54 – The Eye of the Storm
The flames that engulfed the orphanage spread to the house right next to it. The sound of the house collapsing and something exploding echoes through the quiet village.
Amidst those intense sounds, the screams of the dark sorcerers and the sound of flesh being torn apart and destroyed occasionally reach my ears.
“…If the High Priest finds out about what you’re doing right now, he’ll kill you!! Ugh…”
“Sigh… Why is everyone so talkative?”
I eliminate another dark sorcerer possessed by evil. The Dark Sphere summoned by the sorcerer dissipates under my counterattack, and the mouth that was noisy from the protruding spear from the shadows falls silent.
…How many have I taken down now? Ten? Twenty? I’m not sure.
“How on earth did so many gather here? There weren’t this many at the Black Sorcerers’ Assembly in the Academy, for sure.”
When dealing with Ariel and the dark sorcerers, I usually came across three to four sorcerers. The highest number I encountered was no more than ten.
However, now I’ve easily killed over twenty, yet the dark magic detectable throughout the entire village shows no signs of diminishing.
If anything, it feels like the dark magic is increasing as time goes on. It’s a phenomenon that’s not easily explained.
-!!!
At that moment, faint screams and the sound of something shattering overlap and reach my ears from somewhere far away.
The direction from which the sound is coming…
“Where the people were?! No way…!”
I quickly run in the direction of the sound, desperately hoping that no one is hurt.
If there are any injured or dead people. If those people are ones I have spoken to and know their faces.
I might not be able to bear it. I would be tormented by guilt for failing to protect them.
“No, no. I shouldn’t think like that.”
Let’s focus on running as fast as we can for now. I run, trying to shake off the growing anxiety and thoughts.
“You rats trapped in a cage! Taste my dark magic…!”
“…Ugh, someone please help…!”
-aaah!
-Save me… save me…!
-I don’t want to die…
The residents who haven’t escaped from the village yet shed tears or screamed in horror as they watched the dark sorcerers surrounding them.
Those who dared to oppose the dark sorcerers were a tiny minority. How could ordinary citizens who had never harmed a single life stand up against wicked sorcerers risking their own lives?
Only a few strong young men, former knights like Berry, and Lenny showed their hostility towards the dark sorcerers. Even so, they had no proper weapons or armor, so they could only glare at the dark sorcerers while sharpening their resolve.
As the dark sorcerers laughed mockingly, their dark magic slowly intensified.
Berry and Lenny wanted to attack immediately, but when they threatened to harm the children behind them, they had no choice but to step back.
Amidst the desperate situation where all the villagers could be wiped out at any moment, I walked slowly and naturally through the dark sorcerers.
Suppressing boiling anger and deep resentment, I focused on harnessing the dark magic.
“This dark magic… is it the High Priest?!”
“hehehe… the High Priest has arrived. You all are finished now!”
When I unleashed the dark magic, they mistook me for their High Priest. The laughter of the dark sorcerers and the screams and cries of the villagers grew louder and louder.
“Oh, High Priest… Please intervene quickly! We’ve gathered them all in one place!”
“Hmm. I see. They are indeed… nicely gathered in one place.”
There was no need to go looking for them separately. And no one even considered me as their enemy, in such a vulnerable state.
I raised the sword forged in anger towards the enemy’s neck.
“Huh? This voice isn’t from the High Priest.”
“I understand. I’ll handle it.”
Fwoosh-!
As the shadows cast by the dark sorcerers swirl and bubble in the air, darkness rises and takes on countless forms.
Unaware of the dark spears emerging from beneath their feet, they helplessly meet their demise.
As soon as the black sorcerer next to them notices the piercing, dark spears rising from beneath their feet, it is likely that none of them will have realized.
And the first black sorcerer to realize that I am not the High Priest cries out, seemingly trying to scream a spell or something, but I kindly reverse-engineer the dark magic and insert dozens of dark spheres into him.
Thud- Thud.
I reverse the dark magic just before it is cast, and swiftly attack the sorcerers who are not affected. Eventually, all the black sorcerers fall to the ground.
“……………”
Now, among the black sorcerers who have become corpses, only I stand, surrounded by bewildered residents who look around with confused expressions.
“Why on earth are we…”
“…Now is not the time! Everyone, please run away! We will take care of things!”
Thanks to Berry’s quick thinking, the residents and children take care of each other and hurriedly escape from their positions, running out of the village.
Berry and Renny, lowering their stances, glare at me as if they are about to attack at any moment.
I wanted to thank them and tell them to run away and protect the children and the residents. They might… believe in my innocence.
[A powerful dark magic can be sensed! Will you absorb it?]
[A powerful dark magic can be sensed! Will you absorb it?]
[A powerful dark magic can be sensed! Will you absorb it?]
“………!”
In the center of the village, until I felt a much stronger dark magic than any sorcerer I had encountered so far, although not as intense as the old man.
Judging by what the sorcerers were talking about before they died, the strongest person in the village must be the ‘High Priest’.
At the same time, it seemed like something was about to happen from the center of the village as the dark magic quickly condensed. Without even greeting Berry and Leni, I hurriedly ran towards the center of the village.
“…Why aren’t they attacking? Why the same sorcerer…”
“Leni! Not now! This is the perfect opportunity!! Let’s go back to the villagers!”
“…Okay. Got it!”
***
“Hmm. You came. You must be the one who killed all our fellow countrymen.”
“…How do you know it’s not.”
“Well, every time we feel dark magic, one of our countrymen disappears. And… your body is covered in blood.”
The High Priest, who seemed relaxed somewhere, spoke as the dark magic that had been emanating from the entire village gathered in one place.
The overwhelming dark magic was so evident that his relaxation was natural.
“And you know. If you continue to live like that… wouldn’t anyone know?”
“…………”
‘Ability Insight.’
[Name: Cal Vent / Age: 22 / Gender: Male / Condition: Excellent]
[Unique Ability (Qualities of Injected Dark Magic): Originally unable to use dark magic, but forcibly modified the body to make it possible. Can use a considerable level of dark magic.]
[Unique Ability (Mana Eye): Eyes that can see mana. Can see the trajectory of mana and can use it more smoothly.]
[Magi Erosion (???): Eroded by excessive dark magic. If the remaining remnants of magi in the body are not removed, death will occur in 381 days, 17 hours, 39 minutes, and 11 seconds.]
“…It was you. Cal Vent.”
“Oh… Do you know who I am?”
The true identity of the High Priest was Karl Bent. On the first day of his arrival at the Academy, he had approached Ariel with a condescending attitude, only to be immediately suppressed by the nobles.
At that time, Ariel thought that the strange feeling and the uncanny sense of similarity she felt from Karl Bent were just passing coincidences. It was a sense of similarity that she could feel because they were both dark wizards.
“I can feel it now. Just how much magic power this guy possesses.”
Now that she had grown considerably, she could sense the dark magic power that remained within Karl Bent. It was an overwhelming amount of dark magic power.
Judging from the status window, he was not someone with innate talent like me, but rather a case of becoming a dark wizard through acquired factors.
And there was the noticeable ‘magical erosion’. It was certainly a similar condition to Ariel’s, but Karl Bent still had over a year left in his lifespan. That means…
“Karl Bent. Just how many lives have you taken?”
“What? hahahahaha! I can’t believe it. Not only do you harm fellow dark wizards, but you also don’t absorb their life force?”
Watching Karl Bent clutching his stomach and groaning for a while, I unleashed my cold anger.
I felt like I could explode at any moment, seeing him mocking the people sacrificed for his own safety for no reason. But I managed to restrain myself.
“Sigh… How many people did you eat? Do you remember the number of bread you’ve eaten so far?”
“…..Can’t remember. Just die already.”
I couldn’t bear it any longer. I unleashed the dark magic power I controlled and rushed towards him, while Karl Bent grinned and concentrated the dark magic power in both hands.
This battle would be more dangerous than any other battle I had fought before. Nevertheless, I charged forward.
Because it was the minimum respect I could offer to the people sacrificed for that dark wizard.
I hope MC doesn’t pretend to be evil… Bc then what will happen to the orphans? Prbly will be killed if he does. Realistically at least. Imo