Translator: Wan ED/PR: Fan
“Rat… men?”
Lucion unknowingly fumbled his words.
That was because he didn’t expect that out of all words, that name would jump out of Tella’s mouth.
“Yes, Ratmen. When those bastards threatened me, they said that.”
“So, Young Lady is planning to go capture those bastards?”
Tella weakly nodded.
“Right now, my mother and unnies urgently left the mansion because of that problem, so there is no one here but me. If Young Master didn’t come, I might have been just stomping my feet. I don’t have any power to move knights yet.”
“Do You perhaps know the location of those Ratmen?”
Lucion asked.
He already knew the location.
However, he found a way to naturally eradicate the Ratmen.
“Please, don’t.”
Tella read Lucion’s intentions, and shook her head.
“You can’t do this.”
“I’m free to move. And I can call the knights, because I came from the villa just now.”
“I’ve already received great grace from Young Master. I’m not a person who knows no shame.”
“I’m Young Lady’s close friend. I won’t be personally fighting, so there will be no danger.”
Lucion smiled softly and persuaded Tella.
[As expected, Lord is different from the warlocks I knew. He is willing to endure risks for his close friend.]
At the words of Bethel, who was blankly observing Lucion, Russell shrugged for no reason.
“However, I…”
“It’s okay. If I’m in the same position as Young Lady Tella in the future, please help me, too. Then we’ll be even.”
Tella hesitated for a few moments, and finally was forced to agree to Lucion’s suggestion.
“… There’s a door that leads to the basement in #1 53rd Street.”
Snap.
The moment Tella told him that, the blue thread was cut, and a red thread revealed itself.
However, it wasn’t connected to her.
It was probably connected to the Ratmen.
‘I caught them good.’
Lucion swallowed the laughter that almost leaked out.
“I checked it a few times using mercenaries, so they probably didn’t move.”
Tella spoke up carefully, still looking at Lucion with an apologetic face.
Lucion patted her and said:
“Thank You for trusting me.”
“No. I feel pathetic to even accept thanks from You, because I only keep being helped by You.”
Tella’s eyes wavered slightly.
“Did Young Lady forget about my first request? I asked to be a close friend, and even though it was such an embarrassing request, Young Lady gracefully granted it.”
A calm smile lingered on Lucion’s face.
“Thank… You. Truly, thank You, Young Master.”
Tella’s voice trembled slightly.
“I’ll do anything for Young Master at any time.”
Lucion stealthy handed Tella a handkerchief.
He knew better than anyone else the anger of being helpless to do anything, so he wanted to comfort her a little.
***
“Pierce through.”
Lucion pointed at the floor and ordered Hyum, who had become a girl.
“Yes.”
Hyum replied shortly, and stomped the ground with her foot.
Bang!
As the ground opened, Lucion wrapped his legs in Darkness and safely landed.
Because he came by carriage, he worried how he should secretly slip out when a carriage incident occurred on the road leading to the mansion, and the carriages couldn’t pass, nor could they turn around.
Lucion used this situation to slip out under the excuse of running to the villa.
He had to deal with it before the coachman returns to the villa and Carson finds him.
— Secret place! Latta likes secret places!
Latta wagged her tail.
Below, they saw several cave entrances.
Lucion grabbed the nape of one of the ghost bastards loafing around without any worries.
“Where is the entrance?”
[Wa-warlock!]
At the frightened shout, all of the ghosts around fled.
“Where is the entrance? I don’t want to repeat myself again.”
When Darkness flowed from Lucion’s fingertips, the ghost let out a scream.
[Le-left! It’s on the left!]
“Which one on the left?”
[The far left. That’s the entrance.]
[Right, it’s the far left.]
Russell pointed his finger.
[Ca-can You let go of me now?]
At the ghost’s earnest plea, Lucion’s mask turned yellow.
“No.”
Instead, he drew out more Darkness and pierced the ghost’s knee.
He needed at least one ghost to use as a CCTV and a pinpoint for Shadow Movement.
“Will you obey me?”
— Will you obey!?
Latta excitedly repeated Lucion’s words.
[I-I will obey!]
The ghost couldn’t endure the darkness piercing his body, and instantly swore obedience to Lucion.
“Good. You’re No. 15.”
After giving the ghost a number, Lucion looked at Latta.
— Ehem.
Latta approached the ghost with confident steps.
— Listen well, No. 15. I’m Latta. In the future Latta will contact No. 15….
He truly enjoyed watching Latta explaining what to do in the future while showing off.
“What?”
Lucion, who was about to slowly walk to the entrance the ghost pointed him to, stopped and asked at Bethel’s gaze.
[Ah, don’t worry about me. I recognize now that even the black magic Lord uses is different from other warlocks.]
Bethel took a few steps back when she said not to worry.
That sight was strangely even more bothersome, but Lucion followed behind Hyum who entered the cave first.
The passage was wide enough that three people could stand in it.
Patpatpat!
Perhaps because Hyum made a sound a moment ago when he pierced through the floor, they heard the bustling sound of enemies moving.
[I thought that you would never use the function to change the color of the mask. Does it work well?]
Thinking ‘as expected, it came handy’, a corner of Russell’s lips raised.
“My expression isn’t visible, so what can I do? I have to do something about that, and this does pretty well, right?”
[I told you it’s pretty useful, didn’t I? It’s much more fun than you may think… ah.]
Russell was giggling when he recalled something and hovered close to Lucion.
At that, Lucion’s expectations grew, and his mask was dyed pink.
“Are You planning to teach me curses?”
[Look at that. You’re sharp.]
“Master-nim gave me a hint before.”
[Well, that’s right.]
Russell’s gaze turned forward for a moment.
[So will you learn it or not?]
“Naturally, I’ll learn it.”
[Then you have to first learn about ‘compulsion’ magic.]
“Just based on the name, isn’t it a magic that accumulates negativity?”
Lucion’s mask was dyed black again.
Russell spoke with a voice mixed with laughter.
[That depends on the method used.]
“Are compulsion and charm magic different?”
Lucion recalled the charmed servant, who was found by high priest Eol in the palace, and asked.
[The compulsion and charm may look similar, but are a bit different. They’re both mental category magics for which you have to make contact with the opponent, and the Darkness has to penetrate the mind. The success rate will also differ based on the opponent’s mental power for both.]
“Darkness has to penetrate the head? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”
[That’s right. So I chose compulsion over charm that has a higher risk. Compulsion lasts only a short time, but in exchange, the chance of getting caught is lower, and as long as the Darkness that penetrated the head is alive, it can be used again.]
“I feel like a mental attack would accumulate negativity. Is that not the case?”
[Do you remember the condition of accumulating negativity?]
Russell asked.
“I remember.”
[The second rule is that Darkness can’t be used for violence without reason. However, if the opponent holds negative feelings against you, there is no problem, remember?]
“I think I know what You mean. You mean that whether I punch with or use Darkness to compel the bastard who holds a grudge against me, there won’t be a problem, right?”
[Right. Even if you make them half-dead, there is no problem as long as you don’t kill them.]
‘Then should I slightly change my course of action?’
He could either exterminate the Ratmen, or he could learn the compulsion and curses, and use that to win them over.
Which one was more profitable?
Lucion felt the corners of his lips rising.
‘Naturally, it’s the latter.’
Once the Ratmen are gone, the place wouldn’t be left empty.
As someone had to jump out to deal with the bastards, he thought ‘why not bring the Ratmen under him?’.
“Master-nim.”
Lucion heard the footsteps of the bastards drawing closer, and spoke up.
He knew that entering the enemy’s base and trying to leisurely learn magic was a ridiculous thing, but Lucion’s heart was already racing.
“You can show me a demonstration right away. I’ll allow Master-nim to use my Darkness beforehand.”
[Alright. That would be the most efficient. Watch well where your Darkness flows and how I use it.]
Russell agreed to Lucion’s suggestion.
It was the most efficient and the fastest way to learn.
He made a contract with Lucion for that.
“Lenteal.”
Lucion called to Hyum.
“Yes, I know. Deal with it loudly and overpoweringly.”
Lucion was satisfied with Hyum’s answer, and rubbed his gloved hands.
Since the past, the raid had to be loud and overpowering.
“Leave just one bastard.”
“Understood.”
Hyum, who smiled towards Lucion, jumped to the front right away.
Loud and overpowering.
For that, a free fight was perfect, and Hyum was a person who wouldn’t be pushed in a free fight.
“The enemy appeared!”
The man who jumped out first and discovered Hyum shouted at the top of his lungs.
However, that was just for a moment.
Like Lucion taught him before, Hyum swiftly covered the man’s mouth and twisted his neck.
Crack!
The man’s neck spun 360 degrees and hung limp.
Seeing this, Hyum was startled.
“… Ah. Something like that happens to the neck if I put in this much strength. I should put a bit less in the future.”
Hyum blankly stared at her hands.
Even so, it was much cleaner than ignorantly hitting them.
‘As expected of the young master.’
Hyum was about to smile, but suddenly raised her eyes to see a fireball flying towards her.
Pat!
However, it was fine even if she didn’t parry the fireball.
The Darkness blocked it.
Lucion spoke up.
“Don’t worry about the magic, you can just focus on fighting.”
“Wa-war…”
Before the other bastard could shout ‘warlock’, Hyum blocked his mouth and twisted his neck.
Snap!
‘Perfect.’
Seeing the man’s neck only half broken, Hyum’s eyes smiled with pride.
Because the cave was narrow and winding, it was difficult to shoot arrows, and because of the twisted path, there were specific crowded parts.
The mage succeeded in an attack a moment ago, but there was no next attack.
Because his vision was blocked by the wall, he couldn’t properly use magic.
‘Seems like it’s a first for such a raid.’
Lucion snorted, seeing the enemies flounder like third-rate mobs.
Every time the bastards hesitated, Hyum would use her fists, elbows and feet, and continually pushed forward.
It didn’t matter that they didn’t know the way.
The place where those bastards were was the way, and Lucion leisurely waited, occasionally blocking arrows and magic, until only one remained.
“Hamel-nim.”
Hyum called out to Lucion.
Lucion strode over to the mumbling bastard.
“Spa-spare me! Please spare me!”
The bastard curled up and desperately begged.
He didn’t know how the caves they were so proud of were found and raided by only two people.
Especially that woman, what was up with her strength?
Her fists shattered shields and broke swords with one blow.
If she had aura wrapped around her fists, he would surely be able to see light around them.
“Please, please spare me! I’ll do anything!”
After a moment of thought, the man prostrated himself at the sound of Lucion walking, and rubbed his hands over and over.
Lucion approached the man.
Seeing him trembling, Lucion didn’t feel even a bit of fun.
Was that the guy who sided with a criminal organization and had the arrogance to threaten the daughter of a count?
“Why are you begging for your life?”
Lucion laughed.
“You should have expected this day to come.”
Lucion always kept in mind the worst-case scenario.
The situation where he couldn’t change his fate and died at Heint’s hands.
The situation where even after becoming a saint and receiving the blessing of the Divine Beast, he was still found out to be a warlock.
The anxiety coming from the death sentence approaching was difficult to shake off no matter how much he tried.
Perhaps that was why Lucion felt really dirty looking at the man with a clear mind.
“I’m ready.”
At the words he didn’t understand, the man’s hands trembled from anxiety.
[Touch that bastard.]
Lucion did as Russell told him and put his hand on the man’s shoulder.
The Darkness instantly moved by itself.
— Whoaa. Russell is moving. Should Latta move too?
[No. It won’t be necessary.]
Russell shook his head.
Lucion had to learn properly now.
How to move the Darkness and where to.
Russell spoke up.
[Then let’s start the lesson.]
*~*~*
Translator’s note: All this while I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Rats don’t make burrows…’
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