With a wary look still in his eyes, Eugene stared at Balzac.

Although the words that Balzac had said just now didn’t seem like something a black wizard should say, Balzac was still ultimately a black wizard. There was no way that Eugene could trust a black wizard such as Balzac, especially in a situation like this.

However, Balzac had sworn a magical oath. While you couldn’t say it never happened, it was still extremely rare for a wizard to make such an oath. This was because from the moment such an oath left their lips, strong restrictions would be placed on any actions that they took from then on. There was no way that a black Archwizard like Balzac wouldn’t be aware of this.

Nevertheless, Balzac had still spat out such an oath casually and without any second thoughts.

Was he that certain that all his future behavior wouldn’t go against this oath? While this might be the case, with how suspicious of Balzac he was, Eugene couldn’t help but think that it had to be something else.

For example, the oath was fake. As a black wizard, Balzac might just have some secret plan that would allow him to ignore the consequences of a magical oath….

“You look like you don’t believe me,” Balzac said with a wry smile.

Eugene snorted and replied, “I’ve already said this to you many times, but I believe that the only good black wizard in the world is a dead black wizard.”

Balzac cocked an eyebrow, “Could it be that meeting me here like this is so unpleasant that you’re abandoning all pleasantries?”

“What’s the point of being careful with my words when speaking to a bastard who might stab me in the back?” Eugene retorted. “I’m only being so polite with you because you haven’t stabbed me in the back yet. If you had, I’d probably be calling you a son of a bitch.”

“I would prefer it if you didn’t,” Balzac requested. “I hold great pride in myself as a human being.”

Eugene recalled the conversation that he had had with Balzac in Aroth. At that time, Balzac had been curious about the ritual that had taken place at the Black Lion Castle, but Eugene hadn’t revealed anything about the spell itself. Instead, he had only informed Balzac about the purpose of the ritual.

—Reconstructing the soul and creating a new body…. Something like that might be regarded as taboo in the field of magic, but it is a research direction that has been pursued by many black wizards.

—It’s not a topic that interests me all that much. Reconstruction of the soul eventually leads to transforming your soul into something else, and the creation of a new body would also require me to change the vessel I have been living in ever since I was born…. In other words, wouldn’t that be changing the very essence of who I am? I have no interest in that type of magic.

Eugene wasn’t quite ready to say that he had believed Balzac, but at the very least, Balzac had seemed sincere at that moment.

That said, could Eugene really bring himself to trust Balzac unconditionally? Should he trust Balzac’s information and keep the surrendered Balzac at his side? When he might still betray them at the crucial moment? On top of that, in the end, wasn’t the Demon King of Incarceration Balzac’s master?

“What does the Demon King of Incarceration think about this matter?” Eugene eventually asked.

“He doesn’t care at all,” Balzac replied with an expression that read, Isn’t it only natural? “This whole incident is being orchestrated by Edmond alone. Edmond is the Kochilla Tribe’s greatest protector — no, in fact, he’s closer to being the Lord of the Kochillas.”

“Are you saying that you consider the tribal territories of Samar as part of the Devildom of Helmuth?” Ivatar said with an expression of disbelief.

Balzac nodded and continued, “I’m aware that the tribes have shared a long history with the Rainforest itself. However, honestly speaking, if the countries of the continent had been allowed to exert a stronger influence on the Rainforest, the history of the tribes in this Rainforest would have been cut short long ago.”

Reluctantly, Ivatar nodded, “I hate to admit it, but you are correct. The powerhouses of the continent have always held ambitions for our vast forest. If the Demon King of Helmuth hadn’t spoken out about preserving the forest and our freedom, this forest would have already been converted into cities hundreds of years ago.”

Eugene had also heard this story before. At some point in the past, Helmuth had begun to support the independence of the Rainforest’s tribes. This was in order to prevent the countries of the continent from conquering the forest and exploiting its natives.

The biggest beneficiary of this support had been the Kochilla Tribe, a great tribe that lived in the depths of the forest. The savage, cruel, and isolationist Kochilla Tribe had grown even larger with Helmuth’s support.

Eugene was silent for a few moments as he recalled something.

Although he didn’t really want to admit it, it was true that because the Demon King of Incarceration had taken such a position that the Rainforest hadn’t gone through any drastic changes for the past three hundred years. Even though three hundred years had passed, the forest still retained its original form, and the natives continued to occupy the forest.

Eugene recalled how Raizakia had managed to tie his existence to the land of the Rainforest. If the forest were to disappear, that connection would be lost. However, even if that did happen, it wouldn’t mean that Raizakia would somehow disappear from the dimensional rift he was in.

But it would mean that Raizakia wouldn’t be able to return to this world so easily. Conversely, it would also make it hard for anyone in this world to find a way to reach Raizakia.

‘This is all just speculation for now,’ Eugene reminded himself.

Because the forest had remained in its untouched state, its connection with Raizakia had been maintained. As long as someone found the right method, they would be able to reach Raizakia through that connection. Eugene looked down at Akasha with narrowed eyes.

Eugene would be able to find Raizakia relatively easily due to the Draconic Spell that Ariartelle had given him. However, even without that Draconic Spell, Eugene was sure he would have been able to find a way to reach Raizakia somehow.

After all, hadn’t Sienna already said as much? Sienna had told him that once he reached a place that had a connection with the dimensional rift, Akasha would show a reaction.

In other words, as long as the forest had remained intact and the condition of getting his hands on Akasha was met, Eugene would have been able to find Raizakia somehow. Yet if the forest had no longer existed, even if he had gotten his hands on Akasha, Eugene wouldn’t have been able to find Raizakia.

That would mean he couldn’t save Sienna.

“Just what does the Demon King of Incarceration want?” Eugene muttered as he rubbed his stiff cheeks in confusion.

This wasn’t the first time something so suspiciously helpful had occurred to him. Yet the Demon King of Incarceration was a Demon King. This was an undeniable fact. Eugene knew all too well what kind of terrible things the Demon King of Incarceration had gotten up to three hundred years ago.

The Demon King of Incarceration had slaughtered the dragons alongside the Demon King of Destruction, and together with the other Demon Kings, he had started the war. Black wizards following the orders of the Demon King had overthrown nations, and his armies of demonfolks and demonic beasts had flooded the continent. While the Demon Kings themselves didn’t move from Helmuth, the power of the Demon Kings had steadily eaten away at the continent.

But what about the current era?

The Demon King of Incarceration had the opportunity to achieve a complete victory in the war. He had defeated all the heroes who had come to challenge him and had been on the brink of extinguishing the world’s hope.

Yet he hadn’t done so. Was it really because of the Oath? Had a promise whose contents weren’t even publicly known really opened up an era of peace?

The Devildom had simply become just another empire, and the Demon King its emperor.

And that wasn’t all. The Demon King of Incarceration was aware that Eugene was Hamel. He also knew that Kristina was Anise. He had even seen Molon personally. Yet when meeting with the enemies who had come the closest to defeating him in the past, the Demon King had shown them kindness instead of hostility.

“I can’t go so far as to say that I know what my lord, the Demon King, desires,” Balzac added. “However, I do know this much. Because of the existence of the Demon King of Incarceration, all those countries apart from Helmuth… are nothing more than pieces of land that can be conquered at any time. In fact, the Demon King of Incarceration most likely doesn’t have much interest in protecting the peace of the continent. Apart from Helmuth, which he directly rules over, that is.”

“So you’re saying that’s why he’s ignoring this situation?” Eugene raised an eyebrow. “Well, for now, let’s assume that what you’re saying is the truth, that Edmond really is the black wizard behind this scheme, and he wants to become a Demon King. If he were to succeed, that would mean that the Demon King of Incarceration would obtain a Demon King who was bound to serve him. In the end, Helmuth’s strength will grow even—”

Balzac interrupted to correct Eugene, “There’s a slight difference in the situation. If Edmond manages to complete the ritual, his body and soul — his entire being, will cease to be Edmond Codreth. A Demon King… no, if you look at the scale of the ritual, the value of his sacrifices, and the power used to fuel it, he will become a Greater Demon King.”

“…So the Demon King of Incarceration…,” Eugene trailed off in hesitation.

Balzac shrugged, “Well, who knows…? While I do think your suspicions raise a good point, Sir Eugene, I still have to ask, does the Demon King of Incarceration really need to do anything? I have a hunch that, regarding the Demon King of Incarceration, he just… he doesn’t really care whether or not Edmond Codreth succeeds in becoming a Demon King.”

Eugene found it extremely hard to believe those words. Similarly, he also found it impossible to trust Balzac.

Lovellian, aware of Eugene’s suspicion, took a step forward and addressed Balzac, “…Black Tower Master, if you really are innocent, would you be willing to accept restraints?”

“If they’re within reason,” Balzac confirmed with a nod.

Lovellian uttered a short incantation and raised his hand.

Fwooosh!

A small dagger formed out of mana manifested above Lovellian’s palm.

“I will implant this dagger into your heart,” Lovellian explained. “You won’t feel any discomfort when this magic dagger goes in, but the moment you feel any hostility towards us or try to harm us, your heart will be ripped to shreds.”

“How vicious,” Balzac muttered.

Lovellian continued, “I hope you understand the need to do so. Once Edmond’s ritual has failed, the dagger will be pulled out. Though now that I think about it, I think that the condition of feeling any hostility might be a bit ambiguous. There is a possibility that you could betray us without harming us directly and without even feeling the slightest trace of hostility. Because of that, let’s add another insurance.”

The dagger floating above Lovellian’s palm split into two.

“I will give these twin daggers to Sir Eugene instead of myself,” Lovellian explained. “So even if you don’t feel any hostility towards us, the moment that Sir Eugene infuses any mana into the dagger, your heart—”

“Go ahead and implant it,” Balzac insisted without showing any signs of distress.

Lovellian also found it difficult to understand how Balzac could show such calmness and confidence.

“I feel like I have never once been able to see through to your true intentions,” Lovellian said, shaking his head as he approached Balzac.

When the magic dagger was embedded in Balzac’s heart, there was no blood, let alone any pain. Lovellian then handed the dagger’s twin to Eugene.

“I could tear your heart into pieces right now,” Eugene stated calmly.

“If that’s what you wish, Sir Eugene, then by all means, go ahead,” Balzac invited.

Eugene frowned, “How can you say such a thing?”

Balzac stated confidently, “Because I know that even if I die here, Sir Eugene, you will stop Edmond.”

“I really don’t know why you have such faith in me,” Eugene sighed.

Balzac just smiled, “As the Hero, aren’t you the only one who can stop Edmond from becoming a Demon King?”

You could hear the unconditional trust within these words.

Eugene clicked his tongue and put away the dagger. A blade of wind then cut apart the restraints binding Balzac’s limbs.

“I forgot to ask you an important question,” Eugene suddenly recalled. “What is your secret desire?”

“Although it’s not really a big deal, I hope you can wait until we’ve succeeded in our mission. Please allow me to tell you then,” Balzac sincerely requested.

Eugene grumbled, “The fact that you don’t want to tell me right now only makes me more curious about what it is.”

Instead of responding, Balzac just put on his glasses with a wry smile.

* * *

The next day, ahead of the huge advancing army, Eugene’s party left the capital of the Zoran Tribe early in the day. They were leaving in order to inspect the Zoran Tribe’s northern frontier, which had been encroached on by the Kochillas while Ivatar was away from the tribe.

Balzac was the one to propose this plan. Even though he had sworn an oath and had a dagger embedded into his heart, the party still didn’t fully trust Balzac. As such, they needed to see the Earth Vein that had been encroached on by the Kochillas with their own eyes in order to confirm the truth of Edmond’s ritual.

“As I told you yesterday, they’re taking advantage of the Earth Veins that flow throughout this forest. By twisting and redirecting the mana flowing through the Earth Veins, Edmond is collecting the souls of those who have died in this war as sacrifices. The blood and souls that sink into the land are being led to Edmond by the twisted flow of the Earth Veins,” Balzac explained on the way there.

The previous day, Balzac had fully described the contents of the ritual to them.

Balzac continued, “During their conquests, the Kochillas have been erecting bone towers made up of human bones. These human bone towers are devices that fuel the ritual. However, now that things have come to this point, it would be pointless to destroy the human bone towers. From the moment the human bone towers were built, the flow of the Earth Veins was already twisted.”

“If that’s the case, can’t we just correct the flow by destroying them?” Eugene asked.

“Even if we managed to destroy a few of the devices, that will only stop the blood and souls of a few dozen of the deceased from being used as sacrifices. Moreover, the Demon King of Incarceration’s dark power is being used to fuel this part of the spell, so no matter what we do, we cannot reverse the flow of the Earth Veins.” With a glance at Eugene, Balzac slowly continued speaking, “Of course, I do have access to the same channels as Edmond. If I were to do the same as Edmond, as long as I used dozens… no, considering the difference in our capabilities, as long as I offered twice as many sacrifices as Edmond is offering, then yes, I should be able to shut down the flow.”

Eugene asked sarcastically, “You’re not saying that because you really think I’ll give you permission to do so, are you?”

“Of course not,” Balzac denied. “I believe there is no way you would permit such a thing, Sir Eugene, and I would also prefer not to use live sacrifices. Haven’t I said as much to you before? Not all black wizards are focussed on necromancy and willing to use human sacrifices.”

However, it was important to note that Balzac had said he could do it.

For this entire morning, Balzac had searched for the eyes that Edmond had hidden within the capital. Balzac had pointed out those individuals who had obtained strength or affluence by using their souls as collateral, following which, Ivatar had executed them without showing even a shadow of a doubt.

In addition to those, they had also found the familiars hiding on the outskirts of the capital. There were no longer any of Edmond’s eyes remaining in the capital.

But that alone wouldn’t have any influence on the outcome of their mission. Edmond had already found out that Eugene’s party had come to the aid of the Zoran Tribe and that Balzac Ludbeth, his fellow Mage of Incarceration, was cooperating with them.

This meant that Edmond would be left with no choice but to make haste. As the Hero, Eugene might still be able to foil his ritual. Or perhaps Balzac might try to seize control of the ritual by offering up his own sacrifices.

“To destroy the ritual, we will need to destroy the central location where the twisted Earth Veins are sending their flow of mana, but… at that site, Edmond, along with Vladmir, will be the one maintaining the ritual,” Balzac warned.

A black wizard who had signed a contract with a Demon King and a magic staff that, just like Akasha, had been created using a whole Dragonheart.

“In other words, we won’t be able to disrupt the ritual unless we can completely destroy either Edmond or Vladmir, one of the two. Since he can no longer afford to continue making slow and steady preparations for the ritual, Edmond should also be hurrying to complete the ritual,” Balzac surmised. .𝒎

“That means we’ll need to confront them head-on,” Eugene grunted.

“Yes,” Balzac nodded. “Since they’ve already secured enough Earth Veins, losing a few won’t hurt them, but what they really need are the blood and souls. If we confront them head-on, Edmond should also come out to meet us.”

Edmond no longer had any reason to stay in the background. After dispersing the rest of Kochilla Tribe’s grand army to secure the remaining Earth Veins, Edmond himself would be able to take part in the war. He could appear in person, quickly clear an entire battlefield, and obtain some of the necessary blood and souls.

“What about destroying the Earth Veins first, then advancing on the central location?”

Cyan, who had been silently listening, proposed this suggestion, only for Eugene to shake his head and explain.

“If this ritual simply relied on draining the land, that might work, but with Edmond now taking action himself, seizing control of the Earth Veins is no longer that important. The more that they have secured, the better, but if it comes down to it, they can still proceed with the ritual without any of that.”

Cyan complained. “Like I thought, shouldn’t we have brought the knights from the Lionheart clan with us? In the end, it turned out just as we had initially guessed. Hector, that traitorous bastard, was also in cahoots with Edmond Codreth. The mess Eward left was leaked, and now Edmond is making use of a modified version.”

Eugene sighed, “Really now. At that time, how could I know that things would turn out like this? Also, now that things have gotten to this point, can’t you consider how long it would take to go and bring back the Knights of the Lionheart clan?”

Cyan put on a puzzled expression after hearing Eugene’s response.

He might be saying this and that as an excuse, but in the end, didn’t this mean he just didn’t want to get the clan involved? Cyan could also understand why Eugene might have that opinion. Cyan himself didn’t want to see the sight of someone from their clan shedding their blood and collapsing….

‘…However, the Lionhearts are a martial clan,’ Cyan thought.

They were a clan of knights. So when the time came for it, none of them should hesitate to go to war. If their blood must be shed to do what is right, the Lionhearts should be the first to bleed before anyone else could.

That was the sort of chivalry that had been instilled into Cyan by Ancilla and Gilead ever since he was a child, and it was also part of the Family Commandments that had been passed down from their ancestor, the Great Vermouth.

‘…But still…,’ Cyan glanced at Eugene, who was riding on the back of a summoned beast.

This might be stating the obvious, but the spilled blood that Cyan didn’t want to see included the blood from his siblings. Whether it was Ciel, who wasn’t here with them, or Eugene, who was right next to him, he didn’t want to see either of them bleeding out in front of him.

Instead of the two losing any blood, he would rather it be….

‘…Hold on,’ Cyan suddenly had a thought.

He didn’t know about Ciel, but Cyan found it impossible to imagine the sight of Eugene losing any blood.

‘Also, the next Patriarch isn’t Eugene. It’s me,’ Cyan reminded himself.

If Eugene was the one who had been selected as the next Patriarch, Cyan would certainly have been prepared to shed his blood for Eugene.

However, wasn’t Cyan the next Patriarch rather than Eugene? Even though he had suggested to Eugene that he become the Patriarch several times before now, hadn’t he just been met with refusals that were accompanied by acts of violence?

Cyan thought with some relief, ‘Although I might be willing to shed blood for you, as the one who will become the next Patriarch, I can’t allow myself to bleed so easily.’ 𝘳.𝑐𝘰

In his opinion, this was only natural.

Without Ivatar there, the trees of the forest weren’t opening a path for them, but thanks to Lovellian’s summoned mounts and Melkith calling upon the spirits of the land, they were able to travel plenty fast.

They soon reached the northern frontier of the Zoran Tribe, where the battle had taken place. All the corpses had been retrieved right after the battle, so there wasn’t any remaining scent of blood. The human bone towers, which had been built after the battle was over, had also been knocked over by the Zorans in the process of collecting the bodies.

However, just like Balzac had said, it was pointless to collapse the human bone towers after they were erected. The blood and souls of the retrieved corpses had already sunk into the ground and been sent to Edmond by the twisted flow of the Earth Veins.

“I really hate black magic,” Melkith grumbled.

Even in this jungle, she was still wearing high heels and tight denim jeans that were also fashionably ripped.

“The ground here doesn’t have any remaining spirits of the land. The moment that the Earth Veins were twisted, the spirits all left this place. Janos is also feeling extremely enraged by all this,” Melkith said as she stroked the ground with a stern expression.

“So you can’t correct the flow of the Earth Veins, even with a Spirit King’s power?” Eugene asked.

Melkith shook her head, “It’s impossible. Just like Balzac said, the Earth Veins have already been irreversibly twisted, with its flow leading to an entirely different direction. Do you know what that means? Unless we can destroy the ritual, the land here will die.”

In fact, they could already sense that the trees and grasses here were dry enough for there to be a noticeable difference compared to other areas of the forest, and the soil here was so parched it was as if there had been a drought.

“Although they’re all currently trying to hold on with the remains of their original vitality… it won’t be long before everything here dries up. The grass will wither, the leaves will leave, and this forest will slowly die…. Hold on, the leaves will leave? My amazing sense for puns surprises even me,” Melkith declared proudly.

Eugene tightly gritted his teeth in anger.

Since when did Melkith become such an airhead?

Damn it!

Eugene had suddenly been reminded of a similar conversation he had had with Ciel a few years ago. Even thinking about it now, Eugene couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and ashamed. He had spouted such a pun at that time only because he had felt the urge to say something.

What was even more embarrassing for Eugene was that the moment Melkith had said those words, Eugene actually had the same pun running through his head. So when Melkith finally said that pun out loud, he had almost burst out laughing unconsciously….

“The techniques that were used here are no different from what Balzac described,” Lovellian, who had been carefully examining the ground, reported after he was finished with his inspection.

Melkith also agreed with his opinion.

Kristina silently thought, ‘What do you think, Sister?’

Anise also shared her conclusions, There are still traces of black magic and dark powers here. Although it’s possible to purify what’s here, it would be futile to try and correct the twisting of the Earth Veins with divine magic.

Having confirmed these facts personally, they couldn’t help but feel their suspicions towards Balzac lessening.

Eugene started to say, “In that case, let’s head ba—”

Only for the ground to shake lightly, but the vibrations weren’t strong enough to be called an earthquake. Eugene was surprised as he looked over to the site where the shaking had begun.

The soil was rising up and clumping together. In mere moments, a pillar of soil the same size as a human body had been created. Before the party could even react to this sudden strange phenomenon, the pillar of soil split apart.

From within this newly-opened gap, a pair of glaring eyes met with Eugene’s.

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