༺ Execution Ceremony ༻
“……”
For a brief moment, the prison was enveloped in silence.
I was simply awaiting the King’s decision, having said all I needed to.
The Archmage swallowed nervously as well, revealing his own anxiety.
“……I.”
King Orpheus, who had his head bowed, raised his eyes filled with determination. His clenched fist subtly reasserted his authority.
“I am unable to trust you.”
“……”
“Your words may be compelling, but I am the King of this nation.”
In the game, King Orpheus had just been on the throne for over a year—
A youthful King who ascended to the throne at a young age,
A man who loved his people and held strong convictions. A savant with talent in martial arts, thus possessing profound expertise.
I had never assumed he would just consent to my request based on a few words.
“My judgment cannot be groundless. It must be just. I cannot be swayed by a single individual, no matter how persuasive your words may sound.”
“You speak the truth, Your Majesty.”
I showed that I respected the King’s decision by gently nodding, who continued,
“I must admit that the unexplained incidents occurring throughout the Kingdom are becoming increasingly more frequent with each passing day. You must already be aware that only the Saintess can handle them. But even if I would like to request for her help, summoning her is not a trivial matter.”
The Saintess was the only one who could effectively deal with the incidents caused by evil spirits in the Kingdom.
But she would have to travel far and wide to resolve them.
However, the Church would not look upon the Royal Family too kindly for treating the Saintess as a mere servant, summoning her here and there at will.
There would undeniably be a tense standoff between the Royal Family and the Church every time she moved.
“Therefore, I’ll offer you an opportunity.”
Chwuk.
The King raised three of his fingers.
“From this moment, I will task you with three things. I will consider placing my trust in you, a criminal in my eyes, if you resolve them all. Moreover, I will officially declare the Royal Family’s trust in you.”
“Your Majesty!”
Archmage Ropelican urgently yelled from behind, but Orpheus brushed him off, signaling that it was alright.
“Be mindful that this trust is placed in ‘you’, not at a Dark Mage. Also, know that these trials will not be easy.”
“I understand.”
This was exactly why I believed in King Orpheus. For he was wise enough to recognize that my words were not insincere.
But at the same time, there was not enough information and background about the person that was ‘me’ to trust.
He was basically saying that by solving the various tasks he would assign to me, I could prove my worth for him to take my request into consideration.
“A foolish savior who can’t even save his own life is of no use to the Kingdom. The first task is to see if you can save yourself.”
King Orpheus declared this with determination, clenching his fist tightly.
“We will proceed with your execution ceremony. Mage Tribunal Judge Tyren Ol Velocus will carry out your execution.”
“……”
“Do you think you can survive? He is among the top experts in the Kingdom.”
It would merely be the end of a Dark Mage if I died here.
But it would serve as a stage to prove my competence if I survived.
The Archmage still shook his head vigorously, as if to say that it would be impossible to survive a duel against Tyren.
Especially since the Mage Tribunal Judges were particularly strong against mages.
I would probably lose immediately without even penetrating their armor that distorted space itself in my current state.
“Sure.”
With a smile that came to me naturally, I replied.
“That is easy enough.”
* * *
King Orpheus stepped forward as the Mage Tribunal Judges saw him off.
It was a strange feeling.
It was thrilling yet agonizing, a sensation of good fortune blending with the feeling that something had gone amiss.
Deus Verdi was truly a man of mysteries.
“How does the Archmage see it?”
Therefore, he sought advice from Archmage Ropelican, the man who led him to this point.
Ropelican remained silent for a while before replying solemnly.
“He could be either a once-in-a-lifetime genius or a con man. However, when I evaluate the magic he sent me, a spell that had its own will, there’s a high probability that…”
“He’s a genius?”
“Even that might be an understatement. I have confronted several Dark Mages myself, but he was the first to be able to directly manipulate souls.”
It was also the first time that the Archmage had openly praised and acknowledged another mage, other than his own apprentices.
“Hmm.”
The reason for making such a proposal to him was, of course, for the sake of the kingdom.
But to be completely frank, he couldn’t say that personal feelings weren’t involved at all.
“Is it because of the Late King?”
King Orpheus responded to the Archmage’s concerned question with a sigh.
His father, the late King who passed away unexpectedly, left him with questions.
Orpheus believed that if Deus Verdi were truly a competent Necromancer, he could provide him with the answers he sought.
“I still have no idea what my father’s last will meant.”
“…”
“Why on Earth did he…”
As he thrust his hand deep into the pocket of his thick coat, he felt a foreign texture inside.
It was a neatly folded note.
Just before he left, Deus Verdi had requested for a pen and paper to be brought to him.
He quickly scribbled something down and handed the note to him.
‘Look at this when your faith in me wavers.’
Hearing those audacious words, he had received it with a cynical laugh.
“My faith is already wavering.”
As King Orpheus stepped out of the prison, he felt like he had been toyed with by the Dark Mage’s cunning tongue. He chuckled playfully and unfolded the note to read it.
The Archmage also secretly rolled his eyes, curious about the contents of the note.
“…”
King Orpheus became stiff after reading the note, unable to move.
The Archmage, bewildered, checked to see if the note was magically enchanted. But there was no trace of mana found on it.
“Whoa.”
Crumple.
King Orpheus composed himself as he crumpled the note as if to belittle it and stuffed it back into his pocket, his face having a mixture of contempt and incredulous anger.
“What is it…?”
King Orpheus gritted his teeth as if irritated, and responded to the Archmages’ cautious query.
“Stay foolish.”
“…!”
The Archmage’s eyes widened in surprise. Those words weren’t an insult to the Late King.
Rather, they fanned the flames of his interest in the man called Deus Verdi even more.
“It seems that guy undoubtedly can speak with the dead.”
Because…
“Judging by the fact that he even knows the content of the last will of His Late Majesty, my father.”
* * *
It didn’t take long for the day of my execution to arrive.
My execution was carried out just a day after King Orpheus departed.
The Graypond Execution Ground, modeled after the Roman Colosseum, was one of the most popular venues even in the Kingdom of Griffin.
Usually, general citizens would be allowed to watch the execution for free. However, this specific execution was conducted in secrecy; not a single spectator was inside.
Only the King and his close aides were watching from above.
“What a splendid place.”
I climbed onto the stage while shackled in chains with the help of an unknown Mage Tribunal Judge who led me to the center of the vast execution ground.
Tyren Ol Velocus stood in front of me as I arrived at the execution block, clad in the Mage Tribunal Judge’s unique armor—a mix of robe and plate.
So much magic was overflowing from him that the space around him still shimmered and warped.
All the other Judges left the stage, and now only Tyren and I stood, facing each other.
He said to me with a deadpan expression,
“Look at the ground; the earth is crimson.”
“…….”
“Countless souls have shed blood on this very spot—even figures you can’t begin to imagine.”
He was a solemn man.
In his hand was a staff shaped like a spear, which he always carried around with him and not the massive sword typically used for executions.
“I don’t understand why His Majesty wishes to watch our duel. I merely obey.”
“…”
“Therefore, Necromancer, feel free to do as you wish. This stage suits you, does it not?”
He felt noticeably different from his demeanor inside the prison.
‘So this is what he is like in an official setting.’
“Draw upon every ounce of mana, and try to break through your limits. Because, if you don’t—”
It was no accident that King Orpheus trusted him.
“You, too, will meet the exact fate as the many criminals who have perished here.”
“Starting now! The younger brother of Margrave Norseweden! The second son of the Verdi Household! The execution of the Dark Mage, Deus Verdi, shall begin!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The start of the execution was signaled by the beats of the drums.
Not only King Orpheus and Archmage Ropelican, but also numerous attendants craned their necks to gaze down at us.
Snap!
The chains binding me abruptly broke in half.
Finally, my hands were free.
Tyren stared at me with a sneer as I rotated my stiff wrists.
“Good, you managed to free yourself even though we used mana-dampening chains. I’ve heard of it, even though it’s not normal.”
Even though my mana was suppressed, I could still utilize the mana from the surrounding souls.
The Dark Spiritualist who had entered me before warping, had magically transformed to lend me her own mana, making it easier for me to break the mana-dampening chains.
“Very well.”
Thump!
The end of the staff struck the ground violently. The earth trembled as if crying out, and a cloud of dust scattered into the air.
“I, Judge Tyren Ol Velocus, shall execute you for your crimes.”
The numerous evil spirits that were in the execution grounds began to flee as powerful mana erupted. The intimidating aura he suddenly emitted was not a minor issue.
‘It is no surprise that he is considered as one of the Kingdom’s most potent forces.’
I had to admit that I couldn’t guarantee Aria’s victory if she fought against him now.
Usually, this would have been an unwinnable duel.
It wouldn’t have been strange if the decisive moment arrived in an instant, but…
[I’m really going in now!]
Swoosh!
The Dark Spiritualist – who was residing in my body – traveled towards my core, truly entering my body.
Even if her actions were easy to misunderstand, there was no need to. She was just following my instructions, and I didn’t plan on relinquishing control of my body or mind.
In that moment, as if sensing her in my body, Tyren’s eyes slightly twitched.
I opened my mouth to rebuke him.
“Judge, behold the blood on your own hands.”
The Lemegeton, which the Dark Spiritualist had been carrying on my behalf, suddenly appeared in my grip. It began to emanate a dark light, forcibly rousing the countless souls that were dormant in the execution ground.
“Look at your hands—stained and sullied, so much so that even their original purpose has lost its meaning.”
The Lemegeton had not only awakened but also empowered the reluctant souls of the villagers of Setima.
It began to do the same again.
Moreover, the souls of the execution ground had been forced to lie dormant after losing their lives, and they would clearly remember the subject of their grudge.
“This place is not merely an execution ground. It is the greatest graveyard situated in Graypond.”
A place where many powerful figures had met their end.
All I had to do was reach out to the enormous amounts of mana that the awakened souls possessed.
“Tyren Ol Velocus, are you prepared to drown in the blood you’ve spilled with your own hands?”
[The ancestors are summoning me to fight my final battle!]
[Usually, I’d charge for something like this! But I have some personal grudges against this guy.]
[Yes, this is the opportunity.]
Unlike typical evil spirits, they transformed into new spells on their own, even though all I did was empower their will and convert their mana into magic.
“Chieftain Katoler, Pirate King Owlman, Prophet Benton. All executed by my hands.”
Tyren shakes his head in disbelief on witnessing the spectacle.
“Very well, you have my respect. You are different from the Dark Mages I’ve dealt with until now.”
Spirits spread all over the execution ground continued to rise from the earth.
Because both the Dark Spiritualist and I were converting our mana into necromancy spells, their numbers kept increasing.
Tyren fearlessly raised his staff and released a rough torrent of mana.
Mana poured out around him, embroidering the sky.
With a cracking sound, the mana spreading from the judgment hall resembled a gigantic tree.
And at times, it also looked like fissures formed by the breaking of the sky.
“Even so! They are all dead! Killed once by none other than me, Judge Tyren Ol Velocus!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Despite the spirits’ attacks having already begun, none could penetrate Tyren’s armor.
[His defense is too strong, you’d need to fire a ballista to penetrate it.]
The Dark Spiritualist muttered.
“Sinners! Keep rising over and over again! I shall execute you a hundred times over!”
Tyren swung his staff, resembling a spear, fiercely, his momentum impressing even me— his opponent.
“Let us see you try.”
I calmly straighten my clothes.
The light from the Lemegeton in my hand intensified, and the Dark Spiritualist’s necromancy spells began to be quickly absorbed within me.
Tyren must have known that this was a battle against time.
After all, he couldn’t directly harm the souls.
If he could get through the multitude of spirits and reach me, then I would lose.
If he couldn’t, it was my victory.
That was the essence of this duel.
