Chapter 74
It must already be torment enough to have had her body stolen by a stranger from another world… and now to be abandoned by her own people? It was just too heartbreaking.
But what should I do…? What can I possibly do?
‘Maybe…?!’
I took out the Elkiore’s Grimoire and placed my hand on it.
‘…Hmm.’
Nothing happened…! Damn it. This useless grimoire always has no reaction at the worst times.
I threw the grimoire into the corner of the room and, in a last-ditch effort, sent a message to [Unknown].
[Unknown, do you happen to know a way to save a soul trapped in another body?]
But [Unknown] didn’t even send a question mark this time. What should I do…? All I have now are the Slime Transformation Cube and the 10-year-old Transposition Beads of the Alpaca Grand Sorcerer.
…Oh, gods.
After agonizing all night, dawn arrived. The day of the final battle had come. This is bad.
***
On the top floor of the Mage Tower, Rai stood by the window, gazing at the brightening sky, deep in thought. Since receiving the urgent command from the Emperor, he had remained by the window, lost in contemplation.
“Tower Lord, something feels off. After the grand hunt last year, there hasn’t been any report of even low-level monsters appearing in the Dihas Territory. So why, suddenly, an attack by high-level monsters… especially those from the demon realm?”
Reina’s suspicion was evident, her voice tinged with caution. The order the Emperor had given last night felt strangely awkward. The Emperor had suggested that the Mage Tower send an expedition to hunt down monsters, claiming that the Dihas Territory was under threat from an attack by high-level monsters.
The Emperor was cunning. He had framed it as a suggestion, when in fact it was a command. It was as though he wanted to leave the lives of the territory’s people to be decided by the Mage Tower. He had presented it as a suggestion, but in the end, it felt as if the final decision rested with the Tower.
Rai’s eyes grew cold. He knew the Emperor’s intent well enough by now — to send him far away.
“But the attack is real. Didn’t you see the report from the scouts?”
“True, but… you mentioned you had other matters to attend to today. Is this situation really urgent enough to change your schedule?”
Rai fell into deep thought.
Certainly, today was the day Rai had planned to obtain the mermaid horn. If he missed today, he would have to wait another month, and that would be incredibly inconvenient. With that, he hoped to wrap up his dealings with the Imperial family but…
This was a different matter entirely. The lives of innocent people were at stake. And if it was a Dark Behemoth, then it was his duty to go. Even with the advanced mage squad, avoiding injuries would be difficult.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Rai made up his mind and spoke decisively.
“Gather the expedition team in one hour at the Mage Tower’s teleportation circle.”
In terms of speed, individual mages using teleportation would be the quickest. However, in preparation for a high-level hunt, conserving mana was essential. Therefore, Rai planned to use the Mage Tower’s teleportation circle operated by the summoning department. Ten high-level mages from the department would be in charge of activating the circle and sending the expedition team on their way.
He set aside his doubts for now. The priority was to save the people of the territory. For now, that was the only right course of action.
***
Renting a small boat was not difficult. I still had plenty of gold in the water and the ferry was cheap to rent.
On a night when the full moon rose, they said if you rowed out from the Alucina harbor and followed the moon, you would see a small whirlpool rise from the surface. For now, I would set aside the Leviathan and focus on finding that whirlpool. That would be my first challenge.
Once the boat was ready, I began to feel the weight of the situation. Then, hunger struck. I decided to head back to the tea house that I had visited with Rai. For some reason, I had a strong craving for that strawberry tart.
I entered the tea house and took a seat at the spot where Rai and I had sat before. I ordered the same tea and strawberry tart we had shared back then.
‘When things are tough, you need something sweet…’
With each sip, each bite, I savored the flavors like it was my last meal in this world.
At that thought, the pile of money I had started to accumulate suddenly seemed all the more precious. Damn it.
I finished the remaining tart and stood up. An idea for the best way to blow through all the remaining money struck me.
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