The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 329

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

Episode 329
329
I had my doubts about accepting it, truth be told.
But I’d been receiving gifts all this time anyway, so it felt strange to suddenly make a fuss about it now.
Besides, Overpalace would have found some opportunity to give it to me regardless, even if I refused here.
That’s why I didn’t dwell on it too much.
Overthinking would only give me a headache.
Either way, I’d already received it.
“Thanks for looking out for me.”
“It is only natural, my lord.”
Black Star said as much.
I tried to brush past it as best I could.
In any case.
The Blood Lord could now awaken as well.
And on top of that.
‘All that effort conserving the Blood Scripture has finally paid off.’
I thought that once I reached Pentagrid City, I might be able to awaken immediately.
Regardless.
Future plans could wait.
But then I wondered—why had I left Barbaros and Will elsewhere?
As doubt flickered across my expression.
Black Star explained as if it were obvious.
“In truth, the war has not yet ended.”
“…As I thought.”
“The presumptuous Demon Realm Archduke did suffer grave wounds at Helena’s hands and retreated, but we were unable to pursue him to the end.”
“Hmm.”
Was I planning to march into the Demon Realm and launch an assault?
As I considered this.
Black Star answered immediately.
“Therefore, Helena intends to hide the Dark Castle—the true form of Noctrinium—deep within the Underworld, then advance into the Demon Realm. It is an excellent opportunity to finally sever the Archduke’s breath, a nuisance we have long endured.”
“What are the odds this is a trap?”
Quite high.
The Archduke may be wounded, yes.
But there was a possibility he had anticipated this far and laid a trap.
And Black Star understood this well too.
“Yes, it is a trap.”
“…Then why exactly…?”
We already know it’s a trap, yet we’re walking into it deliberately?
I couldn’t quite make sense of it.
That’s when Black Star spoke.
“And you would still win decisively.”
“…Ha.”
Helena could certainly see it that way.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded in agreement as well.
Because of this, Black Star spoke with confidence.
“Thus, the Demon Realm need not worry. However, should we send them deep into the Underworld, time becomes distorted there, so we have decided to place the young children in a small village instead.”
“Hmm, then….”
“Yes, this is precisely the task I wish to request of the future Lord.”
To protect that small village where the children would be placed.
It was not a difficult task at all.
But why?
Yoo Sung-hyun felt a sense of unease.
So he asked Black Star.
“A small village?”
“Yes, it is Blue Village, one of the villages Lady Helena recently wandered through. A quiet village with beautiful flowers.”
“Blue Village?”
I felt as though I had heard of it somewhere before.
If I tried to remember, I felt I could recall it.
But I chose not to.
“As one who knows the future, I could tell you, but I believe you would not wish me to.”
For Yoo Sung-hyun disliked spoilers.
I expressed gratitude for Black Star’s consideration.
It was better to discover things myself.
As I thought this and offered my thanks.
Black Star continued, saying it was no trouble.
“I can send you to Blue Village immediately.”
“Will and Barbaros have already gone, haven’t they?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Yes, send me right away too.”
“Very well.”
With that response, Black Star smiled warmly.
Bowing once more to me, he spoke.
“It has been an honor to serve you, however briefly.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful.”
“You are truly compassionate, my lord.”
As Black Star spoke thus, I vanished from that place.
The surrounding landscape changed in an instant.
Though I was somewhat startled by what seemed like instantaneous teleportation.
Looking at the village scenery around me, I could confirm it was indeed a village with beautiful flowers.
As I surveyed my surroundings, I could see Will and Barbaros in that quiet spot.
“Oh, there you are?”
“Ah, you’ve arrived!?”
“Just as Yoo Sung-hyun said, there really is a new mission.”
It was a mission assigned only to the three strongest among the five teams.
Will’s expression was brimming with pride.
And finally.
“Once this mission is complete, I’ll be able to see Helena.”
Something about Will’s words made me feel uneasy.
Wasn’t that obviously a death flag?
Was something about to happen here?
Though I’d heard that Will Baghdad had managed to survive for quite a long time.
Yoo Sung-hyun didn’t particularly worry about it because he knew that.
On the other hand, Barbaros, who caught the flag, clearly grew anxious and urgently spoke to Will.
“No, no, take that back! There’s, there’s such a thing as a jinx.”
“Pardon? Such a jinx exists? I’ve never heard of such a jinx in my 300 years of life. The world truly is vast.”
So he was 300 years old, I thought.
Then suddenly.
Yoo Sung-hyun felt a bit uneasy, thinking it probably wouldn’t happen.
300 years was a bit concerning.
But there was nothing I could do about it.
In any case, Yoo Sung-hyun, Barbaros, and Will all headed toward the place where they had left the children.
It was a barrier Helena had personally created.
The three were able to enter without difficulty, but.
“…Wow. No one else could enter besides us.”
It was a barrier created by Helena, who was called a transcendent beyond transcendents—a transcendent of transcendents.
Though it was perhaps natural, Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t help but be quite impressed.
And I thought that perhaps they didn’t need to guard it themselves.
But one could never be too careful.
If someone approaching transcendence were to come here, there was a risk the barrier might be detected.
Thinking that way, Yoo Sung-hyun looked around.
But seeing children of various races playing happily in that place.
I felt a sense of healing wash over me.
In the midst of that.
“Hmm?”
I spotted some familiar-looking faces.
Though I thought it couldn’t be.
A girl with long dark blue hair was playing while holding a grotesquely twisted doll, and beside her was a small child that looked like a corpse with stitches all over its body, holding an unsettling adult female doll, and a slightly older child wearing a raven mask playing around.
“…???”
Moreover, for some reason, I seemed to see several branch leaders as well.
Was it a mistake?
Why did they seem to overlap with those from Overpalace?
I was lost in such thoughts.
But then I figured it could happen.
It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.
‘Wow, when I was young they were… cute.’
Though they did have somewhat eerie doll-like appearances for being called cute.
Still, they were children after all.
They were rather adorable.
Watching these children play and frolic.
I decided I had to protect this place as much as possible.
From the faces of these children, I could see their future prosperity.
My major worries had dissipated.
After all, it was natural that these children would eventually enter Overpalace as they grew.
I found there was a certain charm in these small pleasures.
“It’s truly peaceful here.”
“Indeed it is.”
“Just watching brings me peace.”
Watching the children play and run about.
It was impossible not to feel healed by it.
Then Yoo Sung-hyun said this was no time for such things and spoke to the other companions.
“I’ll go patrol the perimeter.”
Yoo Sung-hyun was conscientious by nature after all.
Staying idle didn’t suit his temperament.
“Ah! Understood.”
“We’ll remain here and guard this place.”
I thought there was no problem as long as Helena’s barrier was in place.
But patrolling the surroundings was still necessary.
One never knew what might happen, so it was important to familiarize oneself with the terrain and geography beforehand.
With such thoughts, Yoo Sung-hyun stepped outside the barrier and surveyed the surroundings.
He looked around to see if he could sense any demonic energy, but felt nothing in particular.
It was a perfectly quiet rural village.
‘Hmm. But it feels oddly familiar.’
A village that seemed to trigger some sense of déjà vu.
Yet nothing came to mind.
After all, there were certainly quite a few quiet rural villages like this in the Eternal World.
While naturally surveying the village with such thoughts.
Yoo Sung-hyun felt something peculiar.
“Hmm.”
The soldiers’ equipment level was higher than expected.
And then.
“Hey, you there.”
One of the soldiers suddenly called me to a halt.
Not wanting to cause trouble, I gave a measured response.
“You mean me?”
“Yes, what brings you to this village?”
“Ah, I was wandering nearby and happened to pass through.”
The soldier regarded me with suspicious eyes.
Why was security so strict here?
The thought made me slightly uneasy.
But the soldier, paying no mind, spoke to Yoo Sung-hyun.
“This village is part of the Riescan Kingdom’s territory, so mind your conduct.”
“Understood.”
So this was also a village of the Riescan Kingdom.
It made sense—to hide a tree, you’d hide it in a forest.
I was about to pass through without further thought.
Then more soldiers appeared, glancing between the first soldier and me alternately.
They stopped me again.
“Hey, who’s this fellow?”
This one seemed to be of higher rank than the soldier who’d first spoken to me.
He naturally spoke down to me.
I remained silent, not wanting to invite trouble.
The first soldier explained to his superior.
“Ah, he says he’s a wanderer passing through the area.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
The superior officer regarded me with suspicion.
Then, as I was considering what to do,
“You’re not a servant of the Demon King, are you?”
“A servant of the Demon King?”
How could he have known that?
For a moment, I felt caught off guard.
But being naturally composed and level-headed,
I managed to brush past it without concern.
“By Demon King, you mean that red-haired one…?”
“Yes, that Demon King. Is there another one besides her?”
“Ha, how could I possibly be a servant of such a Demon King?”
At my words,
the superior officer looked me up and down.
Finding nothing remarkable,
he let out a slight chuckle and spoke.
“True enough—not just anyone can serve the Demon King.”
“That’s right.”
“Don’t draw too much attention. Some rather distinguished individuals will be passing through this area soon.”
“…?”
Distinguished individuals passing through?
What was that about?
Did it have something to do with this scenario?
Yoo Sung-hyun was about to ask, but.
The senior soldier seemed eager to share whatever information he had, and began rattling off details.
“Several Tower Masters from various Magic Towers and multiple Knights Orders have arranged to gather here.”
Tower Masters and Knights Orders gathering together?
In this area?
This was clearly just a remote village with nothing of note.
What on earth was happening?
Then, suddenly, Yoo Sung-hyun felt something strange.
It was unnatural for such military strength to concentrate in this region.
And then.
“Intelligence came in that the Demon King has appeared in this area.”
“Gasp?!”
Yoo Sung-hyun’s genuine shock at hearing this—not an act—caused him to start visibly.
The senior soldier, taking this as encouragement, grew excited and continued talking.
“And don’t be too surprised, but the Hero Hindel himself will be coming to this place. The Sword Saint Giordan of the Riescan Kingdom will also be arriving together.”
Gulp.
Yoo Sung-hyun swallowed hard and thought.
That meant.
“The Demon King certainly has terrible taste—attacking this place where the Hero Hindel’s sister was staying, yet not even moving from the location.”
“…Could this place be where the Hero Hindel….”
“Yes, this is Blue Village, where the Hero Hindel was born and raised. You didn’t even know that?”
The senior soldier spoke thus, his suspicions completely dispelled.
But Yoo Sung-hyun’s complexion gradually grew sorrowful.
Upon realizing this.
Though there was nothing in his mouth.
It tasted unbearably bitter.
This place was precisely….
‘Where Helena dies.’

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