The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 77

77

“Using my magic in front of me makes it too easy to steal, don’t you think?”

The chain, which had sealed all power, stretched out, coiling around Rain’s hand as if to prove its ownership had changed.

“S-Stolen……?”

Did my chain have this kind of power?

It feels like even my physical strength is being drained away… One knee buckled involuntarily.

“It’s not just stealing; I’ve made a few modifications at the same time.”

Rearranging the structure of the Lyuken identity that constructs the chain with Bell Curios, reverse-calculating and compensating in a direction that maximizes the power of Ran (闌; blocking).

“This blocks the flow of power spreading throughout your body. It’s only possible because Bell Curios can see everything inside you.”

“……!”

“The important thing was the timing to completely cut off that flow, but thankfully, you fell for my act?”

He said it as if it were nothing, but seeing the blood flowing from his eyes, the damage Rain sustained was considerable.

He had to steal the Chain of Awe, modify it, and restrain his movements in an instant, all within 0.5 seconds.

Every time I interfere with providence using Bell Curios, I feel a pain as if my brain is burning white. Is this the price for a human daring to touch the realm of the gods……?

“You still look clueless even after this explanation. I admire the patience of the human who taught you magic.”

Until now, I’ve only used Bell Curios to analyze, reverse-calculate, and then eliminate the opponent’s magic, but the real use that Scalzi taught me is this.

Stealing the magic of others.

This stealing means taking control of the magic that the opponent is activating or has already activated.

“In short, the ‘Chain of Awe’ you used is now mine. It was originally mine anyway.”

Of course, it requires reverse-calculating mathematical formulas several times more complex than inserting imaginary roots into an equation to nullify magic, but the effect is, as you can see, enormous.

“Such an absurd thing, there’s no way it’s possible……!”

This is truly absurd.

After struggling to move his body for a long time, Rivadin finally gasped for breath.

‘Not only magic power but even simple strength like muscle strength and grip strength can’t be used properly?’

As he realized that despairing truth, his jaw suddenly twisted, and something flew into the sky. It was a tooth.

“I’ve learned something from dealing with you black mages. You’re like beasts that don’t understand words. So, I figured I should beat you up like a beast first, and then you’ll be obedient?”

Rain’s eyes, holding a fragment of the staff that had been broken earlier, were coldly devoid of emotion.

“You bastard…… Keuh!”

“Tell me. Who is the guy who gave you that face and ability? Then I’ll let you die comfortably.”

A vague sense of unease, bewilderment, and doubt intertwined, making him feel like he was going insane.

While curious about the identity of the mastermind, he was also afraid that Toureina’s name might actually come out of that mouth, and his fingers trembled.

But what came out of the face, already covered in blood, was not anyone’s name. Only a chillingly quiet laughter.

“You rat…… Well, I admit your skill in playing tricks…….”

“What? You haven’t been hit enough yet? Alright, come here.”

“But it’s no use. That kind of trickery doesn’t work on our mother.”

“Tell me! Who is that mother?!”

“Don’t be impatient…… Now that you’ve killed me, our mother will come and find you herself……! Hehehehehe, there’s no use in running away! Hide and tremble in fear, like the rat you are!”

Just as I was about to pry into the identity of that mother, a sense of instinctive revulsion made me want to vomit.

His face is melting. Flesh from the skull, muscles, turning into a thick liquid…….

‘How is this possible?’

Bell Curios is still activated. The Chain of Awe is still in my possession. That means this isn’t a power of ability? A chemical suicide?

“Ah, damn it…….”

By the time the question was resolved, the corpse, with only the skull remaining on its head, had already collapsed horribly into the puddle created by the melting flesh.

“Then there’s no point in luring this guy out and dealing with him one-on-one.”

I should have extracted information, anything, ah, damn it.

‘I tried to get information and even got poisoned, but this is the result…….’

Around that time, Pipi landed on Rain’s crown and began to do a victory butt dance. Perhaps because it had been spewing flames all along, its body was as warm as sunlight.

“Rin, Pipi won. Rin Pipi beat the black mage again. Eㆍaㆍsㆍy! EZEZEZ~!”

Being with Pipi just makes me feel safe no matter what happens. I don’t feel lonely. Even in this terrible situation, I can laugh.

“Let’s go to the church for now. We need to hide and treat the poison before reinforcements arrive.”

The result was frustrating, but there was no time to hesitate here.

His comrades might be waiting nearby, and in this condition, fighting would definitely lead to defeat.

Even if I win, leaving the poison untreated for too long might mean having to cut off my arm…….

“Impressive, taking down even Rivadin.”

As I turned to leave the scene, a coldness coiled around my feet like a snake, and my body froze in tension.

“To be honest, it’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d beat Rivadin.”

Pipi flew into the sky, enveloping its body in flames, and Rain’s eyes trembled as if in convulsions.

Denying the reality I heard as an illusion, I glanced back, and the worst-case scenario became reality.

With a long sigh, a voice filled with despair flowed out like a lament.

“……Valensidice.”

* * *

“Yes, it’s me.”

A calm voice returned.

The sun had long set, and only an unstable twilight weakly illuminated the forest.

Into the forest, where the poison that Rivadin had spewed had subsided and regained its silence, a guy with ten times more potent poison revealed himself.

“You must be busy with your work as a committee member; is it okay for you to wander around in a place like this?”

Valensidice is the most unique of the black mages I’ve met so far.

He has no murderous intent or madness, and the personality that peeks through is high and noble. His popularity among the commoner magicians is also incredibly high.

Because of that gap, I can’t figure out what he’s thinking at all. My breathing is rough, and my hands and feet are trembling.

“I think I can return that exact same question to you?”

“Is that so?”

“Think about it yourself.”

I can’t tell if he’s showing murderous intent or if he’s joking.

One thing I can be sure of.

A terrifying magic power that makes my fingertips twitch is swirling within him… Rather than giving him the first move after hesitating, I’ll strike first.

Charrrrr────!

The moment Rain’s eyes emitted a faint light, the Chain of Vigilance moved silently and covered Valensidice.

I definitely thought it had covered him.

But the body of Valensidice, pierced by the chain, melted squishily, and soon the presence disappeared from there.

‘Did he avoid it?’

Was he aware of how to deal with it because he was Rivadin’s comrade…… I tensed up and lowered my stance, but suddenly something grabbed the back of my head.

“That was clumsy. From the moment you entered my range of sure kill, the match was already decided.”

“……!”

“Even if I emit a little bit of magic power, your head will explode from the poison. So─”

At that moment, a form of flame rapidly descended towards Valensidice.

The moment I felt a hint of surprise in Valensidice’s hand grabbing my head, I shook off his arm and sent a chain flying to seal his movements.

I definitely thought I did…… but the chain was deflected by an iron fan that Valensidice had unfolded at some point.

“……?!”

From the fan ribs, on which dozens of old crows are engraved with eerie precision, an unfathomable demonic energy flows out, recklessly swallowing the twilight.

I know at a glance.

That is a relic of the abyss.

The fact that it cleanly deflected 5-star magic perfectly supports this judgment.

‘As I thought, my first judgment was right.’

This guy isn’t some low-level black mage. He’s in charge of a huge responsibility.

“Calm down. I was just going to suggest we have a little chat.”

When Valensidice snapped the fan shut, the incomprehensible power that had been swallowing the twilight disappeared, and I felt like the world had brightened.

“A chat?”

“Let’s clear up the misunderstanding first. I didn’t come here to kill you.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Believe it. If I was planning to kill you, I wouldn’t have come alone in the first place.”

“It’s the same even if a few small fries come.”

“Could you really say that even if your weakness was exposed? If I had brought your siblings and mother?”

“What?”

“I would have told you to get rid of that chain. As an example, I would have cut off the limbs of one of your two siblings. As an example of what happens if you don’t listen.”

There was no deception in Valensidice’s voice as he rattled off the cruel story.

“Then I would have thrown a knife and slashed your eyes. If you want to save your mother, along with this threat.”

There was no bluff or exaggeration; his voice was calm, as if he were simply telling the truth.

Sweat…….

Cold sweat is flowing…….

Along with the conviction that this guy is a far more dangerous person than Rivadin and Ribeni.

“I told you. If you observe a person, you can find their weaknesses. You care about your family more than I thought.”

“You trashy bastard…….”

“I just don’t care about the means to achieve my goals. But don’t worry. I’ll only do such things when I’ve understood the validity of the situation.”

“Nonsense! You’ve succumbed to the abyss and become a black mage, yet you pretend to be a sage. Stop it. It makes me sick.”

At that, Valensidice cocked his lips as if he was enjoying it and asked a strange question.

“What is a sage, Rain Ludwig?”

“……?”

“Is it really the duty of those who follow the truth to simply conform to the order of this era, where nobility and baseness are determined from birth?”

Don’t sincerely engage with him.

This guy’s logic has a strange allure. Arguing with this guy will only cloud your judgment.

“Black magic is just a means I use to pursue the truth. To give true order to this twisted world.”

“New order, my ass. The thoughts of you black mages are the same even as time passes. You guys are planning to become the new rulers, aren’t you.”

“No, in the world I will create, there will be no kings or nobles. Only humans who are equal to each other.”

“……?”

“And the beginning of that change will begin in the name of the redistribution of magic.”

It was all incomprehensible stories. But it was a story that was strangely captivating.

That’s why it was a very dangerous story.

Around that time, the three suns had completely disappeared behind the ridge, and a twilight settled in the forest, and a chill began to linger.

“If you go about 500 meters to the left from here, you’ll find the place where Rivadin buried the Special Task Force’s magicians.”

“What?”

“I’ll take Rivadin’s corpse. I need to mix the Special Task Force’s magicians with that guy’s corpse. As if they fought each other and were annihilated.”

I have to report that to the higher-ups as well, Valensidice said, and then used telekinesis to lift Rivadin’s corpse.

I was so dumbfounded that I shouted.

“What are you trying to do with me now?”

“I’m suggesting a temporary cooperative relationship. It would be more convenient for both of us that way, wouldn’t it?”

“……?”

“Ah, that’s right. If you go to the church and heal the poison, the manipulation of the situation will be exposed.”

Then, as if he had forgotten, he suddenly reached out to Rain and quietly muttered something.

Then, sacred letters floated in the air, emitting light, and rushed towards Rain as they were. Specifically, Rain’s left arm.

As the runes stuck to Rain’s arm and scattered light, the pain subsided, and the flesh that had been blackened began to regain its color.

“High-speed incantation of divine magic……?”

I couldn’t react at all except for blinking for a long time because I couldn’t believe it.

Divine magic was a power that only those who had mastered the Sutra Collection, one of the three treasures learned by witches, could use.

Witches used this book, in which the contents spoken by the gods were organized in divine words, to perform the miracles of the gods, and 300 years ago, Friede used this power to purify the poison of her party members.

– Know it as an honor! The Sutra Collection is incredibly difficult to acquire! Only a very small number of witches can master the Sutra Collection.

Such power…… How on earth could this magician have it?

Witches are different from magicians.

Without a teacher, they can’t learn anything on their own in the advanced parts. And divine magic is the most difficult magic to learn?

“The human who taught me was unique. I was able to learn both magic and sorcery.”

“……Could those be the same person as the existence they called ‘Mother’?”

“I can’t answer that. No, if you answer first, I’ll answer too. What on earth are you, Rain Ludwig?”

The coldly shining suspicion in Valensidice’s eyes struck my heart.

“You wield 5-star magic at that age and have awakened Bell Curios. You’re too abnormal.”

“……It’s talent.”

“Let’s say this is talent. But when you heard that the Special Task Force guys died, or when you killed someone directly, even though they were a black mage, and you were so calm, that’s not an area that can be handled with talent, is it?”

I had nothing to say.

It wasn’t that I was so indifferent to the death of people from the beginning. That sense had just dulled during the 5 years of the expedition.

“You can’t say, can you? It’s the same for me. Everyone has secrets they can’t tell.”

Valensidice left those words behind and quietly disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

“Try to be back before curfew. If you don’t want to be suspected.”

I wondered if I should pry into the identity of the Mother, but I stopped. He wouldn’t answer anyway.

And for a moment, I hesitated.

Are you really just going to leave like this?

But his logic wasn’t wrong either. If he was really planning to deal with me, he would have brought my family, given his thorough personality…….

‘Then, from my perspective, shouldn’t I be dealing with him now instead?’

If I leave him alone, he might become a really dangerous enemy someday…….

But I wasn’t confident.

Not with my magic power depleted from the fight with Rivadin. And for some reason, I hesitated. Why did he heal me?

“Rin, that guy is dangerous. Danger, danger, emergency, emergency, super-emergency.”

Only after he had completely disappeared from sight did Pipi, who had been hovering over Rain’s head in vigilance, land on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I know. Let’s think about how to deal with him before he reveals his true colors.”

He’s a terrifyingly dangerous guy.

To the point where I don’t want to turn him into an enemy…….

In the early evening breeze, as the forest quietly settled down, Valensidice’s sophistry spun wildly in my mind.

– Only humans who are equal to each other exist.