part0009

When they last met, Evander was a rough-looking middle-aged man with tinges of white hair. It was a stark contrast to his current body – a fragile-looking kid.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Even I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. More importantly, I heard that it’s been several hundred years since demons were last seen on this land. I didn’t expect the Arzomos to be living in this dungeon.”

“We just arrived here a few hours ago,” said Kel’ Vual.

“I see,” said Lark. “So, you were the ones who entered through the portal, and it’s somehow connected to the Demon Realm. But, Kel, how did you manage to close a portal that big?”

“It’s a long story,” said Kel’ Vual. “We have a nice little village deep within the dungeon. Jaraxus has been keeping centuries-old wines in the cellars. How about it…” He smiled, “Wouldn’t it be better to listen to each other’s story over wine?”

Lark liked the sound of it. He grinned. “The centuries-old wine sounds enticing.”

Kel’ Vual chuckled. “I knew you’d say that.”

“But before that,” Lark gazed at the humanoid silver wolf with missing arms. “Your name’s Jaraxus?”

To Lark’s surprise, the silver wolf acted subserviently to him, a human.

“I’m sorry for cutting off your arms,” said Lark. “Let me fix them for you.”

He pointed his index finger at her and started gathering mana at its tip.

Jaraxus’ ears twitched, and she shook her head. “There’s no need for that, Lord Evander.”

Silver threads shot out of Jaraxus’ body and latched onto the severed arms. Using the silver threads, the severed arms reattached themselves. Jaraxus moved her fingers.

Lark cancelled his magic as he looked at the humanoid wolf with interest.

“I see. So, you merged with a parasitic nest.”

“That’s correct, Lord Evander. Even if you cut off my head, it should be possible for me to regenerate as long as my core isn’t destroyed.”

“Agreas implanted the core of a parasitic nest when he created Jaraxus. The monsters guarding the dungeon wouldn’t listen to her, otherwise. He’s also the one who created this dungeon for our tribe,” said Kel’ Vual.

“Agreas, that cheeky demon who tried to kill me in my sleep back then.” Lark smiled as he reminisced. “I can’t believe he created a dungeon like this. Impressive.” He looked at the members of the Arzomos tribe standing behind Kel’ Vual. “He didn’t come with you?”

Kel’ Vual slowly shook his head. There was a hint of sadness and regret within his eyes. “No. He stayed behind. I’ll tell you the full story once we’ve reached the village. Come.”

With Jaraxus at the lead, Lark and the members of the Arzomos tribe went deeper into the dungeon. They passed through the breeding ground—a massive chamber that housed over a hundred parasitic nests and tens of thousands of monsters.

The humanoid wolf touched the mother nest—the origin of all the parasitic demons—latched on the wall. It screeched, and Jaraxus’ eyes widened, as though she understood what the creature conveyed.

“Two are missing?” said Jaraxus. She hesitantly said to Lark, “Lord Evander, y-you said before that the monsters attacked a human settlement near here.”

Kel’ Vual and the rest of the Arzomos tribe furrowed their brows. They were aware that the key they used to enter this dungeon opened not just one, but three entrances. And one of those entrances was connected directly to this breeding ground.

“Did you encounter the nests by any chance?” said Jaraxus.

“I killed a low-ranking nest on the way here,” said Lark. “Are you telling me that there’s another one?”

Jaraxus nodded. “Yes. Two low-ranking nests escaped the breeding ground.”

Lark knitted his brow. “It’ll be extremely hard for the soldiers of this kingdom to kill even one of those monsters,” said Lark. “I should probably go out and hunt it down, before it starts massacring humans.”

Even the low-ranking parasitic nests were capable of regenerating lost body parts. Average soldiers wouldn’t be able to kill it, unless they used enchanted weapons or magic.

“That won’t be necessary, Lord Lark. The mother nest told me that it has already lost contact with both of them.”

There were only three ways for the mother nest to lose contact with its offspring. The first was through death. If the low-ranking nest was dead, its link to the mother nest would cease immediately. The second was if it broke through the maximum distance permitted by the link. And lastly, was through magic interference. Of the three, the first scenario held the greatest probability.

Someone other than Lark had killed a low-ranking nest.

Of all the people he’d met in this kingdom, he could count the number of people who could kill one of them on one hand.

Alecto stood on top of the scorched corpse of the low-ranking nest he’d killed just a while ago. The monster’s regenerative ability proved futile when faced with his strongest spell—Hellfire.

Around him, thousands of monster corpses were scattered. Half of them had been massacred by him, the Master of the City of Magic.

“This is annoying,” he mumbled.

After his beloved sister returned to the city, she sought audience with the leader of the Grand Order. The theories and knowledge she imparted that day stunned the entire community of magicians. Even he, one of the strongest magicians of the kingdom, couldn’t believe it when she disproved one of the fundamental teachings of the late Algrove Aria.

Alecto could still vividly remember his sister’s words when she discussed these theories with the magic community. According to her, it was a misconception that mana acted as a fuel when casting spells. Mana was never consumed; it was simply altered from one form to another. And to prove her theory, she performed various simple magic exercises that pointed to the validity of her claims.

Moreover, she revealed to the magic community the perfect magic formation. The answer to the centuries-old puzzle of Wizzert. This discovery alone was more than enough for his little sister to be hailed as a Grand Magician.

But to Alecto’s astonishment, Chryselle revealed that all of her knowledge had been imparted to her by the Lord of Blackstone Town. And with his consent, she revealed this to the magicians of Wizzert. This caused another uproar, since most of the magicians in Wizzert knew that Lark Marcus was the most likely culprit behind last year’s attack on the tower.

Why did he readily impart all this knowledge to the Fifth Elder?

What was his relationship to her?

How could it be possible for someone so young to be so proficient in magic?

Numerous questions ran through everyone’s minds upon learning of the perfect magic formation’s origins.

Remembering once again what happened that day, Alecto’s face distorted into a scowl.

One of the monsters that had managed to survive until now pounced at him. Alecto kicked the monster and sent it flying.

His ability to amplify his strength using magic had increased severalfold. Moreover, the mana consumption had been greatly reduced, enabling him to use it for a prolonged period of time.

Although he’d become far stronger after incorporating the perfect magic formation into his spells, the very thought that he was ‘borrowing’ the knowledge from the Lord of Blackstone Town left a bad aftertaste in his mouth.

The monster that he’d sent flying with a kick tumbled several times, before skidding to a halt. It stood up, roared, and ran toward him in utter rage. Its maws wide as it swiped its claws toward him.

A flame spear formed in Alecto’s hand. He gripped it, pulled the spear and his shoulder back, then threw it toward the monster, piercing its chest upon impact. The monster stumbled, it’s body quickly engulfed by the flames. It screeched then fell to the ground, scorched and lifeless.

One of his men approached him from behind and said, “Master, we’ve killed all of the monsters near the city. As for the ones that managed to escape—”

“Send a hundred magicians to pursue the monsters that ran away. Make sure none of them leave our territory alive.”

“And clean up these corpses.”

After relaying his instructions to his men, Alecto returned to the tower, took a bath, donned a new set of clothes, and went to the guest room on the fifth floor of the Magic Academy. Where his sister was currently staying.

“You’re finally here,” said Chryselle, holding a pile of books in her hands. She placed them on the table with a thud. “I heard that a strong monster appeared among the horde.”

“Its ability to regenerate is even stronger than a desert troll,” said Alecto. “But it’s incredibly weak to fire magic. A single Hellfire spell was all it took to kill it. The City of Magic will not fall even if two more of those monsters appear.”

“I see. I was worried for nothing,” she said.

A grin slowly formed on Alecto’s face. He seemed pleased to hear his little sister was worried about him.

“There’s nothing to be worried about,” he said confidently. “As long as I’m here, this city will not fall to mere monsters.”

“How reassuring.” Chryselle smiled, her voice soothing to the ears. “So, brother. That promise of yours. Have you thought about it?”

Alecto’s grin slid down his face. “What about grandfather?”

“Grandfather already gave me his approval. You can confirm it with him, if you want.”

Alecto furrowed his brow.

When his little sister finally decided to come back to Wizzert, he made a promise to her that he would respect her judgment and allow her to continue being under the tutelage of the Lord of Blackstone Town, if she could prove that he was indeed a competent and worthy master.

Unfortunately, he’d never expected that she would suddenly reveal the existence of the perfect magic formation. The perfect magic formation was more than enough proof of the Lord of Blackstone Town’s competence. Alecto, the strongest magician in this city, knew this more than anyone else. Even he desired to see the perfect magic formation during his lifetime, and the Lord of Blackstone Town was the first to achieve this incredible feat.

Although Alecto was reluctant, he had to admit defeat.

Moreover, he knew that if he did not keep his promise with his little sister, the rift between them would deepen even further.

Although he wanted to go to Blackstone Town and beat the life out of Lark Marcus for the humiliation he’d suffered, he’d decided to take a step back and compromise this time.

His sister would end up hating him if he went that far. Moreover, the leader of the Grand Order and the current chairman of the Magic Academy—their grandfather—had already given his consent regarding the matter.

“The magic formation was indeed perfect,” said Alecto. He sighed as though admitting defeat. “But let me ask, just in case.” He looked his little sister straight in the eyes. “You’re not in a relationship with that Marcus brat, are you?”

Chryselle’s eyelids shook for a moment. It was brief, but Alecto noticed it. She gasped for air before eventually replying, “N-No, of course not!”

“He’s several years younger than you. Remember that,” said Alecto.

He took a ring from his finger and placed it on the table. “This is the key to the treasure room in the tower. Take as much gold as you need. You can also take any of the treasures kept inside. And…” Alecto hesitated. “The perfect magic formation. Tell the Lord of Blackstone Town that I’m grateful that he imparted that knowledge to my beloved sister.”

Although Alecto still resented Lark Marcus for the humiliation he’d suffered in the tower, he was well aware of the importance of the magic formation he’d imparted to Chryselle. With this magic formation, it should be possible for their magicians to reach far greater heights than before.

“Thank you, brother,” said Chryselle. “I’ll be sure to tell him.” She smiled mischievously. “My, how wonderful it would be if the two of you became friends one day.”

“That will never happen,” spat Alecto, disgusted at the very thought of becoming chummy with that brat. “Ah, and you should probably tell him that the Thunder Lord is searching for his whereabouts. I don’t know why Nickolai is combing Daxton City and the Forbidden Region for any information regarding Lark Marcus, but I heard that he’s been on a rampage lately. That buffoon, he should just go straight to Blackstone Town if he wants to meet that Marcus brat. What a fool.”

It was well-known that Alecto and Nickolai had almost killed each other in a duel, several years ago. The outcome was a draw, but with the perfect magic formation now in his grasp, Alecto was confident of winning if they fought once again. After all, the perfect magic formation not only decreased the casting time, it also decreased the amount of mana required in casting spells.

“If Nickolai passes by our city, I’ll be sure to give him a beating. I look forward to it.”

“But, brother, didn’t you almost lose when you fought him before?” Chryselle chuckled.

“It was a draw!” said Alecto in indignation. “And I was still young then. Now, even royal court magicians are no match for your brother.”

Chryselle tucked her hair behind her ear and wrapped her arms around her brother. She hugged him tight. “Thank you for keeping your promise. I’ll visit from time to time.”

Alecto placed a hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. “You would have ended up hating me if I didn’t do this much, right?”