The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 170

Miria was waiting for me in the gallery of the Bellachior Temple, leaning against a half-destroyed pillar and stroking Aki’s head.

I came down the temple steps as the smoke rising from the old altar slowly subsided, and twilight settled over the world.

As soon as I appeared, Aki scurried over and clung to my right leg.

“Ah-bah, oh-shutter-yo.”

I’m touched.

She used to crawl around, but when did she grow up like this…….

– Master.

– Master.

– Wizards don’t cry. Right?

Suddenly reminded of his former disciple’s dazzling growth, the young man suppressed his sadness with a smile and lifted Aki up.

“Now you can walk, you’ve grown so much.”

No, but why did you really get bigger?

She used to be a two or three-year-old baby, but now she looks like she’s five or six years old. I tilted my head for a moment when I picked her up because of the unfamiliar weight.

Does True Dragon growth happen in stages?

“Aki, ger-re-sue it-ter-yo.”

“It’s good that you can talk, but why do you talk like Pipi?”

“Aki, Pipi-chuh-dum, ma-re-yo?”

Pipi, the owner of that bizarre tone, sat silently on my shoulder.

Even now, she’s just staring at that distant sky, at the smoke that carries Toureina’s soul to the heavens.

With a bitter sigh, I buried my face in the crown of Aki’s head, and the unique, cozy smell of fire calmed my agitated heart a little.

“I’m sorry, am I too late?”

“An nu-juh-ssuh-yo.”

“Really?”

Was it a word spoken without much thought, or was it a sincere word?

I couldn’t know what Aki was thinking, but I felt like a lump that had been entangling my soul had melted away at that word.

It was as if a disciple I could never meet again had said those words to me.

“No, it’s late. I won’t be late in the future.”

Aki made a pleasant purring sound and rubbed her head. After a while, I lifted my face and looked at Miria.

“Now we really have to say goodbye.”

“Well, yeah. I’m busier than I thought.”

“Busy catching goblins?”

“What! Is there a problem?”

“No, just…… but why is your whole body covered in bruises?”

Then Miria sighed, looking like she didn’t know why either.

“I don’t know. That Payquerier [elite soldier] named Milone keeps asking me to spar with wooden swords…….”

“Did you win?”

“Does it look like I won to you? I could barely do anything and just got beaten up.”

It’s a very natural result.

Payquerier is the strongest soldier of mankind. Is there anyone who can keep up with her power in close combat?

I had an idea why Milone requested the match.

“Sword energy.”

But was what Miria used really sword energy? It was too weak to be called sword energy compared to what Rista used 300 years ago…….

“Isn’t it because you used sword energy back then?”

“Sword energy? Me? Don’t be ridiculous. I haven’t even received proper ManaChain training. I don’t know how I used the sword energy back then, but…… it’s definitely not sword energy.”

But it was a tone as if she couldn’t even say for sure herself. I thought she was going to tell me how she came to use it, but Miria immediately changed the subject.

“After knocking me down three times, she muttered, ‘Was I mistaken?’ and let me go.”

Miria pressed her temples as if her head was throbbing again as she recalled it.

But her expression wasn’t too dark, as if sparring with a Payquerier was a fresh experience.

My eyes, which turned to Miria’s shoulder, darkened slightly.

The blade of the half-destroyed single-edged sword was tied with bandages and hung limply.

“Why? Oh, this?”

Miria shook her head coolly, confirming the emotion mixed in my gaze.

“It’s okay. It was a sword that I stole from a goblin shaman…… it contained a lot of yokai [supernatural monster] energy and was quite useful, but it protected me and Aki this time, so it’s done its value.”

“Stole it?”

“It’s not that I stole it, but my father gave it to me. My adoptive father, though.”

It would be a lie if I didn’t sigh at the sight of her turning the sword around with a bitter look, saying it was okay.

“My name is Lane Ludwig.”

“So what?”

“It means I’m the heir to the Ludwig family. Take this to our mansion.”

What I gave Miria was a ring.

It was a ring that proved she was a student at the magic university, with the inscription ‘1388 – Lane Ludwig’ intricately engraved inside the jewel.

“If you explain what happened, my parents will give you a generous reward. You can definitely buy a famous sword made by a master craftsman.”

Miria glanced down at the ring and opened her eyes wide as if she was dumbfounded.

“This is really annoying, from the beginning to the end. Hey, when did I ever want money?”

“……?”

“I was trying to save Aki. It’s enough to see her smiling like that after saving her.”

Then she strode over and carefully stroked Aki’s head.

Aki rubbed her head against her hand, and an unguarded smile appeared on her lips. But she immediately erased her smile and stepped back as soon as she became aware of my gaze.

After clearing her throat and composing her voice, which may have become steeper, Miria opened one eye and said.

“If you really want to repay me that much, I can’t say no. Treat me to a meal.”

“A treat?”

“There’s a great restaurant in [City Name]. And there’s one in [Another City Name] that we have to go to now. Aki will like it too.”

A smile crept across my face.

This girl, she wants to see Aki eat, not what she wants to eat.

Just as Miria was about to argue about what was so funny, another voice interrupted their conversation.

“I’ll take that treat too.”

The name of the dark blue-haired man who appeared from the darkness of the ruins at sunset was Valensidice.

He was still a little unsteady, as if he hadn’t fully recovered, but his hateful face was still hateful.

“Even if you’re the slipperiest of the slippery, you wouldn’t be so shameless as to say you wouldn’t repay me for helping you escape from an extreme crisis and risking your life to use Toureina’s mixed spell.”

Now, when I look at this guy, I can’t help but laugh absurdly, no matter what happened in the past.

And I thought I should keep an eye on this guy.

I had a feeling that I could see another possibility of my former disciple who had fallen into the abyss in this guy, who was a disciple of my disciple.

Even while thinking that, I deliberately clicked my tongue and shook my head.

“No, you can’t. Not you.”

“An dae-ae.”

Valensidice, who was counterattacked by the double negative from me and Aki, playfully raised his eyebrows.

“Hmm, why? Give me a convincing reason, Lane Ludwig. If you were planning on spending some quality time with that goblin girl, I’d be happy to step aside.”

“Hey, who’s a goblin girl?”

“Would it be that kind of reason? My life goal is not to spend a single penny for you.”

“Have you ever seen such a remarkable life goal? Did you receive home education to repay kindness with enmity?”

“They gave me that kind of education in the student council that I joined half-forced.”

“The student council…… are you talking about the place where the wizard you respect the most is?”

“You son of a, come here. Are you not coming here? Hey!”

“Il-ro oh-ttae-yo.”

Miria, watching the two men spinning around like children with herself in the middle, sighed and pressed her temples in a headache.

“No, what are you guys doing…… we’re going to eat, why are you suddenly playing tag?”

* * *

[Report on the progress of the mission.]

The sound of underground sewage flowing echoes eerily in the dark cavity.

An old fortress buried in the Age of Origin. Most of the structures have sunk sluggishly due to the erosion of sewage, but the frantic horror that this castle holds remains intact.

This underground fortress, which even the most famous adventurers who cross the ‘Flowing Desert’ are reluctant to explore, was a key point on the outskirts of the Holshbez Kingdom in the Age of Abyss.

“Well, um, there’s some news that you might not be so happy to hear.”

It has lost its glory and become a no-man’s land…… but a young man was sitting cross-legged on the turret of that fortress.

An eye patch with seven eyes drawn in a bizarre pattern inside a triangle, the eyes blinking intermittently like living creatures.

When this young man, Zerniks, wears that eye patch, he doesn’t become blind.

Rather, he becomes an existence comparable to a transcendent, able to see everything within a radius of 500 meters as clearly as the palm of his hand.

“Toureina seems to be dead.”

Zerniks said in a casual tone, like saying it’s going to rain today, it’s going to be foggy tomorrow.

Normally, he would have yawned and scratched his back, but he couldn’t dare to do that during a regular meeting like today.

Even Zerniks, who flirts with any beautiful woman, was made nervous by the presence of an entity sitting on the ramparts in a sense of impending death.

[I thought Luzaihen had endless value, but I think I made him die too quickly. What made Toureina rush so much?]

The first pillar of the Black Church…….

It was that person who revived the second pillar Zerniks and the third pillar Elamas with the power of the abyss.

“I don’t know. I think Elamas met Toureina recently and incited her then?”

When Zerniks pointed to the other side with his finger, the spirit of a girl who was scurrying around the turret with light movements was horrified and stomped her feet.

[What are you talking about? I only went to see her once when I caught the baby dragon? It’s all Zerniks’ fault.]

Elamas was so dumbfounded that even her voice was floating, but there was a blade of truth in her eyes and voice.

Hmph, she knows everything after all.

He leaked information about Toureina to lure the dragon’s protector to [Location], and he also conveyed that information directly to Toureina so that the two could meet.

“I don’t know. You and Toureina planned something first, and I just helped.”

[Heeey~ You wanted to hug Toureina so much. But you kept getting rejected, so you got angry and did this, right?]

Then Zerniks shouted.

“What, you punk? Hey, this Zerniks is the man among men who all the women in the world are begging to kiss him one more time! Why would I ruin a great plan because of that 300-year-old woman?”

In his heart, he was terribly regretful.

No matter how wide the world is, it’s not easy to find a woman like Toureina who lacks nothing in her face, body, or voice…….

However, forcibly violating her was not Zerniks’ taste, and the problem was that Toureina was single-mindedly devoted to Lin, the junior archmage whom Zerniks had killed for 300 years.

[I’m a woman too, but I don’t even want to kiss Zerniks.]

“Yeah~ I don’t like little kids like you either.”

[What did you say?]

It was then that the first pillar spoke in a chillingly cold voice.

[As I said before, I don’t care what kind of pranks you play. But if it interferes with the big plan, I won’t forgive even the two of you.]

As if to make it clear that his will was clear, the sword, which was clearly a weapon, resonated with its owner’s will, clearly possessing the form of a spirit.

The murderous intent that the sword spewed out was so terrifying that even Zerniks and Elamas, who had been exchanging playful conversations, immediately shut their mouths.

The identity of that sword was Yoniulan, one of the true holy swords that had cut down countless old nobles and even violated the king’s body in the Age of Gods.

True holy swords were the real holy swords used by the five Ascensi-Queriers [holy warriors], and they were the legendary weapons that became the prototypes of the twelve supreme holy swords currently used by the Payqueriers.

[Anyway, with this, it’s safe to say that we’ve virtually lost our influence over the Akrad continent.]

It was a very dissatisfied tone.

Because Shar’kas and Nariaduke retired faster than expected without being able to play as much as expected due to variables that he didn’t know where they came from.

“Yes, yes, the Water Dragon and the Papal Court will think so too. Because there’s no Mad Dragon.”

The Black Church also suffered unexpectedly significant damage, but it was not as great as the damage to the dragons.

The dragons lost the Mad Dragon during the Black Spot incident, in which all three pillars of the Black Church were involved in a blitzkrieg (even Toureina couldn’t do this kind of thing alone), and then they lost the eldest daughter of the red True Dragons who guarded the Arctic.

The power of human nations was gradually, but surely and clearly, declining.

This decline will be clearly revealed when the age of the dragons is completely over.

“Isn’t our main stage the Adrion continent in the first place? Let’s let them be complacent to their heart’s content.”

The first pillar nodded as if he liked the meaning implied in Zerniks’ answer.

[I’m going to cross the wall soon. If that dragon’s protector has crossed over to the Adrion continent by then, I’ll take care of him.]

[Wow, really? When? Are you going to come and see this Elamas too?]

Elamas, whose affection and loyalty to the first pillar were unparalleled, immediately covered her mouth with both hands and cheered sincerely, but…….

“You’re going to cross over to the Adrion continent? That guy? How do you know that?”

Zerniks asked in a tone as if it was impossible.

Of course, he knew.

If he was thinking of not coming and hiding in the Papal Court, he was also thinking of threatening him to come by taking one of his family members hostage.

‘But a Payquerier is guarding near the Bellewinn mansion, so it’s impossible…….’

He couldn’t dare to touch his younger sister in [City Name], who was being guarded by another Belle Querius’ Awakener.

‘I put a possession spirit on an imperial officer who went to Trident Point to find out the destination, but I was the only one who knew…….’

Then, as if he had already seen through your scheme, the first pillar looked at him with a meaningful look.

‘This, my plan is going to be completely twisted.’

Zerniks frowned slightly and clicked his tongue inwardly.

To achieve my goal, to finally escape from the clutches of that monster, I need that guy’s body.

So I was going to water and fertilize it until the fruit was ripe…….

If that guy, who doesn’t know the ‘real power’ of Belle Querius, meets this monster with his skills now, he’ll definitely die.

‘He’ll tear him apart so that there’s no trace of his original body. That Yoniulan is that kind of sword. Then I can’t take his body.’

I want to make a move before the two meet, but I can’t move my main body until this work is finished.

If I abandon this work and move my main body, I’ll be killed by that Yoniulan first.

Should I set up a plan to delay the time when that little kid crosses the continent?

‘No, do I really need to worry about it so much?’

Because I’ve placed ‘those thugs’ on the Tersh archipelago, which can be said to be the connection point between the two continents.

The adventure group ‘Slayers’, who spread all kinds of infamy on both continents 500 years ago before being subjugated by the Payqueriers.

Zerniks finally crossed his arms with satisfaction and let out a bitter smile inwardly.

‘Hmph, hehehehe, after all, my wisdom is too perfect, too perfect.’