Chapter 1157
The remnants of the anti-magic faction truly possessed remarkable abilities.
And the greatest ability they possessed was, in the end, the fact that they somehow managed to convince Lee Han.
Even while screaming in every possible way, the anti-magic remnants succeeded in proving that they were decent criminals who had nothing to do with Sanguros.
“It was the Frahgal Order??”
“Y-Yes.”
“...And it does not seem like those Frahgal bastards joined forces with the Sanguros bastards?”
“We do not know enough to say that in such detail... Aaargh!”
Giselle, who was sitting and resting, clicked her tongue as though she felt sorry for them.
There could be no worse luck than that.
They were indeed criminals involved with evil-god worshipers, but to think they belonged to a different evil-god order.
Caten and the White Tiger Tower students, who had arrived late, also cast gazes filled with disbelief.
“How can anyone be that unlucky...”
“Are they not lying?”
Lee Han immediately reacted to Anglago’s mutter.
“You think so too?”
“N-No! No!! You damned bastard! What grudge do you have against us that you would sow discord like that!”
The frightened remnant screamed and glared at Anglago. Anglago became flustered and apologized.
“S-Sorry.”
“Is there any need to apologize?”
“Exactly? No. You are anti-magic faction members and evil-god worshipers. This is your fault!”
Now that he thought about it, Anglago suddenly became angry. These were people who deserved to rot in an Imperial prison for the rest of their lives for the crimes they had already committed. Who were they blaming?
While Lee Han continued the interrogation, Caten checked the surroundings. There might be other traps or ambushes.
It was not that he did not trust Junior Wardanaz, but an outstanding swordsm... no, mage always had to be thorough.
“I respect you, Senior.”
Anglago looked at Caten with admiration in his eyes.
This senior, who possessed an appearance as adorable as Professor Verdus or House Pengerine, transformed into a venerable veteran swordsman the moment he opened his mouth.
“Where did you learn things like that?”
“Ah. Junior. I learned them in the punishment room. One can learn a truly great many things in the punishment room.”
“......”
The White Tiger Tower students all fell silent at once. Caten failed to notice the juniors’ bewilderment and continued giving advice.
“Unlike the ordinary punishment room, the deep punishment room contains a truly diverse range of prisoners. Each of these prisoners attempts to tempt and attack people in a different way.”
“N-No. The Principal locked you in the deep punishment room?! That is truly too much...!”
Unlike the ordinary punishment room, the deep punishment room beneath it was a place where Imperial criminals or people like Professor Verdus were sent.
To lock someone there merely because they were not good at magic!
“That is not the case.”
“What? Then...”
“I simply went down because I was bored and lonely. The punishment room becomes rather tedious quickly.”
“......”
While the juniors stared with their mouths open in shock, Caten continued explaining how one should fight against multiple opponents alone.
“By the way. Was this corpse perhaps created by the junior of House Moradi?”
“That is correct.”
Giselle answered with a courteous attitude.
Although she hurled curses and kicks at friends from the same tower, Giselle became the exemplary daughter of a knightly family when dealing with anyone else.
And this transformation had several advantages. While pretending to behave politely, Giselle subtly covered Hallenken’s severed head.
She did not want to show the senior evidence that she had won with a concealed weapon.
Of course, Caten did not care in the slightest.
Caten had already understood everything that had happened from the moment he saw the corpse. And Caten did not care at all whether someone won with a concealed weapon or with a despicable trap.
“You used aura extremely well!”
“Did I?”
Giselle’s face brightened. The other friends also looked at her with admiration and jealousy.
To hear such words from Senior Caten!
“May I ask when you awakened your aura?”
“Actually, during the batt—”
Giselle, who had been about to say that she had realized it during the battle, hesitated.
When she tried to say it that way, she suddenly felt as though she had been far too desperate.
Whenever the time came to face a powerful enemy, she would have fully awakened her aura anyway. This was absolutely not because of Wardanaz.
“...I had already fully realized it before the battle.”
“Ooh!”
“Moradi...! You even hid it from us!”
The friends shuddered anew at Giselle’s scheming.
Had this incident not occurred, she would have hidden the fact that she had become capable of fully controlling aura and cunningly laid a trap.
When they imagined her wagering on whether she could use aura and completely stripping them of every coin, chills ran down their spines.
***
“One in the horse-market alley near the southern gate, and one in the district of the eastern temples... No, you certainly have nerve. Good. I will believe you.”
While the White Tiger Tower students chatted behind him, Lee Han finished the interrogation.
Now that he had heard the locations of every hideout where the enemy stayed, he intended to attack them immediately without giving them any time.
He would also send word to Professor Garcia, who was waiting outside, and to the Death Knights under Professor Garcia’s command.
'Ah. I unconsciously thought of the professor as the leader of the knights.'
“I will remove the insects now.”
“Wait, wait!”
The remnants screamed in surprise.
Of course, they wanted the wicked insects of the evil god dwelling in their souls removed immediately. Because of these insects, they had been unable to use any strength and had been tormented by this young mage.
However, the possibility that they might become like Hallenken frightened them.
“Do not worry. Hallenken became like that because he did not realize that the curse had accumulated. I will remove all the curses first and then extract the insects.”
“Th-Thank you.”
The remnants exchanged crafty looks for a moment.
If both the curses and the insects were completely removed, they would have nothing left to regret. They intended to break through the rear wall and flee immediately.
However, the young mage they were dealing with was far more persistent than they had expected.
“Senior? And the rest of you, stop talking and come here.”
The friends, including Caten, came rushing over. Lee Han pointed at the remnants and spoke.
“Keep your swords aimed at them.”
“If they appear suspicious, I will cut them down immediately.”
Caten instantly understood what the junior wanted and readily nodded.
The anti-magic faction members lowered their heads, their faces turning deathly dark.
He had seemed careless, but to think he had already anticipated everything...
“Good. I will take them out.”
Crack!
A rupturing sound similar to the one that had come from Hallenken burst from their souls. The remnants shuddered violently and then stiffened in place.
At the same time, several insects gathered into Lee Han’s grasp and merged into one.
The insect attempted to flee as though resisting, but there was a limit to what it could do before Lee Han, who had already stolen the evil god’s Authority. Its control was taken away, and it submitted.
'That did it.'
And at that very moment, the insect opened its mouth and called out ominously.
Who are you?
“!”
Everyone present was startled. The first among them to react was Lee Han.
“Who are you, then? A servant of an evil god?”
You mortals who have failed to comprehend may call me that.
Despite the provocation, the other party responded calmly.
At that sight, Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.
'This is not an easy opponent.'
Among enemies, those who did not act emotionally and always behaved the same way were usually the most frightening.
Evil-god worshipers in particular overflowed with madness in every action, yet this one was so detached.
I do not recall forming any grudge with you mages recently, yet you launch a preemptive attack like this. It seems you do not fear the consequences.
“You do not recall forming a grudge? What kind of...”
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
Had these bastards not committed an act of terror by summoning a monster from the undead realm just this year?
However, Giselle lightly kicked the back of her friend’s heel.
“?”
'Get a hold of yourself. You were Stedal Nago then.'
At the whisper, Lee Han realized his mistake.
Now that he thought about it, he had fought under the identity of Stedal Nago at the time.
“You cunning bastard. To think you would attempt to discover my identity with such a simple question.”
'I do not think that was the intention.'
Giselle was puzzled, but Lee Han had already reached his conclusion.
“Do not try such pathetic tricks. You are the one who should worry about the consequences.”
Hahahaha... You are exceedingly bold, mage. Have you perhaps not heard that a plague is spreading through the city?
The Immortal Regenerator mocked the mage.
It did not know what means had been used to capture the insects of Authority alive, but by now the plague should already have begun spreading on its own.
Even without the insects, the infected citizens would spread the plague among themselves.
“......”
“......”
Lee Han and his friends exchanged glances with complicated expressions.
They considered telling it that they had treated the plague first and then captured the insects, but on second thought, they wondered why they should offer such kindness to a creature like this.
“I would not care even if a disaster greater than the plague came.”
Indeed. That is how a mage should be. It seems there are some among the mages who are not weak. However, remember this. The plans of the great Immortal Regenerator cannot be obstructed by you mortals. You will merely be branded! I will remember what you have done today.
“Do as you please. I will also remember today, since you bastards interfered with me.”
The plague is not interference. It is evolution. For imperfect life-forms...
“I am not talking about the plague. I am talking about the Sanguros Order.”
Lee Han replied curtly.
In the past, he might have flinched at the threat of an evil-god worshiper, but these days it merely irritated him first.
Why did bastards who hid in the darkness and carried out pathetic schemes have such long tongues?
Sanguros?
The bishop of the Frahgal Order was flustered by the unexpected name.
Considering that even considerable upheaval could not shake this fanatic, it was truly unexpected.
Why is the name of those people being mentioned here?
“I was pursuing those bastards, but your group wandered around and got caught instead.”
......
The Immortal Regenerator was struck speechless by the sense of humiliation it had not felt in a long time.
The Immortal Regenerator remained detached in the face of any provocation, but this was...!
You are lying. With such a lie...
“Whether it is a lie or not, verify it yourself. If you do not want to be subjugated in the future, stay out of my sight.”
No longer wishing to exchange words with the other party, Lee Han annihilated the insect of Authority.
***
...!
Even from another dimension, the complete annihilation of the insect of Authority could be felt.
It was something like an incarnation created by finely splitting and dividing the Immortal Regenerator’s soul, so when it was annihilated, the damage returned immediately.
The Immortal Regenerator groaned at the unexpected blow. It had taken a hit.
How can this be...
The Immortal Regenerator knew that the opposing mage had extracted the insect, but it had assumed that this had merely been removal through magical means.
However, now it was clear that the other party was controlling the Authority. Had the mage not annihilated the insect immediately without giving it any opportunity to react or retaliate?
Even a mage of considerable excellence could not steal an Authority belonging to the divine-magic category, so who in the world was this person?
'Could the story about Sanguros be... No. It must be a provocation.'
The Immortal Regenerator felt itself wavering.
It was all the more shaken because it already knew that the defeated remnants of Sanguros had recently been running wild without fear.
A plan that had already ripened would not be derailed by something as minor as this, but if a problem did occur, how should it take revenge upon those defeated remnants?