Chapter 117
In an instant, Sieg's sword halted.
"A treasure, you say?"
The lich spoke hastily.
『Yes, yes! A precious artifact!』
"What use would I have for a dark magic artifact? Maybe I should just kill you...."
『No, no! It's not a dark magic artifact. Even a knight of your caliber could use it!』
The lich desperately argued.
Sieg sheathed his blade once more.
"Let me see what it is first before making a decision."
He manipulated the chains to bind the lich's hands, mouth, and neck but allowed movement.
Trembling, the lich slowly stood up and headed deeper into the cave.
Sieg, with his Dragon Eyes, surveyed his surroundings while gripping the chains and followed the lich.
"Be aware, if you try anything funny, the next thing to roll will be your head."
With a shiver at Sieg's stern voice, the lich opened a hidden passage inside the cave.
A staircase descending underground was revealed.
『This way, this way.』
After confirming there were no additional traps, Sieg followed the lich downwards.
Upon reaching the underground, they found the lich's laboratory.
The walls were adorned with the bones of various monsters, and on one side, books that appeared to be grimoires were wedged into a bookshelf.
"For a lich, you keep quite the tidy living quarters."
『Hehe, thank you, my lord.』
"So, where's the treasure?"
While Sieg seemed intent on outright plundering the treasure, the lich had no other choice.
The lich went to one side of the laboratory, placing a hand on a magically disguised wall.
A hidden safe emerged from within.
Fetching a sealed box from the safe, the lich presented it.
『Here, here it is, my lord.』
"How would I know what it is without opening it? Open it."
Grumbling internally about Sieg being a demanding knight, the lich opened the sealed box.
Sieg was astonished upon seeing the artifact inside.
"A crown?"
The lich nodded.
『It's splendid, isn't it? Surely it will amplify your lordly dignity... Eek!』
As Sieg once again summoned his purifying blade, the lich recoiled in fear.
"Indeed, only destroyed undead are good undead."
『Wh-why are you doing this! You promised to spare me if I gave you the treasure!』
"Calling this an artifact? It's an attempt to deceive me."
『It is an artifact! Hidden within it is extraordinary magical power! I only failed to discern it due to my subpar magical skills!』
As the lich desperately explained, Sieg turned his attention back to the crown, examining it closely with his Dragon Eyes.
― Crown Information ―
Description: A precious crown crafted during the Rubern Dynasty era.
Unique Abilities: 『Shield of Light』, 『Mace of Light』
Special Note: When used against undead or demonkind, the effect is enhanced by 1.5 times.
'Well, it really is an artifact.'
It was not just a mere magic item but a high-grade artifact, possessing both attack and defense skills.
Though Sieg found the lich's possession of such a fine artifact odd, he placed the crown upon his head.
『You can now use the skills Shield of Light (B-rank) and Mace of Light (B-rank).』
Confirming the message, Sieg shouted towards the lich.
"Mace of Light."
In an instant, a giant Mace of Light materialized, descending upon the lich.
『Aaaagh!』
Boom!
The overwhelming luminous aura filled the laboratory.
In one devastating strike, the lich, a high-ranked undead, was nearly obliterated.
『Uuuuugh.』
Even as the lich, who had handed over the artifact truthfully, lay dying, Sieg felt a pang of guilt. Just then, a system message appeared before him.
『You have instilled fear in the lich mixed with the trifling dragonkin bones.』
『The unique authority Dragonkin Domination is activated.』
『Would you like to subjugate the target?』
Seeing the system message, Sieg looked at the lich with an incredulous expression.
"Did you by any chance build your body with dragon bones?"
The lich trembled in fear and responded.
『How could I possibly acquire bones as rare as those of a dragon? I used the bone dust of a basilisk, wyvern, and drake.』
It seemed that just like with the case of Gurav, having a dragonkin component made one eligible for subjugation.
Sieg considered how he might use an undead summons.
'Well, it won't hurt to have it.'
Just like Gurav, Sieg decided to subjugate the lich as well.
『You have subjugated the lich mixed with the trifling dragonkin bones.』
Woooom!
Sieg's shadow reached out and enveloped the lich.
『Gasp!』
The lich began to transform, changing from the appearance of a skeletal undead to a ghastly, pale man.
With scalelike skin and snake-like eyes, he now resembled a serpent beastman at a glance.
"Oh?"
Seeing his newly transformed body, the lich was in disbelief.
"How... how is this possible...!"
The dragon's authority had transformed the lich into a human-like summon.
He quickly knelt and bowed before Sieg.
"Master! You truly are no ordinary being! With your mighty power, you have delivered me! Thank you! Thank you! I will serve you until my soul is worn out!"
『Would you like to assign a name to the subjugated lich mixed with the trifling dragonkin bones? When given a name, summons can be summoned by the summoner's call at any time.』
"What was your name again?"
"The petty name I used in life is of no importance. Please grant me one, mighty master."
Finding it a bother to think too long, Sieg casually assigned a name.
"Then let's call you Richmond."
"Ah...."
『You have obtained the summon Richmond.』
Having reluctantly gained the name Richmond due to being a lich, the newly named Richmond sighed internally, thinking he should have just said his old name.
Regardless of Richmond's feelings, Sieg contemplated while holding the crown he had taken off his head.
'Hmm, it's good, but do I need to wear it to use in every battle?'
Just then, as if answering Sieg's question, a system message appeared.
『You can consume items using Devour to obtain skills.』
'Oh?'
He had forgotten about the Devour stage having advanced to the expert level, allowing for item consumption.
He activated the Devour skill on the crown.
The shadows quickly swallowed and absorbed the crown.
『You have consumed the crown.』
『You have acquired the skills Shield of Light (B-rank) and Mace of Light (B-rank).』
"Wow, this is possible too."
Sieg immediately checked his active skills.
Active Skills: Electric Shock 『A-rank (Beginner)』, Flash Bomb 『C-rank (Proficient)』, Dissonance 『C-rank (Proficient)』, Magic Reflection 『A-rank (Beginner)』, Area Buff 『A-rank (Beginner)』, Curse Reflection 『A-rank (Beginner)』, Invisibility 『A-rank (Beginner)』, Shield of Light 『B-rank (Beginner)』, Mace of Light 『B-rank (Beginner)』
He noticed that his list of skills had grown considerably since the beginning.
Sieg suddenly recalled Agamemnon's Mask.
'Should I consume this too, to acquire the cleanse skill?'
Knowing its usefulness, Sieg pondered for a while but decided to postpone consuming the mask.
Agamemnon's Mask was more than an ordinary artifact; it was a family heirloom of the Agamemnon lineage. Thus, he didn't have the authority to dispose of it at will. Being the family's successor granted him stewardship over the heirloom, but it didn't confer full ownership.
After making a decision on the consumption of the golden mask, Sieg turned to Richmond.
"Are the monsters outside ones you released?"
Richmond nodded.
"Yes, yes. My specialty happens to be monsters."
"That's interesting. I haven't seen many dark mages specializing in monsters."
Richmond scratched his head awkwardly.
"Even during my time in the Holy Empire, the monster specialization was quite niche, so there weren't many mages researching it."
"It's a fascinating skill indeed. Can you lure monsters as well?"
"Any creature within my influence is within reach."
"Oh, really?"
If Sieg used Richmond's abilities wisely, he could potentially garner a substantial increase in points.
* * *
"Huff! Huff!"
Outside Richmond's cave, an adventurer party continued to struggle valiantly against the relentless onslaught of monsters.
Though the dark magic controlling the monsters was released when Sieg confronted Richmond, the arrival of wild monsters kept the assaults continuous.
The archer had run out of arrows, the knight was at the brink of exhaustion, and the mage was nearly drained of magic energy.
Yet, the surrounding monsters continued to lurk with menacing intent.
The knight addressed his companions.
"Damn, looks like this is our end."
Then, the young mage nearby commented to the knight.
"In the end, Rick dies without losing his virginity."
The female archer beside him nodded.
"Right? Maybe I should have taken it."
Across from them, the female mage blushed and interjected.
"Claude!"
The young mage chuckled mischievously.
"The romantic tale of Virgin Rick and Virgin Arin will remain legendary even if we die."
This banter made Rick chuckle slightly, even in what seemed like their final moments.
Suddenly, Rick charged forward with his sword.
"I've enjoyed being with you all!"
Arin shouted in surprise.
"Rick!"
Rick intended to sacrifice himself to give his companions a chance to retreat.
"Haaaah!"
His sword swiftly severed the neck of the monster in front of him.
He shouted back to his companions.
"Quick, go!"
At that moment, a Minotaur, raising a giant axe the size of a man, rushed at Rick.
Roaaar!
As Rick steeled himself, readying to confront the Minotaur, he knew death was imminent.
Craaaack!
With a single swing of the Minotaur's axe, Rick lost his grip on his sword.
Rooar!
The Minotaur raised its axe again to strike.
Rick was paralyzed, staring death in the face.
Just as the axe descended towards Rick's head, a blinding flash severed the Minotaur in half.
"What?"
Rick, at the front of the line, stood speechlessly astonished by the unbelievable sight.
A gloomy-faced sorcerer had somehow appeared by their side.
The youth who had sliced the Minotaur in one blow said to him.
"Richmond, do your job well. Fail, and you'll be obliterated."
"Don't worry, my lord!"
When Richmond raised his staff and recited incantations, mysteriously, monsters from both near and far began to converge on their location.
Rick's party was taken aback and yelled.
"More... monsters?! We have to... escape!"
Yet, instead of retreating, the young man brandished a seemingly unfinished black sword and charged forward.
He then began rapidly cutting down the monsters at a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye.
Sliiice―
Thunk―
Splaat!
Dozens of monsters were annihilated in the blink of an eye, torn to shreds, leaving Rick's party pale with horror.
Having destroyed all the monsters, Sieg called out to Richmond behind him.
"Not bad. Richmond, summon more."
Richmond recited the incantations once more, drawing in more monsters.
As Sieg wiped out the monster hordes ten more times, he accumulated over 2,000 points.
* * *
Having decimated all the monsters, Sieg camped with Rick's party.
He aimed to gather information regarding the Giant Mountain Range from the adventurers.
"Thank you for saving our lives."
Rick's party, having witnessed Sieg's extraordinary prowess, treated him with caution and respect.
Though he appeared young, they were convinced he was surely a knight from a noble family.
Sieg, observing Rick, replied.
"No need to mention it. More importantly, it appears you've been adventurers for quite some time despite being young. Your party's cohesion was impressive."
Listening to this, jason stepped forward.
"Well, our party includes an absolute—ow!"
Rick and Arin quickly blocked Jason's mouth, cutting him off.
Sieg smiled at the jovial group.
Claire, the archer, looked at Sieg and asked.
"Are you affiliated with a knight order, Sir?"
Sieg shook his head, denying it.
"A knight? Certainly not. I am an adventurer as well."
Showing his adventurer's ID, Sieg corroborated his claim.
Rick was surprised after inspecting the ID.
"No way. Then how did you learn such amazing swordsmanship? I thought you were certainly from a noble family!"
"I'm from the northern regions. I've been around rangers and mercenaries since I was young, so I learned various sword techniques over time."
Though his strength seemed excessive for mere casual learning, they couldn't press further since he claimed he was self-taught.
Nodding, arin changed the subject, pointing towards Richmond situated behind them.
"That person there... is it okay to leave him like that?"
Richmond sat alone in a corner, aside from the warmth of the fire.
Sieg nodded in response.
"Yes, don't worry about him. He has a fear of crowds due to a social anxiety issue."
Jason nodded at this explanation.
Many mages indeed had eccentricities affecting their mental health.
When the soup started to bubble, Sieg served each member of Rick's party a bowl.
The taste was exceptional, surprising Rick's party.
"Oh, this is delicious!"
They were astonished because it was prepared with ingredients stored fresh in the inventory.
As they enjoyed the soup, Sieg inquired.
"So, why did you all come this far?"
Rick hesitated but then cautiously replied.
"How could we withhold anything from our savior? We came here at the behest of Duke Graham."
Sieg was taken aback by Rick's response.
'Aw, don't tell me, these people are...?'
Rick continued.
"We're here to find the sorcerer who cast the evil curses on Lady Angelina."