Ch.320320. Glory

The news of my resignation from the position of Spiritmaster spread throughout the kingdom in an instant.

Some were puzzled, while others rejoiced—quite contrasting reactions.

Yet I, at the center of this chaos, had escaped the world’s turbulence and was quietly enjoying solitude in prison.

[They say great people get imprisoned at least once?]

[If you’re in prison, you’re just a bad person, senior.]

Actually, I wasn’t really alone. Black Mage and Stella were chattering away on either side of me.

[Since Deus has been imprisoned twice, doesn’t that make him twice as great?]

[Being imprisoned twice just means you’ve gone from being a bad person to an even worse one.]

[Stella, don’t you know how to comfort someone? You’re supposed to start with praise.]

[Simple praise isn’t comforting, and that’s not even praise, senior.]

A Black Mage trying to fight in the Saintess’s area of expertise. I had to admire the courage.

“I wasn’t looking for comfort in the first place.”

Both women immediately turned to look at me. Being imprisoned was undoubtedly a desperate situation from a common perspective, but I had intentionally gotten myself locked up.

[Are you secretly crying inside? Should I pat your head? Do you want to rest on my chest?]

[What do you plan to do now?]

Stella asked, ignoring the Dark Spiritmaster’s nonsense. I answered without much thought.

“What the Griffin Kingdom needs now is to separate me from the kingdom.”

[Because other countries are wary of you?]

“Yes, it’s important to make it clear to other countries. The Griffin Kingdom recognizes the danger of Deus Verdi, will not use his power for personal gain, and agrees with the will of other nations.”

[Do you think King Orpheus can do that?]

“I’ve set things up to make it possible.”

He’s not foolish enough to destroy the path I’ve laid out for him. By cutting off just one person—me—countless people can be saved. He didn’t want blood to flow in the Griffin Kingdom.

[Unlike Heralhadad who made people’s blood flow, you’re saving the kingdom by spilling your own blood.]

Stella carefully leaned against me. It was such a natural action that I didn’t feel the need to say anything.

“It’s nothing worthy of praise. I’m only doing this to ensure my own survival.”

Eventually, when fate comes for me in whatever form, I need to accept it in the direction I want.

At the end of all this, I will ultimately survive.

As Stella remained silent in my arms, feeling my warmth, the Dark Spiritmaster on my other side spoke up.

[It’s quite fascinating.]

“What is?”

[I worked so hard to become the strongest necromancer. But now that I’m the strongest on the continent, I’m just worrying about what others think?]

“…”

[What is this? Being too strong comes with its own problems.]

“I never wanted to become this powerful either.”

[True. When we first met, you were so tiny and struggled to cast proper magic.]

I don’t know why she’s bringing that up.

[I still remember how you had to talk your way through because you couldn’t subdue evil spirits with magic.]

[Wow, tell me more about that time, senior.]

Stella, who had been resting her cheek on my shoulder, suddenly turned her head with sparkling eyes.

The Dark Spiritmaster, seemingly excited, shrugged her shoulders, ready to ramble on.

[When he first started learning black magic from me, there was this stone called Lemegeton? In the beginning, Deus relied almost entirely on it. You could say Lemegeton was Deus—!]

“That’s enough.”

I had to interrupt. She stopped momentarily due to my warning, but I could tell they would continue this conversation when I wasn’t around.

“Who are you talking to?”

“…”

Footsteps I hadn’t heard because of the Dark Spiritmaster’s voice.

Somehow, Magic Judge Tyrn Ol Velocus and Royal Guard Captain Gloria Grace were standing outside the cell bars.

I wasn’t sure why they had come, but their demeanor wasn’t as hostile as I’d expected.

I had thought they would direct animosity toward me for overstepping royal authority.

“His Majesty has invited dignitaries from other countries.”

It was Tyrn who spoke, as Gloria remained silent.

“Germania, Han, Valestan, Clark, and so on. He’s invited quite a few. Thanks to that, there’s some time before your execution.”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?”

“No, His Majesty told me to inform you.”

A brief silence fell between us. Both of them seemed to have complex emotions, making it difficult to speak.

“His Majesty seems to view you as something other than a criminal.”

“That’s a misconception.”

I answered coldly, which made Tyrn scratch his chin in frustration, but he didn’t say anything more.

“If that’s how you want to put it, I’ll accept it.”

As Tyrn slowly turned to leave, with Gloria also preparing to depart without a word—

“If you ever—”

I had something I wanted to tell them.

“If the moment comes when you must execute me, know that splitting your forces will only result in being devoured by me one-sidedly.”

The gazes of the two who had stopped in their tracks pierced into me. They seemed unable to fully comprehend what they were hearing.

“Even surrounding me would be minimal. I’m not particularly mobile, and what I control isn’t one powerful specific soul, but countless souls.”

I continued.

“Concentrate your forces into a single point. It would be better if you approached the battle with the mindset of breaking through my encirclement.”

“…”

“…”

The two listened attentively in silence. Although I had prefaced it with “if,” they probably knew that the time would surely come.

“The Griffin Kingdom is still somewhat incompetent when it comes to dealing with Black Mages. You might want to seek help from Germania’s Black Mage Coltman or the Republic of Clark.”

Or alternatively.

“The plague mage Becklin and blood mage Pelestan imprisoned in the magic tower could also be of great help.”

There was a reason I had left those two capable Black Mages alive.

“Fighting souls is like fighting mana without substance. Unless you annihilate them, you can’t inflict effective damage.”

“…”

“Don’t try to counter them—endure. Tyrn, with your defensive capabilities, you’d be suitable for the vanguard. The real target is the necromancer himself.”

After saying that, I slowly closed my mouth. This should be enough.

I’ve given them sufficient information on how to defeat me.

Of course, it sounds easy when put into words.

In actual combat, they’ll find my advice much more difficult to follow than expected.

But they probably know that too.

“I’ve unintentionally received some valuable information.”

Tyrn smiled wryly, showing an awkward reaction, but his expression remained solemn.

“Now that I’ve received such information, I can’t just do nothing. Is there anything you need? I can grant one request.”

At Tyrn’s words, Gloria made a slightly displeased face, but after looking at me once, she nodded.

“Tell me.”

What I want.

Well, I don’t necessarily need to ask these two, but…

What I want most right now is…

“Erika Bright.”

My fiancée.

“I want to see her.”

* * *

“Deus.”

Erika arrived after just one day.

It would have taken quite some time to travel from Robern Academy to Greyford, so judging by her quick arrival, the Magic Judges must have brought her using warp magic.

She didn’t look well as she entered. Her face was noticeably pale even in the dark prison.

She must have been troubled by many worries because of me.

“Are you alright?”

But she worried about me first. I approached the bars to face Erika.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“I heard you were dismissed from your position as Spiritmaster. I believe there must have been a reason.”

Various parties probably approached Erika before my dismissal.

They likely asked her, as my fiancée, to stop me somehow.

But Erika didn’t mention any of that.

As if it wasn’t worth considering, not even worth mentioning in front of me.

I was grateful for that.

And because of that, I felt sorry for what I had to say next.

“You called me here because there’s something I need to do, right?”

[She’s happy.]

Stella, who had been watching silently from behind, blurted out. As if it shouldn’t be missed.

I knew it too.

She was happy that she could help me, which only increased my guilt.

“Erika.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“I’m about to become an enemy of the continent.”

“…”

It was probably a heavier topic than expected. Perhaps the scale was beyond what she had imagined. Nevertheless, determination was evident in her eyes.

Her resolve didn’t waver or dilute.

“The Verdi family in Norsweden and you, my fiancée, will inevitably be affected.”

“I’m prepared for that.”

“No.”

Preparation was necessary, but in a different direction.

“You, more than anyone else, must stand at the forefront in condemning me.”

“…Deus?”

Her eyes widened, as if unsure whether she had heard correctly.

I needed to be cruel.

“Because you were my fiancée. You need to be the one who leads the charge to subjugate me, to hate me.”

“Wait! Why, why should I?”

“That’s how the Bright family can survive, and that’s what increases my chances of survival.”

“Ah…”

She seemed to have much to say, but time was limited.

Outside, the Magic Judges were waiting for Erika Bright to come out.

An unauthorized visit, essentially.

The end was approaching.

“Erika, I can’t explain everything, but you’ll easily understand the situation as events unfold.”

“…”

There was no answer.

Erika just kept her mouth shut and her head down.

I carefully reached out to her. My hand passed through the iron bars to touch her cheek.

Slowly, I made her meet my gaze again.

Tears had already pooled thickly in her eyes.

She was a woman who cried often.

I was glad that, at least now, I could wipe away the tears gathering in her eyes.

A bitter smile formed.

“You’ve done it before, so you should be able to do it well.”

“You… bastard.”

It was Erika who had expelled me from the academy to save me.

This time was the same.

“Erika.”

Though the bars separated us, I felt closer to her than ever before.

“Come to kill me faster than anyone else.”

“…”

“That’s the way to save me.”

There was no answer.

Only Erika’s delicate shoulders trembled as she glared at me with eyes mixed with love and hatred, then took a deep breath.

“That’s a cruel request.”

“I know.”

“I wish I hadn’t fallen in love with you if it was going to be like this.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t want to repeat what I did at the academy. I regretted it hundreds, thousands of times—that instead of parting to save you, we should have fought together.”

“…”

Slowly, Erika’s tears rolled down her cheeks. How many times had I made this woman cry?

“But now, you’re asking me to repeat that same act.”

Her sorrow reached me, weighing down on my heart.

Emotions struggled in tragedy, gradually drowning.

In the end, we would kill our emotions and act for the greater cause.

“Deus.”

“Yes?”

“Kiss me.”

She took a step closer, looking up at me.

“So that whenever I struggle, I can overcome it by remembering this moment.”

“…”

“Bind me with lingering attachment. So that I never give up on you.”

My hesitation about whether to follow her request was only momentary.

She was a woman willing to kill her emotions and sacrifice herself for me.

“Ah.”

It was a brief kiss, but it left a longer lingering sensation than ever before.

“You must have taken on this role by sacrificing yourself.”

Erika placed her fingers on her lips, where my warmth remained, and calmly closed her eyes.

“But the fact that I can devote myself to you in return…”

As if it was very precious.

“It’s an honor, Deus.”