149 – name-12

“Yeah, that’s what it was…”

Laurel let out a deep sigh.

“Did you know?”

“No. I was just hypothetical. I wasn’t sure. But…”

She bit her lip.

“Because we weren’t the only ones experiencing raids on travelers and merchants. Compared to this organization, which was well-dressed and cautious, it was just an ordinary bandit acting recklessly.”

“Isn’t that common?”

“It’s a little different if they’re all coveting a corpse.”

When I heard that, I couldn’t help but frown.

A corpse is just an unnecessary by-product to the bandit, and they usually value their wallet more.

A body may be hidden to obliterate any traces, but it is not deliberately collected.

“If there is someone who buys it expensively… that’s pretty serious.”

The gangs I dealt with had ties to wizards, but from Laurel’s words, it seems that some did not.

It means that there is a black magician that is so huge that even ordinary bandits can find a place to sell it. It wasn’t something I could handle alone.

“after…”

Even if there was a strong mage, I didn’t think I would fight. However, for a wizard of that size, winning or losing was not a problem.

“I’ll contact the magic tower.”

I didn’t want to say sorry to Farseer, but it wouldn’t be a loss to her either. To the wizards, a low-quality black magician was like a treasure goblin that could be legally killed and stolen from research results.

Besides, it was an incident where real damage was occurring. Even if you go back for a while, if you contact the officials of the empire, they will attach wizards.

“That, you might want to reconsider.”

“yes?”

Laurel’s words were a bit surprising.

“I don’t have any proof, so I’m a bit cautious about saying this… but there might be a mage tower behind this.”

“yes?”

It was hard to believe.

If the Wizards of the Mage Tower were behind it, one question could be easily solved. ‘Where did you get that amount from?’ A key question to ask.

However, there is no motive. Why did those arrogant wizards have to buy corpses from criminals?

“Recently, some wizards at the Mage Tower have suddenly quit their jobs or their actions have become obscure.”

“…yes?”

Not all those who are talented in magic enter the Mage Tower. Some of these people from noble families learn sorcery level magic simply because they feel sorry for them to rot their talents.

The Mage Tower used to dispatch wizards whenever a tutor was dispatched for such people, or whenever magic was needed in another way.

Did those people disappear at some point?

“The situation is worse than I thought…”

My head got complicated.

“I’ll meet Farseer myself.”

Laurel let out a deep sigh.

“I know it can be rude to say this. The Tower Lord was also a member of the hero’s party… But if the situation is this serious, there’s a good chance he’s involved in the end.”

“There is no chance of that.”

I knew very well what she valued, what she despised, and what she hated.

“I hate to admit it… but she’s a proper wizard. There’s no reason to get involved in such a trivial matter.”

A corpse is a magic material that is easy for black magicians to obtain, but it is a material that she, the owner of the Mage Tower, does not have to work hard to collect. There would be countless more efficient and expensive materials available.

Now, there was no reason for her to be interested in evil magic. All she wants is eternal life. Eternal life without any side effects, given to everyone.

If she herself wanted eternal life because she was afraid of death, she was a woman with the ability to do so long ago.

“However…”

“Do not worry.”

After comforting the anxious Laurel, I got up. There was no time to delay.

/////

Nerwen was about to run to the capital immediately, but he had no choice but to stop at the familiar smell that flowed in the wind.

The smell that should be smelled in a place like this, it wasn’t the person who should be. It was a trace of someone who should have returned to the capital a long time ago.

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Just in case, Nerwen followed the smell and entered the abandoned house as if possessed. It was a house that didn’t feel like a hunter, as if it had been abandoned after living there.

As I got closer, I heard heavy breathing. Realizing that it wasn’t her misunderstanding, Nerwen gently bit her lip.

“You’re not in a good state either.”

Nerwen was staring blankly at the saint, no, the woman who was a saint.

It was unbelievable that she was neat and beautiful. Her clothes, which had always been white, had been replaced by coarse, dirty farmer’s cloth, and her clear, divine eyes were dull.

“You don’t have to?”

Even without an explanation, Nerwen could understand Celia’s words.

As a cleric who had been supporting her, her responsibilities became meaningless. There was no need to fight against the illusions and mental pains that had been endured for the sake of atonement.

All of that had nothing to do with Enerel anymore, it was her personal matter.

“Are you regretting it?”

“What?”

“If I had endured a little longer, Enerel might have come out on its own from that barrier.”

“…”

At Nerwen’s question, Celia paused.

“I don’t care about my abilities. And neither did Mr. Farseer. If we hadn’t entered there, the goddess of vengeance wouldn’t have freed him anyway.”

If it was a job of that scale, there was no reason for her to regret her divine power. But about the action itself, Celia couldn’t help but have doubts.

“But… well, I have a little doubt. Was it the right thing for me to get him out of there?”

It is life with God. A woman who has done him no wrong, and truly wants him. It is even a life with God. It was not an immediate emergency.

What would have happened if he had accepted Erinis’ will because he was tired or had a change of heart? Without further ado, she would have let him go.

Maybe that wasn’t a better answer.

“And, you know. Under there, if I hadn’t been greedy…”

What if I had waited for death while quietly entrusting myself to his hands without even thinking about a happy future or an apology?

Countless ‘what if’s ran through her head.

“It’s a bit disappointing. What if we had found him a little faster…”

Nerwen also sighed.

Apart from Celia, if Nerwen had come out with a low profile, he would have felt a slight change of heart.

He is such a good person There might have been a chance, even somewhat forced, to stop him before his return failed and he went berserk.

“Are you planning to stay like this?”

“What more can I do?”

No matter how positively she looked at everything, she couldn’t deny it any longer. To Enerel, she was a burden.

“I don’t know… that’s enough. You, follow me.”

Nerwen grabbed Celia’s arm, dragged her, and forced her up.

The lost elf couldn’t be said to be in good condition, but it was nothing compared to this godless priest.

“…Should I?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.

If I left her like this, I felt like I would starve to death in this empty room. She used to be small and light Celia, but now she was too light.

As if lifting a hollow human skin.

“You knew it would be like this one day…”

Nerwen scolded Celia, but she too was aware that she was talking nonsense.

It was too fast.

There was no clue to save the dragon’s heart, and even if all the materials were obtained and Enerel was sent back, it was only natural that the remaining people would be lonely.

However, the success was overdone. It was too fast. Finding the unicorn’s blood and the phoenix’s remains, which he thought would take ten years even if he was lucky, ended too quickly.

I thought we could be together whether we were gathering clues to find the dragon’s heart or going to a quiet place to rest. I didn’t think he would beat the warrior party members so quickly.

“Let’s find out what we can do. If we all join forces, something will come out. Let’s go to the capital.”

Nerwen forcibly pulled her, but no matter how much she thought about it, Celia couldn’t walk on her own legs. Reluctantly, she carried Celia on her back and left the abandoned house.

With a heavy and rough posture that made it impossible to shoot a bow straight away or run lightly, Nerwen walked slowly out of the abandoned house.

“Eleanor, Farseer, Nerwen… and me too. Huh, I can’t trust you at all?”

Celia let out a bitter laugh.

“That’s true… but still.”

Nerwen’s shoulders grew heavier. However, I couldn’t let Celia die like this. And, he couldn’t let Nerwen himself die.

The elf wrapped around the woman slowly walked across the plain.