The Unfilial Heir Who Tries to Kill Me Tempts Me - Chapter 15

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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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Episode 15.

“…Sorry, what?”
I must have misheard.
“Ah, my hearing’s been terrible lately.”
I dug at my ear with my pinky and asked again.
“What did you say, exactly?”
“I said to build a stone wall.”
“Me?”
“You.”
“All of it?”
“All of it.”
“I’m not sure I follow you…”
“Didn’t you suggest to me that we build a stone wall? To construct one, you’d need to budget funds, recruit laborers to haul stone, cut the stone, and then actually build the wall—that alone would take several months at minimum.”
Having said that much, Kaiius let his eyebrows droop with theatrical disappointment.
“By your own logic, we can’t predict when a landslide might strike the perimeter of the Territory.”
“No, I—”
“You’re right. The last landslide was ninety-two years ago, so we can’t just sit idle.”
“What I meant—”
“So I’d like you, as the Territory’s Exclusive Mage, to take responsibility for building this stone wall.”
I was floored.
So this was his plan all along. No wonder he’d been so cooperative with me from the start.
“I’ll give you ten days.”
“Are you some kind of thug?”
“Five days.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re a prodigy who mastered Black Magic at fifteen with no teacher. Surely you can manage one stone wall in ten days.”
Kaiius bent deeply at the waist to meet my eyes.
“From this moment on, I’m going to put my complete trust in you.”
A slow, viscous smile settled at the corners of his sharp, elongated eyes.
“Surely you’re not thinking that once it’s actually your responsibility, it’s suddenly not that urgent after all, or that we can put it off for now?”
He’d cut off every escape route.
“Because if you do, I’d be so disappointed that I’d have to reconsider your qualifications as my Exclusive Mage.”
Now he’s resorting to threats?
Watching him slither past my defenses and dump the job on my lap without a second thought, I found myself at a loss for words.
“Do you have any objections?”
In that repeated question, I felt it plainly: Kaiius’s determination to wring me dry, down to the marrow, under the guise of being an Exclusive Mage.
How the hell did this man survive before finding a mage?
He’s loving this far too much.
“Your answer?”
“…Ungh.”
“I didn’t catch that. What was that?”
“I’ll do it, obviously.”
Kaiius straightened from his bow and grinned.
“That’s my capable mage.”
Repaying kindness with betrayal—now that’s thorough.
I even spoiled the original story for him just to show off the author’s blessing, and what do I get in return? Collapsing a wall and then rebuilding it from scratch like some common laborer.
With a heavy heart, I gazed out at the vast grassland and mountain ranges sprawling before me.
Of course I could manage it—but the path ahead looked exhaustingly clear.
Suddenly, the memory of collapsing in the Orchard a few days ago flashed through my mind, and goosebumps prickled up my spine.
I hate passing out.
I hate passing out from hunger even more.
As my body trembled, a flash of inspiration shot through my head.
“…So I just have to build the stone wall within ten days, right?”
“What are you plotting now?”
“I’m calculating efficiency.”
If I locked myself away here and brute-forced it, I could finish in three days—but that’s the last thing I want to do.
Conveniently, this area has plenty of talented wall-builders at hand.
Kaiius stared at me intently.
I can read it just from her expression now.
She’s gauging what scheme I’m hatching.
“Do you remember clause three of the contract?”
“Why are you asking that?”
“During the execution of orders, Party B may freely employ magic, and Party A may neither punish nor dismiss Party B on account of this.”
Kaiius’s brow furrowed.
I grinned.
“No backing out later, understood?”

***

The next day.
I gathered my equipment and made my way beyond the Snow Mountain into the Swampland. Broad-leafed trees tangled overhead like a net, blocking out the light.
“Ugh, the smell of moss.”
Probably because the sun doesn’t reach here.
It’s humid, like stepping inside an aquarium.
I covered my nose with my sleeve and walked cautiously, surveying my surroundings. Sagging branches struck my shoulders with each step—thump, thump.
“Where exactly is this place?”
As I was crossing through the Swampland, my gaze suddenly caught on something. In the middle of the bog where each step sank deep, a series of large and small mounds formed from piles of stone stretched out before me.
“Found it.”
I bounded forward to get closer. Though they were clearly stone cairns, they were covered in such thick moss that they felt damp and slick to the touch.
“Perfect.”
I pulled out the Wooden Brush I’d brought and poured the Lye Water, scrubbing vigorously at the stone. As the stubborn moss peeled away, pale grey rock began to emerge.
About ten minutes passed.
Rumble.
The boulder beneath my feet suddenly began to vibrate heavily.
Oh, it’s happening faster than I thought.
I quickly jumped back and braced myself.
The stone rumbled and shook, then lurched upward with a thunderous boom. It transformed into the massive shape of a human figure—with arms and legs.
[Who…are you?]
“Hello.”
I held up the Wooden Brush and Bucket in both hands, speaking to it.
“I was just cleaning your body since it was so dirty.”
Golem.
A Magical Beast made entirely of stone.
It had a docile nature, strong group cohesion, lived communally, and possessed the characteristic of remaining motionless in one place for long periods, sleeping.
There was once a rumor that Golem Cores aided in magical advancement, which nearly drove them to extinction, but now they’d become humanity’s number-one target of avoidance.
The reason was simple.
[Humans? Kill.]
“Wait, wait, hold on!”
Crash!
One punch from the Golem turned the very ground where I’d been standing into a collapsed crater.
“Wow…”
Seriously strong.
Look at that—it doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t hesitate; the moment it confirms you’re human, it tries to kill you.
Who would ever call this the tamest Magical Beast?
Though, of course, humans dug this grave themselves.
[Core, won’t give. Will die. Human.]
Rumble.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
At that moment, all the Golems that had appeared as mounds rose to their feet and surrounded me in unison.
An overwhelming procession of stone titans eclipsed the sky above, and for a moment, I was speechless.
I came prepared, yes.
But isn’t this a bit much?
And they’re bigger than I expected.
No, why are they this big?
[Attack. Human. Kill.]
[Core, won’t give.]
Bang!
Crash!
“Ack! Wait a minute!”
The golems unleashed a barrage of attacks toward me all at once. Boulders rained down from above without mercy.
If I so much as planted my feet on the ground, I’d be crushed flat, so I threw up a spell in desperation and launched myself into the air.
As the Golem lifted the fist it had driven into the earth, the Wooden Brush I hadn’t managed to grab crumbled to dust and scattered away.
“Damn.”
Another half-second later and that would’ve been me.
[Human, parlor tricks. A mage?]
[Bad, mage, enemy.]
[Our enemy. Kill.]
Right.
They really despise mages.
The Golem’s eyes blazed crimson the moment it spotted me hovering in midair.
“Hold on! I came here to make a deal!”
[…Deal?]
That’s right.
Just hear me out.
[Deal, no need.]
[Do not trust, mage.]
This is insane.
The ground rumbled violently, and the Golem’s body began fusing together.
In a blink, a massive Golem towered before me.
As it raised its arm to strike me down again, I didn’t hesitate—I reached into my pocket and pulled out what I’d prepared.
“Surely you won’t refuse to take this back?”
The enormous stone arm hurtling toward me stopped dead.

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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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