Weapon Master of the Count’s Family

Chapter 84. The Immortal Great Mage (4)

An hour after departing the Citadel, Hel’s warship surged forward, slicing through the endless sea.

Splash!

The Black Sea appeared ordinary on the surface, with waves rippling gently.

It looked merely like water cloaked in darkness, but its essence was entirely different.

A terrifying place where a single misstep would drag you irreversibly into a deep abyss.

Knowing this danger all too well, not a single mage dared lean over the railing to peer at the sea.

“I never imagined I’d breathe again. Thanks to you, I’m having quite the experience,” Lilith said, clasping her hands to feel her vitality.

“Since we’ve been given this chance, we’d better get to work.”

“Do you think we’ll find Ernst?”

“It’ll be tough, but everyone here has advanced their magical fields, so we’re not without answers. Above all…”

Lilith’s blue eyes gleamed as she looked at me.

“I’ll find Ernst, if only for my pride as Lilith.”

Calamity Witch Lilith.

True to her words, she was determined to find Ernst by any means necessary.

This resolve was tied to her obsession.

“That’s surprising,” I said.

“What is?”

“You’re called the Calamity Witch, but you’re so calm and don’t seem like that at all.”

“History is written by the majority, isn’t it? And the majority of mages probably spoke ill of me.”

“So it was a misunderstanding?”

“Well, not exactly. It’s undeniable that I annihilated a third of the Mage Alliance.”

She spoke of it with pride, carefully lowering her voice so the other mages on the deck wouldn’t hear.

“But there’s a difference from history. They say I attacked first, but in truth, they provoked me.”

“Turning the Alliance into rubble over a provocation? You must’ve been furious.”

“Exactly. Not only did they dismiss my research for being a witch, they plagiarized it.”

Stealing another’s research was taboo in mage society.

It could lead to expulsion from a school, or even death in severe cases.

If her words were true, the Mage Alliance had brought the calamity upon themselves.

“I lost my life fighting the Alliance, but I have no regrets.”

“Why not?”

“Because I proved my life’s work in magic was successful.”

Lilith looked genuinely relieved.

This was an emotion that didn’t easily resonate with someone like me, who valued life itself over honor or achievements.

“I read about it. It was an 8th-circle spell by circle classification, right?”

“I don’t like that classification, but it’s nice to be recognized.”

“Its name was Infernal…”

“Vespera Inferno. A bit long, isn’t it?”

Known academically as the ‘Flames of Hell,’ her spell was legendary in its power.

To quell the endlessly burning black flames, hundreds of mages poured water for a week.

“Don’t you regret it? Ending your life just before your masterpiece. You could’ve gone further.”

“Hmm… You probably don’t know since you’re not part of the magical world, but mages who create more than one 8th-circle spell are extremely rare.”

Even for mages hailed as the greatest talents of their era, reaching such a level was exceedingly rare.

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Even for us sword-wielders, creating new techniques is tough.”

“That’s why I have no regrets. And you know, don’t you? No mage who left their name in history died peacefully in bed.”

Indeed, not a single mage in the Society had died of natural causes.

All had perished in accidents or murders, a testament to the renown they’d achieved in life.

“There’s one exception, isn’t there?”

“Who? Was there such a figure in later generations?”

“Not later generations. He’s still alive.”

Ernst Romarn.

A Great Mage living in the present.

Realizing this, Lilith gave a peculiar smile.

“But how long will that last… We’re going to find him.”

“Confidence alone won’t be enough.”

“Don’t worry. The Society’s mages will rack their brains to find a way.”

Since the ship set sail, Lilith and the mages had been focused solely on Ernst’s whereabouts.

Each worked in their own field to track him, with Romen standing out in particular.

Romen, highly skilled in invisibility magic, had also been a long-time friend of Ernst.

And watching his every move was Gaiard, following him like a shadow to ensure he didn’t pull anything.

“You’d better find Ernst, if you don’t want to die by my hand.”

“I-I understand…”

Gaiard’s threat was no bluff.

Romen, trembling in fear, had no choice but to do his utmost to find Ernst’s traces.

“…”

During this, Gaiard, seeking to resolve a past question, asked Romen, “Let me ask one thing. Why did you and the other mages join in trying to kill me? I didn’t think you’d be swayed by petty royal power.”

Romen hesitated before answering.

“It was because you were too strong. You saved the kingdom, but your power could also threaten it. We acted to counter that threat…”

“Cut the nonsense!”

Gaiard roughly grabbed Romen’s collar, shoving him against the railing.

“Tell the truth!”

“It… it was jealousy. The mages’ status had fallen, so we joined to take you down.”

“Even if that’s true for you, Ernst agreed to it too? For something as petty as mages’ status?”

“Ernst… he was different. He hesitated, but ultimately joined us. I heard it was because of his daughter.”

Gaiard gritted his teeth.

The excuse offered no comfort.

In the end, Ernst was among those who betrayed him.

“Bastards…”

Before Gaiard could throw him overboard, I intervened.

“Stop. We need every hand we can get. And he said it was for his family.”

“Damn it!”

Gaiard settled for hurling him against the opposite railing.

“Don’t defend him lightly. In my mood, I’d kill you too.”

With that, he stormed into the cabin, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of humans.

A terrified Romen sighed in relief and cautiously thanked me.

“Ugh, thank you…”

But I was cold.

“No need to thank me. If I were Gaiard, I’d have done the same.”

As someone who’d been betrayed, my heart leaned toward Gaiard.

I was mediating only because we had a job to do.

“So before I change my mind, focus harder than anyone on finding Ernst. This is a warning.”

From then on, they continued sailing the sea in search of Ernst.

***

It started with a single question.

“So, how did you two end up here?”

Lilith was curious about how Gaiard and I had come to the Coast of the Dead.

“I was transported here, island and all, through Ernst’s dimensional magic.”

“What?! Why didn’t you say that sooner? You should’ve mentioned you came through Ernst’s magic! That’s a huge clue!”

After this conversation, they reached an island called ‘Hell Island,’

and were now restoring the faint traces of a magical rune left there.

Incredible. Revealing a rune that disappears after activation. Mages do the wildest things.

But this wasn’t something just anyone could do.

Lilith and the mages, having been high-ranking mages in life, made it possible.

Ordinary mages wouldn’t even dream of such a feat.

“How long will the restoration take?”

My question would’ve stunned average mages.

Normally, one would ask if it was even possible.

“Hmm? Maybe one more day?”

To top it off, they answered as if it were obvious, and exactly 24 hours later, they succeeded in restoring the rune encompassing the entire island.

“Ernst is truly remarkable. To create and execute such a complex pattern.”

The restored rune was a dizzying labyrinth at a glance.

Even tracing it seemed impossible, making the intricacy of dimensional magic all too real.

“Will this give us a clue?”

“Of course. We just need to analyze the pattern.”

I still looked confused, so Lilith explained further.

“Each mage uses a unique pattern, like a signature. Even the same spell reflects personal traits.”

“…Oh!”

“Got it? Even for complex magic like dimensional travel, analyzing the pattern can reveal the caster’s lesser spells.”

Even a Great Mage like Ernst had to follow basic magical structures.

She aimed to reverse-engineer his pattern to understand his magic’s principles.

“By casting spells the same way, locating him becomes easier. Luckily, we have a master of mana tracking with us.”

Indeed, they identified Ernst’s unique pattern and replicated all his invisibility and defensive spells.

A mage skilled in mana tracking then cast a spell and shouted to everyone, “I found it! There’s a similar magical aura slightly north of here! It’s moving away, so we need to hurry!”

“Let’s go!”

The warship immediately left Hell Island, heading north.

“It’s up ahead! Right there!”

But when they arrived, nothing was visible.

Not until the invisibility spell was lifted.

“Whoa!”

As the spell dissipated, a ship painted in black appeared, surrounded by a defensive barrier.

“I’ll open a brief gap in the barrier, so we need to get inside quickly. Before it teleports!”

After creating a hole in the barrier, the ship swiftly entered.

“I’ll go check first!”

Gaiard spread his wings and approached the ship.

Upon seeing something, he shouted,

“Damn it! Stay back! We need to retreat. It’s a trap!”

Instead of Ernst, the deck was swarming with black wraiths called ‘Nocturnes.’

These 6th-rank monsters were so dangerous that even one required a skilled mage to handle.

“Ernst isn’t here! Open the barrier and retreat now!”

But the situation didn’t go as Gaiard wished.

The Nocturne-filled ship was approaching, blocking their escape route.

Simultaneously with Gaiard’s warning, the Nocturnes on the deck stirred, taking on ominous forms.

Their presence, surging like a black wave, was terror itself.

“Nocturnes! It’s Nocturnes!”

“Be careful! Physical attacks don’t work on Nocturnes!”

“If you can’t use magic like us, at least imbue your weapon with aura!”

True to their nickname, Shadows of Despair, they were immune to physical attacks.

Only magic or aura-infused weapons could harm them.

The mages hurriedly began chanting spells.

As their runes glowed and floated in the air, the Nocturnes sensed them, emitting a sinister aura and radiating malice.

Ernst, you damned human!

Ernst, their target, was thoroughly prepared.

He had laid bait to lure them with his magical traces, waiting with a ship full of deadly monsters.

“The ship’s closing in! Prepare for battle!”

The Nocturne-laden ship approached with increasing menace.

“Everyone, battle stations…”

At that moment, a sharp voice cut through the wind.

“Vespera Inferno!”

It was time for the Calamity Witch to step in.