Chapter 19 : The Abandoned Mine (3)

As Eredin’s sword swept through, the old man’s head fell to the ground.

At the same moment, the body Glenn was holding went limp.

Thunk-

She didn’t even sheath her sword, panting heavily.

“Huff… huff…”

Just like that, as if by some strange magic, the corpses began to collapse one by one.

The Animate Dead spells were canceled.

The Death Knight and Lacollin also slumped down like puppets with their strings cut.

“This is…”

Nedian, who had been opposing them, wore a stunned expression.

He turned his dazed gaze toward Glenn and Eredin.

A brief moment of silence.

“Is it… over?”

Eredin slowly sheathed her sword and asked Glenn.

Even the one who had severed the head looked bewildered.

“…Hoo, yeah, I think so.”

The tension released, Glenn slumped down with a sigh.

Then, one by one, the others around also collapsed.

“I thought I was going to die…”

Tillen’s pale face showed her trembling fingertips.

Eredin, who had been surveying the surroundings, seemed to come to a thought and approached Glenn.

“How are you feeling, Prince Glenn?”

“Hm?”

Noticing her unexpectedly spirited expression, Glenn felt a bit confused.

“Was I of help?”

“Do you really have to ask now?”

“…Well, is that a problem?”

At her flustered question, a stubborn look returned.

Glenn let out a small chuckle.

“Hmm. Yeah, you did well. Very well indeed.”

Wiping the blood off his face, he rose from his seat.

A sharp, eerie laugh echoed through the space.

“T-This is truly regrettable. Heh, heh heh… It’s a pity for such a dying body.”

The severed head of the old man emitted a hoarse voice.

A very unpleasant scene. Was that even possible?

“H-He’s Prince Glenn… Kihihihi… quite, quite admirable.”

Without replying, Glenn quietly picked up his sword and walked away.

“Have you… seen me before?”

“No.”

“Heh heh heh, next time we meet, I’ll definitely give you those eyes as a gift…”

“Get lost, you creepy bone bastard.”

Whoosh—!

The sword cleaved the old man’s remaining head in half.

Only then did the old man finally fall silent.

An unknown old man.

No, the brief but intense encounter with the Archlich Benedictaran had come to an end.

“Hoo…”

If this hadn’t ended quickly— the result might have been the exact opposite.

The longer it dragged on, the more overwhelming the advantage would become, as those Necromancers are relentless.

Knowing this fact, Glenn once again let out a sigh of relief.

***

Staring at the old man’s body, now nothing but flesh and bones, Glenn fell into thought.

“Should I tell them his identity?”

Benedict, the dark sorcerer — the Necromancer — does not die because he has no soul.

It’s a troublesome ability that involves possessing other bodies.

Glenn had memories of having been subjected to it several times in a past life.

The question was whether to tell others about this.

Glenn furrowed his brow, organizing his thoughts.

“…No.”

After much deliberation, he concluded that it was not yet time.

According to his memories, Benedict was not at his full strength yet.

And even in a possession state, he was much weaker than usual.

So it probably posed no significant threat at this point.

More than anything, Benedict was not someone you could find just by looking.

Before Glenn could dwell further, Eredin’s voice approached him.

“This place is truly disgusting.”

Eredin scowled deeply as she glanced around the hall.

Glenn nodded in agreement.

It seemed no one had noticed that he had used blood magic.

Well, it was unlikely anyone could in the chaos of the fight.

“Yeah, no wonder dark sorcerers get such a bad reputation in the continent.”

Glenn didn’t want to relive the experience again, even in a past life.

Just being here was enough to deteriorate one’s mental health.

He took out a phial of water from his hip and poured it over his head.

As the flesh and blood were washed away, he felt slightly revived.

Phew…

At the same time, he felt aches and stings all over his body.

He suddenly removed his gauntlet and looked at his palm.

The skin was melting like sand, scorched and bloody — a total mess.

“…Are you okay?”

Eredin watched him with concern.

“Do I look that bad?”

Glenn asked jokingly.

But Eredin nodded seriously.

“No. You definitely need treatment right away…”

When humor failed, Eredin waved her hand dismissively at Glenn.

“I’m still holding on. What about you?”

“You’re probably the most injured among us.”

“Is that so? That’s lucky, then.”

Taken aback by the unexpected response, her head tilted slightly.

“…Lucky?”

“If I’m the only one hurt but unharmed, then yes, lucky.”

“That’s…”

Eredin looked a bit surprised.

“By the way, you’re staying here, right? I don’t think Lady Tillen can hold out much longer.”

Because of the horrid environment, Tillen had a pale expression as she slipped out of the abandoned mine.

In fact, Eredin herself didn’t look any better.

“…Are you alright, Prince?”

“No, now that I think about it— I feel exhausted to death. I just want to lie down and sleep. But I can’t… hah.”

It wasn’t an empty phrase; he truly wanted that.

The forced use of blood magic at the end lasted less than five seconds.

Yet even with that brief exertion, his body was rebelling this much.

If Eredin hadn’t helped, he might have already fainted by now.

Damn, he really needed to find a Mandrake somewhere.

“It’s not that. Can you really be okay after seeing all this…?”

She asked, avoiding eye contact with the gruesome sights.

Glenn looked at her with a bitter expression before answering.

“I’m honestly not okay. It’s disgusting. But if I show it, that won’t do.”

“Because of others?”

“I have to pretend to endure it.”

“…Is that how it really is?”

“Yeah. But what kind of question is that?”

Eredin simply nodded as if she understood.

Glenn chuckled and continued.

“Go out and bring the rear guard. No matter how I think about it, they’re too late.”

“…Yes, understood.”

She had some resilience after seeing many horrific scenes since her past life.

But for her, it was probably still a great ordeal.

Her quick exit was proof.

After Eredin disappeared, Nedian approached.

“Master. For now… we’ve rescued everyone who can be rescued.”

Nedian, who had been evacuating the knights and our people, came forward.

“How many?”

“About three so far.”

“What about the others?”

“Most were already too far gone… probably from drugs. Those in too bad a shape were dealt with as you instructed.”

Those ruined by dark magic and drugs were beyond saving.

For them, being alive was already a living hell, so it was better to release them.

Dark sorcerers mostly used people as experimental subjects.

Even when not conducting experiments, they employed them as sacrifices or in spirit magic.

In that process, cheap drugs were often used on test subjects — forcibly, of course.

To deliberately break their minds or make them easier to control.

“I’d heard explanations, but… dark sorcerers truly are insane. I only heard rumors before; I didn’t realize it was this bad.”

“Remember this well. The only good dark sorcerer is a dead one.”

Nedian nodded, as if in agreement.

“But how do you know all this, Master?”

“This stuff?”

“About the dark sorcerers and this place we met today.”

“Well… I read about it in books.”

Glenn felt a sudden chill inside but made a vague excuse.

“Books? When did you…”

“Uh, is that a problem?”

“No… it’s not.”

Thankfully, Nedian didn’t press further.

He seemed slightly suspicious about the book claim but didn’t make a fuss.

In truth, how Glenn knew was not that important.

A little while later.

“Master, you should see this.”

After some time, they found medicinal supplies stored in a corner of the mine.

Among them was something Glenn had been searching for all his life.

“Huh, Mandrake is here?”

“I know Mandrake as a rare alchemical ingredient.”

“Yes. It’s a difficult ingredient to obtain.”

A plant that grows from the blood of the dying who harbor grudges.

It’s why it’s often found near execution sites, where the condemned’s blood spills.

Condemned people usually die with grudges, so naturally, it’s an ideal environment for Mandrake.

But the reason Glenn sought it was purely for blood magic.

“It’s the most important ingredient for making the elixir to enter blood magic.”

Though calling it an elixir was an exaggeration compared to a vampire’s heart.

The problem was that while Mandrake is rare, vampire hearts were many times harder to get.

In other words, it was a compromise.

Of course, Mandrake alone couldn’t create the elixir.

Several other ingredients were required but were comparatively easier to find.

Glenn smiled with satisfaction.

“I have my own use for this. Make sure to keep it safe. Move all the other medicinal supplies outside as well.”

“Understood.”

“Are there any others?”

“There were large quantities of drugs and some silverware.”

“The drugs can be burned with the corpses… and we’ll take care of the silver.”

“…Is that alright?”

“What’s the problem? Or do you want to return them to their owners?”

“No… no, that’s not it.”

“Good. Then take both.”

Though the body had suffered greatly, the haul was not bad at all.

Thinking so, Glenn nodded naturally.

***

When they stepped out of the mine, dawn was beginning to break.

They had been inside for quite some time.

Breathing in the clearly changed air, Glenn let out a small sigh.

“Cold… finally feels like I can live.”

“Indeed. Shall we head straight to Sharn Castle?”

“No, we have to rendezvous with the rear guard first… Ah, there they come.”

In the distance, a group of figures appeared.

At the forefront were Eredin and Tillen, whom they had sent earlier.

“They’re coming quickly.”

“…Indeed.”

Glenn and Nedian chuckled lightly at the trivial banter.

Only now did the reality that it was over begin to sink in.

“Hm? Isn’t that the Soron mercenary company from before?”

“…It’s Soron, Master.”

Anyway.

Glenn frowned slightly at the surprise.

Why would the mercenary company be here?

“Ah, greetings, Prince Glenn.”

The Soron mercenary captain approached with a wide grin.

“Yeah, Soron? Why are you here?”

“W-We wouldn’t just leave, right? Even if only for a moment, we fought alongside you…”

Cutting off Soron’s words, Eredin, who had been frowning, spoke up.

“I believe they know your identity. That’s why they’re acting like this.”

There was a trace of disdain in her expression.

Eredin had never liked Soron from the start. Actually, she hated him.

Given his first impression, perhaps it was only natural.

“Apologies, Prince! We, lowly mercenaries, dared to speak without knowing our place…”

Soron glanced nervously, and Glenn gave a small nod.

“Well, it could happen. Strange to call it a substitute though. Can you do me a favor?”

“…A favor?”

“Do you have any spare carriages? Our load has increased quite a bit.”

“We do, but we use them ourselves…”

“So, you mean there aren’t any? Hmm?”

The expressions of the nearby knights darkened.

Sensing this, Soron quickly spoke again.

“We do! I’ll lend as many as you need!”

“You think I’m an idiot? Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll pay.”

“T-Thank you.”

“Of course, at used prices.”

“…Huh.”

Watching Soron’s face change in real time, Glenn couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Alright, leave the cleanup to the rear guard. We’re heading back now.”

“Yes.”

Glenn’s gaze turned toward the breaking dawn.

It was time to leave the Kingdom of Arian.