Episode 659
Martin, leading the soldiers into battle, quickly assessed the situation.
Ahead of them charged a mad swordsman wielding a cursed blade like a rabid dog, while behind, a swarm of Bariel mages surged forward, breaking their formation.
And on top of that—
“…!”
Lady Darcy melted away like liquid, disappearing. More precisely, only her eyeballs remained, rolling and tumbling to the ground.
Martin’s face went pale as he waved his command baton. His troops responded, tilting the Luswena banner to the left.
“Retreat—!”
“R-retreat! Everyone, fall back!”
Without the puppeteer, they couldn’t stand against the mages. Continuing the fight would only lead to pointless deaths.
Seizing the moment, the soldiers turned to flee. Facing just one cursed swordsman was already overwhelming, but now with the Bariel mages swarming in, panic was setting in.
“Run! Keep running!”
“Ugh, aahhh!”
“Minister Martin! What about Lady Darcy?”
“Damn it, grab whatever you can!”
“Huh? W-what do you mean—?”
“Pick her up! The puppets too!”
At Martin’s shout, his men scrambled toward Lady Darcy’s fallen form, hastily scooping up her eyeballs and the sticky liquid into water skins before retreating.
Whoosh!
“A mage!”
“Captain Hale!”
Noticing this, Hale seized the opportunity to close in.
Martin drew his sword, smeared with Idgal, and blocked Hale’s path. Their clash whipped up a fierce wind.
“A mage has descended! They’re within range!”
“Idgal arrows! Fire!”
“Black-armored knight, over here!”
“Captain, it’s dangerous! Damn it!”
“Stop firing so many Idgal arrows! You’re not even from the homeland!”
Clang! Clack! Clack!
Hale parried Martin’s sword strikes several times, then discarded his weapon, firmly tucking his right fist by his waist.
Golden magic swirled around him. His eyes flashed sharply before a powerful energy burst forth.
Ziiing!
[Chaotic Bell].
Boom!
Hale narrowly dodged Martin’s attack and slammed his fist near Martin’s heart.
Martin’s heart reverberated violently, sending a massive shockwave radiating behind him in all directions.
Dreeeeng!
Dreeeng!
With each person the shockwave passed through, it grew stronger, eventually destroying internal organs. Soldiers retreating at the rear coughed up blood and collapsed. One by one, like dominoes, soldiers across the entire front writhed in agony and died.
“Ugh—!”
Martin clutched his wildly pounding chest, steadying his sword. Hale stood ready to attack anyone who dared approach.
But then, someone stepped in front of him—
Whoosh!
The third forbidden mage.
Hale lightly bit down on a dry cigarette, and Martin, seeing his chance, hastily backed away to flee. The Bariel mages tried to pursue, but the forbidden mage unleashed a poisonous gas, blocking their path.
“Is that Darcy or whoever still alive? Why are those puppeteers still in that state?”
“Once forbidden magic is activated, there’s no turning back. And Ian’s side is at a stalemate. So it seems she’s not dead. Or—”
“Or it’s because of King Toorun.”
“If it’s the king… then Lady Darcy is just another puppet. Even if the puppet breaks, as long as the one playing with it remains, the game never ends.”
Captain Hale sighed inwardly. Forbidden magic. Setting aside the gap in magical power, it was questionable whether their attacks even had any effect.
During the Wesley incident, the Magic Department failed to land any effective blows on the forbidden mages. And during the Clipford War? They merely gathered magic to pass on to Ian.
Still, there was no cause for worry. Ian always had an answer.
“Captain Hale, what should we do?”
But now, Ian was already facing two forbidden mages, using clones and pursuit magic. He had no room to spare, and the Magic Department had few options left.
“How long can the clone magic last? Normally, Ian could manage for half a day, but fighting forbidden mages will surely drain him.”
Just having Ian doubled wasn’t a hopeful sign. Maintaining clones required a steady flow of magic, and if the clones suffered, the original took double the damage…
Shaking off the troubling thoughts, Hale lit his dry cigarette and tossed off his robe.
“Everyone, fall back.”
“Captain Hale?”
“This is why I was made captain.”
He took a deep, steady drag. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the last time.
The forbidden mage tilted their head, releasing a fierce aura. For any normal person, the oppressive, heavy, and murky power would suffocate them.
Whoosh.
Meanwhile, the mages ignored Hale’s order to retreat and shed their robes. When Hale glanced back, they stood resolute, faces set in grim determination, ready to fight.
“We follow the captain to do this kind of work.”
“Ian’s taking down two of them. Can’t we handle one?”
“Yes, exactly. Don’t worry. We’ll cover every angle. Let’s take down that guy quickly, then hunt down those Luswena bastards who ran off with the puppeteers.”
“Those sons of bitches are all dead, for real.”
“We’ll push them all the way to the palace ruins.”
The mages ground their teeth, eyes blazing with fierce hatred. Forbidden magic—an unthinkable, unethical act, a blasphemy, an affront to dignity.
Hale rolled up his sleeves and flicked away his cigarette.
“Alright. Hold the line behind me. At least then, I won’t fall.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Hale smiled grimly, vowing that no matter what happened, no matter the cost—even if it meant giving up his own life—he would protect the Magic Department.
“Here I go!”
As Hale charged, the forbidden mage reflexively unleashed magic. The two forces collided with a thunderous roar. At the same time, an ominous explosion echoed from Ian’s side.
Kraang! Bang!
“Run for your lives!” The fleeing Luswena soldiers ducked instinctively, then let out despairing sighs.
The world was dark and bright, hot and cold all at once. The sky was thick with the aura of death—a sight none had ever seen before.
This was a moment carved into history, a line between life and death. Powerless soldiers prayed to the gods and hurried toward the city walls.
“Your Majesty, all the mages have left.”
“Yes. I have seen.”
Jin leaned against the wall, gazing down. Despite the sunlight, the water below was murky and dark. The winding river was clearly visible.
Soldiers controlled the riverbanks, keeping residents away, while below the portal, a makeshift levee was being built to stop any leaks. To prevent the polluted water from flowing further.
“The mages showed great ingenuity. I wondered how they’d open a portal in the river, but this method…”
One courtier nodded approvingly. The mages had erected supports matching the river’s width, then drew the portal there. They had to adjust it nearly a dozen times as it shifted.
Like a sewer drain, the filthy waste disappeared smoothly through the portal.
“Keep a close watch on the timing. If there’s no report by the scheduled time, we’ll have no choice but to act.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We will handle it without issue. Please don’t worry.”
“How can I not worry? Gaia’s land is soon Bariel’s land, and Clipford’s power is ours. Do not be complacent.”
Jin’s mild rebuke made the courtiers bow their heads.
If the polluted water continued to pour after the portal’s time expired, Jin would have to form a special unit to send people upstream. Even if they couldn’t solve the problem, they needed to understand the situation.
“Oh no, no! You’re ringing the bell!”
“Just a moment, please! Just a moment!”
“No! Are you out of your mind? Where do you think this is?”
“But Ian isn’t here, and no one is relaying messages to me! Please put that down!”
“Guards! Guards!”
A commotion arose outside.
Perhaps because it was near the city walls, not inside Kalamath Castle. If it was a riot caused by restless, foolish residents, that would be troublesome. Jarrett and the palace guards moved cautiously toward the entrance.
“What’s going on? Do you have a pass?”
“Ah, sorry. It’s just—”
“…Clark?”
At Jarrett’s mutter, Jin turned his head.
“Jarrett. It’s fine. Let him in.”
“But, Your Majesty—”
“It’s fine. Without Ian, he must be looking for me. Let him through.”
No sooner had he spoken than Clark strode past Jarrett, climbing the stairs quickly. His flushed, excited face showed no sign of calming, even in the breeze atop Kalamath’s walls.
Jin sneered as he looked at the scrap of paper clenched in Clark’s hand.
“Lord Ian has given you more than you deserve. That pass isn’t meant for moments like this, is it?”
“Your Majesty!” Clark dropped to his knees at Jin’s feet, bowing deeply. “I heard that they came looking for me in Merelrof. But I don’t understand why not a single word was said to me, and only the mages were sent to the border.”
“Are you truly asking because you don’t know? You were one of Rutherford’s men. To sort out your status, you must go through the palace. Don’t cause a scene. Even if you have ties to Lord Ian, it’s none of my concern.”
The message was clear: know your place and stay silent.
But Clark didn’t back down. Instead, he pressed his forehead to the ground again.
“Your Majesty, forgive me, but there is someone who has kept me alive all these years. There are problems in Merelrof and Hielo, and the fact that all the mages have crossed over is no ordinary matter.”
“…Honestly. Whether it’s this one or that one, they’re all so distracted.” Jin narrowed his eyes and muttered. “This one is Clark, and that one is Xiaosi.” He nodded toward the base of the fortress wall.
“Well then, you can just jump from here.”
“Huh?”
“That portal connects directly to Merelrof. I’m telling you this because I’m impressed you have the nerve to drone on about your personal troubles in front of me. If you want, go ahead and jump. I’ll make sure Lord Ian hears about it.”
Putting aside the height, how could anyone jump into a pool of poison-tainted water? Clark hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head as if he had made up his mind.
“…I am grateful for your boundless mercy.”
Then, as if he truly intended to jump, he climbed onto the fortress railing. The courtiers gasped and covered their mouths, while Jarrett and the palace guards averted their eyes.
“Haah. Calm down…”
Annoyed, Jin furrowed his brow and waved his hand dismissively.
“Enough. If I see your corpse soaked in that poison, Lord Ian will probably worry that something’s wrong on this side instead.”
With Jin’s permission, Jarrett grabbed Clark’s arm and shook his head.
“Clark.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then I have a proposal for you.”
Clark climbed down from the railing and knelt before Jin. Whether he lived or died didn’t matter anymore. After a moment’s thought, Jin continued.
“When the poison stops flowing, I will allow you to use the portal to cross to the border. In the name of the Emperor, I will grant you a new status. How does that sound? It’s better in every way than jumping from here.”