Chapter 58: You Dare to Command ? (3)
“Ahahahahahaha!!”
A shrill, tallic laugh rang out, so loud and grating that we all instinctively covered our ears.
Ignoring our reaction completely, Clina continued to sneer until her gaze sharpened like a blade.
“You’re telling to beco your subordinate?”
Even in her tone, I could feel her anger crackling.
“……”
I needed a mont to think.
I had already decided on the answer to her second question, but in front of soone like her, even the choice of words mattered.
‘After all, she was once a queen revered for her nobility.’
So, after about thirty seconds of silence, I finally replied.
“I’ll be the one to serve you. I offer my mana, and you bestow your grace upon . Isn’t that the perfect master–servant relationship?”
She seed pleased with the answer, her expression softening slightly.
“You do have a silver tongue.”
“I won’t deny that.”
“You must know what seclusion within the Mana Heart entails… aning that the act of retreat itself must benefit you in so way….”
Muttering to herself, Clina suddenly stepped closer and grabbed both of my shoulders.
“Eugene!”
Behind , Rubia almost cast an offensive spell, but I managed to stop her with a quick gesture.
“Then the answer’s simple.”
In that instant, black cross-shaped pupils blood within Clina’s crimson eyes.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to maintain a poker face.
‘…So she’s going to see right through .’
High-ranking evil spirits all possessed several kinds of Magic Eyes by default.
The one she was using now was the Magic Eye of Clairvoyance—which ant she could see right through to the Mana Heart inside .
She would have already discerned my intentions for making that proposal.
When the clairvoyance ended, Clina’s face took on a strangely intrigued expression.
“Hmm… So that’s how it is.”
Then, without warning, she grabbed by the collar and lifted high into the air.
“Kh!”
“If you thought to deceive with that slippery tongue of yours, then you’re a fool indeed, human. Did you truly think I wouldn’t see through such petty sches?”
Of course not.
That was all part of the plan.
I subtly glanced behind again.
Perhaps because of what I’d said earlier, Rubia and riel seed to be holding their positions, waiting for my signal.
Though, judging by the way Rubia’s jaw was clenched, her patience was at its breaking point.
In contrast, Gustav was smiling with visible amusent—so much so that he was starting to irritate .
‘…Anyway.’
It was about ti to provoke her.
eting her cold, condescending gaze, I bared my teeth in a faint, cutting grin.
“Your vision’s gotten pretty narrow, hasn’t it? Must be age catching up to you, huh, old maid Clina?”
Twitch.
“…Do you think taunting will change anything? You can’t even persuade , and yet you think this is wise?”
“When soone’s blinded by their own greed and can’t see the bigger picture, what’s the point in reasoning with them?”
Even high-ranking evil spirits tended to lose their temper when provoked this way.
And that was exactly what I was aiming for.
“The bigger picture, huh…”
Instead, Clina released my collar, lowering gently to the ground.
‘Impressive patience.’
Well, she had ruled over those temperantal Banshees for more than three hundred years—patience was the least she’d have.
She seed to ponder for a few seconds before her eyes flashed again, locking on to .
“What exactly is your intent in saying that to ? You can’t possibly an to lecture about the treatnt of evil spirits…”
Seeing the uncertain look on her face, I said,
“That’s exactly what I an.”
I nodded as I spoke.
“…What?”
I’d given her information and provoked her enough—it was ti to move on to the real negotiation.
“It’s ti we joined forces—to drive out our common enemy.”
To Clina White—the forr Queen of the Banshees and one of the re eleven High-Rank Evil Spirits in existence—it was the first encounter with the unknown in sixty years.
‘…Alike, and yet so different from that brat Aleph.’
Though she was aging now, she still rembered how eccentric and inscrutable Aleph Abdiel had been in his youth.
Of course, that was only possible because he was a transcendental being who had mastered every defensive technique against all ntal-type magic. Even so, Aleph had been a strange human.
Evil spirits and humans were like oil and water. Trying to force them to mix was folly—keeping one’s distance was the only sensible choice.
And anyone could keep their distance.
But Aleph was different.
He had gradually closed that distance, yet never once crossed the line.
Not even once, in thirty long years.
For that reason, she had acknowledged him as her sole understanding companion.
And she had believed, without question, that she would never et another like him again.
Until the day a frail young man, calling himself Eugene Carter, appeared before her.
Aleph had been a mystery because his thoughts were unknowable.
But this man—he showed everything openly, yet she still couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
In a way, he was even stranger than Aleph.
‘…Could all of this just be a bluff?’
No. Impossible.
She would’ve seen through it by now if that were the case.
A body weakened by an incurable curse, barely able to sustain a Mana Heart, couldn’t possibly resist her Magic Eyes.
But one thing was clear—he wasn’t lying.
Which ant… everything he said had been his genuine truth.
‘…A human of this era, sincerely seeking coexistence with evil spirits?’
Could that really… be possible?
As if to drive that question deeper, Eugene took another step forward.
“I’ll be direct. Make the bridgehead for a united front between humans and evil spirits, Clina.”
It was such a bold, reckless proposal that it actually drew a small smile to her lips.
“…And what do you gain from that?”
“Peace.”
“…That’s all?”
“Yeah.”
At that utterly natural reply, she clapped—not in mockery, but in genuine admiration.
If soone was crazy enough to say such a thing with that much confidence, then it was only natural for curiosity to follow.
“If you insist that much… very well. I’ll play along with your little ga.”
But before that—
“You’ll first have to prove your worth. Show , through your power, whether you are truly fit to serve as Clina White’s subordinate.”
“Simple enough.”
Seeing Eugene assu a ready battle stance with a satisfied look, Clina inwardly shook her head.
‘Those four won’t be nearly enough.’
Now then, what kind of thod will you resort to?
Will you increase your numbers? Or make use of the Magic Tower’s internal systems? Perhaps an Artifact?
Let’s see exactly how you intend to convince .
But the answer he gave next completely shattered her expectations.
“W-What?!”
Creak, creak.
Clatter!
From the ground, stained white bones began rising in droves—skeletal soldiers, one after another, charging straight toward Clina.
Thud! Boom!
Crash!
A horde of skeletons had suddenly appeared, forming a battle line, while two mages in the rear unleashed a barrage of long-range spells.
Clina fended off every explosion while simultaneously repelling the skeletons’ relentless advance.
Skeletons summoned through necromancy did not fall easily. Even if shattered to pieces, the fragnts reassembled, reforming into warriors once more.
I rely acted as the conduit, supplying mana to them. The actual combat was left to them—and to my soldiers.
Still, that didn’t make my role insignificant.
‘Strategy and tactics are both parts of war, after all.’
As long as one could strike the opponent’s blind spot, there was no need to choose one ans over another.
The decision was both rational and efficient.
“Skeleton soldiers summoned by a human… how is that even…!”
Clina, bewildered by the scene, tried to push her undead kin back, but the skeletal soldiers didn’t even flinch. They simply continued to press forward—unyielding, endless.
No matter how many she broke, they regenerated infinitely, scratching and denting even her sturdy, ethereal body.
Instead of answering her question, I pulled a small leather-bound book from my breast pocket—smaller than the size of my palm.
It was an item I had obtained during the assassination attempt so ti ago.
The thick cover bore the marks of a skull and beast’s teeth, and the inside was filled with erratic, illegible script.
The Grimoire Oste, also known as The Book of Bones.
Among grimoires, it was a lower-class Artifact, its abilities quite simple.
It summoned skeletal soldiers and allowed the user to command them freely.
Using mana to summon skeletons—on the surface, that was all there was to it.
‘But if that were truly all, there’d be no reason for them to be this shocked.’
The most crucial principle was this—most humans couldn’t use grimoires at all.
To borrow the terminology from within the MAGA:
Those with corrupted bodies.
Those with tainted minds.
Those who have committed unforgivable sins.
Those who have betrayed divine law.
A person had to et at least one of those four conditions to wield a grimoire.
In my case, my Mana Heart had been permanently tainted by an incurable curse—thus fulfilling the first condition.
But even eting the requirent wasn’t enough. To truly use a grimoire, one had to take another step forward.
That was… ntal contamination.
Though temporary, it drastically heightened the risk of developing new status abnormalities—or worsening existing ones—while the grimoire was in use.
For soone like , whose body was already ravaged by countless withdrawal symptoms, it was tantamount to suicide.
And yet, it was a gamble worth taking.
Because right now, standing beside , was none other than Rubia Magnus.
“Since when…?”
Ignoring the stunned riel, Rubia had her wand fixed squarely on .
The warm light emanating from it was unmistakable—Holy Magic.
Divine Immunity, a spell that negated derits.
Especially against dark magic, it could essentially erase all derits altogether.
It was an active skill, effective only while cast, but due to its versatility, it was among the most frequently used Holy spells.
I gave Rubia a faint smile as she looked at with that complicated expression.
“I told you, didn’t I? You don’t have to hide it anymore.”
She glanced briefly at riel and Gustav before fixing her gaze back on .
“If I get expelled from Karbenna for this, you’ll take responsibility. Understood?”
“…That won’t happen, but sure, why not.”
“Then don’t mind if I do!”
With newfound resolve, Rubia raised her staff with her other hand and aid it straight at the enemy.
As the radiant barrage of Spears rained down from all directions, I turned my eyes toward Clina once more.
The weapons held by the skeletal soldiers had already been imbued with yet another layer of Holy Magic.
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