Chapter 41: A Battle Between Wizards

Cipher's explanation far exceeded Natalie's wildest expectations.

First, there was the question of whether Cipher "dared to kill." While some individuals in this world lacked the courage to take a life, Natalie saw no trace of such timidity in the Catgirl before her.

Next, Natalie pressed, "You claim you want to kill Viscount Braun to avenge a friend? Who is this friend? What was your relationship?"

Cipher looked puzzled by the question but replied, "Her name was Cassie. I met her—just an ordinary person—while passing through a village. As for our relationship... I suppose you could call it that of a homeowner and a guest?"

Natalie fell silent for a moment before asking, "You're serious about wanting to kill Viscount Braun over this? Are you being serious?"

"Of course," Cipher replied. "I promised her I'd find her killer."

Natalie stared at her in disbelief. "...This is beyond absurd."

It was the height of absurdity. A person who had never taken a life, bound by a promise to a stranger she'd met only once, was about to assassinate a powerful Noble?

In this world, even the most ruthless outlaws who killed without blinking would think twice before targeting a Noble. Firstly, the ingrained social hierarchy meant that ordinary people rarely dared to defy the aristocracy. Secondly, Nobles wielded immense power, and any act of aggression would inevitably invite swift and brutal retaliation.

Natalie's reckless pursuit of vengeance stemmed from having lost everything, leaving her with nothing to fear. Cipher, however, radiated a profound indifference, as if Nobles and commoners were indistinguishable in her eyes. The Catgirl showed not a shred of reverence for the nobility.

Cipher's reluctance to kill wasn't due to cowardice; it was simply because "every journey begins with a first step." She had never done it before, and that was all.

She had only been in this world for less than a month, so everything felt foreign, almost dreamlike, with an unreal, illusory quality.

Apart from Aria and a few others, she was indifferent to everyone else. It was like playing Grand Theft Auto: when you're speeding down a sidewalk, do you care if you run over an ordinary person or a billionaire? What difference does it make?

Natalie pursed her lips, deciding not to press further. Cipher then said, "Alright, I know this place like the back of my hand. I'll take you to Viscount Braun."

-

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to the gates of Stone Pine City, where Lucien, perched on his brother Meatball's shoulders, had relentlessly pursued his quarry.

After returning to the mountain cave, Lucien meticulously searched every nook and cranny, only to find that every scrap of usable undead material had been completely destroyed.

Just as Lucien's rage reached a boiling point, he made another shocking discovery: the Death Array he had painstakingly prepared for five years had also been ruined. The realization hit him like a grenade detonating in his skull. For a moment, everything went silent, as if the world itself had muted.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Consumed by unbridled fury, Lucien completely lost his composure. Tracking Feidric to Stone Pine City using the lingering stench he had left behind, he was now charging straight toward the Adventurer's Guild.

With each earth-shaking step of the colossal Flesh Golem, the ground trembled slightly. The commotion quickly drew the attention of patrolling guards. After all, necromancers could typically enter the city without issue—just throw on a cloak and hood, and no one would question your identity.

The problem was, you couldn't just waltz into town with a horde of undead, skeletons, or zombies!

Fine, Lucien hadn't brought skeletons or zombies. Instead, he brought something far more terrifying: a Flesh Golem. As several guards cautiously approached, Lucien didn't hesitate. He commanded the Flesh Golem to raise its massive fist. Before the horrified guard could react, the golem slammed its fist down with a deafening boom.

One strike was all it took to crush the guard into a grotesque "meat pancake." Weapon, leather armor, flesh, and bone—everything fused into a single, indistinguishable mass. Dense cracks spiderwebbed across the ground from the point of impact, radiating outward like tendrils.

The horrifying spectacle shattered the remaining guards' morale. This was no ordinary monster they could hope to fight!

"Run! Get out of here!"

"Save me!"

The surviving guards turned tail and fled in terror. Lucien had no intention of pursuing them; his goal was clear. Continuing to follow the stench, he arrived at the Adventurer's Guild.

The Adventurer's Guild was practically deserted. Most adventurers had accepted quests to hunt down the Black Knight, and the receptionist, witnessing the chaos, had fled without hesitation. Only Aria, Douglas, and Feidric remained.

But they had no intention of running. When Lucien arrived at the guild's entrance, the first thing he noticed was the cleared-out main hall. All the tables and chairs had been pushed into the corners, leaving the vast space eerily empty.

In the very center of the hall stood a single chair, where Feidric sat calmly, his gaze fixed on the Necromancer at the door. Aria and Douglas stood beside him, weapons drawn, their expressions tense with vigilance.

Perhaps fueled by fury, Lucien broke into a wide grin when he saw that Feidric and his companions hadn't fled, but were instead silently waiting for him.

Lucien didn't attack immediately. He scanned the room, then, noticing only three people, sneered, "Where's that damned wildcat? Did she abandon you to save her own skin?"

Since Lucien didn't know who had destroyed the Death Array, most of his hatred remained focused on Cipher.

"Who knows? Maybe she's lurking in some corner, waiting to ambush you," Feidric said casually, though he genuinely had no idea where Cipher had gone. Not that it mattered. He pulled out Franklin's diary and deliberately waved it in front of Lucien's face. "I'm curious, why did you betray your teacher? He lifted you out of obscurity, saved you from a life of farming, taught you magic, and made you a Wizard. What were you thinking?"

The sight of the diary sent Lucien into a furious tirade. "So it was that damned old bastard all along! I wondered how you found the cave and destroyed the Death Array. It was all him, wasn't it?!"

Lucien roared, "As for why I betrayed him? Because the Death Array's effects can only be enjoyed by one person! I'm no saint, but do you really think that old fool is any better? He left the Arcane Federation and came to this backwater town specifically to set up the array, knowing no one would care if commoners like us died!"

Franklin's research focused on "extending lifespan." His modified Death Array, once activated, would absorb the life force of living beings within a certain radius. If this life force could be harnessed, wouldn't it effectively prolong one's lifespan?

Feidric shook his head. "No, you're projecting your own pettiness onto a noble mind. Your teacher never intended to activate the Death Array. He was purely focused on researching lifespan extension as an academic pursuit, with no personal ambition to prolong his own life."

After all, within the Necromancy School, there were countless ways to cheat death and cling to existence. Franklin himself possessed the means to transform into an Undead Creature, yet he never pursued this path, even until his final moments.

Perhaps if Lucien had delayed his betrayal, he would have discovered that Franklin had already destroyed the completed Death Array and left the country to return to the Arcane Federation. As Franklin's student, Lucien would likely have followed him there to continue his advanced studies.

But the world doesn't work with ifs. By the time Lucien killed Franklin, the Death Array was complete and ready to activate. Driven by greed, Lucien had spent the past five years collecting corpses to enhance the array's range and effectiveness. He reasoned, "If I'm going to extend my life, why not extend it as much as possible?"

Hearing Feidric's words, Lucien froze, his expression shifting to disbelief. "Ha? No, I don't believe it! How could that be possible?! Damn it, even now you're trying to deceive me?!"

Lucien pointed at the trio. "Go! Crush them!"

Meatball immediately charged forward, its heavy footsteps pounding the ground as it surged toward Feidric. Aria and Douglas, standing beside Feidric, rushed to intercept.

Simultaneously, Lucien began chanting an incantation, while Feidric unfurled a Magic Scroll—one of the scrolls Cipher had stolen from the mountain cave.

Seeing this, Lucien couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Most of those scrolls are Necromancy spells. This is undoubtedly the worst possible choice!

Lucien had long since transformed himself into an undead creature, rendering ordinary necromancy ineffective against him. Even the most potent Fifth-Circle spell from the scrolls, Negative Energy Flood, posed no threat to his body, which was already saturated with negative energy. What did he have to fear?

As Lucien finished chanting, a bolt of green light erupted from his hand and hurtled toward Feidric: the Fourth-Circle spell Wither. This spell could instantly drain a target's body of moisture, causing lethal damage. For example, if it struck someone's arm, the limb would instantly shrivel into a mummified husk, like that of a long-dead corpse, the dehydration process inflicting excruciating pain.

At that moment, Feidric tore open his own scroll... but nothing happened.

The Wither spell passed straight through Feidric and slammed into the ground. Simultaneously, Aria and Douglas's initial attacks against Meatball also passed harmlessly through empty air.

All illusions! A Third-Level spell from the Illusion School: Mass Illusion!

This was one of the scrolls Cipher had stolen. The illusionary rock formation at the cave entrance, which had persisted for five years without fading, clearly demonstrated that Franklin wasn't just a necromancer; he was also a master of Illusion School magic.

As the illusions dissipated, Lucien sensed an overwhelming surge of magical power, so potent it nearly overflowed and permeated the surrounding air. He immediately turned to his left and spotted Feidric slumped in a chair in the corner of the hall, five or six empty vials scattered across the table beside him.

Magic potions, designed to replenish a Wizard's magical reserves, were normally consumed only when their power dwindled after prolonged combat. Yet Feidric had drained so many vials despite his reserves already being overflowing.

Slowly extending his right hand, Feidric's body strained under the weight of the excess magic power—all channeled into a single spell. He pointed at Lucien and whispered, "Contingency! Disintegrate!"

The immense magical power vanished instantly, coalescing into the spell and erupting forth.

A slender beam of crimson energy struck Lucien in the blink of an eye. As it did, a gem at his waist glowed, momentarily conjuring a protective shield around him. But the shield vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Crack! A spiderweb of fractures appeared across the gem's surface.

(TL Note: Technically Feidric is a Wizard but Ive been calling him a mage. Will try to stick with wizard more from now on, but I feel they are pretty similar.)

Feidric's Character Sheet:

Name: Feidric Herodotus Leonard

Gender: Male

Class: Wizard (Abjuration School/Transmutation School) (Level 7)

Attributes:

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 9

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 18 (Primary Attribute)

Wisdom: 12

Charisma: 10

Wizard (Abjuration School/Transmutation School) Class Skills: Meditation, Mastery of Abjuration, Reflective Abjuration, Pharmaceutical Novice

Spells Known:

Cantrips: Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Purify

1st-Level: Shield, Alarm, Feather Fall, Longstrider, etc.

2nd-Level: Arcane Lock, Enlarge Person, Reduce Person, Negative Energy Protection, Absorb Elements, Mind Barrier (protects against the Black Knight's Soul-Piercing Gaze), Detect Illusion, etc.

3rd-Level: Counterspell, Haste,Glyph of Warding

4th-Level: Banishment

6th-Level: Disintegrate (Temporary)

Feidric's Special Abilities: Dual Genius, Enhanced Learning