Lifespan.
It was the most fundamental right, granted equally without concern for all things.
But if you had the right to take it away, what would you do?
Dark magic was like a blessing.
One used magic at the cost of one’s own lifespan, then filled the empty place that had been consumed with that of another human being.
It was the very act of trespassing into the realm of God. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it the expression of giving up one’s humanity.
Humans called this evil, but their reality was not so different from ours.
Outwardly, they pretended to be righteous and proper in every possible way, yet they arbitrarily defined good and evil and forcibly exercised the procedures and rights that followed.
Humans were animals of self-interest.
Sinful rogues who wielded power depending on whether something benefited them or harmed them.
“In the end, they are all the same bastards.”
Shuran gulped down the white wine filling his glass as if he were drinking water.
It was still midday.
There were still several hours left before the day ended, but to Shuran, it was no different from night.
“Then why did you design it to react to dark mages?”
“Ah, that?”
Shuran let out a short burp and continued speaking.
“It is only something I happened to hear in passing, but recently, a strange rumor has been spreading within the police. You have probably heard it too, have you not?”
“A rumor? Do not tell me you actually believe that?”
“I am checking it once. Whether a dark mage has truly entered the police.”
After attacking the village, Shuran had cast various forms of dark magic on the corpses.
He had thought that if there truly was a dark mage within the police, that person would come to investigate it.
It was a kind of trap.
The woman sitting across from Shuran leisurely drank her dark tea and asked,
“You must have nothing better to do. Or has your brain gone stiff because you have lived too long? No matter how far the police go, I do not think they would do something like that.”
“Humans do not carelessly spread thoughts that do not exist in their own brains. Why do you think rumors arise? Because there is a truth, and it branches out through many people.”
“Has it never occurred to that head of yours that it might simply be a groundless rumor?”
Even though the woman muttered as if she was starting to grow tired of him, Shuran never bent his will.
“You seem to think this is nothing, but that is truly foolish. Hey, really think about it. In all the hundreds of years you have lived, have you ever once heard a story, in any form, about the police joining hands with a dark mage?”
Shuran was agitated in a way unlike himself. The woman roughly searched her memory.
It was true that this was the first time a rumor had circulated about a dark mage and the police joining hands.
“There are also plenty of cases where pirates and the navy actually cooperated. So why could this not happen?”
“Then how are you going to catch that dark mage? Are you planning to infiltrate the police?”
“Do not worry about that. I cast Balaid on one of the corpses. I made it strong enough that even most mages will not be able to catch it, so they will not be able to handle it.”
“Would a strong one really side with the police?”
“Then would the police have brought in a weak one?”
The woman pouted her lips and nodded briefly.
“Well, that is true too.”
“I arranged it so that if Balaid catches the dark mage, it will automatically come to me. I only have to wait until then.”
“And if it does not come?”
It was an obvious and brief question.
Without a single moment of hesitation, Shuran gave an arrogant snort.
“If it does not come, then it does not come.”
CRUMBLE……
Debris fell from above.
It had happened literally in the blink of an eye. The confused house owner belatedly realized that his entire house had been destroyed, but he could not take his eyes off him.
Darren, too, stood frozen with his mouth hanging open, as though he could not believe the reality before him.
It had happened in an instant.
Rud had thrown a punch at Ritra, who had closed in right up to his nose, as if landing a counter.
It had been a natural movement, as though he had read her in advance. He had been watching Letra’s fight all along.
Up to that point, it could be understood.
But what was even more astonishing came afterward.
The moment Rud’s fist touched Ritra’s temple, a powerful shockwave erupted.
A deep crater formed where Ritra had collapsed.
Having lost consciousness from a single punch, she no longer moved. Rud silently looked down at the fallen corpse.
No method of dispelling Balaid had yet been discovered.
Twisting the very nature of a being was the same as completely altering the structure of the body, so once it was used, the target could never be returned to its original state.
It was not dark magic suitable for use on the dead.
Even if one twisted the nature of a doll whose lifespan had already ended, it was nothing more than useless trash.
That was why Shuran had cast Replica, a dark magic spell that overlaid Ritra’s corpse with an artificially created soul.
‘He designed it so that once Balaid activated, a fake soul would automatically dwell inside.’
This had gone far beyond the level of desecrating the dead.
Rud was trying hard to hide the complicated emotions crossing his face when he felt an unpleasant gaze watching him closely.
The owner of that gaze was Letra.
Supported by Darren’s shoulder, Letra stood and glared sharply at Rud.
‘That person…….’
She had nearly lost consciousness, but she had barely managed to hold on. Then the enormous roar from the direction of the house had snapped her fully awake.
He had clearly used magic.
Otherwise, there was no way the house would have been blown away to such an extent.
Unlike dark mages, mages had a far sharper sense for detecting mana.
It could even be called the most basic of basics.
Before learning magic, a mage always began by sensing the mana inside their body.
And yet Letra had not detected any mana from Rud whatsoever.
When a mage entered combat, they expanded their senses fully so they could use mana at any moment.
That remained true even right before death, so Letra could say it with certainty.
‘Was he a dark mage?’
Letra had no strength to speak, so she muttered inwardly.
She absolutely could not leave him alone.
She did not know what motive he had for being here, but she had to capture him quickly or do something about him.
“Brother!!”
Darren shouted loudly and called to Rud.
But for some reason, Rud acted as though he had not heard and turned his head coldly.
“House owners, I apologize. Before I knew it, I even destroyed your house. I will not make the excuse that it was unavoidable in order to minimize the damage to the village.”
“I-it is all right.”
The house owner, still dazed, hurriedly blurted out whatever came to mind.
“If it had not been for Mr. Loeb, this village would probably have been reduced to ruins. And if we ask the Magic Association, they should restore the destroyed house to its original state.”
“Yes, that is right. It will cost a little money, but it is true that you saved us, so please do not blame yourself too much.”
“Thank you. Then I will be going now.”
Rud nodded briefly and walked past the house owner.
‘Is he trying to run away?!’
Letra quickly realized this and hurriedly tried to call him to a stop, but Darren’s urgent shout blocked her.
“Brother, where are you going? Were you not trying to ask me about the dark mage who attacked the village?!”
“Dark mage……?”
Letra squeezed out all the strength she had left and forced out the words.
However, nothing seemed to reach Darren’s ears.
Rud walked silently toward the village entrance without looking back.
Darren did not know why he was suddenly acting that way.
Was it because he had killed Ritra in her place?
No, that was not his mother.
She was a monster created by filthy and vile dark magic.
It was true that at first, Darren had wondered whether she might open her eyes if he spoke to her.
Even for a moment, he had wanted to talk to her.
Even a little, he had wanted her to call his name.
Darren had clearly witnessed Ritra’s gaze, which had not cared about him even as much as a handful of dust.
And in that moment, he had understood.
That thing was not the mother in his memories.
Darren called Rud again and again, but there was no sign that he would stop.
Letra watched him silently as if lost in thought.
“The bastard who attacked our village used something like water! That is all I know!!”
As if telling him to at least take that much, Darren shouted at the top of his lungs.
Rud still made no gesture and silently disappeared from view, but Darren believed he had surely heard.
Sleep poured over her.
Letra somehow tried to lift her eyelids as they grew heavy and sank, but her consciousness snapped off.
When she faintly opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Letra wondered why she was lying there, and the events that had happened flashed rapidly through her mind like a revolving lantern.
‘Whose house is this?’
The rich scent of a wooden house filled the air.
Letra slowly raised her body from the bed.
She felt almost no pain.
It was not an injury that could have healed in only a few hours.
Letra touched the place where she had been struck, then belatedly noticed a faint trace of mana residue lingering in her body.
‘Did a mage heal me?’
Before she could even wonder who it had been, two female mages wearing red cloaks over their shoulders entered the room, as if they had realized she was awake.
“You finally woke up.”
“How does your body feel?”
They were familiar faces. The moment she saw them, Letra’s eyes widened.
“Shairin, Didia? Why are you here?”
The two were junior mages she had been close to for a long time.
The one with long blue hair and a white cotton T-shirt was Shairin, and the one with a dark bob cut and a suit of the same color was Didia.
“We came running as soon as we heard that you were hurt. Goodness, how did you end up beaten to such a pulp?”
“A villager looked after you here until the two of us arrived, Senior. Ah, and we repaired all the houses that were destroyed too.”
“What about Darren?”
Letra asked while looking around. Didia spoke gently, telling her not to worry.
“Darren is sleeping soundly in another house right now. So many incidents have happened recently that he must have been exhausted. He would not wake up.”
“……I see.”
No sooner had she breathed a deep sigh of relief than the face of someone she could not afford to forget surfaced in Letra’s mind.
‘Loeb. Was that his name?’
She could not know whether that was his real name.
After all, dark mages often went around selling false identities in order to hide who they were.
She had to catch him as soon as possible.
But how?
If she cooperated with the police, she could quickly determine his whereabouts.
However, Loeb was the benefactor who had saved Darren’s life.
Darren also trusted him deeply.
How would he react if he learned that Loeb was a dark mage?
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
When Shairin tactlessly tossed out a light question, Didia struck her arm.
“Ah, why did you hit me?”
“Please be quiet. She must already be deeply troubled. Do you not know that staying still at times like this is proper manners?”
“Did you have to hit me for that?”
“If you do not want to be hit, think before you speak.”
Shairin and Didia glared fiercely at each other and engaged in a contest of nerves.
Without even looking at them, Letra remained still as if frozen. Then, as though she had made a decision, she opened her mouth heavily.
“Listen. Will you do me one favor?”