The Liches were the guardians of the Sarkaz Temple of Knowledge, responsible for recording the history and culture of the Sarkaz.
As the Lord of the Lich Court and the most powerful among the Liches, Fremont could detect even the slightest anomaly.
“The Wendigo are not a numerous race, yet there is no record of you in Kazdel.
“The flames surrounding you also do not match the racial characteristics of the Wendigo.
“Just… what exactly are you?”
“Oh, this is interesting.”
Watching the stern-faced Fremont and the bewildered Mo, the Witch King picked up his empty cup, narrowed his eyes, and observed the exchange with great interest.
“…Is that so?
So I’m not a Wendigo, then.
“In your eyes, what exactly am I?”
After a brief moment of silence, Mo’s expression turned melancholic.
“You don’t seem surprised by this.”
Seeing Mo’s reaction, Fremont was quite surprised.
Mo removed his glove and extended his hand toward Fremont, signaling for him to take it.
“Why is your body temperature so low? I cannot sense any life force from you.”
The moment Fremont grasped Mo’s outstretched hand, the icy coldness of his limb shocked him.
It completely defied common sense.
“This… this is practically a corpse.”
Mo nodded.
“Yes, I… am a corpse.
“I was reborn from chaos into this shell that had long since died. The memories of my former life have long since become blurred. Since I no longer knew how to conduct myself in this world, I walked these lands under the guise of a Wendigo.”
Mo removed the mask covering his face, revealing the bone structure beneath.
“It seems you weren’t lying to me.”
Looking at the shocking skull-like structure before him, Fremont narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming even more serious.
“Using oneself as firewood, hatred as kindling, with flames of rage that never extinguish.
“Your circumstances and the flames surrounding your body resemble those of a wraith, but I have never heard of a wraith being capable of possessing a Wendigo.
“Yet the nature of the flames encroaching upon reality is closer to that of a demon…
“What exactly are you?”
Fremont frowned, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
“Yes, what am I?
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
“I often ponder these questions.”
Mo raised his cup as he spoke, his voice filled with sorrow.
Watching the contemplative Fremont and the slightly theatrical Mo beside him, the Witch King casually tossed the cup in his hand onto the table.
It landed with a crisp sound.
“Enough. Stop pretending. You don’t actually care, do you?”
The Witch King continued.
“From the very beginning, you were only surprised that Fremont discovered your non-human nature.
Everything you said afterward was merely an attempt to divert his attention.
“As for what you actually are, you already have the answer, don’t you?
“Or rather, you never cared about any of this in the first place.”
Ignoring Fremont, who had reacted to the Witch King’s words and was now staring at him warily, Mo looked toward the majestic and ornate Caprini.
He spread his hands helplessly and grinned.
“Oh my, oh my.
I’ve been found out.
“Should I say, as expected of the Witch King?
“You’re right. I don’t care what my true nature is. Since I can’t figure it out anyway, why give myself more trouble?”
Mo turned toward the wary Lich and bowed slightly.
“I’m truly sorry for withholding information from you, but I didn’t tell a single lie.
Everything I said was true.
“If you’re interested, I’m willing to cooperate with you on some experiments.
“I sincerely apologize.”
Mo straightened, drained the milk in his cup in one gulp, and then placed the cup upside down on the table.
“Of course, in exchange, I hope you can provide some insignificant assistance to the innocent people.”
“So, what you want is to take advantage of this situation and gain Fremont’s support.”
The Witch King raised a hand, stopping Fremont before he could say anything.
His expression gradually became more serious, and an oppressive aura filled the room.
“I do not care what you are.
“You want more support, and I can give it to you.
“But remember, if you violate anything you told me today, the will of Leithanien will surely descend.”
After saying this, the Witch King stared silently at Mo for a moment before turning around.
With a wave of his hand, he used Originium Arts to take Fremont, who still wanted to say more, away from the tavern.
“Phew… so this is the Witch King of Leithanien.
“As expected of the Witch King.”
After the Witch King left, Mo collapsed back into his seat and let out a long sigh of relief.
After a moment of silence, he took out a mirror and stared at the hideous face reflected in it, sighing involuntarily.
“What kind of creature am I, anyway?”
When Mo had first arrived in this world, he had already confirmed that his body had been reset.
Yet only this hideous skull-like face had remained.
After traveling far and wide for so many years, Mo was no longer as ignorant as he once was.
As a Wendigo matured, the flesh on its face would gradually fall away, eventually leaving behind a grim skull like Mo’s current appearance.
But it was not supposed to look like this from the beginning.
He needed an opportunity.
An opportunity to break free from this shell.
But what was hidden beneath this skin?
An angel…
Or a demon?
…
High within the distant tower, two figures moved through the corridors.
Under the Witch King’s powerful Originium Arts, he and Fremont had instantly left the small tavern and returned to the Witch King’s tower.
“Why did you stop me?”
Fremont frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the Witch King’s decision to take him away without saying a word.
“You wouldn’t have gotten any results by questioning him like that.”
The Witch King continued walking without turning his head.
“Then what profound insight do you have?”
The Witch King’s words immediately piqued Fremont’s interest.
The Witch King glanced at him.
“The truth is always hidden beneath appearances.
“He indeed did not lie to you.
Everything he said was true.
“But you overlooked one thing.
“The reason he so readily revealed his abnormalities to you was not merely to answer your questions or negotiate with you.
“He wanted to use your power to investigate what had happened to him.
“What is the point of questioning someone who doesn’t even know what happened to himself?
“As for cooperating with you on experiments…”
The Witch King chuckled.
“Ha.
He merely wants to use your resources to aid his own investigation.
“What a clever way to get something for nothing.
“If you had continued questioning him, you would have ended up working for him.”
Hearing this, Fremont raised an eyebrow.
“So you’re saying I was almost tricked into becoming free labor for him?
“Were all those strange things he said at the beginning merely meant to divert my attention?
“What a cunning kid.”
Fremont shook his head helplessly before looking at the Witch King.
“You don’t seem to care what he might do.”
“He won’t do anything unnecessary.
Someone who dares to scheme against you knows exactly what should and should not be done.
“Besides, even if he did do something, what would it matter?”
The majestic and ornate Caprini showed no concern whatsoever as he continued walking toward the depths of the tower.
“I… am the king here.”