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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Wraith
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Impossible!
The black mage could only gape, unable to believe the situation unfolding before him.
What in the world was happening? Just a moment ago, she was nothing more than a frail child. How could she use black magic? No, was this child a black mage herself?
“I see those eyes rolling. You must be working that foolish little head of yours.”
Gah!
The black mage fell to the floor. Daphne had withdrawn the shadow.
“What are you finking?”
“*Cough! Hack!*”
The black mage gasped for air, the aftereffect of being choked, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke.
“You. What are you?”
The only visible part of his masked face, his eyes, blazed as he asked.
It was an intensity that would have made even the empire's knights flinch, but Daphne, facing it head-on, was utterly composed.
“I commend you for trying to gather information even in this situation.”
“What?”
“But you will die here.”
Daphne grinned.
“You won’t be able to go back and speak of me.”
“Hngh…! You insolent brat!”
The black mage grit his teeth and pulled down the mask covering his face.
Where his nose and mouth should have been, there was only a gaping hole. The aura of death that had pooled within it erupted.
“Perish!”
“Perish!”
“Perish!”
*Fwoosh!*
The black mage unleashed what could only be described as his ultimate technique: Annihilation Magic. It was an instant-kill spell that caused anything it touched to crumble into nothingness.
It possessed immense power, and thus, the backlash from failure was severe. Just like the hole in his face.
But until now, no one except the leader had ever blocked this spell! A mere child like this couldn't possibly evade my magic!
Having delivered his decisive blow, the black mage smirked and looked up.
But what he saw was an unbelievable sight.
*Ssshhh-*
With a bone-chilling sound, the Annihilation Magic flying toward Daphne began to shatter. It was like watching glass break into a thousand pieces and fall to the floor, the only difference being that the falling shards were not glass, but the aura of death.
“That tickles.”
Daphne completely erased the Annihilation Magic.
Fundamentally, black magic is a type of magic performed by burning one's own life force and converting it into an aura of death.
Because of the causality of being a 'calamity,' all of Seluseu's magic is imbued with the aura of death.
In other words, Daphne's magic was fundamentally black magic, and furthermore, a superior version of it.
As long as her power was sufficient, Daphne could nullify any black magic.
“H-How…”
“Trying to harm me with such pathetic magic. You’re a hundred years too early.”
The black mage's pupils shook uncontrollably.
Does this make any sense? Is this really happening?
He wanted to deny the reality before him, but he couldn't. Even the spell he had summoned by wringing out all his strength had been dismantled in the blink of an eye.
‘I must report this to the leader!’
The black mage made a swift decision.
“Kuh!”
A choice to sacrifice his life.
He gathered the last of the death aura remaining in his body to his heart.
If he died here, his comrades would sense his aura and report to the leader. Then, the leader would realize there was something about Daphne.
They might not know that Daphne could use black magic, but it would be enough to let them know she possessed power.
His life was not a waste. For the sake of the Wraiths…!
“Hah?”
Daphne let out a derisive laugh as she looked at the black mage, who had collapsed and was trembling violently.
“As expected, these types never value their lives. Nothing has changed at all.”
She then extended both hands toward the black mage. Immediately, the aura of death that filled his body began to gather in her palms.
“Return.”
“Return.”
“Return.”
Instantly, the aura that had been targeting the black mage's heart vanished.
Breath seeped back into his body. His fingers twitched and began to move.
“Th-this…! W-What…! Impossible!”
“To me, death is a natural causality.”
Daphne trudged toward the black mage.
I am a great dragon, and a wicked calamity.
Before me, nothing can crumble so carelessly.
“Your life is mine.”
“Your life is mine.”
“Your life is mine.”
Your death is possible only by my hand, the calamity.
“Tell me everything.”
“Tell me everything.”
“Tell me everything.”
Daphne's eyes, narrowed like a reptile's pupils, flashed.
***
“Wraiths, you say.”
Having heard everything the black mage knew, Daphne stroked her chin and muttered.
-Our leader gathered the surviving black mages and formed a secret organization. The organization's name is 'Wraith'.
-The leader's goal is to take over this world.
-To achieve this, he plans to kill the black mages' nemesis, Heros Akion, and defeat the dragons to seize the fragments of God.
Trying to rule the world. How amusing.
For mere, insignificant humans to attempt what even the gods could not achieve. They don't know their place.
‘But that's also what makes them more dangerous.’
Because only those who believe they can succeed truly have a chance.
‘Come to think of it, wasn't it the black mages who killed the White Dragon?’
It's certainly something that fool of a Great Sage would warn about.
-The reason we tried to kill Lady Daphne was because we had to take her life before the curse activated to reclaim the aura of death…
The source of the Black Butterfly Disease tormenting Daphne was a curse cast by dying black mages who burned all of their life force.
Because it was a terrible curse worthy of sacrificing their lives, it contained an immense amount of death aura.
This meant that a vast aura of death was contained within Daphne's body, along with the curse.
The fact that they were trying to retrieve it was proof that the organization 'Wraith' had not yet amassed significant power.
‘Does that mean I have some time?’
Daphne tapped her fingers, lost in thought.
As long as I live in this body, I won't be able to escape the Wraiths' pursuit. They'll try to retrieve the death aura by any means necessary.
This time, it was easy to deal with since there was only one black mage, but if a large number of them were to attack without warning, it would be quite difficult for the current Daphne.
Therefore, the conclusion is always the same.
‘I just need to become stronger.’
If I become a transcendent being as originally planned, I can get revenge on the Hero, kill the emperor, wipe out those Wraith bastards, and even break the curse.
Daphne looked down at the aura of death swirling in her palm and grinned.
It was then.
*Bang!* The door burst open, and Teiti appeared, drenched in a cold sweat.
“*Pant, pant,* did you call for me, Lady Daphne? I ran here like a madman—what's this! Why is there a dead body!”
Teiti was horrified at the sight of the collapsed black mage.
For an elf, he's such a coward. Daphne clicked her tongue.
“He’s not dead yet. He can’t die here.”
“Huh? But he's on the verge of death right now! Look at how his energy has been sucked dry. You did this, didn't you, Lady Daphne?”
The aura of death surging in Daphne's palm belonged to the fallen black mage. She had extracted his energy, just as she had absorbed the black magic bomb before.
“Wow. You drained him without leaving a single drop. I thought you were a vampire… but of course, this is the skill of the great Lady Daphne. Truly the best.”
Teiti laughed awkwardly and changed the subject, avoiding Daphne's sharp glare.
“So, is this the assassin? The one who tried to kill you?”
Daphne explained everything to Teiti, concisely but without omitting any details.
The secret organization of black mages called Wraith, what they wanted, the threat to her life, and so on.
Teiti's expression shifted rapidly before he finally let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
“Such foolish humans. How dare they dream of world domination. It's just an absurd fantasy anyway.”
He clicked his tongue and nudged the black mage with the tip of his foot. His attitude was indifferent, as if dealing with an inanimate object. Daphne frowned slightly.
“Don't forget that it was those very humans who killed the White Dragon. You never know what might happen to you.”
The reason the black mages were annihilated was because they had destroyed the White Dragon.
No one had ever imagined that a human could kill a dragon created from a fragment of God, so many were shocked and grew wary of black mages. Teiti recalled that time and narrowed one eye.
“Well… so, are you saying I should be careful?”
“You should be careful.”
Daphne chuckled and pointed to herself with her thumb.
“But not me.”
If Seluseu hadn't entered Daphne's body, she would have just left the black mages alone, thinking the humans would take care of it themselves.
But the current Seluseu was not Seluseu.
She was living in Daphne's body, and thus, her purpose was clear.
If any obstacles stood in the way of that purpose, she would crush them.
“Now that they’ve messed with me, I won’t let things go their way.”
Daphne grinned and absorbed the aura of death directly into her body.
[Absorbing mana.]
Feeling the energy spread through her body thanks to her Exploration magic, Daphne pointed at the black mage.
“Take this guy far away and dump him somewhere.”
Since he chose to kill himself, it meant he had a way to contact that black mage organization, Wraith or whatever it was called.
That's why she couldn't let his energy extinguish here.
“Make sure not to leave a single trace that he was here. Just make it look like he was attacked on a mountain path.”
“Wow. That's a difficult request, quite unbefitting of an elf, but I'll give it a shot. This is how we grow, right?”
Teiti casually waved his hand, levitating the black mage's body into the air.
“Ah. But is it okay not to finish him off?”
Daphne blinked slowly.
“I erased his memories. That should be enough.”
“But…”
Daphne shook her head firmly.
“I do not kill. That is my creed.”
*So it's okay to beat people up?*
Teiti thought of the elves who had been beaten by Seluseu, then remembered that he himself hadn't been hit once and sighed in relief.
“Yes. You must uphold that creed for your entire life. You must never, ever kill me.”
“Get lost.”
“Yep.”
With the black mage floating beside him, Teiti began to create a teleportation circle. Then, as if remembering something, he turned back.
“Oh, right. There have been sightings of the Great Sage in the western desert. I'm thinking of checking it out.”
“Really? Understood.”
“…”
Teiti's eyes narrowed.
“You do know how far the western desert is from here, right? You do know how hard it is to find out what happened there and then go there, right?”
“So what do you want?”
“Praise.”
“…”
What should I do with this crazy elf? Daphne felt a wave of exhaustion and pressed her hand to her forehead.
“Get out.”
“Come on, you could at least give me one word of praise!”
“Out.”
“*Hmph.*”
Teiti pouted and activated the teleportation circle. After confirming he was completely gone, Daphne activated her Exploration magic.
[Daphne Akion]
Mana: 80
[Daphne Akion]
Mana: 80
“This method is faster.”
A wicked smile spread across Daphne's lips.
