Ch.50The Sleeping Dragon in the Forest (3)

“What was that being just now?”

Hugo trembled, his hands shaking as he tried to suppress the fear he still felt.

The blue-haired girl who didn’t feel human at all. Her warning had stirred a terror from the depths.

Was it even real?

Since becoming a Black Mage, he often experienced hallucinations.

Hugo couldn’t even tell if the fox he’d seen earlier was reality or hallucination.

“…I was prepared for this.”

Black Mages are beings who would stop at nothing for ‘power’.

Every mage despises their ignoble nature.

Hugo was no different.

But having chosen this path, he had to bear the consequences.

Hugo opened the basement door.

A musty smell stung his nose. As he entered, numerous magic circles illuminated the room with bright light.

In the center of the magic circle, a black sphere rippled.

That was the mass of mana Hugo had collected by kidnapping children.

“If I can just absorb that mana…”

Hugo gazed wistfully as he recalled the past.

At 78 years old, he had reached the 8th tier.

The 8th tier was a remarkable achievement.

Just a little further and he would reach the 9th tier, becoming a Grand Mage.

But—

For a Tower Master, it was far too modest an achievement.

After all, the current academic leader, the Tower Master of Truth, was at the 11th tier.

It’s no wonder the once-mainstream Tower of Pisa was collapsing.

Hugo, who had inherited everything from the Tower of Pisa, couldn’t even match the achievements of the previous Tower Master.

He had tried desperately. A mage’s aging curve begins to affect them from their 70s. Memory deterioration plays a major role.

Hugo had tried to overcome this by recording everything, researching magic while confined to his study. Though 78 years old, he had spent more time locked away in his study than seeing the light of day.

Achieving a new level at the age of 78 was the result of countless efforts.

When Hugo finally emerged from his study, he believed that while he might not be a Grand Mage, he was qualified enough to nurture talented individuals into Grand Mages.

He planned to properly manage the tower he had neglected and find a disciple to designate as his successor.

That would be enough. Then…

He could at least offer minimal atonement to the previous Tower Master who had consistently believed in and encouraged him despite his mediocrity.

However.

“…”

There was no one at the tower.

Not a single person remained.

Everyone had fled. No one had believed in the potential of the Tower of Pisa.

As they fled, they stole everything of value from the tower.

Hugo was devastated.

He knew his own fault was great—neglecting management while shutting himself in his study.

But the Tower of Pisa was different from other towers.

The criterion for accepting disciples at the Tower of Pisa was commoner status.

Most were children brought from orphanages.

Pursuing profit and gain is natural psychology for a mage.

But the Tower of Pisa had rescued them from the streets.

…This shouldn’t have happened.

At least some should have remained.

He clearly remembered the children promising to serve him as their benefactor until death.

It was all lies.

At first, he tried to gather disciples one by one again, but—

It was an impossible task when he could barely afford food for himself.

Hugo went half-mad.

Then one day, a knight trailing black smoke appeared.

Wearing a helmet, with a voice that made it impossible to tell if they were male or female.

This questionable being, whose very existence seemed doubtful, spoke with a sound like scraping metal.

-Do you desire power?

How many mages could refuse such an offer?

Having already lost everything, Hugo had nothing left to lose.

He developed a desire to achieve greatness even if it meant borrowing power from the Black Mages that the world condemned.

He believed that if he became a Grand Mage, his departed disciples would return.

When that happened, he would scold them severely, then pretend to give in and accept them back.

The Tower of Pisa would reclaim its past glory and soar brilliantly once more.

“This is it. I finally…!”

Hugo waved his staff.

The magic circle activated, making the black sphere ripple.

The enormous mana contained within was absorbed into Hugo’s body.

“Ohhh—”

Hugo’s pupils dilated. He shuddered with ecstasy as if he’d taken a drug.

“This, this power…!”

Hugo spread his arms wide. His smile stretched to breaking point.

Power overflowed.

It was an immense power he had never once held before.

“Is this what talented ones are born with from the beginning? How unfair, how unfair.”

Keukeuk, Hugo laughed with a suppressed sound.

“Are you finished?”

“…?”

A youthful voice tickled his ear.

Hugo turned his head sharply.

A blond boy was looking at him with a bored expression, resting his chin on his hand.

“So tell me. You kidnapped children under 10 years old for such a reason? Thirty of them?”

“Who, who are you?”

Hugo rubbed his eyes. He pointed at Ruide.

“I understand. You’re a hallucination!”

“I’m not a hallucination.”

“The magic circles of the Tower of Pisa are absolute. No one can break through them!”

“They broke when I just touched them.”

Ruide rose from his seat.

“Whatever your circumstances, the price for causing my sister’s sleep deprivation will be steep.”

“You!”

Whether hallucination or reality, it didn’t matter. Now nothing could match him.

Hugo swung his staff. A powerful blade of black magic shot toward Ruide.

Ruide raised his hand with a bored expression. He caught the blade of mana with his index and middle fingers.

“…Too weak.”

Clang!

With just a little force, the blade dissipated.

Hugo’s eyes widened.

“Well, with such pathetic skills, no wonder you turned elsewhere.”

“Eek!”

Angered, Hugo used an even stronger magic. A black sphere gathered in his hand. He stretched his hand toward Ruide. The sphere flew rapidly and engulfed Ruide.

Kwang!

A loud noise rang out, and Hugo’s mouth twisted into a vile smile.

“You brought this upon yourself.”

“Brought what?”

Whirik—

The dust cleared instantly, revealing Ruide standing perfectly unharmed.

“—!”

“How pitiful.”

Ruide looked at Hugo with eyes of compassion.

“It’s painful when humans gaze at places they can’t reach.”

Hugo’s expression hardened.

Soon it distorted mercilessly as he felt intense anger.

Ruide continued, unconcerned.

“Look. That’s all the power you get for betraying human morality. With that tiny bit of mana, you couldn’t even defeat my fox.”

“Shut up—!”

Hugo shouted, wildly swinging his staff.

He looked just like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Without making any effort yourself, how dare you judge when you’ve obtained everything overnight!”

“I hate your kind! I hate you insanely! Something others achieve through a lifetime of effort, you possess everything just by being born lucky, and you have the audacity to act superior!”

“Die, die!”

Hugo fired magic frantically.

A thunderous sound echoed as if everything would collapse.

Ruide was covered with magical debris, obscuring him from view.

Hugo panted heavily.

But his gaze remained fixed on where Ruide stood.

“Hmm.”

At the cold voice, Hugo’s body flinched.

‘How, how is this possible?’

“I obtained this power without any effort. Unfair, isn’t it?”

Hugo closed his eyes and muttered incomprehensible words.

It was the strongest magic written in the spellbook Kairon had given him.

“But you know…”

Hugo shouted in a voice that seemed about to tear.

“Shut up!”

Gooo—

The darkness of the abyss raised its head.

Twenty ominous hands, terrifying just to look at, shot toward Ruide.

Ruide frowned and put his hands in his pockets.

“If you’re jealous, get reborn.”

Ruide waved his hand dismissively.

Hugo’s magic, containing everything he had, was destroyed by Ruide’s casual gesture.

“And you know, not everyone makes trash choices like you. Whatever else, you shouldn’t touch children.”

Ruide extended his hand toward Hugo and clenched his fist. The empty space rippled, and dozens of chain spears pierced Hugo’s body.

Ruide looked at the perfectly restrained Hugo.

There was no soul. This was just a dummy. He seemed to have escaped using some method.

Ruide had no intention of pursuing him. Rather, it saved him some trouble.

“Pay for your crimes, Hugo.”

**

“Huk, huk.”

Hugo clutched the deep wound on his shoulder as he hurriedly moved through the underground passage of the tower.

The magic he had used at the end was called “Invisible Darkness,” considered the pinnacle of black magic.

Though it could be used offensively, it was a field magic. It allowed movement to any place where shadows existed.

Instinctively sensing he was no match for Ruide, Hugo had chosen to flee.

But the duration of Invisible Darkness was only about 5 minutes. After that, they would realize it was a dummy, so he planned to escape as far as possible.

Hugo emerged outside through the sewer. The squelching mud made his feet heavy.

‘I survived.’

Just as that sense of relief crossed his mind, he heard a presence.

A blonde, blue-eyed girl was walking toward him with an expressionless face.

“I am Amelia Windsor, Captain of the Fencing Club at the Imperial Academy.”

Sreung—

With a sharp sound, Amelia drew her sword.

Hugo startled and pulled out his staff.

“Let, let me go.”

Amelia silently raised her sword in proper stance.

Hugo slowly backed away.

“The children are alive and well.”

“I confirmed that.”

“I, I only took a little mana. I was going to release them all, truly.”

The blue eyes that shone even in darkness were difficult for him to look at directly, having accepted the power of darkness.

“I haven’t harmed anyone. I’m planning to emigrate to the Kingdom of Delphia. So, so…”

Hugo, rolling his eyes nervously, watched the ‘black hand’ approaching Amelia’s blind spot.

‘Got it!’

Hugo was certain of victory.

But—

“A shallow trick.”

Slash!

Amelia swung her sword through the air.

The invisible hand that was slowly approaching was cut.

Hugo spat black blood and collapsed.

Amelia instantly approached and struck Hugo’s solar plexus.

She then hit the back of his neck hard with her elbow.

Crack!

Hugo’s neck bone broke. His face slammed into the ground.

“Please, spare me!”

Hugo spoke in a voice that seemed to boil.

He rubbed his hands together, though they barely moved.

“Spare me. Spare me. Spare me! I’ll, I’ll pay for my crimes! So let me stand trial!”

“That’s the Empire’s law.”

Amelia held her sword horizontally and, without a moment’s hesitation, stabbed Hugo’s neck.

Thwack!

“This is the Windsor way.”

Amelia gazed at Hugo with cold eyes and flicked her sword in the air to clean it.

Then she stared at something.

It was the tower on the verge of collapse.

“…Ruide.”

Amelia closed her eyes briefly, then opened them.

“I’ll see you at home.”

Amelia gritted her teeth, wondering what punishment to give her disobedient brother.