CHAPTER 16 Forbidden Magic (Part 4)

“Ahahahaha!”

Irnartol laughed like a madman as the monster he summoned kept eating the waves of fire without stopping. His face turned red with excitement, while Ernolf’s face turned pale.

Was I too confident? Was I not thinking straight? Regret filled Ernolf’s heart.

But then something strange happened.

“Huh?”

“What…?”

Both Irnartol and Ernolf were confused. The monster between them vanished, even though the flames from Inferno were still burning.

“Ah! What is this?!”

Irnartol screamed as he looked down at his chest. Ernolf stared in disbelief.

The dark red Beast King’s Heart in Irnartol’s chest had turned pitch black and stopped working.

“Did it… run out of power?”

Realizing what happened, Ernolf acted quickly.

“Fire Arrow!”

Even though he only had a low-level mana heart, Ernolf was still one of the top five high mages on the continent. His casting speed was unbeatable.

Using up the last of his strength, Ernolf shot a fire arrow at Irnartol.

“Shield!” Irnartol yelled and tried to block it, but the fire arrow was faster. It tore through the weak shield easily.

“Nooo!”

The flames burned through Irnartol’s fat and pierced his heart.

“Healing!” Irnartol tried to heal his heart just before dying.

“I won’t let you!”

Ernolf grabbed a rock from the ground and smashed Irnartol’s head.

“Go to hell!” he yelled, hitting Irnartol again and again with all his pain and anger.

Whack!

The rock hit Irnartol’s forehead. He staggered, his eyes rolled up.

Ernolf picked up the rock again and slammed it on the top of Irnartol’s head.

Thud.

Irnartol collapsed. A baby’s loud cry echoed through the basement.

“Huff, huff…”

Ernolf moved Irnartol’s heavy arm and gently picked up the baby. As he did, something fell from Irnartol’s chest with a clink — the Beast King’s Heart.

It wasn’t clear if the heart dropped because Irnartol died or because it ran out of power.

Ernolf thought back to Irnartol’s weak shield spell. Even a trainee mage could cast a better shield. It was clear now: the only reason Irnartol could do dangerous body fusion magic was because he had the Beast King’s Heart.

If I hadn’t fought him… the heart wouldn’t have died. Then…

The lord’s son might’ve grown up using a monster’s body… He might’ve become the future tyrant King Khazar.

Ernolf didn’t mean to, but he may have just stopped another cruel future.

“Ugh…”

He had no strength left. Holding the baby, he felt like collapsing. He just wanted to return the child and rest.

He bent down and picked up the Beast King’s Heart. As he touched it, thin metal wires shot out like veins and pierced into his palm, connecting to his nerves.

“Argh!”

The pain made Ernolf drop to his knees.

No… I can’t faint now… There are still enemies above…

He fought to stay conscious, but eventually collapsed. Every battle left him like this, and he was tired of it.

Just before blacking out, he saw a pair of old boots.

Khazar?

It felt like him. Ernolf relaxed and let himself pass out.

At the temple

Khazar arrived and went straight to find Ernolf. When he reached the underground room, he saw broken walls, thorny stone spikes, and chaos everywhere.

“He really wrecked the place.”

The building was a mess, and the priests were either crushed, burned, or had their hearts or heads destroyed.

Even Khazar, who didn’t expect calm, was surprised by how bad it was. They say blood is thicker than water… No doubt he’s my brother.

“That temper…”

Clicking his tongue, Khazar went to where Ernolf had fallen.

“Hey, Tiri.”

He squatted and tapped Ernolf’s cheek.

“Hey! You’re not dead, right?”

“Ugh…”

Ernolf groaned and opened his eyes slightly.

Khazar picked him up, and Ernolf mumbled something.

“What?”

“The lord’s son… take him.”

Khazar frowned but picked up the crying baby.

“So this is Khazar?”

“Yeah…”

The baby looked like a dried-up stick with a giant mushroom-like head — clearly deformed. But the lord’s family crest was sewn into his clothes, so Khazar realized it was really the lord’s son.

He remembered when he conquered Talisa: the complete monsters had killed the lord’s family and hung their bodies at the gates, but the son wasn’t among them — he had already died years ago.

Outside the temple

As Khazar and Ernolf came out, soldiers pointed spears at them.

“Drop your weapons and surrender!”

Khazar didn’t flinch. He walked forward.

“Khazar!”

The noble lady screamed when she saw her son being carried like a sack.

For a moment, Khazar thought his mother had called him and felt strange.

“Sir! They’ve taken our son!”

“I’ll get him back. Stay calm.”

The lord looked at Khazar with fear.

“You attacked the temple and killed the priests. That’s between you and the Order, not me. Return my son and I’ll let you leave safely.”

“Even looking like this, he’s still precious to you?”

“He is our treasure. Please don’t harm him.”

“What do you want? I’ll give you anything. Just return him safe!”

The lord and lady were desperate, terrified Khazar might harm their son.

Khazar, holding the baby, remembered how his own son had betrayed him before returning to the past. His son had been born healthy but was too weak to use aura. Khazar had even let others try to help him awaken, but nothing worked.

My son was weak, but this one’s even worse. And yet these parents were trembling with worry. It made him sick. Do they think that’s love?

“Ugh, children… They just stab you in the back anyway.”

As Khazar thought of his traitorous son, Ernolf suddenly raised a glowing hand over the baby.

“A-a mage!”

“What are you doing?!”

People panicked, but the lord and lady only stared at Ernolf, worried for the baby.

“Healing…”

Ernolf used his remaining mana to heal the baby’s cuts and hunger. The child stopped crying.

Khazar was furious. “Hey!” he snapped, ready to throw Ernolf off.

But Ernolf said first, “It’s because of you.”

“What?”

“You were upset, so I helped.”

Khazar remembered how he had been thinking about his son right before waking up in the mine.

Was I… upset? He thought it had been anger, but maybe it was despair.

Ernolf stepped forward and said to the lord and lady:

“I burned the farm and killed the priests. My brother had nothing to do with it. If you must punish someone, punish me.”

Khazar scoffed. “Actually, I killed the guards.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear? I killed them all.” He looked proud.

The lord asked carefully, “Why did you kill them?”

“Because the priests committed a forbidden sin. I destroyed the results of their evil, so they couldn’t hurt anyone else.”

“Forbidden? What sin was so great? Will you kill my son too, like the others?”

The noble lady shouted. Ernolf answered calmly.

“They put monster organs into human bodies.”

He stared at her, almost like he knew she had one too.

She flinched and grabbed her husband’s arm. The lord looked serious.

“The priests saved many injured people, including my wife. Whether it’s forbidden or not, their help was important to us.”

“Do you know why it’s forbidden?”

“No…”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“The monster parts slowly take over the body and mind. The person becomes a monster.”

“W-what?”

Everyone was shocked.

“That’s not the worst part.”

The lord asked what could be worse.

“The monster’s disease will spread to humans, mutating into something terrifying. Just because nothing has happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t.”

“People’s bodies will fill with boils, their skin and guts will rot and melt into blood and pus.”

“Ahhh!” people screamed.

“If anyone shows symptoms, isolate them. Burn their bodies without touching them directly. Burn their homes and everything they touched. There is no cure. This is the only way to save the city.”

Many, including the guards, had monster body parts. They were furious and shouted that Ernolf was cursing them.

“I don’t care if you believe me. But remember what I said.”

“Whatever. Believe or not, I’m saving myself,” Khazar said.

He lifted Ernolf higher and held the baby up slightly.

“I’ll leave this kid at the edge of the field past the gate. If anyone but the lord or lady follows us, I’ll kill everyone, including the baby.”

He called “Ventus!” and the horse he stole from the mercenaries came running.

“Hold tight,” he told Ernolf and rode off.

The lord and lady rode after him while yelling to the guards not to follow.

At the edge of the field where the forest began, Khazar slowed down.

“Give me my son, Khazar.”

“Toss him?”

“Just give him. I’ll take care of the rest.”