Ch.103Dirt Mage (1)

“Want to get hurt!? I said identify yourself right now…!!”

“Hmm… what should I do about this.”

“What are you saying..!”

Faced with black mages threatening me with shovels rather than staffs, I found myself in a serious dilemma.

If they were ordinary black mages, I would have cut them down without hesitation.

If they were innocent civilians, I would have approached them with words and attempted persuasion.

[They definitely have the magical qualities of black mages… but it’s ambiguous.]

[Should I say they’re underdeveloped?]

‘Indeed, right? It seems like they’ve only been practicing black magic for a few days at most.’

Judging by the small amount of magical power they possessed, it seemed they hadn’t properly learned not just black magic, but magic in general.

And if I were to ask whether their bodies were properly trained, that wasn’t the case either.

The bodies of these people before my eyes were no different from those of farmers or construction workers.

Perhaps that’s exactly what they had been doing before.

The more I analyzed my opponents, the more ambiguity I found, giving me a headache.

And as I remained silent without giving any answer, the black… no, the dirt mages seemed to be gripping their shovels with increasing strength.

[Those people… they’re terrified.]

‘I don’t know what they were thinking coming here, but this isn’t exactly a friendly place. They must have gone through various hardships since arriving.’

Their current behavior seemed like a defense mechanism, acting tough to avoid being looked down upon.

And because of that, it didn’t seem like we could have a proper conversation.

They would probably only lower their guard if I approached them with extreme humility.

‘Though there’s no need to give black mages the upper hand.’

I looked at the rings on their fingers. They were identical to the ones I had checked earlier.

Although I’ve been calling them dirt mages, they were still associated with the Black Pillar and were black mages.

So it wouldn’t be wise to approach them submissively and expose myself to potential threats.

Therefore, I decided to first subdue them and have a conversation once safety was secured.

“Luna, please go easy on them.”

“Chu-byu-chu-byu!!”

“Wha… Arghhhh…!”

At my command, Luna darted forward and began folding the dirt mages in half at the waist before they could even respond.

Faced with such overwhelming force, the dirt mages collapsed to the ground without putting up any resistance.

[But… didn’t you just hear a ‘crack’ sound?]

[It sounded like something breaking…]

‘Hmm… they don’t seem to have life-threatening injuries, so it should be fine.’

Although the fallen dirt mages were groaning in pain, none of them had died or lost consciousness, so it could be considered okay.

Probably.

* * *

“Urghh…”

“I’ve already given you first aid, so it won’t get worse.”

After confiscating all the possessions of the dirt mages, I took out bandages from my spatial storage and provided emergency treatment.

“Now then… let’s have a chat.”

“Ugh… you break our backs and then want to talk…!”

“I could have killed all of you. I gave you first aid because I judged you weren’t a threat.”

“Grr.”

I looked at them with eyes colder than usual.

Luna also matched my behavior, showing off her strength to create an atmosphere of terror.

It was true that I hesitated to cut down innocent people, but that fact shouldn’t become a weakness.

So I instilled in them the clear fear that they could die at any moment.

“Well, now that we understand our positions, I believe we can have a good conversation.”

“What do you want to know…”

The one who appeared to be the leader of the dirt mages stepped forward voluntarily, seemingly out of a sense of responsibility.

It seemed like he was saying that if I had questions, he would answer them all.

“First, simply… tell me how you all became black mages. It seems like you wouldn’t normally have any connection to this side.”

“…The economy wasn’t good for any of us. The fields suffered poor harvests, and suddenly too many workers flooded places that needed labor. Because of that, those who originally worked those jobs ended up on the streets.”

Something felt off about the story that followed, but I continued listening for now.

“And then?”

“During that time, we heard that if we joined the newly formed Black Pillar, we would be given some money and jobs. Being in similar situations with no other options, we joined the Black Pillar.”

A sudden crisis and the Black Pillar expanding its size by supporting workers as if it had been waiting for this moment.

A scenario that anyone with even a bit of intelligence could predict unfolded in my mind.

[Hmm, it seems the Black Pillar intended for this situation.]

‘I can’t be certain… but the probability is high.’

They had been forcibly swept away by a massive current prepared by someone.

“There’s a rumor that the master of the Black Pillar is an Apostle of the Evil God. Do you know anything about that?”

“That’s… just a joke within the Magic Tower, speculating that since they’re such an accomplished black mage, they might be an apostle. Is it actually true?”

The master of the Black Pillar was essentially a figure recognized by the Magic Tower, an enormous organization.

With such rumors circulating, unless one was a conspiracy theorist, it would be difficult to believe that someone officially recognized by the Magic Tower could actually be an apostle.

“Of course not. I was just curious about the truth behind the rumor.”

“I see…”

There wasn’t much an ordinary laborer could do with serious secrets.

So I lied, saying it was just simple curiosity, with a measure of consideration.

However, despite being a former laborer, there must have been a reason why he was their leader.

After hearing my story, he made an expression as if he had realized something, perhaps having had suspicions all along.

Although he looked indignant about the truth of the situation, he also knew better than to pretend to know more and kept his mouth shut.

Seeing that, I thought he was indeed a perceptive person. So I didn’t need to worry separately.

“Let me ask one last thing. You must have come down here knowing the location. Do you know who provided this information?”

“I understand this request was made directly by someone called the Collector who resides within the Black Pillar. The capture of the Rune Bear… was also requested by that person.”

“Resides within… so they’re not part of the Black Pillar?”

“It seems… they’re not a black mage. I don’t know the details myself…”

I quietly closed my mouth at the dirt mage’s words. Bad thoughts were resurfacing.

I prayed I was wrong, but the circumstantial evidence seemed to mock me, suggesting my thoughts were correct.

At this point, I couldn’t deny it anymore.

[That person called the Collector is likely an apostle.]

‘Yes, they might even be someone I know. No… that’s highly probable.’

It could be dismissed as circumstantial and intuitive speculation, but I could feel it instinctively.

The Collector was definitely that person I knew.

[Is that so… from the way you’re talking, it seems they were a close acquaintance.]

[Are you going to be okay?]

[If it’s difficult for you to fight, I can do it for you.]

‘…I’ll be fine. I’ve already prepared myself.’

I had been prepared for something like this since I first cut down an apostle.

Although I couldn’t call them an acquaintance, I realized it when I cut down the bone enthusiast I had often seen in the community.

When I met the Evil God and faced the truth that most apostles were victims, yet realized there was no way to help them, I made my decision.

So I was fine.

[Pretending to be strong.]

[Tell me anytime if it gets tough.]

‘I will.’

While I closed my eyes briefly to strengthen my resolve, the dirt mage seemed to have realized something and called out to me with a trembling voice.

“Do you have any more questions…?”

“No, I’ve asked enough questions.”

Hearing my words, the dirt mage closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

It was an act of trying to make a difficult decision, just like I had done moments ago.

He seemed to have resolved himself to death.

“I am ready.”

“This will hurt a bit.”

“My name is Luca. Please take my belongings to my family and tell them I love…”

Suggesting it would hurt, I drew my sword before Luca could finish his last words, as if final words were a luxury.

And I cut.

Slash-

“Gah…!”

Cut by my sword, Luca buried his head in the ground and trembled in pain.

Just before being cut by my sword, he seemed to look at me with a face full of betrayal.

“I thought you would at least listen to my last words…”

With those final words, Luca closed his eyes, sensing the end.

And so Luca…

Did not die.

“What last words? You should tell them you love them yourself.”

“W-what?”

“Here’s a potion. I’ve removed the vessel that holds magical power, so drink it quickly or you might die from excessive bleeding.”

While I was certainly prepared to cut down anyone if necessary, I didn’t want to cut more than needed.

And I didn’t think Luca and the dirt mages behind him were people I absolutely had to cut down.

“Black magic like necromancy disturbs the mind just by learning it. Having such things is bad for your mental health.”

This was obvious in a way, but it wasn’t widely known to the public.

The change wasn’t noticeable because those who learned black magic were already somewhat unstable to begin with.

“Is this really possible…?”

“It’s only possible because you haven’t been learning black magic for long. Otherwise, even I couldn’t have helped.”

If they had been geniuses or had studied black magic for a long time, there would have been no way for me to help them.

At that point, it wouldn’t just be about the vessel accumulating magical power, but the body’s constitution itself would have changed.

It might be possible to damage the entire body to prevent the use of magic, but that would be like creating a living corpse.

“The rest of you, come here too.”

Afterwards, I planned to give them some money I had and send them away.

However, there was one thing I belatedly remembered.

“Hmm… come to think of it, you were sent to destroy the gate…”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“Oh, it’s simple. It means you can’t leave here now.”

It seemed like I suddenly had more people to take care of in the immaterial realm.

* * *

The woman I remember wasn’t someone who particularly liked people.