Chapter 329 - Wanted Order (3)
For nearly the past two years, Verden's life had been turbulent.
Even just counting roughly by type, he had faced far more enemies than ten fingers could count, and he had confronted countless situations that most people would never experience.
But this case was unfamiliar.
It was the first time he had been surrounded by dozens of soldiers in the middle of a city.
"Y-you not only dared to kidnap the Mayor, but also to slaughter him so brutally…!!"
A young knight trembled.
It was anger born from loyalty, the most basic of knightly virtues.
It wasn't an incomprehensible feeling.
Indeed, the death Mayor Trovren had met was, objectively speaking, unpleasant to behold.
Some of the soldiers, upon seeing the remains, even vomited.
"Take off your robe this instant and show your face! If you wish to live even a moment longer before climbing the execution platform, drop your weapon and surrender quietly…."
The knight, growling with his sword in hand, faltered.
His eyes landed on the innocent-looking woman.
Bishop Lena.
The beautiful priest who oversaw the Church of Riverungr, whose miracles healed not only wounds but also the heart.
Such a devout and kind person was standing with the murderer of the Mayor.
There was only one answer.
"You wicked black mages! As if ruining Riverungr wasn't enough, you even dare to kidnap the Bishop! Do you not fear the Light?!"
His voice boomed.
The crowd watching the scene buzzed with horrified faces.
"B-black mages…? You mean those who control the Undead?"
"Controlling the Undead? Such an abomination… O Luas…!"
Each person was gripped with fear.
Such was the perception of black mages.
No matter how much the Magic Tower of DarkWarton had strived for ages, it was impossible to completely escape their evil image.
For death is the concept most feared not only by humans, but by all living beings.
Accepting those who wielded magic imbued with such a concept was never easy.
It was a more fundamental problem.
Like a contagion, unrest spread.
The already harsh tension grew even colder.
Bishop Lena wiped cold sweat.
"S-some kind of ridiculous misunderstanding must be happening here… what should we do? Perhaps I should step forward right now and clear the confusion…."
"That would not be a good solution."
Leira, pressing her hood as far down as possible to hide her identity, answered.
Verden agreed.
"It's already too late."
Not only because of the current situation.
Some unknown force had indirectly manipulated Mayor Trovren.
There was no way of knowing since when, but it was possible that the upper echelons of Riverungr were already in its grasp.
And among those gathered here, there was a high chance that some were already puppets cursed under its control.
'Even if that weren't the case, it would still be a problem.'
The large-scale transport of demi-human and adventurer corpses was already underway.
Though hidden beneath the surface, it was little more than an illegal enterprise on the scale of the city itself, one in which the adventurer guild master and other authorities were involved.
Naturally, some nobles and knights must also have lent their hands.
'Which is why conversation is not the right choice.'
Whether accomplices or innocent, they had no intention of listening.
Wasting time was out of the question.
In any case, someone else could clear up the misunderstanding later.
For example, one of the high priests of the Luas Church who had commissioned Leira.
Meeting with them was the top priority.
His immediate objective remained unchanged.
'…The road to the central continent will not be easy.'
In the Republic of Beldirn, the chief councilor had been assassinated, and the teleportation circle shut down.
To resolve that, he had struck a deal with Leira, but now he was accused as the murderer of the Mayor and surrounded.
Obstacles blocked his path one after another.
Well, either way.
'For now, I'll get out and think later.'
Verden shifted his gaze.
Ignoring the loud knight, he passed by.
As he took in the streets with his eyes, he recalled the structure and features of Riverungr in his mind.
A method to completely shake off pursuit and escape the city.
…A decent idea came to him.
Verden tilted his head slightly.
Looking back over his shoulder at Adrian, Leira, and Bishop Lena, he spoke.
"We'll head for the Hefin River."
Not by land, but by water.
That was Verden's choice.
"Eh… kyah!"
Verden separated a portion of the earth and raised it.
Bishop Lena naturally settled upon it.
"I'll take care of the Bishop. Clear the path."
"Yes, my lord."
Adrian stepped forward.
Beside him, Leira bent low.
And in an instant, the four of them darted away.
Their flight had begun.
***
For ordinary people, public authority was nothing short of fear.
The soldiers who managed the city's order numbered not just in hundreds but in thousands, and among them were knights who had awakened aura or wielded magic.
It was the nobility who ruled and governed such a city.
To resist with force, wealth, or power was impossible.
Of course, only ordinarily.
Verden's
Even at moderated pace, it was the same.
All they could do was follow with their eyes, true pursuit being utterly impossible.
Only knights of considerable skill could even attempt a response.
As Verden's group leapt across rooftops, knights lying in wait intercepted them.
"You shall not pass th───keuk?!"
The crash of a blow against thick steel armor.
Of course, he had no intention to kill, and so he didn't draw his sword. All he used were ordinary punches and kicks.
Yet they were overwhelming.
None of the knights could withstand them, sent flying one after another.
"W-what, Sir Fuen fell in a single strike…!"
"Then it's true he slew the Guardian!"
An unforeseen turn.
As panic spread, two men clad as mages stepped forth.
"We shall deal with them."
Two mages of the 4th tier.
Affiliated with Riverungr, their power was comparable to Platinum Rank adventurers. They floated into the air.
Taking left and right, they scattered spells to intercept the enemy's path.
A small vortex and a boulder the size of a carriage rushed forth.
'They don't care about collateral damage, huh.'
There were still civilians nearby.
And Bishop Lena was by Verden's side.
Though their resolve to stop the Mayor's murderer was understandable, their intent was hardly commendable. It meant they valued earning merit above the lives of others.
A judgment stripped of emotion.
It is the average mindset of a mage.
Verden spread his index and middle fingers.
Pressing the two fingers together, he concentrated his magic power and swung.
A strange wave of magic disturbed the air, one of the War Mage's techniques of magic control used by the Warlord, Legrit.
The trajectories of the spells flying from both sides twisted, changing their targets.
Kwaang!
"Keugh…!"
The wind mage struck by stone magic plummeted.
On the opposite side, the earth mage barely endured the storm's gale by deploying
"H-how, how did you bend my spell───"
Before he could even finish, Verden released his magic power.
The artifact, Center of the Three Primary Colors.
The formlessness of the wind attribute combined with the physical force of the gravity attribute.
And now, the newly obtained attribute's property added, forming
Kuuuuung!
The insides quivered finely.
The earth mage retched and fell, vomiting midair.
Verden relaxed his hand, watching as the man crashed into the soft canopy installed in Riverungr's marketplace.
'Quite useful.'
As expected, the power and potential of the spatial attribute were beyond imagination.
Of course, even with this minor output, there was still the peculiar recoil, but… he would adapt in time.
There was room to grow stronger even without transcending.
That fact alone was more than enough to satisfy Verden.
Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Puuuuung!
Violent sounds shook the city.
Within them were also the screams of soldiers, knights, and citizens. Though, no significant casualties occurred.
"…Feels almost like committing terrorism."
Leira muttered.
At last, they reached the Hefin River at the city's center.
The means of travel was, of course, a ship. Verden spread his magic power, locating a medium-sized vessel belonging to Riverungr.
From his detection, no one was aboard.
"We'll use that."
"Yes… but, well. The way you act, it seems so natural, almost as if you've done this before?"
Well, he had experienced something similar already.
The only difference back then was… Calia had led the way, and instead of stealing a common ship, they had stolen a flying airship.
The context was not so different.
Adrian and Leira boarded the deck one after the other.
There were guards at the entrance, but before they could even shout, they were knocked unconscious and dragged out of sight.
Next was Bishop Lena's turn.
Surely she would be flustered by such a situation…
"Wow! This is my first time flying in the air! Do all mages travel around like this? It's so fast and fun!"
Strangely positive.
"Well, what's happened has happened. Thinking negatively won't make it any better, right? We can't just keep panicking every time. With a weak spirit like that, one could never be a bishop!"
Bishop Lena placed her hands on her hips.
It was a stance and will befitting the title of high bishop.
Seen another way, perhaps she had a screw loose, but… Verden did not voice it.
"Stop at once!!"
The pursuit resumed.
At the head was likely the knight commander. He didn't seem very strong, but Verden had no intention to engage further.
Bishop Lena boarded.
Immediately after, Verden stepped onto the deck and opened his Mado.
No need for wind or mana engines.
The water's surface swelled… the change was instantaneous.
'Go forth.'
Chwaaaaaaak!
A massive tidal wave, born of Verden's will, surged forth.
The ship resting atop it raced ahead in an instant.
Without unfurling sails, without touching oars, the vessel shot forward in a straight line, cutting across the heart of Riverungr and heading out of the city.
"..."
Pursuit was now impossible.
The knight commander of Riverungr, standing at the riverbank, glared at the ship's retreating silhouette.
"S-sir, what should we…."
"What else?!"
Too fast to catch.
But could they let the murderer of the Mayor escape? This was not only a matter for Riverungr, but for all of Kailiens.
"Identify them at once…."
The knight commander clenched his fist.
"Put out a wanted order for them across all of Kailiens."
A wanted order was issued.
***
Atop the highest point of the ship, Leira checked behind.
Other than the rippling river surface, all was calm. The Riverungr they had just left was already far in the distance.
"To think you could steer a ship by controlling waves…."
A series of surprises.
Something ordinary mages would never even dare, he had done without breaking a sweat. Truly fitting of the monster who had blown away the entire inter-tower tournament.
Leira descended, exhaling.
"They don't seem intent on immediate pursuit. But it's too early to relax. Soon enough, not only my identity but yours as well will be revealed. A wanted order will surely be issued."
The murder of the Mayor and Guardian, the kidnapping of a bishop.
As heinous criminals, an enormous bounty would be placed on their heads.
Bishop Lena raised her hand brightly.
"That part will be resolved soon! Since it's confirmed that an evil black mage was involved, the Luas Church will clear our names. As a bishop, I guarantee it!"
"That may be true, but…."
Leira's eyes dropped down.
"Your hand, is it alright?"
Her right hand, turned black.
Bishop Lena waved it casually as if it weren't painful.
"Thankfully, there's no pain at all. But… it is bothering me. It seems like a curse, since it occasionally reacts against my holy power. But I can't say for sure, because I don't recognize it."
"Can it not be dispelled?"
"I've been trying to purge it with holy power, but it won't budge."
Verden narrowed his eyes.
A mysterious black mage… A few plausible hypotheses came to mind.
But to have any confidence, he needed at least some evidence. Now that they had a moment's reprieve, it was time to gather clues.
Lost in thought, he turned his gaze to Leira.
And asked.
"The one from the Luas Church who commissioned you, was it the Archbishop?"
"Sorry, but I can't say… huh?"
Leira suddenly raised her head.
Even without words, her reaction was an answer.
"My lord, have you deduced something?"
"Yes."
Powerful black magic.
A simple assassination of a mayor, an act of terrorism on a national scale.
And a matter in which not just anyone, but one of the Seven Archbishops, was directly involved.
The only group that fit this intersection… was, to Verden's knowledge, just one.
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