In utmost secrecy, known only to a select few among the noble enemy, I discovered their names.
I, too, set the royal family aflame and sifted through the hidden confidential documents below.
A place where the Dark Sorcerers alone have their citadel, and where immortality is pursued.
Ambrosia.
Forbidden throughout the entire continent: dark magic, demons, transmutation of the human form, sorcery, and even the sacrifice of human souls, all to achieve immortality, practiced by these abominations.
The cause that upheaved my destiny, my life, everything.
The fundamental enemy I abhor with every fiber of my being.
Is it because it was such a dreadful past that even now, in hindsight, it appears so horrifying?
Recalling the moments before, I closed my eyes and pondered upon the pain and despair I felt then.
Not born of madness, but of pure loathing and wrath.
Hence, I swallow my emotions.
Is there a need to rush? They will surely come for me tonight, when everyone is asleep.
When everyone is in slumber, they will drag me down to the depths of their prison.
"We shall make camp here."
"Very well."
The sky darkens, and night falls.
The escort knights and Caron prepare for the camp, while I stare quietly at the cold porridge.
I never had a great appetite, but today, it was even more absent.
There was no trace of hunger or desire for rest.
"Does it not suit your palate?"
Caron, noticing my lack of appetite, inquired with concern in her eyes.
I raised my hand in a dismissive gesture, not wanting to burden her.
"If I have no appetite, there is nothing to refuse."
"Well... if it pleases you, perhaps some snacks?"
"Since I doubt I'll eat those either, let's just let it be for today."
Caron nodded in understanding and prepared her sleeping area.
A space had been arranged within the carriage for comfortable rest.
Despite my lack of intention to sleep, I lay down and closed my eyes.
Though I was in a vulnerable situation, I knew I would need to be captured at least once.
For the sake of obtaining the weapon that, when wielded by an immortal, becomes the most powerful artifact.
Yet, something felt strange.
Why is Caron sleeping on the opposite side?
She wasn't lying down like me, nor was she dozing in the carriage. It was peculiar.
To the best of my memory, at that time, I was alone in the carriage.
But this time, Caron was sleeping near me.
Of course, she had been consistently doing so since we departed from the territory to Karis' estate.
Caron sat in the carriage as if it were a matter of course, but recalling the precise moment now, I realized it was different.
I wondered how her peculiar actions led to this conclusion.
"Caron, are you not sleeping?"
Despite her appearance of peaceful slumber, she was only pretending.
Her steady breathing stopped, and her tightly shut eyes gently opened.
Her black pupils met mine without a hint of wavering.
"Yes, my lord."
"There's something I'd like to ask."
"Please, go ahead."
Caron's actions, while distinct, were not greatly different from the first time Raeli questioned me.
They were both trying to glean information through behavior that deviated from the norm.
"Do you suspect me?"
"..."
"You have every right to suspect, but do you actually think I am someone else entirely?"
"You have changed... quite significantly."
"To that extent?"
Indeed, I had changed significantly.
Arghal, the one who fled from the goblins, was my original self. It wasn't strange for Caron, who had always held such thoughts since childhood, but the direction of her concerns was dangerous.
Black magic had the vile power to possess or usurp another's body.
Caron suspected that another being had taken over Arghal's form.
Though it wasn't unreasonable for Caron, who was no more than a maid, to entertain such suspicions, I didn't mind. My family, my elder brother, my younger brother—they would all believe me. It was an unjust accusation.
After all, it was myself who had been reborn, not some other being taking over this body.
"I am certain of who I am."
"....Is that so?"
"If you doubt me to such an extent, why not summon a priest for verification?"
Of course, there were vile black magics beyond even the knowledge of a consecrated saint, but it was inconsequential. I hadn't used such dark magic to take over this body.
I suggested this to Caron, who seemed to have understood.
Yet, there remained a lingering doubt.
"Why then did you change?"
"....I will tell you someday."
Becoming an undying, experimenting with immortality, succumbing to madness and slaughtering all in my path, and ultimately being restored by a hero.
There was no need to continue hiding it. If revealing this information would garner someone's trust, I was willing to divulge it.
If there were unexpected circumstances, I would address them.
That I spoke of revealing my past before my family rather than Caron was the most telling sign.
Caron, who had been at my side since childhood and knew everything about me, had drawn conclusions beyond 'changed' to 'completely transformed.'
"Could you tell me as soon as possible..."
Caron had wanted to hear my story, not wanting to wait.
However, there was a step.
Thud-
Footsteps pierced through the darkness.
The most important matter.
Even as I conversed with her, I didn't forget.
Thud- Thud-
The atmosphere grew frigid.
A sensation that made my skin crawl.
Even without seeing, I knew who it was.
My hand, the one that could bring about the strongest artifact when wielded by an immortal, trembled as it rested on my sword hilt.
Master, a figure I could count on one hand in the entire continent, a transcendent being on par with an Archmage.
With all my power combined, I could possibly defeat a Master, the shadow of a kingdom capable of annihilating even the most formidable foes.
The Executioner had arrived.
**
The Kingdom's Execution Division.
Unlike Ambrosia, many were privy to the existence of this organization.
The most clandestine blade of the royal family.
The one feared most by nobles and high-ranking officials.
Ambrosia had no need for the Execution Division, as it was not weak enough to require it. With a Dark Mage who could potentially incinerate an entire city, there was no need.
However, their objectives were impossible without the means to operate freely outside.
Hence, the Execution Division was the tool provided by the royal family for them to utilize as they pleased.
Thanks to this, Ambrosia could freely command their experiments and bring subjects to the Execution Division.
While it was not a matter of them simply following a Dark Mage's orders, they were obliged to move according to the higher-ups' dictates.
In such a scenario, even resistance was nearly impossible unless one was a practitioner of a certain caliber.
Resistance to the likes of this was typically futile, and it was exceedingly difficult to transcend despair and escape.
But...
A gaze pierced through, more striking than ever before.
"Younng Masteerrr."
The Executioner's breath lingered on my neck, and I tightly gripped my sword.
"Whyy resistt?"
The person before me, the Executioner, was a Dark Mage who had lost the ability to control magic, a being who had delved too deeply into dark magic.
A figure nearly forgotten in the annals of history.
Though his existence was known only to a select few in the Ambrosia family, the Executioner had been persistently pursuing me.
His true identity, which even the most talented sages could not unravel, was something I alone knew.
"Dieee."
The Executioner raised his blade.
Not to decapitate, but to absorb my soul.
A technique he had developed to prolong his own life.
An abominable technique, which, once activated, leaves no room for escape.
But...
I countered with my own sword, as I held the legendary artifact.
A weapon formed when wielded by an immortal.
An artifact no one could resist.
A weapon feared even by a Master.
In this fight, victory was already determined.
But as I delivered the final blow, something unexpected happened.
The Executioner's form shattered like glass, revealing a horrid sight.
A body filled with thousands of writhing worms.
Inhuman, grotesque, and beyond the realm of understanding.
The worms spilled forth, scattering into the night.
In an instant, the Executioner had vanished, leaving no trace.
His existence was akin to a phantom.
A specter that should not exist.
That night, I acquired another crucial piece of information.
A piece that would lead me to the citadel of the Dark Sorcerers.
A piece that would bring me one step closer to my ultimate goal.
End: To be continued...