Chapter 138

Walter Balzac was a veteran wizard.

'It's pouring.'

Walter thought as he watched the heavy downpour.

He had anticipated the rain because he had learned some water magic by watching over someone's shoulder.

Walter was born into a wealthy noble family, but his desire for magic led him to abandon his position and venture out into the world.

Up to this point, he seemed like a model wizard.

But...

What drove Walter into the world was not pure curiosity but a sordid desire.

Walter felt a powerful force in magic and mystery.

His master, Balzac, was a [demon wizard].

In his youth, Walter accidentally encountered Balzac offering a villager as a living sacrifice.

Balzac intended to kill Walter to keep him quiet.

But Walter's reaction was unexpected.

'Did you just... sacrifice a person?'

'What if I did?'

'Wow... That's awesome!'

'???'

Balzac wondered if Walter was too deeply engrossed in his adolescent fantasies.

After all, it wasn't normal to think that sacrificing a person to a demon was cool.

However, Walter was sincere.

He genuinely thought Balzac's demon magic was impressive.

'Kid, demon magic is an evil magic that only the worst bastards handle.' Balzac could have kindly explained.

But he didn't.

Instead, he began to lure the naive Walter.

'Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it? With this demon, you can get rid of anyone who annoys you!'

'Even my stepmother?'

Balzac smiled wickedly.

This kid shows promise!

'Of course!'

From that day, Walter became Balzac's disciple.

Balzac was happy to have a noble as a student, and Walter was happy to learn wicked demonic magic.

Walter used the demon magic he learned from Balzac to kill his stepmother.

Demons and magic.

Wielding these two powerful forces, Walter could kill people effortlessly, even as a teenager.

Walter was enamored with this power.

Knights and anyone else couldn't resist the power of magic!

'Yes! This is it! This is the power I wanted!'

Walter was captivated by the power of magic.

Thanks to magic, he could get rid of his annoying stepmother and her child.

Though he had to sacrifice the farmers of his land...

Walter didn't care at all.

What? The cost of magic is a few farmers?

Wow! That's practically free!

Walter was a typical wicked noble who didn't consider commoners as humans.

Without hesitation, he sacrificed people to improve his demon magic skills.

Guilt?

He didn't have any.

I'm super strong! Who would dare criticize me?

When his father discovered him practicing demon magic, Walter remained calm.

And indeed, nothing happened.

The demon he had grown by sacrificing people erased all his father's knights.

'Tch. Forget about inheriting the title.'

To inherit the title, he needed to record it with a priest.

But Walter had become such a skilled demon wizard that he couldn't interact with a priest.

Walter left his hometown and wandered around the Empire, looking for a place to stay.

But finding a suitable place wasn't easy.

Even in an empire that respected wizards, it was hard to find respect for a demon wizard...

If people knew someone was friendly with a demon wizard, the priests of Heaven's Faith would go crazy.

Is it just the priests?

The Pope himself would excommunicate you!

Excommunication wasn't a special breathing technique that harnessed the power of the sun... it was a form of religious condemnation.

'It means, "I will no longer recognize you as a believer of our faith!"'

Being excommunicated meant losing all religious benefits and being treated as a heretic by everyone around you.

In the Holy Empire, the home of Heaven's Faith, excommunication was like social death.

No matter how powerful a demon wizard was, being excommunicated meant they were no longer worth using.

'Are all Imperial citizens idiots?'

Walter was enraged by the hostility toward demon wizards.

Demons are so powerful and useful! They would do anything for just a few ignorant sacrifices!

Anyone who didn't harness demons was a fool!

Walter had grown up in luxury and couldn't tolerate living as a vagrant.

He planned to find a suitable place to settle and secretly continue his demon magic research.

But whether by chance or fate, some shady wizards reached out to Walter.

'Greetings! We are the [Golden Rule Society]!'

'The Golden Rule Society?'

'Yes! We are a strictly merit-based organization that promises substantial support for any research achievements!'

What was that?

Walter had never heard of the Golden Rule Society. The timing of their offer, when he was struggling and exhausted, was highly suspicious.

But...

Walter, already worn out, had no choice but to take their hand.

At least they didn't persecute him for being a demon wizard.

'I hate this kind of menial work.'

Walter frowned as he watched the pouring rain.

He was collecting amber by the river on the Golden Rule Society's orders.

Amber was a useful gem consumed as a catalyst in magic circles.

It was versatile and valuable, the more, the better.

With tensions between Duke Fargar and Duke Roxlan rising, war might break out soon.

Stockpiling amber now would ensure it could be used as a valuable resource in the war.

"Master..."

As Walter sat there lost in thought, a large man approached him.

"What is it, Jubal?"

Jubal was the leader of the mercenary band Walter had subdued.

Over two meters tall, he was a man of immense strength who could lift rocks with his bare hands.

However, due to the aftereffects of a high fever in his childhood, his intelligence had significantly diminished.

Although Jubal was the leader of the mercenary band, he was practically a puppet.

Cunning individuals were manipulating Jubal from behind.

Walter had used a demon to eliminate those behind Jubal, taking control of the mercenary band.

Now, Jubal was Walter's subordinate.

"Someone... is coming."

"Haah. You idiot. Didn't I tell you to chase away anyone who comes?"

Walter assumed Jubal hadn't understood the simple command.

But as he listened further, he realized it wasn't the case.

"I tried... to chase them away... but..."

"But?"

"The guys told me not to..."

"???"

Walter tilted his head in confusion.

The mercenaries told him not to chase them away?

This was a matter that required attention.

Jubal might be stupid, but the rest of the mercenaries had average medieval intelligence.

This meant Jubal hadn't forgotten the order but was unable to carry it out!

'Could it be a noble?'

The mercenaries had enough sense to judge whether someone was a noble or not.

In this medieval fantasy world, noble issues were significant, so they had left the decision to their leader, Jubal.

"I'll check it myself."

Walter stood up, leaning on his staff.

If it was a noble, he could talk his way through.

If they started asking too many questions and being annoying, well...

Killing them to silence them was always an option.

Walter was a powerful demon wizard.

No matter what skills the other person possessed, they wouldn't escape the clutches of a demon.

Ian headed toward the bridge without hesitation.

"There it is."

The bridge was visible from a distance.

It was a sturdy stone bridge, showcasing the meticulous craftsmanship of the Golden Empire's people.

Though the river surged from the rain, the bridge stood firm without a tremble.

Seeing the ancient bridge, especially after only seeing the shabby medieval ones, was awe-inspiring.

Indeed, the things made by the ancients were the best!

"They said some strange folks were guarding it?"

"Yes, there are definitely some odd-looking people there."

Ian spotted the mercenaries standing guard in a forlorn manner.

It was truly strange.

There wasn't a fortress nearby.

Hiring mercenaries to guard just a bridge?

That's a waste of money.

"Is there a war going on?"

If there was a war, it would make sense.

An ancient bridge like that was definitely a strategic point.

But there were too few soldiers, and no commander was in sight.

Ian approached the mercenaries, slightly puzzled.

"Uh... huh?"

The mercenaries noticed Ian a beat too late.

They were too engrossed in their chatter.

'Doesn't seem like they're at war.'

Ian judged.

They didn't seem tense enough for a war situation.

"Who's there?!"

However, those guys were proper mercenaries.

You could tell just by their voices.

The difference between someone who has threatened others and someone who hasn't.

That guy was clearly the former.

That made things easier.

"I'm Ian, a wizard."

"A wizard?!"

Oh, a clear reaction.

As soon as Ian revealed his identity, a commotion erupted among the mercenaries.

Ignoring them, Ian shouted boldly.

"I want to cross the river. I heard you're blocking the only bridge and causing trouble."

"..."

"Is there no one to explain?"

His smooth speech and piercing gaze were intimidating.

The mercenaries swallowed dryly as they looked at Ian.

At a glance, it might seem like a young upstart causing a fuss.

But Ian exuded something entirely different from just any young person.

Ian had been through enough experiences as a wizard.

His tone and gaze alone distinguished him from ordinary people.

So the mercenaries didn't respond with immediate hostility.

"That's not for us to decide..."

"We'll fetch the captain!"

The mercenaries hurried to a makeshift tent.

To an outsider, it might seem like an overreaction, but it was a wise move.

Mercenaries were very perceptive!

Being in a subordinate position to nobles, they often acted based on instinct rather than intellect.

They read situations with animal-like intuition.

While waiting for the mercenaries to return, Ian glanced around the campsite.

'What is that...?'

There were certainly a lot of strange items.

Boxes filled with stones, mining tools, picks...

It felt like an archaeological dig site.

'Well, it's none of my business.'

They were doing something peculiar, but it wasn't Ian's concern.

He just needed to cross the bridge safely.

As he was thinking that...

[Disgusting...]

[Revolting...]

'...?'

Ian heard whispers from the mysteries of the plants.

The grass and trees were disturbed.

Not just the plants, but the earth and wind, even the raindrops murmured with unease.

At that moment, Ian smelled the scent of blood wafting from somewhere.

When Ian turned his head, he saw a man with a pale complexion.

"A distinguished guest has arrived. Who might you be?"

"..."

Ian locked eyes with the man for a few seconds.

The man also stared into Ian's eyes for a while.

... And then, both wizards realized almost simultaneously.

They had looked into each other's souls!

"Who... are you?"

As soon as Ian spoke, the wizard Walter shouted.

"Chimera! Kill these fools!"

As if it had been waiting, a monstrous creature sprang out from behind Walter.

It was a fierce beast that looked like a mix of a wolf and a goat.

Ian immediately used magic.

He visualized the form of a skill card in his mind.

Skill cards could be activated just by picturing them.

Ian's unique magic facilitated their activation.

"[Freeze!]"

[Ice Magic: Touch of Frost (Lv 2)]

[Envelop your hand in cold, rapidly freezing anything you touch. Prolonged use may cause frostbite, so be careful!]

Ian struck the charging chimera with the Touch of Frost.

The chimera froze solid and collapsed to the ground, paralyzed.

Walter glared coldly at Ian.

A pretty skilled ice wizard...!

But could mere ice magic stop a demon?

"Do you... summon demons?"

In response to Ian's question, Walter answered with a mocking laugh.

"Heh, heh. Correct, ice wizard."