Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

Chapter 392 Lich's Story

His answer was clear and stern. He said it with certainty and sad but true eyes. He was a good skeleton, and I wanted him but, alas...

"Ok then. Rest in p-"

[ "It is not that I do not want to but... I can't.

Haaa... I do not know how I should retell my great loss and inabilities but this is a story of not much distant past.

Oh, great being-" ]

" Cut that crap of great being. Call me Reinelle or master or something. It's too uncomfortable to be perceived as a grand figure too, so leave down that utter reverence bullshit in your eyes or just look down while speaking."

He was just staring at me with admiring eyes, as if seeing the god he worshipped standing before him.

'How does Eon cope with these things? Did he learn this too?'

It was really surprising but, well, whatever...

The lich understood that I was serious too, so he, a lich, a master of magic and practically immortal being, lowered his gaze at my words.

[[ "Why though? Isn't he stronger than me in stats? He should also know that he is strong enough to critically injure me and still he is behaving like a devotee. Can a skill cause this much effect on a being?" ]]

[[ It certainly can, master. It's an innate skill. Something he was born with and something that is part of his being itself.

Sometimes innate skills can practically define a person. Those types of innate skills are the special ones.

Just look at yours and master Eon's skills.

Your eyes, which are practically special and limited to you, or master Eon's energy circulation skill, that has made him what he is right now.

Or, just look back at how you first discovered little Chry.

He has never seen his own status window. Something that actually is absurd, considering its importance in nature.

His innate skill blocks him from 'perceiving' the thing called the status window temporarily. It doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It does. He isn't beyond the bounds of stats yet, like the transcendent beings.

Innate skills are just like that.

Something that is part of your whole being.

Morris. His behavior is understandable because it is because of his special skill.

He is...a special one.

Ahh~. My soul trembles with joy- ]]

[[ "Thanks for the long information and normal words. That much is enough." ]]

I knew he was going to start his special words again.

Instead of his good, pretty, long words, I would rather hear Morris's interesting story.

So we focused on the story... which actually... wasn't that special.

[ "I was a normal boy with a humble origin from the Vibha kingdom of the southern part of the west continent. The story of how I become a mage and all isn't something that special. I wasn't even much special back in my time. But throughout my life, I had one wish that drove me to the path of lichdom...

Darkness.

It was something that I was attracted to for as long as I can remember.

I definitely wasn't the best mage, but I was good enough to have reached (tier-4) by myself back in the day.

It was a great achievement for a young person, but it actually meant nothing in my eyes.

I didn't want praise from my parents or the normal people around me. I wanted something greater.

I had but one wish... becoming a part of the darkness that I admired, or better, serving the darkness for eternity.

It was a strange desire, I knew even without others telling me that it was a dumb and bad-sounding thing.

Who in their sane mind would want to serve darkness? The evil that everyone loathed.

They thought I was a dark being in disguise, a follower of evil, a Rakshasa. Some even claimed that I was a crazy person possessed by evil. They called me by various things, tormented me, and at the end started chasing me with a desire to hand me over to the [Temple]. Well, most of them were the people that were jealous of my talent and achievements.

But, I didn't give a shit about those bastards.

They were blind people who couldn't fathom the beauty, the greatness, the majesty, the PURITY! of the darkness.

Evil does possess great darkness, but comparing their filthy, polluted darkness with the actual, noble darkness that beings like you, great master, and this great night crow possess, is something like comparing a filthy animal with the greatest of divine beings.

Anyway...

The people that chased me away from my own home... I didn't kill those bastards.

They were nothing before a strong mage at the end of the day. Their fates were decided when they harmed people that I cared for.

I didn't punish them. Darkness itself punished them. They couldn't even beg for mercy, as being punished by the great darkness was the greatest honor of their lives.

That is a certain important memory that I remember as clearly as this very moment, it was the foundation for what I am today...

I wandered the world in search of the darkness and beings possessing the pure darkness that I can serve.

I remember I was wandering the southern part of the great empire some years ago and then I stumbled upon a boundary and came to this island-like place.

It was fascinating to see something so amazing, so I stayed here and made the island's relatively easy northern part my home.

The island was fascinating because of the unique and rare creatures on the island but, more than that, there was a great source of darkness here, something that I can sense but cannot pinpoint the location of.

That's why I stayed here, then… the evil spirit woke up one day, almost destroyed half of the island, and then came to my previous house.

It... that bastard was cunning!

It saw through my mental defenses and discovered my innate weakness and strengths.

That fucker instantly knew that I was searching for the source of the pure darkness and it promised me to give some great information on it if I make a 'deal' with him...

He was an evil creature. It had killed countless cute creatures that I liked and stayed with.

They were my cute little observation subjects, and it took them away from me!

B-but... I was a fool...

It was a being with a lot of pure darkness... it had the power to weird that pure darkness and use it better than I thought. That bastard was strong... and I foolishly believed it. Failing to see the great, great... great impure darkness hidden under the veil of goodness.

That bastard... was cunning, evil, held great intelligence, and was definitely strong.

The deal 'offered' was, in return for following his two commands, it will tell me about the strange source of pure darkness, which definitely wasn't him.

He had darkness, I acknowledged it too, but not even as good as me to admire him. He was evil...and the evil also does not know the greatness of pure darkness!

...

It first ordered me to come with him, taking my home, my only place on the island. And, even though I was hesitant, I had no choice but to follow that order.

I was a fool... I still am. But I didn't see his ploy at that time.

He took me out of my home, the place that I had never left for years, and then...destroyed it.

He destroyed it! And I couldn't do anything but stand still, frozen against my will because his second order... was to follow all his orders.

I managed to save my soul origin from it... but it is of no use now.

As stated in the deal, I have to unconditionally follow its will. Do things it asks and live with it for the rest of my life.

I'm nothing more than a mere puppet of that evil bastard and still do not know what that source of pure darkness is...

Even now, it's somewhere on these lands, I know for sure. It is so great that my own darkness is nothing compared to it.

And the 'deal' never stated when he should tell me about it. So the chance that I will ever know of it is unknown.

But still...

It is nothing compared to your unparalleled purity of great darkness.

It is special, truly majestic, and more than anything...it is something beings like me couldn't help but admire.

Not anyone can bond with a night crow and especially not an older one who holds deeper truths than the easy, cute, and less intelligent young ones.

Lady witch...

The moment I saw you... I knew you are the one!

The one that I want to, with my whole being, follow for the rest of my life!

I can do anything if it means that I can achieve that. I would do anything you ask of me willingly and with my utmost respect!

If I can be free from here, I want nothing more than to follow you.

But...

It is impossible.

It is impossible for a 'deal' of a lich to be undone.

The deal, as you must already know, is close to an origin oath. Something that will be unconditionally followed by the two parties.

I'm trapped here. I'm a slave to that evil. I'm the fool unworthy of serving a great being such as yourself, and... I'm the 'tool' that bastard can use to hurt you.

I do not want to hurt the only being that I want to serve, so... please, kill me." ]

'The story was... fucking long. But, at least, it contained some simple bullshit with simple words. Hmm... I understand.'

I knew all the things he said were true, and he truly resented his foolish self to fall for such an obvious trap.

I also knew how it felt to get tricked by such obvious things. And he wasn't to blame here...

He wasn't a dumb skeleton. He just lacked the experience of dealing with people like the evil spirit, the headmaster, and my darling. Their ploys weren't something one could escape from even after knowing the whole trap...

'Especially my darling Axion... he's a one-of-a-kind bastard.'

Well... it was good that he knew what he lacked and worked on it.

But killing him was an utter waste.

His concerns about this so-called deal with the evil spirit were just unnecessary.

As long as it wasn't actually an origin oath, I can take care of those small things. An absurd amount of stamina will be consumed, but I had Clover, so it was fine.

I wanted him and now that I knew about this good lich called Morris a bit, I will definitely take him.

But before that...

"Morris. Let's say you do get out of here and follow me, but... what if we meet someone with greater darkness than me? Will you just betray-"

[ "No great master. I only ever wanted to follow one being with my whole being and that person is you. If I do manage to get out of here, I will follow you and no one else.

If you want me to give you my undead life, I will happily do so. This imprisoned life is something that I would give away everything for...

Just that... it is actually impossible." ]

He actually interrupted me, the one he revered, and spoke with unshaken eyes... or more like unflinching fire in his eye sockets.

"I like those eyes, Morris."

There was a wide, pleased smile on my face and he somewhat smiled while seeing this. A sad, gloomy, heavy smile.

He still believed that it was impossible for him to get out of there.

Fool...

-Snap!

The dark chains around his body vanished, and he looked up with surprise.

"Stand up."

The smile was still there and my voice was a command, a divine command, for him, so he just hurriedly stood up and looked at me with a confused gaze.

"You are going with me, Morris. I like that look in your eyes, so do good from now on."

He couldn't understand...

Neither my smile nor the confident atmosphere I had.

I knew he was thinking it was impossible. His fate was already sealed. Even if I kill the evil spirit, unless that bastard itself releases him, he was just imprisoned here.

But... he was wrong.

He can be freed even without the permission of that bastard.

His confused eyes were asking me what the hell was I talking about... so, I answered those cute blue flames.

"You know about witchcraft, right?"

And just that much was enough for him to know... the reason for my confident eyes, as well as one of the most beautiful smiles on my face.