Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 331

Episode 331 Invitation (2)

Adrian, who lost his parents at a young age, was raised by his master.

For the first time in my life, I learned how to hold a sword.

He learned how to obtain food through hunting, and gradually developed his innate talents by training his body and mind.

For over ten years, in the Master's hideout, untouched by human footsteps… … That's why, from the moment he first came into the world, Adrian was strong.

A unique swordsmanship that uses speed itself as a weapon.

He also crossed swords with some of the renowned swordsmen of the central continent, but only a few responded to Adrian's swift swordsmanship.

He has absolutely no rivals among his peers.

But it wasn't without its drawbacks.

From childhood through late adolescence.

Because he had no significant contact with outsiders except his teacher, the foundation of his personality was fixed, and the narcissism typical of adolescence was mixed in with it.

The arrogance and confidence that was created in this way also played a part in the fact that it was not just empty boasting.

As a result, Adrian's social skills declined significantly.

A noble pride that dares not bow down.

Whether they are nobles, kings, or anything else, they have absolutely no respect and do not even show any courtesy.

The anecdote of him mocking and belittling a notorious powerful person in front of his face was once so famous that everyone knew it.

Naturally, the powerful were furious and retaliated, and on that very day they were all massacred by Adrian, disappearing from history.

These stories later helped him rise to the position of one of the four powers of the Central Continent.

The only person that Adrian follows is his master.

There is no master in the world at present.

But that empty space was not empty.

Because he had Verden, a comrade who shared the same goal as him and a benefactor who gave him another chance when he would have been used and died.

That is why I offered up my sword.

Adrian is his first blade.

Never bends.

“Didn’t you learn manners in school, Paladin?”

Adrian took a step closer.

Although Paladin was larger in stature, their eye levels were similar. As soon as their eyes met, the atmosphere froze.

The Paladin said firmly.

“You are not worthy of being treated with courtesy.”

Luasianism recognizes inequality.

Since all humans are not the same entity, there is no such thing as a completely horizontal and equal relationship in the world.

“Is that what is written in that great doctrine?”

“Be careful what you say. The doctrine of light that worships the goddess Luas is not a low principle that a human being who receives the grace of God can dare to denigrate.”

“That’s the same. No one would dare be rude to their lord. A mere paladin even less so.”

… … Just one thing?

The Paladin, who had been silent for a moment, clenched his fist.

“That habit needs to be corrected.”

“Are you overconfident in your own abilities? I won’t be able to achieve what you want, but if you still want to do it, I’ll give you the lead, Paladin. You won’t even brush past me anyway.”

The tension was heightened by a few words.

It's imminent.

A tense war of nerves that could explode at any moment.

If even the slightest stimulus were applied here, this old wooden building would not be able to withstand the two men's fight at all and would collapse in its entirety.

We can't just leave it alone.

Bishop Leila and Lena turned their heads to the side, unable to stand watching.

“If we continue like this, the friction will get worse. Wouldn’t it be better to stop it now?

“Hey, please do something about it……! You’re that person’s master……!”

“…….”

Verden, who had been receiving attention, looked straight ahead.

Of course, it would be best to avoid unnecessary conflict, but… … I had no intention of mediating.

To be honest, I didn't really like Paladin's tone.

And above all.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for me to come forward.”

"yes?"

Verden's wall eyes turned backwards.

After a while, the sound came closer and two people entered the building.

One paladin and one old man.

“You came sooner than I expected, gentlemen.”

It is a voice filled with compassion.

I'm not familiar with it, but I've heard of it.

“It’s nice to meet you again, Wizard Asher.”

Letia, the royal capital of Estiria.

At the Marquis of Esperance's mansion, Archbishop Joseph, who had been in a three-way meeting with the Dark Warton's magic tower master, smiled kindly.

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

There were two wanted posters on the table.

It contained a rough portrait and brief information.

[Honorary Count of the Kingdom of Estyria. A man in his 20s with gray hair and blue eyes. Accompanied by a man presumed to be an escort knight. Must be captured alive.]

[Bloodstain, Layla. Mithril-class adventurer. A woman who wears crimson full-body armor to hide her face, and has blond hair that reaches down to her waist. Age unknown. Whether alive or dead.]

The wanted objectives are the murder of Riverrun's mayor and Riverrun's guardian, and the kidnapping of Bishop Lena.

Other than that, there were charges such as blowing up or stealing city-owned ships, but nothing particularly noteworthy.

'There's no wanted poster for Adrian.'

Well, it's only natural that when he passed through the gates of Riverrun, he proved his identity with Verden's identity and didn't even show his face in the city.

Bishop Lena was not a criminal but a victim, so the same wanted notice was not issued for him.

Layla, who was nearby, stared blankly at the wanted poster.

“You must be captured alive. And I don’t care if you kill me… I understand, but it feels strange to see it. It’s my first time receiving a bounty from the country.”

Verden is a nobleman, even if it is an honor.

There was a condition attached that he must be captured alive, as it could easily escalate into an international conflict.

The decision was made that it was more important to clearly determine the truth of the incident rather than punish it.

On the other hand, Layla was relatively harsh.

'It can't be helped.'

Being a Mithril-grade adventurer is like proof of strength. The public's view is that you are not someone who can be captured so easily.

Of course, there is also the reputation that Layla has built up as an adventurer… …but it won’t have a big impact right away.

Of course, the leader of Riverrun's Adventurer's Guild must have intervened.

As someone who joined hands with the market and smuggled away the corpses of adventurers and Ainz, he would want those involved to die.

Anyway, as expected, a wanted notice was issued.

But there is something else that is important.

“It must have only been a short time since this wanted notice was created, but I didn’t know that the news would reach here already.”

It's not just because of the wanted poster.

From the beginning, Paladin greeted Verden and his party as if he had been waiting for them.

It is clear that the carriage that Verden is moving is faster than the wanted posters are being distributed… … The transmission of information is abnormally fast.

Archbishop Joseph answered Verden's reasonable question.

“I can say that it is a miracle given by the god Luas. Just as magical power embodies infinite mystery, the divine power that the gods possess truly creates miracles.”

Is it possible to communicate from a distance using divine power or religious artifacts?

It wasn't that surprising.

It is also possible to exchange information over long distances through magical powers such as some artifacts or magical items.

The problem is that popularization has failed miserably due to several fatal factors.

Anyway, since he was an archbishop, it was natural for him to have something.

“By the way, I didn’t know I would meet you like this. Judging by the circumstances… I think you might be deeply connected to the request I made to Leila. Is that right?”

Leila nodded.

“It was a coincidence that I met Asher. And at the time, due to surveillance, it was difficult to proceed with the request, so I had no choice but to ask for his help.”

“Is that so? The recent coincidence in Kylians… This too must be the guidance of the goddess.”

Joseph placed both arms on the table.

“As requested, I would like to hear in detail what happened in Riverrun, Leila. Including the curse that is encroaching on Bishop Lena’s right hand.”

* * *

Although the situation was complex, the report was not cumbersome.

As a veteran adventurer, Rayla was good at summarizing the main points and explaining them by cutting out the side branches.

Bishop Lena added her perspective as a bishop.

“…….”

Joseph looked closely at Bishop Lena's hand.

A more sacred and vast light than that of the superior bishop slowly seeped into the curse, illuminating all directions. Bishop Lena's shoulders flinched at the tingling sensation.

Soon, the divine power slowly subsided.

“It leaves a mark by relying on divine power… I can guess what kind of curse it is.”

“Excuse me, Archbishop… This isn’t a dangerous curse, is it?”

“If it had been a priest who did not possess the same level of divine power as a high-ranking bishop when he was possessed by the divine power, his flesh and bones would have melted and he would have died instantly, but he overcame the crisis. Fortunately, it was Bishop Lena who lifted the curse on the mayor.”

“Eek……!'

I almost died.

Bishop Lena hiccupped at that fact.

He did what he had to do as a senior bishop.

That's why I didn't regret anything, but I still didn't want to die.

There were more days left to live than there had been in the past, and it was difficult to be proud of a life that was clean and upright enough to be confident that I could go to the side of the god Luas right away.

She was still immature.

Leila asked.

“Then can you do it safely?”

“Of course. If you have time, you can erase it cleanly right away. So you don’t have to worry about the curse.”

“That’s what you say. That’s fortunate, Bishop.”

"yes……."

Bishop Lena took a small breath.

If it had been normal, I would have rolled on the floor and sobbed, but I couldn't act lightly in front of Archbishop Joseph.

I felt like I was going to faint from the unfamiliar tension.

Archbishop Joseph stood up.

“Leira, Bishop Lena, Asher, and the nameless person, thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you, we were able to learn about the corruption that occurred in Riverrun and even cut off the roots that were visible. As for the wanted notice, if you wait, the Luas Church will take care of it later.”

With this, Leila's request ended.

But Joseph's business still remained.

“Asher, can I talk to you for a moment?”

* * *

We took a leisurely stroll through the center of town with Verden and Joseph.

The two Paladins and Adrian escorted them closely from a distance without causing any disturbance.

Joseph spoke as only the sound of footsteps could be heard.

“Do you know why I called you aside?”

“I think it’s because of the glory of the corpse.”

Verden's guess soon proved to be correct.

“I guessed so.”

Joseph, who had been smiling, soon erased his smile.

“Since the undead incident in the Kingdom of Estyria last year, our Luasian Church has been secretly pursuing the glory of the dead. We knew that leaving the evil warlock group alone would eventually lead to countless innocent deaths. Following their trail led us here to Kylians.”

“Are you talking about the influx of Ainzar?”

“Yes, look at this.”

Joseph took out a white stake.

It had a rough surface and was large enough to be completely covered by a human hand. I couldn't tell what it was, but it gave off a sense of discomfort.

“This is a stake made of black magic that infuses life force. When under its influence, literally all physiological activities become several times more active than before. Even eating food… and reproducing.”

This was first discovered in the body of the Goblin Mother.

One of the highest species of goblins, they have poor combat abilities but are extremely dangerous as they can give birth to dozens of goblins at once every few days.

If we leave it alone, the forest will become the property of goblins.

A stake was driven into the back of the Goblin Mother's neck.

The reproductive ability that the Adventurer's Guild had already considered dangerous has now become several times stronger. The aftermath can be described as terrifying.

“There are three stakes like this that have been discovered so far. So the number of subhumans that will appear in Kylians in the future will be significantly reduced, but there will still be subhumans with stakes stuck in them in that forest. I’ve dispatched a paladin there, so they’ll end soon.”

Verden listened to Joseph.

Why did the glory of the corpse flood the Ain race, why did it control the market of Riverrun and transport the corpses of Ain race and adventurers somewhere… …

Naturally, various questions arise.

But there was something else I was really curious about.

“Why are you telling me that?”

“That’s because you can’t be called an outsider. Your magic played a big part in driving away the glory of corpses from the kingdom. And helping Bishop Leila and Lena.”

I just told you because I was an associate and an assistant.

Of course that won't happen.

For that reason, the Archbishop of the Luas Church would not easily reveal information that does not need to be said.

There is something hidden.

And there are things I want too.

Joseph noticed Verden's gaze and stopped walking.

“……The curse hanging over Bishop Lena’s hand is an ancient curse known as the <Brand of the Watcher>. Its effect literally allows one to confirm the existence of the other person through their life force.”

“……Does that mean we might be attacked at any moment?

“It’s ambiguous to call it a simple attack. There are many things that are absurd and incomprehensible to say that they targeted me, the Archbishop, in this way.”

At that moment, Joseph turned his gaze outside the village.

Almost simultaneously, Verden's senses also reacted strongly.

“I think we’ll find out soon.”

A sense of death is felt outside the village.

The undead are coming.