Chapter 128

Chapter 128
## Chapter 128

The first to notice the anomaly was Orel, the leader of the mercenary group stationed at the western tower of the Duchy of Beltus.

He was a veteran who had participated in all kinds of battles while serving the ducal family for a long time. Being strong and having a fierce personality was not enough to hold such a position.

To maintain a key post within the imperial guard, one needed both a fiery spirit and icy rationality.

His rugged muscles, his one-eyed face, his square jaw, and the enormous sword he carried on his back: every feature betrayed the presence of a formidable man.

Although he had left the imperial family and become the leader of a large mercenary corps, he still maintained the same meticulous battle readiness he had while serving the empire.

“…Something isn’t right in the main building.”

Orel frowned while drinking beer with his strategist in the garrison’s command room.

“…Ah?”

“I hear the servants screaming.”

“…I could never match your hearing, commander.”

He was in charge of the security of the Duchy of Beltus.

The reason why the Duke of Beltus, with his small number of private soldiers, could still hold his head high before the three great noble families was because he had General Orel under his command.

If anyone asked why a wise and experienced man like Orel worked for a greedy man like the Duke of Beltus, the answer was simple: money.

The amount of gold coins Orel’s mercenary corps received annually from the Duchy of Beltus for maintaining security was enough to easily buy a small border town.

And the virtue of a mercenary lies in working exactly for what one is paid.

In the southwestern continent, there were few mercenaries as renowned as Orel, including Ebelstein. Leading such a large mercenary corps was only possible thanks to his exceptional skills.

For this reason, some ambitious mercenaries harbored the desire to challenge Orel, but finding him was not easy, as he rarely left the Beltus territory.

Orel adjusted the two-handed sword he carried on his back, checked the two longswords at his waist, the dagger on his thigh, and the various supplies on his belt, and then stood up.

He completely pulled back the canvas covering the garrison and looked toward the main building of the Duchy of Beltus.

There, terrified servants were running out of the mansion.

Orel frowned deeply. Sharpening his ears, he could perceive the faint scent of blood carried by the wind.

General Orel was a man with exceptionally sharp hearing and smell.

He was also a man who never hesitated when it mattered.

“Vengeance.”

“Yes, commander.”

“Wake everyone who is sleeping. It’s time to work.”

***

*Whoooosh!*

*Crackle! Snap!*

The main building of the Duke of Beltus: the isolation room where Denise had been confined.

The Archilich that Fina had meticulously created was a disaster comparable to death itself. The mere fact that such a monster stood upright turned its surroundings into a frozen abyss, multiplying its forces and forming its nest wherever it was found.

When Denise regained consciousness, the walls of the isolation room were already covered with all kinds of necromantic magic and vengeful spirits, enough to make anyone dizzy just by breathing.

With a simple movement of the Archilich’s staff, an army of corpses rose and rotting monsters began to stagger through the halls of the mansion.

If measures were not taken, the victims would be countless.

Fina loved such scenes of slaughter. But, unfortunately, Dereck did not like unnecessary victims in these covert power struggles.

Dereck had no qualms about killing, but he was not a lunatic who committed senseless massacres. All he wanted was to seize the Beltus mansion and turn it into the headquarters of necromantic magic.

That was why Dereck had repeatedly insisted to Fina that she limit the level of the monsters summoned by the Archilich’s magic.

Even so, the Beltus mansion already looked like a nest of evil deeply contaminated by necromancy.

Such a place had to be purged. Creating that justification was all he needed.

*Creak. Crack.*

The army of corpses rising with grotesque noises would freeze anyone’s blood.

Especially common people who had never witnessed necromantic magic before.

The screams of panic, inevitable in the case of the servants, erupted, and the mansion was plunged into chaos.

“Aaah!”

“Save me! It’s a monster! A monster!”

Banshees flew over the railing of the main hall, and phantom knights clad in armor and wielding swords began to occupy every room with echoing steps.

The aura of necromantic magic spreading through the walls quickly dimmed the light, plunging the mansion into darkness.

Little by little, the Beltus mansion was stained by the shadow of death. Just like the labyrinths of the White Zone governed by the Archilich, it was becoming a maze filled with vengeful spirits, corpses, and the stench of blood.

*Boom!*

Denise gritted her teeth as she jumped from the railing connecting the second floor to the first.

Around her, terrified servants wept, barely able to move their feet. If she left them there, they would undoubtedly be devoured by the monsters.

She used the first-class combat magic “Magic Arrow” and “Ice Spear” to subdue the corpses rushing at her.

Luckily, the main body—the Archilich—was focused on devouring the entire mansion. Thanks to that, the monsters it summoned were not yet of a very high level.

‘If I get out now, I can survive.’

With that thought in mind, Denise grabbed a maid paralyzed by fear and ran down the stairs, gritting her teeth.

She tripped once and rolled down the stairs, but the thick, luxurious carpet prevented her from suffering serious injuries.

*Crash!*

“Ouch!”

The pain was inevitable, but she stood up from the floor. Other servants who had been dragged or forcibly thrown also began to move toward the exit, trembling.

Almost crawling along the floor, she managed to reach the first-floor lobby.

Her intention was to leave the mansion to alert the tower. With that in mind, she ran toward the marble staircase leading to the main door.

“…What is this…?”

When Denise stepped out of the main building, the entire world was already being invaded by monsters.

The fief of the Duke of Beltus was approximately the size of a decent rural village. To the south, the large garden, which looked like an entire forest, was being invaded by spirits and beasts.

In the eastern tower, the mages had rushed to finish off the monsters; the same was happening in Orel’s Mercenary Corps camp.

She could not comprehend what was happening. Not even Denise, who had lived her whole life among noble intrigues, had ever witnessed a battlefield like that.

The magic of the Archilich, which devoured the main building, seemed to spread throughout the territory.

In a short time, the place would become a labyrinth ruled by the Lich, and the splendid Beltus mansion would be nothing more than a relic of past glory.

The necromancy of a six-star mage could turn even the mansion of a historic family into a nest of death in an instant.

Faced with power of a completely different level, Denise felt as if the entire world were collapsing.

The battle raged everywhere, and death spread to every corner.

Seeing the advance of the monsters ravaging the estate, Denise collapsed where she stood.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

From the highest point of the main building, gazing at the property from the railing near the outer gate, she took several difficult deep breaths.

Her trembling hands clung to the railing, and her chest, covered by her ruffled dress, rose and fell incessantly.

Breathe deeply. Again.

‘Calm down, calm down, calm down. Don’t panic.’

Even though everyone else was on the verge of collapse, she tried to regain her sanity somehow.

Even when the skin on her arms crawled and her back trembled, she gritted her teeth to resist the fear.

But her heart beat wildly and tears threatened to well up.

Denise took the pansy-shaped brooch from her hair and, using its sharp point, stabbed herself once in the thigh.

The pain quelled her fear, her breathing stabilized, and she regained her sanity. Blood ran down her leg, but Denise didn’t even notice.

“Think, think, don’t stop thinking. Every second counts. What must I keep in mind? What must I decide right now?”

“The isolation room… the monster that came out of my belongings. What exactly was it? It is clearly a high-level demon, but why was it among my things…? It was just my usual luggage…”

After regaining control over her trembling body, she organized her thoughts.

She remembered the gifts she had received from the young woman from the Tigris region. Everything else was her usual belongings. But not those gifts.

A trap?

But the young woman from Tigris was nothing more than a nameless commoner. Diligent, studious, without great magical achievements.

Although Denise, worried about Aiselin, had observed that girl a bit.

The young Tigris woman was one of Dereck’s most sincere disciples. She always sought his teachings.

She was the one who best obeyed Dereck’s will. If she acted, she likely did so under his orders.

That was the only conclusion Denise could reach.

What kind of large-scale necromantic magic was this? What were Dereck’s intentions? How had this crisis that threatened to devour the Beltus family begun?

Everything was a mystery.

But one thing was certain.

Everything was happening in the palm of Dereck’s hand.

She didn’t know how far his plans reached, but she remembered well the look he had in the Ravenclaw barony office.

The mansion garden.

The words he spoke as he left, leaving her alone.

‘I don’t care if you stab me in the back.’

What had been his intention?

Kindness? Magnanimity toward Denise?

No. She had interpreted everything wrong.

She remembered his figure walking away, unable to clearly discern his expression.

‘He was trying to use me.’

Denise’s legs gave way as she bit her lip hard.

After enduring the rush of emotions, a hollow laugh escaped her lips.

‘How ridiculous…’

The story was clear. The Beltus family, feeling threatened by Dereck Lydof of Ravenclaw, had tried to crush him.

They had tried to kidnap his wife, invented scandals, and even considered murdering him.

How could one show true kindness toward someone raised in that environment?

Perhaps once, at the beginning, it was possible.

In the dusty basement of the art warehouse, when Denise belittled herself, he denied it all, telling her she was worth more.

Even though she had always lived under the yoke of Beltus, he believed she had her own value.

But kindness also had limits.

How can you show compassion toward someone who threatens your territory, your family, your life?

Dereck was also human. And Denise was a subordinate of Beltus.

In the end, when his patience ran out, it was inevitable.

‘My situation is ridiculous…’

Even so, Denise was worried about how to maintain a friendly relationship with Dereck.

Without considering his possible exhaustion, resentment, or betrayal, she simply let herself be carried away by her emotions.

A childish illusion, believing herself the center of the world.

Writing day after day had led her to believe she was the protagonist of this story. Ridiculous.

The pain in her thigh, the scratches on her skin, the monsters, the screams, the stench… everything kept moving forward.

She thought about what was to come.

If this were not handled properly, it would be a catastrophe. And even if it were, disaster would still be inevitable.

The Duke of Beltus would have to explain the origin of the necromancy.

Who would be the sacrifice?

If she were the Duchess… who would she choose to escape this?

The Archilich, the source of everything. Who had introduced the means directly into the mansion?

Someone who had abandoned their loyalty… someone who had tried to defend a weak rural baron.

The most suitable scapegoat.

Denise’s hands trembled as she contemplated the destruction of the Beltus family.

She remembered the red-haired girl from Belmierd, branded a witch for practicing necromantic magic; she remembered how easily necromancy could ruin anyone’s life.

She remembered the white-haired mercenary, with fierce eyes, who contemplated all the paintings with his chin resting on his hand.

Everything had started because of the sins of Beltus.

And she was a member of Beltus. The sacrificial lamb.

A trembling chest. A hollow laugh.

Sometimes, absolute despair made one erase the smile from their face.

One way or another, her end was already decided.

To become a witch.

A witch who would bear all the curses.

***

“In that abyss of bad deeds, if there exists a person who can be called a saint, it would be Lady Denise, who faced all the malice of her family and revealed it all.”

“…Indeed, is it so?”

“Discerning between good and evil and acting with rectitude in such an environment is not something anyone can do.”

*Clop, clop.*

Countess Rodelia and her elite troops acted so quickly that they were already riding their horses toward Beltus territory before the sun was high in the sky.

There was no time for carriages, so everyone held the reins of their mounts tightly.

They moved so fast that, to keep pace, one practically had to cling to the horse’s neck.

*Zas!*

From his saddle, galloping through the forest path, Dereck spoke firmly to Rodelia.

If there was someone who still acted with rectitude within the rotten Beltus family, it had to be Denise.

Rodelia also listened attentively to Dereck’s words as they rode toward the Beltus mansion.

And in the distance, the hill where the Beltus mansion stood began to appear on the horizon.

Even from afar, Countess Rodelia frowned. From that distance, it was already evident that the state of the territory was not normal.

A horde of vengeful spirits swirled over the estate.

The force with which those souls spun made the place look like a necromancer’s fortress.

“…Mr. Dereck. You were right.”

Countess Rodelia was a person whose hatred for necromancers was unparalleled in the world.

The heroine gritted her teeth, drew her sword of holy blood, and shouted to her soldiers.

“Faster! Necromancy is running rampant in the Duchy of Beltus!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

At that moment, the soldiers, with renewed morale, let go of the reins and increased their speed even further.

*– Huuung*

Their destination was still far enough away to be spotted only on the horizon.

However, even from that distance, the sound of the immense magical power emanating from the mansion grounds could be clearly heard.

The aura of that magic was so palpable that everyone, including Dereck, was momentarily speechless.

Above the Beltus mansion, a gigantic flame rose among the spirits.

Soon it took the form of a huge armored warrior, raising a gigantic flaming sword in its hands.

Its size was indescribable.

A fire giant so colossal that it could be clearly seen even from that distance. A summoning spell of absurd proportions, several times larger than the mansion itself.

It was, at the very least, a 4-star level summoning spell.