Chapter 18
Edited by Schwarzel
Kran asked, deeply swallowing the question, “Why are you confirming that now?”
“Skills… What do you mean?”
“It’s kind of an obvious event, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
At Lucion’s light voice, Kran’s eyebrows twitched.
“We’re… not as strong as you expected,” Kran said.
“I didn’t expect it.”
“I’ll just take Helon with me.”
“Yes.”
Knowing Stra was a barrier magician, Lucion readily agreed.
Her eyes full of malice is also annoying.
“… May I ask you a question?”
Kran asked before Lucion turned the handle.
“Try it.”
As soon as Lucion’s permission was given, Kran spoke in a slightly tensed tone.
“Do you need an organization to clean up Hamel’s mess?”
“As expected, you’re sensible. Yeah, I need an organization to clean up after me.”
At Lucion’s answer, Kran frowned.
‘Why does it have to be us?’
“Don’t think about it anymore and follow me. I not fond of talking about it.”
Lucion opened the door.
* * *
[You don’t have to be nervous just because it’s real this time. Move the darkness as usual. Ratta, you too.]
Ahead of those sent by Viscount Horaon, Russell spoke firmly to Lucion and Ratta.
If I had to argue, Lucion could be hurt because there was quite a large number of enemies.
—Yeah! Ratta is not nervous.
“You don’t have to worry.”
At Lucion’s answer, Helon glanced at him.
“Focus, Helon.”
Kran opened his mouth while checking his bow.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Helon whispered and fiddled with the dagger in his hand.
“It’s better than my days of slavery.”
Kran put the arrow on the floor.
“But you’re still a warlock.”
“So focus, Helon.”
Kran decided to put his thoughts on hold.
I’ve only heard rumors of it, but it’s the first time I’ve actually seen a warlock.
At least I’ve confirmed that it’s nonsense to say that if you talk with a warlock, your soul will be captivated.
[What do you call this, a foreword? Should I call it a back story?]
Lucion, who was surrounded by all kinds of rumors, didn’t even respond to Russell’s words.
Lucion tapped his shadow by his foot where Ratta is hiding.
“10 seconds.”
—Yes!
With Ratta’s answer, Lucion moved the darkness.
What I have learned so far is just how to maintain a chair and desk lifted with darkness.
This training method, taught by Russell, was a course to learn the most basic and pillar of black magic.
“I’ll hold you.”
Lucion concentrated to show the results of his training.
The enemies were grouped except for a few sentries.
‘This is the first time I’ll deal with this much number. One at a time.’
After holding his breath, Lucion quickly moved the darkness to his hands.
As soon as the darkness appeared, the flag was stamped on the floor to lower itself.
‘Ratta will assist with the rest. Never mind the little things,’ Lucion thought.
Lucion pointed the flag again at the foot of the nearest sentinel among the sentry and indicated where the darkness had to go.
The darkness, which moved like a snake without a sound, quickly bit the guard’s foot.
Then, Lucion ordered.
‘Hold!’
At the same time, Lucion moved some of the darkness toward the guard’s mouth.
It was an additional order that Russell was saying.
‘Cover his mouth, too.’
The man whose mouth and legs were bound by darkness opened his eyes wide.
Whooshh!
At that moment, an arrow struck the guard’s head.
When he collapsed, Helon, who had been waiting, quietly approached him and carried him, then put him down in the bushes where they were hiding.
[Oh, that’s pretty good.]
Russell said curiously as we watched Lucion’s first fight.
Lucion frowned.
‘I succeeded in killing the enemy, but there were more things to care about than I thought.’
It would have been a long shot if Ratta had not assisted in various aspects such as retention time and control of darkness.
‘It’s hard.’
Lucion wiggled his hand.
‘I think I’ll get the hang of it if I keep going.’
He stopped his wiggling hand and looked at the next enemy.
[All right, all right. He’s thinking.]
Russell smiled, pleased at Lucion’s desirable appearance.
The warlock had no choice but to keep thinking to move and act in the shapeless darkness.
Black magic was also the most flexible magic, capable of producing stronger power than you thought, rather than producing the same power just because you had the same amount of darkness.
‘One by one from the sentry.’
Lucion joined forces with the two as before to deal with the sentries.
After that, he moved the darkness back to the ground to avoid being noticed by the enemies.
“15 seconds.”
Lucion was going to pull out his skills as much as he could because the maximum duration of his training was 15 seconds.
—Yes! Ratta can do it.
Ratta answered bravely.
Darkness surrounded the enemies without them noticing it.
It was only then when the darkness that has not taken shape fluttered that the enemies one by one noticed it.
‘Rise.’
At Lucion’s command, darkness surrounded his enemies like a wall rising from the ground.
“What the hell is this!”
The enemies were overwhelmed by the presence of a black wall out of nowhere.
“It’s a warlock! War-, warlock!!”
At that time, one of the enemies shouted.
‘Hold on!’
When Lucion felt the darkness had risen to a moderate height, he ordered additional orders.
The darkness that became a wall soon reached out like a hand and wound its enemies around it.
The hand was like the hand of death.
When the walls that surrounded the enemies disappeared, the enemies tied by black vines appeared.
Pshh!
Without hesitation, Kran fired three arrows simultaneously through the heads of his enemies, and Helon’s dagger cut off the rest of their necks and their blood sprinkled.
The two men, who killed all of their enemies, looked at them as they were holding weapons.
Their eyes were all terrified as if they had seen a monster.
And the two saw Lucion.
What kind of target is as easy as a still target?
It was Lucion’s power that made this possible.
‘There were quite a few enemies.’
Kran clenched his bow.
To be honest, he couldn’t feel anything when the darkness moved.
He was horrified by the thought that if he were an enemy, he could die while laughing as usual.
“That’s amazing.”
Helon opened his mouth to Lucion.
He felt as creepy as Kran, but Lucion was now a member of the same organization.
But Lucion didn’t say anything.
‘I feel like the world is spinning.’
As soon as he tied up his enemies, he had to feel like something was missing from his head.
He felt like vomiting from the tingling and dizziness that followed.
[It’s because it’s the first time a lot of darkness has escaped. You don’t have to panic because you’ll be fine in a little while.]
Lucion barely breathed at Russell’s words.
[Now you do understand why we need training, right? Your good mental strength is underlying you, and it’s thanks to Ratta and the results of your training for the last few days that you’re enduring it. But, I’m stunned.]
After that, Russell rambled on and on.
The darkness that Lucion had accumulated became Ratta and escaped, the darkness diminished.
‘You did a great job for the first time, but you can’t be too proud of yourself.’
Lucion did so well that it was hard to say it was the first time overall, such as the speed at which darkness moves and the process of giving orders.
[I understand you wanted to pour out what you learned for the first time, but since you don’t know what’s going to happen, you’d better leave at least 20% of the darkness behind.]
Russell spoke while suppressing his desire to praise Lucion.
[But it wasn’t bad.]
—What about Ratta? What about Ratta?
Lucion’s shadow wiggled.
[You’re still awkward in assisting. But it wasn’t as bad as Lucion’s.]
—Hehehe.
Ratta smiled pleasantly.
“Hey, Mr. Hamel?”
Helon carefully called Lucion back when he didn’t answer.
Only then did Lucion react and forcefully open his mouth to the gazes of Kran and Helon.
“I’ll go back first.”
“Let’s go together.”
Kran said, taking the arrow he had put on the ground.
Helon opened his eyes slightly wide and quickly opened his mouth.
“Well, I’ll clean up and follow after you.”
“Okay.”
Kran followed Lucion after answering.
They got on the horse they had come on.
Lucion borrowed a horse on the way to hide his identity, so he was riding a horse other than Shandra.
“Mr. Hamel.”
When Lucion tried to shake the reins, Kran opened his mouth.
“Tell me.”
“Are you not feeling well?”
“You must have eyes that can see through the mask.”
“I’m saying this because I’m worried about your condition.”
Lucion snorted.
It hasn’t even been a day since we met, what a worry.
“You seem to have a heart as vast as the ocean, haven’t you?”
Lucion moved his horse after being sarcastic.
‘You’re a lot more feisty than I thought.’
Kran ruffled his hair and got on the horse.
Anyway, if I had to continue to serve Hamel in the future, I’d rather match his personality.
* * *
Upon arriving first, Lucion returned the horse to the merchant, entered the alley, and put the hood and mask in his pocket.
He was going to make sure he took care of it because he couldn’t throw it away in such a remote place and a problem could arise.
Lucion stopped walking down the alley and quietly called Russell.
Before he knew it, Ratta, who came out of the shadow, looked around and wagged his tail.
“Teacher.”
[Why?]
“Do you happen to have a good item?”
[You mean like a mask?]
Russell grinned.
“Yes, strong and unbreakable.”
I needed a mask.
However, it is inevitable to get caught during the production process.
I thought the safest and most painless thing would be to bring the original item.
‘There was nothing in the novel that revolved around the mask.’
Russell was a warlock, so it would not have been strange if he had prepared a mask for his disciple, right?
There’s no such thing as a single gift.
‘If there isn’t, there’s nothing I can do.’
Lucion looked at Russell with anticipation unlike what he thought.
A warlock, a hood, and a mask are indispensable.
“As expected, you are my teacher. Where should I go now?”
[It’s not here. Hmm… let’s see, you know the banquet you were invited to by Tella? I’m sure there’s one near the way there.]
“You mean the magic bank?”
[Yeah, but I never said I’d give it to you.]
“Thank you.”
Lucion was brazen, and Russell was dumbfounded.
Lucion paused when he saw the sunlight pouring down on the street.
‘If I knew this would happen, I would have brought another hoodie.’
Though stinging, Lucion crouched in the shade, grabbed the shivering back of Ratta, and headed to the sun lighted street together.
—Ratta hates the light!
Ratta’s fur stood up.
* * *
Lucion joined the knight who fetched him on the way home.
On the way, they stopped by the place where he deliberately fought his first real battle.
Whether Helon’s skill was great, not only the body but also the blood had disappeared.
However, he did not deceive the knight who came to protect him.
At the suggestion of the knight, Lucion felt the difference between the knight and Helon’s ability.
“I’m ready, teacher.”
Lucion deliberately headed for the garden as soon as he arrived at the mansion.
[Ready for what?]
Russell asked puzzledly.
The first way to subjugate ghosts was to contract and deal with themselves.
But the ghosts of the mansion hated themselves, and it was a deal, a contract, and of course a joke.
“I’m going to subjugate all the ghosts of the mansion, but first of all, I’m going to kill the man who sold my information.”
Lucion wanted to get his hands on the ghost, a CCTV in the mansion, to find out who sold his information.
“Ghost control magic. Please teach me the second way.”