The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 172

Above the Velisor River, the dawn mist hung thick and eerie.

Swish, swish… From within the fog, the sound of oars striking the water echoed, and soon a small boat appeared at the pier.

A massive merchant ship was already anchored in the harbor, and the boisterous laughter that had been ringing out from it abruptly ceased.

“Looks like they’re here, Captain.”

Stepping off the boat and onto the deck of the merchant ship via a plank were two lightly armed female knights.

Goblin Slayer and Slime Slayer.

“What’s this? I thought you’d run off, completely smitten with a handsome goblin, but it looks like you were just hiding nearby?”

A tall woman sitting on a makeshift high seat on the deck let out a playful whistle.

Her roughly tied-up hair was the color of sun-baked sand, and her face and neck were covered in scars from battles.

Exuding the relaxed aura of a seasoned warrior who had been through thick and thin, the woman offered a peculiar greeting.

“Dur-Moriss, Witch Slayer. Death to all witches.”

This was a unique greeting used by the infamous adventurer group ‘Slayers’ five hundred years ago, and they used this method to quickly make their name known to everyone.

Of course, what truly etched their name into the world was their unbelievable skill.

And this Witch Slayer, Spiella, unbelievably, was one of the members of that Slayers group from five hundred years ago.

“If you’d been just a little later, I was going to have that guy find you.”

Spiella, with a peacock-like flamboyance but a snake-like impression, smirked.

With her left hand, she spun two steel balls, creating a disturbing friction sound, while using an unseen force, telekinesis, to sip from a beer glass.

Above her head, the brim of a black-dyed (according to the Witch Association rules, colors other than red, blue, and yellow are forbidden; black and white are the sole privilege of priestesses) conical hat fluttered in the river breeze.

“I’m talking about your sister. Ah, should I say Demon Slayer for you to understand faster?”

At that, Miria pushed past the thugs blocking her way and rushed at Spiella, grabbing her collar roughly.

The subordinates who had been guzzling alcohol were momentarily taken aback and grabbed their swords, but Spiella raised her right hand to calm them.

Even in this situation, she not only maintained her composure but even had a sly smile on her face.

“What’s wrong? Hmm? We haven’t seen each other in a while; let’s have a drink and chat leisurely.”

“Don’t play dumb! I heard everything, you bastard! You sent my sister back to the Demilitarized Zone again, didn’t you?”

“Did I?”

“I promised that if I gathered and sent you money for two people from the continent, you’d leave my sister alone! Are you messing with me right now?”

Miri’s hand, which had been shaking Spiella’s collar, suddenly froze in mid-air, caught by something.

By telekinesis.

Almost immediately, invisible handprints dug deeply into Miri’s neck, and her body floated into the air.

“Ha, this impudent bitch is repaying kindness with malice? Who was it that erased the Seal of Silence first and then went into hiding?”

Telekinesis lifted Miri’s upper garment, revealing the area around her neck. As expected, the magic circle that had been engraved like a brand was gone.

The Seal of Silence was a 5-star magic that, when one tried to utter a certain truth, would inflict intense pain and turn the person into a cripple.

The Slayers had been using this seal, given by the Archmage Zernyx, to protect the organization’s secrets and dominate the Tersh Islands in darkness.

But it was gone? That was a clear act of treason.

Whether she died trying to speak or had it removed with someone’s help.

The Slayers could confirm whether this had disappeared or was maintained through the interlocking wax doll given by Zernyx. And also the approximate location.

Miri also stammered, her eyes filled with disbelief.

‘What?’

When did this disappear?

No, how did it disappear?

“No, no… I…”

The truth that Miri didn’t know was this.

In the battle, Rain Ludwig, thinking it was Zernyx’s attack, had annihilated it with Bel Curios [likely a powerful artifact or spell].

But as Miri didn’t know, the Slayers had no way of knowing the inside story.

“The other bastards were saying you must have snitched to someone like Juliana, that we should kill you and use your sister as we please, but I stopped them, you know? Hey! Did I or did I not?”

“You did, Captain!”

“Instead of saying thank you, you’re grabbing my collar out of nowhere, you wild girl. I made excuses for you, saying that a nice girl like you wouldn’t snitch, that you must have been charmed by some handsome goblin, and came all the way to find you.”

The thugs started laughing.

Some grabbed their stomachs and laughed, others bent over backward and laughed as if they were crying. Miri felt her vision blurring.

“These, these bad bastards…”

Even if that was gone, Miri couldn’t run anywhere. She couldn’t ask anyone for help.

Because her family was being held hostage.

If she did, her family would die.

Reflected in her consciousness, which was gradually turning leaden, were her adoptive father, who had died protecting them from the Slayers, and… her sister’s face, who had been turned into a monster without emotions or memories because of those bastards.

– Aboot!

And Aki, smiling brightly, and that guy, Rain Ludwig’s…

“Spiella, you’re going to kill her at this rate.”

Slime Slayer cautiously opened her mouth, and as if she had forgotten that fact, Spiella slapped her palm with a dramatic gesture.

Immediately, the telekinesis that had been strangling Miri’s neck disappeared as if it were a lie.

Miri, who had rolled ungracefully across the deck, coughed painfully, vomiting undigested food, stomach acid, and tears onto the deck.

“Get up! Let’s go back to the islands, you trash who can’t do anything but row!”

Spiella stepped on her back with her long legs and headed towards the helm, shaking the drunken sailors awake with telekinesis.

“There’s some crazy shit going on in the Red Mountains, and Juliana and Fey Quarter are there, so there’s no need to die from the river breeze. Get up!”

* * *

It felt like a pleasant morning, waking up to the chirping of birds after a long time.

As I stretched groggily, Aki, who had woken up following me, imitated the pose and loosened her stiff body.

I chuckled and ruffled her hair, then carried Aki in my arms, with Pipi perched on my shoulder, and went downstairs to order a simple breakfast.

“Pipi, you’re going to eat today too, right?”

Pipi had completely regained her appetite and devoured two bowls of grain fritters as soon as they were ordered. Her vocal cords would recover soon too.

“What about Aki?”

“Aki, bu-tuh-wanna-eat.”

“You mean this butter mushroom stew?”

“That’s-right.”

Oh my, how can she speak so well?

As I fed Aki mushroom stew, I lightly ate oatmeal, but strangely, Miria didn’t come even after waiting for a long time.

Around that time, Valencidi, who appeared at the entrance of the restaurant, looked like a different person at first.

The reason was her hair color.

The dark blue hair, a characteristic of those tainted by the Abyss [a source of dark magic or corruption], had been dyed a very ordinary light brown.

“Did you change your mood or something?”

Just by changing her hair color, her impression could change this much; I was so amazed that I kept scanning her up and down.

“No, I just changed it because my original hair color was too noticeable.”

“By the way, Valencidi, have you seen Miria?”

“That goblin woman? It seems she hasn’t come yet?”

Valencidi told me to continue eating and went to find Miria’s room.

“She wasn’t in the room. There was only a letter left. It seems she left right away at night without staying.”

After a while, Valencidi came down with a piece of paper, which simply said ‘Goodbye’. It was closer to a note than a letter.

“She just left without saying goodbye?”

I didn’t care, but Aki followed her so well; I was worried that Aki might be sulky if she knew she was gone.

Yeah, I don’t care…

I’m sick of someone related to me dying now. It’s enough if she’s living her own life somewhere.

“It’s a story that doesn’t suit such a refreshing morning, but since we’ll be parting ways soon anyway, I’ll tell you one important thing.”

“Hmm?”

“You asked Nariaduke last time who dragged Tureina into the Abyss, right?”

I thought, ‘How can you so casually tell a story that doesn’t suit such a refreshing morning?’

“Why? Do you know the answer?”

“You already know the answer. You must have met him once. His name is Zernyx.”

“I met a guy impersonating him, though.”

“It’s real. He’s lived for a thousand years. You know I’m not the type to lie about something like this.”

The fork fell from my grasp, rolling across the table as I gasped.

“That was the real Zernyx?”

That 6th Archmage Zernyx? [A powerful and ancient mage]

A figure from a thousand years ago, my predecessor Archmage, how is that possible?

“He’s the one who dragged Tureina into the Abyss. I’m sure of it.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Zernyx… that guy who loved to brag?”

“Yes. When he found out I was Tureina’s disciple, he babbled on about how he was Tureina’s real master, but I couldn’t think it was a lie. He was a human with magic power several times stronger than Tureina’s.”

“He died in my hands. I burned him to death. There’s no way someone that weak could be Zernyx.”

Even while thinking that he could never have died that easily, I was muttering like that.

“It was just one of the puppets that you defeated. You’re definitely incredibly strong now… but Zernyx’s main body is just as strong as you. Maybe even a step above you right now.”

Valencidi pushed two dishes brought by the waitress in front of the young man.

One was a goose roast that was small but expensive, and the other was a snakehead roast that was large but cheap.

“This is the difference between you and Zernyx right now. You transcended humanity by swallowing the soul of a True Dragon, but your power is not yet complete, while Zernyx is a monster who has awakened his power to near transcendence, even though his soul’s rank is low.”

“……!”

“That’s what a monster who has lived for a thousand years is like.”
A thousand years…

Certainly, if I had lived for a thousand years, I myself couldn’t even guess what kind of skills I would have.

I was worried about double-casting 4-star magic in an instant back then, but… then is that guy on the level of 6-star or 7-star?

“The first time I saw the main body was about 4 months ago… the magic power, as if thousands of snakes were coiling around his body, still gives me goosebumps.”

“4 months ago?”

“I think he said he was going back to the Adrion continent after finishing his work in the north.”

I could feel a chill running down my spine.

Was it really the same person…?

Was it really all that guy’s doing, messing up the balance of the barrier, and seducing Tureina to ruin the Northern Republic…?”

“It’s not just Tureina. He’s seducing modern figures or reviving the ghosts of the past to dominate various parts of the Southern Republic.”

“There’s no way the Holy See wouldn’t know that.”

“The power of the Abyss is becoming much stronger than you know. The Akrad continent is now quite stable, but the Adrion continent… would you believe that there are even his henchmen inside the Holy See?”

Looking at Valencidi, who was taking the goose roast in front of him, one suspicion arose.

“You’re explaining it quite kindly?”

“Because the Black Church will chase me out for being a traitor. Luzaihen was a higher organization directly below the three pillars, a passage that exerted a strong influence on the Northern Republic.”

“……!”

“As much as I betrayed them, they’ll try to kill me to silence me. I just told you before that happens. Of course, I’ll be given a little grace period before they find out I betrayed them.”

“…So things got that way again because you helped me.”

I said, giving my gaze to Valencidi’s left arm, where only the sleeve was fluttering in the river breeze. Valencidi shrugged with a nonchalant expression.

“I would have helped even if it wasn’t you. In the first place, it wasn’t helping; it was cooperating. This time… it was something that didn’t align with my beliefs.”

Even while saying that he might die soon, Valencidi began to struggle to tear off the goose’s leg with one arm.

This guy is the type who doesn’t lie and never exaggerates.

If that guy, who has served Tureina for a long time, has faced Nariaduke directly, and is also an incredibly strong person himself, judged him to be strong, then he’s really incredibly strong.

‘Yeah, that’s right…’

Without even recognizing that Aki and Pipi were looking up at me with worried expressions, I clenched my fist tightly and gritted my teeth.

‘That he’s still alive, with his eyes wide open, the one who seduced that pure little girl with black magic and turned her into a shell with no memories or emotions, causing this tragedy…’

And that his identity is the Archmage from a thousand years ago, Zernyx?

I don’t care who he is.

The enemy who ruined the life of my beloved disciple… I will definitely make him pay the price. After a moment of silence, I opened my mouth.

“If you don’t have anywhere to go, let’s go south with me, Valencidi.”

“That’s a funny joke. Go together? I didn’t know there was that much friendship between you and me.”

“It’s not friendship. It’s mutual cooperation.”

“Mutual cooperation?”

“You need someone to protect you, and there’s no one more suitable than me. Isn’t that right? Unless you’re thinking of entrusting yourself to the Holy See.”

“……!”

“And I need detailed information about the Black Church or Zernyx. There’s no one more suitable than you. Isn’t that right?”

Valencidi was about to say something but fell silent. There was a light of understanding in his eyes.

I took that as agreement and put an end to this conversation.

“You said it earlier, this time it wasn’t helping; it was cooperating. This is the same thing. Let’s cooperate as much as we need each other.”

As I fixed the goose roast with a fork, the goose leg that Valencidi was holding easily tore off, spilling juices.

“Like this.”