Chapter 205 - Chasing Tails (6)

‘Hmm... What should I do?’

Henry pondered on it.

He was tempted to say that he was Henry Morris’ disciple, but he was too concerned about Iselan to just say that out loud. Because of that, he was trying to think even harder of what to do, but the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

Henry ultimately came to the conclusion that telling Iselan wouldn’t change anything, so he just decided to go with it.

“I’m actually the official disciple of the late Archmage, Henry Morris.”

“What?”

“It’s true. I’m the only wizard that has reached the 7th-Circle besides my master."

“...!”

Henry’s blunt confession made everyone’s hair stand on end.

A 7th-Circle Archmage?

Everyone looked as though they were asking themselves,

‘How can he say something of such magnitude so nonchalantly...?’

Iselan smirked in disbelief and said, “Does Hans know about this?”

“No, he doesn’t. I haven’t told anyone in my family.”

“I see, but how on earth did the Archmage teach you magic? I’ve heard that the Archmage valued his time so much that he lived his life by the second.”

Iselan’s assertion was somewhat exaggerated, but he was basically right. In his previous life, Henry had reached the 8th-Circle, and from that point onward, he had spent every day of his life trying to reach the next circle.

“He used dreams,” said Henry.

“Dreams?”

“Yes. When it comes to 8th-Circle magic, there’s a spell that allows you to enter someone else’s dream and break the boundaries of reality. My Master called this Dreaming, and he taught me magic every night when he slept using Dreaming.”

“I see...”

Iselan instantly believed Henry. Given that he knew nothing about magic, even if Henry explained the principles to him, he wouldn’t understand.

Of course, Dreaming was something Henry had made up on the spot.

When everyone, including Iselan, was convinced, Ronan asked, “Then does your green Aura have something to do with magic too... u-uh... A-Archmage?”

Did Ronan stutter because Henry had revealed that he was a 7th-Circle Archmage? Feeling awkward, Ronan quickly changed the way he addressed Henry, adding ‘Archmage.’

Henry laughed and said, “Yeah, that’s right. Also, once a comrade is always a comrade, so why are you addressing me like that all of a sudden?”

“B-but I’ve abandoned the Foram name, so I’m technically a commoner in status...”

“Cut it out. Just call me like you used to.”

“Okay.”

At Henry’s firm demand, Ronan returned to speaking normally.

Henry also told them about the things he had been planning so far, like the fact that he had formed the Allied Powers to fight the Aenia Empire and that he had built a new Magical Spire, namely the Snow Spire. Of course, he also informed them about the fact that Arthus was creating Chimeras.

Henry concluded his briefing by asking everyone to keep all of this a secret.

“Well... I guess it doesn’t matter if you tell anyone about this, but I’d still prefer everyone to keep at least my identity a secret, since no one from Arthus’ side knows who I am.”

“That’s not hard to do.”

“So, Commander Nichel, are you planning to head to the Highlander region right away?”

“I should, because even as we speak, the supplies we’ve stockpiled are quickly running out.”

“Then I will take you there.”

“That’s the most pleasant thing you’ve said so far.”

The Caliburn Fortress and the Highlander region were quite far from each other, so Henry’s offer to take them there using Teleportation was quite helpful.

“Henry,” said Iselan.

“Yes?”

“If I had known you were fighting against Arthus, I would’ve helped you earlier... I’m sorry.”

“...What’s with this all of a sudden? This isn’t like you.”

“I need to separate my personal life from business. Arthus has been bothering me for a long time now anyway.”

“But isn't it thanks to people like you, who are protecting this place, that people like us can fight without being threatened by demonic beasts?”

“Yeah, we all have our own roles to play.”

Iselan had never been interested in political conflicts, but today, he seemed to have a particularly hostile attitude toward Arthus. He acted like that because he previously found out that Arthus was involved in creating monstrosities like Chimeras.

“Well, now that you’ve given me information, I should also give you some information in return,” continued Iselan.

“Information?”

“Yes, regarding the things you’ve been curious about in the past.”

‘Things I’ve been curious about?’

After some thought, Henry finally recalled what Iselan was talking about.

“Ah!”

“Shh! Be quiet and follow me.”

As Henry remembered what it was, Iselan raised his index finger to his lips, and after exchanging a glance with Nichel, they left the room with Ronan.

* * *

They headed toward the basement of a temple inside the fortress.

As they walked down the stairs, Iselan said, “Holy water, poles, silver ropes, and more... Most of the things that I’ve asked you to bring as a merchant have a lot to do with what I’ll show you right now.”

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Iselan prepared Henry for what he was about to show him as they walked, and this only made Henry that much more curious.

When they finally reached the deepest part of the temple, Iselan said, “You’re a wizard, so I don’t have to light a torch, right?”

“Indeed.”

Snap!

Henry snapped his fingers at Iselan’s request, and bright spheres materialized in the air, illuminating the dark basement.

When the spheres revealed what was there, Henry was rendered speechless by what he saw.

“T-this is...!”

“Did the Archmage tell you about these things by any chance?”

Deep in the basement were giant steel bars that lined up in a way that resembled a prison cell. Actually, they weren’t made of steel, but of silver.

Behind the silver bars was dark, sticky slime, moving around like a living creature.

“Black Amniotic Fluid...!”

“That’s right. This is the Black Amniotic Fluid, and only a few people in the fortress know about it.”

Black Amniotic Fluid.

It was literally the fluid of life that pregnant women carried in their wombs when they conceived a child. However, its color was black.

There was only one being in this world that had a black-colored amniotic fluid that was sticky and viscous.

“Is it... the Demon King?”

“That’s right. Black Amniotic Fluid is one of the worst signs of the Demon King’s arrival.”

At the end of the first district of the Demonic Beast Forest, there was a dimensional gap called the Demon Realm Gap, which connected this world to the Demon Realm.

In his previous life, Henry had tried everything in his power to close the gap, but his attempts had been futile, even with the power of the 8th-Circle. He hadn’t even come close to closing the gap, nor had he even understood the properties of the dimension itself.

“The demonic beasts have been getting stronger recently. Rare evolved species, including the Lich Knight, have been crossing over from one district to another in search of prey.”

All these subtle signs were terribly foreboding. They indicated that a new Demon King would emerge.

Henry raised his hand to his forehead as he felt his head throbbing.

‘Why now...!’

The Demon King could never truly die. Even if it did die, a few years would pass and then a new Demon King would cross over from the Demon Realm Gap and wander somewhere in the Demonic Beast Forest.

This was why the Eurasian Empire had established the best special forces unit in the continent, the Caliburn Fortress, to suppress the demonic beasts and keep an eye on them.

“I was going to tell this to Lore Gillian anyway, but given that you’re the new head of the Magical Spire, I think it's only right that you should know, which is why I’m telling you.”

Henry finally understood why he had met Iselan in the back of the forest, and now it all made sense.

Iselan was the strongest man in the Caliburn Fortress, which was why he had been the one to follow the traces of the Demon King, and not someone else.

Iselan continued, “Well... You probably don’t know this because you’re so young, but when the Demon King first appeared decades ago, I participated in a conquest to capture it. I was a hundred-man commander, leading a hundred soldiers.”

“Oh, you did?”

Henry didn’t remember because at the time, Iselan had been so insignificant to Henry that he hadn’t cared at all about him.

“Well, I participated purely by coincidence. Anyway, at the time, I saw the Grand Duke and the former emperor and promised myself, ‘Ah! I’m going to stay here and defend the continent for the rest of my life!’”

“...”

“For this reason, I’ve been building up my strength in the Caliburn Fortress and studying the demonic beasts to become more knowledgeable. From what I can see, a new Demon King is likely going to be born within the next few months.”

“Few months...”

Henry agreed with Iselan because he had been the one on the front lines of the conquest to capture the Demon King, and it was also him who had left an impression on Iselan.

“Henry, when the new Demon King appears, I won’t be able to stop it on my own. So, if you’re truly the direct disciple of the Archmage, take responsibility and accomplish your goals in the upcoming months so that we can get ready for the new Demon King.”

Iselan had quite a brazen attitude as he held Henry accountable.

However, even if Iselan didn’t hold Henry accountable, Henry was definitely going to try his best to stop the Demon King.

Three months.

In order to prevent the emergence of a new Demon King, Henry would have to defeat Arthus in three months at the latest and have a plan by then.

‘Hmm... This has created an unexpected time constraint!’

Dealing with Arthus by himself was already a hassle, but now he was also pressed by time.

However, having a time constraint wasn’t always a bad thing. After all, Henry had no intention of prolonging the war as he had formed the Allied Powers anyway.

Henry responded with vigor, “Alright! Three months! Within just three months, I’ll get rid of Arthus and come back to help you.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Iselan patted Henry on the shoulder with a satisfied smile.

“Great! Anyway, if you’re okay with it, why don’t you give Ronan a chance in this war?”

“Deputy Commander!”

“Silence.”

After talking about the Demon King, Iselan suddenly brought up a totally different topic.

Ronan looked up in surprise and tried to protest, but Iselan stopped him.

“Is there a specific reason why you want me to use Ronan?” asked Henry.

“Reason? No. I’m lending you my favorite adjutant so that you can end the war as soon as possible.”

“Hmm.”

Iselan’s suggestion wasn’t a bad one. Henry did have a number of Imperial Swords on his side, but the more people he had, the better it was.

Henry agreed, “Alright then. I will borrow Ronan for a while.”

“Henry, not you too!”

“Be quiet! The Deputy Commander has a plan in mind.”

With that agreement, Henry managed to get Ronan, who had so far been listening quietly from the side, to help him in his fight against Arthus.

“Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?”

“No. Ah, also, if Arthus refuses to give us the supplies...”

“If that happens, I’ll make sure to find another way to get you the supplies no matter what.”

“I’m glad you're so reliable.”

Henry didn’t say that just to assuage Iselan’s worries. He was more than capable of making that happen if he just pushed himself a little further.

He then teleported to the Highlander region with Nichel and Ronan.

Zngg!

Soon, someone appeared in front of the Caliburn Fortress with a brief flash of light.

“Ugh, I'm running out of scrolls...”

The one in front of the Caliburn Fortress was none other than Kington Foram.