Chapter 119

“This, what is this…!”  

The Marquis stammered in shock, stepping backward in panic. However, he was unable to move further as he was blocked by the knights entering the room.  

“What is the meaning of this insolence?! The guards—where are the guards…!”  

“They’re gone. Already dealt with them.”  

Why would they leave such nuisances behind? It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.  

The Marquis’s face turned pale as he anxiously glanced around, clearly unprepared for this situation.  

“Marquis. Where is the dark sorcerer?”  

“D-dark sorcerer? I don’t know what you mean.”  

“Don’t even think about denying it. You reek of dark magic—it’s practically suffocating.”  

Taltos pressed his blade against the Marquis’s throat.  

“Hiik!”  

“So, where is the dark sorcerer?”  

As Taltos pushed the blade closer, the Marquis hastily opened his mouth.  

“I-I really don’t know…!”  

Feigning ignorance until the end.  

He looked so genuinely aggrieved that anyone else might have thought the knights were falsely accusing him.  

Shaterian regarded the Marquis with a curious expression.  

“Is there really a reason to protect the dark sorcerer so desperately? What is it that ties the fate of the Marquisate to them?”  

“……”  

The Marquis firmly shut his mouth. For someone who had been denying everything moments ago, his gaze now carried a heavy weight as he stared at Shaterian.  

If he was doing this solely for the sake of the Marquisate, his resolve was almost admirable.  

However, misplaced loyalty could be just as dangerous as betrayal.  

“Whatever deal you’ve made with the dark sorcerer, do you truly believe they’ll fulfill your wishes? If you do, that’s an incredibly foolish belief.”  

“……”  

The Marquis remained silent, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.  

It didn’t matter what kind of agreement he had made with the dark sorcerer. Shaterian only needed to know the sorcerer’s exact location.  

“Where is the dark sorcerer? And what about the missing workers?”  

“If you’ve come for Duke Astrea, you’re already too late.”  

“Too late? What do you mean?”  

The Marquis’s smirk deepened as Shaterian’s expression hardened.  

“By now, he’s likely become the sorcerer’s sacrifice.”  

At that moment, the ground began to tremble, and the air filled with the ominous energy of dark magic.  

In an instant, the Marquisate residence was engulfed by dark magic.  

A chilling sensation swept through the area, reminiscent of the eerie Haltonea Forest.  

Keeyaaak—!  

The cry of monsters echoed through the air.  

Turning her head quickly, Shaterian saw a massive wormhole forming outside. From it, monsters poured out in droves.  

“It’s a wormhole connected to Haltonea Forest…”  

The knights swiftly moved into position, engaging the monsters.  

“This, what is this…?”  

The Marquis was visibly flustered. It seemed this wasn’t something he had anticipated.  

“I was right, wasn’t I? You made a deal with the dark sorcerer for the sake of your territory, but the sorcerer never cared about the Marquisate in the first place.”  

“What do you… what do you know…! Ugh… Guh…!”  

Suddenly, the Marquis collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. Dark magic swirled around him.  

Shaterian drew the World Tree’s sacred blade and stabbed the Marquis.  

The dark magic constricting his throat dissipated as it was purified, and the Marquis lost consciousness.  

The sounds of the knights battling the monsters echoed from outside.  

If the dark sorcerer wasn’t stopped soon, the monsters would wreak havoc on the Marquisate, causing irreparable damage.  

Shaterian searched the unconscious Marquis’s belongings. The sudden surge of dark magic had to have been triggered by something in his possession.  

As expected.  

Inside his jacket was a magical artifact. It was similar yet distinct from the ancient artifact capable of spatial teleportation.  

Shaterian was certain—this artifact allowed travel to the dark sorcerer’s location.  

Magical artifacts typically required mana to activate.  

However, recalling what had happened with Eched, it seemed mana wasn’t an absolute requirement for using such artifacts.  

That left divine power as the only alternative.  

“Orgon.”  

Just as Shaterian extended the artifact toward Orgon—  

Crash—!  

Keeyak—!  

A monster broke through the window, entering the building. The ground shook as another monster charged in.  

Instinctively, Shaterian unleashed her divine power, gripping her sword tightly.  

The artifact in her hand began to glow, activating itself.  

“Wait…!”  

Darkness enveloped her vision.  

The last thing she saw before being consumed by the black void was Orgon being thrown backward by the force of the dark magic.  

Endless darkness spread before her.  

In that abyss, Shaterian stood alone.  

“Hah…”  

She stretched her legs, standing up from her crouched position.  

The alien space around her felt unreal, almost as if it were a dream.  

Looking around, she realized she was no longer in the Marquis’s office.  

She walked forward, stepping into the void.  

She walked and walked until, eventually, the darkness lifted.  

Before her lay a village surrounded by lush greenery.  

The village seemed peaceful.  

A clear blue sky, white clouds drifting lazily, a cool breeze rustling the laundry hanging on clotheslines, and the laughter of children playing in the open square.  

This… what she was seeing… it was definitely not reality.  

It felt like watching a well-crafted movie rather than experiencing something firsthand.  

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a spatial teleportation artifact…?”  

If it was showing visions like this, it had to be some form of mental manipulation or illusion.  

But for an illusion, the scene was too tranquil.  

That thought was quickly proven wrong.  

Suddenly, monsters appeared out of nowhere, attacking the villagers and turning the peaceful town into chaos.  

This… this was undoubtedly the monster incident that had occurred two years ago.  

Shaterian realized she was witnessing a memory from the past.  

The monster rampage had destroyed countless villages and claimed thousands of lives.  

The village was reduced to ruins.  

Amidst the rubble of wood and stone, someone emerged.  

It was Masetike.  

‘Mother… Father… Viviana…’ 

Masetike collapsed in front of the ruins of his home, sobbing uncontrollably.  

The scene wavered as if resonating with his emotions.  

Was this Masetike’s memory?  

Or was it an illusion created by the artifact?  

The scene shifted abruptly, revealing Masetike cloaked in a robe.  

‘Follow me. I will grant you your revenge. I will restore your world.’  

It wasn’t the sweet temptation of a dark sorcerer.  

Masetike had willingly embraced dark magic without anyone’s coercion.  

‘Awaken me. Destroy those you despise.’

Guided by the whispering voice, Masetike retrieved the corpse of a dark sorcerer who had died 300 years ago.  

The scene changed again, showing a new village.  

A magic circle marked the peaceful village. As the incantation was recited, the activation of dark magic drained the lives of the villagers.  

‘It’s not enough, it’s not enough.’

The greedy dark sorcerer demanded more blood. He sought stronger and purer souls.  

Masetike followed the sorcerer’s commands.  

It was as if he had surrendered both his body and soul to the dark sorcerer.  

The sorcerer’s laughter echoed throughout the space.  

Masetike’s cries mixed with the laughter, creating a deafening noise.  

Shaterian felt dizzy.  

She staggered, using her sword as a crutch to steady herself. When she finally regained her composure, all the visions vanished, and she returned to reality.  

She was no longer in the Marquis’s office.  

Before her stood a massive temple adorned with an eye-shaped symbol and stairs leading inside.  

It was the Temple of Dark Magic—the dark sorcerer’s lair.  

‘Found it.’  

Her momentary relief was short-lived.  

Inside the temple, she was greeted by a horrifying sight.  

Masetike stood atop an ancient magic circle meant to summon a demon.  

Beneath him lay Eched and countless others, collapsed.  

Each step she took splashed through the blood pooled from countless sacrifices.  

“You’re here?”  

His tone was casual, as though greeting an old friend.  

“You’re here?”  

A dry laugh escaped her lips in disbelief.  

Masetike chuckled, as if thoroughly entertained.  

“Is this what you came for?”  

He lightly kicked Eched’s limp body.  

Eched had lost consciousness entirely, a clear sign that Masetike had done something to him.  

“So, how did it feel to peek into my memories?”  

As she suspected, the visions weren’t mere illusions—they were Masetike’s memories.  

Through the dark magic, she had glimpsed his past.  

“One thing’s clear—you’re nothing more than a puppet for a dark sorcerer who doesn’t even have a body.”  

Masetike simply smirked.  

“What are you planning to do with this magic circle? Summon an ancient demon?”  

“No. I’m going to resurrect the dark sorcerer into this world.”  

“What…?”  

If the dark sorcerer were resurrected, the world would face its end.  

“You…”  

Shaterian fell silent. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything.  

Masetike’s goal was clear—he wanted the world to end.  

“My family was my entire world. When I lost them, my world turned upside down in an instant. I can never forgive those who destroyed my world. Ah, of course, that includes you, Shaterian.”  

“You’re not the only one… whose world has been turned upside down.”  

Once, when her parents died in an accident during her childhood, and again, when she regained her memories of her past life, Shaterian had experienced her world being shattered twice.