Chapter 46: The Letter
“Haah.”
The dean of Robern Academy released a profound sigh, his gaze fixed on the documents scattered across his desk.
These papers detailed a plan for a personal business trip, submitted by none other than Deus Verdi.
In their agreement, the dean had indeed conceded that personal business trips were permissible every quarter. Yet, he hadn’t anticipated Deus capitalizing on this clause so soon.
“Ugh.”
Moreover, what made this even harder to decline was the destination Professor Deus had written down on the papers — Grayford, the bustling capital of the Griffin Kingdom.
Not only was it a sprawling hub where countless citizens resided, but it was also home to the royal palace, the official residence of His Majesty.
The dean wasn’t naïve; he grasped the implications immediately.
‘He’s likely addressing his identity as a necromancer.’
He toyed with the idea of vetoing the trip, but nagging doubts and a looming sense of uncertainty twisted his thoughts.
In presenting his trip proposal, Professor Deus had been clear. While evil spirits still lingered within the academy, they posed no danger… for now. Moreover, he confidently asserted that if possible he would be back by the end of this quarter.
“Ugh, my head.”
Initially, the dean’s feelings towards Deus were understandably negative. Once the issue was resolved, he had even considered firing him immediately.
But now, he recognized Deus’ competence: While the dean was helpless due to the tricks of the evil spirits, Deus showed an exceptional ability to neatly wrap up the matter.
“In the end, the academy hasn’t been harmed… yet.”
Though a contract had been signed, it was yet to be presented to the royal family; Deus’ name wasn’t even added to the faculty list. And given the current circumstances, such tasks were bound to be postponed even further.
In the future, even if the academy positioned itself as the aggrieved party, it seemed unlikely to encounter any objections.
“It appears I have no choice but to acquiesce... at least momentarily.”
Drawing out his official seal, he pressed it decisively onto Deus’ trip application.
The act brought a fleeting sense of relief.
‘Let’s see what happens to the academy after he is gone.’
Yeah, it wasn’t because of the grave warning Deus had delivered alongside the application, but because the academy obviously needed someone of Deus’ caliber.
“Alright then...”
As he comforted himself, he felt a massive vibration in the surrounding mana, prompting the dean to bury his face in his hands with a resigned sigh.
* * *
From down the hallway, Magistrates clad in gleaming golden armor approached. Each step they took sent the surrounding evil spirits scattering in sheer terror. After all, even if they were evil spirits now, they were once human beings.
So, as Magistrates approached, radiating overwhelming intimidation, even the souls of the dead couldn’t help but bow their heads.
[Sigh.]
Even the Dark Sage beside me grew tense, her posture rigid. After all, to a necromancer, Magistrates were an arch-nemesis.
“Stay close to me.”
Wary that the Dark Sage might be left behind, I warned her. In response, she took a step closer to me with a look of disbelief.
[Aren’t you scared? Can’t you see the shimmering halo around them? It’s the result of intense mana forming protective barriers.]
“......”
[It would likely take a direct hit from a ballista to even mar them.]
I didn’t bother to answer.
From the game, I was well aware of the might of the Mage Magistrates.
They featured in just one battle, and even that was practically designed for the player to lose.
Soon enough, while I was still lost in thoughts, the Magistrates stood before me. The leading man, his voice grave and authoritative, inquired:
“You are Deus Verdi, the younger brother of the Lord of North Whedon. Correct?”
“I am indeed Deus Verdi.”
- Twitch.
The Mage Magistrate, who seemed as unyielding as a stone, exhibited a subtle eyebrow quiver. Perhaps my forthrightness was unexpected.
Ignoring his reaction, I put my wrists together and offered him.
“Let’s get this over with.”
“... You are being detained for violations of the kingdom’s dark magic regulations.”
Clearly perturbed, the Magistrate summoned mana-made cuffs. But as the other Magistrates stepped forward to apprehend me from either side…
“Deus!”
…A woman’s voice intertwined with hurried breath echoed from behind.
Glancing back, I saw Erica Bright, her visage etched with disbelief.
As if she intended to save me right away, she gathered mana, and Gideon, who followed her, quickly backed off, making clear that he was not involved.
“Hmm.”
The Magistrate, having just cuffed me, took note of Erica’s pooling mana and fixed her with a steely gaze.
The atmosphere grew thick with tension.
But just as Erica’s golden magic began to spark at her fingertips, I intervened.
“Erica Bright.”
“...”
“Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. Stay calm and always maintain your cool reasoning.”
“Uh…”
Upon hearing my words, Erica hesitated for a moment, biting her quivering lips as she dissipated her amassed mana.
The Magistrate in the middle clicked his tongue in disdain and pivoted away.
In their silent custody, I was led forward.
The Mage Magistrates began to escort me towards the academy garden, their prior point of arrival.
Our journey was marked by mutual silence; neither side felt compelled to utter a word.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Exiting through the ground floor, I spotted Finden Ai in deep conversation with Aria, a cigarette dangling from her lips.
“Professor.”
While Aria, privy to my entire scheme, offered a curt nod of goodbye, Finden Ai’s response was starkly different.
“What’s going on? Hey, why are they arresting you? Hey! Can I… help?”
Her question earned her a sharp glare from the Mage Magistrates.
“What are you looking at, you bastards?”
Without hesitation, she spewed out insults, provoking the Mage Magistrates.
It seemed she still harbored emotions from the scolding she received from me earlier and was now venting them at the Magistrates.
She even seemed ready to throw her cigarette on the ground and grab the ax leaning against the wall.
“Wait! Just wait a moment! Seriously, you hot-headed girl!”
Meanwhile, Aria, while biting her lower lip, frantically tried to restrain her.
I never thought that Finden Ai would go to such emotional lengths to defend me.
Even as Aria continued to hold her back, Finden Ai seemed ready to charge forward with her ax.
Our eyes met, and it seemed as if the strength drained out of her. Slowly, she lowered her hand.
Taking a long drag from her cigarette, she exhaled a large puff of smoke.
“I really can’t understand what you’re thinking.”
She wasn’t sure what plan I had in mind, but Finden Ai seemed to have realized through intuition that I was being arrested voluntarily.
Slowly, the distance between the two of us grew, and I soon reached a scorched ground, which was most likely burned due to high-density mana used for warp magic.
-Thud!
With a loud strike to the ground by one of the Magistrates, the space around us began to warp.
“...”
In the blink of an eye, I found myself in a dark underground prison.
I had heard that dark magicians were executed without trial, but I hadn’t expected to be thrown into a prison directly.
Of course, the more pressing issue right now was the rising nausea and dizziness caused by the warp magic. If the Mage Magistrates hadn’t been restraining me on both sides, I might have keeled over from the motion sickness.
Taking a long breath, I tried to keep my composure.
“Hmm, he seems tougher than I thought.”
“Yeah, he’s enduring the aftereffects of the warp without even a protection spell.”
Those who just moments ago kept their lips sealed, flaunting their judicial dignity, now spoke more lightly. With no outsiders to see, their demeanor relaxed quickly.
“For now, throw him in the cell. I’ll report to the head Magistrate.”
A Magistrate in front of me said so and then departed. And under the rough handling of two remaining Magistrates, I was imprisoned.
There was only one cell in this prison, and no other prisoners within.
It seemed like a place exclusively used by the Mage Magistrates.
It hadn’t been cleaned properly and showed almost no signs of human presence.
It appeared that when the Mage Magistrates intervened, it was typically for cases where the arrest was unfeasible or when the offender deserved immediate execution. Consequently, this prison seemed to be used infrequently.
[Ugh, so this is what it feels like to be ensnared in mana.]
The dark sage who had entered my body earlier, came out, looking around.
[A prison for Dark mages. Definitely, not a place I ever wanted to visit.]
At first glance, this place might have seemed a bit dull and empty, but it wasn’t entirely so.
While I silently watched the dark sage cautiously survey the surroundings, a voice shouting ‘loyalty!’ echoed from outside, followed by heavy footsteps that reverberated throughout the prison.
The mere presence was so intimidating that it made my skin tingle. Even the dark sage was startled and hid behind me.
It seemed, Tyren Ol Velocus, the esteemed Head Magistrate commanding this elite force, had arrived.
Despite being a mage, his physique and demeanor were more akin to a warrior’s. The space around him swayed and shimmered on a different level compared to other Magistrates.
In the presence of such an overwhelming hostile atmosphere, where it felt almost impossible to breathe, my face remained expressionless, as if carved from stone.
“You’re the one called Deus Verdi?”
“Yes.”
“Yes? Huh, I knew you were audacious, but you’re crazier than I thought.”
-Snap!
He grabbed the iron bars as if they were twigs. Soon after, black cracks began to creep up, and they shattered into dust.
A demonstration of violent mana manipulation.
It was a clear example of what would happen if someone was seized by that hand.
“Do you even know where you are, to dare act impudently in front of me? Kneel down, lower your head, you vulgar, disgusting dark mage who smells of a rotting corpse.”
His words were neither a suggestion nor a threat, but an outright command. Anyone else would have probably found themselves kneeling before they even realized.
Despite the weight of his words, which felt like an absolute truth, I faced him without any expression and replied:
“Did you get my letter?”
“Kneel.”
“Ha.”
Exhausted and stifled, I let out a sigh.
Tyren took a large step forward, looking down at me.
His eyes, which seemed to say he could kill me with just his fist, met mine, and he spat out words that followed a sigh.
“It’s not some back alley brawl, keep your fights to a reasonable level.”
Ugh, so loud.
“Did you come to talk or to bark?”
“You really have lost your mind.”
Tyren pulled out a letter from his possession. It was the letter I sent via Illuania, confessing my deeds.
-Sizzle!
That too was consumed by black fissures, turning into ash and disappearing.
“I was Intrigued, but you’ve crossed the line. By the discretion of the Head Magistrate, the dark mage Deus Verdi will be executed here and now.”
Just as Tyren reached out his hand toward me, a commotion from outside made him furrow his brow.
“What’s happening?”
In response to his question, one of the Magistrates ran up frantically. But following him were two individuals that even the Magistrates couldn’t easily stop.
“It’s been a while, Head Magistrate.”
The first one was an old man with a striking long white beard, holding a staff that looked as ancient as a millennia-old tree.
The right hand of the king.
The Grand Magus, Rockfelican Linus.
“Did you even clean this place? The musty smell and dust are quite displeasing.”
Walking ahead of the Grand Magus and pointing out every flaw while covering his mouth with a sleeve was a young, handsome man. The one who sat on the Griffin throne.
The ruler of the vast kingdom. A monarch with noble yet fiery blood.
King Orpheus Luden Griffin.
“Magistrate, would you mind stepping aside?”
He pointed at me and gave a playful smile.
“The Grand Magus and I have some questions for that one.”
In his hand, he held a single letter.
