Verden, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, caught key words from the mysterious man's speech.
'Test subject, and doctor.'
Verden's hunch was correct.
The clown orc had been artificially mutated.
What was the purpose behind it? He was curious, but it seemed it would be difficult to eavesdrop any further.
The man began releasing his aura as he approached the adventurers. Since Verden was planning to step in anyway, it would be better to reveal himself before the adventurers were killed.
However, there was no clear opening.
After a brief moment of thought, Verden casually answered the man's words as if part of the conversation.
"…Huh?"
That fleeting moment was enough. With the fastest-casting mana burst, he blasted the man away.
'Didn't work completely, though.'
"Oh dear. Another uninvited guest. I was so absorbed in the test subject, I didn't even notice."
Brush, brush. The man dusted himself off and rested his rapier on his shoulder. It seemed he had absorbed the impact through a breakfall—he was only a bit dusty, without any real injuries.
"So. Who might you be?"
"A mage."
"…I already figured you use magic. What I meant was, your name."
"Bill."
Verden answered immediately.
It was related to forbidden experiments, and the man had introduced himself as someone who kills for fun—there was no reason to give either his real name or an alias.
The completely insincere answer made the man twitch his temple.
"My name is Sergen… ha, what a boring conversation. The name you gave is probably fake too. Well, fine. After I kill you, I'll remember you as the dull mage."
Sergen kicked off the ground.
Arrows of flame aimed at him, but with serpent-like agility, he was difficult to hit.
Verden instantly changed tactics.
Clang! The rapier clashed with a mana barrier.
Unlike a regular sword, the rapier was specialized for thrusting, allowing power to be concentrated at a single point. A powerful impact left a small crack in the barrier.
A wave of magic swept through the area.
Sergen didn't resist—it was easier to let the force push him back.
"..."
His movement wasn't ordinary.
Though it lacked the weight of the knight Enok he'd seen at the lord's castle, it was even faster. He also seemed to have plenty of experience fighting mages.
'In that case, I'll do it my way.'
Verden unleashed his magic.
He activated all of his mana circuits to instantly cast any spell. Magic overflowed from his vividly glowing blue eyes.
"A short-term battle? That's not very mage-like."
Most mages are arrogant.
Just as swordsmen trust their swords, they trust the mana within their bodies. They look down on those without mana and treat them with disdain.
Sergen took advantage of that arrogance, piercing through their barriers and throats.
'Guess I'll have to accept my clothes getting dirty.'
But Verden wasn't careless. To get close, Sergen would have to dodge the magic flying at him head-on.
The situation wasn't in his favor, but Sergen remained composed. As always, he believed he could dodge everything.
He raised his rapier straight. The tip pointed at Verden's throat, carrying the message that this cold metal would soon dig into his neck.
And the moment Sergen's toes twitched—Verden's staff flashed.
A frigid wind howled. Sergen quickly rolled to the side to avoid a direct hit. A puff of white breath escaped from his lips, where his smile had vanished.
'Two elements? And ice, of all things.'
Cold was tricky. The slow freezing of muscles and joints was never pleasant.
Drawing on past experience, Sergen made a judgment. A spell that wide must consume a significant amount of magic power.
Which meant the next would be something more efficient—probably a projectile-type spell.
Crack! Icicles sliced through the air and slammed into the wall.
Sergen bent backward and launched himself forward. His vision rapidly shifted as he moved at a speed focused by concentrated aura.
Dodging and smashing the incoming shards of ice, Sergen reached Verden's side before the fragments even hit the ground.
"Hup!"
Whoosh! A strike like lightning.
…but it struck nothing. There had never been a mana barrier to begin with.
Verden ducked and dodged the attack with only physical movement—radiating heat as he did.
'Three elements?!'
"You—!"
Fwoooosh! A burst of flame erupted. Sergen, engulfed in heat at point-blank range, barely managed to shield his face as he retreated.
His burning hands and singed clothes—Sergen brushed off the flames and let out a low laugh.
"Haha… dispelling your mana barrier, dodging my attacks with just physical skill… I've heard of War Mages from the Western Empire who wield both magic and martial arts. Are you from there? If not, then you must be insane."
"..."
Being called crazy by a madman brings no particular thoughts.
If anything, it only meant the attack had landed effectively. But even now, Sergen still exuded composure.
No need to drag it out.
A spell that could flip his assumptions would be enough. When Verden snapped his fingers, the ground beneath the adventurers began to writhe.
"Kyaaah!"
"W-what?!"
Rumble! Stone pillars shot up. The adventurers, suddenly lifted high above the ground, looked down in shock. At the unexpected height, Mirna recoiled in panic.
Sergen tilted his head and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Securing safety."
Verden's body floated into the air.
Unleashing magic from an unreachable height was a common combat strategy among mages.
"How foolish. Do you really think my sword can't reach just because you're flying?"
Maybe outside, but in a cave like this—
If he really wanted to, he could easily leap higher than that. Using the walls would make it even easier. He'd taken a hit earlier, sure, but he still had plenty of methods left for killing a mage.
Verden's cold gaze turned to Sergen.
"The floor's quite damp."
"…Excuse me?"
What was that supposed to mean?
In that moment, a flash erupted from Verden's hand. The cave lit up so brightly, there was no need for suggestion magic.
Crackleee! Everyone inside turned their attention to the violently surging blue light.
"…Lightning?"
Among high-tier elemental magics, lightning was infamous for its overwhelming destructive power against living beings.
Sergen, realizing too late, looked down at the ground. The shattered ice shards had melted from the earlier heat, leaving the floor wet.
'Was that his plan from the start?'
He'd been had.
As the realization hit, his instincts screamed danger.
Sergen bolted toward the cave's entrance without looking back. Water splashed from puddles and stained his clothes, but he didn't care.
Just before reaching the entrance, the cave light vanished.
CRACK! A bolt of lightning came down on Sergen.
"Guh?!"
Snap. Twisting his body in an almost impossible motion, he narrowly avoided a direct hit—but it cost him his ankle, which snapped under the strain.
He barely evaded a fatal strike, but the magic wasn't over yet. The lightning that struck the ground traveled through the water, spreading everywhere.
Right to Sergen's feet.
Bzzzzzt!
"Gaaaaaaahhhhk!"
His entire body convulsed under electrocution.
Veins burst, his eyes reddened, and a grotesque scream tore from his lips. The sensation of boiling blood was more than a human could endure.
But Sergen didn't die from that alone. Gritting his teeth, he looked back.
Lightning-type magic consumed an immense amount of magic power, equal to its destructive force. On top of that, the caster had just used a series of wide-range spells. Surely, that mysterious mage had to be exhausted by now.
'About two minutes to recover.'
If he could last that long, he could kill him.
But the sight before him was far removed from what he had expected.
Triple casting—beyond double.
A rare ability allowed only to a few mages, born from a combination of effort and talent. Ten elemental arrows, carried by strong wind, surged toward Sergen.
WHAPWHAPWHAPWHAP!
Arrows grazed and pierced his entire body. He dropped his sword and raised his arms to shield his vitals, but he was left a broken wreck. He couldn't even walk, let alone run.
Verden wasn't satisfied with that alone.
'I'll finish this properly.'
Those who have awakened aura can still move, even with such injuries.
A massive boulder, as large as a person, was hurled forward.
Just as Sergen slowly lowered his trembling arms, he saw the rock flying straight at him. He let out a hollow laugh.
"Unbelievable…"
CRAAACK! The boulder smashed into him and embedded him in the wall.
Every bone in his body shattered, ground to pulp. The only reason he was still alive was the relatively intact state of his head, and the qi remaining in his body.
But he wouldn't last long.
Verden descended in front of Sergen.
"I have something to ask."
"Cough, cough! Hah… after doing this to me, now you want to talk?"
"There was an orc similar to that thing in Baron Pythe's territory. Was it the work of that so-called doctor?"
Sergen coughed blood and chuckled faintly.
"Ah, no wonder it went quiet. You killed it, didn't you? Are you by chance from the 'Ark'?"
"Ark?"
What's that?
Verden's expression showed genuine confusion, and Sergen let out a sigh.
"If you don't know, then never mind… Ha, what a coincidence. Who would've thought I'd die like this. Never imagined it."
Cough, cough!
Dark, crimson blood poured out. Time was short.
Verden moved on to the next question without pause.
"Where is this doctor?"
"…Why do you want to know?"
"I'm interested in his experiments."
"Of course. Planning to kill them all with that absurd magic of yours? Haha. I've met a lot of people in my time, but never someone as ruthless as you."
Verden's personality had been forged through decades in the magic tower.
Defying the Heavens, built upon layer after layer of dark emotions. With enemies on all sides, there was no room for weakness.
"So, the answer?"
"Sure, sure. I'll tell you. I'm on my last breath, after all."
Sergen's lips moved.
Ptooey. A tiny needle flew toward Verden's eyes—but it was blocked by the mana barrier. Sergen's final strike had failed.
"As expected, you are a merciless man."
Thud! Sergen's head was crushed.
Indeed, you must never let your guard down around someone who's trained their body and awakened aura. Verden ensured the man was dead, checking the corpse thoroughly. A gold necklace, stained with blood, caught his eye.
'Is this enchanted with suggestion magic?'
That would explain why it was so visible in the dark. It was valuable, so he wrapped it up and put it away.
Is there anything else? Just as he was thinking that, he sensed movement above. When he looked up, the adventurers quickly pulled their heads back.
'…Right, the adventurers were still up there.'
Being a former researcher, Verden had a habit of forgetting unimportant things when he got absorbed in one task. It was something he needed to fix.
With a gesture, Verden slowly lowered the raised stone pillars.