Chapter 129

Chapter 129
## Chapter 129

The first thing Grand Duke Beltus did upon receiving the report from legal advisor Doles and rushing out of his office was to seek the source of this entire catastrophe.

The mansion was filled with vengeful spirits and monsters.

A dark red necromantic energy emanated from the isolation room on the ground floor. It was the same room where he had ordered his servants to confine Denise.

Coincidentally, as soon as Denise was imprisoned, this absurd disaster began to unfold.

Such an obvious connection could not be ignored, but now was not the time to think about it.

In the middle of the Beltus mansion, a fully visible Archlich had appeared.

Why was a necromantic monster—one that only appeared in the deepest parts of the dangerous labyrinths of the White Zone—floating inside the mansion?

One thing was certain: it had to be neutralized immediately.

An Archlich was a monster so dangerous that even a specialized subjugation team could not easily capture it without making sacrifices.

However, this was the main mansion of the Beltus family.

Grand Duke Beltus, a 5-star summoner mage, used this house as his base and was one of the few family-rank mages in the entire continent.

– Slash! Clang!

– Cut!

The movements of the swords that sprouted from the ground were swift.

Dozens of swords made of light lunged forward and pierced the monsters running through the mansion, eliminating them.

Reddish spirits began to surround the mansion, taking down the monsters outside one by one, and the magic flowing around Grand Duke Beltus took the form of a massive staff that appeared in his hand.

The 5-star magic weapon “Light of the Empire.”

A giant staff created by the master of transformation magic, Kohella, a replica of the legendary weapon of Emperor Guttrel.

Grand Duke Beltus’s summoning magic, capable of reproducing more than 80% of the original weapon’s power, could summon almost any magic armament he could imagine.

He had reached a level of inorganic summoning that no one else on the continent could match.

Slash!

As his summoning magic began to envelop the mansion, hope began to rise among the servants.

It was truly rare for a family mage to intervene personally. The anomaly occurring at the Beltus mansion was that severe.

— Your Excellency the Grand Duke…! Your Excellency has come personally…!

— Good…! It will be over soon…! Do not panic…! Take cover…! If we hold out, this will be resolved…!

‘Damn it…’

The Grand Duke’s face, as he advanced toward the isolation room, was already completely distorted.

He still did not know who had done it or how, but he had no intention of letting it go.

To declare war on the stronghold of the Beltus family, and in such a vile manner.

The mere fact that necromancy was being practiced meant that this person could not be allowed to live.

Upon entering the isolation room, he grit his teeth at the sight of the Archlich floating in the air, attempting to devour the entire mansion.

“This almost turned into a high-level labyrinth.”

Even for Grand Duke Beltus, facing an Archlich posed an enormous challenge.

But if he acted personally, he could subdue it. It would consume almost all of his accumulated magic, and he would be injured, but it was possible.

Destroy that cursed monster and find the person responsible, then cut off their head.

If he didn’t make them suffer until death, it wouldn’t serve as an example.

‘I don’t know what wretch had the insolence to do this, but I will rip out all their organs and make sure they die in agony.’

With that thought, he was about to cast the 4-star transformation spell “Chains of Restriction” toward the floating Archlich.

Zap!

Fwoosh!

Right beneath the Archlich.

From the place where Denise had left her luggage, a new light emerged, and the ominous magic that burst forth in an instant enveloped Grand Duke Beltus.

Crackle!

The Grand Duke’s eyes widened, and he raised his staff in a defensive stance.

But the density of the necromantic magic was so thick that even he frowned at the impact.

From beneath the Archlich, a human figure began to rise.

It was a scene as if time had stopped.

However, the flow of magic opened a space for the girl to ascend.

In the midst of that ominous aura, it was as if the queen of death herself were arriving.

Even the Archlich, which had sent countless adventurers to their graves, bowed its head to the unknown figure emerging slowly from the light.

“Hello.”

Lilac-colored hair and eyes. A dark red dress with ruffles.

Despite her elegant appearance, she went barefoot and empty-handed.

The jeweled ring and the tie ornament that Denise had received as gifts.

From that being, revealed through the transformation magic engraved on those objects, emanated an abnormal aura impossible for an ordinary mage to perceive.

Even Grand Duke Beltus, capable of crushing an entire army on his own, had to swallow hard at that overwhelming magical power.

An entity so powerful that even the Archlich bowed before her in a sign of loyalty.

That alone was enough to understand.

If there existed someone who could be considered the most worthy among those who ruled over necromancy, it was undoubtedly that girl.

Even if her name was unknown, her presence said everything from the first moment.

“It would be a problem if you tried to kill our adorable Happy. It’s like a mischievous creature I created myself over more than two months… it would be very sad if it died in such an insignificant way, don’t you think?”

“Happy?”

Was that the nickname of the Archlich?

Grand Duke Beltus clenched his fist to stop the trembling of his fingers.

Even the legendary magic weapon he held seemed like a twig next to that girl of unknown origin.

“Are you… the one responsible for this disaster?”

“Yes. I consider it an honor. I don’t usually show my true personality in front of others.”

The smile that spread from ear to ear chilled his blood.

It was undeniable: she was the living incarnation of death, the queen of necromancers.

The Grand Duke had also heard the rumors.

The countless books that the necromancers of Rodentz Island revered as if they were the Bible.

Stories circulated claiming that their creator lived somewhere on the continent.

There were all kinds of legends about that faceless necromancer.

But no one imagined it would be such a small girl.

“As you can see, due to certain circumstances, I have to live in hiding.”

“…”

“So there are only two types of people to whom I show my true self: those I will see for a long time, or those who will die very soon.”

Fina’s smile had the power to freeze the soul.

“Guess. Which one are you?”

Boom!

Without hesitation, Grand Duke Beltus unleashed elemental combat magic.

However, Fina did not even flinch. The enormous Archlich floating behind her—whom she called Happy—raised a protective barrier and deflected all the attacks.

Although it was low-level magic, the activation speed was practically impossible to follow with the naked eye.

But Fina, who had deflected everything with a mocking smile, looked up and spoke with a seductive grin.

“You are impatient. If a Grand Duke is so petty, who would swear loyalty to you…?”

“Shut up. What is your objective?”

“To kill you.”

With that brief phrase, he felt as if a sharp blade had brushed his neck.

It was no joke. This was never a situation for joking.

Grand Duke Beltus frowned and gripped his staff tighter.

“You…”

“Are you curious about the reason? It’s nothing special. For my personal research, I need the corpse of a mage of at least five stars. That’s all.”

“So you really are… from Rodentz Island…”

“I don’t care if that rabble from that island serves me or not. I only care about my own affairs. But it’s not easy to face a five-star mage or higher so lightly.”

Fina walked slowly toward Grand Duke Beltus with her small figure.

A slow and relaxed step.

However, despite her leisurely movements, by only slightly lifting her skirt and exposing her bare feet, the air in the entire room felt oppressive.

The closer Fina got, the heavier the necromantic energy compressing his body became.

Her level of magic was something else entirely.

Even a mage of noble birth was perplexed by the existence of a being of five stars or more.

“The mages of noble houses are exceptional and enjoy great prestige, so it’s difficult to treat them lightly. But someone like you, if the right circumstances are given, seems manageable. With so many sins accumulated and so many excuses to catch you, you could die at any moment, and it would be completely justified.”

“…”

“You should have lived more generously. Well, I’m not the best person to give lessons to others either.”

Fina spoke clearly.

She had come to kill that ruthless man who pursued power, who framed and murdered innocents, oppressed those he despised, and treated every member of his family as if they were chess pieces.

But this was not a battle between good and evil.

She had no intention of delivering grand moralizing speeches.

Neither she nor Dereck had come in search of moral justice.

On the path of life, there comes a moment when you must face someone.

When one strives to achieve what they desire, there will inevitably be people they must step over.

It is not about who is right.

Whoever falters and falls simply disappears.

That is how the law of nature works at its core.

Dereck had also committed countless murders, but never for a moral justification.

Surviving day to day in the mud was just that simple.

“Well, that’s not the only purpose… Anyway, since we’ve come this far, should we show a bit of skill?”

Whoooosh!

In the midst of the rising ominous necromantic energy, the girl’s eyes glowed red.

By merely releasing a small fraction of her power, a fierce wind erupted and everything in the isolation chamber was sent flying and embedded into the walls.

The power swirled around the girl’s body like the eye of a storm.

The reason she had come this far was not just because she needed the corpse of a high-ranking mage.

There was another reason just as important.

She had a disciple she cared for deeply.

If her research on advanced corpse resurrection did not go well, she had a quite promising disciple as Plan B.

However, although Dereck possessed immense potential, asking a disciple who barely fought at the level of a full three-star mage to subdue a fully prepared five-star mage was absurd.

Fina was not ignorant of that fact.

Dereck himself had pointed it out several times, grumbling, but Fina had rejected his opinion.

Because she had already planned everything.

“Grand Duke Beltus. Do you want me to teach you what true magic is?”

Fina was completely different from the teachers Dereck had before: the old man from the slums, Katia, or Drest.

Wolves that live a wild life and commit slaughter grow up eating raw and bloody meat from a young age.

If you want to raise my lovely son well, you have to feed him nutritious prey.

But if the meat is a bit tough, then it is the teacher’s duty to beat it several times until it softens.

Even for Dereck, whose potential was fully developed, capturing the head of a noble family in perfect condition was too much at that moment.

In that case, it was enough for him not to be in perfect condition.

It is a simple and crude idea, but the logic of the strong is not complicated.

Bang!

By merely lifting the edge of her dress gracefully and casting a single spell, Grand Duke Beltus was thrown almost to the end of the wall.

He let out a muffled groan and gathered his magic, but he had to endure the intense pain piercing through his body.

Whoooosh!

There was still a murderous intent in Fina’s laughter that pushed anyone to the limit.

The Archlich floating behind her was a presence so imposing that it made any group seem like scum.

The girl shook out her skirt and spoke.

“You, Lord of Beltus, should feel honored. I do not teach just anyone.”

Kalimpord, Melverot, Feria, Drest, Reveltone: the continent’s history books were filled with heroic tales of mythical mages.

And the girl before him was a being who could stand alongside those legendary heroes.

No matter the rank of a mage, there was always a limit.

He had to take her seriously.

In the instant Grand Duke Beltus took a deep breath, a massive flame rose, shattering the ceiling of the guest room.

It was a five-star summoning spell: an incantation to summon Helim, the giant spirit of flames that first appeared in mythology.

***

The fire giant rose with enough strength to engulf the entire property.

The influence of five-star summoning magic was as if it could span the entire world.

The heat alone caused the temperature of the area to rise, and its influence was such that a brilliant light spread even above the shadows.

Dereck, mounted on a horse, also observed the giant.

The soldiers of Rodelia following him had their eyes wide open.

The servants of the Duke’s mansion, and even Denise, who sat desperately in front of the mansion, clearly saw the momentum of the flaming giant.

It was the image of a high-ranking mage using all his magical power.

Faced with such overwhelming pressure—something rarely seen unless a continent-wide war broke out—one could only believe that all the monsters covering the mansion would be reduced to ashes in an instant.

It was said that the flames that purify the chaotic world burn everything equally.

Just at that moment, when the enormous fire sword was about to send all the impure to hell…

Crash!

As if mocking everything, the sky opened up and a gigantic demonic hand was revealed.

A hand of such immense size that it rivaled that of the fire giant grabbed the giant’s face and slammed it into the mansion grounds.

Crash!

The flames that rose spread toward the garden, and the giant’s body began to tremble.

It wasn’t even necromancy, but summoning magic—Grand Duke Beltus’s specialty.

However, anyone could see that the true source of that magic was Fina.

The collapsed outer wall of the isolation chamber.

The rising dust.

The flames spreading through the mansion.

Madness and chaos.

And imminent death.

With a deranged laugh, the image of the monster crushing Grand Duke Beltus was easily drawn.

She was death itself.

“…”

Dereck, convinced he could not stand idly by, took the reins and headed into the forest.

The entrance to the path leading to the Beltus mansion was already in sight.