, Liriope’s words failed her, and Caliona’s sharp gaze bore into her.
– Get your cloak out now. Put on your hood and cover your face.
“H-hey, you two? Why the sudden staring contest?”
“Stop talking nonsense and lead the way, Samuel. Liri, don’t stray from my side.”
Liriope complied without protest.
Together, the three of them stepped into the space where the Secret Gathering convened.
– Final participant entry confirmed. Sealing the entrance.
The branch, its bud now closed, followed them into the darkness beyond.
Later, two members of the Secret Gathering who had arrived late would pound frantically at the walls, but the door, already vanished, would not open again.
* * *
The moment Liriope crossed the threshold, thick smoke and a choking stench obscured half her vision.
Deafening music, raucous laughter, and cacophonous chatter assaulted her ears.
The scene that lay beyond the door was utterly unexpected.
Liriope and Caliona instinctively narrowed their eyes at the chaotic spectacle before them.
Throughout the chamber, bodies tangled together. Most lay sprawled across sofas and floors in a stupor, indulging in debauchery without restraint.
Tables were strewn with bottles of alcohol, vials of some black liquid, and powders of various colors that resembled narcotics.
In white haze and crimson lighting, some smoked cigarettes while others burned Stimulant Herbs.
Some even engaged in indecent acts with no regard for onlookers’ eyes.
Seeing this, Caliona quickly covered Liriope’s eyes. Then she fixed Samuel with a gaze of withering contempt.
Samuel’s face flushed red, and he stammered excuses.
“W-what? Why are there so many lunatics today? Is it because there’s a banquet tonight? I’m sure it wasn’t like this the last time…….”
Caliona felt something suspicious in Samuel’s bewilderment.
She questioned him sharply.
“The last time? That’s odd phrasing—how many times have you actually come here?”
“Oh, t-this is only my second time.”
Caliona exhaled in disbelief.
So Samuel was himself a newcomer to the gathering. Yet he’d brought the sisters along as though he were a seasoned member…….
It was hard to tell whether he was fearless or simply incompetent.
But Liriope’s shock stemmed from something else entirely.
‘This is insane. How can they all eat and drink and revel in this place as though nothing were wrong?’
The entire space was saturated with an ominous miasma and oppressive dread.
Just as Od had said, Liriope sensed within these walls the same thick Dark Energy that permeated the heart of the Corrupted Holy Site.
[Now that I think of it, they said this gathering only has young mages below the 50th floor, right? So none of them have ever seen the heart of the Corrupted Holy Site. That’s why they’re all so carefree?]
Od seemed equally confused.
Hearing his thoughts, the gathering’s true purpose grew even more suspect.
For entirely different reasons, Samuel too appeared to feel confusion in this moment.
“But you two……. How did you know the passphrase? Were you already members and just hiding it from me?”
“The passphrase is just excerpts from Ancient Poetry.”
At Caliona’s words, Samuel looked confused.
“Ancient Poetry? This? I had no idea—is there a poetry collection like that in the Magic Tower Library?”
“No, not the Magic Tower. I saw it at home when I was young.”
Caliona answered dismissively.
She was emanating a sharper aura than usual as she scanned their surroundings. Liriope studied her sister’s face in silence for a moment.
The moment Samuel recited the passphrase, a familiar feeling had washed over Liriope as well.
Their parents had loved that particular poetry collection and read those exact verses to them often in childhood.
Caliona seemed to have recalled the same memory.
But the fact that they were Ancient Poetry was something Liriope herself was only now learning.
Then Caliona murmured, her voice taut with tension.
“But this place…… it’s still wrong. Tainted Mana is caked all over everything.”
Only Samuel remained composed among them.
“Tainted Mana? No, it’s just multiple High-level Magics layered on top of each other. The gathering is committed to absolute secrecy, so I heard they’ve woven complicated Perception Distortion Magic to keep outsiders from finding the location.”
Samuel seemed irritated by Caliona’s persistent objections.
Indeed, traces of complex High-level Magic were etched throughout the space. But something far deeper than mere magical residue accounted for this profound sense of wrongness.
“Anyway, both of you come this way. New members have to sign the roster before they can participate.”
“What? Who’d join such a filthy place…….”
“You’ll get a Mana Enhancement Elixir right after identity verification! As a welcome gift for new members and an investment in future growth, the first dose is provided free!”
“So the second one costs money?”
“Of course, since it’s such a rare elixir…… you should realize what an incredible privilege this is.”
Samuel continued prattling on about how he’d felt the elixir’s benefits after just one dose, and how his benevolent desire to spread such a wonderful thing had led him to offer this opportunity to them as well.
“For such a grand organization, the membership process doesn’t seem very strict. You’re a newcomer yourself, and they let you bring just anyone along without much fuss.”
Of course, given how that bizarre eyeball had appeared at the entrance and demanded passphrases without further inquiry, it was clear that only Samuel was taking the situation lightly.
So Caliona’s remark was closer to mockery, though Samuel, oblivious to the sarcasm, puffed up with pride.
“That’s because we’re in an active recruitment period. Once a couple more people join, they said they’ll stop accepting recommendations for a while. So you two got lucky—thanks to me!”
Caliona let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
After that, she seemed to decide further conversation with an idiot was pointless and turned away in silence.
Still, since their original purpose in coming here was to obtain the Mana Enhancement Elixir, the sisters decided to follow Samuel for 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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