The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 77



Imperial Expedition (11)

“Listen well, magic is the manifestation of one’s imagination. So, to put it simply… it’s the wizard’s stubbornness.”

“How one molds the world to fit themselves, how one creates ideals in the world with certain desires. The stronger and more specific the caster’s imagination, the more powerful the magic becomes.”

“To use magic, you must first create a specific image, and that’s for the sake of desire. The clearer the image, the clearer the imagination becomes. But ultimately, the purpose of magic is to strongly manifest that imagination… so, strictly speaking, the concretization of the image is merely second priority.”

“So the first priority is ultimately intense desire—”

I asked the wrong thing.

That was the realization I had just ten minutes after starting a conversation with her. Unexpectedly, she didn’t refuse my request.

The problem is that she was too eager to help.

As soon as I spoke, she excitedly jumped into the basics of magic. The principles of magic and all that.

It was beneficial, but to be honest, it was boring. They say scholars tend to ramble on when it comes to their specialties; is Lily one of those types?

“—So one magic is like one world…”

“Yes, I understand. I get it.”

In the end, I had no choice but to interrupt her.

From noble mtl dot com

“Excuse me, Lily. I just need to learn one magic spell. There’s no need to teach me everything from the basics.”

“But to learn magic, you need to start with the fundamentals…”

“I already know the basic theory. I can use magic too, you know.”

Most of it is dark magic, but it’s true. I’ve read several magic books in the library; how could I not know such content?

So, her lecture could be skipped.

“The basics are the most important…”

—

I hope this captures the essence and atmosphere of the original text!

For a moment, Lily grumbled, but she still followed my words.

“Alright. So what kind of magic do you want to learn?”

“It’s a simple magic.”

The magic I wanted to learn was Electrocution.

A spell that converts mana into electricity to restrict the opponent’s movements. In an ordinary game, it’s a basic spell, and here too, it is considered basic magic.

However, it falls on the more difficult side to learn.

That’s because it’s a brain-type magic. Unlike other elements, lightning magic is inherently unfamiliar. When did medieval people ever see lightning properly?

This was also a reason for the small number of disciples at the Yellow Mage Tower.

Of course, I had no worries. After all, I had lived in a modern world where electricity was familiar, and I was a talent with a celestial body.

[Congratulations!]

[‘Electrocution’ magic has been acquired!]

Thanks to that, it took me less than an hour to learn the spell.

“Wow, you learned it really quickly. Usually, it takes almost a month to learn just this one.”

“Because I’m a hero.”

Crackle! Crackle!

I responded to her compliment with a slightly cheeky remark and then cast the spell.

A cool blue light of electricity crackled in my grasp.

It might not be very powerful, but it would be enough to stiffen the body for a moment.

“But why did you suddenly decide to learn this magic?”

“Because I need it.”

It was a minimum requirement to catch the puppet master.

*

Time passed.

The siege network, which had been as vast as the entire Empire, was gradually narrowing. At the same time, our territory had completed its investigation.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the puppet master. It meant he had already left the territory.

As a result, we had no choice but to divide our investigation teams into different territories. This was because the road leading to the next territory branched into three.

The left territory was headed by Farell and Jess Cuban,

The central territory was our hero party,

And the right territory was where Bally McGuff was heading alone.

It was calculated that being the strongest, he would be sufficient on his own.

If a party member encounters the puppet master, we can immediately head to that territory upon hearing the news.

It might take some time, but since the territory is relatively close, it was a feasible plan.

“I hope we can meet at the next territory, if possible.”

“Heh heh heh, what are you worried about? We’ll meet at the territory after next anyway.”

“Then I will wish for good fortune.”

With that, we parted ways, each taking a different path.

It was unfortunate that our strength was divided, but at least we could avoid Bali’s piercing gaze, which was a relief.

How uncomfortable it had been until now.

In the next territory, we continued our investigation without rest.

Clerics spread out in all directions, examining people one by one, while the guards kept their lights on 24/7, looking for any potential escape routes.

In the meantime, our brave party members scoured the area in their own ways. There was no chance of finding any gaps.

Yet, the puppet master didn’t show even a hint of himself.

It would have been nice to discover something, but not even a shadow was visible.

As a result, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

“Why, why on earth isn’t he showing up…?”

“Could he be in another territory?”

As I muttered, Lily chimed in beside me.

Yes, that possibility is indeed the greatest.

“Or maybe the encirclement was broken…?”

“No, that possibility is low.”

I immediately dismissed Lily’s words.

Is there a chance he slipped through the heavenly net?

Of course, there is. Nothing in this world is absolute.

But that possibility is slim, and even if he did break through, there would have been some traces left.

In short, there’s no way to commit the perfect crime.

Although I don’t particularly like the Empire, they are certainly not incompetent.

This is their territory, and there are limits to how much he can rampage.

‘Hmm… but why isn’t he coming out?’

It’s about time he showed up. There should be some trace or something. Otherwise, people’s emotions will escalate again.

I was more afraid of the Demon Lord’s seal being broken than of him causing a ruckus.

And despite these worries, fortunately enough.

I found him.

To be more precise, he appeared first.

News came that a disturbance had occurred in the left territory.

It was the territory where Jess Cuban and Farell were investigating.

“What?”

“Damn it, it was there!”

Upon hearing the news, we immediately headed towards that territory.

As we rushed, I asked the messenger who had come breathlessly.

“What happened?”

“Uh, um… While they were investigating as usual, Sir Farell was ambushed by the puppet master!”

“What?”

“Currently, Sir Jess is fighting alone!”

It was clear he was having a tough time.

No matter how strong Jess Cuban was, even among the Empire’s elite, the opponent was one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Even though this was our territory, there were limits to suppressing his caliber.

“We need to hurry.”

Having received the news, we increased our speed. Normally, it takes at least 2 hours to travel between the two territories.

But if our party maximized our speed, we could make it in under 15 minutes.

“But this is unexpected…”

As we diligently made our way, the Saint expressed her doubts.

“I never thought they’d attack first. I thought they would hide somewhere in the Empire until the very end.”

“Hiding any longer would only be detrimental.”

“Excuse me?”

“I figured they would get caught anyway if they tried to escape. So they attacked first.”

That’s just how he is.

He hates getting caught in the opponent’s game more than anything.

Rather than getting caught like this, he would prefer to make a big splash and retreat.

What that means is that he had already made at least minimal preparations to catch us off guard.

Thus, we arrived at the left territory where Farell and Jess were investigating.

“Huff… huff…”

The scene was a mess.

Exhausted Jess Cuban, and Farrell Douglas, who looked as if he had been brainwashed. And there was the blonde handsome man, the puppet master Net, grinning maliciously.

Three things entered my field of vision at once, throwing my mind into chaos.

First, I assessed the level of that puppet master.

[86]

And immediately let out a curse.

Damn, it’s the second boss already, and his level is 86?

That’s a whole 6 levels higher than me, who has been growing diligently.

I had faced off against a dish demon with a 5-level difference back then, but I had no idea how to handle a 6-level gap.

“You held your ground against that thing.”

“Heh, I thought I was a goner.”

When I looked at Jess with a face full of admiration, he forced a smile and said,

“Ah, so you must be the hero?”

But I couldn’t smile back. The puppet master’s chilling laughter was directed at me.

“Thanks to you, my plans have gone completely awry. I was hoping to slowly gnaw away from the center, but I never expected you to catch on so quickly…”

I picked up the holy sword for now.

“I hurriedly prepared a new event, but I’m not too fond of it.”

“I’ve never seen you in person, but you look quite unpleasant.”

“Haha, I don’t think I’m the one to be saying that.”

Then I coldly calculated my chances of winning.

Let’s see, can I defeat him?

‘No.’

No matter how much this is our territory, it’s too early to take down the second of the Four Heavenly Kings.

I haven’t even grown properly, and he’s stronger than he was during the game.

But I can hold out.

I calmly calculated the distance to MacGuffin in my mind.

‘It’ll take 20 minutes for the messenger to reach the right territory. It’ll take about 10 minutes for MacGuffin to cross the central territory and get here…’

Adding it up, that’s roughly 30 minutes.

I’ll have to wait that long for him to arrive.

So let’s hold on. Until he can meet his master.

The opponent he faces will not be me, but the sword master of the Empire.

With that, I charged at him.