Chapter 1219

The Death Knights who arrived late whispered among themselves in confusion.

-Even so, after accomplishing this much, sending him to the punishment room seems a little...

"He absolutely has to go."

-?!

The knights flinched at Professor Garcia's ominous voice from behind them.

Having cast great magic until just moments ago, Professor Garcia's face was deeply marked by exhaustion.

But their eyes alone blazed with fury toward the disobedient disciple.

"If the principal favors him and doesn't send him to the punishment room, I'll submit a complaint to His Highness the Inspector. If His Highness the Inspector favors him and doesn't send him to the punishment room, I'll submit one to His Majesty the Emperor."

-To tell the truth, I was thinking he ought to go to the punishment room as well, Professor. If you only cherish him, he won't be able to grow.

-Exactly! Sometimes a sharp stroke of the rod is necessary too.

The Death Knights immediately reversed their position.

During this expedition against the evil god, they had taken the successor's side far too much.

It was about time they started appeasing the professors before they exploded.

And frankly, it was also true that the successor had behaved a little too recklessly during this expedition.

They could say this now that everything was over, but he had charged in on his own, followed them on his own, used dangerous microcosm magic on his own...

Perhaps going to the punishment room, cooling his head, and reflecting on his actions really would help.

'I can just say I opposed it.'

'I can say the professors told us to put him in there.'

The Death Knights were indeed seasoned. Even while agreeing, they had already prepared ways to absolve themselves.

Everyone fought bravely.

The Yaksha King arrived last.

The battle against the evil god rampaging in madness had inflicted considerable damage even on the Yaksha King. The king tore off and discarded pieces of shattered, scorched armor and spat out dead blood.

Your arm is ruined. Don't overexert yourself for about a month.

The Yaksha King took Professor Voladi's arm, which had been mangled by magic, and invoked a healing Authority.

Professor Voladi pointed at the disciple with the other hand.

"Please take care of Wardanaz first."

"I'm fine. There's no rush."

Don't worry, professor of Einroguard.

After finishing the healing, the Yaksha King pointed behind Lee Han.

Disciple of Osu. Look over there.

"?"

Lee Han turned his head. His vision was dark and red, so he could not see well.

What's there?

Thud!

With one clean punch, the Yaksha King knocked Lee Han unconscious.

Unlike the professor's injury, the disciple of Osu will recover better if he is kept unconscious.

Professor Voladi's injury was actually easier to heal.

The shattered arm looked horrific, but conversely, that meant only one arm needed to be regenerated.

As an experienced combat mage, Professor Voladi had calculated everything even when pushing beyond the limit.

The disciple of Osu, on the other hand, was still inexperienced and had rampaged without thinking about what would happen afterward.

The Yaksha King's earlier healing had not been complete.

Yet despite that, the moment Lee Han thought he had recovered, he had repeatedly activated <Microcosm, Dunamis> and abused himself again.

Since the strain on both body and soul was severe, it would be best for him to rest thoroughly for a while.

"You're absolutely right."

Professor Garcia promptly hoisted the fallen disciple over one shoulder.

Tell Osu that Dunamis should be forbidden to him for a while. The disciple of Osu lacks self-restraint.

"...You could have said that before he used it."

Professor Garcia could not hold back.

The Yaksha King was pretending ignorance, but it was obvious that the king had already pictured most of what would happen during this expedition against the evil god.

Then we wouldn't have been able to kill the evil god for certain.

"......"

"......"

This bastard?

The professors stared holes into the Yaksha King.

They were beginning to understand why this king was so unpopular across multiple dimensions and why the Skull Principal seemed to be the only person who could be called the king's friend.

The energy of the domain is returning. I'll order the yakshas to plant Udumbara flowers. That should purify it even faster.

Their anger had not subsided, but at the Yaksha King's words, the professors looked around at the bleak scenery of the domain.

Now that the master who had governed the domain was dead, this would likely be the last time they ever saw this landscape as it was now.

Professor Garcia thanked their companions and the Yaksha King.

"It may be late to say this, but everyone truly worked hard."

"Not at all. Thank you for coming with me instead of abandoning Voladi, Professor Kirmin."

"Thank you, every..."

Wait.

The Yaksha King cut them off. The professors looked at the king with displeased expressions.

Why ruin such a warm moment?

It isn't all over yet.

"What? Are there remnants left??"

Professor Garcia's eyes widened in surprise.

Could any remnants possibly still remain in this situation?

Hierdan of House Wardanaz has been leading the yaksha forces outside and conducting mobile warfare. Go tell him that everything ended well.

"......"

It was absurd, but easy enough to understand.

Who else could possibly lead yaksha forces and destroy the domain?

There were not many people capable of such a thing.

"I-I see. But couldn't Your Majesty tell him personally?"

No.

"???"

While Professor Garcia stared in bewilderment, the Yaksha King addressed the Death Knights.

I'll entrust it to you honorable knights.

-Uh... It is an honor, but why us?

The knights felt a subtle sense of unease.

It was the instinctive intuition that only knights who had survived countless bloody battles could possess.

Because you are the most suitable. Ah. Hide the fact that the disciple of Osu was injured this badly. The moment he comes here, a fight will break out.

-......

"......"

***

The Death Knights flew toward Hierdan while cursing the Yaksha King hundreds of times.

-That lunatic king bastard.

-In the old days, a tyrant like that would have had his head cut off.

They had wondered what gave the king the confidence to use the successor as bait and let him recklessly use dangerous magic, but the conclusion turned out to be very simple.

Just don't tell the other person!

To think something like that was called the King of Wisdom. It was utterly ridiculous.

-But will a lie actually work?

-Hmm.

The Death Knights knew very well just how powerful archmages were.

Lying in front of people like them was a very dangerous gamble. If they happened to get caught by some detection method, they would only be digging their own graves.

-We'll have to lie without saying anything false.

-I understand. We should say as little as possible.

It sounded like a riddle, but the other knights immediately understood the old knight's meaning.

A lie did not necessarily require speaking falsehoods.

One could create a lie by concealing things and answering evasively.

"You yakshas of the Seventh Golden Mountain are to plow up every last piece of ground all the way to that horizon and find anything hidden within it. Monsters contaminated by evil energy will emerge, so don't forget to deal with them."

-A-all the way to that horizon, sir?

"I'll give you three torches. Finish the work before all three go out."

'This side is just as much of a hell.'

The Death Knights thought they saw glistening droplets at the corners of those belligerent yakshas' eyes.

Having confirmed the evil god's death, Hierdan no longer had any intention of hiding his true nature.

He was driving the yakshas to their absolute limits as though wringing out a dry rag.

The cruelty of assigning exactly as much work as they could barely manage!

Given Hierdan's ability, he must already have determined exactly how much the yakshas could accomplish while commanding them.

The only fate remaining for the yakshas was to work while crying.

-Ahem. Lord Hierdan of House Wardanaz. We have come under His Majesty's orders to deliver word regarding the evil god's defeat.

"I see. You have my thanks."

Unlike the Yaksha King, Hierdan treated the Death Knights politely.

The Yaksha King was the Yaksha King, but the Death Knights were knights of the Skull Principal.

"Were there any unusual developments..."

-No! Everything went well according to the king's plan!

The Death Knight who had just shouted immediately regretted it.

The answer had come about half a beat too quickly.

It should have answered a little more slowly...!

Fortunately, Hierdan did not seem particularly suspicious.

Death Knights were known to behave strangely from time to time anyway.

"As discussed beforehand, I will continue purifying the contamination of the domain together with the yaksha forces."

The contamination of such a distant dimension seemed as though it had nothing to do with the material world, but if left alone, it would eventually exert influence somehow.

Moreover, Sanguros was an evil god that had caused incidents of considerable scale on the continent.

Rooting out contamination like this in advance was one of the duties of the Skull Principal and House Wardanaz.

'We're safe!'

The knights sighed inwardly in relief.

The Yaksha King was irritating, but truly wise. The king had clearly known that Hierdan would focus on the duty assigned beforehand.

At that moment, one of the yakshas spoke.

-I heard your younger brother came. Aren't you going to see him before you leave?

-...!!!

The Death Knights felt their nonexistent hearts drop.

These yaksha bastards, from their king all the way down to their warriors, every single one of them!

'No!'

-That's right. Please go, Lord Hierdan!

-Your younger brother must be waiting for you!

The yakshas desperately tried to send Hierdan away.

With this insane archmage beside them, they felt as though they would not even be able to breathe comfortably while working.

If he was going to point out even the tiniest error in their work immediately, how were they supposed to breathe?

"If I go to see him, my younger brother won't be particularly pleased. He'll complain that I'm trying to manipulate him again."

-...Have you ever manipulated the successor before?

Hierdan answered the Death Knights' question without the slightest hesitation.

"'Manipulate' is an inaccurate way to put it. Doesn't Einroguard devise various methods to teach students and help them grow? I doubt anyone would call that kind of teaching manipulation."

'So you manipulated him.'

The knights understood immediately.

Judging from how long the answer had become, he had definitely done it.

Then again, considering how skilled Hierdan was at handling subordinates, there was no way he had not.

-I see. We understand. The... successor is certainly rather independent and fond of freedom.

The knights did everything they could to prevent Hierdan from coming to the battlefield.

The moment he arrived, the yakshas might have to choose a new king.

"Indeed. There's no need for me to be misunderstood for something I didn't do. If my younger brother doesn't know of my presence, tell him that this entire expedition was the Yaksha King's plan. Keep my name out of it."

-Yes. We will!

They welcomed any amount of slander directed at the Yaksha King.

The knights were even willing to accompany Lee Han if he ever decided to ambush the Yaksha King someday.

Having completed their mission, the Death Knights sighed inwardly in relief and prepared to return.

Now all they had to do was take the successor and race back toward Einroguard as quickly as possible...

"Wait."

-!

The knights' nonexistent hearts dropped again.

-...What is it?

"Take this pouch."

-???

Hierdan tossed them a small pouch whose opening had been sealed with magic.

"If my younger brother becomes excessively obsessed with learning magic, open this pouch and follow the instructions inside."

-...Ah, yes.

It felt somewhat questionable that he had just claimed he did not manipulate his brother and was now immediately doing this, but the knights accepted it anyway.

As long as they could leave this place, they would take anything.

"Wait."

-...What now?

"Take this pouch as well."

Hierdan tossed them another pouch. It was a different color from the previous one.

"If my younger brother becomes excessively obsessed with collecting gold, open this pouch and follow the instructions inside."

-...If you have any other pouches, just give us all of them now. We'll write them down and take them with us.