The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 329

He wondered if it was really okay to receive something like that—

But after everything he’d already been given, it felt silly to question it now.

After all, Overpalace had always been the kind to reward him the moment the opportunity arose, even if not here.

So Seong didn’t dwell on it too much.

Thinking about it would only give him a headache.

In the end, it was his now.

“Thanks for the gift.”

“It is only what you deserve,” said Black Star.

Seong just nodded and tried to move on as casually as possible.

Anyway—

So now even Blood Lord could awaken.

On top of that—

‘Good thing I saved the Book of Blood.’

Once he reached the war-torn city, he’d probably be able to awaken immediately.

Plans for later aside—

That left the question of why Babaros and Will had been sent somewhere else.

That slight hint of confusion showed on Seong’s face.

As if expecting it, Black Star explained with calm certainty.

“In truth, the war is not yet over.”

“...I figured.”

“The insolent demon grand duke may have retreated after suffering grave injuries at the hands of Lady Helena, but he was not pursued to the end.”

“Hmmm.”

Were they planning to launch an assault into the demon realm now?

Just as Seong thought that, Black Star spoke up.

“Therefore, Lady Helena intends to conceal the true body of Noctrynium within the deepest layer of the underworld, inside the Dark Fortress, and then advance into the demon realm. It’s a perfect opportunity to finish off the grand duke, who’s been a thorn in her side.”

“And the possibility of a trap?”

It was more than possible.

Even if the grand duke was wounded, he could’ve predicted this and laid a trap.

And Black Star clearly knew that too.

“Yes, it is a trap.”

“...Then why walk into it...?”

Walking straight into a trap knowingly?

Seong didn’t get it.

But then Black Star answered.

“She is someone who will win regardless.”

“...Haha.”

Well, it was Helena. Fair enough.

Seong nodded. He could believe that.

And so, Black Star declared confidently:

“For that reason, there’s no need to worry about the demon realm. However, because the depths of the underworld warp time itself, the children who will be there must be kept in a small village instead.”

“Hm, so then...”

“Yes, Lord of the Future. That is the mission we wish to entrust to you.”

They were going to place the children in a small village, and Seong’s mission was to protect it.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult mission—

But still.

Something about it made Seong uneasy.

So he asked Black Star:

“A small village?”

“Yes, one of the villages Lady Helena visited during her recent travels—Blue Village. A quiet place with beautiful flowers.”

“Blue Village?”

That name stirred something faint in his memory.

He could recall it if he tried—

But he didn’t force it.

“Hmmm. As someone who knows the future, I could tell you... but I believe you would not want that.”

Seong didn’t like spoilers.

So he gave Black Star a nod of thanks for the consideration.

It was better to discover things on his own.

Black Star smiled warmly and continued.

“I can send you to Blue Village immediately.”

“Babaros and Will are already there?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Alright. Send me too.”

“As you wish.”

With that, Black Star smiled once more—

And bowed deeply to Seong again.

“It was an honor to serve you, even briefly.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful.”

“Such compassion. As expected of you.”

And just like that, Seong vanished.

The scenery changed in an instant.

Though momentarily startled by what felt like teleportation—

He quickly realized the village was just as beautiful as described. The flowers really were lovely.

As he looked around, he spotted Will and Babaros in a quiet part of the village.

“Oh, here you are.”

“Ah, you’ve arrived!”

“Just as you said, Seong—there’s a new mission.”

It was a mission given only to the top three out of the five teams—

Will’s expression was full of pride.

And finally—

“With this mission done, we’ll finally get to meet Lady Helena,” Will said.

That made Seong feel... uneasy.

That was clearly a flag. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Was something going to happen here?

But from what Seong knew, Will Baghdad lived for a long time.

So he wasn’t particularly worried.

Babaros, however, clearly saw the flag and grew visibly nervous.

“H-Hey, take that back! T-That’s a jinx, you know!”

“Jinx? There’s such a thing? In 300 years, I’ve never heard that word before. The world really is big.”

He’s 300?

That made Seong pause for a second.

Still, he told himself it’d be fine. 300 years? Probably safe.

With that, the three of them headed toward where the children were staying.

Thanks to the barrier Helena had erected herself—

The three entered without issue.

“...Wow. No one else could get in here.”

The barrier had been created by Helena, a transcendent beyond transcendents.

So it made sense.

Even Seong was impressed.

And part of him thought maybe they didn’t need to stand guard at all.

But then again—

If someone close to transcendence did appear, they might be able to detect the barrier.

Thinking that, Seong looked around.

But seeing the children of various races running around and playing happily—

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of healing.

And then—

“...Hmm?”

He spotted some familiar faces.

It shouldn’t have been possible.

But there—a girl with long dark-blue hair hugged a grotesquely disfigured doll as she ran around.

Beside her were a boy who looked like a stitched-together corpse and a smaller kid holding a creepy adult woman-shaped doll, and a slightly older child wearing a crow mask.

“...???”

And for some reason... some of the branch leaders?

Was he imagining it?

Why did they remind him of people from Overpalace?

He brushed it off.

Could just be coincidence.

‘Wow, they were... kinda cute when they were young.’

Even if the dolls were creepy and their appearances strange—

They were still kids.

Which meant they were cute in their own way.

Watching them play made Seong think—

He definitely had to protect this place.

Knowing these kids would grow up to join Overpalace meant the worry faded.

This was one of those small, fun surprises.

“It’s really peaceful here.”

“Right?”

“Just watching this makes me feel at ease.”

Seeing the children at play brought instant healing.

Then Seong remembered he wasn’t supposed to just stand around.

“I’ll go patrol the perimeter.”

As always, Seong was the diligent type.

Standing still wasn’t really his thing.

“Ah! Got it.”

“We’ll stay and guard the area.”

With Helena’s barrier in place, it should’ve been fine—

But patrolling was still important.

You never knew what might happen. And scouting the terrain ahead of time was smart.

So Seong stepped outside the barrier and surveyed the surroundings.

He tried to sense for demonic energy—

But felt nothing.

It was a perfectly quiet countryside village.

‘Hmmm. Feels oddly familiar, though.’

There was a strange sense of déjà vu.

But he couldn’t place it.

There were plenty of peaceful rural villages in Eternal World, after all.

He dismissed it and kept looking around.

That’s when something felt... off.

“...Hmm.”

The soldiers were better armed than expected.

And then—

“Hey, you.”

One of the soldiers called out.

Not wanting to stir up trouble, Seong responded casually.

“Me?”

“Yeah. What business do you have in this village?”

“Ah, I just wandered in while passing nearby.”

The soldier looked at him with suspicion.

Why is the security here so tight?

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Seong tried to remain calm.

But the soldier didn’t relent.

“This is Kingdom of Rieskan territory. Mind your behavior.”

“Understood.”

So it was a village in the Kingdom of Rieskan, too.

Well, hiding a tree in a forest made sense.

Seong didn’t think much of it and tried to move on—

But more soldiers appeared, and one of them—apparently a higher-ranking officer—stopped him again.

“Hey, who’s this guy?”

The original soldier replied respectfully.

“A wanderer who happened upon the village, sir.”

“Hmm, that so?”

The officer looked Seong over with clear suspicion.

Then came the question:

“You’re not one of the Demon King’s subordinates, are you?”

“...The Demon King?”

How do they know that?

Seong stiffened for just a second—

But he was always calm and composed.

He brushed it off smoothly.

“You mean the red-haired one...?”

“Yeah, her. What, you think there’s more than one Demon King?”

“Haha, as if someone like me could be one of her subordinates.”

The officer looked Seong up and down again.

Then gave a dry laugh.

“Right. No way the Demon King takes just anyone.”

“Exactly.”

“Don’t draw too much attention. Some important folks are visiting soon.”

“...?”

Important folks?

Could this be tied to the current scenario?

Just as Seong was about to ask—

The officer continued, almost as if eager to brag.

“The Tower Masters from several magic towers and multiple knight orders are gathering.”

What? Tower Masters and knight orders?

Here?

In this plain, nondescript rural village?

That didn’t make sense—

Then it clicked.

It was strange.

That much power gathering in one place?

And then—

“There’s been intel that the Demon King appeared in this area.”

“Ghk?!”

Seong genuinely flinched, not out of acting—but pure shock.

The officer thought he was just surprised and kept talking excitedly.

“And get this—Hero Hindel is visiting! Along with Gjordren, the Kingdom of Rieskan’s Sword Saint!”

Gulp.

Seong swallowed hard and thought:

So that means...

“The Demon King really has twisted tastes, huh? Attacking the village where Hero Hindel’s younger sibling lived and not even moving afterward...”

“...Wait. This is Hero Hindel’s—?”

“Yeah. This is Blue Village, where Hero Hindel was born and raised. Didn’t you know that?”

The officer laughed as he fully dropped his suspicion.

But Seong’s expression grew darker.

And «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» then it hit him.

There was nothing in his mouth—

But a horrible bitterness filled it anyway.

This place was—

‘This is where Helena dies.’