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Never touch Eldmia Egga - Episode 574

[574Tue] The Road to Lich is paved with RAGE

While the battle was in full swing, I suddenly felt a strong sense of discomfort..

As soon as I realized that something was approaching that gave me a different level of discomfort than dealing with so many zombies, ghouls, skeletons, and something in the twisted nether that seemed to be a combination of those things, I felt uncomfortable as soon as I realized that something was approaching. He threw the ax at the source without any hesitation..

When I actually threw it, it was an empty space, but I didn't care one bit. Among the ghost-type monsters, there were often ones that were invisible when they were still or not moving violently..

However, even I was truly amazed when the ax hit the head of the ghoul that suddenly appeared from beyond the collapsed building..

"Wow, what kind of building can guests see beyond? How did you get that right??"

"I felt bad so I just threw it and looked at it.."

I don't think my intuition was wrong. It was only for a moment, but that ghoul's movements were much faster than the others. It was probably the right choice either way, since it wasn't just fast, it was splitting unpleasantly..

"What on earth is this place that there are so many undead??"

"Up to that point, I'm fine..."

Just by looking at the temple, which still remains as a huge ruin, it was possible to infer that this was a large city that dominated an era..

However, no matter how much I think about it, I cannot understand the endless undead wave that makes me wonder if all the residents of that big city have been turned into undead..

"You don't know? This mess didn't happen because you made a fuss because you made a deal with the lich.?"

"I don't know what it was like before I was stationed here, but I've heard it wasn't much at least in the three years I was there.."

"okay? How much did you trade??"

"Once a month... about five to ten people.?"

At first, I thought this bastard was just joking around, but when I turned around and reduced the skeleton in front of me to a mere bone, the volunteer taxpayer's expression was extremely serious..

For a moment, I was tilting my head and thinking about whether I should bury him here too, since we had already reached our destination anyway, but the guy who noticed my gaze was startled and hurriedly added,.

"I'd like to tell you in advance in case you misunderstand, but we just move to the information station in shifts, so I can't tell you for sure! I heard that right after the outbreak of the war, as many as 30 people were brought in per day...."

I thought they were showing an attitude of ignoring the fact that about 10 people a month regularly sacrificed people to the undead, but it seems they were just trying to appeal to the fact that the number was not that large compared to the past..

First of all, I thought I could trust him since he had never told a lie before, and I tried to ignore it, but Emmett, who was tying five or six zombies together and burning them, opened his mouth as if something had occurred to him..

"Oh, was that it??"

"do you know something?'

"Have you often heard that the process of the current Demon King taking power is not smooth? At that time, quite a few people were imprisoned for treason and then taken somewhere for forced labor.."

"...I guess the story ends with no news since then.."

"That's right. There were indeed some who were taken to the labor camps, but they were an extremely small number. Maybe this is where they were taken.."

The first honest thought that passed through my mind was that I had no idea what the devil bastard was thinking and how he had made so many decisions, followed by the question of why he continued his dealings with the lich like that..

"Why did you go to such lengths to make a deal with Richie??"

It seems I wasn't the only one who had that question. In response to a question from Carl Kansi, who had kicked a zombie a long way and sublimated it into an object, Emmet stroked his beard and spoke slowly..

"The reasons are endless, depending on how long a lich has lived and what form he or she took. First of all, he's not a wizard who became a lich on his own in the sense that he deals with living people.."

"hmm? Why is that so? Don't they need sacrifices??"

"Then, there is no need. Those who need such things are those who made a deal with the devil or an evil spirit and became a lich. Contracts and sacrifices are meant to replace one's incompetence with the lives of others.."

It was a harsh assessment, but it was absolutely true. And that was also the reason why those who became lichs through their own power were relatively less dangerous, even if they chose to deviate from the providence of the world..

To put it bluntly, they are the ones who completed the permanent mechanism for sustaining life with their own power. It just can't protect the body, but if you manage and endure the wear and tear of your soul and the wear and tear of your humanity over the long years, you can continue to make rational judgments and actions..

Of course, there is nothing to regret, so unless the purpose of becoming a lich is something grand such as revenge or world domination, in most cases, one only continues researching tirelessly with the sole intention of seeing the end of magic in one's own space..

Of course, they are viewed negatively for rejecting providence, but they can be said to be close to being completely neutral. Rather, aren't there more cases where adventurers covet the magical knowledge or magic tools they possess and end up taking the lead even though they didn't cause any damage??

Of course, the other two guys are completely different cases..

"All wizards who make deals with the devil think they are smarter than the devil and have become lichs after making a flawless deal. With the self-justification that having to periodically sacrifice one's mortal soul is just a maintenance cost. They are so uncivilized that they don't even realize that this is a bad idea, and it's embarrassing to even call them magicians.."

Anyway, the spirit of victory is that it is no different from taking care of food, clothing, and shelter while alive..

However, unlike the stories in the novels of the past life, which say that the devil does not lie and only accepts compensation for fair transactions, the assholes here are idiots who have no such thing. If there is a being who can make flawless transactions with all that trash, it would be either a god of trade or a businessman with such evil intelligence that even the devils would hold out their tongues..

"In comparison, those who become lichs by receiving the grace of an evil god can be said to be perfect as a lich... but their perception has changed to the point where it would be appropriate to say that their mind is polluted, so they seek out sacrifices and offer them to the evil god even if they do not really need them.."

"So out of the three cases, they are the ones who are subdued first.."

이미 악신에게 힘을 받아 리치가 될 수 있었던 것부터가 그쪽 방면으로 아주 신실한 개새끼라는 소리지만, 리치가 되고 나면 더 심각해진다. If I had to use an analogy, I would say that they are trying to spread the word very passionately..

Doesn't propagating faith in evil spirits mean that one actively chooses to do things that are reprehensible? If such a bastard survives for a long time, it is a serious problem. After listening to Emmett and I, Carl Kansi nodded his head as if he now understood..

"In other words, according to the law of extinction, the lich here would be a lich who made a deal with the devil.?"

"yes. Considering this scale and environment, it is clear that it must have been in place for quite some time. Unlike the current Demon King, who is associated with evil spirits, the previous Demon King was clearly a Demon God.."

Undead don't make money.

Unless there is a subjugation request, very few adventurers voluntarily jump into a place infested with undead. Unless you have information that treasure is buried there or there is a story involved, it is close to volunteer work..

That doesn't mean it's safe, but it's not. If you are not properly prepared, not only will you not die easily, but you will also be at risk of all kinds of diseases and infections. So, in most cases, religious groups step forward to purify the undead or subdue them at the national level..

Under the assumption that it poses a threat to some extent,.

"Nevertheless, the fact that he was able to hold on like this means that no matter what efforts he made, he was very quiet and did not make a show of it.."

"From what I've heard, it seems like he's a cautious and careful guy regardless of his abilities, but how did the Demon Lord make a deal with this guy??"

"well? Perhaps, as we hypothesized, the Demon Lord went back in time and found out that Lich was here. Why not meet up and find out??"

"...Do you have time to find out?...?"

As he said that, the heads of the volunteer taxpayer and Emmett, who had kept their mouths shut, moved along with Carl Kansi's gaze, which was naturally looking at me..

It wasn't something to show in the middle of a battlefield overrun with undead, but since our party's power level was so high, I didn't feel a sense of crisis even after seeing such a defenseless figure..

"Do you think I'm a berserker whose eyes only turn when he sees evil things? Of course, we have to get all the information we can.."

For some reason, the words I uttered while swinging an ax at the zombies that rushed at me to eat my flesh were not trusted very much..