episode_0012

It felt like being led to the slaughterhouse, the mood of the cows being taken away.

‘I hate this…’

Just facing Lyla was unpleasant in itself.

Avoiding the nobles was the best course of action.

They were a selfish race, only thinking of themselves.

Even if she didn’t want to, the atmosphere was created for others to act that way.

Whenever the nobles appeared, chaos ensued.

Especially after the apocalypse, this tendency became more pronounced.

Control the resources for the nobles.

Clean the streets for the nobles.

Sacrifice yourself for the nobles.

Risk your lives for the nobles.

Whenever the nobles appeared, a series of events unfolded.

The nobles were a walking disaster.

Even demons targeted the lives of the nobles, so when they appeared, attacks soon followed.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lyla Morningstar. I guess there’s no need for introductions since we’ve already met, right?”

“I’m Emil Brown.”

She hid her true feelings.

She harbored ill feelings towards the nobles, but she wasn’t foolish enough to show it openly.

“As I mentioned before, the reason I was able to defeat the Death Knight was because of Professor Eric’s sacrifice.”

She shrugged.

Boldly telling a lie.

Once a man tells a lie, he must stick to it till the end.

“Haha, it seems you’re not ready to talk yet.”

Dekard laughed.

Communication was not getting through.

The conversation was going nowhere.

“If what Dekard says is true, there will be a time for you to shine.”

Thank goodness. Lyla’s expression showed she didn’t believe me.

If the source of my power is revealed, all the murders I’ve committed so far will be exposed to the world.

“Then I’ll be going.”

She put up a barrier.

She got up from her chair and returned to her original position.

Sitting down, she pondered.

She thought about Lyla Morningstar’s actions.

She recalled what she had accomplished in the future.

‘Wait… why didn’t Lyla shine in the apocalypse?’

But she didn’t shine after the apocalypse.

A sense of unease crept in.

This feeling wasn’t new to her.

She tried to figure out the source of this unease.

But the attack came faster.

“Everyone, get down!”

The knight guarding the shelter shouted.

At the same time, an explosion shook the ground.

Boom!

The steel door burst open.

Two knights guarding the front were caught in the explosion.

“Gah.”

They barely survived, but their condition was critical.

“Get the wounded out!”

Dekard raised his voice and took command of the situation.

Looking at him, you wouldn’t suspect that he was a madman.

‘Rich attacked the Papal See. He killed all the priests he encountered.’

I held my breath and organized the information about the future.

The information was fragmented, but Rich’s actions were clearly documented.

‘Rich didn’t immediately confront the Pope.’

Rich, who attacked the Papal See, acted as if he would go straight to the Pope, but he didn’t.

He roamed the Papal See, killing priests and clerics.

If he hid inside the shelter, he broke in and killed them.

Rich, the slaughterer, headed to another shelter as his final destination.

‘The last shelter Rich headed to. It was where the nobles resided.’

In this context, the nobles referred to Lyla.

She was Rich’s final target.

Rich’s evil hand was reaching for Lyla.

But her strongest knight, Dekard, blocked Rich’s hand.

Among them, there was no one besides Dekard who could stand alone against Rich.

‘In the end, the Pope who appeared last defeated Rich. Overwhelmed by the Pope’s power, Rich screamed and fled.’

Ritch couldn’t be killed.

Screaming, Ritch flew into the sky and took refuge in his hideout.

In the process, Deikard lost his life.

And many priests and clergy whose names didn’t even make it to the newspapers.

It was a victory marred by wounds.

I wondered if it could be called a victory when all we suffered was losses, but the newspapers called it a victory.

So far, this was the story that could be found in the newspapers.

‘No way…’

I looked through the dust-covered door.

The place I had deemed safe could also be the jaws of the beast.

I hoped my expectations were wrong.

[Ah, there you are… I’ve been searching for you desperately, Lyla Morningstar.]

“Ritch…”

But my expectations were shattered.

As the dust cleared, Ritch revealed himself.

Inside the hood he wore, a skeletal face devoid of flesh was visible.

Red eyes glowed in the darkness.

Ritch’s target had always been Lyla.

“Don’t step back! I’m risking my life to protect the safety of the students!”

Erina drew her sword.

A red aura enveloped the sword.

“Are you crazy! The opponent is Ritch! The monster of the mythical era!”

“If you stay still, everyone will die! You have to fight back!”

The professors also joined the battle this time.

Retreating and crossing their arms was futile as the opponent was too powerful.

“Get lost. The call of the dead.”

But the professors’ attacks were nullified by a single spell.

Black hands emerged from the ground. The black hands grabbed the professors and restrained them.

The black hands bound their bodies.

Everyone affected by the magic lost consciousness and fell.

“I’m sorry…”

Even Aria, who Deikard acknowledged, couldn’t withstand the call of the dead used by Ritch.

Erina, the professors, and even some of the students couldn’t maintain their sanity.

‘Why am I unharmed?’

But I was unharmed.

There was no sign of losing consciousness.

Aaargh!

The black hands disappeared, screaming.

Due to the effect of the Harbinger of Death, anything they touched was judged and taken to the underworld.

“Now it’s just the two of us.”

Ritch spoke.

It seemed like my existence didn’t matter.

‘After all, I’m going to die. Should I just leave it be?’

I quietly collapsed to the ground.

If Deikard, who suspected that I was hiding my strength, died, it would be beneficial for me.

“Hehehe, it’s not just the two of us. It’s actually three. Stop pretending to be unconscious and come here to help.”

But Deikard saw through my act perfectly.

Is he going to stab me just in case?

My act of playing dead was flawless.

He saved my life dozens of times in the face of impending doom.

“If you keep ignoring me, I’ll leave evidence that you killed me.”

Deikard raised his sword.

The words ‘Emil Brown’ were engraved on the ground.

I could guess what would be engraved next.

Before the words were engraved, I quickly got up from the ground.

“How? The call of the dead is a spell that affects the soul. Ordinary people can’t even maintain their sanity just by touching it.”

“Um… because I’m a hero?”

I gave my own reasonable explanation.

“Nonsense! Look around. Is there a hero who is currently conscious?”

Ritch immediately refuted.

Even among the professors, there was no one who seemed to be conscious.

‘Or maybe I’m closer to the gods?’

Judging by the situation, it seemed like I was the only one who could directly communicate with them.

Thanks to my return, the gods seemed to be taking special care of me.

“You were indeed hiding your strength.”

Deikard chuckled softly.

I couldn’t bring myself to laugh along with him.

I was in a bad situation.

If I attracted more attention than necessary, my misdeeds would be exposed to the world.

“Who are you exactly? I haven’t heard anything about you.”

The red eyes stared at me.

It seemed like he was trying to uncover everything about me.

[Is it hidden power? Or is it a naturally occurring irregular? Either way, it doesn’t matter.]

[You will die here.]

Thud.

A thin bone hand slipped into the robe.

A large number of bones were thrown onto the ground.

[Rise. Army of the dead.]

The lich struck his staff down.

The skeletons rose.

[This is a demi-dragon bone made from Drake’s bones. Try to defeat it.]

Just hearing the name makes it seem strong.

“Hehehe, this is quite a big deal.”

Dekard chuckled as if he had expected this.

“I’ll deal with the lich. You take care of the skeletons.”

He didn’t listen to the rest.

Dekard ran towards the lich.

“Foolish human. Dare to stand in my way?”

The lich laughed as he faced the sword.

The sword and magic clashed.

The two absolute beings divided the battle.

A split-second battle.

I faced the army of skeletons alone.

Sweat dripped from my hands due to tension.

I couldn’t guess how strong the demi-dragon bone was.

‘The warrior of destruction has been exposed.’

If the demi-dragon bone is stronger than the Eris alarm, all the evil deeds I have done so far will be exposed.

Killing the Eris alarm and killing the mayor will be publicly revealed to the world.

‘But I can’t just sit still.’

My eyes rolled around.

I was in a mental conflict to the point of breaking my head.

The demi-dragon bone slowly approached.

Their swords were so close to my neck.

Cold sweat ran down my forehead.

“Stop right there! I cannot tolerate any further violence!”

The sword stopped. I was released from the pressure.

‘Here it is! My savior!’

A figure appeared in the distance.

The Pope revealed his presence.

If the Pope’s self-sacrificial magic is used, it will justify killing the lich.

“Pope! I’ve been waiting for you!”

I quickly ran towards the Pope.

“Give me the command!”

The being who will save me.

I knelt under the Pope’s feet.

Subtly, I placed my hand on the Pope’s leg.