I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

✦  Chapter 18  ✦

「Translator — Creator」

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"Setting up their base by the lake... it's genuinely eerie," Loraine remarked.

She shuddered with an audible 'ugh', clearly displaying her aversion to any involvement with dark mages.

I watched her reaction and sought her opinion.

"How do you think we should get down there?"

She gazed intently at the ground below, contemplating for a moment before offering a solution that was both simple and intuitive.

"Why don't we just break our way in?"

"Break in?"

"Yes. In my experience, when something definitely exists but remains hidden from view, there's a high chance the entrance has been concealed by magic. So..."

She drew her sword at an imperceptible speed, unleashing a blade strike across the entire expanse of the lakeside.

While I was still internally marveling at the sight of countless objects being cleaved in a single stroke, she added a brief comment.

"Found it."

She had discovered the entrance leading below.

𓇗

The illusion magic cloaking the area had apparently been layered with perception-dampening spells. A cabin I hadn't noticed before lay split in two nearby, its suspiciously pristine condition stark against the torn earth.

Given its suspicious appearance obvious to any observer, I placed the sun-spirit on my shoulder to investigate.

"Myung myung!"

Its indignant trill confirmed we'd found the right place.

Upon entering, we discovered a bisected dark mage sprawled across the floor.

'Must have died from Loraine's blade strike.'

The frozen shock on his pale face suggested he'd died without realizing it.

After nudging the remains down the adjacent staircase with my boot, I listened. Only dull thuds echoed upward — no traps triggered.

I signaled Loraine to follow and descended the stairs.

What greeted us below was a grotesque laboratory reminiscent of a massive aquarium.

As I grimaced at the bizarre creatures swimming unnaturally through the water,

I made a particularly shocking discovery.

[Methods for Efficient Extraction of Negativity]

This clearly continued the twisted experiments we'd uncovered earlier.

I discovered documents detailing methods and research results for extracting maximum negative emotions from people over extended periods.

Though I deliberately avoided absorbing the revolting contents,

the initial sentence about forcing family members to kill each other kept surfacing in my mind, spreading waves of disgust.

'...These lunatics.'

Just as I was contemplating the inexcusable nature of their actions - conducting such experiments repeatedly under the guise of efficiency -

I noticed something peculiar in the laboratory's center.

'...A black orb?'

A small black orb bound by numerous crimson threads.

While everything else around consisted of strange creatures or human corpses, the sudden appearance of this orb piqued my interest.

Recognizing it as the key item in this case, I moved to approach it when-

"First time we've had uninvited guests."

The man approaching possessed unremarkable, almost pleasant features at odds with our surroundings. His smile widened as he bowed.

"If it isn't the young master of House Carsaril and Lady Loraine? Trespassers, yet honored ones. As host, I ought to offer proper hospitality." His gaze sharpened like a surgeon's scalpel. "Though I wonder what service might please guests of your... particular tastes."

He addressed us with an utterly glib, composed voice.

Though ignoring him wouldn't matter much, we'd come here because of my 'sister Lilia’s assassination incident.'

Just as I was about to speak to obtain as much information as possible-

"Young master, get behind me."

Loraine gripped her sword and moved me back.

Seeing her react this way, she must have judged the enemy as someone I could never defeat, so I nodded and stepped back.

'This is better than getting in the way by hovering around.'

Help is only helpful when skill levels match.

With such a vast gap in ability, I would be more hindrance than help, so I retreated without hesitation and said,

"I'm counting on you."

"Yes."

Contrary to our expectations, the dark mage waved his hand and spoke.

"I believe there's a misunderstanding. I have no intention of fighting you. Combat would be worthless and only result in losses."

Hearing this, I added a comment to Loraine.

"Looks like he's trying to buy time."

"I thought so too."

Having spent considerable time together, our thoughts aligned.

Thinking I could leave it to her judgment, I discreetly shifted my attention elsewhere.

'We came here to find information about the assassination in the first place.'

Reminding myself that gathering intelligence was the priority, I searched the surroundings.

Various documents and traces of countless experiments.

Though I quickly scanned through them seeking relevant information, nothing stood out.

Just as I was frowning and questioning if this was the wrong place, the sun-spirit shook my body and pointed at the black orb.

'Ah right, that thing was here.'

Given how oddly protective the dark mage seemed of it, that orb was likely the most important item in this laboratory.

As I tried to approach it while calming the sun-spirit who was barking "myung myung" beside me,

I felt a powerful mana barrier blocking my path.

'So that's why he's ignoring me.'

He was so certain that while Loraine might break through, I absolutely couldn't, he wouldn't even spare me a glance.

Irritated by his attitude, I decided to break through and take the orb, raising my mace to strike when-

"Go kill them now!"

"Why aren't you moving? Do you want to die?"

"Surround them!"

Countless figures poured in from behind.

The dark mage’s stalling tactic was now laid bare.

And a bitter laugh escaped me as I summoned the sun-spirit.

"Myung!"

The sun spirit, seemingly enraged by the overwhelming presence of dark mages and their ilk, bristled its fur while displaying even more displeasure than usual.

I shifted my mace while asking it to lend me its power.

'A sun spirit is inherently suited for combat.'

Usually, it spread itself thin across the north to provide warmth, but when concentrated, its power became unfathomably strong.

'Normally, I rarely use it because its power is too devastating and causes excessive damage, but...'

Now that I didn't need to worry about collateral damage, I could unleash its full potential.

I scattered flames everywhere while requesting the sun spirit's power.

The inextinguishable solar flames.

This power, comparable to white phosphorus, continuously burned those it touched.

"Arghhhh!"

"H-help, help me!"

"Keuup kkeup!"

Everything around burst into flames as screams of agony filled the air; though the scene was excessively cruel and hardly pleasant to watch,

Perhaps due to the experimental records I'd seen earlier, I felt no particular guilt.

"C-counter attack! We're dead either way if we stay like this!"

Someone apparently still capable of rational thought rallied the survivors and launched magical attacks at me.

A slight sense of crisis flickered as countless sharp spear-like mana constructs shot toward me.

Whoosh—

But the massive flame barrier created by the sun spirit reduced everything to pure white ash,

Quickly dispelling any sense of danger and rendering all attacks meaningless.

"Y-you monster."

I smirked at the voice from ahead.

It was rather amusing being called a monster when the real monsters were Loraine and that unknown figure fighting over there.

Just as I was about to collect the black orb after disposing of these terror-stricken individuals, a rather haggard-looking woman emerged from among the dark mages and spoke.

"How dare you... how dare you, how dare you, HOW DARE YOU."

A gloomy woman who was creating scars by scratching her entire body with her nails glared at me with unconcealed rage.

Sensing the intense black magic emanating from her, I took a light breath, instinctively knowing she wouldn't be an easy opponent.

The woman who had been scratching herself suddenly stopped, then spoke to me with an eerie laugh, "D-do you think you can break th-that? You... someone like you?"

Her voice cracked as if her vocal cords were splitting, rapidly shifting in pitch. Her presence triggered some instinctive revulsion, making me frown as I watched her.

She continued laughing as she addressed me, "If you break it... I'll acknowledge you. Kheup, but th-there's no way you c-could."

The provocation was so crude that rather than angering me, it was merely amusing.

Just as I was about to ignore her and summon the solar flames,

An interesting thought suddenly crossed my mind.

'Things might get entertaining if I actually break this glass wall and take the black orb.'

Of course, it wouldn't be easy, as both the original dark mage's dismissal and her words suggested.

Still, a competitive spirit welled up inside me, making me want to try.

So I gripped my mace tightly and channeled mana into it.

Having wielded a blade for barely a year, my technique of imbuing weapons with mana was still crude and unrefined.

Yet perhaps due to my year-long experience of exhausting myself while radiating warmth throughout the north,

The moment the sun spirit's solar mana filled the mace, I could manifest blade energy even more skillfully than with my own mana.

"Huh, what?"

A startled voice came from ahead.

Clearly, she hadn’t expected this.

I turned my gaze from the dark mage, who had forgotten even to scratch herself, and struck the glass containing the black orb with all my might.

Flames filled the entire area.

As the intense flames that melted everything and the blade energy that cut through common sense reached the glass wall, everything began to distort.

With a tremendous impact, the glass warped, then exploded in a deafening crack, shards scattering like shrapnel.

"Y-you madman!"

I heard a terrified cry.

Just as I reached for the black orb, hoping to strike first before they could attack-

"Ang-nyang-nyang."

The sun spirit perched on my shoulder darted forward and simply swallowed it whole.

".........?"

I looked at the spirit questioningly.

The spirit, its cute face now rounder than before, smiled proudly and said to me—

"Myung!"

‘Did I do good?’ its expression seemed to say.

I blinked, speechless.

END of CHAPTER

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