Chapter 24.2
They surely came with me, but at some point, they disappeared. Like mice, they were hiding.
“Ah, We were just looking for a chance to strike at the enemy, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!.”
“Y-Yes, indeed. I was admiring senior… I mean, professor’s majestic presence.”
Hans and Lindon replied flippantly.
‘…Is our party really okay like this?’
The great professor, the loyal servant, and the trash graduate student Lindon. It was truly a trio of madness.
“But why is the professor here? Did you come here to hide with us?”
“Oh, come on, Lindon! How dare you speak such nonsense to Professor Van! Professor Van is here with a significant purpose!”
Hans was offended by Lindon’s clueless remark.
As a professor, I also tried to maintain some dignity.
“I came to check what kind of books the dark sorcerers might have hidden in the library. There could be some wicked spellbooks hidden.”
Of course, it was a lie.
But then, at that moment.
‘What’s that book?’
One book caught my eye on the shelf.
“Principles of Commerce.”
It seemed like an ordinary book one would find in a marketplace.
‘No, there’s something.’
It was too ‘straightforward.’
I pulled out the book and unfolded its pages and it was as if possessed.
The contents were long and tedious, filled with boring information about commerce, just like the title suggested.
“Professor, why are you suddenly reading a book on business?”
“Lindon, you foolish boy! Professor Van is a genius who will revolutionize the magical world. He’s exploring the truth of magic even in this book on commerce!”
“Well, sir, that’s a bit… I mean, just pretending to read it quietly might look cooler, don’t you think?”
Both of them were wrong.
‘This isn’t a book on commerce. It was an actual spellbook.’
The densely written characters were a deception.
Magical content was written in a mystical code.
‘Thanks to the Grand Practitioner’s abilities, I can read it.’
I swallowed hard.
It was because of the following passage:
This book is a magical tome of defying fate. Those who make it their own will reach the ends of heaven.
Sky.
Level 9.
Referring to the ‘Ascendants,’ the strongest beings in this world, known as ‘Sky’s End,’ it signifies the pinnacle of Level 9.
‘Among the 16 protagonists, only two can reach this level.’
The true protagonist, Catherine, the true protagonist.
And another top player, the second protagonist known as the strongest warrior in the Hero Academy, the ‘Chicken Hero,’ is allowed to reach this realm.
Then, whispers began to echo in my ears.
Get drunk with me. If you do, you will reach the ends of the sky and look down on everyone.
A tempting voice that could bewitch anyone.
However,
‘I don’t want to.’
…What?
‘What’s the point of reaching the ends of the sky? Just more tiredness?’
The rewards for succumbing to the temptation were not enticing enough.
‘I might have considered it if they promised a lifetime of leisure.’
Wait a moment? W-Wait! But I’m a great magical tome…!
Moving onto the nonsense the magical tome spouted, I glanced around the situation in the room.
Although there were many dark mages, all of them were at the 2~3-star level.
Emilie, who was a 5-star mage, awakened and joined forces with the knights, easily repelling them.
‘If I continue to stay quiet like this, I might just wait for the right moment to go out and pretend to contribute casually.’
In the midst of silently celebrating my perfect plan, a sudden chill ran down my spine.
‘… What’s going on?’
I stiffened my expression.
Looking at my arms, I noticed feathers were gently swaying.
“Is something wrong, Master?”
“…Hans, Linden, don’t you feel that something strange is going on?”
“No, not at all? Aren’t we winning on our side?”
“In my opinion, as a stock trader, unless there’s an unforeseen disaster, we’ll continue to win…”
Disaster.
That word sent a shiver down my spine. An eerie voice echoed in the air, chilling me to the bone.
[Oh my, this is troublesome. These are my precious slaves. How dare you?]
“!!”
Paaaah!!!
As darkness surged, a figure appeared in the air.
It wasn’t human.
Despite its cute appearance, its torn lips, twisted neck, eyes filled only with blood instead of white, and elongated arms were anything but ordinary.
A puppet, a ‘doll.’
‘Is this real?’
My complexion paled.
I knew someone who handled such dolls.
Someone very famous.
A knight from the family shouted the name with a scream.
“…Abyss Puppet?!”
[Hehe, you know me. That’s correct.]
“!!”
Astonishment spread.
Typically, villains hide like cockroaches.
However, there are very few
who boldly reveal themselves and their gathering is called the Abyss.
The worst villain organization comprised exclusively of superpowers at least Level 7.
‘Puppet’ is also a Level 7 superpower. It feels like a storyline bug for such a character to appear already!
Of course, the one who appeared now was just a puppet, not the real deal, the main body; but the situation was desperate. Despite its frail durability, it could manifest Level 7 dark magic.
The puppet grinned with its torn lips.
[If you know who I am, you might have an idea of the fate that awaits you. I will kill all of you.]
“!!”
[Now, make your choice. A painful death and a horrifying death. To be more specific, dying miserably here or being taken as an experiment and dying. Fufufu. Either way, It will do.]
A deathly silence descended upon them.
At that moment,
<In the face of a powerful enemy, the judgment of the Gambler will predict!>
If a miracle is not performed: 0%
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