Chapter 29: The Ruinous Gathering (4)

The situation had escalated beyond serious to horrifying.

It reached a point where he genuinely had no idea what to do.

‘What the hell do I do about this?’

He didn't know if he could find a solution even if he wracked his brain, yet he wasn't even given the luxury of time to think.

Franz decided to move, whether it turned into porridge or rice.

It was better to struggle than to just stand there blankly watching.

"Arian, if you go to the basement of the gathering hall, Yustia will be there. Help her out a bit."

"What? The Saint…? But how do I get to the basement…"

"I'll send you now."

Franz used magic on Arian.

A magic circle inscribed itself beneath her feet, and soon after, light flashed, and her figure vanished.

That should probably take care of the basement situation.

Although Arian worked primarily as a secretary handling paperwork, it didn't mean her caliber as a magician was diminished.

The proof was that there hadn't been much fuss among the magicians when he appointed her as his secretary.

It meant that no mediocre person could even sit in the secretary's position.

Anyway,

‘Now I need to somehow handle this situation…’

Franz's eyes darted back and forth between the two.

It was then.

"As expected, the Hero's power is astonishing. To endure even after drinking so much demon blood. You're a monster beyond the scope of humanity."

Duke Ishtar sneered at Yuna.

Franz flinched, startled by his action.

He could feel Yuna's extreme fury even at a glance, and he couldn't understand what Ishtar was thinking, provoking her like that.

The saying, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,’ perfectly fits the situation.

"Ishtar…"

A low voice flowed from Yuna's lips.

But the anger contained within it was unimaginably immense.

Thud-!

As Yuna took a step forward, the air seemed to explode outwards, shattering all the windows in the gathering hall.

"You… dared to deceive me…"

Yuna slowly lifted her head and looked at Duke Ishtar.

In that instant, Franz felt goosebumps prickle all over his body.

Yuna's current appearance was like killing intent gathered and molded into human form; his body reacted involuntarily.

However, Duke Ishtar remained arrogant.

"Still unable to control your emotions. That's why you were deceived."

Snap-.

As Duke Ishtar snapped his fingers, a massive magic circle began to be drawn in red on the floor of the gathering hall.

Simultaneously, the color of the candles hanging on the walls changed from red to blue.

‘Sealing magic?’

Sealing magic.

That was the conclusion Franz reached after analyzing and deciphering the magic circle in that brief moment.

But it wasn't ordinary magic.

The fundamental framework and structure were identical to the one that had sealed the Demon King.

It was merely that the shapes and characters had been modified to seal the Hero's power instead of Magi.

This wasn't something amateurs could do.

It was something only exceptionally skilled Archmages, and even then, only a select few among them, could achieve.

Even so, one person's mana would be far from sufficient, requiring several to pool their strength.

‘Don't tell me, the social gathering was for this?’

Living beings naturally contained mana within them as a basic principle.

Since their mana levels had drastically increased after drinking the demon blood, they would serve as perfect sacrifices.

Ultimately, this entire situation had been orchestrated just to capture Yuna.

Charrreuk-!

As the magic circle was finally completed, chains shot out from the floor and wrapped around Yuna's body.

"Ishtar…!"

Yuna struggled with all her might, but her body was pulled closer and closer to the floor.

Soon, Yuna collapsed, bound by the chains.

"Without the Hero's power, you're nothing but a young girl."

Duke Ishtar's arrogant attitude finally made sense.

He must have been confident, having hidden such a trump card.

Franz, watching the entire situation from afar, fell into thought for a moment.

‘If I were to save Yuna…’

If only the seal were broken, the outcome would be Yuna's overwhelming victory, no need to even watch.

Just a swing of her fist would likely obliterate Duke Ishtar's body without a trace.

What then?

Would he be able to handle it when that fury turned towards the world?

When they were together in the Hero Party, she was incredibly reliable, but conversely, if she became an enemy, Yuna was terrifying.

To put it in modern terms, it would feel like Mike Tyson, who had been your bodyguard until now, suddenly turning and attacking you.

‘Right now, I need time.’

Yustia was in the process of restoring Yuna's family.

It just took a long time.

If Yuna could just confirm that her family was alive and well, she would surely return to her normal self.

Of course, Duke Ishtar would disappear from the world, but that was entirely justified, so it wasn't a problem.

Having reached that conclusion, the task was simple.

‘Protect Yuna without breaking the seal.’

Franz teleported between Yuna and Duke Ishtar.

Duke Ishtar slowly nodded his head.

"I see. You didn't drink the wine either."

"There was no reason to drink it. It looked suspicious at first glance."

"As expected, you are clever. To be honest, I wanted to cooperate with you. How about it? This is a chance to grasp the entire world in your hands, won't you join me?"

Franz furrowed his brow, pretending to ponder Ishtar's proposal.

Then, he carefully extended his middle finger and showed it to him.

"Do you know what this is?"

"What is that?"

Unfortunately, it wasn't a curse commonly understood in this world, but,

"Fuck you, you cultist bastard."

Still, it felt satisfying to say it.

Seriously, where had a guy like this been hiding before suddenly popping up now?

At this rate, they should be called the Five Heavenly Kings, not the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King.

The problem was that one of those Five Heavenly Kings was human.

"So you've chosen that path. It's regrettable, but if you are an enemy, I have no choice but to kill you."

"What, planning to kill the entire Hero Party and become the new Demon King yourself?"

"I merely act for the Demon God, but that is indeed an interesting approach."

Duke Ishtar still overflowed with composure.

‘What is it?’

Franz simply couldn't understand the man.

Seeing him so relaxed, he clearly seemed to be hiding something, yet aside from absorbing the nobles' mana, he didn't appear to have any other particular tricks.

Perhaps he was acting like this because the Hero's seal hadn't been broken?

Like, 'Without the Hero, I can beat everyone'—something like that, probably.

‘I’m a 10th Circle Archmage myself, you know…’

Franz acknowledged that Duke Ishtar's skills were outstanding, but to say he couldn't defeat him? That was absolutely not the case.

If he put his mind to it, he could make Ishtar disappear from this very spot without a trace.

In truth, the problem lay in Franz's actions up until now.

Countless people had requested to see the miracle of 10th Circle magic, but he had never once shown it.

But it wasn't because Franz wanted to hide it.

10th Circle magic was a spell he could barely cast by using his mana and life force to their absolute limits.

Even back then, if the Saint hadn't performed a miracle, he would have died on the spot.

How could he possibly show such magic just because people asked?

It wasn't 'I feel like I'm going to die from exhaustion'; it was 'I will actually die.'

Franz might not know it, but such talk had been subtly circulating behind his back.

That his skills were all hype.

It was a rumor spread by old men jealous of Franz becoming the Tower Master.

For reference, the last magic Franz had used in front of people was only 6th Circle.

All the magic beyond that had been learned while adventuring with the Hero Party.

Therefore, Franz was simply suspicious of everything.

Wondering if Duke Ishtar was plotting something.

Being a cultist, the possibility was certainly there.

"Regrettable. Then, farewell."

A magic circle began to form at Duke Ishtar's fingertips.

Magi and mana intertwined, drawing red lines, completing shapes and characters.

The shapes and characters were arranged complexly, forming a single magic circle.

Such magic circles layered upon each other, adding to the magic's rank.

What was completed was 8th Circle magic.

8th Circle was a level considered among the top ranks even within the Magic Tower.

The man's skill was certainly worth acknowledging.

‘I can analyze it, but…’

Due to the thick Magi, dispelling it would take time.

The magic would probably be fired before he could dispel it.

During the battle with the Demon King, he couldn't use Anti-Magic for this very reason.

But even so, it wasn't a problem.

Because Anti-Magic was, after all, just one among many spells.

Snap-.

As Franz snapped his fingers, dozens of magic circles began to form simultaneously.

Contrary to the man's ominous red magic circles, these were brilliantly shining blue magic circles.

Seeing this, astonishment spread across Duke Ishtar's face.

"I, I heard the Hero Party's Magician was baggage! But, what is that power of yours?!"

"Who told you that?"

"Didn't you say so yourself!! I was there too!!"

"I said the Hero struggled alone and did everything. Did I say I was baggage?"

Seriously, how did one have to listen to interpret it that way?

Besides, even if someone was accomplished, how many people would openly brag about it?

Wasn't there a saying about rice stalks bending lower as they ripened?

Similarly, the more accomplished people were, the more they tended to hide their achievements and praise the merits of others.

So, well.

"You, just be the seal shuttle."

Thanks to him, I bought some time, which is nice.