-Isn’t it still worth it to put up a fight?
‘…..’
-I can burn the flying arrows.
Mazdari thought what the spirit of Demonic Magic was saying was somewhat reasonable. However, he could neither kill all the soldiers lining up along the riverside nor get rid of them.
‘I would only be venting my anger.’
Additionally, Mazdari couldn’t help but notice the overly decorated Troll knight riding on top of the Elk in the back. The armor itself prioritized practicality, and the Troll wore a helmet that covered their face. However, the droplet-shaped shield hanging down the Elk’s side had a familiar crest drawn on it.
‘If that’s the pattern I know, it might be better to surrender.’
Mazdari raised both his arms, got on his knees, and said, “I surrender.”
He took off his belt and slowly put down the bag on his back. One of the soldiers came up to him and took the belt, the vials and sword attached to the belt, and the bag.
Mazdari stared at the soldier before looking up.
“But I’m still a dangerous man without those things. Do you think you’ll be alright?”
At those words, the Elk Knight who had caught Mazdari’s attention slowly rode up to him.
A low voice came from under the helmet.
“There’s no smaller threat than those who claim to be one.”
“Do you think I’m bluffing? I could roast you.”
The knight got off their Elk and walked forward without a word.
A man who seemed to be a vassal shouted to the knight, “I-It’s unwise to get close to him! He is a dangerous man!”
But the knight continued on without any hesitation. He then took off his helmet.
Trolls were never considered beautiful by any species’ beauty standards, but suffice to say this individual looked particularly horrific.
Mazdari succeeded in not showing any kind of expression when facing the Troll.
‘Only a courageous Garuda or a Lizardman warrior of Black Scale could refrain from running away.’
The Troll said, “I am the king of Asbestos, Delmardin Busa. You are the one that the Binding God had paid attention to. Alchemists always seek to compete against gods, so let’s put it to the test. Would you burn me with your power first, or would God punish you before that?”
This time, Mazdari couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘I only suspected him of being royal, but not the real Delmardin himself.’
-Hm. King or not. I’m looking forward to the competition he mentioned. What do you think, are you going to take the challenge?
‘You fool. My body will probably split into several parts before the flame even reaches Delmardin.’
The Binding God was the god of Asbestos, who used to be called the Intertwined God.
It was said that the god enjoyed giving divine punishments, which left the ones being punished in pieces; the bodies discovered in that state were proof of the belief. And upon further investigation, those bodies were often discovered to be real villains. That greatly influenced the development of the legal system and gave birth to a belief in severe punishment. But of course, the fact that they had God’s attention was one thing, it was a separate issue for the king to boldly go up to a cursed Garuda who had burned and killed many people at the risk of his life.
Perhaps things would be different if the king’s faith in God was closer to fanaticism, but Mazdari could see Delmardin’s intelligence in his eyes and his attitude.
‘He’s worthy of being called the head chief of the Trolls, grand duke of the northern continent, and king of Asbestos.’
-I don’t think it’s the time for admiration.
Mazdari reluctantly agreed with Rotten Hand.
Mazdari then said, “Let’s put off the test for next time.”
“Good thinking, Garuda Alchemist.”
“However, I do not understand why this is happening. Is it necessary to put in so much effort to catch a single alchemist? That the king of a country would take the matter into his own hand? When you have been leaving the Alchemist Tower alone until now?”
Delmardin replied, “I know that the alchemists hope for the outside world to dismiss their knowledge, but don’t you understand better than anyone how useful your discoveries are?”
“…Hm.”
“I’ve left the Alchemist Tower untouched until now not because you are useless, but because I didn’t want to disturb you. Just because people hate non-believers doesn’t mean we also have to hate the useful things you create, right?”
“You’re talking about gunpowder,” replied Mazdari.
“…..”
“I can tell you as much as you want about how to make gunpowder. And that technology has only just been discovered, so with more resources, it could be improved. No matter where you planned to use it.”
Delmardin shook his head.
“I’m not talking about gunpowder.”
“You’re not?”
“You wouldn’t have known this, but an alchemist had been secretly communicating with us. We already know how to make gunpowder. No, there’s something else we’ve learned of.”
Mazdari had assumed there was a traitor in their ranks.
The main reason the Alchemist Tower had been invaded by the knights of Asbestos was the drawbridge getting lowered in the middle of the night. The knights had then launched a secret attack. It would make sense for there to be a traitor, but the alchemists had no time to hunt the traitor down since they were all busy running away from the knights.
“Then what do you want? Do you simply wish to hunt down non-believers? Because your god demands it?”
“No,” Delmardin replied. “I want magic.”
Mazdari was bewildered.
Magic was knowledge only available to the high-ranking alchemists.
“Magic is not something you can obtain just because you want it.”
“There’s no need for me to have it. I don’t even know exactly what it is or care to know.”
“Then?”
“I simply need the power. Our informant believes that magic has the power to bring order to the world just like God. And the alchemists we’ve already captured said the same.”
“That’s just a superstition. Nothing but a myth from ancient times.”
“Don’t you alchemists believe in that ancient myth?”
Mazdari opened and closed his beak, making a soft click.
“So what you seek isn’t magic, but a wizard. A wizard who would do your bidding?”
Delmardin smothered a smile.
“Is it because you’re a Garuda? You catch on very quickly. All the other alchemists weren’t able to do so.”
“…What happened to the other alchemists?”
“They were all weak, so they died after saying a few words.”
Mazdari felt the urge to stand up and grab Delmardin by the neck.
The captured alchemists had suffered the notorious torture of the Trolls.
At the Alchemist Tower, the alchemists competed with each other in accordance with their own school of thought, and they didn’t share valuable knowledge such as magic with each other. However, there was never a case where their knowledge was taken by force. That was a rule. But now, the rule was broken by an outsider. 𝘪𝑎.
Delmardin then said, “Fortunately, they did give us information about those with the potential to become wizards. They said the best alchemist among them was certainly Mazdari.”
“Are you telling me to become a wizard?”
“I will give you all the knowledge we’ve gotten out of the alchemists we caught.”
“Then what?”
“You would use your power as a wizard to spread the greatness of Asbestos.”
“…..”
Becoming a wizard was certainly tempting. Even without Delmardin making the request, Mazdari planned to complete his knowledge by looking for alchemists across the continent if he succeeded in running away.
-Even if we have to demand too much. Haha.
Because the tower had collapsed, the rule of the tower no longer applied.
In the first place, Mazdari had thought that he had accumulated enough knowledge to be merely one step away from becoming a wizard. Only a few pieces were missing. And the distress made him more desperate. However, the reason Mazdari found the offer difficult to accept was not the part of him that was an alchemist, but the part of him that was a Garuda.
Delmardin said, “You will of course receive the right treatment for doing so. And come to think of it, you Garudas did help us Trolls a lot when we were establishing the country. Don’t you think this would be the chance to recover that honor?”
That should be good news for Mazdari, who had grown up outside the village because of his curse, but strangely enough, he didn’t find those words all that pleasant.
“Do I have time to think about it?”
“Do you think this is an offer? That you have another option?”
“Death is an option.”
Angered, Delmardin turned around with an expressionless face.
“Alright. But I can’t give you long because another wizard candidate like you has just escaped our land.”
Mazdari was tied up and put in the castle’s underground prison.
***
‘Would any alchemist be able to escape through this siege? Maybe Yan? Or Talay? If not them, then maybe Hwee Ravina Muel?’
-If you’re curious, call a guard and tell them you’ll become a wizard. That you will be a loyal servant to King Delmardin.
Mazdari’s beak clasped shut with a sound when he heard his left hand talking.
A guard passing through the passage glanced at Mazdari from the other side of the iron door before walking away.
-What about finding a way to escape? The window…is a bit too narrow, isn’t it?
Mazdari slightly looked up. The window in the ceiling seemed to be serving only one purpose: allowing one to tell if it was night or day. It would be difficult for even a child to get through.
-Or you may get through that iron door by melting it.
‘the Binding God may be watching.’
-Anything is fine. Just do something. I’m bored.
Mazdari mocked himself, saying that he didn’t know why he was born with such a damn hand. It was a thought he had frequently had since he became an adult.
‘Sorry, Rotten Hand. I don’t know why I’m overthinking either.’
-What? Have you lost your mind after being trapped in this small space?
‘I thought I would be able to do anything if I became a wizard…’
-Oh, well.
‘Can you just be quiet for a moment? I’m trying to think hard right now.’
-Fool, look at the window.
Mazdari raised his head again to look at the window. There was something there. At first, he couldn’t make out what it was because it was hidden by a shadow, so he simply assumed it was a person’s head. But that wasn’t the case.
“A…locust?”
But if that was the face of a locust, its body should not be so small.
Noting Mazdari’s surprise, the locust said, “It’s a bit strange to talk like this. I’ll go inside.”
The locust seemed to move away from the window. Then the sound of quick steps preceding a jump could be heard. The next moment, the locust entered the prison where Mazdari was.
Mazdari instinctively raised his left hand.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am a messenger of God.”
Mazdari lowered his hand and slowly examined the locust. It was dressed and standing on two feet, but the body covered by the clothes made Mazdari think of an insect’s muscles.
Mazdari asked, “You’re a messenger of God?”
The locust had teleported. While it had jumped, it was physically impossible for the locust to pass through that small window. It couldn’t be magic either. That left only Miracle.
“Yes. I am Hongo, one of the creations of Night Sky.”
“Night Sky? Are you talking about the god of Black Scale’s Lizardmen?”
“Yes.”
“Why would Night Sky…”
“His eyes are everywhere.”
Alchemists were non-believers, so they were able to freely learn about the different gods. Not many of the gods cast their gazes outside the regions they had conquered, while Night Sky’s region was known to be quite widespread. Stories about the power of Night Sky was only spread through word of mouth, but a few things were widely known: Lakrak, the first apostle of Night Sky, Sratis, the monster that represents Night Sky’s power, and Hongo, the desolate locust who managed the locust swarm.
“The Binding God used Delmardin to approach me, and Night Sky has sent their guardian. This isn’t Night Sky’s territory. Aren’t you afraid?”
“At least for this moment, the Binding God is not watching this place.”
“Are you certain?”
“Am I certain? Yes, I am. Because Night Sky said so.”
That was only the case because Sung-Woon had started an emergency call with all the players of the third continent. He couldn’t not take advantage of the period of time where none of the players were keeping watch on the continent.
Mazdari asked, “If you are a messenger, what have you come to tell me?”
“The prophecy of Night Sky.”
Mazdari’s curiosity was piqued.
“Tell me.”
“This is the prophecy. ‘You will become the wizard of Asbestos.’”
Mazdari laughed at those words.
“I would break your god’s prophecy if I escape this underground prison right now.”
“I was only able to sneak in because of the power God has given me. You cannot escape this place even though the Binding God isn’t watching. Moreover, there is more to the prophecy.”
“What is it?”
Hongo replied, “‘You, who becomes a wizard, will betray Asbestos.’ …That is the end of the prophecy.”
Updated from 𝑖𝘳.𝒸ℴ𝑚