Leilin was tempted. Utterly and completely tempted.
Compared to the watered-down version of a mage, the
If he could switch classes to become an Arcanist, his strength would receive an enormous boost.
And as for the inheritance of those ancient rule wizards, Leilin also had a great deal of interest.
Unfortunately, the notebook was mostly a historical record, with only a few sparse mentions of the Arcanists.
"A mature system, mature experience — it will certainly give me plenty to work with!"
Leilin's eyes swept eagerly across the notebook, hoping to find any clue related to the Arcanists.
Wizards, who would be rejected upon entering the world of the gods, were clearly a problem the Arcanists had solved. They had even risen to prominence for a time, but ultimately became taboo and were cast out by the gods.
All records of their history had been destroyed, and this was the first time Leilin had ever come across any description of them at all.
Through the Chip's precise analysis and search, Leilin finally identified a location that could loosely be connected to the Arcanists, but when he cross-referenced the map to confirm the position, a strange expression appeared on his face.
"I never expected it to be there!"
Leilin carefully committed the landmark to memory, then tucked the black notebook away.
"Judging by the tone and other clues, the person who wrote this diary was also an Arcanist. In that case, the credibility of their words is quite high…"
Those Arcanists had been painstakingly developed by the ancient rule wizards as a path suited to the world of the gods.
Although Leilin could technically undertake this kind of research himself now, both the time required and the depth and breadth of exploration would surely fall far short of what those predecessors had achieved.
Therefore, when it came to the Arcanist inheritance, Leilin was absolutely determined to obtain it!
"Though, as it happens, it's right in the Northern Territories… what are the odds…"
Leilin sighed. "I'm afraid the itinerary will have to be moved up. Fortunately, I have no other business left in the capital, and all the materials up through the high-tier mage level have already been collected…"
With that thought, Leilin walked outside and clapped his hands. "Someone come!"
…
As the son of a baron and a honorary viscount, someone of Leilin's rank was hardly a major figure in the capital, and his departure would create no waves — except among certain people who had been watching him closely.
Crack!
The wooden cup shattered outright, clear water spraying from between the clenched fingers.
"What? He's finally leaving?" Laurent was still dressed as a paladin, as before. But now his face looked haggard, and red veins threaded through the whites of his eyes.
Ever since deciding to keep a close watch on Leilin, he had been lurking in the capital, searching for any opening.
But that little noble was slippery beyond measure. He rarely left his residence, and the few places he frequented — the
Worse, the fellow seemed to have detected the surveillance. His day-to-day conduct had become impeccable beyond reproach, free of every vice typical of the nobility — he could have served as a model lord.
Since he couldn't find any other evidence of wrongdoing, Laurent obviously couldn't simply walk up and lay hands on Leilin. After burning through a great deal of patience, Laurent had decided to take direct action and punish the man himself!
But this would be a private operation. He couldn't openly assault a noble in the capital — if he did, the Church itself would come after him first!
Though Laurent loathed Leilin, he had no intention of dying together with him.
And so the plan had been postponed until now.
"Once he leaves the capital, there will be plenty of opportunities along the way! Your crimes will be punished!" Laurent murmured, a noble light of righteous conviction shining on his face, as though he were the very embodiment of justice and goodness.
…
Several days later, a carriage rolled slowly out of the capital's boundaries.
A handful of tailing rogues confirmed with certainty that a young noble had climbed into the carriage, and one of them immediately detached to run back with the report.
"What an annoying swarm of flies…"
Inside the carriage sat Leilin. His eyes were half-closed, as if he had long since noticed the surveillance.
"Every follower of the Lord of
Now that the bait had been taken, Leilin's thoughts drifted to other matters.
Two years had been more than enough time to reorganize every devil-worshipper in the Danbres Kingdom, and with Drale's strength as an advanced pleasure devil, bringing those followers to heel had been child's play.
Thinking of Drale reminded Leilin of the several decadent balls the latter had hosted, and he had to admit they had been quite entertaining and enjoyable.
Especially a particular pair of noble sisters. They were growing more and more renowned by the day.
Leilin had secretly observed their souls — they were now only a single step from falling into true devilhood.
"My grasp of devilish abilities seems to be quite refined… However, even if that pair were to transform, they would only become ordinary devils. Only a soul that is especially pure and resolute can produce far greater power upon falling, giving birth to the most terrifying devils…"
Leilin suddenly thought of that girl-knight, along with the priests and paladins of the God of Justice.
Those were the souls every devil craved above all else!
The purer the soul, the more devastating the fall — it might even give rise to a Legendary-class arch-devil on the spot!
"She might head for the Northern Territories as well…"
Leilin recalled the scene of their last parting, and a faint smile traced the corner of his lips. "When that time comes…"
The carriage rolled through the city gates. On both sides of the road stretched field after field of oat crops, and after passing a handful of farmsteads, signs of habitation grew increasingly sparse…
"Master…"
The driver's voice came from up ahead. "I sense a group of enemies closing in!"
The driver was clearly no ordinary coachman — though no one could tell what method he used to mask the powerful energy fluctuations radiating from him.
"It doesn't matter. Keep going!"
Leilin smiled faintly. "The fish finally couldn't resist the bait…"
That paladin had shown admirable restraint — but only up to a point.
[Holy Smite] Laurent was even less patient than Leilin had anticipated. The moment the carriage entered a stretch of low scrub forest, a blazing golden crescent of light shot out from the roadside, aimed squarely at Leilin's carriage.
A paladin's Holy Smite blazed with searing radiance, carrying immense purifying force — devastatingly effective against undead, devils, demons, and other beings of evil alignment.
Even Leilin was unwilling to meet that purifying energy head-on.
A brilliant array of spell-light erupted from the carriage as Leilin instantly tore open several spell scrolls.
[Greater Spell Barrier]!
[Dragon's Breath]!
[Fireball]!
Searing flames collided with the Holy Smite in midair. Divine power and fire erupted in every direction, detonating into dazzling light and heat.
A magical barrier had already risen around the area, possessing the effects of blocking detection and divination.
These were all the fruits of Leilin's two-year accumulation. He had not only learned a great many more spell templates, but also possessed the financial resources and materials to commission custom magical items and scrolls tailored to his needs.
"Evil shall be punished! Leilin Farell! Today you shall be judged for every innocent life on the
Laurent wore a full set of paladin armor, the radiance about him blinding to its limit, and an unnatural flush had risen to his face.
"Heh… A paladin?!" Leilin pushed aside the carriage curtain and stepped out, regarding the paladin before him with an expression of frank amusement. "Didn't you read the kingdom's laws and declarations? The pirates of the Outer Seas have nothing to do with me whatsoever. As a follower of the God of Justice, is this how you uphold justice — by trampling on the law?"
Clearly, when it came to verbal sparring, Leilin could run circles around his opponent eight times over. Laurent's face flushed red instantly.
"Ah… It's precisely because there are so many evil maggots exploiting loopholes in the law that criminals like you continue to roam free! Today, I, Laurent, will put an end to these wrongs!"
Knowing full well he could never win a war of words, Laurent chose to enforce justice in his own way.
Holy light began to suffuse his longsword, and a surge of divine power even mightier than Siegfried's erupted forth.
Cloaked in sacred radiance, Laurent appeared even more exalted — the light even formed a faint, translucent layer of armor over the metal plate he already wore.
"Paladins are nothing but trouble! Not only are they immune to many negative conditions, they also possess a terrifying resistance to disease…"
"Pity… your opponent isn't just me, though…"
The spell Leilin had prepared for so long launched in an instant: [Greater Hold Person]!
Even with his magic-resistant constitution, Laurent could not help but hesitate for a fraction of a second against Leilin's high-tier spell.
And the coachman — who had been cowering to the side all along as though stunned silly — moved in that very instant!
A black dagger appeared in the coachman's hand. His speed shattered the barrier of space in a single step, placing him directly in front of Laurent.
The dagger, carrying a fearsome curse, sliced through Laurent's defenses and carved a massive gash across his chest.
"You're… the blasphemer Tifa!"
Laurent hurtled backward, a layer of healing divine light already flickering across his body.
His habit of holding back against ordinary people had left him completely unprepared for what appeared to be an unremarkable coachman, and Tifa had exploited that opening ruthlessly.
"To collude with someone like this — your crime is enough to send you to the stake!"
Laurent stared at Leilin, eyes blazing with excitement, for he had finally found proof of the man's guilt!
"Oh? That depends on whether you can actually get word out," Leilin said with a shrug.