Chapter 98

The town of Romane, where Abel and his companions reside, belongs to the Kingdom of Dinkrat.

In the northernmost frontier of the Kingdom of Dinkrat lies a single monastery.

Called the Ordie Monastery, it is where the followers of the national religion, the Kudor faith, gather and live in seclusion, dedicating themselves to daily spiritual practices... or so it is said.

Of course, they do practice, but their true purpose is to monitor the staff that seals the great demon.

The time is a few weeks before Abel slays Iber Boun.

Someone had infiltrated the Ordie Monastery, opened a hidden door, and stepped into a secret basement.

The man was wearing a deep black robe and white gloves on his hands.

After passing through the corridor, the man waved the staff he held.

He had just dispelled the invisibility spell he had cast on himself.

The invisibility spell makes the target difficult to recognize by others, but its prolonged use consumes a vast amount of magical power.

The man's name is Margus Margnoa.

He is a magician with demonic intelligence and magical prowess, and for that reason, he was expelled from his homeland.

"Indeed, indeed! The effort of unraveling history and searching tirelessly has paid off! With this, I can become the supreme magician in the world!"

In the center of the basement was a pedestal, and on it was a large staff.

At its tip was a large crystal, emitting a sinister light.

On the floor of the basement, a large magic circle was drawn around the staff.

It is the staff that seals the demon of wisdom and destruction, Zolomonia.

Zolomonia is a remnant of the ancient demons from the old era when demons ruled over people.

He grants excessive wisdom to humans, leading to the self-destruction of civilization.

At times, he persuades the leaders of peaceful nations to wage war, at other times he teaches the poor the method of drug production, and at still other times he provides small nations on the verge of surrender with weapons beyond civilization, prolonging wars for decades.

If one could control the power and wisdom of Zolomonia, one could obtain a force surpassing any magician of the past.

No, even if one could not control it, Margus thought it would be fine to bring about the destruction of the world with this staff.

"Haha, what a beautiful staff! The most beautiful in this world! Finally before my eyes!"

Margus reached out for the staff but stopped midway.

It was bound by a seal, and as it was, he could not take it away.

Margus took out a stone fragment from his pocket.

It is a piece of Kudor's body that has been petrified, preventing the dispersion of magical power.

This is proof of the existence of the god Kudor and has an unimaginable value.

A war between major countries could break out over this single stone fragment.

In the past, Margus had been a member of a religious organization that held radical beliefs aimed at summoning the god Kudor, and he had stolen it from a senior member after gaining their trust.

All for the sake of taking out the staff of Zolomonia.

"Amipradhankurdi"

Margus said, raising the stone fragment.

"Sharirpratyamaus"

It is in the Elvish language, but it has no spell-like meaning.

It is merely a call to Kudor in the Elvish language.

Margus threw the stone fragment into the air and pointed the staff at it.

"Abhisamasatyachehara"

The stone fragment glowed, swelled, and transformed into a terrifying tentacle.

It writhed in the air, emitting vast magical power, and then dispersed, vanishing into the air.

Margus waved the staff.

A loud, deep sound echoed, and the entire basement vibrated.

The magic circle drawn throughout the room disappeared.

He had used a fragment of Kudor's powerful magical power to forcibly destroy the seal's function.

However, the Ordie Monastery itself could not withstand this method and began to collapse.

Margus, paying no heed to the collapse, finally touched the staff. He knelt down and pressed his cheek against it.

"Oh, oh! Oh, oh, oh! I can feel it, the powerful and absolute magic of Zolomonia!"

Margus dropped the staff he had brought.

Though it was also a valuable item made with abundant magic stones, compared to the staff of Zolomonia before him, it was nothing more than a mere stick.

Margus no longer felt any value or charm in the staff he had used for years.

He kicked it away after standing up and pulled the staff of Zolomonia from the pedestal.

At the same time, the door to the basement opened.

"Stop! Young man, you do not know the terror of that staff!"

A dozen men entered.

Except for the old man who spoke, they all wore the same monk's robes.

They were the monks of the Ordie Monastery, top-notch magicians assigned to protect the staff in case of an emergency.

"Do you say that this Margus does not know the magnificence of the staff of Zolomonia! Haha, what a bunch of fools!"

Margus turned around and aimed the staff at the monks standing at the entrance.

The old man at the forefront of the monks raised his hand.

He is Yorzes, the abbot of the Ordie Monastery.

He had served as a member of the royal magician corps but came to this frontier twenty years ago, recognizing the importance of the staff of Zolomonia.

"Fire! This place is doomed anyway! Burn him to death and escape, then retrieve the staff later!"

As Yorzes shouted, the monks raised their staffs in unison.

"Shikhatir"

Ten flames shaped like arrows flew toward Margus.

"Aprach"

As Margus chanted, a wall of white light appeared in front of him.

Then, a black light from the staff covered it, turning it purple.

The flames shot by the monks flew straight for a while, but half of them lost their trajectory.

They flew in irregular patterns, a high-level technique to bypass defenses.

Some of the flames tried to circle around the wall of light and reach Margus, but the purple light extended and swallowed them, making them disappear.

"Haha... Without this staff, I might have been in danger. You were once renowned magicians, but to be relegated to this frontier, unable to fulfill your duties and wither away, must be quite a bitter fate. But that is none of my concern! I will give you a fitting end."

Margus raised the staff of Zolomonia.

"Tarabhisap"

A magic circle centered on Margus unfolded, and purple light overflowed from the staff.

The light turned into lines, flying around Margus.

The monks were momentarily stunned by the terrifying and beautiful sight.

Regaining his senses, Yorzes reached out to the other monks.

"No! Flee!"

"Patharparib"

The purple light enveloped the monks, and their feet began to turn to stone.

They cried out in despair, dragging their immobile feet and crawling around.

"Ah, ah!"

"No, no, nooo!"

Within a count of ten, they were completely turned to stone.

Normally, petrification spells require meticulous preparation.

Thus, they were almost never used in combat.

This staff, however, made it easily possible.

"Hahaha! There, eternally savor your regret and watch with your fingers in your mouth!"

Margus said this to the petrified figures and escaped the collapsing Ordie Monastery.