༺ Letter ༻
“Haah.”
The Dean of Loberne Academy let out a deep sigh, his gaze fixed on the documents scattered on his desk.
These papers contained a detailed proposal for a personal business trip, submitted by none other than Deus Verdi.
As per their contract, the Dean had indeed yielded that personal business trips were allowed every quarter. Yet, he hadn’t foreseen that Deus would capitalize on that clause this quickly.
“Ugh.”
Moreover, what made it even harder to refuse was the destination Professor Deus had written down on the application — Graypond, the vibrant capital of the Griffin Kingdom.
Not only was it a sprawling hub where countless people resided, but it was also where the Royal Palace, the official residence of His Majesty, was located.
The Dean wasn’t naïve; he grasped the undertone instantly.
‘He’s likely going there to address his identity as a necromancer.’
He considered vetoing the trip, but persistent doubts and a looming sense of unpredictability warped his thoughts.
Professor Deus had been clear while presenting his application for the trip. While evil spirits still loitered around the academy, they posed no immediate threat… for now. Moreover, he confidently declared that he would be back by the end of this quarter, if possible.
“Ugh, my head.”
At first, the Dean’s feelings towards Deus were understandably negative. He had even considered firing him immediately, once the issue was resolved.
But now, he recognized Deus’ capability: While the Dean was powerless due to the tricks of the evil spirits, Deus showed an extraordinary ability to neatly resolve the issue.
“In the end, the Academy hasn’t been affected… yet.”
The contract was yet to be presented to the Royal Family even though it had already been signed; Deus’ name wasn’t even added to the faculty list. And given the current circumstances, such tasks were bound to be delayed for even longer.
In the future, it seemed unlikely that the Academy would encounter any objections even if it positioned itself as the aggrieved party.
“It appears I have no choice but to consent… at least for now.”
Pulling out his official seal, he stamped it resolutely onto Deus’ trip application.
The very act of doing so brought a fleeting sense of solace.
‘Let’s see what happens to the academy once he leaves.’
Yes, it wasn’t because of the dire warning Deus had delivered alongside the proposal, but because the Academy clearly needed someone of Deus’ capability.
“Alright then…”
As he consoled himself, he felt a massive tremor in the surrounding mana, causing the Dean to bury his face in his hands with a resigned sigh.
* * *
From down the hallway, Judges clad in gleaming golden armor arrived. The surrounding evil spirits fled in sheer terror with each step they took. After all, even if they were evil spirits now, they were once human beings.
In the face of their overwhelming pressure, even the dead had no choice but to bow their heads.
[Sigh.]
Even the Dark Spiritualist beside me grew nervous, her posture stiff. After all, Mage Tribunal Judges were the arch-nemesis of dark mages.
“Stay close to me.”
Worried that the Dark Spiritualist might be left behind, I warned her. She responded by taking a step closer to me with a look of disbelief.
[Aren’t you afraid? Can you not see the space around them rippling? It’s the result of layering dense shields of mana around themselves.]
“……”
[It would probably take a direct hit from a ballista to even scratch them.]
I didn’t bother replying.
I was pretty familiar with the might of the Mage Tribunal Judges due to the game.
They featured in just one fight, and even that was basically designed for the player to lose.
Soon enough, the Judges stood in front of me while I was still lost in thought. The leading man, his voice solemn and commanding, inquired:
“You are Deus Verdi, the younger brother of the Lord of Norseweden. Correct?”
“I am indeed Deus Verdi.”
-Twitch.
The Mage Tribunal Judge, who seemed to be as unyielding as a stone, exhibited a subtle quivering of his eyebrow. Perhaps my straightforwardness was somewhat unexpected.
Ignoring his reaction, I put my wrists together and held them out to him.
“Let us get this over with.”
“…You are being detained for violating the Black Magic laws of the Kingdom.”
Clearly unsettled, the Judge summoned handcuffs made of mana. But as the other Judges stepped forward to seize me from either side…
“Deus!”
…A woman’s voice with a hurried breath resounded from behind.
Glancing back, I saw Erica Bright, her face filled with disbelief.
As if she intended to save me immediately, she gathered mana, and Gideon, who was following her, quickly backed away, making it clear that he was not part of it.
“Hmm.”
The Judge, having just cuffed me, took note of Erica’s gathering mana and looked at her with a merciless gaze.
The atmosphere grew heavy with tension.
But I intervened just as Erica’s golden magic began to flare up at her fingertips.
“Erica Bright.”
“…”
“Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment. Stay composed and always maintain your reasoning.”
“Uh…”
Erica hesitated for a moment upon hearing my words, and she dispersed the mana she had gathered while biting her trembling lips.
The Judge in the middle clicked his tongue in contempt and turned away.
I was led forward in their silent custody.
The Mage Tribunal Judges began to escort me towards their prior point of arrival, the Academy Garden.
Our walk was marked by mutual silence; neither side felt the urge to utter a word.
“Huh? What’s that?”
I spotted Findenai in deep conversation with Aria, a cigarette dangling from her lips as we exited through the ground floor.
“Professor.”
While Aria, privy to my entire plan, offered a curt nod of goodbye, Findenai’s response was clearly different.
“What’s going on? Hey, why are they arresting you? Hey! Can I… help?”
Her question earned her a sharp glare from the Mage Tribunal Judges.
“What are you looking at, you bastards?”
She spewed out insults without hesitation, provoking the Mage Tribunal Judges.
It seemed she still harbored bitterness from the scolding she had received from me earlier and was now venting it at the Judges.
She even seemed ready to toss her cigarette to the ground and grab the axe leaning against the wall.
“Wait! Just wait a moment! Seriously, you reckless girl!”
Meanwhile, Aria frantically tried to restrain her, while biting her lower lip.
I never thought that Findenai would go to such lengths to guard me.
Even as Aria continued to hold her back, Findenai seemed ready to charge forward with her axe.
Our eyes met, and it felt as if the strength drained out of her. Slowly, she lowered her hand.
Taking a long drag from her cigarette, she exhaled a large puff of smoke.
“I really don’t get what you’re thinking at times.”
She wasn’t sure about what I had in mind, but Findenai seemed to have realized intuitively that I was being arrested voluntarily.
Slowly, the distance between the two of us grew, and I soon reached a scorched patch on the ground, which was most likely burned due to the high-density mana used for warp magic.
-Thud!
The space around us began to warp following a loud strike to the ground by one of the Judges.
“…”
I found myself in a dark underground prison in the blink of an eye.
I hadn’t expected to be thrown into prison directly even though I had heard that dark mages were executed without a trial.
Of course, the more pressing issue at the moment was the rising nausea and dizziness caused by the warp magic. If the Mage Tribunal Judges hadn’t been restraining me on both sides, I would have keeled over from the motion sickness.
I took a deep breath and tried to maintain my composure.
“Hmm, he seems more resilient than I thought.”
“Yeah, he’s withstanding the aftereffects of the warp even without a protection spell.”
Those who kept their lips sealed just moments ago, flaunting their judicial dignity, now spoke more freely. Their demeanor relaxed quickly with no outsiders around.
“Throw him in the cell for now. I’ll report to the Presiding Judge.”
A Judge in front of me ordered so and then departed. And I was imprisoned under the rough handling of two remaining Judges.
There was just a single cell in this prison, and no other prisoners inside it.
It seemed like this place was used exclusively by the Mage Tribunal Judges.
It showed almost no signs of human presence and hadn’t been cleaned properly.
It seemed that the Mage Tribunal Judges typically intervened in cases where the arrest was unfeasible or when the offender deserved immediate execution. As a result, this prison seemed to be used infrequently.
[Ugh, so this is what it feels like to be captured in mana.]
The Dark Spiritualist who had entered my body earlier was looking around as she came out.
[A prison for Dark mages. Definitely, not a place I ever wanted to visit.]
This place might have seemed a bit dull and empty at first glance, but it wasn’t entirely so.
While I silently observed the Dark Spiritualist cautiously survey the surroundings, a voice shouting ‘loyalty!’ resounded from outside, followed by heavy footsteps that echoed throughout the prison.
The mere presence was so terrifying that it made my skin tingle. Even the Dark Spiritualist was frightened and hid behind me.
It seemed that Tyren Ol Velocus, the esteemed Presiding Judge commanding this elite force, had arrived.
His physique and manners were more similar to that of a warrior’s even though he was a mage. The air around him swayed and warped on a different level compared to other Judges.
Even amidst the fierce hostility that made it hard to breathe properly, my face maintained the same expression, as if it had been crafted from leather.
“You’re the one called Deus Verdi?”
“Yes.”
“Yes? Huh, I knew you were bold, but you’re more unhinged than I thought.”
-Snap!
He grabbed the iron bars as if they were twigs. Almost instantly, black cracks began to crawl up, and they crumbled into dust.
A violent manipulation of mana.
It was a straightforward demonstration of what would happen if someone was seized by that hand.
“Do you even know where you are, to dare act so brazenly before me? Get on your knees and lower your head, you vulgar, revolting dark mage who smells like a rotting corpse.”
His words were neither a suggestion nor a threat, but an outright command. Anyone else would have probably found themselves kneeling before they even realized.
Despite the weight his words carried, which felt like an undeniable truth, I faced him expressionlessly and replied:
“Did you receive my letter?”
“Kneel.”
“Ha.”
Exhausted and suffocated, I let out a sigh.
Tyren stared down at me and took a large step forward.
Facing the glaring eyes that seemed to say they could beat me to death with just their fists, I sighed before letting out the rest of my words.
“It is not like you are some back alley brat. Keep the posturing to a minimum.”
“Huh.”
“Did you come here to talk or to bark?”
“You must have really lost your mind.”
Tyren pulled out a letter from his possession. It was the letter confessing my deeds, that I had sent via Illuania.
-Sizzle!
That, too, developed black fissure and then turned to ash, disappearing completely.
“I was curious, but you’ve crossed the line. By the discretion of the Presiding Judge, the dark mage Deus Verdi will be executed immediately.”
Just as Tyren stretched out his hand toward me, he furrowed his brows at the racket coming from the outside.
“What’s happening?”
In response to his question, one of the Judges approached while panicking. But behind him were two individuals that even the Judges couldn’t easily stop.
“It’s been a while, Presiding Judge.”
The first one was an old man with a striking long white beard, holding a staff that looked as ancient as a millennia-old tree.
The right hand of the King.
The Archmage, Ropelican Linus.
“The musty smell and dust is quite displeasing. Do you even clean this place?”
Walking ahead of the Archmage and pointing out every flaw while covering his mouth with a sleeve was a young, handsome man. The one who sat on the throne of the Griffin Kingdom.
A monarch with noble yet fiery blood. The ruler of the vast Kingdom.
King Orpheus Luden Griffin.
“Judge, would you mind stepping aside?”
He pointed at me with a playful smile.
“The Archmage and I have some questions for that one.”
In his hand, was a single letter.
