Volume 3 Chapter 123-2 The Light And Shadow Of Ozeas II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”So, there’s enough time to cut out the petrified Vest and flee into the Great Forest. Hmm, that’s incredibly fortunate! Tears of joy are welling up!”
”I have a suggestion for you, is it OK?”
Sven looked at Kian and Rean and said,
He looks around at the others and continues.
”This guy can’t speak freely, but if we ask simple yes-or-no questions, we might be able to extract information from his heartbeat. We need to manage him carefully so he doesn’t commit suicide under the scroll’s effect, but with time, we might be able to find out how to close the gate or the location of the research materials in the vault.”
”That’s a good idea.”
Sarah nodded. Then she looked down at him, lying limp on the stone floor, and continued,
”But we need to heal him and repair his body first, or he might die.”
”Yeah, he’s already on the verge of death as it is.”
”I’ll administer a blood replenisher and repair his tissues. Once he recovers, we’ll resume the questioning.”
”What about Barghest’s research materials? They might contain useful information, including how to summon the Black Onyx spirit.”
When Kian asked, Sarah looked troubled.
”The latest ones are in his research tent in the Storm Herd camp. But it’s not realistic to infiltrate there again. They’re probably on high alert.”
”Can’t we ask them to sell us Barghest’s research materials? Explain the situation, and they might allow it, or at least hand over the materials.”
When Rean suggested this, Sarah shook her head.
”Explain the situation? Are you saying we should tell them, ‘The Bloodsucking Kind incident was caused by your deputy leader, so let us search the tent to resolve it’?”
”Even if we phrase it politely, they might not agree. But if we explain, they might grant permission, or at least hand over the materials.”
”If we explain the situation, the Storm Herd’s elite forces will come here to destroy the gate, armed with magic swords and spears.”
Kian said to Rean, who looked puzzled.
He added, “The Hairkin Races’ tribal council will sanction the Storm Herd, either to cover up the evidence or to atone for their leader’s mistake—I’m not sure which, but they’ll come to break the gate.”
”Right. Even if we lie or hide something when explaining, they’ll detect changes in our heartbeat or sweating, breaking our lies. Negotiating is too dangerous. And there’s the issue of who would even go to negotiate. Ms. Serena? Or Ms. Colinna? Kian, Mr. Rean, and I are immediately out. We’re wanted.”
”We’d be half-killed if we showed our faces too.”
Sven shrugged.
”We’re considered deserters over there.”
”Come to think of it, didn’t Yelmar have a spy inside?”
When Kian pointed this out, the warriors nodded, saying, “Oh, that’s right.”
”Tell Yelmar. The problem is that if we use the spy to search Barghest’s tent, the spy could also be expelled. They’d suffer, and Yelmar would lose a valuable informant.”
”Well, I’ll just pass on the message.”
”Thanks. —I’ll contact the princess of Izerland and the head Witch of Châtillon to see if they can pressure the Hairkin Races’ tribal council. If we can delay the dispatch of the investigation team through military or political actions, we might gain more time.”
”Got it. For now, I’ll start treating this guy. Ms. Serena, can you help me?”
”Yeah.”
”Everyone else, prepare the meal. Make something easy for Barghest to eat too. Kian, is there anything else you want to ask Barghest?”
”Just one thing. —Were you the lich we met at the ancient temple of Erynys?”
”……”
When Barghest remained silent, Serena asked, “Is that true?” He reluctantly nodded.
”Yes.”
”What’s a lich?”
Ignoring Sven, who seemed confused, Kian continued his questions.
”Was the research you were doing there also Ozeas’s work?”
”———”
”I understand the appeal of eternal life, but why did you become a lich?”
When Kian asked, Barghest spat out bitterly.
”It wasn’t my choice. ──Ozeas forced me.”
”My brother?”
Serena looked incredulous. Barghest continued.
”Ozeas was desperate. He demanded his collaborators provide rewards. ──What he gave me was the secret of becoming a lich. At the time, I didn’t know the details, so Ozeas decided to test the method on me. I had a bad feeling while gathering the materials, but in the end, I became a lich through dark magic. Ozeas laughed, saying, ‘It’s good I tested it on you first,’ when he saw my grotesque, foul-smelling body that could only survive by sucking human blood and flesh. Well, at least my lifespan increased.”
”That’s horrible…”
”I’m curious—why did you continue the research even after Ozeas died?”
When Kian asked, Barghest let out a self-deprecating laugh.
”Why? Hmph. I don’t even know myself. Maybe because the scroll instructed me to assist Ozeas’s collaborators, so my work didn’t end even after he died. Or maybe I just couldn’t stop after seventeen years.”
”You don’t have any loyalty to Ozeas?”
Barghest shook his head.
”If you want to search my research materials… hurry. Someone might steal them…”
”One of Ozeas’s collaborators, right?”
”———”
Barghest didn’t answer. He seemed to have lost consciousness due to the intense pain.
As Serena and Colinna looked on in confusion, the pitiful Wolfmen magician lay limp, his head resting on the stone floor like a broken doll.
* * *
Summarizing Barghest’s story:
Barghest was a pawn of Ozeas and his collaborators, conducting research to extend Ozeas’s life. Tersea, a Wolfmen woman, was one of Ozeas’s collaborators, so discussing her records was forbidden.
Barghest, following the collaborators’ instructions, secretly disposed of Tersea’s records to prevent Glen and the others from reading them. He memorized all the contents, likely so the collaborators could extract the information from him later.
Summoning the Black Onyx spirit would lead to the destruction of Glen Silverwooloo or Colinna and Silverwooloo’s children, so Barghest cannot perform or teach the method. It would violate the third magic scroll’s command to remain loyal to Glen and the Storm Herd.
He doesn’t know how to close the gate or save the petrified individuals.
His research materials are in his tent in the Storm Herd camp. Older materials are in a vault in the Royal Capital’s underground bank, accessible only by him. If he dies, the contents will go to one of the collaborators.
Given this, Kian and the others must extract the method to summon the Black Onyx spirit from Barghest.
They’ll use yes-or-no questions, relying on Sarah, Serena, and the Wolfmen’s abilities.
With the Beastmen Alliance possibly sending an investigation team soon, they must act quickly to prevent Vestacia’s death.
Since the gate remains open, Bloodsucking Kind will continue to pour out. They must hunt them down to minimize damage.
Rean plans to kill the investigation team if necessary.
If a large force arrives, they’ll physically separate Vestacia from the device and flee to the Great Forest. However, her consciousness may never return, with only a slim hope that Priscilla could help.
”I’ll go hunt the Bloodsucking Kind nearby.”
After dinner, Rean approached Kian, who was resting in the courtyard, and said this. The stars twinkled in the dark sky.
Kian nodded.
”Understood.”
”Has Ms. Sarah resumed the interrogation?”
Kian looked toward the plaza at Rean’s question. Sarah, Serena, and several Wolfmen were questioning Barghest with silent yes-or-no queries.
Kian’s turn would come after they extracted the method.
A sacrifice would likely be needed, so they’d use Bloodsucking Kind from the swamp following ancient ritual magic.
Afterward, they’d face the dangerous spirit, so Kian needed to rest and prepare.
”Rean, I know it’s late, but please refer to Sarah as ‘Okina’ from now on.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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