Capítulo 25: Attending the Assembly
"Huh? Hey! Dragun! Long time no see."
"Salem Yedidia?"
Salem had many aliases. One of them was the Wanderer, an elusive figure who couldn't be found even if you were searching for him.
And now, Salem was riding in our carriage, so even if he was Dragun, it was natural for us to be surprised.
"Hey, am I your friend or something?"
"Apologies, Elder."
"Why am I an elder? Just add 'nim' to my name and call me that."
"Yes, Salem-nim."
Even the great Dragun could be so deferential.
Salem glanced at the restless horses and swiftly arranged his mana with a wave of his hand. In an instant, the curses that had afflicted the horses were lifted, and they returned to their original state.
"So, you're also going to the assembly? Come on, join me as my companion."
"Understood."
Dragun's attack ended up being more anticlimactic than expected. It seemed that Salem, despite being aware of his intention to attack, just let it slide.
"I never imagined that Salem-nim would attend the assembly."
"Yeah, well, Karon already heard about it. Tell me something else, something more interesting."
"Ah, um... Recently, I captured dozens of mermaids and selkies in the Teneria Strait. If you have time later, I thought I could bring a few of them as a gift..."
"Hey, why are you tormenting innocent mermaids?"
"Huh? Oh! I apologize. I'll release them as soon as the assembly is over."
"You're going to catch them just to release them again? Are you an idiot?"
Though we couldn't see what was happening in front of us, the situation inside the carriage became vividly clear.
Truly a named character.
Quite eccentric and unpredictable.
As we listened to their banter, we suddenly caught sight of the Entangling Forest.
"Salem-nim, we're approaching the forest."
"Oh, really? Stop for a moment."
For some reason, Karon couldn't resist Salem's words and stopped the carriage.
Right in front of us, the vast forest opened its mouth, ready to greet us. Salem, whether he decided to enter the forest or not, got off the carriage and stretched his body.
"Well, before we enter, how about a little warm-up?"
Feeling something in Salem's words, Karon stepped down from the carriage and drew his staff.
Dragun, though unwilling, had no choice but to get off the carriage as well.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I know you're all waiting here. Come out quickly before it gets too hot."
As Salem finished speaking, he untied a long cloth he had been carrying on his back.
"A wicked serpent."
It appeared to be a staff made of a twisted tree trunk, but its distinctive feature was the sharp and thick spearhead at the crooked end.
Surprisingly, Salem was also a Dual Core like me.
And it wasn't an innate ability but an acquired Dual Core. Salem had modified his own body to become a Dual Core, making him both a wizard and a formidable martial artist.
As he drew out the wicked serpent, a sense of anticipation emanated from the surroundings.
"Misunderstandings! I was just planning to attend the assembly!"
A man who seemed pathetic released his invisibility spell and voluntarily surrendered.
"Alright, then. Come with me."
Teus, the dark wizard. He wasn't a boss-level character, but I definitely remembered him. He used all sorts of ridiculous magic and got on my nerves.
I even broke my keyboard once because of him.
"Is there anyone else?"
Salem said that and muttered approvingly as he brought his spear down to the ground.
"Even though you know who I am, you dare to come out so brazenly. Your arrogance deserves punishment. I will personally take your lives."
Bang!
Mana erupted around Salem like a burst of air.
The wave of mana swept through the area, grazing us as it passed. When the wave brushed against me, I felt a strange sensation as if I were being analyzed one by one.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Salem turned to look at me and then smiled slyly.
"Interesting."
What? What's with the sudden comment? Did he figure something out?
Anyway, whether it was Bahat or Salem, I hope they don't say it's interesting...
Salem turned his head again and muttered in a low voice.
"Margaret, Anthony, Horolophe, Mandra, Schwalz, Megan. You all will die here."
It seemed that he had discovered the true identities of the dark wizards hiding in the vicinity with his mana wave.
Margaret, Horolophe, and Schwalz were familiar names, but the others were new to me. What mattered now was whether he intended to truly kill them.
"They're not the ones who will die here."
My interference is altering the future.
Of course, killing the dark wizards would benefit them. After all, their actions had brought great danger to this continent.
The problem was that I wouldn't be able to utilize the information from the future that I knew.
"There's no choice."
When I examined it closely, the future had changed since I became Adrias.
If the future is different, then I can only do my best in each moment.
Craack!
A green liquid and a sinister energy-laden sphere flew from somewhere. However, Salem simply waved his hand and destroyed those attacks, then swung his spearwith a flick.
Bang!
It was a simple spear swing, but the opponent who had emerged was instantly obliterated and vanished without a trace.
They evaporated as if they had never been there in the first place, leaving no trace behind. It was an impressive sight.
"You should leave. Anthony."
Salem muttered, and then the bushes in another direction trembled.
"P-Please spare me!"
Someone hastily emerged from there, begging for their life.
"It's too late."
Bang!
With just a casual swing of his spear, the one who had emerged exploded and disappeared. It seemed that there was no longer any hope for salvation.
"Kodeks has truly lost his mind. Well, it's way too late to show respect for you cowards. As a reward, I shall take your lives myself."
Salem had decided to kill them not because they targeted the page of Sloth, but because they had disregarded him.
He truly was a psycho. It was impossible to predict his thoughts.
After that, Salem casually released a burst of mana, effortlessly annihilating all the individuals he had called out.
Six dark wizards vanished in an instant.
And they weren't just any random opponents; they were skilled fighters I had faced before.
The Empire would be pleased to know.
"Now let's hurry up and depart. I'm eager to see 'Sloth'."
Among Salem's many aliases, the most famous one was the Devil Who Pursues Truth.
He was originally an ordinary wizard, but due to his insatiable curiosity, he ventured into dark magic. He became addicted to learning, reading, and mastering everything that came his way in pursuit of truth.
That's why he had come for the page of Sloth.
We boarded the carriage once again and finally entered the Entangling Forest.
"Boring. Tell me something else."
"Um, Salem-nim. My mana is gradually running out..."
Salem glanced at Teus, who wore a pathetic smile, as if looking at him with disdain.
"You're useless even after I spared you. Should I just kill you?"
"N-No, please! Salem-nim! I still have more to say!"
"Enough with your pathetic jokes. Shut your mouth if you don't want to die."
"Eep!"
Teus fell silent as he realized he had escaped Salem's attention.
In the meantime, Dragun, who had a tense expression, tried to avoid eye contact and turned his gaze away.
Observing this, Salem burst into laughter, seemingly amused by Dragun's unyielding demeanor.
"Hehehe! Yeah, that's right. I missed you, Dragun. Hmph. I'll give you one favor as a reward."
"A favor? What do you mean?"
"Yeah. I don't usually take a liking to anyone, but you and Cromwell share some resemblance, so I'll lend you a hand."
"Thank you."
Dragun expressed his gratitude nonchalantly, bowing his head.
The more Salem saw Dragun's composed attitude, the more he liked him.
He should have already known who he was and witnessed the one-sided violence earlier.
How can he remain so composed?
Is he really just a twenty-year-old kid?
"I see the nest."
Karon's voice reached our ears, and in the distance, we could see a massive spherical nest floating in the air.
Normally, the nest would be concealed by a barrier, but it had been opened for the assembly.
From its appearance, one could sense the confidence in their abilities.
"This should be fun after a long time."
Salem's smile grew wider.
"Why is there such commotion outside the forest?"
Morshé's gaze turned towards Salem as he made his way inside.
"It's because of you, isn't it?"
"Hey, Morshé. Long time no see. Missed me?"
"Even though you're not affiliated with the assembly, how did you know and come here?"
"Hey, drop that dreary talk. Let's enjoy the reunion for now."
Morshé, the witch, had a unique appearance that suited her title. Her body was covered in branches like a tree, and her hair was woven with long strands, resembling a bird's nest.
"Is that Salem over there?!"
The first person to speak to Salem was Jester Lervan, the host of the assembly. Sitting silently beside him was Rago, who appeared to be around the same age as me, and Luna, a girl of similar age who seemed a bit insane.
Surprisingly, the legendary necromancer Moron wasn't present.
Considering her connection to Karon, I thought she would attend.
"Everyone, it's been a while. As for the young lady, is she a newcomer?"
"I'm Luna! Just Luna! Nice to meet you, devil!"
She's quite lively.
But there seem to be fewer people than I expected.
Could this be everyone?
"The disturbance outside caused a last-minute change in attendance. Now, let's proceed with the assembly. First, let's check the page of Sloth. Bring it out."
As Jester spoke and the assembly began, Karon gestured for me.
I cautiously summoned Nickel, who held Christopher's sword in one hand and the page of Sloth in the other.
Clatter.
As Nickel appeared, an unexpected message appeared before me.
-Ding!
[The condition has been met.]
[A creature with the potential for evolution has been detected.]
[Evolution is possible for Skeleton Soldier (Legendary).]
[There are 66 possible branches for evolution.]
[Would you like to proceed with evolution?]
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder