The first thing Ian picked up was a small book about the size of his palm.
A faint trace of mana emanated from it. He skimmed through the pages, but they were filled with strangely distorted letters. Whether the book had been enchanted or written in some kind of cipher, he could not decipher its contents.
‘I will keep it for now. And this… Is it an insignia?’
Ian had heard that some Dark Mages carried specially crafted insignias.
This was his first time seeing one in person, so he could not be certain, but this was probably one of them.
‘It will not curse me merely for touching it, will it?’
It made him uneasy, but he examined it without showing his discomfort and found a name engraved upon it.
He had never heard the family name before. However, if he took it back to his family, they might be able to discover something.
Just in case, he also collected the staff and the accessories. He left the robe behind.
It had been reduced to rags and would be difficult to repair. In its current condition, any enchantments placed upon it would no longer function properly.
It was effectively nothing more than refuse.
“The village chief is coming.”
“Hmm?”
Perhaps the villagers believed that everything was over, or perhaps they had finally decided to lend a hand. Under the village chief’s command, the people who had gathered at the entrance cautiously approached.
They had formed ranks and were attempting to maintain a formation. It looked reasonably convincing from a distance, but it was hopelessly clumsy.
When the village chief drew near, he looked down at the dead Dark Mage.
Although the corpse no longer moved, fear remained evident in his eyes.
“Sir Knight, is it all over?”
“Yes.”
Ian stepped forward and answered in Mael’s stead.
“As you can see, the Dark Mage is dead. You may rest assured.”
“Then, what do you intend to do with the body?”
One of the villagers cautiously raised his hand and asked.
“We will not have to bury it ourselves, will we?”
Ian let out a hollow laugh.
“Dark Mages are not something most people encounter often, so there is a mistake people sometimes make. Do you know what it is?”
“N-No.”
“They bury dead Dark Mages. It is a foolish thing to do. Why? Dark Mages may be seekers of truth, but they are also priests who worship Outer Gods. Just as Divine Power may linger in a cleric’s remains and turn them into a Sacred Relic, Dark Mana inevitably remains within a Dark Mage’s corpse.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes. The remains of a Dark Mage also possess the power to attract beings of the Outer Sea. Burying him here could cause monsters to gather around this village.”
“Then what should we do…?”
“Calling a priest to purify the remains would naturally be best. I saw a church in the village earlier, so could someone summon the priest? Unless the priest is already among you?”
The village chief and the other villagers looked at one another in confusion.
Ian blinked.
“There is no priest?”
“Well, there was one until recently, but he said that he had received word from the Pantheon and left the village.”
“From the Pantheon?”
“He said that he would return within a month, but we do not know exactly when…”
“Hmm. Then we have no choice but to burn the body.”
Someone muttered from among the villagers.
“Would burning a Dark Mage not curse the village?”
That single remark set off a wave of murmuring.
Nearly fifty people began talking among themselves at once, filling the area with an unbearable din.
Ian frowned and was about to shout for silence when the village chief acted first.
“Everyone, be quiet! You are making a disgraceful racket! What kind of behavior is this in front of the knights?”
“But…”
“I told you to be quiet!”
“…….”
The village chief swept a fierce gaze across the villagers before bowing to Ian.
“I apologize for allowing you to witness such a disgraceful scene. Do we merely need to burn the corpse?”
“That would be enough, but…”
The villagers’ eyes were filled with fear.
If they truly burned the corpse here, they would undoubtedly blame every misfortune that followed on the Dark Mage’s curse.
“Young Master, may I borrow your ear for a moment?”
“Hmm?”
Ian turned toward Marie.
She stepped beside him and leaned closer.
Her face was excessively near, but Ian calmly turned his ear toward her.
“Since things have come to this, why do we not take the remains back to the family estate? We can obtain a coffin, fill it with salt, and preserve the body inside.”
“…Hmm.”
“There is enough room in the carriage’s storage compartment. Or we could attach wheels to the coffin and tow it behind us.”
They could also burn it somewhere along the road if necessary.
An ordinary fire would take a long time to consume the corpse, but with Evilbane, Ian could reduce it to ashes quickly.
His deliberation ended.
“Good. Let us do that.”
Ian immediately made the proposal to the villagers.
“You seem reluctant to cremate the Dark Mage here, so we will take the body with us and dispose of it elsewhere.”
“Oh!”
Cheers erupted at once.
Apparently, the prospect of cremating a Dark Mage in the village had seemed unbearably ominous to them.
“However, we cannot carry him away like this. Could you provide us with a coffin and some salt? We will pay for them, of course.”
They could hardly have refused even if he had merely asked, and since he offered to pay, there was naturally no complaint.
They asked for some time to prepare everything, and Ian agreed.
He had already planned to remain in the village for the day.
He left the cleanup to the villagers, returned to the inn, and rested at his leisure.
Late the following morning, the village chief and a carpenter arrived at the inn with the requested item.
The Dark Mage lay straight inside a sturdily constructed coffin, his body covered in salt.
“Hmm.”
Ian looked down at it with displeasure.
The man was a Dark Mage.
Ian had never personally been entangled in a blood feud with their kind, but that did not mean he felt no aversion toward them.
They routinely conducted experiments that violated every principle of humanity, and they served the Outer Gods—the sworn enemies of humankind—while consorting with the beings of the Outer Sea.
In other words, they deserved to die.
Seeing one lying comfortably in such a clean coffin irritated him.
“Tsk.”
Ian clicked his tongue and closed the lid.
“Would you like me to nail it shut as well?”
Ian nodded at the carpenter’s question.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Each blow of the hammer drove in another nail.
There would be no danger of the coffin opening during the journey now.
The preparations were complete.
The unforeseen Outer Gate and Dark Mage had delayed them somewhat, but his family was unlikely to find fault with him for that.
The coffin was loaded into the carriage’s storage compartment, and they departed.
***
Approximately seven hundred years ago, a nation called Zyle lay to the east of the El Karda Empire.
This nation, which had first taken root on a small peninsula, launched a vigorous series of wars of conquest based on its people’s innate physical prowess. Within two hundred years of its founding, it had seized vast plains and abundant resources and transformed itself into an empire.
The Zyle Empire prospered beyond belief.
Great rulers of the kind who might appear only once every few centuries emerged one after another. Talented individuals gathered beneath them and displayed their abilities, while a powerful army defended the nation flawlessly from foreign enemies.
There were hardships and trials as well, but the empire overcame them all and enjoyed a golden age lasting several centuries.
Yet even that seemingly eternal empire eventually fell.
Its destruction began with a monster that appeared on the coast one day.
It possessed a grotesque appearance that inspired revulsion and terror in all who saw it, along with physical abilities surpassing those of a grown man.
It continued fighting even after losing its limbs. Most wounds healed in moments thanks to its regenerative power and tenacious vitality, and its cruel nature made it an extraordinarily difficult and burdensome opponent.
Because these monsters had come from beyond the sea, people called them monsters of the sea beyond—the Outer Sea.
However, the invasion from the Outer Sea was not limited to the Zyle Empire.
Every nation bordering the coast came under attack. More alarmingly, contrary to the expectation that their appearances would be confined to certain locations, the monsters sometimes tore through empty air and emerged without regard for time or place.
The inland nations, which had vaguely considered the crisis someone else’s problem, were thrown into panic.
The world descended into chaos.
「The end has come.」
That was what people proclaimed.
Consumed by fear, they prayed to the Twelve Lords, who were called the agents of the gods.
They begged to awaken from this nightmare.
They begged for salvation.
The Lords answered.
They would grant it.
Twelve Champions chosen by the Lords set out to save the world.
Yet the task was not easy.
Even Champions struggled to confront the tens of thousands of monsters pouring in from the Outer Sea.
Several nations fell as time passed. Even so, the Zyle Empire stood firm against the monsters that surged toward it without end like relentless waves.
At the same time, the Zyle Empire sent diplomats to the inland nations that had merely been observing the crisis, urging them to unite their strength.
Their losses might be minor for the moment, but what would happen once the outer nations fell?
It was obvious who would be next.
Thus, every nation and every race resolved to unite under the leadership of the Zyle Empire.
Even the El Karda Empire and the Garam Empire, whose relations had been bitter, reluctantly joined hands in the face of the crisis. The other nations soon followed.
With the end of the world looming before them, it was no time to calculate individual gains, and an unprecedented degree of cooperation was achieved.
It was no simple matter, but when the El Karda and Garam Empires led by example, the other nations had little choice but to follow.
There were still those who pursued their own interests or attempted to intensify the chaos.
Nevertheless, everything proceeded smoothly.
The Zyle Empire finally had room to breathe.
If matters continued this way, it seemed possible that they might recover their former lives.
Hope appeared to be within reach.
Cruelly, however, another calamity arrived.
A being fundamentally different from the other monsters appeared.
A monster calling itself an Apostle of an Outer God suddenly emerged before the people and made a declaration.
This land would belong to the gods.
Its feeble creatures would become their servants.
Those who witnessed it went mad on the spot.
They wandered about spouting nonsense and spread all manner of dreadful rumors.
The Zyle Empire resolved to defeat the Apostle.
However, the Apostle was powerful.
Merely approaching it subjected one’s body to a crushing pressure. Ordinary people often lost their minds simply by meeting its gaze. A single gesture split the earth and swept away mountain peaks.
They ultimately managed to defeat it after countless difficulties, but the cost was severe.
Even more despairing was the discovery that there were several Apostles—and that their god was attempting to descend into the world.
With its national strength pushed to the limit, the Zyle Empire had to make a choice.
Should it withdraw and prepare for the future, or should it continue fighting until the bitter end?
After a long period of deliberation and debate, the empire chose both.
First, it asked the El Karda Empire to the east and the Garam Empire to the north to accept its people as refugees.
Both empires readily agreed.
They had no reason to refuse, nor could they afford to do so.
The Zyle Empire formed a last stand force from those who remained and confronted the Apostles and monsters advancing toward the capital.
No one knew how the battle ended.
There were no survivors, and no one had ever ventured into the area afterward.
However, it was clear that the beings of the Outer Sea had also suffered tremendous losses.
The absence of Apostles among the monsters pouring toward the El Karda and Garam Empires proved as much.
Because the Zyle Empire had held the line for decades, the El Karda Empire had already constructed numerous fortresses and succeeded in defending itself with relatively few casualties.
After fifteen years of fierce fighting, it began its counterattack.
By the twentieth year, the El Karda Empire had occupied a portion of the fallen Zyle Empire’s territory and established a new defensive line.
During that campaign, the founding ancestor of House Berger, who had fled the Zyle Empire, achieved outstanding accomplishments.
In recognition of his contributions, the El Karda Empire granted him vast lands and even constructed a triple-walled fortress using the most advanced technology of the era.
The fortress was named Lampas in accordance with the founding ancestor’s desire for it to become a torch—or a beacon—for the land.
True to that meaning, it became the light of the East.
Ian had now arrived at the place that had stood beside House Berger throughout its entire history, from its founding to the present day.