CH 376

Although the threat of war caused by the remnants of the demon world forces had not yet materialized, humanity found itself once more engulfed in fear of the demons, as they waged guerrilla warfare in various places.

Darkland was no longer a clearly identifiable base for these enemies.

Demons could suddenly appear anywhere, anytime, and launch attacks on humans.

Such fear was palpable across the entire continent.

The reason for this became clear when the students of the Temple, whose winter break had not yet ended, began returning.

"The students are returning."

"They must think the Temple is safe."

On a hill overlooking the Temple, which had become as crowded as during the school term due to the returning students who had gone home for the winter break, Epinhauser and I stood watching.

The majority of students who had returned home now thought that the Temple was safe, so they came back.

Unbeknownst to them, their greatest fear, the Demon King, was standing right in the middle of the Temple, looking down upon them.

Epinhauser didn't mock these students, nor did he reveal that I was the Demon King.

The fact that he had called me meant he had something to say.

"Several plausible theories about Akasha's function have emerged from the Order, but none are certain."

"I see."

Unless one sees Akasha directly or meets Cantus Magna, it is impossible to know what Akasha is.

"But one thing is certain: an artifact that infinitely records magic will never bring about a good outcome."

Extraordinary objects tend to bring about extraordinary events.

"In order to truly capture Cantus Magna this time, the Order plans to take an exceptionally great risk."

The Black Order didn't know what Akasha was, but they were determined to end the longstanding conflict.

"Will you cooperate?"

My answer to that question was already prepared.

"We are already on the same boat; what difference would it make?"

By joining hands with the Black Order, we would draw in Cantus Magna. Epinhauser quietly looked down at the hill below.

It was time to discuss how we would bring in Cantus Magna and the roles the Order and I, along with my forces, would play in this.

However, Epinhauser remained silent.

"It wasn't your doing, was it?"

"…No."

I knew what he meant.

The series of incidents related to the death of Duke Grantz.

People don't know what the Demon King wants, so they assume that anything could happen.

He attacked the Holy Knights out of the blue, and just as suddenly killed Riverrier Lanze.

So, it was possible that he would randomly attack the capital of a small southern country, and coincidentally kill the major investors of the merchant guild who happened to be in the outskirts of the city.

Epinhauser may or may not know about the revolutionary forces, but he would certainly know that the nature of this incident was different from those before.

It seemed he knew that it wasn't something I had done.

"Do you feel wronged?"

That question came not from the Black Order, but from my teacher.

In response to his question, I quietly looked down at the hill.

I saw numerous students who had returned to the temple for their remaining winter vacation due to this commotion.

"Well, I don't know."

What's the point of feeling wronged?

There are still many more things to deal with.

"So, what should we do now?"

"A tomb of a Lich has been discovered in the Darklands."

"A Lich?"

"Yes."

It was a sudden revelation.

"Adventurers will naturally flock to that area."

Adventurers in the Darklands were still scouring every corner of the region, and the cursed Tiamata had been discovered there.

The Lich's dungeon had been found during the process of discovering new treasures.

"Is it because Cantus Magna might covet the grimoires in the Lich's tomb?"

"It's possible, but a Lich couldn't have developed anything too extraordinary. Of course, it's a powerful mage that stands out from the ordinary. But it's probably not at the level that Cantus Magna would covet."

Seeing Epinhauser dismiss the Lich, I realized how deeply knowledgeable the Black Order and Cantus Magna were about magic.

"The important thing is that the tomb of the Lich was discovered two months ago, but it's been less than a week since it became known as the actual tomb of a Lich."

The first discoverers of the dungeon either died at the hands of the Lich or perished in the dungeon without even reporting the discovery.

The explorations continued in the direction where missing adventurers were, and only now the existence of the Lich's tomb was revealed by the adventurers who managed to survive.

"The Order plans to fortify the Lich's tomb."

"Fortify it?"

"Yes. They plan to make it known that something more powerful than a Lich resides there. They want to fabricate rumors of an even more mysterious and bizarre entity. They'll set up a maze barrier around the dungeon, cause strange phenomena, and release ominous summons, chimeras, and homunculi. They hope the adventurers will mistake it for the appearance of the legendary fictitious being, the Arclitch."

They're spreading bait.

The bait named Arclitch.

"Adventurers will swarm in, and some survivors will be sent away with tales of discovering grimoires that shouldn't exist in this world. Mysterious, but monumental discoveries."

"..."

Cantus Magna wouldn't covet a grimoire from a mere Lich's tomb.

That's why the Black Order sets a trap, making the discovered Lich's dungeon appear as the stronghold of a more powerful and dangerous being. The trivial books that miraculously surviving adventurers brought back would become groundbreaking discoveries in the world of magic.

It was a statement that they would artificially spread the knowledge of forbidden magic or secret techniques throughout the world.

A few books were brought, and it made one wonder what kind of magic or treasures lay dormant within their depths.

The rumors would undoubtedly spread far and wide, and it was clear that Cantus Magna would eventually learn of it as well.

"Wait. If that's the case, the problem isn't Cantus Magna, but other adventurers and wizards getting involved."

At these words, Epinhauser stared at me.

"I believe I mentioned it earlier; the Order has decided to take a considerable risk with this matter."

They were prepared for a multitude of adventurers to flock to the scene. They wouldn't concern themselves with the lives lost in the process.

Of course, adventurers blinded by the prospect of striking it rich and still venturing into the dangerous location were a problem in their own right.

However, until the true big fish, Cantus Magna, was caught, people would continue to die in the current structure.

The tomb of the Lich had been discovered.

But it was disguised to appear as if it belonged to an extremely powerful being, separate from the Lich.

"Then that tomb of the Lich... The situation must be quite strange."

Wouldn't it be bizarre for the Lich, who was minding its own business, to suddenly be swarmed by outside forces, with adventurers banging on its door while shouting about archliches and the like?

"There's no need to worry about that. It's already agreed to cooperate."

"Cooperate?"

"Yes, since the tomb requires an owner, we didn't kill it."

So they barged into the Lich's tomb and said, "Hey, we're going to use this place."

"Sure, make yourself at home (not their home)."

Was that how it went?

The Lich, who had no prior relationship with them, suddenly seemed pitiable.

"The tomb needs to be expanded, and the magical barriers and spells around the dungeon need to be adjusted. While we're discussing this, the Order is already working on it."

The goal was to reel in Cantus Magna.

The Black Order was even prepared to unleash numerous dark arts upon the world for this purpose. They planned to expand the Lich's dungeon and turn it into an even more complex and dangerous place than its original structure.

"It's like... operating a dungeon to lure in Cantus Magna."

"You could say that."

Dungeon operation, indeed.

Of course, it was the Black Order doing it, not me, but the means to achieve the goal seemed rather convoluted.

The tomb of the Lich was discovered, but they subdued the original owner, forcibly expanded the tomb, and made it even more dangerous, waiting for the real prey to arrive.

The moment the inner depths of the dungeon were exposed, the dungeon would lose its value. Hence, nobody could penetrate the heart of the dungeon. The dungeon would continue to draw in adventurers, and occasionally, let them escape with treasures.

However, during this process, there was a high possibility that not Cantus Magna but some other powerful group would dispatch an exploration party composed of strong individuals.

The Black Order, aware of the extreme danger of this endeavor, was still attempting to erase Cantus Magna from the world forever.

It was an incredibly perilous task that would draw the attention of the entire continent, and countless adventurers would lose their lives.

"But... wouldn't it be more convenient to disguise oneself as a genius with a vast amount of magic, or as a reclusive magician...?"

Is there really a need to follow such a path?

Wouldn't it be better to proceed as if a reclusive archmage has revealed himself? After years of research, he has developed countless spells. That way, there would be no need to attract unnecessary attention.

"Then, you'd be hunted down as a dark magician possessing numerous forbidden spells. You'd end up in a fight anyway, and the scale would be even larger."

"Ah."

Between treasure-seeking adventurers showing up one by one, and a reclusive archmage developing countless secret spells and then appearing in the world, the latter was far more dangerous.

The Mage could threaten to release his research materials, and if that were to happen, it wouldn't be just adventurers swarming, but entire mage guilds hunting him down.

Epinhauser's words that attracting attention as a human mage would lead to even larger-scale battles were eerily accurate.

The events of Darkland occurred beyond the boundary of the human world.

Due to that psychological distance, many humans would not care about whatever happened there.

But if a dangerous dark mage existed within the human world, they would frantically try to stamp it out, as if a fire had been set at their feet.

Epinhauser's perspective that constructing a dungeon would, in fact, lead to less bloodshed was somewhat understandable.

The Black Order would create a fake dungeon to lure people in.

However, this would be far more dangerous than a real dungeon and would contain powerful treasures.

But the Black Order wouldn't go through all this trouble just to suffer losses.

They must have something they wanted as well.

"First, if you have any magic that can influence the structure or external environment of the dungeon, we would appreciate your support."

"Yes."

"And the most important thing."

Epinhauser looked at me.

"Although the original owner of that place, the Lich, is a powerful mage and has agreed to cooperate with us, we need a strong force to be prepared for emergencies. The Order plans to station one person there, but it would be great if you could also lend us one person from your side. Think of it as having one person in charge of the dungeon from both our side and yours."

His words weren't wrong.

However.

In the end, they were discussing various matters without considering the homeowner's wishes.

It felt as if something more than just trash had been created.

"We'll discuss the matter."

The plan to involve Cantus Magna.

The fake dungeon operation.

It was unclear how this would turn out, but if they were to involve Cantus Magna, they needed the rumors to spread as quickly as possible.

And one person to act as the guardian of the dungeon.

But would there be someone willing to do that?

------

Fortress Epiaux.

"I will do it."

Antirianus readily accepted upon hearing the detailed story.

As soon as the Vampire Council was convened to discuss the matter, Antirianus immediately responded, leaving everyone else no choice but to be taken aback.

It was good that the Council convened just a day after Lucinil delivered the request for the assembly.

But didn't this make everyone else's effort seem wasted, except for Antirianus?

Eleris, Gallarush, Luruien, and Lucinil all stared intently at Antirianus.

Why are you like this again?

Their expressions seemed to say as much.

"…Isn't your decision too hasty?"

At my question, Antirianus chuckled and laughed.

"On the contrary, I think it's a very good opportunity."

"Good?"

Lucinil cocked his head.

"First of all, the idea of luring Cantus Magna by making an already existing dungeon even more dangerous than it's known to be is quite interesting. However, didn't you say we will ultimately throw numerous bait at them?"

The Black Order was willing to take risks and prepared to leak many secret scrolls and spells. And I was also willing to support them with any useful grimoires from the Demon King's bunker.

"With all those visions that will be used as bait, I don't understand why you wouldn't want this opportunity."

Ah.

So that's how he approached it.

"Black Order's visions… Of course, they might be limited in scope…"

Luruien nodded as if it made sense, and the others seemed convinced as well.

The dungeon administrator position wasn't a bothersome role, but rather a place where one could freely access numerous secret scrolls and visions that the Black Order would use as bait. Since they decided to throw those into the world anyway, there was no reason to prevent Antirianus from seeing them.

This place was not for dungeon guards, but rather for peering into the visions of the Black Order.

In other words, it meant there was no particular intention other than swiftly devouring them.

But really...

There was something subtly appealing about the excessive honesty, although it was still a bit off-putting.

Antirianus, could it be that you actually have no ulterior motives?

"Then I shall announce that the head of the Saturday clan will be in charge. The date and location for contacting the Order's member will be communicated later through the head of the Wednesday clan."

"I eagerly await that moment, O great being."

While bickering over who would take on the task, I had anticipated that, in the end, either Eleris or Lucinil would reluctantly have to do it.

However, the greedy old man willingly took on the responsibility, and the matter was resolved without further debate.