Chapter 20: Lich Wiz's Commission
Leaving the crowded Adventurer's Guild behind, Durin, who had taken on the woman's commission, eventually followed her alone. After all, if the client was seeking a Grand Mage, it likely involved a magical issue, and it made no sense for someone who wasn't a Grand Mage to accompany them.
Once the surroundings had quieted down, the woman leading the way couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Can you really lead me to find a Grand Mage?"
Feeling a bit breathless due to her sudden proximity, Durin quickly placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, since I've accepted your commission, I'll help you complete it. Also, my name is Durin Edward. May I ask why you insist on having a Grand Mage take on this task?"
In this world, while mages enjoyed significant privileges, it was due to their scarcity rather than any earth-shattering abilities they possessed. For instance, the explosive magic Durin previously assisted Helena with seemed powerful, but it actually consumed a great deal of mana. Few mages could maintain their mental stability while dealing with such high mana consumption. Therefore, most mages were primarily involved in research or solving national-level problems for the empire.
Given this context, the sudden appearance of someone seeking a Grand Mage at the Adventurer's Guild indicated an urgent matter. Understanding this, Durin's curiosity prompted him to inquire further.
Upon hearing Durin's question, the woman, who had lowered her hood, appeared nervous but quickly responded, "My name is Wiz. I'm sorry, but due to the urgency of the matter, I can't explain why I need to find a Grand Mage at the moment. But please, don't be afraid, and trust me. I genuinely need a Grand Mage to help with an issue concerning a friend."
"A friend's issue? Can a lich like you even have friends?"
"..."
Surprised that Durin had directly mentioned her identity, Wiz stood frozen in place. Durin, however, didn't hesitate to explain further, "Though your robe conceals the aura of undeath, it also masks any trace of vitality. Ordinary people might not notice, but to a mage of my caliber, you, as an undead, stand out like a bright red underpants hanging on a windowsill."
"Uh..."
Although Wiz found Durin's analogy quite subtle, she instinctively took a step back. However, seeing that Durin didn't react to her identity, she asked in surprise, "So, you're a Grand Mage, even though you're so young... Wait, Durin Edward, are you the genius mage who rose to fame at the Mage Tower five years ago?"
"You know me?"
"Yeah, five years ago, I wasn't a lich yet. It was only a few years ago that I accidentally became one due to a magical experiment."
"I see..."
"But aren't you afraid? Knowing that I'm a lich..."
"Well, I'm a bit surprised, but not scared. Judging from your appearance, you were at most a high-ranking mage in your previous life. Although I don't know how you became a lich, you're just a half-baked mage now at most. Of course, if you were a lich-level necromancer, I'd be wary, but you don't exude a strong aura of death."
Indeed, although becoming undead granted immortality, liches often became weaker after death due to the decay of their physical bodies. This was why many seasoned mages knew methods to become undead but rarely attempted it.
After all, even if laws prohibited humans from turning themselves into undead, if becoming undead offered greater power and immortality, many would undoubtedly take the risk. However, reality was just that—reality. There were no perfect windfalls, only equal exchanges.
Becoming undead meant sacrificing a portion of one's own strength and wisdom, which was why few people in this world voluntarily transformed into undead.
Of course, if one chose to forsake the elemental magic of human mages and instead learn necromancy, the innate talents of undead could help them reach higher levels more quickly. However, most people had no interest in necromancy.
"So, aren't you planning to report to the church or the knights?"
"No, because it's pointless and a waste of time. Someone like you shouldn't pose a threat to human society. It's only the fanatics of the church who might go crazy and rush over."
Upon hearing Durin's words, which seemed to see through her, Wiz, who had been astonished for a long time, instead breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great. I was worried that I would be hunted down after my identity was exposed... You're right. I am indeed a lich, and the friend I need your help with is none other than the Headless Knight you must have heard of."
"The Headless Knight?"
Showing a surprised expression, Durin naturally knew who the "Headless Knight" represented. After all, most people in this era had heard rumors of the Headless Knight since childhood and had a profound impression of that powerful and terrifying existence.
He also felt fortunate, as he had originally planned to find the rumored Headless Knight to be his actor. He just didn't expect that this time, along with the lich, the Headless Knight would be brought to him all at once.
Soon, through Wiz's recounting, Durin finally understood why she had come to the Adventurer's Guild in search of a great mage.
As the rumors had it, the Headless Knight Beldia, once the mightiest knight, was slain by the undead army on the battlefield, his corpse transformed into one of the most powerful undead beings, the Headless Knight.
However, the reality of the situation was far from what the rumors suggested. In fact, the Headless Knight was utterly unable to resist the command of the lich who transformed him into an undead puppet, forced to slaughter humans on the battlefield for a prolonged period. Over time, the Headless Knight's human emotions were gradually erased, nearly turning him into a mindless walking corpse.
What changed everything was a stroke of luck. The lich who originally controlled the Headless Knight died for some reason. Normally, in such a situation, the lich would leave behind their mark of control, passing it on to their disciple or another lich. However, due to the rapid sequence of events, the mark of control over one of the strongest undead, the Headless Knight, vanished from this world.
"Therefore, reclaiming his sanity, the Headless Knight immediately fled from the realm of the beyond outside the Northern Borders back to the human world. However, to his disappointment, after centuries had passed, everything had changed, and the reception awaiting this once Imperial hero was not one of adoration and flowers but one of terror and fear.
Merely at the sight of his abhorrent visage, people would flee in terror, promptly reporting the news to the Church and the Knights Templar. This resulted in the Headless Knight, who had thought he could finally avoid combat, being once again forced into a relentless pursuit.
It was during one such joint pursuit by the Church and the Knights Templar that he encountered Wiz, who was also being hunted. With her help, he managed to escape the encirclement. At the same time, he learned of the weak control the Church had over the Southern Borders, which led him to arrive in this most peaceful but equally unwelcoming region, where undead were also not welcomed.
"In the years that followed, Mr. Beldia and I wandered through the Southern Borders. I had heard rumors of the Headless Knight before and had some fear of him, but upon getting to know him, I realized he wasn't as frightening as the rumors made him out to be. Though he sometimes did strange things, he remained a wise and reliable model of knighthood."
"I had heard that due to Grand Duke Viktor's disdain for the Church, you could hardly see the Church and the Holy Knights in this land. So Mr. Beldia and I came to the Southern Borders. However, people's fear of the undead could not be eliminated. My situation was not as bad; ordinary people couldn't distinguish between humans and liches, but Mr. Beldia was different. Just seeing his appearance would scare people away, let alone leading a peaceful life."
"But the worst part is not this. In recent years, although it has been very hard, Mr. Beldia seemed happy just to be able to return to his homeland. However, just before, the curse on Mr. Beldia suddenly erupted. It was the curse placed on him by the lich who once controlled him."
"Although I have studied this type of magic before and understand its principles, my shallow magical power is ultimately insufficient. That's why I wanted to find a great mage to help. Originally, Mr. Beldia was very opposed to my doing this, as he feared I might also be affected by accident. However, seeing Mr. Beldia perish in this way after just returning to his homeland seemed too pitiful. He had just returned to his hometown and hadn't yet had a peaceful life. Anyway, because of this, I hope Mr. Durin can help him. I will try my best to earn the reward. Please, please..."
Wiz spoke sincerely, laying all her sincerity before Durin. Therefore, after thinking for a moment, the man didn't say much but simply spoke quietly, "Don't worry. If there's anything I can do to help, I'll do my best."
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