Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 388

Magic is a Waste to Learn – Episode 389

# 389

End of Civil War 2

The Grand Duke’s complexion turned ashen.

He had crossed a line that should never have been crossed, burying his comrades and subordinates, who shared his political beliefs, alongside the enemy.

He could almost hear his subordinates’ screams echoing in his ears.

At first, his heart ached as if it were being torn apart. His head spun, and his vision swam.

He even questioned whether becoming king was worth this cost.

But he quickly corrected his thoughts.

If he became a good king, everything would be forgiven.

This was like lancing a boil to drain the kingdom of its corruption. He had to endure this pain to pave the way to his empire.

The Grand Duke steeled his heart.

With the guilt suppressed, his mind felt much lighter.

*Yes, once he becomes king, he will have many more capable subordinates.*

*Let’s not dwell on trivial matters anymore.*

He glanced at Coneri and Barrymore for a moment before descending the spire.

Watching the Grand Duke descend, Barrymore grinned.

“Hehe, the birth of the Blood King.”

“Did you sense that too?”

“Yes, even in this form, I am bound to the gods. This incident forced him to abandon his conscience. He abandoned his friends and colleagues and embraced a twisted conviction. It’s wrong, but he can’t break free from it. Why? Because the day he abandons that conviction, he will have to deny everything about himself.”

“I don’t know if that’s good news or bad news.”

“Bad news in the short term.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s going to become very aggressive. He’ll even try to renege on our deal. If we use that as leverage, he won’t hesitate to wage war.”

“That’s definitely bad news. Then what’s the good news?”

“Just let him be.”

“Let him be?”

“Yes. A bloodbath will sweep through this place. Purge after purge under the guise of rebuilding the kingdom. Just thinking about it is horrifying. The more he struggles, the more devastated the kingdom will become. The royal court will be filled with sycophants [self-seeking flatterers]. All those with ability will flee to the mountains and fields to avoid his wrath.”

“The kingdom’s downfall.”

“Then we can devour it. I wouldn’t be surprised if even the army rots from within.”

“That’s good news. It will collapse on its own over time. How long will it take?”

“Did you see his eyes?”

“I did.”

“In at least five years, we’ll be able to rule this kingdom.”

“Five years. Not bad. Duke Trebia will be very pleased.”

“Yes, let’s go now. We’ve been here too long. I want to eat a warm, home-cooked meal.”

Coneri nodded and gazed at the battlefield for a moment.

The carnage would continue until dawn.

Until the undead legion disappeared tomorrow at dawn, how many would still be standing?

With this, the kingdom’s power has been greatly diminished.

The loss of more than 300,000 troops also meant that the nation’s strength had been severely weakened.

Most of the soldiers were elite troops.

Could the kingdom really gather this many troops again in just a few months?

There was such a thing as forced conscription, so they could gather bodies. But they would all be scarecrows [ineffective soldiers].

With this, the first phase of the plan to annex the kingdom was complete.

*Let’s go.*

*Home.*

As Barrymore said, let’s go home and eat a warm, home-cooked meal.

Coneri took out an expensive scroll from his pocket.

Tearing it in half, a powerful magic emitted light. At the same time, a portal was created before his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

“Bye-bye! Take care!”

Barrymore jumped off the spire’s railing and leaped into the portal with a bright smile.

At that moment!

An ominous energy engulfed Barrymore from within the portal.

A hand of bone seized her small head. The blue portal was instantly swallowed by black magic.

“Wh-what? What is this?”

Startled, Barrymore punched the bony hand that grabbed her hair.

*Clang!*

She felt a shock as if her wrist was breaking. She clenched her teeth, a groan escaping through them.

“Long time no see.”

Finally, the being that attacked her from within the portal revealed itself.

“Y-you are?”

Barrymore was horrified to see Lich Mamon emerge from the subspace.

She knew him.

How could she not?

The party that could even challenge a dragon had almost been broken by that one guy.

If Duke Trebia had been there, the entire party would have been severely injured.

But!

He was dead.

Even if he had survived, she thought it would take a long time to resurrect him.

Because his chest had been completely obliterated.

But she never imagined meeting him again here.

The most surprising thing was that he appeared from within the portal.

It was the highest level of magic, ‘Subspace Teleportation,’ which only mages of the 8th Circle or higher could cast.

Even among mages of the 8th Circle or higher, no one used it because it was such a dangerous magic.

It was just a legend in ancient books that such magic existed.

The danger of Subspace Teleportation could not be overstated.

If you miscalculated the coordinates even slightly, you would be trapped in subspace forever.

The same was true for any strong person. No one would cast Subspace Teleportation with such a risk.

But this crazy Lich used that magic.

The surprise was even greater because she hadn’t anticipated it.

She felt like her heart had dropped into her stomach.

W-wait a minute…

What?

Then doesn’t that mean that a Lich could use 8th Circle magic?

Barrymore mobilized all the magic she could muster and struck Lich Mamon.

He didn’t even flinch.

She couldn’t penetrate the barrier surrounding Lich Mamon’s body.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”

Barrymore’s mouth was filled with groans. She felt like her head was being crushed.

*Crackle, crackle.*

The grip was gradually tightening.

Barrymore’s complexion turned deathly pale. She could no longer resist.

Lich Mamon’s long hair scattered in all directions due to the unimaginably powerful magic.

“I wanted to see you so badly. You bug-like things.”

Lich Mamon whispered in Barrymore’s ear. Barrymore couldn’t say anything.

*Tremble, tremble, tremble.*

Her limbs trembled wildly as if her whole body had been struck by palsy [paralysis with involuntary tremors]. Unable to bear the pain, her eyes rolled back.

*Crack-*

Lich Mamon’s chest split in half. Thousands of sharp triangular teeth were densely packed inside his chest. The inside of his chest resembled an endless abyss.

“You crazy monster!”

Coneri, who had been momentarily stunned by surprise, unleashed magic without even taking out his staff.

Dozens of fireballs floating above his head struck Lich Mamon.

Coneri, a 6th Circle Master.

He was not a mage who specialized in attack power. Instead of attack power, he learned much more diverse magic to broaden his spectrum.

He was now closer to an alchemist.

So, his attack power was weaker than that of a mage of the same level.

But thanks to hunting dragons and raiding lairs with Duke Trebia, he was able to obtain a legendary staff. Using a legendary item allowed him to wield more than twice the magic power.

Unfortunately, he was so flustered that he had dropped the staff from his hand.

That became a fatal mistake and came back to haunt him.

Surprisingly, Lich Mamon didn’t even block the fireballs Coneri had launched and absorbed them all.

And-

“Aaaaaaagh! Coneri! Grandpa! Save me! Save me! I don’t want to die like this! No!”

Barrymore struggled.

She struggled violently, but she couldn’t move an inch, like an ant crushed underfoot.

Her small body-

*Crunch!*

Was devoured by Lich Mamon.

Lich Mamon’s cloak, which had finished Barrymore in an instant, covered the front as if nothing had happened.

Lich Mamon’s fierce light shone even brighter.

It was so ominous that he couldn’t bear to look at it.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh.”

Coneri couldn’t move a step, even though Barrymore, whom he thought of as a granddaughter, had disappeared.

He only twitched like a moth caught in a spider web and couldn’t escape.

“W-what the hell are you? Why is a Lich interfering in human wars!”

“It’s the same for you. Since you broke the rules, judgment must be passed.”

Lich Mamon’s evil and powerful magic swallowed even the body of Coneri, Duke Trebia’s closest aide.

* * *

“Cough, what?”

Blood splattered on the Grand Duke’s face. His adjutant’s temple was blown open by an arrow. The adjutant died instantly without even screaming. He slowly sank, but the Grand Duke didn’t even think of catching him.

He immediately bent over and looked at those who attacked him.

“Skeletons?”

It was an absurd situation.

Dozens of skeletons were staggering towards him.

“That bastard is the Grand Duke. Capture him!”

The skeletons rushed in.

The Grand Duke rubbed his temples for a moment. He felt disoriented and struggled to process the situation.

As far as the Grand Duke knew, skeletons were the lowest-level undead.

Their movements were slow.

They didn’t speak.

There were various types of skeletons, but the fact remained that they were not very strong compared to ordinary soldiers.

But…

The skeletons were talking. Clearly. As if they had vocal cords. Not stuttering, but very smooth.

The skeletons were incredibly fast.

*L-l-look at that bastard.*

A skeleton soldier was moving along the wall.

What? That bastard was dodging the knights’ mana blades and doing a double spinning kick.

“Abyo!” [Reference to a character from the animated series ‘Pucca’, known for martial arts]

*Abyo!*

Since when could a skeleton soldier make such delicate movements?

“The opponent is quite strong. What should we do?”

The captain of the guard asked.

The Grand Duke couldn’t understand the captain’s question.

What if the skeletons were strong? Should they run away from skeletons just because they were strong?

There were still 10,000 guards left inside the castle. They were holding the royals.

It was the last force he had.

With them, it would not be difficult to take over the kingdom. Even if other local nobles joined now, it would be too late.

Because the king would be officially changed.

“Take them all out!”

“Understood.”

The captain of the guard nodded. About thirty knights charged towards the skeleton warriors.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Absurdly, their skills were evenly matched.

The skeleton soldiers were blocking the knights’ swords that emitted mana blades with ease.

“I-is this even possible?”

“Don’t underestimate skeletons!”

While the knights and skeleton soldiers were fiercely fighting, the Grand Duke’s eyes lit up.

At first, he was very confused.

A familiar face he had seen somewhere lingered in his vision.

“Lauel…?”

It was his nephew.

His nephew, but the most obstructive presence in his life. The one he had to eliminate suddenly appeared before his eyes.

“Nephew! You’re alive. Good to see you!”

The Grand Duke shouted loudly at Lauel. His voice echoed.

He took out a splendid sword from its scabbard. The blade glittered as it was reflected in the moonlight.

At first glance, it was by no means an ordinary sword.

“Do you know me?”

Lauel shrugged and replied.

“Are you angry with me?”

The Grand Duke asked back.

“Not really.”

“Yes, that’s right. Isn’t that what politics is all about? If you live, I die. Even if I live, you would never have been able to live comfortably. In other words, you and I cannot coexist in this era. Do you understand?”

Lauel scratched his cheek.

*What is that old man talking about now?*

“I understand. So, from now on, I’m going to kick your butt.”

Lauel imagined himself capturing the Grand Duke and ending the civil war.

*Totally cool.*

*This is a hero!*

It seemed like he could receive more cheers than Count Legion.

“Yes, if we can’t coexist, one of us must disappear into history. Nephew! I commend you for crawling back up here from hell. But you should have stayed down there.”

“Is that so?”

“But it’s too late since you’ve caught my eye. I’ll put an end to your life here.”

The Grand Duke walked quickly towards Lauel.

Lauel stepped back. He boasted extensive knowledge, but he hadn’t learned martial arts.

He didn’t enjoy fighting with swords. He had a self-defense sword, but he couldn’t imagine wielding it.

Even if he fought an ordinary soldier, his head would fly off before two exchanges.

“Shuttle, help me!”

Lauel shouted urgently.

“Huh? Hold on for one minute.”

Shuttle was also fighting desperately with the knights to avoid dying. It didn’t seem like he could be of much help in the current situation.

“This is a mess.”

He came to catch the Grand Duke, but he was about to get caught himself.

“Tactical retreat.”

He had no choice but to step back.

It was then.

*Thud, thud, thud!*

The foundation of the castle wall he was stepping on suddenly collapsed.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

Lauel fell headfirst from the castle wall.