(EP-286.1) King #5

286 – Bandit King #5

Tefer, who had been maintaining a haughty and arrogant attitude, suddenly lost her composure.

━You traitor—!!!!

It was pure rage. The intensity of it made my skin tingle, raising the hairs on my arms, and the entire cave reverberated with the force of her unleashed magic.

━I’ll cut off your head, throw it into a pit, and spit on it—!!!

Even in this urgent situation, I wasn’t so discombobulated that I couldn’t guess why Tefer was so furious at Narmi, whom she had just met.

Solomon or some sort of spirit similar to his memory that resided within Tefer just remembered the betrayal of the Draco family.

Because of their betrayal, Solomon lost his crown in this very city of Big River, suffering a crushing defeat that forced him to retreat north.

Puduk, pudup-.

Tefer’s face was flushed, the veins on her forehead and cheeks bulging prominently. Her brown eyes were bloodshot, making them look vivid red.

With a face twisted like that of a demon, Tefer glared at Narmi and Stella.

━So, you’re descendants of Draco and Bellhawk. I will kill you and complete my revenge. I’ll use your deaths as the banner for a new beginning!

─Chain Lightning!

Kreunnngg!

Tefer unleashed lightning from her hands. It was an intense attack that could be described as a bundle or cluster of lightning rather than one single bolt.

The lightning surged in all directions, causing the ceiling and pillars of the cave to crumble, and sending the bandits into a panicked retreat.

━Mon, monster! Run away!

━Everyone, get out!

Of course, the Rank 5 great spell, Chain Lightning, did not spare them. It was a magic that destroyed indiscriminately, targeting Narmi and Stella.

If they were hit by that powerful magic, even Narmi and Stella would be scorched and lose their lives. Just imagining it made my head spin.

… So.

… Should I kill her instead of capturing her alive?

If someone were to die because of my hesitation and become a cold, lifeless corpse, could I bear it?

“Summon, Sarcophagus!”

At that moment, Narmi slammed her palm against the ground. Simultaneously, a black, solid-looking rock shot up from the cave floor, intercepting the lightning.

“Theo, we can hold our own here, so figure out what needs to be done!”

Narmi shouted from behind the black stone coffin. Her words snapped me back to reality. I didn’t need to worry, Narmi and Stella weren’t the kind to fall in a place like this.

With that reassurance, I focused all my efforts on crafting the perfect spell to take Tefer down.

The first attribute, destruction…

The second attribute…

Click, click—

In my mind, magic formulas and spells began to come together like fitting LEGO pieces. Originally, the exploration of magic and sorcery was done in silence and tranquility….

But I had the talent 《Calm Thinking》, which was always there to help me.

As I swiftly dove into my thoughts, all sounds ceased to reach me, and I was no longer disturbed by any tremor or chaos. I was able to focus entirely on my inner self.

Click, click—

Piece by piece,

I began to construct the circuit.

* * *

Feeling crushed by a heavy sea.

Tefer Berenus slowly opened her eyes.

The world she saw was chaotic, filled with confusion, making her want to look away.

Yet, it felt as if there was a glass pane separating her from reality, making it all seem distant and unreal. Perhaps it was because she lost her will to the ‘voice’ she had been hearing for some time.

How did it come to this…?

She couldn’t understand. All she had wanted was to improve her magic and meet the expectations of those around her.

━Tefer-yang, I heard you failed the evaluation again?

━It seems that reaching Rank 6 is going to take some time.

━Maybe your growth has stopped at the 5th rank… There have been many mages like that.

━Shh, don’t say such unlucky things. There’s no law that says our White Mage Tower couldn’t have a Rank 6, or even Rank 7 archmage.

When she closed her eyes, many whispers burrowed into her mind. The days when the expectations placed upon her weighed heavily on her shoulders.

The obligation to always be her best self in front of everyone… The feeling of stagnation, wondering if she was truly making progress towards Rank 6.

In that state of mind, Tefer recalled the magic she witnessed on the day of the Queen Contest.

It was more of a miracle than mere magic. Amid the sight of countless butterflies fluttering around, the beautiful Queen moved the hearts of the people.

Yes.

Magic was meant to move people’s hearts.

The truth that the White Mage Tower pursued. The path she, as the tower’s prodigy, should follow. The Queen of Angmar had already surpassed that and was reaching for something much higher.

It was when a person encountered a true wall that they finally stumbled and fell. Tefer realized that day she could never stand on the same stage as that person.

‘Why wasn’t I the one in that position?’

For the first time, she felt a wall—and jealousy.

Yes, amidst those unfamiliar emotions, the ‘voice’ whispered.

─Shall I help you?

Even though she knew she shouldn’t, Tefer was drawn in, like an ant attracted to honey. By the time she came to her senses, she was already entangled in something sticky.

It was all too late.

━I’ll cut off your heads and hang them from the highest banner in the Monarch City’s palace!

Words she didn’t want to say flowed from her mouth. All she could feel was endless rage, betrayal, and a desire for revenge. Nothing but a curse and a desire for destruction towards the world remained.

The murderous intent toward the women before her filled her mind with red. Just then, the voice echoed within her mind.

─Girl, didn’t you want to see the magic of a 6th Rank? Then let me show you. The grand massacre, the great magic that destroys everything.

Wooooooom-.

She could feel an endless surge of mana welling up within her body. The Rank 6 magic she had longed to reach was activating in her body.

It was everything she had ever dreamed of.

And yet, Tefer wanted nothing more than to close her eyes to everything. But her eyes were fixed as if nailed in place, unable to turn away from the unfolding horrors.

The only silver lining was that the mana within Tefer’s body was insufficient to fully withstand the Rank 6 magic.

━Tsk, this useless body. How lacking. Imps, give me your power!

At the voice’s command, the imps that had been lying around helplessly began to tremble once more.

The imps had already had their mana drained before. If they were forcibly drained again, it might even cost them their lives!

━Ah…! Someone is asking for our power again…!

━We must muster our last reserve…!

However, unaware of the grim reality, the imps began to channel their life force-like mana into their tails, sending it forth in obedience to the command of the king they served.

Kneeling with hands clasped together, they looked almost as sublime as monks praying. From this sight, anyone could understand what the Demon King represented to the imps.

‘I’m sorry…!’

Seeing the trembling imps filled Tefer with overwhelming guilt.

And then, it happened.

Edited by: faker