27 - Chapter 27

Roth opened the small door and pushed the mage in. Then he followed him and closed the door. Now it was him and Burris who were in the dark room. It was pitch black in the room, and no one thought about lighting a magic sphere.

“You have changed, Burris.” The Skeleton King sighed. “It was not so hard to talk to you before. You were more honest and straightforward then.”

“At that time, I was mentally unstable and physically not well, and of course I was rather sloppy in speaking.” Burris said. “And I was only twenty years old.”

“What does age mean? How old is Heisong?”

“He’s different. He’s an elf. The mental development of a living body is not determined by time, but by the comparison between itself and the outside world. I have seen a case of a human mage apprentice whose appearance remained at the age of 15 because of a failed experiment. Then she left the school and went on a journey with her 19-year-old sister. When I met the two sisters, her sister was 49 years old, and she was a mature experienced woman. She was 45 years old, and her words and deeds were still the same as those of a young girl.”

“Her older sister was also a mage. She could make her face appear younger, but she couldn’t get the real spirit of youth. Later, she died of chronic disease at the age of seventy…Yes, she was just not old, but she couldn’t live forever.”

“Even when she was dying, her mind was more like a severely ill teenager than an elderly woman… She had been treated like a child all her life, and she had lived a girlish life all her life. Under these conditions, years will only add more and more experience to her, but will not really wear down her soul.”

“So…What do you want to explain?” Roth asked in the dark. “You mean, you are over eighty years old, your soul has been worn away, so even if you are 20 years old, it’s impossible that your character return to the way it was in the past?”

“Yes. I hope you can understand…I am definitely not as interesting and naïve as you think.”

The Skeleton King could see through the darkness, but Burris couldn’t. The mage was not dissatisfied with this; anyway, he didn’t want to see the other person’s expression now, in case that face showed vigilance, disgust, anger, impatience…he didn’t know how to deal with it.

“All right, I’ll ask you a serious question…Do you think I’m lying to you?” Roth took over the responsibility of the ‘questioner’. “Do you suspect that I have concealed a major secret? Do you suspect that I may be against you? Or do you think I intend to destroy the world or something?”

“My lord, I won’t accuse you like that.” Burris said. “It would be nice if I found out that you were going to destroy the world, so I could make plans for this…The problem is, I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I want to trust you without knowing anything. Of course…I am still willing to trust you, we have already agreed on that…”

The Skeleton King sighed. “Burris, you don’t need to be so roundabout and so careful with words. Just ask me: ‘are you looking for a thin spot on the plane’?”

“Then you…are you looking for it?”

“Yes.”

“My lord, do you know what it does mean to be looking for a thin spot?”

“Of course I know. It’s about the unknown other world, but also the known divine realm, the dark realm, the void, and the hell belonging to the ancient demons.”

Burris said: “Summoning made to the other world and energy extraction belong to the evil school…Now we have changed the term and call it ‘Confidential school’…usually spellcasters will not discuss it in public. If you are interested in the other world, you can do research in my tower, where there is no restriction by any organization…”

“No, Burris.” Listening to Roth’s voice, he seemed to be smiling. “You know very well that I am not interested in summoning and energy extraction… It is because you know this that you are so nervous.”

“Well…I guess you are going to enter the other world.”

“Yes.” Roth said. “I was born in the Black Lake in front of the Hall of the Dead, and I need to return to my birthplace.”

“You want to inherit those powers.” This time it was not a question, Burris just stated.

“Yes. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything bad with those powers. Those things should belong to me, so I must look for them, that’s all. You humans will also receive your own inheritance, don’t you? You have to trust me.” A cracking sound could be heard.

“What is that sound?” Burris asked.

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Roth continued to make a cracking sound, and at the same time said: “I’m eating an apple. This apple is too sour, I won’t share it with you.”

Burris didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “My lord, can you be more serious? About the other plane… surely it doesn’t mean you don’t you know?”

“Don’t know what?”

“Outer planes are generally easy to enter and difficult to get out of. Even mages who specialize in this field will not travel easily. As for the Hall of the Dead and the Black Lake…That’s in the divine realm. As far as I know, the divine realm is the most difficult one to explore in the known different realms. You can only enter or leave. It doesn’t matter to which plane the creature that is going to enter belongs, it can’t leave again. That is, if you find the entrance and succeed in inheriting the power… You will never come back. ” (Note 1)

“Not quite.” Said Roth, still gnawing at the apple, but in a very serious tone. “Did you forget that the Marsh of the Dead is also a demigod realm, which the gods created to imprison me. For every 100 years I’ve been imprisoned, I got seven days of freedom. It looked like I can get in and out, but it was not like that. Its nature its only to let a person get in but not to get out. When I was ‘released’, the plane appeared directly, and it was the same when I was re-incarcerated. I couldn’t find the entrance and exit, so I couldn’t take the initiative to go in or go out. But you found the way to enter and brought us out safely.”

“We came out, but…” Burris didn’t know whether Roth was really stupid or optimistic. “But it was just a small demigod plane! I took a golem army and almost killed all the plane guards so that I could go deep into it…and when we left, we broke the curse…But It was like destroying the foundation of a tower. We can only come out by destroying that plane!”

“That’s right.” The cracking sound ended; the Skeleton King should have finished eating the apple. “When I inherit the power, we will destroy that plane as well.”

“It’s feasible in principle…but how can it be so easy to do?”

“It’s not easy, so I will think about it for a long time. I won’t go crazy as soon as I see a thin spot on the plane. Burris, how many years did it take you to find the Marsh of the Dead? How many years did it take to master the method of ‘destroying its foundation’? Don’t you just keep your sense and do these things slowly? The same goes for me. Don’t you imagine me too crazy, all right?”

It’s also right to think about it. It was not easy for Burris to find the Marsh of the Dead. If this matter was made public, most spellcasters would definitely denounce this behavior as frenzied… and the Skeleton King’s goal was even greater. Even if he finds a hundred thin spots on the plane, there is not necessarily one that can be used; even if he finds a hundred thin spots that can be used, there may not be one that can be connected to the Black Lake…

“It seems you understand.” The Skeleton King patted Burris on the shoulder. “Although you were weak when you were young, you were very thoughtful and courageous at that time. How did you become so anxious and fussy now? Shouldn’t you high-level spellcasters be sinister and ambitious?”

Burris sighed. “My own ‘ambition’ is being realized step by step, and it is going very smoothly. And this thing you mentioned… It is as incredible as asking Princess Estel to blow up the moon. Do you think she can leave her future throne? Can her parents not be afraid?”

Roth laughed and said: “The ‘blow up the moon’ part is still very far away. And you can rest assured, if it really can’t blow up, I won’t force myself. Don’t be suspicious and think I want to destroy the world. Anyway, I explained everything clearly now, right?”

Miraculously, the conversation didn’t solve any problems, but Burris did relax a lot. “My Lord, I have another question.” He said. “Since you have eavesdropped on us, you must have heard about the girl Heisong mentioned…Does that girl know you too?”

“Yes, I met her when I went to threaten Heisong.” Said the Skeleton King. “”I didn’t hurt her; I just made her fall asleep. The elf was exaggerating.”

“I thought you ordered her to go to the Gem Forest…”

“What does her going to the Gem Forest have to do with us? I only know that she is also a spellcaster, and not a very powerful one.”

Burris didn’t ask any more and nodded in the darkness. He knew that the Skeleton King could see him.

A hand with a faint apple scent came close to the mage’s cheek, brushed his sideburns with his fingertips, and put the loose hair behind his ears.

“Burris, it turns out you have so many questions. Why didn’t you ask me before?” Roth’s voice was closer than before. “If you didn’t ask, how would you know that I would refuse to answer? Let’s talk, even if I don’t want to answer. What can I do? I won’t be angry with you. After eavesdropping on your conversation with Heisong, I realized that you are afraid of me being angry, right?”

Now, Burris could only admit it. After he nodded, Roth said again: “I thought I said it very clearly at the dance… Don’t you still understand it?”

“I understand.” Burris replied quickly. He remembered the last song of the dance and every word Roth said…Burris had not lived in vain for more than 80 years. He was not so pure that he couldn’t even understand the hint, but…He didn’t know how to respond formally.

From a theoretical point of view, the Skeleton King’s favor was considered reasonable… but from a subjective point of view, he was still deeply shocked. In this state of mind, what is the right response?

Now it was not a magic skill test, and the subject couldn’t get the best answer based on the question. Burris hoped to put the issue on hold for the time being and that Roth won’t continue to explore the issue in depth in a short period of time.

“It’s all right if you understand. Don’t move.” Suddenly Roth got closer, and even if he couldn’t see it in the dark, Burris could feel his breathing.

Roth held up the mage’s face and kissed his lips unceremoniously. This time it was not for spellcasting purposes; it was a real kiss.

Burris froze. Subconsciously, he raised his hand to push Roth away, but Roth had been prepared. He embraced the mage and put Burris’s stiff arms around his chest.

After the kiss ended, Roth held back a smile and asked: “You didn’t resist?”

Burris is still in a daze… Being so close in the dark, normal people can’t help but want to resist, but…Resistance can be particularly petty. So, Burris’s hand stopped on the way.

Roth continued to ask questions: “Is this the first time you kiss someone?”

“Of course not.” Burris answered confidently.

It’s a pity that Roth saw through him. “Was it the first time you kissed someone when you rescued Heisong?”

“It wasn’t…”

“Was it at the Marsh of the Dead? No, my dear, that wasn’t. I was kissing your temporary body, the bald youth without ears. Strictly speaking, we didn’t have a real, full kiss. So, your first kiss was when you casted a spell to save Heisong. You haven’t been in love for more than 80 years, and you certainly haven’t kissed anyone. Kissing a lady’s hand doesn’t count.”

Burris leaned weakly against the wall: “My lord, can’t you give me a little dignity?”

Roth embraced the mage and said affectionately: “You don’t need to be ashamed, it’s all right. I haven’t been in a relationship, and I don’t feel inferior at all.”

Maybe your shame is in the wrong place… Burris said inwardly.

Seeing the mage’s expression of disdain, Roth leaned over again: “Do you really mind? Well then… ” He raised the mage’s chin. “It doesn’t count anymore! This is our first kiss. Isn’t that all right?”

What? What is…the meaning of this…?! Burris had this sentence in his mind, but he didn’t get the chance to say it. The Skeleton King kissed him again.

In the quiet night, in the small black room where you can’t even see your fingers, there was the demigod higher undead Skeleton King, Rothbart, and the eighty-four years old legendary high-level mage, Burris Gershaw…The scene had an aura of conspiracy and intrigue, but they were just kissing foolishly.

It was really foolish…It was not that Burris belittled himself. There were always things that people were good at and not good at. Even an experienced spellcaster like Burris had many things he was not good at, such as riding a horse, fighting, singing, writing…falling in love and kissing. Not only he wasn’t good at it, he couldn’t even tell whether the other person was good at it or not…

Was Rothbart’s kissing technique good? Burris didn’t know and had no time to analyze it.

The author has something to say:

Note 1: You can only enter in the divine realm, but you cannot leave. This concept comes from ‘people cannot be resurrected after death’…Although necromantic magic exists, it only manipulates the body and soul, rather than allowing the dead to truly have independent new lives. What? Resurrection? Clerics? But these things are only available in games, and this world does not have such convenient magic…If that kind of thing does happen, it can be said it’s a miracle…

Happy reading! 🙂 Please tell me if you spot a mistake, I’m a zombie and probably will remain as one until next week. The things Burris thinks are just…too real XD