Chapter 415: Archmage (1)
I took another step toward the bound undead and asked:
"Who are you?"
The undead remained silent for a moment. Then its hollow sockets settled on me.
"A mere goblin asks who I am? Know your place."
Its voice was calm, yet every word carried an overwhelming sense of superiority.
I raised an eyebrow.
Arrogant much.
"I mean..." I shrugged. "I just defeated your guards and am about to enter the tomb they were protecting. So it’d probably be in your best interest to tell me what’s inside. That way I can decide whether I should leave or continue walking in."
I paused deliberately.
"Right now, I’m leaning toward the second option."
The purple flames flickering within the undead’s empty sockets flared slightly.
"You vile abomination. That choice will be your damnation."
I shrugged again.
"Alright then. I’ll be seeing you soon."
I raised my glowing hand toward the undead’s skull, but before I could touch it, the strange voice shouted
"Wait! Do not make any hasty decisions."
My hand stopped midair, and I frowned.
What the hell?
A moment ago, it had been speaking as though I wasn’t even worthy of standing before it.
Now it was trying to keep me from killing the knight.
Why?
I looked directly into its hollow sockets.
"Why shouldn’t I make a hasty decision? You haven’t exactly given me a reason not to."
Before the undead could answer, Ariel’s voice came from behind me.
"The undead speaks?"
She casually walked over and, as though the situation were perfectly ordinary, hopped onto my shoulder. Tilting her head, she studied the possessed skeleton with open curiosity, prompting the undead’s attention to shift toward her.
"Hmm..."
Its gaze lingered on Ariel.
"An Ember Fox. To think I would find such a rare creature in this forsaken world."
The undead studied her for another moment before asking,
"Tell me... did Lord Drugar also capture you?"
I narrowed my eyes.
Captured by Lord Drugar?
The wording immediately caught my attention.
Did that mean he had been imprisoned here? If so, for what reason?
And why had Lord Drugar trapped this undead here? Did that have anything to do with us being brought into this world? Who even is this Lord Drugar? Like, for real, and what is his goal? Why did he bring us here?
The question kept piling up. But there was no answer. I wish someone could answer these questions.
"What? Captured by Lord Drugar?" Ariel asked, her ears twitching. "Nobody captured me."
"Hmm..."
The undead fell silent for a moment.
"Strange."
Ariel frowned.
"What are you talking about? Better question, what the hell are you?"
That’s exactly what I’m asking.
The undead remained silent for several seconds, studying the two of us as though trying to understand something. Then, it spoke.
"I am Mordra Vael, the Archmage of Death."
I frowned.
An Archmage?
I was familiar with the term. At least vaguely. But I had never actually understood what separated an Archmage from an ordinary mage. Judging from the title alone, it sounded far more significant than simply being stronger.
Before I could ask, Ariel leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Archmages are the highest practitioners of magic."
I glanced toward her. Did she read my thought? How did she know I didn’t know what the title meant?
"They don’t just cast spells, they create them."
She continued quietly, making sure only I could hear.
"They study the laws governing magic itself, write grimoires, develop entirely new forms of magic, and sometimes even alter existing magical systems. They usually devote themselves to a single field," Ariel added. "That becomes their specialty."
Her gaze shifted back toward the undead.
"And judging by his title, he specializes in necromancy."
I looked back at the skeletal knight. An Archmage. Not just any mage. One who had reached the point of creating and shaping magic itself.
That was...honestly, terrifying.
Which only made the next question even more important.
If someone like that truly existed...what was he doing imprisoned in a place like this?
And just what kind of person was this Lord Drugar if he was capable of trapping an Archmage of Death inside a forgotten tomb?
I raised a hand.
"Permit me to ask something."
The undead remained silent.
"If you’re an Archmage, then what are you doing in a place like this? Were you one of Lord Drugar’s servants?"
"Servant?!"
The voice exploded with fury.
A violent surge of dark mana burst from the undead knight, causing the purple wisps surrounding its body to flare wildly.
"Didn’t you hear me when I said I was trapped?"
I blinked.
"If you’re not his servant..."
I paused, thinking it through.
"Then does that make you his enemy?"
"Obviously, fool."
I frowned. Before I could respond, Ariel let out a tired sigh from my shoulder.
"I apologize," she said. "He can be a little dense sometimes."
I looked at her.
"What was so foolish about my question?"
She gave me a flat look. Then she flicked one of her tails toward the possessed knight.
"What he’s actually trying to ask is why you don’t want him meddling with whatever it is you don’t want him meddling with."
I frowned:
That’s not exactly a great question.
The undead’s voice turned noticeably colder.
"The conflict between Lord Drugar and me is none of your concern."
"Trust me," I replied. "I have no intention of getting involved in someone else’s fight."
The hollow sockets fixed themselves on me.
"Aren’t you one of Lord Drugar’s Chosen?"
"I am."
"Then you should have received the quest to eliminate me."
I frowned. A quest? I’d never received anything like that.
The system had remained completely silent regarding this place.
The only reason I was standing here was that Ariel had stumbled across the tomb while hunting and convinced me to investigate it. Nothing more.
I slowly shook my head.
"No. I came here looking for treasure. That’s all."
Silence followed.
The undead simply stared at me. Then, for the first time since introducing himself, the arrogance in Modred Vael’s voice gave way to something else. Confusion.
"...You weren’t sent here to kill me?"
"No. And I wasn’t given any quest."
I gestured toward the tomb behind him.
"I saw a suspicious ruin, heard there might be something valuable inside, and decided to investigate."
Ariel nodded as if confirming my story.
The undead fell silent again. Long enough that I began to wonder whether whoever was speaking through it had stopped listening altogether. Then, in a much quieter voice than before, Modred spoke.
"I find that difficult to believe."
Modred’s voice echoed through the undead knight.
"So many Chosen have discovered this tomb over the years, yet not a single one turned back after seeing my guards. It didn’t matter that they were hopelessly outmatched."
He paused.
"They always attacked."
His hollow gaze remained fixed on me.
"It was as though they had no choice."
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
"They fought anyway? Even knowing they would lose?"
The undead’s voice grew colder.
"The only explanation is that Lord Drugar compelled them to do so. Either attack...or die."
A chill ran down my spine.
If that were true, then why hadn’t I received such an order? Not that I wanted to receive such an order. But still...
I frowned.
"Well, I didn’t get any quest."
I spread my hands.
"I came here because I heard there might be treasure inside. That is all."
The undead knight suddenly went silent. It simply stared at me.
Seconds passed. Then another.
The longer it remained quiet, the more uncomfortable I became, almost as though something beyond those hollow eye sockets was carefully examining me. Then the purple flames within its sockets flared.
"You...you’re an anomaly..."
It said suddenly, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
Anomaly.
That word again. The only other person who had ever called me that was Lord Drugar’s avatar. Now...the man claiming to be Lord Drugar’s enemy had reached the same conclusion.
What the hell...
Before I could ask what he meant, the undead spoke again, his voice booming across the clearing.
"Goblin. You are free to enter."
I blinked.
"What?"
"My guard will escort you. So long as you do not kill it."