Ch.100Age of Tribulation (3)

“Hmm, he seems too weak to have hunted a Rune Bear alone.”

[Indeed, that’s true.]

When Lumia and I first sensed the black mage’s presence, we thought he was the culprit.

The fact that he came from the direction where the baby Rune Bear had fled, and his statement about targeting the baby Rune Bear from the beginning.

All circumstances pointed to him being the culprit.

However, we had to completely withdraw that assumption the moment the black mage activated his magic to catch the baby Rune Bear.

“Kehehehe…! Oof!”

“Grooowl!”

Just as the black mage confidently activated his black magic to attack, he was sent flying by the baby Rune Bear’s surprise attack.

“He’s really… too weak.”

[With that level of power, he couldn’t even handle a group of Imps.]

That’s right.

This black mage was far too weak to have taken down an adult Rune Bear by himself.

“Even giving him the benefit of the doubt, he’s just a pawn at best.”

[Indeed, exactly that level, right?]

While Lumia and I were talking, the black mage who had been sent flying after being hit by the Rune Bear quickly regained his senses and came running back.

Judging by the lack of serious injuries on the black mage’s body, despite being incompetent, he at least knew how to cast a simple shield.

Still, since he seemed to have some basics, he might be able to capture the Rune Bear if left alone.

That is, if I were to just stand by and watch.

“Well then… hoping you know the local geography well, let’s ask you some necessary questions.”

“Hehe, if you come along quietly, you won’t get hurt too ba— Gack…!?”

I threw myself from the tree to stomp on the black mage’s head.

Crack—

A crude shield that had been deployed in advance blocked my path, but adding a bit more strength to my leg was enough to break through it.

“As expected, weak and crude. I wonder how someone with this level of ability can operate in the immaterial realm.”

“Urgh, how dare you… Eek!?”

“There seems to be no need to discuss who’s in charge here.”

The black mage, whose head I was stepping on, raised his head irritably but tucked his tail between his legs when he realized a sword was at his throat.

Thanks to this, I could be certain that this black mage was not an Apostle.

After all, beings known as Apostles never had surrender as an option.

“Well then, let’s start by… asking your name and affiliation.”

“…”

“Don’t try to test me. Hurry up.”

At my question, the black mage hesitated to answer, perhaps preparing some lie.

Of course, that hesitation was very brief. As soon as I moved my sword closer to his throat, he quickly opened his mouth.

“…My name is Bilida, I’m a black mage. And obviously, black mages don’t have affiliations.”

“That’s a lie, and please use formal speech. That way you’ll better understand your position.”

I already thought he was pathetic, but did he really think such a crude lie would work?

No, looking at his trembling legs, he might have been doing his best by his own standards.

He probably feared someone even more terrifying than me, making him reluctant to answer.

‘Of course, that fact isn’t important to me.’

I moved my sword deeper, drawing blood from his neck to emphasize there wouldn’t be a second chance, and demanded an answer again.

“Answer.”

“Ee… Eek…! M-My name is Henry…! I belong to the Black Pillar of the Magic Tower.”

“Hmm, the Black Pillar… That’s a pillar I’m not familiar with. It doesn’t sound like a lie, so perhaps it’s recently established?”

The Magic Tower, which belongs to neither guilds nor any country, consists of several pillars according to magical attributes.

While representative attributes existed in every era, the existence of rare attributes varied depending on the cycle or era.

‘If it’s the Black Pillar where black mages belong, it must be black magic…’

Since black magic was fundamentally taboo, the Black Pillar was rarely established, so I couldn’t help but frown.

“Then, Henry. Would you tell me about the Black Pillar? I’d also like to know who the pillar master is, if possible.”

“Th-The Black Pillar is a recently established pillar. Many people have been gathering there lately because it’s said that even those of low rank can become powerful easily and quickly to fulfill their desires, so it’s growing in size.

As for the pillar master… I don’t know well because of my low rank. I’ve only heard rumors that they might be an Apostle…”

“So this is what it means that the use of black magic has been revealed in the Magic Tower recently. More than that, desires? How did the Magic Tower, which was born for the accumulation of knowledge, end up like this…”

When I first heard that the use of black magic had been discovered within the Magic Tower, I thought a few Apostles had infiltrated.

I thought the hidden Apostles were seducing magicians to form small groups.

At worst, I imagined one or two pillar masters might be involved.

‘I never expected… an entire pillar to be established… The situation is more serious than I thought.’

It seemed necessary to go to the Magic Tower as soon as possible after finishing business in the Fairy Realm.

I suppressed the headache forming in my mind and continued with additional questions, wondering just how corrupt the inside of the Magic Tower had become by now.

“In this situation with the Magic Tower, what has the Tower Master been saying?”

“Well, I heard the Tower Master fell ill shortly before the Black Pillar was established. The Vice Tower Master is also away, seeking treatment for the Tower Master….”

Even Lumia, who had been quietly listening to this ridiculous story, commented on the current situation.

[Well… the circumstances seem to have aligned quite conveniently.]

[It’s as if some idle god personally intervened to help.]

‘Indeed. If they had nothing better to do, they could have done something good instead.’

After cursing the evil god who was surely behind this situation, I refocused on the current matter.

“So, why and how did you, a member of the Black Pillar, come here?”

“Currently, there’s a bounty on baby Rune Bears within the Black Pillar. Thinking it was a chance to make a fortune, I spent all my money to use a gate to participate.”

Henry then took two items from his pocket and showed them to me.

One was easily recognizable as a pass, but I couldn’t quite figure out what the other ring-shaped object was.

“Hmm… I can sense magical power, but what exactly is this?”

“It’s an artifact that extends the time one can operate in the immaterial realm. I heard it was recently developed…”

“Something like that doesn’t seem like it would be cheap enough for someone like you to afford.”

“That’s something I don’t… All I heard was that it’s a prototype just created in the Black Pillar…”

As I carefully examined the artifact while listening to Henry, I could roughly guess its structure from the blatant black magic aura.

‘So it’s an object that uses life force as fuel to allow movement.’

Since this artifact seemed cheap, its efficiency didn’t appear to be very good, making me wonder how much lifespan the man before me had left.

If he had been using the ring liberally since entering this place, he probably had less than a few years left.

“Even if you had captured that Rune Bear and taken it back, you would have died soon…”

“Huh? What did you just say…”

“Nothing. Let’s move on to my final question. Do you happen to know where we are right now?”

“Uh… I believe I heard it’s a forest located somewhere between the Fairy Kingdom and Demon Territory. Other than that, I don’t really…”

“Well, that should be enough.”

With that question, I had nothing more to ask, so I withdrew the sword I had been pointing at the man’s neck.

Initially, I had planned to ask what I needed and then kill him, but a good way to use this black mage came to mind.

“Are… are you letting me live?”

“Of course, if you’ll just do me one favor.”

“I’ll do anything as long as you spare my life…!”

The black mage probably hadn’t expected me to spare him, as his face showed deep relief.

Of course, knowing well what my request would do to him, I couldn’t help but feel guilty seeing that face.

“Forget me, and return to the Magic Tower to destroy the portal that allows travel to this place.”

“…Yes.”

Under my charm, the man’s eyes soon lost focus.

Now he would return the way he came, act wildly, and eventually be killed by other black mages.

“Sigh… I think I understand what it means when they say the abyss gazes back at you…”

Someone might think I’ve developed chuunibyou syndrome, but I was genuinely feeling the meaning of these words right now.

Suddenly, I realized that my actions somewhat resembled those of the evil god I sought to take revenge against.

[To avoid becoming like that, you’ll need to maintain your principles going forward.]

“Sigh, I’ll have to work on that…”