The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 16: The Evil Magician 

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

With the help of the wind, Princess Merry kept sailing North, and the fog around them slowly faded. Eventually, the bright moon and the twinkling stars came into their sight again.

The captain scanned his surroundings and took a look at the map in his hands. “We had sailed for about thirty miles in the fog. Now, we’re supposed to have left Black Swamp.”

Fern looked at the shores and realized that he was seeing mounds instead of forests and meadows. These mounds came in various sizes. While some were as large as hills, some were as small as earth slopes. Nevertheless, they were all covered in shrubs and weeds. “We’re supposed to be in Tarantara Hills now.”

“Yes. You’re quite well-versed in geography.” After the battle just now, the captain’s attitude toward Fern and his companions had changed.

Fern didn’t respond to him. Even though his wound had been treated, it was still excruciatingly painful, which reminded him of the ointment he received in the oasis and Bessie’s alluring eyes.

All of a sudden, Niss lost her balance and collapsed to the deck. Fern hurriedly helped her up and asked anxiously, “What’s wrong, Niss? Are you too tired?”

Niss nodded lethargically. She didn’t even have the energy to speak.

Rae immediately walked up to them and crouched down before placing her palms on Niss’s temples. When she moved her hands away a few seconds later, Niss had recovered significantly, and she could stand on her own.

“You need to take a rest. You must have used too much spiritual energy when casting the spells just now.” Rae heaved a sigh and continued, “If you went on to use more spiritual energy than your body could bear, you could have suffered a backlash.”

“I know…” After Fern helped her take a seat on the stairs, Niss said, “But, I had no choice.”

Rae leaned against the ship’s edge and stared at Niss. After a moment of silence, she went on to say, “While you were summoning a gale of that intensity, you were also able to use a different elemental magic to attack. It’s no easy feat.”

“I just desperately wanted to help Fern.” Niss raised her head and looked solemnly at Rae. “I knew that if I didn’t cast the water column at that time, Fern would be killed.”

“You cast a fireball in Sheepfold Village, right? Why did you use a water column just now? A fireball would be more effective than a water column in that situation,” Fern asked puzzledly. 

“Fire magic is weaker on water than on land. So, even if I used a fireball, it would be less powerful. Moreover…” Niss turned to look at him. “You were too close to the corpses. I was afraid I might hurt you accidentally.”

On the side, Stan was puzzled by their conversation. As he was wiping the blood off his sword, he asked, “Honestly, I have not the foggiest idea about magic. If possible, please give me a brief introduction.”

“That’s expected of you, Mr. Knight.” Rae gazed at Stan without any emotion on her face. “In fact, other than magicians, hardly anyone can understand what magic is at all. I should probably let the brilliant disciple from the Magician’s Tower give you an explanation.” When she mentioned the Magician’s Tower, her tone was derisive. 

Niss was already used to Rae’s disdain of her school. After giving it a thought, she explained, “There are a few branches of magic in Wallis. First, there’s elemental magic that can be used to control nature. Then, there’s dark magic, which feeds on human’s psychological traumas. It’s also called shadow magic, which Rae uses.” At the mention of this, she traded glances with Rae and continued, “Also, there’s light magic, which is the opposite of dark magic. It’s a kind of magic that utilizes all the positivity in the world. Lastly…” Niss paused and swept a look over everyone else. “There’s this forbidden magic. Whoever uses this magic will be expelled from the Magician’s Tower, and all other magicians can hunt down and kill the person.”

“What kind of magic is it that’s so unwelcomed by other magicians?” Stan interrupted her as he was keen on learning more about this. 

“It’s called evil magic. It can be used to control corpses or everything related to death,” Niss replied. 

“So… were those corpses just now controlled by an evil magician?” Stan asked with a solemn expression. He had pressed his sword on the deck and gripped the hilt with both hands. 

“Yes. There has to be an evil magician around here.” Niss grasped her magic cane tighter, as though they were faced with an imminent battle.

“So, we haven’t gotten out of this dangerous situation yet?” Stan straightened up. His posture was similar to that of a statue. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I have to kill the evil magician who blasphemes the dead.”

Rae sneered. “We don’t even know where the person is. How are you even going to kill the magician?”

Upon hearing that, Fern thought of the magic Rae used on the corpses. “Rae, what was that dark mist you used on those corpses? Why did they melt in just a short moment?”

“They didn’t melt. In fact, they’re still existent, but they’ve been transported to another plane.” Rae faced her right palm up and mumbled something. A moment later, a dark mist was formed above her palm. “This dark mist will engulf and send the target to the Shadow Plane, where there’s eternal darkness.” After she finished her words, she balled up her fist, and the dark mist disappeared. 

Fern shuddered. “I think your magic is as wicked as evil magic. Why aren’t you on the wanted list of the Magician’s Tower?”

Rae glowered at him. “You know nothing. Do you think I learned dark magic out of my own willingness?”

The mercenary was shocked by her reaction, and he was lost for words. 

***

To help Fern get out of this embarrassment, Niss said, “Dark magic utilizes human’s psychological trauma, which is an objective being, and it’s not a breach of the law of nature, so it’s not forbidden.” Then, she nodded at Rae and continued, “However, this kind of magic is too powerful, and it would have a negative impact on the user, so the archmages would deter other magicians from learning it. Most magicians have no access to this magic, but if some of them have a way of learning it, the archmages will turn a blind eye to it.”

Fern had wanted to ask what the negative impact was, but he decided not to ask the question upon seeing Rae’s expression. Therefore, he changed the topic by saying, “Niss still needs time to recover her spiritual energy. Rae, can you help treat Stan and me? My wound is unbearably painful.”

Rae looked away, but she still answered, “I can only relieve spiritual fatigue. That’s the limit of dark magic. Only Niss can treat your wound.”

Stan could barely contain his excitement as he thought of a way. “Why don’t you help Niss recover her spiritual energy first, then she’ll treat our wounds?”

Rae burst into laughter. “Stan, the God of Magic should thank you for coming up with such a wonderful solution.” Seeing how puzzled Stan was, she laughed harder. “It will take more of the caster’s spiritual energy to heal the receiver, so it’s not going to work.”

Even though Stan was dejected, he didn’t show it on his face. His posture remained upright. 

Just then, Fern voiced his concern as he tried to rub his pain away and said, “Since the evil magician is still around, can we even defeat the person in our current state?”

“Do you want to hear the truth?” Rae gave it a thought and questioned. 

“Of course.” Fern said firmly.

“We don’t stand a chance to defeat that person.” Even when Rae was saying that they were doomed, her tone remained indifferent.

“How did you come to this conclusion?” Fern rose from the chair and gasped in pain. 

“No average magician could control so many corpses from so far away. That person is definitely more powerful than Niss and me combined.” Rae narrowed her eyes. It seemed that she also felt the pressure of having to face such an opponent.

“If that’s the case, the person could just kill us directly. Why did the person have to create a fog and send two ghost ships to attack us?” Fern walked up to Rae and stared at her.

Rae avoided meeting with his eyes. “Maybe that person didn’t want us to know who they were. If the person showed up but was unable to kill us, the person’s identity would be exposed. That person wasn’t willing to take the risk.”

Fern put on a smug smile. “A magician who isn’t willing to reveal their identity. Do you get it now?”

“One of us here knows the magician.” Stan took a look at Niss and Rae. 

With an indifferent expression, Rae replied, “Maybe I can recognize the person. Even though I’ve long since left the Magician’s Tower, I still remember most of the people there.”

“As a matter of fact, Rae, I think that person is more worried that Niss would recognize them.” Fern gave Niss a sympathetic look, for she definitely couldn’t accept this truth. 

“T-That’s impossible! There’s no evil magician in the Magician’s Tower!” Niss glared at Fern, and her face was red in anger. “Fern, you know nothing about the Magician’s Tower. Even though you’re my friend, I won’t allow you to slander my school!”

Fern threw his hands in the air to motion for her to calm down. “Alright, Niss. It was just my speculation. My duty is to protect you, so I have to think of all the possibilities so that I can tackle our enemy.”

Niss fell silent and lowered her head to look at the floor. Her shoulders were shuddering, and her tears dripped on the deck. Fern gave her a gentle pat on the head. It was undoubtedly a heavy blow for Niss, for her faith was once again challenged.

Stan went on to discuss the evil magician with Rae. “So, we should be safe for the time being, right?” Then, he sheathed his sword. 

“Yes. I believe the person won’t be able to control so many corpses again for now, and more importantly, the person isn’t willing to show up.” Rae pulled her cloak closer. It was in the wee hours, and the air was chilly. “But, when the person decides to attack us again, we’ll fall into an even more dangerous situation.”

His expression grim, Stan thumped his chest with his right hand. “Whatever the case, I swear that I’ll kill that person, for that person has blasphemed so many dead souls.”

Rae looked ahead. White River still appeared to be dark. Just then, she thought of the time when she was learning elemental magic. At that time, she was still an inexperienced girl, but now, she was a magician who could use dark magic, which was terrifying for most people. On the other hand, Niss was just like her past self. 

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