Volume 3 Chapter 24 The Dark Mage's Name
After tending to the unconscious Minori, we all dragged our exhausted bodies back home.
I never imagined that someone I thought I'd killed would come back as an undead, and honestly, it was the mental fatigue that hit me harder.
I informed the evacuees that safety had been confirmed, and one by one, they returned to their tasks.
Though honestly, it was already evening, so most of them were probably finished for the day.
Minori eventually woke up despite her deep wounds, but it seemed she needed to rest for a while, so I asked Belle to help with her care.
If I hadn't fallen for Adiliana's illusions, perhaps none of this would have happened.
I really did owe my sister an apology.
"So, that means she came back as an undead. I almost died, but here I am, somehow still alive."
Anyway, as I recounted how our return home was delayed, everyone let out a dramatic sigh.
Come on, that reaction stings a little, you know?
"Is this how it is for you, Ryuuji? Almost dying and still like this?"
"Yup. I've wandered the brink of death before, and honestly, I hardly ever reflect on it."
Lene and Suzu were whispering something, but even if I wasn't an elf with keen ears, I could catch bits of their conversation.
I couldn't help but wonder if they were speaking loudly on purpose.
And for the record, I am seriously reflecting on things, how rude!
"But something feels off."
"What feels off?"
With Suzu tilting her head and pondering, I couldn't help but ask.
Was there something in my explanation that didn't sit right with her?
I thought it was just a Dark Mage who had returned from the dead, after all.
"That Dark Mage was clearly stronger than she was in life. Basically, newborn undead are either at the same level of strength as they were in life, or they're weakened."
"Is that how it works?"
"That's the way it is."
Suzu answers with full confidence, and it's probably the truth.
After all, she's the most knowledgeable about magic among us, and even if she doesn't use dark arts, she's probably studied them before.
Yet, what Suzu says makes sense.
Adiliana did say it took her half a year to revive.
But earlier, even after getting hit by Lene's〈Napalm〉and being charred black, by the time I arrived, she had already healed to the point of being unscathed.
What does this mean?
"Could something have happened recently that's made her stronger...?"
"Big Bro Ryuuji, that's probably the right answer."
My little sister raises her thumb with a sense of finality.
It's a bittersweet correct answer.
"Could she have absorbed some Mana Crystals to get stronger since she came back to life until today?"
"Mana Crystals are made from people's lives. So, unless there have been a lot of recent disappearances, it's unlikely she's gotten new ones. But that perspective isn't bad."
Lene's guess is immediately denied by Suzu, but the possibility that he's been enhanced by Mana Crystals does exist.
After all, Guy was strengthened by Mana Crystals to surpass Enchant Magic, so that line of thought is plausible.
"What's a Mana Crystal?"
'What?'
Ai and Flamme both chime in with their questions.
Come to think of it, I haven't mentioned Mana Crystals before.
"Mana Crystals are substances created by Dark Mages using people's lives as material. They can be used to enhance the human body, and even turn ordinary people or animals into fiends or demon beasts."
"A Dark Mage... using lives as materials...?"
Ai furrowed her brow, deep in thought as she listened to Lene's explanation.
Suddenly, her expression shifted, as if she had just realized something.
"Remember how we talked about how Goldmont's Shadow Corps were wiped out by a Dark Mage?"
"Goldmont's..."
Right, before Ai joined the Shadow Corps, that unit of about 20 had been completely annihilated.
She remembered it all too well──
"I do remember, but that was about last summer, right? We defeated Adiliana in late autumn."
Ai shook her head at that.
There seemed to be some kind of disconnect in our understanding.
"That's not it. The Dark Mage who wiped out the Shadow Corps wasn't Adiliana; it was another Dark Mage who gave her her powers."
"...Ah, I see what you mean."
Now it made sense.
If that were true──
"...Does that mean there's still another Dark Mage nearby?"
At my question, Ai nodded seriously.
"Probably. The dead Shadow Corps left behind a dying message, and I remember the name of that Dark Mage."
Then she told me the name of the Dark Mage.
It was a name we both knew, and Lene appeared utterly shocked, standing there for a moment, frozen in disbelief.
I never expected to hear that name here──
"I think it was Emerada."
...It had to be her──Emerada, Lene's older sister.
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