Chapter 37

Chapter 37: A Life Like That of a Fly

Chapter 37. Lives Like Flies

The eyes of the Magic Investigator, Yuren, turned toward Ferda.
Suspicion lingered in his pupils.
“I apologize, Regent-nim, but may I ask where you obtained this?”
Ferda replied.
“It was discovered in Count Consillus’s territory. It seems a foreigner concealed their identity until the end, so the guards caught them.”
“That heretical element…”
“He bit his tongue and died before they could even torture him. Fearing there might be posthumous activation magic, they burned him at the stake as is.”
The burning of unclaimed corpses served this purpose.
“Well done. The scum of filthy black magicians do not die cleanly even in death.”
The investigator clicked his tongue in annoyance.
It stemmed from the regret of not being able to investigate the demon followers further.
However, the response was flawless, so there was nothing left to say.
“Even so, to think there is someone who can handle demonic language of this caliber… There seems to be a far more dangerous bastard in the Empire than expected.”
“Is it a serious matter?”
Olivia asked, and Yuren nodded.
“Yes. Judging by the level of comprehension of the characters, it is without a doubt a black magician who has reached at least the Fifth Circle.”
“What level is the Fifth Circle?”
“I myself am a Master Mage of the Fifth Circle, but the Fifth Circle of a black magician might well be considered an Archmage of the Sixth Circle. Because they can draw upon Hell’s Mana and use it as their own power.”
“Sixth Circle! That refers to a level comparable to the Chief Archmage…!”
In reality, the black magicians who had made a name for themselves on the continent, and those currently doing so, were mostly of the Fifth Circle.
Because it was common for them to pay a high price and attain power exceeding the Sixth Circle.
‘The Grimoire of Shadow Arts that I will obtain is the same.’
Lest his true feelings be exposed, Ferda quickly suppressed that thought.
“If we do not act with a swift, decisive battle, the Empire will plunge into great chaos.”
“What…!”
Olivia bit her lower lip and gasped in horror.
“If it is a black magician of that caliber… It would be difficult for them even to enter the Empire, so how is it possible that one is inside this Empire?”
“That is… I am not certain. The security system may be good, but it is not flawless…”
The Magic Investigator also tilted his head repeatedly as if it were strange.
“Even so, a follower who can speak this level of language should have been filtered out long ago…”
The Empire’s surveillance always prioritizes blocking the greatest threats first.
Even if they cannot block trivial matters, if a Fifth Circle black magician had entered, an emergency alert would surely have sounded.
He could not fathom the reason.
It was only natural.
‘There is no way a magician of that caliber is in the Imperial Capital.’
A follower capable of handling this level of demonic language would think it wiser to live disguised in a village rather than remain in the capital.
Where was the source of the demonic language written on that paper?
None other than Mori.
Inside her head was the Universal Library, and among it was a dictionary of the demonic language.
She had simply translated it and written it down as Ferda commanded.
‘Although it is fabricated evidence…’
The demonic language was real, and its contents were real as well.
The black magicians were truly lurking in the sewers.
And it was certain that they were preparing acts of terror within the Empire.
The Empire’s underground waterway system was vast.
There was a place to which the First Emperor paid attention in order to create an exterior worthy of the name Great Human, and that was the underground waterway system.
It was more complex than the exterior of the city.
However, construction does not always proceed as planned.
‘For instance, things like underground reservoirs for flood preparedness.’
Yet they cost a great deal of money, and it was not a climate prone to flooding, so they halted construction.
Such places were generally left abandoned with walls built rather than refilling the excavated earth.
There were many such spaces within the Empire’s underground waterway system.
The location Ferda knew was precisely one of those places.
A place gradually forgotten on the Empire’s map.
And a place discovered by rat bastards driven into the shadows while searching for new dwellings.
‘A gathering point for reactionaries congregating to terrorize the capital.’
Attacking things out in plain sight occurred very frequently, but entering the underground waterway system directly to launch an attack like today was rare.
The knight order and the magic corps surrounded the location and prepared a surprise attack.
Everything had to be executed in a swift, decisive battle.
A single false move could cause casualties, and the moment casualties occurred, it would turn into a fierce, bloody struggle for the black magicians.
The magic corps prepared silence magic and concentration disruption magic, and the knights moved to eliminate all the disoriented magicians.
A worker moving along while touching the wall suddenly stopped and pointed to a spot.
“It’s here. There is a space we can break open beyond this wall.”
“Good, step back. Howard.”
“Yes!”
The massive knight wielding the war hammer stood before the wall.
Bulging muscles could be felt beyond the plate armor and chainmail.
He swung the war hammer with great force.
“Hup!”
KUUNG—!!
The wall collapsed all at once with a single impact.
“Kyaak!”
“W-what the hell?”
“What is it? What’s going on?”
Agitated voices from within created confusion.
That confusion was to be met with even greater confusion.
“In the name of the Light!”
“In the name of His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Oh, Light!”
They stormed inside alongside the shouts of the knights.
What followed were screams.
“Kuaaaak!”
“Kyaaaak!”
Screams without distinction of gender.
Bang bang bang!
And the sound of explosions echoed.
The sound of clashing metal and tearing flesh resonated.
Ferda watched everything from the outside and waited.
Only the sound of a fierce clash could be heard, but Ferda knew who had won without even seeing it.
The Senior Assault Captain came out first and reported to Magic Investigator Yuren and the Captain of the Knight Order.
“Loyalty! Knight Order, all clear! We executed 45 who resisted and bound 12.”
“Any escapees?”
“There is 1! Judging by his position on the platform, he appears to be the ringleader.”
“Stupid bastards! How could you let the one you absolutely could not lose escape? The opponent was a magician who might be of the Fifth Circle.”
“We are sorry! But they fled without being able to take all their belongings, so they won’t last long!”
“Very well, then. What belongings were there?”
“We left them inside.”
There were more than a few knights greedy for valuables, yet they still did not recklessly touch the belongings of a black magician.
Even if they were precious, if a curse was attached, their own heads would roll.
“Is that so? Then it is fine.”
The Magic Investigator smiled broadly as if relieved.
“Good work.”
Ferda, who had only been watching, stood up from his seat.
“May I enter as well?”
“Of course. This way, please.”
As nominal Regent and the informant, he deserved special treatment.
Yuren cleared the way, and Ferda entered first.
The scene of the knights’ massacre lay intact.
Ferda engraved their figures one by one into his eyes.
‘There are black magicians too, but the vast majority are merely poor commoners.’
Tents made of worn cloth, pots and spoons losing their shape.
They were people who sided with the black magicians because they could not even eat a proper meal.
Because at least they were given rice.
‘That is a reason too, however.’
There is no soul more precious than a person who found hope in the abyss of despair.
All of them were destined to become sacrifices.
Ferda thought this as he passed the corpses and headed toward the ringleader’s room.
As befitted the leader within this underground reservoir, it was relatively well furnished, and magical items had been placed about.
“There is a seditious book here.”
Yuren said, looking at the book placed upon the desk.
The cover, made of human scalp, looked as if it were screaming, trapped within the book.
A single glance at the cover, and he knew what it was.
‘Necromancy of Gamigin.’
The Demon of Immortality and Legions, Gamigin.
It is an artifact of necromancers created by their magic.
In reality, the ringleader who possessed this book reaches the Fifth Circle and begins a full-scale rebellion against the Empire.
‘But they fail.’
Ferda remembered what they had done.
When they rebelled, they piled corpses in the sewers and detonated them as they were, causing utter chaos.
Many people died, and they raised an undead legion equal to the fallen, throwing the interior of the city into turmoil.
They were kindling that would bring chaos to the Empire that had to fall, but Ferda viewed them with distaste.
‘Above all, they are useless things.’
Creating corpses through explosions was fine, but their strategy was far too complacent.
First, they severely underestimated the true strength of the knights.
Second, it was terrorism directed at the general public.
Because of that, hostility toward demon worshippers deepened, and rather than chaos, solidarity was strengthened even further.
In other words, the hammer blow struck to shatter solidarity only made it sturdier.
‘So it is better that they do not exist.’
If they cannot weaken the Empire, they serve no purpose.
Thus, he was eliminating the problem in advance.
“Loyalty! What shall we do with the bound demon followers?”
All of them were starving and broken in spirit.
They all looked at Yuren with eyes pleading for mercy.
Yet Yuren looked at them with eyes of disgust.
“Take the rest into custody. They must be escorted to the Imperial Palace Prison as though they were ancestral shrines. We must clearly show the end of those who reject His Majesty’s Light and surrender themselves to black magic!”
“Loyalty!”
Merciless disposal.
The commoners shrank back in terror and began desperately pleading with Yuren.
“W-we did not swear loyalty to demons! We were just hungry!”
“Please, grant us just one chance! Mercy in the name of the Light…!”
“Silence! Do you heretics dare invoke the name of the Light!?”
The person who spoke was struck down.
“At least spare my child! Please, my Lord!”
A woman holding an infant pleaded.
Yuren knew it well too.
That these people were not truly following demons.
That they had made an unavoidable choice driven by hunger.
“What are you doing!? Drag them out quickly!”
Yet there are plenty of Imperial subjects, and there are far more reasons to kill them than to save them.
‘Lives like flies.’
If discovered, they die at the hands of knights; if they remain, they are destined to be slaughtered by black magicians.
For them, caught in the undertow of massive power, there was nothing Ferda could do.
The Magic Investigator smiled cheerfully as if unconcerned by what became of them.
In his hand was the grimoire of necromancy.
According to the standard disposal method for black magic books, it is customary to wrap it in golden silk and transport it.
Yet Yuren did not do that.
Rather, he was caressing the human skin, feeling its texture.
Then, suddenly sensing Ferda’s gaze, he gave a dry cough and spoke.
“This must have looked like someone immersed in black magic. Haha…”
“A little, yes.”
“Haha, how embarrassing. It is merely that I was glad to add a line to my lackluster record.”
Realizing his mistake, he completely covered the grimoire of necromancy in silk.
And he offered his gratitude to Ferda.
“Thanks to Regent-nim’s report, the people can sleep soundly tonight as well.”
“Not at all. I do it for my own sake too.”
“Working for the Empire is fine work, haha!”
His intention to cover it up was transparent.
“So, is there nothing you can do for me?”
Ferda asked with a hint in his words.
“Things I can do for you, you say. Of course!”
With other scoundrels, he would have brushed them off with reward money or threats, but the opponent was the Grand Duke’s fiancé and Regent.
He needed to provide compensation fitting of that status.
He thought for a moment, recalled something, and asked.
“Now that I think about it, Regent-nim is also a magician, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Then shouldn’t I take you to a place like an amusement park for magicians?”
The Magic Investigator proposed.
“How about we stop by the Sealed Vault once?”
At that moment, the first step of Ferda’s plan had arrived.
The Empire’s storehouse is situated beneath the Imperial Palace.
Because one must pass numerous guards and alarm magic, it is the most heavily guarded place on the continent.
Ferda would never have been able to set foot there had he not accompanied Magic Investigator Yuren.
The Warehouse Keeper saw Yuren, smiled, and saluted.
“Loyalty! Magic Investigator-nim! You are working hard today as well.”
“You always work hard as well. There are confiscated items, so we need to enter the Sealed Vault. Log it.”
“Understood. Excuse me, but your companion…?”
The young man with gray hair and blue eyes standing beside him.
That young man said nothing, merely standing with his hands behind his back.
Yuren answered for him.
“Ahem, this person is the fiancé of the Grand Duke of the Far East. Although he is Regent, he is the responsible party for the Far East.”
“Ah, ah… Is that so?”
“So handle it discreetly. Understand?”
“Yes, of course. I shall exclude him from the ledger.”
He closed the ledger without any special entry.
“A rather flexible young man.”
“Haha, of course. In this line of work, one cannot survive without flexibility. Furthermore…”
Yuren smiled and added.
“Being flexible isn’t a bad thing either.”
After a moment, Ferda and Yuren moved to another room.
Before them stood a stone door with a crystal orb embedded in the center of it.
“It is called the Orb of Truth. Are you familiar with it?”
“Is it not an artifact that only glows green when questions are answered truthfully?”
“That is correct. It is a precious relic handed down from ancient times.”
That crystal orb recognized a person and began to glow blue.
Yuren walked over with familiarity and placed his hand upon it.
The moment he placed his hand, a voice resonated through the room.
“Do you swear that you do not follow demons and do not abide by their will?”
That deep, dignified voice was like that of a deity passing judgment.
Yuren replied.
“I swear.”
“Do you swear that your visit to this vault does not stem from personal desire?”
“I swear.”
“Do you swear that you are loyal to the Empire?”
“I swear.”
The three questions concluded, and the smoke inside swirled.
Soon, the blue shifted to green and lit up.
“Proven.”
Yuren removed his hand and said to Ferda.
“Would you place your hand here?”
“Do I have to do it as well?”
Ferda asked, knowing full well but feigning ignorance.
Because that was more natural.
“Is it not obvious? You cannot pass without entering this room and being tested by the Orb of the Oath. Perhaps…”
Yuren narrowed his eyes and asked.
It was a look and expression akin to those directed at demon followers.
“Do you have something weighing on your conscience?”
Ferda shook his head.
“Since I am a human full of greed, I am concerned I might get caught on the second question.”
“Haha, there is no need to worry. As long as you do not harbor the thought that you must take something from here at all costs.”
They still handled it in a crude yet accurate manner.
‘I did that back then too.’
About three times, but Ferda failed each time with a red light.
So in the end, he broke it and entered.
Ferda was that kind of person.
Full of personal desire, and not loyal to the Empire in the slightest.
Despite knowing this well, Ferda boldly placed his hand upon the Orb of Truth.
“Do you swear that you do not follow demons and do not abide by their will?”
The dignified voice attempted to press down on Ferda.