Chapter 123
"Richmond! Drop the staff!"
The staff had begun vibrating with increasing intensity.
Richmond intended to obey Sieg's command, attempting to release the staff, yet found with horror that his hands would not let go.
"Ughhh!"
A dark aura emanated from the staff, forcing its way into Richmond's nose and mouth.
Sieg drew his Bahamut and swiftly dashed towards Richmond.
With the purifying blade, he severed the staff in one decisive motion.
Crack!
As the staff was cut, the vibrations ceased at last.
Whoosh―
The staff crumbled, losing all its power, and vanished into gray ash.
Richmond's eyes turned black as the dark energy seeped into him.
"Aghhhh!"
His body started trembling violently.
Gradually, Richmond's human form faded, shifting back into the original lich appearance.
Simultaneously, a dark aura enveloped Richmond.
Sieg steadied his breath as he poised Bahamut, thrusting his sword at Richmond.
"Hang in there, Richmond!"
Bahamut absorbed the dark aura that wrapped around Richmond's body.
『The power of 'Harbinger of Blood and Madness' is being absorbed by Bahamut.』
"Keaaaaah!"
Richmond, now in his lich form, screamed in agony.
All the dark energy encasing him was swiftly drawn into Bahamut.
At that moment, another message appeared.
『The power of 'Harbinger of Blood and Madness' has been purified.』
『Should the purified power be granted to the summon Richmond, it can unleash his potential.』
『Would you like to grant this power to Richmond?』
'Unleash the summon's potential?'
Sieg recalled when he'd been informed about evolving spirit beasts into divine beasts using Karma Points. Perhaps this was a similar situation.
Watching the suffering Richmond, Sieg shouted to grant him the power.
Crimson energy surged from Bahamut, flowing back into Richmond.
Crack, crack!
Richmond, an ordinary lich, received the bestowed power, turning his bones a deep crimson.
Simultaneously, a purple gemstone appeared in one of his empty eye sockets.
"Aaaaaaah!"
『Richmond evolved from a lich to a demi-lich after receiving the purified power of 'Harbinger of Blood and Madness.'』
『Richmond acquired the ability of 'Demonic Beast Transformation' due to the influence of the absorbed power.』
『The followers of 'Harbinger of Blood and Madness' now recognize Richmond as an ally.』
Incredibly, Richmond, once a common lich, evolved into a high-grade undead, a demi-lich.
"Pant, pant."
Though regaining his human appearance, an aura of distinct majesty and energy emanated from Richmond, now a demi-lich.
"Are you alright, Richmond?"
"Y-Yes, master."
Richmond inspected his new demi-lich form with a sense of surprise.
Sieg inquired of Richmond.
"How do you feel about becoming a demi-lich?"
"Demi-lich? I've lived five hundred years as just a lich, and now a demi-lich...? It's fantastic!"
Sieg was startled by a different revelation.
"Five hundred years...? Come to think of it, you said you were active since the time of the Holy Empire. You have better survival instincts than I expected."
Typically, liches rarely survived beyond a hundred years, as adventurers or knights would vanquish them upon discovery.
Richmond, however, avoided attacking humans, quietly collecting monster bones, and solely studying advanced magic, enabling him to survive such a long time.
'But with five hundred years, you should have become an archlich by now.'
If he purified and granted the power of other devils, Richmond might further evolve into an archlich.
While Sieg pondered how to facilitate his further evolution, Richmond excitedly hovered in the air, thrilled with his newfound ability to fly now as a demi-lich.
"Master! Look at this!"
Watching Richmond gleefully soar around the stone chamber, Sieg remarked.
"Richmond, try activating your demonic beast transformation."
At Sieg's command, Richmond descended to the ground and triggered his ability.
Crrrack!
Richmond's body morphed into an astounding undead form of a demonic beast.
Grrr!
With bony wings, he resembled a dragon-type; however, as a demonic beast, he looked far more ferocious and menacing than a regular drake.
"Ho, is it because dragon bones are mixed that you took on this form."
Knowing that 'Harbinger of Blood and Madness' followers recognized him as an ally suggested potential utility for infiltrating the abyss.
Richmond returned to his original human shape from the demonic beast form.
Sieg emerged from the purged cave and reunited with King Fist and the barbarians.
They then headed towards the isolated village together.
* * *
"Big brother Sieg! Over here."
The fortress village of the Boulder Tribe and the village where Golyn resided were quite distant.
It made sense why it became isolated when the demonic beasts exhibited strange signs.
Like the Boulder Tribe's fortress, this village was also a fortress mold crafted from massive enchanted rocks.
The barbarians moved the rocks at the entrance to let them inside the village.
Boooom!
As soon as they entered, the villagers blew horns, welcoming them warmly.
"Thank you! Much thanks!"
"You're very welcome!"
The young barbarian warriors grinned broadly at the villagers' enthusiastic welcome.
Barbarians, while reserved, were genuine and emotionally transparent people.
For the heroic deeds of defeating the demonic beasts, the villagers had prepared a roasted minotaur feast.
King Fist seated Sieg at the place of honor, recounting his feats enthusiastically in the barbarian language.
"Big brother Sieg! Super strong! Sliced the nine-headed dragon's heads clean off!"
"Ooh! Clean cut!"
"Amazing, amazing!"
The barbarians praised Sieg's prowess, bringing a massive bowl, nearly the size of a washbasin, and filled it with liquor.
And, being barbarian liquor, it was far stronger than human spirits.
Understanding a bit of the barbarian culture, Sieg obliged by guzzling down the potent brew.
The sight drew cheerful shouts from the barbarians.
"Sieg! Amazing, amazing!"
"True warrior! Totally cool!"
Thanks to his Healing Factor, Sieg remained unaffected by alcohol, leaving him merely full.
Barbarians eager to befriend Sieg persistently plied him with drinks.
'At this rate, I might eat till I burst.'
As he pondered absurd thoughts, an elderly figure approached.
"Thank you for saving our village."
Surprisingly, it was an elder barbarian.
Strangers rarely witnessed elderly barbarians.
Sieg surmised the man's authority given his fluency in the common tongue.
"Are you the village chief?"
It had a somewhat different meaning than the common usage among humans for leaders of small villages.
Nodding, the elder replied.
"I am. It's customary for a former chief to reside in this sacred village, imbued with our ancestors' breath, during their twilight years."
The village chief pointed to a towering obelisk standing at the rear of the village.
"That's a guardian tower erected by our ancestors eons ago. Each tribe has one. As a people, our life purpose is to protect this tower and the land infused with our ancestors' presence. Thanks to you, both remain safe. In gratitude, I felt obligated to inform you what you saved."
This tale of the barbarians' guardian towers was new to Sieg.
Looking at the tower with his Dragon Eyes, Sieg felt an unprecedented power within, beyond his comprehension.
'Could it be ancient magic?'
It might have been relics left by dragons during the age of the Hero King to guard the material world, echoing what Kaiser said about their magical legacy.
Distractedly pulling his gaze from the guardian tower, Sieg articulated his goal to the chief.
"Elder, I've come here to find a dwarf named Golyn."
The elder stroked his beard, nodding.
"Golyn, indeed a very stubborn and skilled dwarf. It was quite a hassle persuading him not to pursue the nine-headed dragon with weapons he had forged."
He spoke about Golyn with a hearty laugh.
"Where is Golyn now?"
Gesturing toward the guardian tower's vicinity, the elder explained.
"He's likely working at the forge he built over there. You may want to brace yourself before heading in. You see, there are many peculiar items scattered about."
Hearing such a warning from a barbarian could only refer to Golyn.
Nodding, Sieg acknowledged the elder's words.
The barbarians' welcome ceremony stretched deep into the night.
Sieg fully embraced their hospitality, setting out at dawn, leaving the sleeping barbarians to head to where the chief directed him.
First, however, Sieg decided to thoroughly inspect the guardian tower before seeking Golyn's forge.
Approaching closer, the mysterious power contained within the tower became increasingly palpable.
The stone-crafted obelisk bore a profusion of enigmatic rune-like engravings.
As he passed by them, Sieg suddenly recognized them as similar to symbols he had seen before.
'Hold on, do they resemble those etched on my chest?'
He slipped open his clothes, comparing the markings from absorbing Bahamut's heart etched across his torso.
The clear resemblance to the carvings on the barbarian guardian tower affirmed Sieg's belief the tower was the dragons' creation.
He extended his hand toward the guardian tower.
Just then, a message surfaced.
『Detected: Administrator system of the 'Giant's Guardian Tower', the First Defense Base.』
『Connecting to administrator system.』
『Verifying code.』
『Code mismatch: Access denied.』
"The First Defense Base?"
The Sky Sanctuary found in the Avarian Race's ghetto was the 4th Defense Base.
Sieg surmised from the emerging message that this location, too, served as a defensive stronghold during the Liberation War against the demonic beasts.
'But being denied access to the administrator system is a first.'
Thanks to his conferred title, he'd previously been granted admin access to most relic sites. Yet here, it seemed the necessary code wasn't assigned.
'It's oddly disappointing to be denied access for a change.'
Finding no further response from the system, Sieg advanced past the guardian tower.
Ascending higher, he noticed something bizarre out of place.
"What is this?"
Odd structures, towering like totems molded from scrap metal, dotted the hills.
Sieg narrowed his eyes at the bizarre display.
'Could Golyn have crafted these?'
He stifled a frown, proceeding past the strange installations, continuing up the hill.
Reaching the top, a dwarven-style house came into view.
Presumably Golyn's forge.
But the scene before his yard was intimidating.
'Why are siege weapons stationed in front of a house?'
Catapults, designed for breaching walls and gates, and massive ballistae cluttered the vicinity.
Sieg found the circumstances both fascinating and absurd, considering he'd only heard tales of Golyn's temper but had no firsthand experience.
At that moment—
Creak!
Suddenly, the ballistae in the yard aimed autonomously at Sieg's direction.
"What's going on?"
As soon as the ballista bolts fired, Sieg drew Bahamut, batting them away.
Crack!
The projectiles were essentially spears rather than mere arrows.
Next, a catapult engaged.
Creak!
A solid stone loaded on the catapult launched, catapulted toward Sieg with measured force.
Bang!
Assessing the boulder hurling his way, Sieg summoned his aura.
Slice―
The aura blade cleaved the boulder, sending its fragments rolling downhill.
Facing the house, Sieg called out.
"Golyn Jober! I'm here upon the Guild Union's request!"
Despite shouting, there was no response from inside.
Deflecting the oncoming projectiles, Sieg advanced to the house's entrance.
Suddenly, a flamethrower at the door spewed out flaming torrents.
Whoooosh!
Sieg shielded himself with Bahamut's aegis against the flames.
Just then—
Bang!
The forge's door flung open, and a red-bearded dwarf bellowed at Sieg.
"Hey! Where did you get that?"
Returning Bahamut to its case, Sieg regarded the dwarf approaching him.
"Are you Golyn Jober?"
Golins said nothing in reply, yet stormed toward Sieg, demanding.
"Where did you get that, you rascal!"
A massive hammer was clutched in Golyn's hand, seemingly ready to swing at him.
Sieg remained calm, explaining.
"Your pupil Galion gifted it to me."
The revelation startled Golyn.
"What? Galion! That brat gave it to you?"
Sieg presented Bahamut to him.
"He crafted this sword for me, too."
Golyn, looking at Sieg's blade, fell silent momentarily, then trembled all over.
"Galion! That kid dared! To work with a whole dragon's fang I've never even touched!"
Golyn grumbled and swung his hammer wildly.
Sieg addressed Golyn.
"The guild union tasked me to search for you due to losing contact...."
"Shut it! I ain't going nowhere!"
The dwarf, more eccentric than the rumors suggested, indeed.
'Such a type would only react adversely to pressure.'
Given he had a different objective other than taking Golyn, Sieg decided to pivot to his primary purpose for the visit.
And the subject of interest might ease the dialogue.
"Hersion equip."
Click!
Instantly, ancient hersion gear adorned Sieg's form.
Seeing the armor, Golyn was left agape, uttering a stunned cry.
"O-Orichalcum?!"