The Game of the Greatest Black Mage
Chapter 151

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 151

-Hi?

A playful yet captivating voice brushed past Seonghyun's ear.

It had been a truly long time.

Was it when he first summoned Balthar?

This was the first time since then.

Although he had met the Helena of the past, it had been a very long time since he'd met the spirit Helena.

As Seonghyun greeted Helena with a pleased expression.

-Oh my? Did you miss me?

Helena asked teasingly.

Seonghyun immediately nodded and replied.

“Of course. I missed you.”

-…Ahem. W-Well, I suppose that’s possible.

Because he said he missed her so frankly, Helena cleared her throat without realizing it.

She normally wasn't so easily flustered by this kind of thing, but she had never imagined Seonghyun would actually say he missed her.

In any case, as Helena appeared, the eyes of Leonik and Fiora, who were nearby, went wide.

They had heard about her from Seonghyun, but they never thought they would actually meet Helena.

-H-Helena-nim!!!

-Ah, ahh! T-To think it is Helena-nim…!!!

Unable to hold back the tears welling up from deep emotion, large, round teardrops streamed down their faces.

Since they now served a new master, they couldn't call her "Lord" or "Liege," but they called out her name, filled with the emotions of their time together.

They gazed at Helena, who was sitting on Seonghyun's shoulder.

On the other hand, Nocturnium, who had never died and thus had never been a spirit, could only be flustered.

Helena.

The former master he had wanted to see so badly.

He became deeply gloomy at the fact that he could not see her.

However.

“Everyone, let's calm down.”

-That's right, calm down like Seonghyun said. You two have always been too much of a crybaby, you know?

Seonghyun and Helena’s opinions were aligned.

Helena had also had a tough time with their crying when she was alive, so she could fully sympathize.

In any case.

Seonghyun also spoke to the dejected Nocturnium.

“Don't worry. I'll make it so you can meet her soon.”

“…Th-Thank you.”

As if Seonghyun’s comfort had worked, some of his gloomy feelings dissipated.

And then.

-Nocturnium, that's always been your problem. Just try to endure and wait a little.

-Haha, that's right. Nocturnium, Helena-nim says your problem has always been that you can't endure and just rush forward. She says to try and wait a little.

“…Ah…, I know.”

As Leonik relayed Helena’s words, Nocturnium’s face reddened as if recalling embarrassing memories from his past.

Having a reunion was nice, but that wasn't the most important thing right now.

Helena might have to go back inside him, so they had to hurry.

“Do you have to go back in?”

-Mm-mm, no, I don't have to.

Helena spoke with a flirtatious, singsong voice.

At her words, Seonghyun looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Hadn't she been resting inside him all this time because she was exhausted?

Just as he was about to ask if she could stay out longer this time, Helena beat him to it.

-The past me gave me strength, and you, Seonghyun, ate a lot of memories, so I was able to replenish a lot of my power. Thank you.

“Ah. I see.”

That was a relief.

He had things to do from now on, and Helena's help would surely be essential.

With that in mind, Seonghyun spoke.

“Then shall we start by making Helena's body?”

-H-Helena-nim's body!?

-Hah!!! Our liege is truly…!!!

“I-Is that possible!?”

All three familiars were shocked.

Helena, who already half-shared her thoughts with Seonghyun, smiled and nodded.

-That's a good idea.

Since Helena also said it was a good idea, he had to put it into action right away.

Or rather, he was about to, when Helena stopped him.

-But the materials we have now aren't enough.

“Hmmm… as I thought?”

Seonghyun had vaguely suspected as much.

Based on Melisia’s memories, he had some knowledge of alchemy, and he knew that he was still short on materials to create a vessel for Helena.

‘I'll have to get more material items.’

Even with the help of his other skills, he needed more base materials.

As Seonghyun was thinking this, Helena helped him out.

-It looks like we can get everything within this labyrinth. Since we'll be finishing it with Transcendent Death anyway, it should be more than enough.

He could get everything inside this labyrinth?

Hearing that, Seonghyun smiled.

“Gathering the materials one by one won't be easy.”

But that was okay.

He just had to clear the whole labyrinth.

And.

-In your terms, Seonghyun, we also need the corpse of a raid boss. A humanoid one, at that.

A raid boss.

Seonghyun thought deeply for a moment, then nodded.

A particular one came to mind.

A very unusual raid boss, and just as Helena said, a humanoid one.

A rather difficult one, too.

He happened to remember it from Melisia's memories.

“I think that one will work. What do you think?”

After digging through Melisia's memories and finding out about the creature, Seonghyun shared the memory with Helena.

-Ahaha! This will be fun!

Helena giggled with delight, agreeing that it was an excellent plan.

However, the place where that raid boss had made its nest was none other than the center of the labyrinth.

And the center was a place where not just anyone could go.

But that was okay.

-So, are we going to the lord right away?

Just as Helena said.

Seonghyun had a connection with Viscount Paragon, the lord of Pentagrid.

His next destination was set.

“Yep, we have to go to the lord's castle.”

If he completed the lord's quest, wouldn't he be granted access to the center of the labyrinth?

With that thought, Seonghyun stood up from his spot.

Ah, but before that, of course.

『Skill Book - Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy』

→《Legendary》

→Consumable

→Can only be used by Alchemist or Black Mage-type classes.

→This is a skill book containing Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy.

→Upon use, you can learn Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy.

*If you use the Tome of Despair, the rank will be maintained, but it will randomly change into a Black Mage-type skill book.

*Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy is a skill that requires direct alchemy, so the difficulty may be quite high. Please be careful.

He took out the skill book first.

He had been told that skills to create monsters like Chimeras and Homunculi were for Alchemist and Black Mage-type classes, and indeed, it was true.

As soon as Seonghyun confirmed the conditions, he used it without hesitation.

[You are using the Legendary-rank skill book, 『Skill Book - Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy』!]

[You have acquired the Legendary-rank skill, 『Melisia's Homunculus Alchemy』!]

[The Alchemy tab has been unlocked.]

[You can now perform Homunculus Alchemy.]

Now that he had met the basic requirements.

-Ahaha! Let's go—! To the lord's castle—!

0.

The lord's castle of Pentagrid exuded a tranquil atmosphere.

The Gridley Clan, who had served as the lords for generations, valued frugality.

Because they did not adorn it extravagantly, the lord's castle was able to exude such a tranquil and elegant atmosphere.

Thanks to this, it was a castle that beautifully embodied traditional grace and old-fashioned charm; the pride of the Gridley Clan.

However, sitting in the lord's office, the very heart of the castle, Viscount Paragon ze Gridley let out a deep sigh.

“Hooooo.”

Judging by the sigh that seemed deep enough to make the ground collapse, he appeared to have a significant worry.

His aides standing by his side heard it, but they could only avert their gazes.

They could not ease the lord's concerns at the moment, so it was difficult to even offer an opinion.

‘What on earth should I do about this.’

Was it because of the labyrinth?

No, that couldn't be it.

The labyrinth was an ancient place that had existed even before this territory was established.

There was no reason for Viscount Paragon to be troubled by the labyrinth itself.

However, strictly speaking, it was a similar sort of problem.

The vast underground labyrinth that spanned the entire city.

As fate would have it, a vicious NPC had hidden itself right beneath the lord's castle.

“Hooooo.”

At first, he had put up a bounty.

Naturally, the users—or outsiders, from Paragon's perspective—swarmed in like a pack of dogs. It was, after all, a quest from a lord.

But how much time had passed since he posted the bounty?

A few days later, a female outsider wielding a single sword had cornered the creature, but it managed to escape into the labyrinth, and she ultimately lost her chance.

Unfortunately, his subsequent attempts to capture it by dispatching new outsiders and his own soldiers also ended in failure.

The large-scale expeditionary force sent to catch the creature in the harsh labyrinth did not have the capability to withstand the labyrinth itself.

On top of that, the creature employed hit-and-run tactics, leading the expedition to suffer a great defeat.

“Hooooo.”

Even now, just thinking about it made him sigh.

In his honest opinion, if Over Palace had gotten involved, they would have not only caught the creature but likely exterminated its entire clan.

But who would dare to command Over Palace?

Even as a lord, Paragon's authority was considered lower than that of the Over Palace branch manager.

Over Palace was not an option he could use.

And so, he had been constantly on edge, looking for suitable talent, when he recently heard some news.

An outsider who, despite being an outsider, held the title of knight.

And he had even caught a murderer and handed him over to the city guard.

A knight, no less.

A knight, of which this territory had not a single one.

For that reason, he believed his skills were guaranteed.

After all, even that female outsider who wielded a single sword was not a knight.

Thinking this was his real chance, Viscount Paragon immediately put out feelers for the outsider and went to the auction house to speak with him.

However, due to his pride as a nobleman, he couldn't speak plainly and only hinted at his request.

Normally, other outsiders would have come right away, but the one called Seonghyun did not come to the lord's castle after the auction.

‘Khmm, maybe I should have just said it directly?’

But it wasn't easy to go back on what he had already said. Such was the way of a nobleman.

“Hooooo.”

Just as Viscount Paragon’s sighs were growing deeper, someone knocked on the office door and entered.

It was the head butler, the one responsible for the daily life of the lord's castle.

Wondering what the butler wanted, Viscount Paragon gestured with his head.

The butler looked at him, placed a hand on his chest in a show of respect, bowed his head, and carefully spoke.

“The outsider knight, Sir Seonghyun, has come to see you, my lord, stating he has business with you.”

“W-What!? Sh-Show him in at once!”

“…Yes, my lord.”

The butler flinched slightly, startled by Viscount Paragon’s urgent shout which had forgotten all noble composure, but as he had heard the command, he immediately went out.

Soon, the butler’s knock was heard again, and this time, he did not enter alone but with another person.

It was the outsider from the auction house!

It was Seonghyun.

“I am Seonghyun, whom you met yesterday.”

He didn't seem to know much about noble etiquette, but that was fine.

To Viscount Paragon right now, he looked more like a hero than anyone else.

The hope of Pentagrid!

“You've come at a perfect time! A perfect time! Here, here, why don't we sit down and talk first?”

“……???”

Seeing the viscount’s overly enthusiastic welcome, Seonghyun tilted his head.

‘What is this? He's way too welcoming.’

-Isn't that lord into men?

‘Nah, no way.’

Thinking this, Seonghyun pulled his cloak a little tighter and sat in a chair far away from the viscount.

At that, Viscount Paragon tilted his head, looking puzzled, and asked.

“??? Why are you sitting so far away?”

“Ah, I'm just more comfortable like this.”

-Ahahaha!

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