Chapter 32: The Rising Evil in the Darkness (4)

Early in the morning, the receptionists at the guildhall had started their day and were working.

“Do we really need to start this early?” Rosa murmured in a dazed tone, clearly still half-asleep.

Mercenaries tended to have late mornings. They usually wandered into the guildhall lazily by midday. Until then, the staff often had little to do.

“Our guild leader doesn’t like seeing us idling around,” the other receptionist answered.

“Ugh, the guildhall in the neighboring estate is supposedly so relaxed. Why did we have to end up in this one, of all places?”

While they chatted away about mundane things and prepared for the mercenaries to arrive, the door suddenly swung open.

Rosa, startled by the sight, spoke up. “Huh? Ketal? You’re here early today. The jobs haven’t all been prepared yet.”

Compared to other mercenaries, Ketal was already known for arriving earlier than usual, but this time, even he had arrived exceptionally early.

Ketal responded briefly, “Something came up.”

“Something? Like that?”

“Um, it’s nothing too major. It’s about that orb I showed you yesterday,” Ketal explained casually about what had happened to him yesterday. He told Rosa about how the orb had

called

him, and when he followed its call, he found a hidden Dungeon. He even told her about the lich inside it. His tone was incredibly nonchalant, as though he were recounting a simple stroll through the neighborhood.

Rosa stared blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter. “You’re quite the joker today!”

“I’m not joking.”

“Come on, there’s no way a lich would appear in such a backwater area.”

A lich was a being so rare that only a handful existed in the entire world, each of them revered—or feared—far beyond the stature of kings. That one could appear near this estate was an unthinkable notion. Rosa concluded Ketal was simply joking because of his unusually early visit and played along.

“So, how did you

defeat

this lich? They’re supposed to be so powerful they could topple kingdoms!” Rosa said, playfully.

“It wasn’t much. The lich got caught up in his own foolishness and self-destructed.”

“Self-destructed?”

“Yeah. It’s all taken care of now. No need to worry.” Ketal then pulled out a jar, holding it out for Rosa to see. “Oh, and I brought back what seems to be his phylactery. Could you have it appraised?”

“Wait, what?” Rosa’s eyes widened as Ketal showed her the jar. “Oh...?”

She quickly took it from him, examining it closely. Even someone as untrained as Rosa could sense the sinister energy emanating from the jar.

“Wait a second, are you really not joking?” she asked.

“I’ve been telling you I’m not joking this entire time,” Ketal replied, his expression practically screaming,

Why wouldn’t you believe me?

Rosa fell silent, her mind racing.

What is this? What on earth happened?

Any trace of sleep was gone from her face, but there was no time for her to sort through her thoughts.

“Oh, and there were about nine people inside,” Ketal said.

“Huh...?”

“Roughly nine. I thought about bringing them back, but their souls seemed shattered, so I left them there for now. I’d recommend sending people from your guild to retrieve them.”

“Nine people?” Rosa gasped in horror. Judging from Ketal’s story, this wasn’t just any Dungeon. Those nine were likely not adventurers or mercenaries, but ordinary citizens.

Come to think of it...,

Rosa thought. She recalled rumors about people disappearing in the estate. People asked the guild to find the missing people, but no successful rescues had ever been reported.

If those disappearances were tied to the lich, then this is big news!

she thought.

“And I think the lich’s name was Kartos... or something. Do you know of him?” Ketal asked.

“What? No, I’ve never heard of that name,” Rosa replied. She wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about history or famous figures, so the name Kartos didn’t ring any bells.

“Hm, he must’ve been bluffing,” Ketal murmured. The lich had told him that he was capable of destroying kingdoms, but from his experience, Kartos was not powerful enough to destroy anything, let alone a kingdom.

Ketal shook his head as he spoke. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s all over now. Just focus on rescuing those people. Oh, and I brought some other things from the Dungeon. Could you handle those as well? It’d be nice to get a reward if possible.”

“Uh...” Rosa’s head spun. A lich wasn’t the kind of creature that should be dismissed so lightly. She steadied herself and began to speak with great effort. “Please hold on. I need to call someone.”

This was beyond her capabilities. She dashed out of the guildhall.

Not long after, the guard commander arrived, panting heavily, his face pale with disbelief.

“What’s this about the lich?” the guard commander asked.

“Ah, nice to see you,” Ketal said cheerfully, waving. “No big deal. It’s all handled.”

“What are you talking about...?”

Ketal gave the commander a brief rundown of what happened. When the name of the lich was mentioned, the commander’s eyes widened in shock. “You mean Kartos Braniuras Kesias?”

“Oh, yes. I think that was his full name. Do you know him?”

“Of course I do!” the commander shouted involuntarily.

Kartos Braniuras Kesias was a mage who wreaked havoc on the world a century ago. He had created magic that manipulated emotions, plunging countless nations into chaos. Trusted retainers turned traitorous, wise kings were driven mad. Until a Hero finally rose to defeat him, several kingdoms had fallen under his spell.

And now, that very being had reappeared into this world as a lich?

the commander thought. “Is this true?”

“Yeah. But it wasn’t a big deal. He got caught up in his own madness and self-destructed,” Ketal replied.

“What on earth are you saying...?” The commander struggled to process this, his body trembling from sheer disbelief that a mage of Kartos’s caliber had self-destructed. “Could you explain this in a bit more detail? I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

“I already told you everything,” Ketal replied, visibly perplexed by the commander’s reaction.

The commander felt an overwhelming sense of dizziness but managed to hold himself together. “Wait here. I must inform the lord immediately.”

“You mean Lord Barcan? Isn’t that a bit excessive?” Ketal asked.

It’s not excessive at all,

the guard commander thought. Suppressing his desire to argue, he ran off toward the lord’s residence.

***

Lord Barcan doubted his ears upon hearing the story. He could not believe that a lich was found near his estate, and not just any lich, but one that had shaken the world a century ago.

At first, Lord Barcan laughed, dismissing it as a joke. It was an absurd notion—impossible to comprehend. However, seeing the desperate expression on the guard commander, he realized it wasn’t just a joke. He immediately dispatched a search party to confirm the situation. They headed toward the Dungeon the barbarian had mentioned.

The Dungeon, now bereft of its master, was slowly collapsing. Breaking through the maze-like walls as they progressed, the search party eventually found it—a vast chamber decorated with countless bones.

In a hidden room within the chamber, they found individuals who had been reported missing—many of whom held significant influence in the estate.

It was then that Lord Barcan understood what was going on. Something sinister had been lurking near the estate all along.

After rescuing all the survivors, Lord Barcan began assessing the situation. “What on earth happened?”

The thought of a lich existing so close to his estate was a nightmare for him. He clung to a sliver of hope and asked, “Maybe he was just a simple Skeleton Mage or perhaps some kind of illusionary monster?”

He wondered if the barbarian might have been mistaken. However, the guard commander shook his head. “Unfortunately, that seems unlikely. Among the rescued individuals, some have regained their senses. They all reported the same thing.”

They described a skeletal figure declaring that his name was Kartos Braniuras Kesias, and that they were all sacrifices for his resurrection. Then, that same skeletal figure swung his staff. That was their last memory.

“There are no contradictions in their accounts. Furthermore, we have an item to substantiate their claims,” the commander said.

“You mean the phylactery?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Lord Barcan asked to examine the item, and it was handed over without hesitation. He rubbed his temples. “Did you verify it? I’ve heard that a phylactery reveals its true essence inherently.”

“We couldn’t confirm much,” the commander admitted. Lacking the necessary knowledge to identify the item precisely, the commander could only rely on his intuition. “However, it doesn’t seem fake.”

Even the commander, who wasn’t attuned to magic, could sense the ominous power emanating from the phylactery—a faint remnant of its original owner’s overwhelming might.

Lord Barcan let out a bitter chuckle. “This is maddening.”

This was no minor issue. Even a lesser lich would have been a significant threat. The fact that such a being had secretly established himself near the estate was reason enough for the kingdom to launch an immediate investigation.

If it truly was Kartos Braniuras Kesias, the situation was even direr. Kartos was a mage who had opposed the Empire—a single individual who had destroyed countless kingdoms and enslaved Heroes with his mind-controlling magic. If his identity was confirmed, the Empire itself might intervene.

No, they’re definitely going to intervene,

Lord Barcan thought. Elite forces from the Empire would inevitably arrive at this small estate, and the aftermath of such an event was unfathomable.

Lord Barcan’s head throbbed. However, he couldn’t sit idle. This was not a matter a rural lord could handle alone.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Of all times for him to be away...

Lord Barcan was thinking about Swordmaster Kain. If he were here, this ordeal would have been much easier to manage. However, Kain, who had been vacationing in the estate for several days, had left just two days prior.

Lord Barcan let out a sigh of frustration and gave an order, “Prepare to send word to the kingdom. Secure the phylactery with utmost caution.”

“Yes, my lord,” the commander replied with a nod.

Lord Barcan gave a faint smile. “Well, I suppose we were fortunate.”

“Indeed. Had the barbarian not discovered it, this estate would have been the first sacrifice.”

If Kartos had truly been preparing for his resurrection, this estate would have gone down in history as just another victim of an evil mage’s revival. In that sense, Ketal’s actions had been monumental.

“But if he truly defeated the lich alone... just how strong is he?” Lord Barcan murmured. “To defeat a being that even Heroes had to face collectively, and to do so in mere hours...”

Lord Barcan already knew Ketal was powerful after witnessing him overpower the Swordmaster Kain, but this was beyond comprehension.

“Kartos was reportedly defeated by a Hero a century ago. He must have been in a weakened state while preparing for his resurrection,” the commander speculated.

“That’s likely. Even so, his feat is remarkable. We will have to reward him appropriately—though I’m not sure if this estate can offer enough,” Lord Barcan murmured to himself.

***

Late that night, as the world slept, Lord Barcan tried to do the same. He needed to clear his mind and devise a plan. The following morning, he was awakened by the sound of urgent knocking.

“My lord! My lord!”

“I’m awake. You may enter,” Lord Barcan replied irritably as he rose from his bed.

A maid entered, her face pale. Seeing her expression, the lord instinctively knew that things had grown more complicated.

“Th-the Inquisitor of the Sun God, Lady Aquaz, has arrived in the estate!” the maid said, and Lord Barcan closed his eyes tightly.