“His intuition was exceptionally sharp. He quickly understood the language of commands and learned magic. Furthermore, he devised his own unique magic. Even compared to a demon, his innate talent was rare to find.”
Yuric slightly averted his gaze from the finger he was holding, wrapped in his hand.
“Though I can’t say for certain, the number of demons that died at his hands surely exceeded three digits. He was highly skilled in killing demons.”
It was the death of his kin. Yet, the demon’s tone was as calm as ever.
“……Is the death of your kin not concerning to you?”
“As demons are a race that constantly engages in struggle, even if they do not die at the hands of humans, they will die at the hands of their kin. It’s the same for humans, isn’t it? If there were no external enemy like demons, humanity would have self-destructed by stabbing each other. Look, even during a mere two hundred years of peace, humans still initiated numerous wars.”
Yuric couldn’t speak. Though the heat from his index finger had cooled down, he couldn’t let go of the hand that held it.
“In any case, that’s all I know about Titon. The time I spent with him was barely ten years. After he left, we met only a few times over several decades.”
“…I see. I apologize. I dared to ask something unnecessary to someone of your highness.”
“No, it was fun. Rarely so.”
Only then did Yuric release his left hand from the index finger. His right index finger, which had been burning just moments ago, looked perfectly fine as if nothing had happened.
“The conversation took a different turn… I received your letter well. Actually, such reporting methods are quite rare. Including you, there have been only three cases like this. Allow me to express my gratitude on behalf of the Head Court Mage of Rheinburg.”
“It’s not necessary. They are heroes who sacrificed themselves for humanity. I don’t deserve thanks.”
“Then, please inform the Court Mage outside about the detailed information regarding the dungeon.”
“Understood.”
As the Head Court Mage stood up, Yuric quickly got up from the sofa. The demon looked intently at him and introduced himself.
“I am Wigrad. I am grateful for bringing news of Titon.”
“I look forward to meeting you again under better circumstances.”
Yuric bowed respectfully. The demon Wigrad waved his hand lightly, indicating he should leave.
After leaving the Head Court Mage’s office, Yuric told the Court Mage on duty about the information regarding the dungeon. He probably planned to return to the dungeon’s crypt after sufficient preparation from the Countship.
Having finished his business, Yuric walked along the beautiful riverside.
He quickly understood the language of commands and learned magic. Furthermore, he devised his own unique magic.
He recalled the words of the Head Court Mage and the demon Wigrad.
The era when the mage Titon was active was a transitional period where ancient and modern magic intersected.
Yuric speculated that the reason Titon used magic on his index finger might be due to this influence.
‘Instead of using the language of commands, he used his index finger. While not as versatile as language magic, it must have been more efficient.’
Yuric believed that understanding how to use this index finger was his priority. He didn’t want to treat this as mere luck.
This legacy was of a hero who willingly offered his life for the age. Obtaining this legacy meant taking on the responsibility that came with it.
He went to the market and bought high-quality paper, ink, and snacks. As he strolled through the antique district, he also browsed the antiques displayed in shop windows.
Items that failed to sell twice at the Rheinburg Auction House usually ended up in shops in this antique district. If the Rheinburg Auction House was a place for wealthy collectors, then this antique district was for those with limited means.
Since Yuric planned to leave the city the next day, he sat by the river and sketched the city embraced by the river on new paper and with fresh ink.
Returning to his inn room, he read magical books late into the night before falling asleep.
The next morning, Yuric hurried through the bustling streets to the southern gate’s station and caught a carriage heading south. There, he recognized a familiar face.
“Old man Haral?”
“Oh, it’s the young mage.”
It was old man Haral, whom he had entered the dungeon with not long ago. Pure coincidence.
“I thought you’d stay here longer.”
“I made enough pocket money, so I need to head south again.”
“Is there a particular reason to go south?”
“There are many reasons, but curiosity as a mage is the strongest. They say that in the south, magic unique to the region has developed, and there are plenty of historical records.”
“…Just that? Huh, I can never understand the thoughts of mages.”
Haral chuckled softly.
“But where are you going, sir? There’s plenty of work here too, isn’t there?”
“Me? I…”
The gray-haired elder gazed wistfully out the carriage window.
“My hometown is in that direction. Perhaps because it’s nearing the end, hearing that demons are running rampant makes me think of home.”
“…I see.”
At that moment, another mercenary boarded the carriage. Although there were two empty seats, the coachman put away the support stand on the derrick into the cargo hold, signaling it was time to depart.
With a “Let’s go,” the carriage started moving, soon leaving the station and crossing the fields.
Yuric looked back at Rheinburg, the birthplace of civilization and the city of heroes.
River, city, heroes, dungeon, and…
His gaze suddenly dropped to his right index finger.
Yuric felt he had gained much from this place.
The handsome mage and the elder Haral, after traveling through three villages over half a month, finally arrived at the God Fortress.
A fortress city built in a high canyon, to head further south one must either pass through this fortress or cross the perilous Beryl Mountain Range. Of course, except for those whose minds had gone astray, no one would dare cross the hellish mountain range.
Although the fortress city was not large, it was wealthy. Being nearly the only thoroughfare connecting the south and center, the tolls collected were astronomical.
Fortunately, the tolls were based on the number of people and the amount of luggage, so individual costs were not too high.
Since they had come this far together, Yuric decided to continue with Haral. Since there wasn’t much to do or see in the God Fortress, they stayed for only two days before passing through the fortress.
The lower town near the fort is quite noisy. You need to be careful.
The guards kindly warned them as they passed through the gate. When Yuric asked what that meant, Haral tilted his head in confusion.
“I haven’t been here in thirty years. Probably, due to problems on the southern front, security has worsened.”
“I see. We need to be cautious.”
The handsome mage and the elder mercenary, leveraging their experience, could join a caravan or mercenary group passing through the canyon and forest paths.
Yuric asked the mercenary riding with him how bad the security was in the lower town.
“Damn, it’s getting pretty dangerous lately. Several notorious gangs of bandits have formed. Not only do they extort tolls, but they kill indiscriminately. Our prices have gone up a bit because of this, but we need to be careful. One misstep could lead to a fatal mistake.”
Hearing this, Yuric fell deep in thought. The words of the demon Wigrad echoed in his ears.
Even without an external enemy like demons, humanity would have self-destructed by stabbing each other. Look, even during a mere two hundred years of peace, humans still initiated numerous wars.
Even amidst this crisis with increasing demonic attacks, greedy humans were tormenting each other instead.
Do they truly have human compassion? Is it right to show compassion to humans who cause such harm?
Deep in thought, Yuric ultimately failed to find an answer and exited the canyon path, entering the forest trail.
By evening, the group set up camp in an open area. Due to recent rumors, their expressions showed clear tension. The mercenary captain reassured his team that there was nothing to worry about as long as they avoided ambushes.
“This time, we’ll take turns with three people on watch tonight. Let’s make it through the night!”
Unfortunately, Yuric was scheduled for the fourth watch. Elder Haral was third. He laughed bitterly, saying, “I knew my fate would be like this, given my nature.”
The night in the forest came swiftly.
Before lying down, Yuric cast a detection barrier spell around him, covering a radius of about 50 meters. Though it would consume all the mana from his magic item, he felt it was worth doing today.
After setting up the spell, he lay on top of his sleeping bag, covered with a blanket, ready to react immediately if anything happened.
Yuric closed his eyes and listened to the sound of crickets.
As the cricket sounds filled the forest, his mind slowly sank into the darkness.
‘…?!’
Yuric suddenly opened his eyes, feeling a surge of warmth. His index finger felt as hot as if it were burning.
‘Why now…?’
His burning index finger suddenly moved. Yuric’s body followed the movement of his finger.
The watchmen thought Yuric, who suddenly stood up, must have needed to urinate. But when they saw him pointing in a direction with his finger, they noticed something strange.
Of course, this wasn’t Yuric’s will; it was the will of his index finger.
Moments later, Yuric sensed something detected by the barrier spell.
It wasn’t just one. Two, three, four…!
Before Yuric could shout, something flew swiftly toward them.
—
It was an arrow aimed at Yuric and the watchmen.
Yuric could protect himself, but not the watchmen.
—
But then, his index finger moved.
Again, it wasn’t Yuric’s will; it was the will of his index finger.
Thud thud thud thud.*
Arrows, flying fiercely like fish in water, suddenly stopped mid-air as if by magic.
And then, the index finger circled in a loop.
Four arrows turned in reverse.
As the index finger thrust forcefully into the air, the arrows flew back into the darkness.
—
“Eugh!”
A scream erupted from within the forest.
This entire sequence of events happened in the blink of an eye.
“Watch out! It’s the enemy!”
The watchmen shouted as a group of attackers burst out from the forest.
The bandit gang launched an assault.
