DMHS 101

Lucien recalled the information they had given him.

‘I was born to judge this world.’

Even though the enemy’s true nature, which had been as elusive as fog, was now revealed, he still did not feel relaxed. It must have been because his position was the complete opposite of his mate’s.

However, Lucien had another problem that troubled him.

‘Can I cross over to the Dragon Realm?’

He wondered if someone with the heavy duty of being an Arbiter could move between dimensions. It was also unclear if there was anyone who could answer that question for him.

While Lucien was thinking, Frederick was lost in thought.

‘Was black magic really something so powerful?’

Frederick was born and raised in a Magic Tower. To him, black magic had always been nothing more than a wicked trick created to harm people.

Yet it was that black magic that had destroyed the Fourth Tower. It was an event so astonishing that it felt as if the heavens and earth had been overturned.

‘When I think about it, these past three years we’ve done nothing but oppose the North Party.’

At first, the purpose had been to deal with the Chronos disaster, but as time passed, he could not shake the feeling that they had lost their direction.

Lately, mages had spent all their time criticizing knights, and knights had done the same to mages. The founding purpose of the Tower, ‘to use magic for the benefit of the kingdom,’ had been pushed aside.

‘Now isn’t the time for us to fight among ourselves. We have to unite and gather our strength. But is that even possible in reality?’

Meanwhile, Kian looked down at his palm still was scarred.

He knew the wound would fade over time, but he could not take his eyes off it.

‘They figured out my weakness over there.’

He could guess how they found out. They must have seen what had happened in the Delia tribe’s settlement.

It would have been strange if a man who controlled hundreds of dolls had not hidden any within his own base.

‘I should have been more cautious.’

But regret was useless for something already past.

Even if he turned back time, Kian would have made the same choice, because his meeting with Cardinal Malab at the Heart of Dawn headquarters had been pure coincidence.

‘I have to think about what to do next.’

The Delia tribe was faithful, and because of that, they possessed many holy relics.

If Ivan decided to attack using those relics, it would not be easy to block him.

‘I’ll think about it slowly.’

While the three of them were each lost into their own thoughts, dawn began to rise.

“Let’s check if any beads are missing.”

Kian urged the other two to move.

They collected the beads that had fallen to the floor into a separate leather pouch. They had checked several times during the night, but now that they knew each small bead represented one soul, they could not overlook even one.

“There are none here.”

“None on this side either.”

After checking throughout the Academy, the group returned to the dormitory.

Not long after, a message flowed out from the magic stones installed in each room.

There had been a problem inside the Academy, and until a separate announcement was made, all students were instructed to wait in their dormitories.

After washing in the bathroom, Kian went to bed.

“Let’s get some sleep and wake up later.”

“All right.”

Lucien also lay down on his bed. But even after a long time, he didn’t heard the sound characteristic to a sleeping person.

Eventually, Kian spoke.

“I can’t sleep because I have too many thoughts. Are you the same, Lord Lucien?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think Frederick is the same way?”

Lucien closed his eyes briefly and opened them again.

“He’s tossing and turning.”

Kian pushed aside his blanket and got up.

“In that case, we might as well talk before we sleep.”

Kian and Lucien went to Frederick’s room. Frederick opened the door, his face noticeably gaunt.

“You came at the right time. I was just thinking of going to your room because I couldn’t sleep.”

“My head’s also a mess. What were you thinking about, Sir Frederick?”

“Nothing organized. Just scattered thoughts. I wondered what kind of dark mage that man Ivan is, and I felt empty because we couldn’t find the students from the administrative department…”

“I think we need to investigate Ivan properly. We also have to find out if there’s a way to restore the souls of those who turned into dolls, including the children.”

“That’ll be difficult. The Magic Tower doesn’t deal with black magic at all. Since we don’t know black magic, we won’t know how to undo it either.”

Kian silently stared at Frederick.

‘He doesn’t stutter when he says the word black magic.’

Frederick himself didn’t seem to notice the change.

Instead of pointing it out, Kian agreed with his words.

“I wasn’t planning to go to the Tower. Since it’s a matter of souls, it’d be better to ask a being that’s closer to the essence of the world.”

“Is there such a being?”

“It exists.”

“It’s just that dealing with it is a little difficult, or rather, very difficult.”

“He is the King of Spirits.”

Frederick, who could not read Kian’s thoughts, slapped his knee.

“Ah! So he exists.”

Lucien, who was leaning against the wall, tilted his head.

“How can we find the Spirit King?”

“The Spirit King’s mansion stands on an island in the middle of the eastern sea. We can’t use teleportation magic, but there are transport routes for food and supplies, so we can go by ship.”

“Have you been there?”

Kian avoided the question with a smile.

“I heard it here and there while I was traveling around. It’s common knowledge that the Spirit King’s mansion lies in the eastern sea.”

“What kind of being is the Spirit King?”

Lucien showed interest in a person for once, and Frederick answered.

“They say she’s the most beautiful woman in the world. She can change her appearance, so she can look like a delicate girl or a mature woman. The spirits of the world serve her as their king with deep devotion.”

“Then she must be a spirit too?”

“Probably. The stories about the Spirit King are close to legend, just like those about the other founding heroes.”

“Is there anything else known about her?”

Frederick continued the story smoothly.

“This is the most famous tale about the Spirit King. The Spirit King was born in the Forest of Spirits and lived peacefully. But a greedy king saw her and fell in love with her at first sight. He sent his army to bring her to the palace.”

“What happened next?”

“The army destroyed the forest. The spirits scattered, and the Spirit King shed tears as she was dragged to the palace. The king achieved his desire and rejoiced greatly, but the joy did not last long. After the Spirit King entered the palace, strange things began to happen there.”

Kian knew this story too. He crossed his arms and added a remark.

“People usually say that she was possessed by a demon.”

“That’s right. People heard strange crying and laughing voices all over the palace, and they gradually lost their minds.”

“Oh.”

“And then, at that very time, a horde of monsters appeared. The palace was invaded by the monsters and became a ruin. After that, the only survivor, the Spirit King, left the palace with a smile while leading the monsters.”

“I see. She led the monsters away…”

Kian looked at Lucien’s face from the side as he listened.

It was unusual for someone who normally was as motionless as an object to show curiosity. Frederick seemed to think the same thing.

“You seem curious about the Spirit King.”

“There are few intelligent beings in this world other than humans.”

Was it because he was a dragon who lived alone among humans?

However, that was all Lucien said. The conversation ended there.

While they talked about trivial matters, the tense atmosphere that had filled the room eased, and the three returned to their own beds and tried to sleep.

The window of their dorm room shook under the force of the wind.

Clack, clack.

The storm was approaching slowly but surely.

***

When the morning sun rose, the first to regain awareness was the gnome.

‘Why am I sleeping here?’

The gnome had been moved from the basement to under the zelkova tree.

He squinted under the sunlight that filtered through the leaves.

‘Sleeping above ground, that’s not like me.’

But the gnome soon realized that this was not the only thing uncharacteristic about himself.

‘What was I doing before I fell asleep?’

The gnome had no memory of the previous night. Not only the night, but the events of the past few months were all vague, as if they had been a dream.

‘Something happened at the Academy.’

The gnome summoned the spirits of the Academy.

The other spirits seemed to have sensed something strange too, and they answered the call quickly.

What followed unfolded rapidly. The Academy gates closed, and the students were told to remain inside their dormitories.

The spirits gathered and exchanged their thoughts.

‘I can’t clearly remember what has happened recently.’

‘A huge number of letters arrived from several students’ parents.’

‘I can feel a terrible energy coming from the basement. That should be checked first.’

The spirits went down to the basement, and they were left speechless at what they saw.

When they dispelled the illusion magic that had veiled their sight, dozens of iron cages appeared, the kind better suited for locking up beasts than people.

By sensing the energy that lingered around, the spirits grasped what had occurred there.

‘Many people had their souls taken here. They all suffered greatly.’

‘I can recognize familiar energies among them. Ah, they’re the children from the administration department. They were curious and passionate children. How pitiful.’

‘This is impossible. How could such a horrible thing happen in the Academy?’

The spirit Ignis opened his eyes.

‘The energy of the one who clouded our minds remains here. This vile mana… it’s Ivan! It must be that boy.’

The spirits erupted into commotion.

‘He was a gloomy boy. If the wind spirit hadn’t been nearby at that moment, Laura would have fallen from the tower and died. You all remember, right? The committee held a meeting about expelling that boy.’