Act 117

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Aiden de Donassien. 

When I saw his face appear at the entrance of the laboratory, I was so dumbfounded I could only inwardly shake my head in disbelief. 

‘What on earth did Korund do to handle this situation?’ 

The barrier was lifted, yet Aiden himself was here. I subtly shifted my gaze to him. 

He exuded a fierce, lethal aura, his presence reminiscent of a blade. Unlike before when I cut out his eye, I didn’t feel it would be as easy this time. His intense killing intent was merely a playground for ‘Julian,’ and the poison in the air that felt like it could pierce the skin had become so familiar it was almost a fleeting amusement. 

The problem was…

‘I hate this place…’

The location. Since this was Aiden’s laboratory, it would undoubtedly be filled with spells that benefited him.

=== 

<Perception> Detected offensive magic circle. 

<Perception> Detected defensive magic circle… 

<Perception> Detected trap magic… 

<Perception> …

Just look at this. 

As Aiden entered, the magic circles connected to him started to reveal themselves. Damn. There were also many dangerous ones. If I took them on directly, no matter how sturdy Julian’s body was, it wouldn’t remain unscathed.

‘Damn it.’

Here was another problem. Julian’s ego strongly resisted the idea of fleeing or avoiding the fight here. My body, which craved the thrill of battle and stimulation, couldn’t overlook Aiden’s continuous provocations. 

‘Finish him here.’

My body was convinced of this. 

‘A body that acts before the mind.’

I didn’t expect such a strong ego to manifest like this. But this time, I agreed with Julian’s thoughts. It was time to bring this to an end.

“The alarm I set on the bookshelf went off, so I rushed here to see what was going on…”

Leaning on his staff, Aiden sighed and his face turned stern, but I could tell. He was only feigning calm, with immense rage boiling inside.

For example, I could see a ‘red haze’ above his head.

“Aileen.”

Thud! 

Aiden struck the ground with his staff and, after glancing at me, turned his gaze to Aileen.

“Why are you here?”

“…Investigating the demon appearances in the slums led me to this place.”

“Why would a wizard from the Tower do such a thing! You could have left it to the Closed Eyes or the imperial knights, the royal dogs!”

To an outsider, it would be most curious why the ‘Black Knight’ was here, but Aiden deliberately avoided mentioning me. 

‘Is it natural…?’ 

Rumors circulated that the ‘Black Knight’ punished corrupt nobles and fought for the safety of the people, but that wasn’t the reality. 

The ‘Black Knight’ had been acting to check the ‘Dawn Society.’ From the beginning until now.

Aiden must have known that. For that reason, he avoided engaging with the ‘Black Knight.’ Any slip of the tongue could reveal the Dawn Society, which still needed to remain hidden.

“Lord Toshaun always said that satisfying curiosity is a wizard’s duty.”

“He also mentioned that excessive curiosity invites disaster.”

“I’d like to return those words to the current lord.”

As Aileen stepped forward and interrupted Aiden’s words, his face twisted with displeasure.

“It was you, Lord Aiden, who led the demonization experiments here, wasn’t it?”

Her face was filled with disgust.

“If you conducted such inhumane experiments…”

“How many times have I told you not to judge magic by moral standards!”

Thud!

Aiden, his face full of rage, struck the ground with his staff again.

“I’ll pretend you didn’t enter my laboratory without permission. So, come over here.”

The nonsense he spouted made him gesture to Aileen. Normally, Aileen might have been intimidated by Aiden’s stern voice, but she shook her head, refusing his order.

“What I saw today cannot be undone.”

Aiden clicked his tongue at Aileen’s defiant stance.

“You can’t even uphold your family’s mission. I shouldn’t have left such a half-wit alone.”

With those muttered words, Aiden extended his staff forward. Sharp metals began to extend in all directions, befitting a wizard who manipulates the gold element.

Sssshh.

Dodging or deflecting them wasn’t difficult. Even Aileen, caught off guard by Aiden’s sudden attack, managed to protect herself with magic.

‘Does he have another trick up his sleeve?’

That thought crossed my mind, but my body was already closing the distance to Aiden before I could think further. 

It felt too easy for facing a wizard of Aiden’s caliber. For a moment, I wondered if he had a hidden ace. But Julian’s instincts, driving my body, were intent on ending this grudge once and for all.

“Look out, it’s dangerous!”

Aileen’s urgent voice snapped me back to reality. 

‘Is it here?’

I noticed a faintly glowing magic circle beneath a stone right under my foot.

‘A trap?’

Before stepping on it, I quickly retreated, and an explosion of fragmented metal erupted like a volcano.

‘That was close.’

Glancing at the activated trap, I refocused on Aiden. Although I had detected it with <Perception> before Aileen’s warning, the magic circles were so widespread that identifying each one was challenging.

It seemed Aiden wouldn’t stop casting spells. That’s how wizards fight knights. If I could just get close, I could easily win, but no wizard would foolishly allow that.

‘So…’

I had prepared something for this very day!

With all my nerves focused on the tip of my sword, I swung the Moonlight Sword through the air as if drawing a picture. 

The mana-infused aura, converted through my mana veins, flew through the air with physical force, causing Aiden’s face to contort in shock.

‘He must have thought he was safe at this distance.’

As the sword energy struck Aiden’s arm,

“Arghhh!”

He screamed in pain, dropping his staff. Rolling on the ground a few times, he frantically searched for his fallen staff. 

But seeing me charging at him, he abandoned his staff and, with a pale face, started fleeing towards the underground waterway.

…He’s really going to run like this?

Such a proud noble. Where was the arrogance of “I am the rightful head of the de Donassien family” now? Tsk.

Seeing such a prideful man fleeing with his tail between his legs only made me laugh bitterly. 

I could just… let him go, right? 

‘No!’ 

As that weak thought crept in, my hand gripping the sword started trembling. 

My legs were already moving in the direction Aiden had fled. 

‘I must end this now. I will punish the one who disregards human lives.’ 

Though it wasn’t out of a sense of justice but for my own safety, I had to seize the opportunity.

***

Aiden knew the entire layout of the underground waterway. 

He remembered exactly where everything was located, what magic was present, and what traps were set. 

His disgraceful escape was a way to utilize that knowledge. 

…. 

‘Damn it, damn it!’ 

It was just a cowardly excuse. 

Losing his staff, getting his arm slashed by the aura that cut through the air – it was all because he lacked skill. 

‘Why is the Black Knight here…?’

Enduring the searing pain, Aiden continued down the dark path. 

‘Aileen, she’s the same.’ 

For the Imperial Court to find out about the illegal activities, both the Black Knight and Aileen would have to survive and escape this place. 

Even if Aileen managed to escape and report today’s events… 

‘With my power, I can make it all disappear!’ 

The real problem was the Black Knight. 

‘I must kill him here, no matter what.’ 

Losing the research logs was painful. 

Losing the disciples who managed them was equally so. 

But as long as he survived, if he could just overcome this ordeal, Aiden believed he could somehow make a comeback. 

And then he would understand why Pintel and Gerard made such a fuss about the Black Knight. 

However, today, facing him directly, Aiden felt a creeping emotion. 

People would call this ‘fear.’ 

‘Strangely, I felt a strong obsession towards me from him. He will surely follow me to the end.’ 

Despite all the trouble Aiden had caused, he couldn’t pinpoint his connection to the Black Knight. 

But he could sense the deep grudge he held. 

Whoosh. 

Aiden stopped running as a breeze blew from somewhere. 

In front of him was the end of the underground waterway, leading to a cliff at the dam. 

Originally meant to collect rain or river water, the unused underground waterway was always open. 

Hence, it was a cliff-like area with no water. 

‘If I fall, I will die,’ he was certain when a familiar voice came from behind. 

“A dead end, it seems.” 

Turning his head to see his face again, Aiden felt his body stiffen. 

‘Is that what a hero from legend looks like?’ 

Aiden thought he resembled a grim reaper more suited to taking lives. 

“It’s quite a height. Can you survive the fall? If not, I can’t understand why you ran here.” 

“Shut… up!” 

Sweat ran cold down Aiden’s back, filling him with discomfort. 

“What is your goal…?” 

“World peace.” 

World peace?

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Aiden wanted to spit out curses, but instead, he focused his gaze on where the Black Knight was standing.

‘I need to get a little closer.’

Clenching his fist, Aiden waited for the Black Knight to approach.

“Do you have a grudge against me? Or are you venting your anger against the Dawn Society?”

The Black Knight slowly advanced, holding the black sword that emitted aura like magic.

“If it’s the latter… I can help you. I have information about the Dawn Society and the Archbishop who currently manages it…”

“The one currently managing the Dawn Society is not the Archbishop, but the Grand Archbishop.”

Aiden flinched as he continued speaking.

“How… how do you know…?”

“There are ways to find out anything.”

As the Black Knight drew closer again, Aiden began calculating the distance between them. One step, two steps. On the third step, as soon as he set foot on the ground, Aiden activated the ‘jewel magic’ installed in the ceiling, causing an explosion.

Boom!

With a thunderous noise, stone fragments scattered everywhere, and dust filled the air.

‘Is he dead…’

He hoped for a moment, but…

“Pointless effort…”

The Black Knight’s voice echoed through the dust.

Aiden knew that if the Black Knight could be killed by such a small explosion, he wouldn’t have been this much trouble.

‘Damn!’

But Aiden’s real trick came next. A slimy substance began to drip from the ceiling with a squelching sound.

Splat!

Obscured by the dust, it was the residue from the demon experiments, waste collected to be disposed of later. Highly toxic and filled with demonic energy, it was perfect for killing someone.

“Aaaargh!”

A deathly scream echoed from the dust, and Aiden burst into maniacal laughter.

“Heh, hehahaha! Foolish… cough, cough!”

Hiss!

As the slimy substance from the ceiling flowed towards the cliff, thick demonic energy rose like steam. The residue from such potent demonic experiments would twist and corrupt the mana veins of an ordinary person, causing them to either demonize and become a demon, losing their sense of self, or face biological death.

“Damn bastard made me use my precious collection.”

Relaxing, Aiden let out a string of curses. Usually, he would scold others for such vulgarity, but this time he couldn’t help himself.

“Next is Aileen. That foolish woman, she should prioritize the family’s secret above all else…”

As Aiden continued speaking, he felt something was wrong.

However, the slimy substance still oozing from the ceiling continued to exude its potent demonic energy, making its presence unmistakable.

‘What’s this? What’s wrong…’

At that moment, a dark figure emerged from the slimy mass.

“Gasp…!”

Aiden almost stopped breathing in shock.

The Black Knight’s body was unscathed despite being covered in the residual spirit, but his grotesque mask had developed deep cracks.

“Be thankful I didn’t wear my favorite coat today.”

“How… how are you unscathed!!!”

Aiden screamed with a thunderous voice. The residual spirit of a demon god contaminated all living things, turning them into mindless demons under its control.

“How can you still have your self-awareness after being drenched in that much slime?!”

“Who knows?”

This phenomenon completely contradicted his research findings. Aiden was furious that his accumulated data was invalidated but also felt fear as the Black Knight slowly approached.

Conflicting emotions clashed within him, and his legs wavered between fleeing and fighting.

“Perhaps this cursed body lacks something you could call ‘self-awareness.'”

Aiden looked at the Black Knight with bloodshot eyes.

Crack!

Amid this, the Black Knight’s cracked mask began to fall apart.

“At this point, I’m even confused about who I am.”

His face was revealed underneath.

“You, you are…”

“Regardless, it seems neither option is a big deal for me. The most important thing, after all… is my mental well-being, Lord Aiden.”

A familiar and detestable man with narrow eyes came into full view.

Thud.

In that moment, Aiden was pushed by the Black Knight’s hand and fell from the high cliff.

He cursed himself for not believing Gerard’s words.

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