Chapter 77

“That woman is with them! She’s a traitor, Groen!”

The black mage, fully transformed into Pahomel’s appearance, shouted toward Groen.

When Groen turned to look at Belona, she shook her head and said Pahomel was not the Tower Master.

“That thing is a black mage wearing your father’s face, Groen!”

Belona’s words made Groen’s eyes widen as if they would pop out.

His gaze shifted to Pahomel.

“To spew such ridiculous lies! You’ve fallen for their tricks completely!”

Pahomel’s firm shout made Groen look back at Belona—his trembling eyes betraying confusion.

Seeing her lover’s shaken gaze, Belona cried out for him to look at Pahomel properly.

“Groen! That man is not your father! There’s no way you haven’t noticed!”

At Belona’s cry, Groen’s eyes changed in an instant.

Feeling the shift, Pahomel began firing black smoke blades toward Belona and Hayden.

He had intended to mostly use fire magic—the original owner’s specialty—after taking on Pahomel’s form, but the core of his power was black magic. Using fire, a mere shell’s ability, was difficult.

Which meant the attack that burst out instinctively became black magic.

He realized it only after firing it, but it was too late. Using that spell meant exposing himself as a black mage—yet Pahomel was too cornered to disguise it as fire magic.

The black smoke blades were blocked by Hayden’s black mana. That alone proved the truth: Pahomel was indeed a black mage.

Groen stared, shocked, at Hayden’s use of black mana. The child’s ability to nullify the attack made Groen suspect Pahomel even more.

If Pahomel truly had his original power, he should have killed Hayden easily. But, since he was a black mage, he couldn’t overcome black mana, which nullified black magic.

He still couldn’t fully understand why Belona—who wielded holy light, the power most effective against black mana—was protecting Hayden, but the fact remained: his father had used black magic. That alone planted doubt.

“This is nonsense! A conspiracy! A vile plot! Lies from your betrothed who has turned to the Duke’s faction!”

As if reading Groen’s thoughts, Pahomel shrieked furiously.

Increasingly confused, Groen looked between Pahomel and Belona.

“Open your eyes, Groen! That man is a black mage! A black mage killed the Tower Master and stole his skin!”

Belona shouted. She had seen Pahomel use black magic again, and Hayden nullify it right before her eyes.

Just as Caldeon had warned—Pahomel was already dead, and the black mage who had taken his skin was acting in his place.

If they didn’t stop him, the world would fall into chaos.

Belona, who had once studied the forbidden black arts, cried out again:

“That is not your father, Groen!”

At that moment, Caldeon and Enria appeared.

Groen reacted instantly—he trapped Belona and Hayden inside a pillar of fire.

“Groen!”

Belona screamed as the scorching flames closed around her. Enria and Caldeon quickly cast holy power and black mana, wrapping Belona and Hayden in protective layers.

Hayden did the same—casting black mana around both himself and Belona.

Three layers of protection: black mana, holy power, and black mana again.

“See? They’re all working together to take over the Tower! Groen, kill the child and the woman—and those two as well!”

Pahomel pointed at Caldeon and Enria, shrieking.

“No, Groen! He wants black mana erased from this world! Because black mana nullifies black magic!”

“…”

“Groen! Trust me! That man is not the Tower Master! The Tower Master was already—!”

“Silence, traitor!”

Pahomel hurled black smoke blades toward Belona.

The blades passed through the fire prison, but vanished on Caldeon’s black mana shield.

Groen moved instinctively—shielding Belona with his own body.

He shouted at Pahomel: “Why are you using black magic, Father?”

Fire gathered in both his hands as he prepared to strike back.

Pahomel’s face hardened.

He had forgotten—cornered humans forget caution. And he had used black magic right before Groen’s eyes.

Clicking his tongue, Pahomel let dense black smoke engulf the area.

Hayden and Caldeon dispelled it with black shadows—but Pahomel had already rushed toward Groen.

Since Groen had seen the truth, Pahomel’s disguise was now worthless.

Better to kill Groen—the one mages trusted more than Pahomel—and take his form instead.

Belona realized Pahomel’s plan first. She quickly set Hayden down, sliced the fire pillar apart with light magic, and ran to Groen.

Enria immediately dashed to Hayden and pulled him into her arms.

Hayden wrapped his tiny arms around her neck and whispered, “Mommy.”

Enria wept with relief.

Caldeon covered them both with shadow for protection.

Pahomel, aiming to kill Groen, instead struck Belona—who reached Groen faster—with a blade of black magic in the shoulder.

“Ugh!”

“Belona!”

Groen caught her as she collapsed.

Pahomel clicked his tongue again and thrust another black blade toward Groen.

Groen, holding Belona, threw fire at him. Pahomel blocked it with a shield of black smoke and pressed forward, but Caldeon stepped in—nullifying the black magic.

He didn’t want Groen’s soul to be devoured.

The strange result: Caldeon was now protecting the man who had kidnapped Hayden and tried to kill Enria.

Enria, meanwhile, used holy power to heal Belona.

The battlefield had turned into black mage versus everyone else.

Roseanne, Rahar, and the gathered spirits appeared.

“Enri!”

Roseanne rushed toward Enria.

Rahar and Undy, seeing Groen, immediately prepared to attack him.

“Not him, Rahar!”

Caldeon shouted.

Undy, about to hurl a water bomb, froze.

Rahar also stopped, eyes wide at Caldeon.

They saw Caldeon aiding Groen against Pahomel and were stunned.

Before anyone could understand the situation, Pahomel spewed black smoke again, clouding all vision.

He was trying to escape now that Caldeon’s allies had arrived.

Caldeon summoned countless black shadows to disperse the smoke.

And then—

Countless needle-like smoke threads pierced straight through Groen’s body.

“Groen!”

Belona, partially healed, stared in horror as her lover was skewered from head to toe.

Before anyone could react, the black smoke wrapped around Groen’s soul and dragged it into Pahomel’s body.

Everyone froze in shock—watching a black mage devour a human soul.

The black mage vanished instantly.

Groen’s lifeless, hollow body collapsed.

“Groen!!”

Belona screamed, crawling to him and holding his pierced body in her arms, sobbing.

The brilliant heir of the Tower—used by the black mage, ultimately consumed, and turned into nourishment for the very being he hated most.

A tragic, brutal end.