"I nearly had it!" I thought, my voice resonating through the square, my heart racing as I continued to speak. "If only I hadn't stumbled at the end, the delivery would have been perfect."

"Lord Xandros!"

"We're counting on you!"

The first to respond, in shouts and cheers, were the city guards and adventurers.

"Yeah!"

"Archmage!"

"Our hero!"

"Please protect my children from the fiends!"

The crowd's enthusiasm grew, their voices rising in a unified chorus. Even though I was the one who had spurred them on, I still felt uncomfortable about the attention.

"You're starting to get the hang of this, Lord Mage," said Petr.

"That's the spirit!" added Eryn.

"Uh… Thanks."

Though I felt like a child being over-enthusiastically praised by his parents, I couldn't deny that their support bolstered my confidence. I would have to ask them about the other thing I said later on.

"He's coming," Vaness's calm voice interrupted my thoughts, its steady tone like a bucket of ice water thrown on my face. The ominous sense of déjà vu washed over me as I looked in the direction she was pointing.

The gate, which had been firmly shut moments ago, slowly began to open.

"I-It's him!"

"It's the baron!"

"The Cultist!"

The crowd erupted with shouts and cries. Surprisingly, only a few panicked or ran. Perhaps it was the presence of the guards and adventurers that acted as an emotional buffer. Even so, the crowd took a few steps back, their eyes fixed on me and the gate.

"I didn't expect him to come out and meet us," I remarked, nodding as Petr led his party away to create distance, following our plan.

"Into formation, everyone!" shouted the leader of my guard unit, and the seven guards raised their shields, forming a defensive line in front of me. Though it felt a bit cowardly to stand behind them, I focused on the gate, ready for whatever—or whoever—would emerge.

"It's the baron..."

"Why is he dressed like that?"

"I'm scared..."

The crowd murmured as seven shadowy figures walked out of the gate. Five of them were muscular strongmen wearing black cloth masks that concealed their faces, leaving only the slits of their eyes visible. They brandished large, unsheathed swords. In front of them stood the man in the grotesque cloak, adorned with skin and bones—Baron Cornwall himself. He appeared much older than his actual age, thin and with deep rings around his eyes. The final figure, partially hidden behind the others, wore black robes and had a bald head.

"Welcome to my mansion, Archmage Xandros and citizens of Relis!" Cornwall's voice was clear, loud, and carried effortlessly through the square. The guards in front of me shivered, and I couldn't blame them. Despite our never having met before, Cornwall's gaze was locked onto me as he spoke.

"It's nearly time for supper! I do hope they're paying you overtime," Cornwall scoffed. "What business have you with Kimbal Cornwall?"

Though Cornwall's menacing appearance and unsettling voice sent shivers down my spine, there was something oddly captivating about his tone. So, this is what a Cultist is like, I thought.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Eryn gesturing to me from about ten meters away, where Petr's party stood. Her silent message was clear: "Don't just stand there—respond!"

"Lord Cornwall, it is a privilege to meet you. I am indeed Emberus Xandros," I replied.

"Is this the part where I say that I hope we shall get along swimmingly?" Cornwall retorted, dripping with sarcasm.

"Let us cut to the chase. Baron Cornwall, we have reason to believe that you are engaged in fiend worship and that you orchestrated an assassination attempt targeting the city council chairman and me. What say you?"

Though I had already received the authority to detain Cornwall even if he denied our allegations, I no longer expected him to. Not after he emerged in that bizarre outfit with his entourage. Then what is his aim? I wondered.

"Well done. Well done. You are correct! I am a Cultist! Now, mage, disrupter of our long-awaited third brood event, I have only one thing to say to you. Die!"

It was far from my first encounter with the command to die, and it wasn't even the first time I had heard it uttered with malice. But it was the first time I had seen someone genuinely mean it. The intensity behind that word, steeped in human hatred, was unlike the inorganic fury of a fiend's malice. It was personal, intimate, and deeply unsettling. My heart momentarily stopped, then raced within my chest, and I shuddered.

"I… I refuse!" I stammered, clutching at my heart. My confidence was a fragile facade, but I had to maintain it. A powerful mage couldn't falter in the face of mere words.

"Ready!" shouted the leader of my guard unit, interpreting my response as a signal to attack. "Fire!"

Crossbows loosed bolts, and Petr's arrows joined the volley, aiming at our adversaries.

"Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" Cornwall's roar echoed, his voice laden with madness. "Kill them so they can't speak! So they can't see! So they can never mock me again!"

"Arrghh!" The masked men howled as arrows found their mark. One fell with two arrows piercing his face, but the others charged forward despite their injuries. Two closed in on me, and the remaining two bore down on Petr's party.

"Shields up!" commanded the leader of the guard unit, and three guards raised their shields to form a defensive line. The masked assailants swung their swords, but the guards' formation held.

"Take this, you Cultists!" Three guards behind the shield-bearers drew their swords, thrusting through the gaps in their comrades' defense. Their coordination was impeccable.

The two masked men, despite their screams and blood loss, continued their relentless assault. It struck me as odd. Something wasn't right, and my instincts, honed by games and fantasy novels, urged caution.

My gaze turned toward Cornwall and his bald companion, both of whom remained by the gate.

"UnderLord!" the bald man shrieked, his eerie robe and crimson eyes lending him a reptilian appearance. He raised both arms and thrust a knife into his own neck, blood spewing forth before he collapsed.

I stood in dumbfounded shock, unable to react. Then, with a noise like a deflating balloon, the reptilian man crumpled, bathed in his own blood. Cornwall remained unmoved.

Bam! An explosion echoed through the square. A section of the pavement ruptured, revealing an entrance to the sewers. From the depths, a massive, black, bone-like leg emerged, resembling that of a colossal crustacean.

"Kyu-gree! Kyu-gree!" A metallic screech pierced the air, its source hidden from view. Panic rippled through the crowd.

"It's a monster!"

"A fiend!"

As the leg extended further, a fiendish skull with glowing eye sockets emerged. The chaos intensified as guards and adventurers tried to evacuate the frightened onlookers.

Did the man take his life to bring that thing forth? I wondered. He called it an Underlord, akin to a fiend devil or god. It resembled a grotesque fusion of a giant shrimp and a twisted crustacean, enlarged to the size of a city bus.

Surprisingly, I felt strangely calm amid the chaos. Perhaps it was because my fear had reached such an overwhelming peak that it became imperceptible.

"Flagellum Ignis!" Eryn's voice sliced through the air, followed by a whip of fire that ensnared the Underlord. The fiendish skull atop it shrieked and rattled.

David, Ted, and Philip, the vanguard of Petr's party, charged toward the Underlord, while other groups of adventurers and guards drew their weapons.

"What should we do, Lord Xandros?!" the leader of my guard unit cried out.

"Hold your positions for ten more seconds!" I shouted over the chaos. We had to deal with Cornwall first, as quickly as possible, and then confront the monstrous threat.

I berated myself for not acting sooner when Cornwall initially revealed himself, but self-recrimination would have to wait. My focus had to be on the immediate danger.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Hold Pers—"

"Silentium!"

As I began casting a spell to incapacitate Cornwall, he uttered an incantation. I tried to ignore it and proceed, but...

"…?! …!"

I attempted to speak, but there was no sound, no noise from my surroundings.

Silence! My thoughts screamed in the oppressive quietude.

Dread settled upon me like a shroud, a cold sweat forming on my brow. What should I do? Panic surged within as I faced the looming threat of Silence, the world now eerily silent. Eryn's fire whip had vanished, her advice echoing in my mind: "Move out of the affected area."

Desperation guided my actions as I waved frantically, trying to catch the guards' attention. I pointed toward Cornwall and bolted, sprinting as fast as I could. Ten meters? Perhaps. I raced onward, the oppressive silence finally broken by a chilling command.

"Kill them! Kill them so they can never mock me again!"

I skidded to a stop, having escaped the sphere of Silence.

"Charge! Charge!" The leader of my guard unit's shout rang out.

The guards rushed forward, weapons in hand, their target now Cornwall. He fell mid-laugh, a spray of blood marking his demise. The guards swiftly moved to subdue him.

With Cornwall dealt with, I turned my attention back to Petr's party, still locked in combat with the monstrous fiend. But then, four shadows descended upon me from above, catching me off guard.

These must be the elusive dark elves we failed to capture, I realized. Cornwall's final gambit, keeping assassins near the gate to lure me within striking range. Each dark elf wielded a gleaming blade, poised for a swift, deadly assault.

Had I cast Invincibility today? I wondered, unsure of the spell's status. Three dark elves remained, and their knives seemed to inch closer in slow motion, destined for my throat and vital organs.

"Master!" A husky, feminine voice cried out, and suddenly, a dark-skinned, beastly woman flashed before my eyes. Her lithe limbs moved like lightning, striking the dark elves with lethal precision. It happened so quickly that I struggled to follow each movement.

"Urgh?!"

"Guh?!"

"Oof!"

By the time she knelt before me, the three dark elves lay sprawled upon the ground, incapacitated.

"Lord Xandros!"

"Are you alright?!"

Guard members, who had been busy restraining Cornwall, noticed the sudden commotion and hurried over.

"Master! I went against your orders! Please forgive me!" The dark-skinned woman before me finally jogged my memory.

"Now's not the time for that, Ravon!" I replied urgently.

"Gyah!"

"Uwaah!"

For the common guards and the other adventuring parties, the Underlord proved an insurmountable terror. Their courage was commendable, yet the mere sweep of the Underlord's colossal limbs kept them grounded, their valor outweighed by the sheer monstrosity before them.

Only Petr's party continued to resist.

"Gyaree! Gyuree!"

"This thing's beyond belief!" Greg exclaimed.

"Fall back! Fall back!" David yelled.

The Underlord, if it were to extend its legs fully, likely spanned between ten and twenty meters in diameter—a nightmarish adversary. Petr's party fought valiantly, but even Petr's arrows and Vaness's throwing daggers appeared ineffective. Eryn's weaving seemed pushed to its limits.

Under Petr's orders, David, Greg, and Philip constantly shifted their positions on the ground, diverting the Underlord's attention. They raised their shields to parry its limbs, rolled across the ground, and narrowly evaded its attacks. Their strategy was effective, but watching them made my anxiety soar.

"Lord Xandros! What's our move?" cried the leader of my guard unit.

"Master, if you command, I'm ready to sacrifice myself to bring down that monster," said Ravon. I chose to ignore her.

"Protect me and ensure nothing disrupts me this time," I instructed.

I had already settled on the spell I would cast.

With some relief, I heard my voice carry through. I've come this far, I thought. Regardless of what awaits me, I must complete this spell now.

"Gyuree!"

"Ugh!"

"David!"

The fiendish skull mounted on the Underlord's back opened its maw and unleashed something resembling thorns. One of these thorns, as large as a short sword, sliced into David's thigh. Greg raised his shield in a desperate attempt to shield David, but a powerful blow from the Underlord's leg sent him crashing to the ground.

"Disintegrate!"

A small, white orb of light formed at the tip of my staff. I focused my intent and thrust it forward, the light extending into a radiant beam that shot toward the rampaging Underlord. It disappeared from view, absorbed into the creature's monstrous form.

I took a deep, steadying breath.

"Gye?!"

The colossal, eight-legged beast began to disintegrate from within.

No explosion rocked the square, no searing heat engulfed it. It was as if a colossal hammer had shattered an ice sculpture. Initially, the Underlord splintered into dozens of fragments, which then fragmented further into thousands of smaller pieces, all ultimately dissolving into nothingness.

"W-what just happened?"

"The monster just..."

"I-It turned to dust..."

The entire square, including the fleeing civilians, the guards, and even Petr's party, stood in stunned silence.

Amidst the hushed square, I clung to my Staff, utterly drained.

"That was utterly exhausting..."

According to his own confession, Cornwall was apprehended for his affiliation with the Cultists. In the aftermath of the investigation, the reptilian man and that peculiar creature remained only partially identified. My heart ached for the victims of their malevolent actions, but we managed to offer some solace to their bereaved families by recovering some of their remains. Meanwhile, Cornwall endured a rigorous interrogation regarding the nature of his deeds.

The quartet of dark elf assassins all hailed from Ravon's tribe, and as I suspected, their expressions were vacant upon capture. I employed Remove Curse to restore them to their normal selves. However, akin to Ravon, they, too, considered me their master, pledging unwavering loyalty.

Ravon had successfully convinced them of my leadership, and my words couldn't sway their conviction. Despite the circumstances, I remained resolute about ensuring they faced a fair trial within the city.

While awaiting the trial of the dark elves, I held meetings with the Weavers' Guild and The Scribes and Binders' Guild to procure materials for copying my spellbook. Additionally, I busied myself with hiring staff for Castle Ameria. Time passed quickly. Numerous nobles and merchants were arrested in connection with Cornwall's crimes, and shocking revelations emerged about an entire village's conversion to fiendism.

As the investigation delved deeper, it became evident that the Cultists had extensively and systematically employed dark elves to carry out their nefarious deeds. The mounting evidence against Ravon and the other elves weighed heavily on my heart as the trial date drew near.

However, when the day of the trial arrived, I discovered that Dravus's justice system differed markedly from my expectations.

The trial unfolded in the expansive square before the city hall. I sat facing the judge, flanked by jurors on either side. The captain of the guard served as the public prosecutor on my right, while the five dark elf defendants and their lawyers sat to my left.

The setup was conventional, but it bore no resemblance to the grave and solemn atmosphere typically associated with legal proceedings. Instead, it felt like a festival. The square teemed with spectators, the crowd spilling into the streets and canals.

My role in the trial was that of a guarantor. While the majority of the jury determined the verdict, the guarantor held the most influence, and it depended more on who the guarantor was rather than their words. If the guarantor was someone respected and trusted by the jurors, it implied that the defendant was also trustworthy. Though this system couldn't be called fair, in a world without scientific evidence or universal human rights, it made some sense as a means of maintaining peace and minimizing disputes.

Ultimately, given my substantial fame and trustworthiness in Vandaris at the time, there was no doubt that both Ravon and the other dark elves would be acquitted.

Neither the chairman nor the captain of the guard had any intention of retaining such troublesome individuals as the five dark elves. From their perspective, detaining them would prove more troublesome than it was worth. On the flip side, they could frame the leniency of the trial as a favor to me.

"And so," I concluded the statement I had been given to read, "these dark elves were ensnared by the wicked machinations of the Cultists. I've dispelled this curse and assure that these elves will become upright citizens."

"That's right!"

"Let's hear it for Xandros! Our savior Xandros!"

With each word I uttered, cheers erupted from the spectators. Surprisingly, confronting Cultists and an Underlord in front of a massive crowd had a profound impact on my popularity. While the turn of events was unexpected, I had no choice but to accept the workings of Dravus's legal system.

Once my scripted part was over, the judge proclaimed, "I shall now announce the verdict! Due to a unanimous decision by the jury, all defendants are acquitted of all charges!"

"Master!"

As soon as the judge declared the dark elves' innocence, they discarded their handcuffs as if they were mere trinkets and knelt before me. My initial plan to provide them time to reconsider their decision to serve me had been swept away like a fleeting cloud.

"We can never thank you enough for advocating on our behalf," said Ravon.

"From now on, like sister Ravonica, we, too, will serve you," one of the others added.

The spectacle continued, with cheering spectators, trumpets sounding, and confetti filling the air. I felt troubled. What was I going to do now? I pondered, breaking into a cold sweat. I couldn't deny that the idea of several beautiful women catering to my needs was appealing, but practically speaking, how could I manage the lives of five additional people? Forty years of a single life had not prepared me to care for five dependents.

"Well, what's done is done," I conceded. "For now, it seems our fates are intertwined."

After all, I was certain that the families of the dark elves' victims still resided in Vandaris. With an official atonement for the elves' actions no longer possible, I had no choice but to take charge of their penance by involving them in the city's defense. If possible, I thought, I should find a way to compensate the bereaved families through the city council, attempting to quell any lingering resentment over the trial's outcome.

However, the day was far from over. Shortly after the trial's conclusion, Chairman Budow approached me and informed me that I would be participating in a parade celebrating the defeat of the Cultists.

"Lord Xandros!"

"Our hero, the Archmage!"

"All hail Lord Xandros! Savior of Vandaris!"

"Petr!"

"Eryn!"

I was seated on a grand riverboat adorned with vibrant flowers, flags, and lanterns. It felt as though I were riding in the back of an open convertible for a street parade. Both banks of the canal and the intermittent bridges were packed with spectators who showered us with flowers, confetti, cheers, and wine.

Petr and the four other members of his standard party stood at the front of the ship, revered adventurers in Vandaris, their names chanted by adoring fans.

Ravon sat to my right, Eryn to my

left. I suggested to Budow that Eryn should stand with Petr's party, but he insisted that I would look better flanked by two beautiful women, and he wouldn't be swayed. The other four dark elves encircled us without much ado.

Initially, Eryn protested sitting beside me, but once we boarded the ship, she wore a radiant smile, elegantly waving to the crowd as if she were a nobleman's daughter. In contrast, Ravon remained alert and vigilant, her lavender eyes reflecting a stern resolve to keep anyone who might threaten me at bay. Yet, she also carried an air of pride in the fact that her master was receiving such acclaim.

I, on the other hand, wore a strained expression; I was deeply uncomfortable.

"I'm truly not cut out for this..." I muttered.

"Considering your aspirations, events like this are necessary," Eryn responded with an unusual hint of concern.

"Really? All this?"

"Most of the city's people have an ingrained fear of fiends, to the point where they're afraid to sleep at night. Think of this as helping them rest easier. It's one way to protect everyone from fiends, wouldn't you agree?"

Eryn's tone was gentle but carried an underlying determination. She was determined not to let me forget that if I were to wear the ArchMage mask, maintaining the façade was an essential part of the job.

"If you understand," Eryn continued, reverting to her usual high-and-mighty speech, "you ought to stand tall and take pride in it. Everyone expects that of you."

"Including me," she added, blushing slightly at the end.

"Well, this is a role I chose for myself," I conceded. "As you say, meeting others' expectations is part of the job."

As laden with doubt as I was, I had made it this far with some help from my friends—a forty-year-old man on a journey of self-discovery. If it were any easier, I might not have gained as much from the journey. Some answers in this world could only be found through relentless self-questioning.

With that in mind, I had no choice but to keep moving forward, no matter how hesitant I felt.

I stood and raised my Staff high into the air.