Dreams?
Yuuki blinked in mild surprise and glanced at Rebecca. He hadn't expected her to ask something like that out of nowhere.
"My dream was to open a tavern. And now that I've finally made it come true… I got curious about yours."
Rebecca's ears turned slightly red, her voice growing softer, but she still pushed the words out.
Yuuki was just about to answer when his gaze sharpened—he sensed a familiar ripple of magic somewhere near the tavern.
"Freedom."
His reply came after a short pause—quiet, but firm.
Rebecca stared blankly for a moment, as if unable to process such an abstract answer. In her mind—and in the minds of most people in this world—dreams were things like becoming the Wizard King or opening a tavern.
But "freedom"? That was too vague for her to grasp.
"…I'm sure you'll achieve it, Yuuki."
After her brief confusion, Rebecca's eyes regained their determination as she spoke earnestly.
"Then I'll take your blessing with gratitude."
Yuuki let out a soft, gentle laugh.
"Oh, right. I just finished writing a letter for the church. I need to deliver it… and I should gather more soybeans, too."
"I'll leave the shop to you for now."
After saying his goodbyes, Yuuki left the tavern.
The moment he stepped outside, he glanced toward a certain direction before melting into the flow of pedestrians and making his way toward the town's edge.
The farther he got from the town center, the fewer people there were on the streets.
A figure in a gray robe gradually approached from behind and soon appeared at Yuuki's side. The two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the outskirts.
"Congratulations. Looks like your tavern will be opening soon," the gray-robed man rumbled.
"You know it's just a cover—something to help me blend in and move around more easily. Nothing worth congratulating, Valtos."
Yuuki sighed helplessly and spread his hands, then added with a touch of curiosity:
"You finished your assignment already? What brings you to my tavern so suddenly?"
"Lord Licht has summoned us," Valtos replied in a quiet, deep voice.
Yuuki's heart stirred. Outwardly, he let excitement show. "That's great. It's been a while since I last saw Lord Licht."
"You'd better watch yourself, Yuuki. I don't know what you told Sally last time, but she's been dying to see you," Valtos warned suddenly.
Yuuki froze mid-step.
Right… last time, in order to shake off Sally, he had tossed her two maddening problems to think about.
Remembering Sally's personality, Yuuki's lips twitched hard.
They eventually reached a narrow alley at the town's edge. After confirming that no one was watching, Valtos raised a hand and waved forward.
A spatial portal burst open.
"Let's go. We'll pick up Rades first," Valtos said, stepping into the portal.
Yuuki followed. Since someone was willing to spend their own mana on space magic, he had no intention of using his own.
A Village on the Clover Kingdom's Border
The entire village had become a wasteland. Houses lay in ruins, collapsed walls kicking up clouds of dust that drifted through the air.
From every direction came guttural, beast-like roars.
But on closer inspection, the "beasts" were no beasts at all—they were the villagers themselves.
Every villager now had a twisted face, white-glazed eyes, and blood-smeared bodies. They wandered aimlessly like the walking dead.
Beneath the rubble of a recently collapsed house, a terrified man—covered in blood—crawled out with great difficulty.
He barely had time to breathe before a pack of corpse-like villagers surrounded him.
"H-How did you all become like this?!"
"No—!"
"Don't— Aaaaah!!"
His cry of terror turned into a shrill scream.
A moment later, the horde dispersed once more, continuing its mindless search for survivors.
The man who had screamed had now joined their ranks.
High atop one of the few intact rooftops sat Rades. Watching the horde below, his face showed no surprise—only a wide, satisfied grin.
This was his Corpse Magic.
"Heh… hehehe…"
"Strange, isn't it?" he muttered, excitement twisting his voice.
"Why did I have to be thrown out?!"
"My mana is stronger than those damn nobles!"
"Isn't this world ruled by mana?!"
"And they still kicked me out—what kind of sick joke is that, you bastards?!"
Rades roared his frustration at the village below.
Just then—
A black spatial gate opened beneath him, and Yuuki and Valtos stepped out.
The moment Yuuki exited the portal, the stench of rotting corpses hit him. His brows furrowed.
One look at the devastation around them sent a chill through his expression.
"What are you doing up there, talking to yourself?"
Valtos raised his head and asked dryly.
"Oh? You're early. I thought it wasn't time yet," Rades replied, suppressing his twisted grin as he looked down at Valtos.
"Lord Licht has summoned us." Valtos's tone didn't change.
Rades nodded in understanding—but when his gaze slid from Valtos to Yuuki, his eyes narrowed sharply.
"You little brat!"
He shot to his feet, teeth clenched.
Last time at the Eye of the Midnight Sun's base, Yuuki had ambushed him. Rades had been humiliated—his pride wounded deeply. He'd wanted revenge ever since. And now the brat was standing in front of him again.
This wasn't the base. Lord Licht wasn't here.
It was the perfect opportunity.
"Rades… you killed the entire village?" Yuuki asked, looking up with a cold edge in his voice.
"So what, brat?! Don't think just because Lord Licht favors you that you can talk back to me! I'll show you the difference in power!"
Rades let out a manic laugh and swept his arm through the air.
In the next instant—
Every corpse wandering the village stopped in unison… then charged straight toward Yuuki at terrifying speed.
End of chapter.
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