IWMHWD 98

Chapter 98: Contract with the Demon
2024.02.06

A fireball shot toward Ambli’s knights, dangerously grazing Anton’s head. It was no ordinary flame.

“Master, are you alright?”

“It’s magic. Capture the mage first.”

The dim light made it hard to discern where the enemies were. Anton struggled to assess the situation. Naturally, it wasn’t likely to be ordinary bandits. No sane thieves would dare attack a group of armed knights.

Once again, the sound of slicing wind heralded a volley of arrows. The knights quickly raised their shields.

“Protect the master!”

There was no need to ponder who the attackers were.

“It’s Atilei! The mage behind this is clearly one of Atilei’s subordinates!”

It was as if Maximilian read Anton’s thoughts and replied. Following Maximilian’s pointing finger, Anton saw a brown-haired man muttering something while looking their way.

“Seize the culprit immediately. Hurry!”

Anton’s shout sent the knights forward.

The mage tried to flee but barely took a few steps before being caught by the knights. Anton walked toward him to inspect his face closely.

“How dare you attack Ambli? Did you really think you’d escape unscathed?”

“You, the Lord Protector, are the foolish one. Maximilian himself is a disaster. To protect him… his seed must surely vanish from this world!”

“Seed?”

After saying this, the mage curled his body into a ball. One of the knights hesitated when trying to straighten him, as a strange light began radiating from the mage’s body.

Maximilian quickly realized what the light was.

“You must dodge it!”

He grabbed Anton and pulled him to the ground. At that moment, the light from the mage exploded, engulfing the entire forest.

The trees shook violently under the force. Those who faced the light directly fell, screaming in pain.

Several minutes passed before the light finally dimmed. Anton opened his eyes after a long while.

The surroundings were a wreck. Surviving subordinates rushed to support him.

“Master. Are you alright?”

“Ugh…”

He barely stood, his knees trembling. Turning his head, he saw Maximilian groaning and collapsed on the ground. More than half of the accompanying soldiers were also unconscious.

The mage, as expected, had perished, leaving his body mangled.

Though the man had been sinister, if not for Maximilian, Anton himself might have been harmed. Anton reached out to the fallen Maximilian. He grabbed Anton’s hand and staggered to his feet.

“Th-thank you, Lord Protector. But… what about Daniel? Is he safe?”

“Daniel… Daniel!”

Anton suddenly remembered his grandson, who had slipped his mind amid the light’s explosion. At the same time, he understood the meaning behind the mage’s ominous words. Anton shook off the help of his men and ran to the carriage.

“No…!”

He hurriedly opened the carriage door and found the nanny dead. Anton felt as if the ground had crumbled beneath his feet. An adult woman had died—there was no way the child had survived.

“Daniel… Daniel…”

“Master, Daniel is alive.”

At the brink of despair, Maximilian rescued Anton. Carefully, he took the child from the nanny’s arms and showed him to Anton. By a miracle, Daniel had not a scratch on him.

“Oh, my God. Thank you… thank you.”

Anton hastily held the child and prayed to the sky. Watching this, Maximilian’s anger erupted.

“What sin could an infant have committed to deserve death?”

“Are you sure the mage who did this is one of Atilei’s?”

“Yes. Judging by the final spell, he intended to kill everyone here, including Daniel.”

Even knowing the child was safe, Anton trembled with fear. This was the only child left by his daughter. He could not lose him as well. Maximilian seized upon Anton’s momentary weakness.

“They won’t give up. Even if I die, Atilei would try to kill Daniel too.”

“…I suppose.”

Knowing whose blood Daniel carried, Anton found it hard to see the child purely as Ambli’s heir. His brow furrowed. He had suspected Atilei might get involved with Daniel, but not this quickly.

“Then, Lord Protector, we must seize his leash first.”

“Leash?”

“Codelia Vasquez, as I mentioned before. How about trading her for Daniel’s life?”

“What do you mean by ‘use her’?”

Anton hugged Daniel tightly and listened to Maximilian. Normally, he would have ignored such schemes, but fear and terror had clouded his judgment.

“I heard from Ambli’s reports that there’s an extremely deadly poison called Tarsia. Without its antidote every ten days, it tears the intestines apart, killing the victim.”

“How do you know that?”

“Rozalin told me.”

Anton was slightly suspicious but let it pass—Rozalin also knew about Tarsia.

“Administer the poison to her, then trade her for Daniel’s life. As long as you hold the antidote, Daniel will be safe from Atilei.”

Ambli’s reports didn’t only contain drawings and gems—they also documented the deadly Tarsia and its antidote, passed down exclusively to Ambli’s head.

“What if Atilei abandons the disciple?”

“Recently, he named Vasquez as his successor. For a mage, a successor is like a part of their very being, worth more than life itself. Atilei would never abandon her first.”

Anton fell into thought. Though he wouldn’t wield the sword himself, this would pit him directly against Atilei. Even as one of the sacred Eight Houses, Ambli had little chance of outright victory against him.

At that moment, Daniel cried out, as if reproaching Anton for his hesitation. Anton quickly soothed the child’s back.

Maximilian added, striking the point home.

“Leave it to me, Lord Protector. I will kidnap her.”

“Kidnap? We could just poison her—why make it more complicated?”

“Vasquez is within the Magical Guild, so it’s hard to bribe anyone to poison her. Moreover, she knows detection magic. She’d immediately sense if poison were added to her food. Kidnapping ensures she ingests it for sure.”

Maximilian laid out a precise plan as if he had been waiting for this day. Still, Anton hesitated. Maximilian pressed, invoking Daniel’s safety.

“Lord Protector, he was lucky to survive this time, but who knows when Atilei will target Daniel next. Daniel is now the heir to all of Ambli, isn’t he?”

That final sentence struck Anton’s heart. If Daniel died, his bloodline would vanish. The last child Rozalin left could not be lost.

Even if the plan failed, Anton could claim Maximilian acted alone. After all, using enemies before killing them wasn’t a bad strategy.

Anton calmed Daniel in his arms, pondered deeply, then made his decision.

“I’ll fund it. Use that to hire people. If you are captured first, take your own life. Do not utter Ambli’s name.”

“I will do as you say.”

Maximilian bowed deeply. Anton could not see the expression on his face.

Not even an hour had passed since parting with Rosenblur, yet no matter where she looked, Codelia could not find him. She peeked into Rosenblur’s lab, then, just in case, went to Kainon’s lab.

Knocking on the door, Kainon greeted her with a bright smile.

“What is it, Codelia? Have you eaten? You seem a bit thin.”

“Hello, Kainon. Have you seen Rosenblur?”

“I saw him this morning. Sit down. Want some candy?”

“Candy… yes, thank you.”

Unable to refuse, Codelia accepted the candy and asked, chewing.

“Why are you looking for Rosenblur?”

“To talk about Lydia.”

“Lydia? Weren’t they supposed to go out together?”

“Out? Outside the guild?”

“Yes. Want some more?”

Kainon rummaged through a drawer and brought a sweet snack, which Codelia politely declined. He reluctantly returned it to the drawer.

“Kainon, was anything discovered in that collapse?”

“Huh? Interested in that? Well, Matilda said… hmm, it’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone.”

“Of course, I won’t. My lips are sealed.”

Kainon chuckled.

“They found traces of Maximilian in the collapse.”

“Maximilian? Not Lydia?”

Codelia was startled—she hadn’t expected that name.

“Hadn’t he already lost his magic?”

“Right. So probably the contractor wasn’t Maximilian. He helped with the summoning, but the actual contractor is someone else.”

“Who’s the contractor then?”

“Not yet revealed. Want some more candy?”

Codelia reluctantly took it.

“Could the collapse have grown stronger due to a manifestation?”

“Manifestation? How do you know about that?”

“I heard it from Lord Candias.”

Kainon tapped the desk, unconvinced.

“Hmm. That’s possible. But making a manifestation while contracting with a demon? It requires enormous magic—an advanced mage, maybe even sacred relics.”

“That…”

“Plus, just before Lydia disappeared, she took several relics, which weren’t found anywhere in the mansion.”

Rosenblur’s words struck Codelia like lightning. She leapt to her feet.

Everything was converging on a single point: Maximilian, the advanced mage; the relics Lydia took; the changes in Lydia herself.

Codelia asked urgently,

“Do you know where Rosenblur went?”