Chapter 662
Eldert stared at the glass jar on the table with a look of disgust. Inside the sticky liquid floated two eyeballs, their pupils repeatedly dilating and contracting.
He pressed his forehead and glanced over at Minister Martin.
“This is Lady Darsi?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“This is maddening. She’s still alive despite looking like that?”
“Judging by the ongoing pupil reactions, yes. She’s alive. More importantly, the Luswena mages haven’t broken free from the puppet magic.”
“Bizarre. Absolutely bizarre.”
It was said that forcing the mages to use forbidden magic caused Lady Darsi’s body to melt away. There were even reports that she seemed to be calling out for the King of Toorun, but since Lady Darsi had no mouth, no explanation could be obtained.
The whole situation was absurd and bewildering. As Eldert paced the meeting room, Lady Darsi’s pupils shrank in response.
“So most of the Bariel mages have switched sides?”
“Yes, that appears to be the case. Minister Ian Hielo of the Magic Department and a magic swordsman led the charge, infiltrating the Mage’s Forest. Reinforcements arrived after the battle began.”
“You were in Kalamath—how did he find out?!”
Eldert slammed his fist on the desk and stood abruptly, causing the jar to shake violently.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I suspect there’s some kind of device in Hielo’s territory. Since it’s the Magic Department Minister’s domain, there must be something that relays information instantly.”
Martin offered the guess cautiously, though he wasn’t confident. After all, the mages who should have added insight were all standing dazed and unconscious.
Eldert clutched his head, clearly frustrated.
“What about casualties?”
“Besides the black-armored soldiers and dragons sent to scout the Mage’s Forest, losses are minimal. The problem lies with the mages. Two who used forbidden magic were taken down by Ian Hielo, and the other one—”
“Still standing there?”
“Yes. Motionless.”
After nightfall, Luswena sent a dragon to circle the Mage’s Forest to monitor Bariel’s movements. That’s when they found the mage captured in Idgal.
Though soldiers smashed him with hammers, he remained rooted to the spot.
“I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Eldert examined the jar again and noticed something odd. Faint strands that looked like hair extended unusually long. Too long to be Lady Darsi’s.
‘…Threads?’
Could it be the puppeteer’s strings? Why would they be visible on Lady Darsi? Eldert frowned.
‘So Lady Darsi was also bound by strings? Then the sorcerer must be the King of Toorun. That matches the testimony about her calling out to the king before her body melted.’
Lady Darsi was just a puppet after all. Because the source remained intact, the Luswena mages couldn’t break free from the puppet magic.
Eldert glared at one of the motionless mages and asked,
“…King of Toorun, are you there?”
“Your Majesty?”
“If you’re listening, answer me. Don’t hide and eavesdrop.”
Martin watched nervously as Eldert and the mage locked eyes.
The mage’s expression barely changed, then his eyes slid sideways and he smiled. Though his body was that of a middle-aged man, his voice was that of a young girl.
“I didn’t want our first meeting to be like this.”
“This situation is hard to accept. With Lady Darsi like that, what will become of the Luswena mages?”
“The King of Luswena need not worry. Proceed with the plan. Your goal is to deal with the Bariel mages. I will help you achieve that. However—”
The mage’s pupils spun wildly.
“Forbidden magic is a bit too much for a puppeteer to handle. For now, it’s best to operate with the one remaining puppet.”
“You mean the one standing near the Mage’s Forest? If it’s such a burden that even moving it is a problem, Luswena can’t count on Toorun’s help. And more importantly…”
Eldert narrowed his eyes and trailed off. It seemed the mage had overheard everything said in their palace, yet hadn’t given any sign. That was suspicious.
“Why didn’t you reveal yourself sooner? Were you planning to stay hidden if I hadn’t noticed?”
“Not exactly. I felt a bit guilty.”
“Guilty?”
The mage chuckled, his empty eyes staring into space while his mouth stretched into a wide grin.
“I didn’t expect the mages to divert the water flow that way.”
“Water flow? What do you mean?”
“Hmm, didn’t you know? The poisoned water sent from Toorun traveled through the portal with the mages to Luswena. It wasn’t intentional. It happened during an attempt to trap the mages in Kalamath, so please understand.”
Eldert looked at Martin. What was this poisoned water the mage mentioned? But Martin looked just as clueless. The mage straightened up, still chuckling.
“The forbidden mage will remain there. If Bariel invades Luswena again, these will be the first line of defense. I’ll also send a signal to the ‘puppet’ in Hawan, so just hold on a little longer.”
“Wait. If they push through Hawan, it’ll be hard to respond once the central army reaches Hielo. I’d prefer they wait near Merellop.”
“I’ll decide that myself.”
The mage’s reply made the veins on Eldert’s neck bulge. Arrogant bastard, just sitting far away pulling puppet strings.
The mage nodded at a strange angle.
“Anyway, thanks to you, I know Kalamath is completely empty. Much appreciated.”
All the mages from Kalamath were now in Luswena, meaning the emperor was alone. The magic swordsmen might be guarding him, but could they compare to mages?
“Let me know if there’s any good news. Good luck.”
“Hey!”
Eldert called out urgently, but the King of Toorun cut the connection.
“……”
Eldert hesitated, gripping the edge of his sleeve, then turned to Martin.
“What is this poisoned water the King of Toorun mentioned?”
“…I don’t know. I couldn’t identify it.”
During the battle, things were chaotic. When he flew on the dragon to survey the front, it was too dark to see clearly. There was no way to tell how far the contaminated water had spread or the condition of the soil and plants.
“Send the dragon again to check. If polluted water is flowing in, dig trenches at the border to block it! If the Mage’s Forest is damaged, the entire plan falls apart.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Damn it.”
As Martin hurried away, Eldert slammed the desk again in frustration.
While Luswena fought the Bariel mages, Toorun seemed intent on targeting the emperor left alone in Kalamath. Could they stand against the Bariel army? They must have a plan.
“Sigh.”
Eldert looked down at Lady Darsi’s eyes fixed on him. Could the King of Toorun see the situation through those?
Suddenly irritated, he shoved the jar into a drawer, passed by the dazed mages, and left his office.
“What about the emergency assembly?”
“It’s underway, Your Majesty.”
The Bariel mages had retreated, meaning they’d suffered heavy losses too. Eldert recognized this as both a crisis and an opportunity.
“Bring me the royal bow. I’ll join the next battle.”
“Damn it.”
Beric sniffed irritably.
He’d made it back across the desert and into Luswena’s border, but that was as far as he got. The moment he entered the Mage’s Forest, he got hopelessly lost.
“No buildings, no paths, no one to ask.”
And it was the middle of the night. The trees all looked the same, making it impossible to tell if he was even walking the right way.
Beric stopped and crossed his arms. He thought he smelled something foul, but the wind mixed it up, so he wasn’t sure.
“Beric, can you go alone?”
“Right. I can’t even tell left from right. It’s even harder in the dark.”
“Don’t underestimate me. I can tell the difference now. Plus, there’s dragon and black-armored knight blood scent around, so I’ll find it quickly.”
“I’m worried. Want me to come with you?”
“Ha! You guys have never been there. Besides Ian and me, who else is there?”
“Even if we haven’t been, we might find it better than you.”
“There’s a Luswena mage here.”
“Yes, that’s me. But ugh—”
“Your face is pale enough to die any second. It’s fine! Forget it! Luswena might be scouting, and if something happens, you’d just be a burden.”
“Ian, are you sure it’s okay to send Beric alone?”
“…Shh. Ian’s asleep right now.”
“Fine. I’ll be back before Ian wakes up. Otherwise, I’m your brother.”
“You already are, you idiot.”
Beric groaned, recalling the conversation back at the mansion. If he’d known it would come to this, he should’ve brought along that wizard from Luswena. He chewed on the jerky he’d brought and unfolded the map the wizard had drawn for him.
Relying on the faint moonlight, Beric barely made out the map’s details. The wizard had kept it as simple and clear as possible, knowing Beric’s nature—
“A map, huh? Tch, this so-called genius is even worse than I thought.”
Beric clicked his tongue, holding the map upside down. Tracking by scent was still the best option, but with the wind and the musty smell of stagnant water, it wasn’t easy.
He pushed through the underbrush with his dagger, thinking, Keep moving, something’s bound to show up eventually.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a dragon soared overhead. Startled, Beric crouched low as the dragon circled, scouting the area. It seemed the Luswena forces were checking around the wizard’s forest.
Ugh, what a pain.
He was already struggling to find his way, and now he had to hide too. It was frustrating to the point of wanting to just take one of them down.
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Beric opened his magical energy, hesitating for a moment before deciding against it.
“I’m letting you off this time, lizard brat.”
He lowered his presence and moved on quietly.
After some time, as he ventured deeper into the forest’s center, the stench of polluted water faded, replaced by a stronger scent of blood.
“Oh!”
Not far ahead, Beric spotted a small village of huts. Trees lay broken and scattered, dragon carcasses, and remnants of black armor littered the area.
Cautiously, Beric entered what looked like the village hall and opened a drawer.
“I’m pretty sure it was around here somewhere…”
Boxes, boxes, triangular boxes… As he rummaged through, a shadow slipped in through the window.
A cold, unpleasant chill crept down Beric’s spine. He froze, turning slowly.
“…!”
His eyes locked with someone smiling with dull, unfocused eyes.
The figure pressed their face against the window—it was none other than the ‘Third Forbidden Wizard’ waiting nearby. Drawn naturally by sensing Beric’s magical energy.
“Y-You—!”
Ziiing, ziiing!
Beric reflexively unleashed a crimson magic blade, shattering the hut’s window with a crash.