Fortunately, the soldiers readily informed me of where Durandino was staying. Since there was no meeting today and unless something major happened, he would likely be inside.
I still felt a sense of reluctance about pressing a pen against innocent people. After all, these individuals followed orders from above rather than acting out of their own will, so I didn’t feel much resentment toward them.
There are really despicable people, like the one inside right now. Still, this is the residence of a king, so it was heavily guarded by numerous sentries.
It seemed like a waste of manpower, but maybe more people thought the same way as I did. Or perhaps it was just an obsessive compulsion.
That old man, with his poor memory, was overly suspicious. Likely, the reason he’s managed to hold onto his kingship until now is due to that very suspicion—pathological suspicion.
“Who might you be… Ah. Is that you, Myungho? What brings you here?”
The soldiers, who had initially pointed their spears at me, quickly apologized upon seeing my insignia and retracted their weapons. However, their suspicion remained evident in their tone, which clearly asked why I had come.
Of course. That old man must have revealed my abilities, so it’s natural they’d be suspicious. They’d surely wonder why someone capable of altering people’s minds would be here.
“I’ve come to protest the composition of my unit to His Majesty the King. I was told he is inside. May I see him briefly?”
Since I couldn’t reveal my true purpose, I recited the lines I had prepared. The soldiers responded with a mixture of hesitation and caution.
“Well… His Majesty has ordered that no one be allowed in today, regardless of who visits, unless it’s the Pope himself. We apologize, but perhaps you could visit during tomorrow’s meeting…”
I had anticipated not being let in, but I hadn’t expected such a blanket refusal for everyone. This is why Koluscia remains internationally isolated.
It’s not without reason that no one helps when monsters appear offshore. Though technically, it’s not even a monster—it’s a Dragon, too terrifying to provoke—but the lack of any attempt was telling.
While there’s no grand cause behind this situation, I suddenly wondered if replacing the king wouldn’t benefit Koluscia. I know this thought is merely an excuse to justify what I intend to do…
But what can I do? I am who I am. After agreeing, I stepped back calmly. The soldiers sighed in relief as I moved away, probably thinking I might have stabbed someone if I had touched the pen.
Thinking about it, I studied Dark Magic, but I’ve never actually used anything worthy of the name. So far, all I’ve done is convert souls into mana—a far cry from real Dark Magic.
There are many reasons for this: partly to avoid Alterra noticing, partly because I avoided using it myself, and partly because I never had the chance.
Dark Magic follows the attributes of the deity one contracts with. While there are common Dark Magic spells, only weak ones can be learned that way. To become a proper Dark Magician, one must draw power from the deity they serve.
In other words, most of my Dark Magic involves tampering with others’ minds. It’s unsurprising given that a Goddess is already messing around in my head constantly.
When Akashi first told me about this, I raged that if I had known earlier, I would have abandoned everything and joined the Tiger Goddess instead.
After all, if you’re going to mess with someone’s mind, a pen is overwhelmingly superior. Though it requires physical contact, its ability to permanently interfere with someone’s mind is unmatched as far as I know.
[You will forget my presence and neither see nor hear me.]
Who would have guessed I’d end up using Dark Magic one day? Using my thumb and index finger on both hands, I formed a square and placed the soldiers staring blankly at me inside it.
Then, like closing a shutter, I closed my fingers. Through my left eye, I saw golden-black characters adhere to the soldiers.
“Uh… Did someone just not come…? James, did someone not come just now?”
“I… Don’t know… What? Someone came… No, wait? It feels like someone came… Ah, damn it. Stop confusing me, Nicholas! There’s no one coming, alright? Just focus on guarding. We don’t want that old man yelling at us again.”
The soldiers were momentarily confused but soon seemed to completely forget, resuming their guard duties as if I wasn’t standing right in front of them.
If I wanted, I could slit their throats, but the real target was inside. Venting anger on underlings wouldn’t change anything.
I infused my legs with mana and leapt over the wall effortlessly. Though they couldn’t detect me, I quietly landed and hid in the bushes, wary of anyone inside noticing.
This gave me enough time to brainwash nearby soldiers passing by, which satisfied me. When I asked a Demon why I couldn’t simply make myself invisible, it said I was looking in the wrong place.
My request to render all the guards inside the mansion incapable of recognizing me in exchange for the entire soul of a Demon was denied. “To grant you that level of power, your lover would need to endure greater trials,” or something along those lines.
Of course, I refused. I couldn’t sacrifice Alterra for my convenience. As I continued forward, making every soldier I encountered unable to recognize me, I occasionally faced strong opponents immune to my influence.
In those cases, I bombarded them with Dark Magic until it worked, subdued their allies, and then knocked them down with my pen.
Finally, when dealing with the captain of the knights guarding the floor below the king’s bedroom, my own mana proved insufficient, so I had to borrow a bit of a Demon’s soul. Notably, when I made his subordinates see the faces of lost comrades rushing at them, even such a stalwart knight broke down, begging for forgiveness—an impressive sight.
Though I held no particular grudge against the captain, I couldn’t understand why he remained loyal to such a corrupt king. Likely, I never will.
At the door leading to the king’s bedroom, I tidied up my appearance out of formality before confidently opening the door and stepping inside.
Given that the king trusted no one, not even his own son, it was unsurprising that Durandino was alone inside.
“You, why are you here…!”
[Answers are only when I ask.]
There was no one to hear anyway, but his raspy, bird-like voice grated on the ears.
“Have you been well, Your Majesty? I’ve come to discuss my team’s composition. Why have you blocked me from working alongside Alterra, Yuna, and Akashi? Answer.”
Durandino, who had been unable to speak properly until prompted, erupted into a tirade.
His story lacked substance, warning me that I’d regret this and mentioning that the captain wouldn’t stand idly by despite my stealthy intrusion.
“All of them are already taken care of. Now, tell me why you separated me from Alterra.”
Durandino questioned what I meant and shouted the captain’s name loudly.
Of course, no one came. Only then did Durandino realize something was amiss and began offering excuses, claiming there were reasons and that he couldn’t let such talent go to waste by remaining idle beside me, almost as if adding excuses to his lips.
Had he just plainly told the truth, I would have only used the pen. Instead, I put the pen away and drew my sword. His hesitant movements, questioning my intentions, reminded me of a fleeing insect.
With that, I raised my sword and pierced Durandino’s neck. I felt no guilt, only a strange sense of liberation for having done what needed to be done.
I briefly considered dismembering him but decided against it since I didn’t know how to reattach limbs, and I wasn’t sure when the captain would regain consciousness. I decided to handle my business and leave.
As soon as the soul entered my sword, I returned it to the body.
“Your spirit shall heed and obey my command. At tomorrow’s meeting, ensure my party members are returned to me. And forget everything that happened today. If you fail, I’ll throw you into the lake where demons dwell.”
I refrained from advising him to govern better. People wouldn’t believe sudden changes overnight, so the trash had to remain as trash.
After pulling out the blade, I converted a bit of a Demon’s soul into mana and used it entirely to heal Durandino’s wound.
This way, no one would notice.
I saw red cursed words flowing from the sword. Apparently, some consciousness remained within it.
I briefly wondered what it would feel like to have one’s soul slowly eroded while fully aware.
Would it be painful? Or would it be fear-inducing? I stopped pondering after a moment. Who told you to mess with Alterra?
Shaking off the illusion of Alterra mingling with strangers whose faces I didn’t recognize, I stepped out of the bedroom. She trusts me, so I must trust her.
“Da, da… Why are you here…”
Suddenly, I heard something I shouldn’t have.
Whether he had just awakened or simply hadn’t encountered me yet, a young soldier trembled as he exited the room and stared at me.
Calmly, I cast a spell to erase his memory, but it bounced off.
-So, you’re a resilient one. With the power you currently possess, it seems difficult. It’s not too late. Subject your lover to greater trials and gain the strength to break even this strong-willed mind…
Before the soldier could react, I pierced his heart with my sword. Despite the armor, wrapping my arm with mana allowed me to penetrate it easily.
This sword is no ordinary weapon, I reflected dryly.
The Demon stopped speaking mid-sentence, likely startled by my sudden action. Not my concern. I caught the escaping soul and shoved it back into the cooling body, healing it with the soul’s extracted mana like I did with Durandino.
Though I couldn’t repair the armor.
If no one knows what happened, does it matter?
