Side Story Chapter 137

How could Kireua not know of Evergrant con Aswald? He had plotted a conspiracy against the Emperor of Avalon and had been the most loyal subordinate of Kaiser ben Britten.

“Wait, he’s the mortal enemy of the Magic Tower!” Kireua shouted.

“The Magic Tower? Are you talking about that ridiculous ivory tower the humans built?”

“It may be ridiculous to you, Sir Crevasse, but the Magic Tower is quite significant to humans. The Magic Tower is the most influential non-national organization on the continent and holds a long history.”

“So what? You don’t have any reason to worry about that ‘Magic Tower’ or whatever it’s called.”

“Of course I do. The leader of the Magic Tower is on Avalon’s soil right now!” Kireua shouted.

Yes, Thetapirion Whitesox, the Master of the Magic Tower, was in Avalon right now to help the Emperor, his dear friend. If Kireua brought Evergrant in front of him instead of repaying the favor...

“...Pfft. Yeah, it’s just like you humans to worry about something that hasn't come true yet.” Crevasse chuckled quietly to himself.

“This isn’t a matter that you can dismiss so easily. It’s important to me.”

“Your priority should be what’s going to happen to you right now, not some nebulous possibility that only might happen.”

The lich king arrived, thick demonic power coiling around him. Kireua shrank back, immediately reinforcing Crevasse’s point. Remarkably, the other liches stood politely behind the lich king like loyal retainers.

-Are you Joshua Sanders’ son?

“...What?” Kireua blurted, surprised once again.

From what he heard, an undead’s contract was absolute. The undead were devoted to their masters in both body and soul for a good reason. It was obvious given the way all the death knights politely referred to the Emperor of Avalon as their master. Arie bron Sten was a maniac, so he was an exception. Nevertheless, there wasn’t a trace of respect in the lich king’s voice.

-You are arrogant, aren’t you.

“A-Arrogant?”

-Whether or not I choose to go aboveground to help the Empire or wipe it from existence depends solely on your abilities.

Wipe it from existence? Did Kireua hear that correctly?

-I’ve been watching you for a while, but you never seem to ask why.

“What... do you mean?”

-You’re thinking that we’re your father’s legacy, so we’ll help you no matter what, aren’t you.

Kireua felt a pang of guilt. After finding out that the preparations that the Emperor of Avalon had made lay dormant underground and that they were an entire legion of undead, Kireua had been certain that he was the only one in the world who could control it. He was the one with three Evil Sins' powers. The main issue was how many of the undead soldiers Kireua would be able to control.

-There is only one reason why Joshua Sanders can lead them. What do you think that is, little princeling?

Kireua had to think for a while. It couldn’t be his father’s raw power—if so, Evergrant wouldn’t have asked the question in the first place. Since he had earlier asked Kireua whether or not he wondered why the Emperor had sent him here...

“...There’s something about His Majesty that made you have a change of heart. Like... he granted you your heart’s desire.”

The black light in Evergrant’s eyes bobbed slightly.

-...Ha, so there is something in that skull of yours.

Kireua internally heaved a long sigh of relief; evidently, he had said the right answer.

-Yes, Joshua Sanders knew what our desires were and actually made them come true.

“I assume that the desire of yours... is revenge?” Kireua cautiously said.

-Not everyone wanted revenge. The Wild King was killed by Grand Duke Lucifer, and the poor prince was stabbed in the heart by his own brother. So they, of all people, would have wished for a bloody revenge more than anyone else—but can’t you tell the truth from Arie bron Sten alone?

From Kireua’s perspective, Arie bron Sten literally thought of nothing but battle. Just so he could fight the Emperor of Avalon for eternity, Arie had refused to stay dead and voluntarily submitted to resurrect. However, Kireua hadn’t heard what Evergrant’s wish was.

The young prince thought about it and slowly nodded.

“Just like Arie bron Sten, you didn’t become an undead for revenge.”

-And what makes you think that?

“If so, you wouldn’t have sworn loyalty to the enemy that killed you.”

-Hahahaha.

The lich king burst into quiet laughter.

-Then why do you think I voluntarily became this cursed creature?

“That is...”

The answer didn’t come to Kireua so easily this time. Evergrant was the first human mage to attain the Eighth Circle, so why would he turn into a lich? From what Kireua had heard, Evergrant had been purely driven by his lust for political power; in fact, his thirst for power had been so obsessive that he planned to turn the Magic Tower into a sovereign country and build an eternal Magic Empire.

‘But it seems highly unlikely that that’s the reason.’

Kireua’s eyes twinkled as he began to piece together the clues. Had Evergrant’s unfulfilled dream been to build his own country, he wouldn’t have stayed buried deep underground for decades. Kireua was certain that Evergrant would have found death a better alternative than following the orders of the enemy who didn’t keep up his end of the bargain. Above all, Evergrant had said with his own mouth that the Emperor of Avalon knew the undead’s desires better than anyone else and had made them come true. Evergrant wouldn’t be an exception. In other words...

“Why don’t we make a bet?” Kireua blurted.

-A bet?

Evergrant tilted his head in confusion.

“If I get the answer right, you, Evergrant con Aswald will swear to be my loyal and faithful servant.”

The cavernous space fell silent as Evergrant’s eyes flickered for a long, tense moment, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.

“Getting pushed around isn’t really my thing, and it’s only right to get a reward if I answer correctly, isn’t it?”

Kireua’s tone was very polite now that there was something he wanted.

-...You take after your father’s thuggish nature. Don’t you think this bet is rather one-sided?

“In return, I’ll give up taking everyone aboveground. If I fail to answer your question, I will leave alone.”

Everyone stared at him, horrified.

“Ki-Kireua, Avalon is...”

“It’s okay, Teacher,” Kireua reassured Aisha. He then turned and looked Evergrant straight in the eyes. “How does that sound?”

-...Heh. Heheheh. How amusing. Are you sure you won’t regret this?

Kireua nodded. “Of course.”

-You don’t seem to realize why Joshua Sanders told you, his own son, about this place that is packed with accursed undead. It’s because you can’t solve your crisis without their help.

“You’re quite talkative for one of the greatest mages in history. Are

you

sure about this?” Kireua shot back.

Evergrant stared at him, his demonic power growing thicker and more ominous.

-...Alright. You get

one

chance. If you don’t get this right, I assure you that you won’t be able to take anyone in here above ground because I, Evergrant con Aswald, will stop at nothing to prevent it.

“Good; but in return, you’ll help me with your full power if I get it right.”

-I quite clearly told you that you only have one chance.

Evergrant was a stingy ma—undead. Of course, that didn’t matter; Kireua’s deduction was almost certainly correct.

“I put myself in your shoes when I was thinking about your question. You are someone who reached the peak of political power and also climbed to the Eighth Circle of magic, so what could a person such as you possibly dream of?”

-You take an awfully long time to get to the point.

“It’s not founding the Magic Empire or becoming a monarch. Since you’re an undead now, no humans would ever acknowledge you as their emperor, and His Majesty isn’t the kind of person who would accept that as the terms of your contracts.

-So?

“My biggest question is why Sir Crevasse, a dragon, is here. A dragon is the greatest creature in the Human Realm. It’s ridiculous to even think that a dragon is guarding a human’s vault.”

-You’re behind on the news. The entire race of dragons has been exterminated except for him, so avoiding meeting the same fate is a good enough reason.

“We’re talking about the dragons, right? The most prideful race in all the realms? I highly doubt that.” Kireua shook his head. “There must be another reason, and the moment I saw you, Evergrant con Aswald, I knew exactly what it was.”

-Oh?

“You may have ruled before your death, but you enjoyed the power of an emperor thanks to a member of the Imperial Family’s support. Nevertheless, you weren’t able to reach the peak as a mage. The reason why Sir Crevasse is here is to help you fulfill your incomplete dream—a dragon would be the only one on the continent who could help you attain the apex of magic.”

Dragons were known as the race of magic for a reason. Still, thinking about it left Kireua feeling a little lightheaded. The Emperor of Avalon had promised Evergrant he would fulfill his dream, and Evergrant had said that he had achieved his dream.

“Evergrant con Aswald, you’ve become the first Ninth Circle mage who isn’t a dragon, an unprecedented feat. To be honest, I doubted it was true, even though I thought that the Ninth Circle was the most likely possibility. For a long time, it’s been thought that such heights were forbidden to all but the dragons, the most beloved of the gods.”

When Kireua finished speaking, he shivered. A Eighth Circle mage already had the power to bring down a country, but a Ninth Circle mage—!

Kireua grinned.

“Thank you for accepting my bet. Now have an ally who will make everyone’s jaw drop.”