“Where are you going?” 

Kran asked.

“It’s a bit… dangerous. There’s a terrifying person in Beyond the Frontier.”

“Then I will accompany you.”

“That’s right. I will go with you.”

As Kran spoke, Quate and Reint also stood up, but Lucion shook his head.

“No. I can’t let you come with me even if you want to. I’ll dispatch the warlocks to the organization, so please receive them warmly.”

Time was of the essence; he needed to return by dinnertime.

Even though he was tired, he had to do what needed to be done.

“Ah. If the numbers don’t add up, don’t think it’s strange, Heroan.”

Just as not all people are good, so were the Warlocks.

If someone seemed more like a hindrance than a help to the organization, they would be cut out.

Heroan unconsciously swallowed hard.

He couldn’t help but recall the first time he met Hamel.

“Be careful, Mr. Hamel. Just because you have Sunbeam on your side doesn’t mean you can be reckless.”

Lucion stopped for a moment at Miella’s plea, followed by a series of warnings to be careful.

It was something he had wanted to say someday, and he thought it was a good opportunity.

“I care about myself the most, so you don’t have to worry.”

[Pfft.]

Russell was the first to laugh.

“Is it okay to laugh at this?”

Kran immediately brightened up.

Feeling the strange atmosphere, Lucion quickly made his escape.

“Hamel-nim was just joking, you know. Look at him leaving in embarrassment. Just smile; that’s all that’s needed. Why are you making a fuss?” Miella scolded Kran, who then turned to Hume, who hadn’t budged.

“Just disregard what Hamel-nim said; let it go. Well then, I’ll be on my way.” Hume bowed and followed Lucion out.

Miella stood still, gazing at the door through which Hume had exited.

“You mean that wasn’t a joke?”

* * *

“Broson.”

Ratta quickly found Broson and, moving right in front of him, Lucion called out to him.

[Hey.]

Broson, who was cleaning his sword, welcomed Lucion with a smile.

[You’ve changed a lot! Before, you were like a chick, but now you’re starting to look like a rooster.]

Unsure if it was a compliment or a jest, Lucion remained silent.

Whoosh.

As Hume’s pupils flared up due to the gem on Broson’s sword, Ratta quickly extinguished it.

—Phew! All good now. Ratta put it out!

[Let’s see. You didn’t come to show off the fact that you’ve changed, so what brings you here? It’s not to take the orb, is it?]

Broson soon lost interest and went back to polishing his sword.

He was right.

The orb on Broson’s sword had to be the last one taken.

If not him, then who would prevent the warlocks from infiltrating the empire?

Lucion asked, “Have any warlocks passed through here?”

[They have. Like little rats.]

“Did you kill them?”

[Of course I did, but a few managed to escape today.]

[You mean the warlocks that came with the merchant, right?]

Russell asked hesitantly.

Broson was by no means weak, so he figured he should check first to see if the warlock he’d missed was the one Heroan was talking about.

[No. Not the ones with the merchant, they crawled like rats].

Snap.

Broson spread out his cloak.

A long scar marked by darkness was visible on his waist.

[You see this, Russell? This is the first time this has happened since you.]

‘…’

Lucion asked, stunned by the realization that dawned on him.

“What did the warlock who inflicted this look like?”

Broson didn’t even want to think about it, but when Russell glanced at him, he cleared his throat.

[Just, kinda sharp-looking, you know the kind of face that looks good for scamming.]

“Were there any other distinguishing features?”

If the person he was thinking of was right, they should have a long scar on their face.

[Not really? Why? Want to capture him for me? How touching…]

[What’s going on, Lucion?]

Russell cut Broson off and asked.

Broson tightened his grip on the sword.

Bethel pursed her lips, lowering her visor in response.

“Well, you see, Teacher.”

Lucion licked his lips.

It was concerning that there should have been a scar on the face, but there was none.

“If Neubra truly abandoned the Hand of the Void, where would they likely head next, the most ideal destination?”

[It probably wouldn’t be Nevast. The Hand of Void despises light. The warlocks collaborating with Nevast would also be different.]

Bethel spoke confidently, and Russell nodded in agreement.

[If they were driven out, then Bethel is right. It’s not Nevast.]

“Then it wouldn’t be the Myronist Kingdom, where Neubra’s influence has spread a lot either.”

[Nor any other kingdom. They’re too weak.]

Russell added to Lucion’s words.

[What are you whispering about?]

Broson grumbled, feeling excluded, but Ratta approached and nuzzled against him.

—Ratta is clueless too. Just listening. Hehe.

[Goodness, you’re an incredibly affectionate pet fox, whoever you are.]

Broson gently patted Ratta, who seemed to be comforting him.

—Yep! Ratta is sweet!

Lusion, half-listening to Ratta’s cheerful voice, met Russell’s gaze almost simultaneously.

“It must be the Empire, right…?”

[Yeah, only the Empire.]

Russell tapped his forehead lightly.

Lucion, battling the urge to bite his nails, contemplated, “Could it be… the Magic Tower?”

[That’s the only place left. It’s not easy to access from the outside.]

‘But… he’s not the boss of the Hand of Void. The physical description stated in the novel is different.’

Even though everything seemed to align, Lucion hesitated due to one fact.

[So are you implying that the boss of the Hand of Void has gone to the Magic Tower?]

Bethel asked calmly, summarizing the situation.

[To be exact, he lost him.]

Russell pointed at Broson.

Broson flared up.

[It’s not that I missed; he was strong.]

[You couldn’t win in a fight?]

[…No, that’s not it.]

[You’ve been a Death Knight for quite some time. Typically, one might say you missed an opportunity in a situation like this.]

Russell raised one corner of his lip and told Broson.

Broson couldn’t fight back and exploded in frustration.

[Damn…!]

‘Is the final boss from the novel ‘The Grasp of Darkness’ weak enough for Broson to win against?’

Lucion doubted his own ears and quickly moved his lips.

“Was he really someone you could defeat?”

[Yeah. So what’s the deal? Don’t just rattle on—if you have nothing to say, leave.]

Broson’s voice rose in response.

‘Is he not the final boss after all?’

Lucion quietly pondered.

Anyway, the time when the final boss was almost in complete form was two years later.

Even if the warlock Broson saw wasn’t the true final boss, there was a good chance he was heading toward the Magic Tower for revenge against Neubra.

‘Maybe I should contact my sister just in case.’

If the final boss really did go to the empire’s Magic Tower, what could they be aiming for?

Mages.

They would be stirring a dormant hornet’s nest.

He might need to expedite his plans.

“Broson, have you ever killed another warlock?”

[Do you keep track of how many bugs you’ve stepped on?]

“Did you see the warlocks mixed in with the merchant?”

[No.]

“You can’t touch them.”

[Whose decision is it… ]

[It’s my decision.]

Russell interjected, crossing his arms and looking at Broson.

“It’s not for my personal reasons; we need warlocks to purify the Sea of Death.”

[Are you kidding me? The Emperor permitted you to…?]

“He did. Do you want to see my certificate?”

Lucion paused, offering the certificate to Broson and then casually inquired, “So, you must be of noble birth?”

[It’s not proper to inquire about the past of the deceased.]

Broson replied in an unusually serious tone. As he carefully scrutinized the certificate Lucion had presented, he suddenly froze.

[Truly… the Emperor acknowledged your existence? This is unbelievable!] 

Broson seemed on the verge of embracing Lucion, but Russell intervened.

[Are you crazy?]

[No! I’m just happy… I mean, how incredible is it? Being acknowledged by the Emperor as a warlock!]

[Why are you the one who’s happy?]

[Anyone can be happy about this!]

—Exactly! Ratta is happy too!

Ratta jumped around joyfully, and Bethel regarded Broson with a strange expression.

[Could it be, Broson, that you…?]

[Alright, since you’ve accomplished something that will never happen again in history, I’ll grant you this favor. Only those ones, nothing more. I have no intention of abandoning my mission because of you, Lucion.]

“They said they would arrive soon.”

Lucion looked towards the massive fortress built on the border.

[Oh. Those guys? They’re coming.]

Broson pointed ahead with his finger.

Although obscured by the trees, Lucion could sense the darkness writhing nearby.

“I’ll verify if they are warlocks or not. If not, I’ll return for you.”

[Go ahead, then.]

Broson waved to the increasingly distant Lucion and resumed cleaning his sword as if nothing was happening.

Chuckle.

For a moment, a proud grin adorned his face before swiftly returning to his task.

* * *

“Mr. Hamel.”

Peter instantly recognized Lucion.

Their expressions brightened at his words.

Could they not feel fear bringing warlocks with them? Seeing Hamel, the organization members finally felt they had stepped into a safe zone.

“Thank you for coming this far. I need to speak with these folks for a moment, so if you’re tired, how about heading back to the hideout first?”

While speaking, Lucion didn’t take his eyes off the warlocks disguised as members of J.L.’s trading company. He still couldn’t be sure if they were enemies or not.

Bethel and Russell were already out of sight of the warlocks.

‘Is Bethel okay?’

Lucion stole a quick glance at Bethel. She appeared composed, and when their gazes met, she offered him a reassuring smile.

[Don’t worry.]

—Lucion, what if they’re bad warlocks again? Ratta has only seen bad warlocks.

Ratta asked.

“No, it’s okay. They’re not bad people.”

At that moment, the darkness whispered in response to Ratta’s words.

The warlocks who had been looking at Lucion turned their gazes towards the round shape of darkness.

“We brought them.”

“It will help Lucion.”

“Exactly, exactly!”

[Did you bring them because of the Sea of Death?]

When Russell asked, the darkness grinned.

“Yes, that’s right. Lucion destroyed it, so now we can manage this much.”

“I wish he could destroy even more, but that guy would notice.”

As the warlocks got off the wagon, one of his organization members wiped their hands on their clothes before handing something to Lucion.

“Here, please accept this, Hamel-nim. They say it’s a specialty from Nevast.”

When would such an opportunity present itself again?

Momentarily taken aback, Lucion had no intention of declining the gift.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it, whatever it is.”

With smiles, the organization members proceeded to offer various items to Lucion one by one.

Unexpectedly encountering him in this place, and filled with gratitude towards him, some brought gifts for their families, while others shared desserts they had been craving.

As it piled up enough to cover his face, Hume couldn’t stand it anymore and started putting it in his magic pocket.

“Well then, see you later.”

Once Peter confirmed that all the warlocks had disembarked, he smiled contentedly.

The organization members greeted Lucion with awe-filled eyes, seemingly unfazed by the long journey.

[Wow. You’re quite popular!]

Russell couldn’t resist teasing despite attempting to maintain the atmosphere.

[Do you really have to say that in this situation?]

[Of course, I can’t help it.]

Russell nodded.

Lucion chuckled softly and suggested to the warlocks, “We have matters to discuss privately. I’d appreciate it if you could follow me. We should avoid crowded places and stick to less-traveled paths, shouldn’t we?”

He secretly gathered darkness in his palm, ready to subdue them if they refused.

However, without any hesitation, they nodded in agreement.

‘Why are they agreeing so quickly?’

—It seems the darkness told them Lucion is a good person. Ratta has rarely seen someone look at Lucion in such a positive light, not even on the initial encounter!

As Ratta said happily, their gazes on him were a little strange.

Respect.

Loyalty.

It was an unfamiliar gaze for someone who was seeing him for the first time.

Although slightly uneasy, Lucion chose to proceed for the time being.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read