Chapter 51: Rowene Dungeon(11)

“As the survivor reported, it appears the knight has been possessed by an evil spirit.”

The soldiers’ bodies had been cleanly cut, the kind of wounds only possible with an Aura-infused blade.

“…This will be a difficult fight.”
“Are knights that strong?”

Professor Pel nodded at Hans’s question.

“I’m not just saying this because I’m a mage, but magic is generally superior to swordsmanship. The range and versatility are incomparable. However… knights who have awakened their Aura are an exception.”

In terms of sheer killing power, mages couldn’t surpass knights. To Professor Pel, a knight’s Aura was no different from magic specifically designed for killing.

“If we go down there… we’ll inevitably have to fight him.”
“Will you be alright, Professor?”

Lucy asked worriedly. She knew that even a high-ranking mage couldn’t guarantee victory against a knight.

“I’ll be fine. You know the spells I taught you, Lucy. Defeating him might be difficult, but exorcising the possessing spirit shouldn’t be a problem.”
“…Understood. I’ll focus on support.”
“I’m counting on you. Hans, your job is to protect Lucy and Avalli. But don’t try to block his attacks directly.”
“Yes, sir.”

Despite being surrounded by corpses, all three were remarkably calm.

Professor Pel, a veteran, wouldn’t be fazed by such a sight. Lucy, fully aware of the dangers of a dungeon, managed to maintain her composure despite her fear. And Hans, having seen death since childhood, was accustomed to it. The peace of Asha Village was a recent miracle; before that, living in constant fear of demonic beast attacks had been the norm.

“And Avalli…?”

Professor Pel was about to give instructions to Avalli, but then he saw the girl’s hardened expression as she stood before the corpses and closed his mouth. Avalli was seeing Hans, cold and dying, in her mind’s eye.

‘Resurrecting them… is probably impossible.’

She had been able to save Hans because he was still alive, clinging to life. But these men, long dead, their souls departed… there was nothing she could do.

Even if she could, there was no reason to. She didn’t know them. Unless she intended to erase the very concept of death from this world, it was a line she shouldn’t cross.

But she couldn’t help but feel… disturbed. She was different from these three, who had lived in this world of swords and magic their entire lives.

‘…Am I, though?’

Death had always been a constant presence, even on Earth. She had simply been fortunate enough to be born in a peaceful country, shielded from its stench.

Avalli walked among the corpses, gently closing their eyes. It was a meaningless gesture, but she couldn’t help herself.

Having done what she could, she clasped her bloodstained hands together and prayed, as she had learned as a child during a single, reluctant visit to a church for a gift certificate, to whatever ‘god’ might exist.

When she opened her eyes, Lucy, Hans, and Professor Pel were looking at her with somber expressions.

“Let’s go down, Professor.”, “Yes. Avalli, you’ll provide fire support from the rear—”
“There’s no need.”

Avalli interrupted Professor Pel.

“I’ll finish this quickly.”

He was a creature of darkness. Having lost his physical body long ago, he lived as a spirit, possessing the bodies of the living. He had once ruled over half the continent. Fathers sacrificed their daughters, mothers their sons, brothers and sisters turned on each other, offering their lives as tribute.

Those who had yet to be possessed called him the Demon of Mist, their voices filled with dread. Defeated by humanity, he had been sealed underground for over a thousand years—

“But no more.”

A gleeful voice, a woman’s voice, echoed through the dungeon. The knight, Selenis, was now a vessel for the demon.

-Please… stop… stop…!

Selenis’s tormented voice cried out within his mind.

Remarkable willpower. Even weakened, the demon’s presence would have shattered an ordinary human’s mind.

“The blessing of the Dragon, I presume.”

Within Selenis’s inner world, a golden dragon fought desperately, its flames pushing back against the encroaching darkness, preventing the complete annihilation of her consciousness. But the dragon’s resistance was waning. Its flames were being smothered by the demon’s dark mist. Its once brilliant golden scales were now mostly blackened, corrupted.

Within hours, Selenis’s body and mind would belong entirely to the demon.

He would begin by possessing the adventurers gathered in Rowena.

Then, he would spread them across the continent, his influence growing, like a plague.

And then it would be over. The mist would cover the world, plunging it into an age of despair so deep that not even the sun could pierce it.

-As a knight, I will not allow such atrocities—!

The demon scoffed at Selenis’s defiance.

“If there were no darkness within you, I wouldn’t be able to possess you so easily.”
-“……”
“Born a bastard, hated by the world… don’t worry. Your wish will be granted soon enough.”
-“I… I…!”

Savoring Selenis’s confusion, the demon moved towards the deepest part of the dungeon. With such a strong vessel, he could break the seal binding his power.

“Hmm?”

He sensed intruders. The deep levels of the Rowena Dungeon, shrouded in the demon’s mist, amplified his senses.

Three intruders. One seemed powerful, almost on par with Selenis, but the other two were insignificant.

“New vessels, come to me willingly.”

The more vessels, the better. He didn’t know why they were here, but it was an opportunity he wouldn’t waste.

Selenis’s body shimmered and dispersed into the mist. He could now freely wield the powers of his vessel.

He appeared behind the intruders.

“Lucy! Get down!”
“What? Kyaa—!”

Lucy, the mage, didn’t react in time, but the young swordsman tackled her to the ground, just as the demon’s Aura-infused sword sliced through the air, missing her outstretched arm.

“…Well done, Hans.”
“…Is that… our enemy?”
“Yes. It is.”

Hans gulped, drawing his sword. His trembling legs amused the demon. The mage, still dazed and confused, was beneath his notice.

“Set.”

But the old mage was fast. With a single word, fifteen magic stones appeared, surrounding the demon.

Spatial magic.

The stones, each pulsating with a different type of mana, shimmered and distorted, still unstable from the teleportation.

“By the paths of the stars—!”

As the mage chanted, the stones began detonating in a chain reaction. The explosions seemed random—

—but their sequence was precisely calculated.

The cascading waves of mana, guided by Professor Pel’s will, formed constellations in the air. A nebula, symbolizing the dispelling of demons, lit up the dungeon. Even deep underground, where the stars’ influence was weak, the effect was significant.

Lucy, watching, was certain they would win. No evil spirit could withstand such an attack.

But—
They were up against a formidable foe.

“Impressive. Mages of your caliber were rare, even in my time.”

The demon said, seemingly admiring. But aside from slightly singed hair, he was unharmed.

“However… you lack foresight. I have fully merged with this vessel. Your power would have been better spent on a direct physical attack.”

Professor Pel was speechless. Those magic stones had been imbued with his mana for ten years. Amplified by the ritual, their power should have been devastating… yet, they hadn’t even scratched the demon.

He had underestimated his opponent. This was no ordinary evil spirit.

It was, as the mural had depicted—
a being far superior to humans—

“Hans, take Lucy and Avalli and run!”, “What?” , “Go back! Warn the Adventurers’ Guild!”

Professor Pel yelled desperately. Hans grabbed the girls’ hands, but—

“I’m alright, Hans.”

—Avalli pulled away and walked calmly towards the demon, who scoffed,

“Another one? I hadn’t noticed you. You’re so insignificant.”

He wasn’t interested in idle chatter, so he swung his Aura-infused sword at the girl without hesitation.

“…?”

—And the moment the blade touched Avalli, it stopped.

The demon stared at the blade, puzzled, then looked up at the girl, meeting her sparkling green eyes—