Emperor Of Steel [EN]: Chapter 137

5. The Gathering People

Upon returning to the campsite, Luke summoned Priest Luther and recounted the story he’d heard from Wilf.

Priest Luther shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. “A black magician protecting survivors… I can hardly believe it.”

“Hmph, unexpected indeed,” Luke said with a smirk.

“What’s so unexpected?” Luther asked.

“I didn’t think even you, who I considered to have a relatively open mind, would be so prejudiced. Not all black magicians are evil, and not all priests are good. Have you not witnessed those who serve God engaging in corruption and tyranny?”

“But that’s…” Before Luther could retort, Luke interrupted him.

“Do you know of a Holy Knight named Schmidt who died by my hand during the Holy Empire’s civil war?”

“Are you referring to Count Schmidt, the former commander of the Undying Legion’s 1st Division? Of course, I know him. He was a criminal who brutally murdered innocent women in the Imperial Capital.”

“A truly heinous murderer. Yet, even after committing such a terrible crime, he still wielded divine power. Not only him, but there were also many others who had inappropriate behavior and personalities for Holy Knights, yet they still possessed considerable divine power.”

“…”

“Have you ever wondered why that is?” Priest Luther fell silent at Luke’s question.

He had criticized and lamented the behavior of corrupt priests and Holy Knights, but he had never deeply considered how they could maintain their divine power.

“Well, that’s not the important thing right now. What’s important is whether the spread of the zombie disease in the Saxon Territory is truly related to water, as Wilf said.”

“Hmm, regarding that, it seems Wilf’s information is correct.” Priest Luther pulled out a map of the Saxon Territory from his pocket and unfolded it.

The map was a copy of the one in the Holy Palace’s conference room, detailing the areas where the zombie disease had spread and the dates of outbreaks.

Thanks to this, Luke could see that cities and territories adjacent to the river were infected sequentially.

“We need to re-establish the encirclement immediately. The current one cannot stop the spread of the zombie disease.”

The Holy Empire’s army was currently blockading the Saxon region tightly, cutting off the passage of people and animals.

However, the blockade was focused on the roads, and the river was excluded from surveillance.

They were, of course, preventing ships and boats from passing, but no one was paying attention to the river itself or aquatic life.

If zombies were seen swimming, diving, or crossing the water, it might be different.

But so far, no zombies had been observed crossing the river anywhere.

“But, Your Majesty, if that black magician is wrong, it would be a wasted effort.”

“Of course, it would be. But now that we know the spread of the zombie disease might be related to water, we must purify the river immediately. Why do you think the Holy Empire is putting all its efforts into blockading the Saxon Territory?”

The reason the Holy Empire was putting all its efforts into blockading the Saxon Territory was that the situation would spiral out of control the moment the zombie disease spread to other areas.

Therefore, if there was even a slight possibility, it was necessary to prepare thoroughly.

Priest Luther’s face changed, and he immediately contacted the Holy Palace via magic communication.

He requested that all rivers and streams flowing out of the Saxon Territory be purified by the high-ranking officials of the Holy Palace.

“Do we really have to do that?” The high-ranking official who received the magic communication asked, surprised.

If they were to follow Luther’s words, a considerable number of magicians and priests would have to be mobilized.

“We must carry it out even if we have to summon all the magicians and priests of the Holy Empire. And since there is a possibility that the groundwater around the Saxon Territory is also contaminated, please take measures to boil or purify the water that the people drink.”

“Yes, we will do so.” With that, the magic communication ended.

Fortunately, all the officials of the Holy Palace seemed to be aware of the seriousness of the situation, so they would not be negligent in their response.

They would probably be running around like crazy as soon as the magic communication ended, to carry out the instructions.

Priest Luther, having finished contacting them, spoke to Luke. “It seems we can stop the spread for now.”

“Thank you for following my words,” Luke said.

Luther waved his hand, saying it was nothing, at Luke’s thanks. “We are grateful that you are helping the Empire with all your might. And Your Majesty is the husband of our Holy Pope, so how can we disobey your orders?”

“Huh? You knew?” At Luke’s somewhat embarrassed appearance, Priest Luther smiled.

“Well, more importantly… didn’t that black magician, Wilf, know a way to cure the zombie disease?”

“Unfortunately, he said he doesn’t know the cure either. But I believe he will find it soon.”

“I hope it will be as Your Majesty says.” After finishing their conversation, the two had a late dinner and went to bed.

The next day, Luke’s group departed early in the morning and arrived at Wolfs around lunchtime.

Ding-dong-ding-dong!

“Emergency! All troops, emergency!” “Something unidentified is flying towards the city! Everyone, prepare for battle!”

As Luke’s group flew through the sky, bells rang loudly throughout Wolfs, and knights and magicians appeared on the city walls.

The magicians and archers waited for their superior’s orders, preparing to intercept.

“Grand Duke, please give the order to attack…” “Wait. It hasn’t been confirmed that they are enemies yet.”

Grand Duke Gregory examined the unidentified object with a long-range observation artifact that he received from his adjutant.

‘Huh? Who are they?’ He recognized Luke’s face at the head of the unidentified object, chuckled, and then canceled the emergency.

“They are not enemies. Cancel the emergency.” At Gregory’s order, the knights and magicians who had hurriedly climbed onto the city walls went back down.

As the brief commotion ended, Luke’s group, having closed the distance, landed in front of Gregory.

“Welcome, Your Majesty. I received a message from the Holy Palace, but I didn’t expect you to arrive so early.”

“I didn’t expect it either. I didn’t know the Grand Duke would keep it a secret from me.” At Luke’s pointed remark, Grand Duke Gregory smiled awkwardly.

Frankly, from the beginning, he was in favor of requesting support from Luke, who was an excellent magician and skilled in black magic.

However, it was overruled by Reina’s stubbornness, and he had no choice but to escort her.

“By the way, where is Reina now?” Luke asked, as he didn’t see her, who he thought would have come to greet him.

“Her Holiness is currently researching a way to cure the zombie disease at the magic tower in the city.”

“I see. Has there been any progress?” “That is, not yet…” “I see.”

Luke, who had already expected it, led Grand Duke Gregory to the magic tower where Reina was.

Shortly after, Luke arrived at the Ford Magic Tower and entered the laboratory where Reina was.

Reina, who had been in the middle of a conversation with Marquis Leas, was surprised to see Luke.

“Lu, Luke!” “How could you? My husband came, and you didn’t even greet me…” Before Luke’s teasing could finish, Reina ran like the wind and hugged her lover.

And she kissed Luke, regardless of whether Gregory or Marquis Leas were watching.

“Will you forgive me now?” At her question after the long kiss, Luke shook his head.

“Hmph, not a chance. I told you not to get involved in dangerous things, why didn’t you listen to me?” Luke deliberately made an angry face and lightly flicked Reina’s head.

“Ouch!” “Oh, my!” “Your Majesty, hit her harder.” Unlike Marquis Leas, who was horrified, Grand Duke Gregory even encouraged him. He also had similar complaints to Luke.

However, Luke only scolded her and did not take any further action.

“Do you know how surprised and worried I was?” “I’m sorry. I couldn’t ignore the suffering of innocent people… and I thought I could find a cure if I used my abilities.”

“I thought so. But according to the Grand Duke, there hasn’t been any significant progress yet?” At Luke’s question, Reina sighed deeply and nodded.

She had the ability to use Aether [a mystical energy], the source of all things, and she could turn the power of Aether into divine power to perform miracles.

However, it was not like she could use it as skillfully as the Spirit King.

“I got some interesting information on my way here. And that is…” Luke told Reina what he had heard from Wilf.

Then, not only Reina but also Grand Duke Gregory and Marquis Leas, who were next to her, listened attentively.

“Oh my! To think that water would be the medium for spreading the zombie disease…!” “I see. No wonder the zombie disease spread so quickly in the early stages, that was the reason…!”

Marquis Leas was already collecting information about the zombie disease to find a cure.

However, the zombie disease spread faster and more widely than any other epidemic in the early stages, and most of the patients had already turned into zombies, so he could not gather much information.

He was able to figure out that it was a planned act by someone, not a natural disease, but it was not easy to find the culprit.

The disease was too vicious, and the rate of infection was terrifying.

“There were soldiers who were infected even though they had not come into contact with zombies, and I wondered why, but it was because water acted as a medium.” Marquis Leas, who had been convinced, became serious.

Water was everywhere in human society, and no human, or rather, no living creature, could live without drinking water.

“Your Holiness, we need to change the blockade method right now…” His words were cut off by Luke.

“Don’t worry, Marquis. I already contacted the Holy Palace before coming here. All the water flowing out of the Saxon Territory will be purified.” At Luke’s detailed explanation, everyone sighed in relief.

While they were doing their best to blockade the Saxon Territory, the possibility of the zombie disease spreading to other areas was a situation they didn’t even want to think about.

“We are seeing the effects of Your Majesty’s visit. We have been able to prevent further spread.” At Marquis Leas’s praise, Luke waved his hand and said, “Well, it’s not really an effect. It was just luck.”

If he had just passed by without paying attention to the zombies fighting, he would not have met Wilf, nor would he have found out the cause of the zombie disease.

“Anyway, we need to find a cure quickly. The time we can properly blockade the Saxon Territory won’t be that long.” At Luke’s words, everyone nodded.

The national power of the Holy Artenia Empire was second to none on the continent, but there were limits to that as well.

A lot of wealth was already being spent to maintain the blockade, and if the blockade of the Saxon Territory, which was a major transportation hub, was prolonged, it would also cause great economic losses.

“Even now, prices are already rising throughout the Holy Empire. The public, gripped by anxiety, will become even more unstable.”

“And in the midst of all this, the opposition, led by Constantine, is spreading false rumors to incite the people….”

At the laments of Leas and Grand Duke Gregory, Luke resolved to find a cure as quickly as possible.

If the Holy Empire were to falter, the pressure on the Baroque Empire would weaken, and that burden would fall squarely on the Kingdom of Symphonia.

‘Even if that weren’t the case, I need to get Reina back to the Holy Palace as soon as possible.’

Luke was determined that, no matter what, he would not allow Reina to be put in a dangerous situation.

To him, she was already like his other half.

Saxon Territory, Holy Empire.

Two figures were walking along a road beside a small village swarming with zombies.

A bald old man wearing unfamiliar gray robes and a small, silver-haired girl holding his hand, toddling along.

Seeing them, zombies began to gather from the surroundings.

Kuh-uh-uh-uh!

Kee-eck! Kee-eck!

The bald old man, looking at the zombies flailing their arms and rushing towards them with pity, put his hands together and prayed.

“Amitābha.” [A Buddhist invocation expressing reverence and seeking refuge.]

Woo- oong!

A faint light flashed from the old man’s body.

Then, the zombies that were rushing towards them froze in place as if they had turned to stone. The grotesque groans coming from their mouths could no longer be heard.

Only after the old man and the girl had moved far away from the village did the zombies begin to move again.

The girl, glancing back, asked the old man,

“Nanda, why didn’t you give them peace?”

As far as the girl knew, Nanda’s abilities were more than enough to grant the zombies peace.

However, Nanda had only temporarily restrained the zombies’ movements.

“That’s because they are not yet dead.”

“That can’t be. They’ve already become undead.”

“Do you really think so, Karen?”

At Nanda’s question, Karen nodded.

In the future… no, in the now-vanished space-time, zombies could be seen everywhere, just like here.

The only grace that could be bestowed upon those who had fallen into monsters, cursing and attacking everything alive, was the peace of annihilation.

Perhaps that was why she had killed the zombies so diligently.

“Just because they look similar doesn’t mean they are all the same.”

“It’s not just their appearance. They’re emitting demonic energy. You should be able to sense it, Nanda?”

Karen had seen enough of the undead in the vanished space-time to be sick of them.

When the Lich King Arsen invaded, many kingdoms failed to respond properly in the early stages, and as a result, more than half of the continent was covered in the undead.

Zombies, ghouls, skeletons, death worms, and many other types of undead roamed the streets, even more numerous and diverse than now.

Karen, believing that one must know the enemy to defeat them, had even studied black magic like her father. Therefore, she knew very well that zombies and other undead could not be brought back to life as humans.

“Of course, I can sense it. The pain of those who are forced to commit murder against their will, possessed by demonic entities.”

“Are you saying they’re not zombies?”

“They are zombies, but they are cases where they were forcibly turned into zombies while still alive. If we can lift the curse on their bodies, we can return them to human form.”

“That’s impossible. They’re already….”

Karen, about to shake her head and deny it, couldn’t finish her sentence.

She suddenly wondered if she was being prejudiced.

Moreover, Nanda was a monk with such mysterious powers that he had saved her from the brink of existence, where she was about to collapse due to divine punishment.

He, who possessed power beyond human comprehension, might be able to sense things that she or ordinary people could not.

“It’s not good to make assumptions without trying to understand the situation.”

“I know. If what you say is true, is there no way to save them?”

At Karen’s question, he put his hands together and replied,

“Even when the sky falls, there is a way out. How could there be no way?”

“Then, you might be able to save them, Nanda?”

On their way here, they had seen many cities and villages covered in zombies.

According to rumors, the entire population of the Saxon region might have turned into zombies.

At Karen’s expectant gaze, Nanda shook his head.

“This old monk can do some things, and there are things he cannot do.”

Nanda said with a very distressed expression.

Although he had awakened the Six Supernatural Powers, he did not possess omnipotent power.

“But don’t worry too much. There are those who can save the people possessed by demonic entities.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and we are on our way to meet them. To help in any way this old monk can.”

Who could they be?

A sudden thought flashed in Karen’s mind.

“They are people you know well.”

At those words, Karen was startled and looked flustered.

She had intended never to see them again, to never make them sad.

But regardless of her intentions, her small feet were gradually picking up speed.

The day after joining up with Reina, Luke received welcome news.

The black mages of Dark Moon had arrived in Volf.

“What? Mages from Symphonia are outside the city gates?”

At Reina’s question, the messenger who had come to report nodded.

“Yes, Your Holiness. However, their dialect was not from the southern part of the continent where the Kingdom of Symphonia is located, but from the north. It felt suspicious, so the gatekeeper told them to wait. Should we let them in?”

The Holy Empire’s army was practically in the middle of enemy territory.

Therefore, they had to be as cautious as possible.

After hearing the messenger’s story, Reina looked at Luke as if to confirm.

Luke nodded, vouching for their safety.

“They are the ones I called, hoping they could help with this situation. Their dialect is because they are refugees from the Volga Republic in the north.”

“I see. But will they be of much help?”

The mages of the Artenia Imperial Magic Tower were already working hard on researching the zombie disease.

Marquis Leas, a Meister [A master craftsman or expert], was an 8th Circle Archmage, and the other mages, composed of medical mages, were all experts of at least the 5th Circle.

In this situation, Reina didn’t think that the addition of a few more mages would be of much help.

“Of course, if they were ordinary mages, that would be the case.”

“Could it be…?”

“Heh heh. You guessed right. They are the ones I secretly gathered.”

At Luke’s whisper, Reina was startled.

She had already obtained information from a black mage she had met on the way here, and Marquis Leas had cautiously mentioned that he should also conduct research from a black magic perspective.

But to actually bring black mages into the territory of the Holy Empire was too dangerous.

The moment their identities were revealed, the priests and paladins would not leave the black mages alone.

Luke, who had vouched for their safety, would also be in great trouble.

However, since they had to put out the fire of the zombie disease first, Reina decided to put that issue aside and asked about something else.

“Are their skills reliable?”

“They are experts with more knowledge about the undead than anyone else. They will definitely be of great help.”

Luke smiled meaningfully, as if guaranteeing it.

Reina then granted them entry, and the messenger, who had been waiting on the side, immediately withdrew.

Luke waited for the black mages to come.

Then, suddenly feeling uneasy, he left the magic tower and ran towards the city gate.

‘Just as I thought…!’

His worries were not unfounded. The black mages were confronting someone in the middle of the road between the city gate and the Pod Magic Tower.

“You lot! How dare you enter this place!”

“Ugh….”

There was a person standing in front of the flustered black mages, drawing his sword and shouting fiercely.

It was Grand Duke Gregory, who was directly patrolling the city.

‘I made a mistake. I was so excited about meeting Reina that I forgot to tell the Grand Duke beforehand!’

In fact, before the black mages left Dark Moon, Luke had sent Sebastian to give them a potion that would conceal their demonic energy.

This was because there was a high possibility that they would encounter paladins or priests of the Holy Empire on their way to the Saxon region.

The effectiveness of the potion could be seen by looking at Sebastian and the servant demons who had created it. Even paladins or high-ranking priests with considerable skills could not detect the demonic energy they possessed.

But there was one exception.

It was Grand Duke Gregory.

When Luke had previously led the servant demons to the Dark Forest, Gregory, who possessed a unique extrasensory perception, had noticed the demonic energy they possessed.

No matter how good the potion’s effect was, unless it was someone with Luke’s level of skill, they could not completely conceal the dark and twisted energy caused by demonic power.

“Please, just listen to us. We are….”

“Shut up! How dare you step foot in a place where His Holiness the Pope resides!”

Thud!

Gregory spoke forcefully and stomped his foot.

He had also heard from Luke that there were good black mages who were protecting people from zombies.

Nevertheless, the reason he drew his sword was because these people had entered the city while suspiciously concealing their demonic energy.

From his perspective, where the safety of the Pope was the top priority, he could not exclude these suspicious individuals.

“Stop!”

Clang—!

The moment Grand Duke Gregory was about to strike the black mages with his sword, Luke intervened and blocked his attack.

Gregory, startled by his sudden intrusion, stepped back.

“Your Majesty, why…?”

“Put away your sword. They are my subordinates! I called them because I thought they would be helpful in resolving this matter.”

Grand Duke Gregory looked at the black mages as if to confirm.

Then, the black mages all bowed respectfully to Luke.

In fact, it was not a show of respect between a lord and his vassals, but a way of showing respect to the head of the magic tower, but it was enough to dispel Gregory’s suspicions.

‘Well, King Luke has mastered black magic. Considering what that fairy girl, Nanas, said before, that the descendant of the hero had joined hands with the remnants of Seimon….’

It was not strange that he had black mages under his command.

As Gregory, having made that judgment, sheathed his sword, Luke breathed a sigh of relief and said,

“Let’s move to another place for now. I’ll tell you the details at the magic tower.”

Luke returned to the research lab of the Ford Magic Tower with the black mages from the Dark Moon. He then introduced Reina to them.

“Allow me to introduce you. This is Her Holiness Veronica III, the Pope of the Holy Artenia Empire.”

“Gasp!”

The black mages were startled.

They had heard that the situation in Saxon was dire, but they never imagined that the Pope herself would be here.

Who was the Pope, after all?

Wasn’t she the ultimate nemesis of the black mages?

They froze like herbivores encountering a ferocious predator at the top of the food chain.

However, as Luke and Grand Duke Gregory glared sharply at them, they quickly lowered their heads.

“We, the lowly ones, greet Your Holiness.”

“You are the ones who seek truth in the darkness. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Reina’s words made the black mages realize that she already knew their identities.

‘Did the Patriarch tell her?’

‘It seems the rumors about her being his fiancée were true.’

While the black mages were inwardly relieved, Marquis Leas, the only one in the room who didn’t know their identities, tilted his head in confusion.

He didn’t have the extrasensory perception of Grand Duke Gregory, but as an 8th-circle mage, he possessed considerable spiritual power.

Thus, he sensed a suspicious aura from the group that had appeared before him.

However, before he could speak, Grand Duke Gregory preempted him.

“Your Majesty, please explain in detail now. When and how did you meet these people?”

“I understand.”

Luke nodded and paused slightly before continuing.

“These are people I happened to connect with about four years ago, and they are descendants of the Demon King Seimon.”

“What, what did you say!”

Grand Duke Gregory, who had already guessed as much, nodded with an ‘I knew it’ expression.

However, Leas, who was hearing this for the first time, looked shocked.

Demon King Seimon.

One of the nations that fought fiercely against his forces over 500 years ago was the Holy Artenia Empire.

The Holy Empire, which suffered considerable damage at the time, was so enraged that the Pope of that era left a will to ensure that Seimon’s remnants were completely eradicated.

And now, not just any black mages, but their descendants were here, right in front of the Pope!

“H-how could such a terrible thing happen… !”

Marquis Leas, his face flushed red, grabbed his staff, ready to cast an attack spell.

At this, Luke roared.

“What wrong have they done!”

As if his shout was imbued with mana, Marquis Leas felt his heart’s mana circle vibrate.

However, he soon calmed himself and said,

“Aren’t they black mages! Of course, they sacrifice the blood and flesh of living people to learn black magic…”

As Marquis Leas began to recite the general theory about black mages, Luke shook his head.

“I swear on my heart, these people have never sacrificed a person in the process of learning black magic.”

“Even if that’s not the case, they must have made a contract with a demon. Perhaps the reason for the recent undead outbreak is…”

“They have never made a contract with a demon, and they have nothing to do with this incident.”

Luke’s sharp and resolute answer made not only Marquis Leas but also Grand Duke Gregory look puzzled.

“How can one become a black mage without doing such things?”

At Leas’s question, Luke sighed deeply and asked,

“How much do you know about black magic?”

“W-well…”

Marquis Leas was an 8th-circle archmage, but frankly, he didn’t know much about other fields, especially black magic.

If he had known well, it would have been a great help in resolving this matter.

“It seems you only know what is generally known. Then, if people were to claim that the Elkasel Order [a religious order] is corrupt and the Holy Empire should be destroyed, based only on the actions of some corrupt priests, would you agree?”

At Luke’s protesting words, Leas looked stung.

There was a time when Constantine was acting tyrannically as regent, and he had felt heartbroken listening to the resentful laments of the frustrated poor.

“Of course, I cannot agree. But isn’t it true that black mages have committed more evil deeds than good?”

“It is also true that many things were misunderstood as evil due to ignorance. Black magic was originally a discipline that explored the dark and chaotic realms of nature.”

“Dark and chaotic realms?”

“Where there is day, there is night, and where there is a sunny day, there are also stormy days. Just because something is the opposite doesn’t mean it is necessarily evil or corrupt. That too is a providence of nature.”

“Hmm…”

“Rather, sprouts emerge from dirty soil, and the sky is clear after a storm.”

Black magic also began to study such natural providence to create a more prosperous world.

The problem was that black mages who fell into greed made contracts with demons to gain stronger abilities and power, and thus became corrupted.

There were many who became corrupted, and their disturbances were beyond imagination.

Because of that, people would glare at black mages with hostility, and even the research of some virtuous individuals was slandered.

Such slander led to tragedy and created new hatred and conflict.

“Even amidst all that, there were those who steadfastly explored nature according to their beliefs and sought truth in the darkness. Those are Seimon and his descendants.”

“Seimon was a black mage who did not fall into corruption?”

“That’s right.”

When Marquis Leas made a face that showed he couldn’t agree at all, Luke continued.

“It is true that Seimon drew his sword against the continent. But do you know why he started the war?”

“That’s obviously…”

Leas was about to answer but trailed off.

Somehow, he felt that what he knew was not the correct answer.

However, he couldn’t not answer, so he stated what he knew.

“Seimon tried to stain the continent with blood.”

“If you examine the history of the continent for thousands of years, there have been many conquerors who were more cruel than him. What about the first Pope, Julius? He raised the small religious state of Artenia into the Holy Empire, and during his reign, he killed countless heretics.”

“Certainly, it is wrong to indiscriminately kill heretics just because they do not believe in Elkasel. But Seimon tried to turn the world upside down.”

“Of course, he did. But is that wrong? He was only trying to make an unequal world equal.”

“What? An equal world?”

To Leas, who had widened his eyes, Luke took a breath and continued.

“A world where the strong do not take away what is precious to the weak, a world where people are not discriminated against and oppressed because of their race, and a world where everyone has the right to live happily.”

In Seimon’s demon army, there was no discrimination based on race or social status.

They simply appointed those with faith and ability to key positions and granted them more authority.

“Among the charges against Seimon were killing nobles, closing temples, and deceiving the people. In reality, he took the land held by lords and priests and distributed it fairly.”

“S-such…”

“In fact, it was a policy no different from what the republicanists of Volga are doing now.”

Leas gaped.

Even without Luke explaining in detail, he could see how dangerous Seimon’s policies were.

In an era when the class system and feudalism were much more entrenched than they are now, he had directly denied that order.

Naturally, there was bound to be conflict with the kings and nobles who ruled the world at that time.

“Moreover, Seimon learned black magic because of the grudge he held for losing his beloved. He never engaged in indiscriminate killing, and he did not command the undead.”

“Indeed… Seimon commanded golems.”

Grand Duke Gregory, who had been listening, chimed in.

Even the records stated that he had captured people and used them as slaves, but there was no mention of him killing them indiscriminately.

And even those he used as slaves were only the captured nobles.

Seimon did not kill even the nobles or knights who fought him directly.

Historical records stated that this was ‘to humiliate and shame the nobles,’ but this was a petty record intended to criticize Seimon.

Anyway, Marquis Leas was confused by the story, which was so different from what was generally known.

However, he didn’t think that Luke was lying to deceive him.

“What King Luke says is true. I can swear this in the name of the Heavenly Father Elkasel and the Earth Mother Beliz.”

Even Reina, the apostle of God with the power of miracles, said this, and Leas sighed deeply and asked,

“How does Your Majesty know such facts so well?”

The content he had just spoken was a secret history unknown to the world.

How did Luke know about it?

“That’s because I have mastered the legacy of the Demon King Seimon and seen the records he left behind.”

Thud!

At Luke’s revelation, not only Leas but also the mages, priests, and holy knights who had followed outside the lab, sensing the unusual atmosphere, were startled.

There had already been rumors that King Luke had mastered black magic.

But it was true, and what’s more, it was Seimon’s!

Luke, well aware that there were eavesdroppers, boldly shouted loudly.

“Not all black magic is bad! Depending on who uses it, it can benefit the world or harm it. Marquis Leas, if you truly serve God and seek the truth, shouldn’t you first abandon your prejudices?”

“You are right. But… I would like you to show me proof for the sake of a foolish person like me.”

“What proof would you like me to show?”

At Luke’s question, Leas’s eyes gleamed earnestly as he said,

“Black mages who have made contracts with demons have a brand on their necks as proof. If Your Majesty and Seimon’s descendants truly seek truth in the darkness, there will be no such brand.”

“Very well, you are right. Check as much as you want. Those who are eavesdropping outside, come in and see clearly.”

Luke boldly exposed his neck.

Leas carefully examined his neck.

He even checked separately to see if it was hidden by magic or something.

But he could not find any trace.

Not only on Luke but also on the other black mages.

“There really is nothing.”

“Did they really only do pure research?”

Some of the priests and holy knights who had not let go of their doubts even used divine power.

They even burned their necks as they clashed with the black mages’ magic, but no trace of a brand appeared.

Leas, realizing that their common sense had been completely shattered, shook his head.

“It’s real.”