Ch.239239. The Ideal Wife

‘In the end, it’s not a matter of volume.’

While gathering the beings sleeping on the continent in one place sounds good, that place would still ultimately have to be on the continent.

I needed a place in another dimension.

That’s why I thought of the general store.

A place where dimensions are twisted, where even gods dare not interfere, as Learic had confidently claimed.

Indeed, when Aria tried to summon her sword in the general store, it didn’t work.

‘Is this a characteristic of the general store?’

Randomness.

I believed this was the unique characteristic that the general store possessed in this continent.

Except for the first encounter, meetings with Claire’s General Store are completely random in the game.

A shop you might keep encountering, or never meet again.

This had a high probability of acting as a variable in game progression, and the same applied here.

‘The reason Learic acquired the general store.’

I suspected that originally, the dwarf Claire was supposed to run the general store, but his shop was moved to where Learic was and taken from him.

The continent has something called a main story, and like how Aria was given the fate of a hero, there are stories that flow inevitably.

But the general store was an exception.

A place not included in the grand scenario of the continent.

I intended to use this.

“Gather souls in the general store.”

That was the method I had come up with. Of course, it would require enormous power and magic to utilize it.

But it’s possible.

I was slowly but surely moving forward toward what Stella had called my fruition.

Thump, thump.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs echoed in the laboratory. Thinking it was about time, I organized the documents and papers with equations on my desk.

“What’s going on so early in the morning?”

“You installed a lamp?”

“……”

Three people had come down.

One was Gloria, the captain of the royal guard.

She had her red hair tied tightly, carried a treasured sword, and wore the red armor symbolizing the royal guard.

She looked ready for battle to anyone who saw her.

Another was Tyren Ol Velocus, the Mage Inquisitor, wearing a thick golden robe and helmet, holding a staff resembling a spear.

Lastly, Findenai in her usual maid uniform.

She too was fully equipped with weapons like Baekseol and Warshoes, but she looked annoyed.

She seemed to still remember the humiliation from last time.

“Get ready.”

That aside.

It was time to stop merely playing with a pen at the desk and start moving.

* * *

Rometiu Forest.

A forest known to be home to spirits and fairies, untouched by humans.

With the Spirit King away accompanying Erika Bright, the greatest barrier was gone.

But the spirits and fairies weren’t particularly worried. Rather, they were happy that the person who constantly nagged them was gone.

Pure and innocent beings who found joy simply in flying among the trees with friends.

Today too.

The spirits thought it would be another quiet but exciting day, but.

Kyaaaak!

A-a Black Mage!

Screams erupted from their mouths.

A deep, dark shadow entered Rometiu Forest. Black Mages wearing black robes walked through the forest toward the center.

“Noisy little spirits.”

Becklin, a Black Mage from Dante who called himself a plague mage, irritably drove away the spirits.

He wanted to spread his plague among them right away, but he had to restrain himself because they were told not to cause a commotion.

The moment Becklin’s magic activated, Rometiu Forest would no longer be worthy of being called a forest.

His plague wasn’t limited to just humans.

“Hehehe.”

Beside him walked a hunched old man. He leaned on a staff, and if his bent back were straightened, he would be quite tall.

If anything, he resembled a centipede curled up.

Barkterus Nicolai, the plague mage who had held the position of Director of Weapons Development in the Republic of Clark.

“I quite like this forest.”

Insects continuously poured out from Barkterus’s shadow. They began to occupy the forest like conquerors.

No! No! No!

Numerous insects attached themselves to a fleeing fairy. They brought the fairy to Barkterus, and.

Crunch!

Without hesitation, Barkterus immediately put the fairy in his mouth and chewed.

Kyaaaak!

“Hehehe! Hearing a woman’s scream in my mouth is a fresh experience.”

Of course, the scream didn’t last long.

After chewing and eating the fairy, Barkterus made a face of dissatisfaction.

“Tsk, tastes worse than bugs.”

Grumbling that he shouldn’t have eaten it, Barkterus was joined by a hooded woman who had been walking behind him.

“Catch me another one.”

“Hmm? Are you going to try it?”

“Hurry.”

“Well, alright.”

A woman’s voice as dry as if sand were stuck in her throat. Once again, insects caught a fairy.

Save me! Save me!

“Here it is.”

When the insects brought the fairy to the woman, she reached out and grabbed it.

As she extended her hand, her robe sleeve slipped slightly, revealing stitched marks around her wrist as if it had been reattached.

“Hmm.”

After contemplating for a moment while looking down at the fairy, the woman finally pressed her finger firmly and broke the fairy’s neck.

Like a broken toy, the fairy’s neck was bent 180 degrees.

However, when the woman’s mana flowed into the fairy, it rose again on her palm.

It didn’t matter that its neck was twisted.

The fairy’s corpse immediately began fluttering its wings and circling around the woman.

“First time with a fairy corpse.”

With a grin, Yun the corpse mage seemed pleased as she began experimenting with the fairy’s corpse.

They arrived at the deepest part of Rometiu Forest.

Under the massive tree where the Spirit King should have been resting.

Instead of the Spirit King, who was away due to the contract with Erika, there stood a beautiful young man with white hair and a man with short blonde hair who had the impression of a soldier.

The leader of Dante.

Heralazard, known as the worst Black Mage in history.

Also known as Luanes Luden Griffin.

And the other sturdy man was the blood mage Pelestan, who had come from the Republic of Clark.

“Only three of you came?”

Pelestan asked with tobacco in his mouth, and plague mage Becklin pointed behind him with his thumb.

“They’re coming. Just cleaning up some strange dregs.”

“Hmm.”

Exhaling smoke, Pelestan shrugged indifferently. Since this was Griffin territory, it wasn’t strange for enemies to appear anywhere.

“The emblem?”

But Luanes, the leader, was different. With an uncharacteristically tense expression, he asked urgently.

“There must have been emblems on the shields or armor of those who were following you.”

He thought they couldn’t have been caught by low-level people like village vigilantes.

So they must have been private soldiers of a specific noble or nearby guards.

“Ah, are you asking me to remember every little detail?”

Becklin scratched the back of his head and complained irritably.

“This is my first time setting foot in Griffin territory. I didn’t study enough to identify houses just by looking at emblems.”

“Red hawk.”

Instead of Becklin, who was speaking bluntly with his slitted eyes, plague mage Barkterus and corpse mage Yun answered.

“There were red hawks drawn on the armor and shields. There was also a skilled magic swordsman.”

“There was also a light sword. Yellow-robed mages were the main force.”

“What? That’s quite a proper force?”

Pelestan, who heard the story, found it interesting and seemed somewhat disappointed that he hadn’t been involved.

“Damn it.”

Luanes, thinking the situation had become complicated, brushed his bangs back and looked around.

“Barkterus, check if there are any warp markers around.”

“Hehehe! Warp markers? Could it be him?!”

Having already experienced this in the Republic of Clark, Barkterus excitedly struck the ground with the end of his staff.

Like ants pouring out of an anthill, bugs gushed out from his staff and spread throughout the forest.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Is it because of the Spiritmaster?”

Pelestan and Yun asked simultaneously. Luanes nodded with a tense expression.

“The red hawk is the Zeronia family, and the light sword is the Bright family. Both are houses that move under the Spiritmaster.”

Having seen them before during the Romuleus incident, Luanes couldn’t help but grow increasingly anxious.

The fact that the Zeronia and Bright families were together meant that the Spiritmaster knew they were here.

“Did he know we were coming here?”

Luanes muttered, lost in thought. The Black Mages of Dante had never seen their leader so anxious.

“The Spiritmaster.”

When Pelestan first heard that name, he didn’t think much of it. He viewed him as just a Black Mage surviving by parasitizing the royal family.

But in reality, despite having appeared only about a year ago, he was showing remarkable progress.

He had not only eradicated the Griffin Demon that had nested in the Griffin Kingdom.

He had also slaughtered five of the ten Great Demons on the continent.

The Great Demon of Gluttony, Magan.

The Great Demon of Strife, Valkyria.

The Great Demon of Worship, Feiren.

The Great Demon of Pride, Dune.

The Great Demon of Deception, Learic.

At this rate, he could be called a Great Demon specialist hunter surpassing even the Saintess, and the five remaining Great Demons on the continent had to pay attention to the Spiritmaster’s movements, swallowing dry saliva.

The Black Mages of Dante had seen him through shared vision.

In reality, they didn’t think they would lose if they fought him.

How could they lose to a necromancer who doesn’t handle souls?

But he had overcome many hardships and formidable opponents and was still alive.

This meant he was a being that couldn’t be viewed simply through the concepts of magic or common sense.

And because he was so unpredictable, Luanes was worried about the Spiritmaster’s involvement.

“We’re here!”

But such worries seemed unfounded.

The remaining Black Mages arrived, pushing through the trees.

Among them, the largest man, who despite being a Black Mage carried a spear on his shoulder, greeted them with a smile.

Jangroon, a Black Mage from the Han Empire.

Not only was he covered in blood, but he was also dragging a red-haired man.

Whip!

Thud!

A red-haired handsome man.

Once a professor at Robern Academy, but due to his family’s crisis, he had quit being a professor and was now diligently following Deus’s orders.

It was Gideon Zeronia.

“Hehehe, a trophy?”

When Barkterus asked with a laugh, Jangroon chuckled and pointed at Yun.

“I brought it for you to use. The best gift for a corpse mage is a corpse, isn’t it?”

“You’ve always been so passionate in your courtship!”

Barkterus and Jangroon burst into laughter together. Ignoring them, Yun approached Gideon, stepped on his head, and asked.

“He’s still alive?”

“I thought you’d prefer a fresh corpse!”

“It doesn’t really matter.”

Responding indifferently, Yun twisted her left wrist.

“It’ll get bloody.”

Then, a thick needle protruded from her palm.

“I’ve removed all the warp markers.”

Turning his gaze away from Yun and Gideon, Barkterus spoke to Luanes.

“There were about five in total. The ants ate them all, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Then.”

Luanes finally felt relieved.

He knew that Deus was staying in Greyfond.

Given the distance from here to Greyfond, even Deus couldn’t come.

But then.

Thud!

Corpse mage Yun fell backward, landing on her bottom. Gideon Zeronia, who had been limp until just now, had pushed her away with all his might.

“This bastard!”

Thinking his gift had hurt Yun, Jangroon grabbed his spear and approached with large strides.

“Haaak!”

Pak!

A glowing stake that Gideon pulled out from his chest.

It was a warp marker.

“Hak! Hak!”

Gideon, dripping blood, collapsed. It seemed to have been his last strength, as he fell unconscious.

“Hehehe! There was one more!”

Barkterus laughed, pointing at the warp marker hidden in Gideon’s chest.

Normally, it would take some time to activate, but.

This time was different.

The warp marker, emitting a pillar of light, began to respond immediately.

“But it seems like only one person is coming?”

Pelestan muttered, crossing his arms and looking up at the pillar of light.

Indeed, only one person was using the warp.

A very brief warp.

Where the pillar of light had turned to dust and disappeared, stood a somewhat unexpected woman.

“Phew.”

A white shirt and neat navy suit.

Her long hair was tied and neatly placed on one shoulder.

Blonde hair that complemented her white skin.

The woman, with her hands deeply inserted in her suit pockets, was a mage and professor who shouldn’t be here.

It was Erika Bright.

“That’s…”

“The Spiritmaster’s fiancée.”

“What, how disappointing.”

The Black Mages of Dante showed similar reactions. They were relieved that the Spiritmaster hadn’t come, but they were suspicious of the woman who suddenly stood before them.

But Erika looked at them coldly, took her hand out of her pocket, and pulled out a white glove from her chest.

“You’re the Black Mages he’s been looking for. Dante, right?”

The Zeronia and Bright families had been pursuing Dante at Deus’s request.

Erika, who followed them, asked calmly while putting on her gloves, and Pelestan answered.

“It’s too foolish to say you came for your fiancé. Are you blinded by love?”

“……”

“How many Black Mages do you think are here right now?”

Including the Black Mages who had arrived with Jangroon after cleaning up, there were about ten.

Considering they were Black Mages, it was a considerable number, but.

Creak.

Erika let out a scornful snort and pulled the hem of her glove to secure it firmly.

“Surely, you must know where you are.”

“Step back.”

Seeing Erika’s golden mana rising from her feet, Luanes warned.

The Black Mages who were about to rush at her hesitated at Luanes’s quick warning, and.

A vast power surged up behind Erika.

A giant golden butterfly rising from the grassy ground.

The Spirit King of Light.

“This is the first time I’ve seen the Spirit King so angry.”

The Spirit King of Light, floating above Erika, was emitting fierce hostility toward the Black Mages.

For these unwelcome guests in the spirits’ sanctuary, even the light emitted by the Spirit King of Light felt like being pricked by sharp needles.

“Did she have a contract with a spirit?”

“If it’s the Spirit King of Light, we should be a bit tense.”

“What a well-matched engaged couple.”

One, a necromancer called the Spiritmaster.

One, a contractor of the Spirit King.

The Black Mages of Dante threw out tense sneers, and.

“Helping behind my husband’s back.”

Erika’s eyes, influenced by the Spirit King of Light, turned golden as she glared at them.

“That’s the virtue of a good wife.”