Count's Youngest Son is a Warlock-Chapter 233: Something Big Happened

[We shouldn’t check, should we, Russell?]

Bethel, equally frustrated, asked Russell.

He nodded in agreement.

[Right. We can’t. If we stray too far from Lucion, our disguise will weaken. We can’t risk that.]

As Lucion listened to Bethel and Russell’s conversation, a realization hit him hard.

‘Damn.’

He had never truly contemplated the possibility that the black orb might actually be in that guy’s possession.

“Lucion?”

Shaela grabbed his shoulder and gently shook him.

“Oh. I was just a bit surprised. Is it alright if I head that way?”

Lucion wanted to memorize the face of that man; he was certain the guy recognized him, but he

didn’t know what he looked like.

“That way?”

Shaela looked skeptical, prompting Lucion to calmly ask, “Was that loud noise just now because the magic failed?”

“Yeah, the magic failed,” Shaela replied.

“I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed what happens when magic fails. Since we’re at the Magic Tower, shouldn’t I get to see it at least once?”

Shaela hesitated at the curiosity gleaming in Lucion’s eyes. Normally, he would have been eagerly exploring the tower for days.

‘Look at how excited he is after just a few steps.’

Shaela exchanged glances with Carson, who nodded in agreement. With a bright smile, she responded, “Sure. I can’t really show you, though. But I’m quite skilled.”

“Right. Your punches are impressive…”

Heint muttered something under his breath and fell silent, awkwardly smiling under Shaela’s piercing gaze.

As Shaela approached him, he tensed, but his eyes soon faltered at her softly spoken words.

“There’s something on you. You’re being so careless, Brother Heint Tria.”

With a smile, Shaela turned away.

-Just keep an eye on Lucion, okay?

Heint clenched his fists at Shaela’s words, which felt uncharacteristic of her.

During the Sea of Death Incident in the East, he recalled how much Shaela had resented him.

“Even you, Brother Heint… you should have protected Lucion! No matter what happened, you should have stayed with him until the end! You know Lucion can’t… can’t protect himself…!”

Feeling as if a heavy armor was weighing down on his shoulders, Heint’s mind sharpened.

He quietly followed behind Shaela.

“I know I’m chatty today, but please understand, brothers. I’m just so happy to see you.”

Shaela pointed to a man.

“Ah, do you see that man?”

But her gaze was directed elsewhere.

Carson and Heint realized that the other person was the real target.

[He’s not a warlock.]

—Yes, he’s not!

Bethel and Ratta confirmed.

Shaela had already sent a magical letter identifying those without items imbued with light, but she cleverly used her chatter to discreetly signal the actual magicians with her expressions, gestures, and gaze.

Lucion, impressed by her use of every means available—her expressions, body language, and gaze—called out to Shaela.

In addition to the red thread, there was now a blue thread leading to the upper floor.

This thread was a result of tracing back the tracking black magic that Peter had carelessly left behind after escaping.

Though he didn’t know which floor it led to, the fact that it was directed upwards raised suspicions.

“Sister.”

“Yes, Lucion?”

“Looking more closely, I became curious about something.”

“Go on.”

“There are so many mages in the Magic Tower. Do you remember all their faces?”

“No, probably not anyone—oh, wait. The Elder does.”

“Then only the Elder knows?”

“That’s right. He’s very fond of this place. What was it? He even created some sort of tool. Anyway, I heard he can identify them with that magical device.”

Quick-witted Shaela realized the implication behind Lucion’s question.

Could it be that the warlock had laid a hand on the Elder?

That was what Lucion was hinting at.

Carson and Heint also pondered the question.

Shaela’s expression stiffened slightly, but she managed to maintain her smile.

‘It’s not that I haven’t met the Elder.’

Of course, she had.

But she couldn’t easily check for light-imbued items. The Elder possessed knowledge beyond her own and would surely notice.

Above all, the only way to confirm if someone was under the influence of black magic was through light, and pretending to make a mistake and triggering an incident was far too risky a gamble.

Even she wouldn’t dare to go that far.

“Shall we check that direction first and then visit the Elder? I’ve talked about you a lot, so the Elder said he wanted to see you.”

“I’m fine with that. Is the Elder on the 5th floor?”

“Yeah, he’s on the highest floor.”

At Shaela’s response, Lucion turned his head and looked up.

There had certainly been a red thread leading up there, but now it had come back down.

‘I don’t know why it came down, but the Elder has already fallen under the influence of the Hand of the Void.’

As his mouth felt dry, Lucion finished off the last of his snacks and asked, “How do we get to the upper floor?”

“To reach the upper floor, you need to use that.”

Shaela pointed to the center of the 1st floor, obscured by a tent and shops due to construction.

There, like a stage, was a black floor laid out, divided into four large sections, which were further subdivided into 16 smaller sections, undulating.

As soon as someone stepped onto one of those areas, they disappeared in an instant, causing Ratta’s eyes to widen.

―Hop! Look, they got swallowed! What do we do, Lucion? The floor is eating people!

[Pfft.]

Russell couldn’t contain his laughter at Ratta’s serious expression.

He felt it was something he would never want to label as magic.

“It’s like a portal. But it’s even more fluid than a portal. You can move individually or as a group.”

Shaela chuckled as she watched Lucion, captivated by the transportation device.

―…Ha. Ratta was really shocked. I thought the floor actually swallowed someone.

Only then did Ratta relax and snuggle against Hume’s arm.

“What if the transportation device breaks?” Lucion asked.

Shaela responded immediately, “The transportation device is precious, so malfunctions are unlikely. Right now, there are a lot of defensive spells operating over there. If the transportation device were to stop, the mages would have to… collectively dispel the magic.”

As Shaela spoke, she flinched slightly. Noticing her subtle reaction, Carson glanced at Heint.

Heint’s expression had tightened.

This was not good.

‘After the Elder, it’s the mages.’

Lucion wiped his palms with the handkerchief Hume had handed him, contemplating.

“Lucion.”

Shaela looked at him with a slightly trembling voice.

Her gaze seemed to ask if it would be possible within such a short time, making Lucion feel a pang of regret.

He hadn’t expected her ignorance about warlocks to catch up with him like this.

‘It’s possible. It’s more than possible.’

But Lucion didn’t voice his thoughts aloud. Instead, he replied to Shaela’s call.

“Yes, Sister.”

“If, by any chance—really, just if—the transportation device breaks down, it can be operated manually. You just have to look at the bottom of the device. It’s designed to be audible. But it only makes a sound when it’s broken. The mages will know when they see it.”

Shaela emphasized this just in case the knights could hear it.

[Be cautious, Lucion. The Elder has already fallen into the grasp of the Hand of the Void.]

Russell spoke firmly, focusing on the current situation rather than offering false hope.

Bethel gritted her teeth.

[To think it would actually be true.]

She had suspected it from the moment Lucion mentioned the Elder but had desperately hoped otherwise.

The Elder was the head of the Magic Tower.

No matter what happened, it was clear that chaos would ensue.

Lucion, observing the temporarily subdued atmosphere, realized that Shaela, Carson, and Heint had all caught on to the implications of his words.

‘Well, everyone must have heard that. If the enemy knows how to stop the transportation device, the next targets for their black magic will likely be the mages.’

Lucion rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

It felt suspicious.

He quickly used the signal Carson had taught him.

“Ah, I finished that snack. Can I buy something else first?”

Lucion spoke calmly, despite their astonished expressions.

He needed something sweet to think clearly.

* * *

As they approached the site where the magic failure had occurred, the red thread grew shorter and shorter.

Lucion swallowed hard.

The mages were no strangers to magic failures, so there was no commotion.

Some were indifferent, some analyzed the cause of the magic failure, and some used water magic to clean up the traces of the incident.

―Hop! I smell black magic.

‘These… crazy people.’

Lucion was taken aback by Ratta’s sudden comment.

‘Are these people actually using the magic failure as an excuse to experiment with black magic?’

They were likely causing magic failures deliberately, whether through enchantment or deception, to check if their spells were functioning correctly.

[…?]

Bethel flinched at Ratta’s words. She quickly turned her head to look at Russell.

Russell frowned for a moment before replying.

[That’s right. He’s been enchanted.]

―That man over there.

Ratta pointed with her front paw.

‘Why does everyone have such good eyesight?’

Lucion felt frustrated that while Russell, Bethel, and even Hume were looking at someone, he couldn’t see who it was.

Hume quietly called out to Lucion as Shaela signaled to Carson and Heint, informing them of who among them didn’t possess a light-imbued item.

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“Your clothes are wrinkled.”

Hume sent a signal that only he and Lucion understood.

There’s someone over there with a black orb.

Lucion grinned.

He already caught on.

[There are five warlocks here.]

Russell scanned the surroundings before speaking.

—Wow! Russell is really smart. That’s right, there are five of them!

[Among them, the one wearing the green cloak. That guy is the boss of the Hand of the Void.]

[That guy?]

Bethel struggled to maintain her composure.

[That’s right.]

Russell observed the man in the green cloak as he darted his eyes around, seemingly aware of their presence.

But he couldn’t see them.

This meant that even with the black orb, that was as far as he could perceive.

‘Still… at least it’s good that he’s a warlock.’

Russell felt relieved by that fact, as it might provide an opportunity for intervention if necessary.

Hume suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong, Hume?” Lucion asked.

“They’re coming.” Hume looked ahead, slightly wary.

An unsettling sense of unease washed over him.

It was as if a giant hand loomed behind the man.

“Ah. Lady Shaela.”

A man’s voice emerged from the crowd.

It was the man in the green cloak that Russell had mentioned.

—Oh no. He’s coming toward us!

Ratta squirmed in Hume’s arms.

As the man approached, Lucion noticed the red thread growing increasingly shorter.

‘That guy… he’s not the boss of the Hand of the Void from the previous world.’

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He didn’t have the appearance of someone capable of easily deceiving others, as Broson had described; instead, he had a gentle demeanor and no scars on his face.

‘Why is this different? Why has the boss changed?’

“Who is that, Shaela?” Carson noticed Lucion’s frozen expression and stepped forward to ask.

“He’s someone who serves the Elder. To put it simply, he’s like a butler. I’ve met him a few times.”

Shaela responded naturally, not consciously acknowledging the Elder who had fallen to the warlocks.

But her heart was racing.

If the Elder had indeed fallen to the warlocks, it was clear who this mage was.

“Greetings. I’m Hotram, a commoner—probably the only non-mage here.”

‘This bastard.’

Lucion maintained a stiff expression, as that felt more natural.

The boss of the Hand of the Void was approaching them with a disarming smile—so close that if he had a sword in hand, he could have easily stabbed anyone.

Table of Contents Chapter 294.2 - Side Story – Teacher and Disciple (5)Chapter 294.1 - Side Story – Teacher and Disciple (5)Chapter 293 - Side Story – Teacher and Disciple (4)Chapter 292 - Side Story – Teacher and Disciple (3)Chapter 291 - Side Story – Teacher and Disciple (2)Chapter 290 - Side Story – Teacher and DiscipleChapter 289 - Epilogue (2)Chapter 288 - Epilogue - The Count's Youngest Son is a WarlockChapter 287.2 - It’s Snowing (7.2)Chapter 287.1 - It's Snowing (7)Chapter 286 - It's Snowing (6)Chapter 285 - It's Snowing (5)Chapter 284 - It's Snowing (4)Chapter 283 - It's Snowing (3)Chapter 282 - It's Snowing (2)Chapter 281 - It's SnowingChapter 280 - So… (3)Chapter 279 - So… (2)Chapter 278 - So…Chapter 277 - Final Preparations (3)Chapter 276 - Final Preparations (2)Chapter 275 - Final PreparationsChapter 274 - I've Been Waiting For You (3)Chapter 273 - I've Been Waiting For You (2)Chapter 272 - I've Been Waiting For YouChapter 271 - The Fifth Story (3)Chapter 270 - The Fifth Story (2)Chapter 269 - The Fifth StoryChapter 268 - Russell Paul (3)Chapter 267 - Russell Paul (2)Chapter 266 - Russell PaulChapter 265 - Make Do With What You Have (3)Chapter 264 - Make Do With What You Have (2)Chapter 263 - Make Do With What You HaveChapter 262 - This Can't Be Happening (3)Chapter 261 - This Can't Be Happening (2)Chapter 260 - This Can't Be HappeningChapter 259 - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (3)Chapter 258 - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (2)Chapter 257 - A Wolf in Sheep's ClothingChapter 256 - Three-Way Battle (3)Chapter 255 - The Three-Way Battle (2)Chapter 254 - The Three-Way BattleChapter 253 - One Step Closer (3)Chapter 252 - One Step Closer (2)Chapter 251 - One Step CloserChapter 250 - I am a Saint (3)Chapter 249 - I am a Saint (2)Chapter 248 - I am a Saint.Chapter 247 - Take Part (3)Chapter 246 - Take Part (2)Chapter 245 - Take PartChapter 244 - The Name is (3)Chapter 243 - The Name is (2)Chapter 242 - The Name isChapter 241 - One More (3)Chapter 240 - One More (2)Chapter 239 - One MoreChapter 238 - Roar, and the Fourth Story (3)Chapter 237 - Roar, and the Fourth Story (2)Chapter 236 - Roar, and the Fourth StoryChapter 235 - Something Big Happened (3)Chapter 234 - Something Big Happened (2)Chapter 233 - Something Big HappenedChapter 232 - I'm looking at it (3)Chapter 231 - I'm looking at it (2)Chapter 230 - I'm looking at itChapter 229 - The Cheers are Back (3)Chapter 228 - The Cheers are Back (2)Chapter 227 - The Cheers are BackChapter 226 - To the Magic Tower (3)Chapter 225 - To the Magic Tower (2)Chapter 224 - To the Magic TowerChapter 223 - Words to Share (3)Chapter 222 - Words to Share (2)Chapter 221 - Words to ShareChapter 220 - Overflow (3)Chapter 219 - Overflow (2)Chapter 218 - OverflowChapter 217 - The third story (3)Chapter 216 - The third story (2)Chapter 215 - The third storyChapter 214 - I'm pissed (3)Chapter 213 - I'm pissed (2)Chapter 212 - I'm pissedChapter 211 - I've come to catch you (3)Chapter 210 - I've come to catch you (2)Chapter 209 - I've come to catch you Chapter 208 - I came to collect the debt (3)Chapter 207 - I came to collect the debt (2)Chapter 206 - I came to collect the debtChapter 205 - Second story (3)Chapter 204 - Second story (2)Chapter 203 - Second storyChapter 202 - To the Kingdom of Keortia (3)Chapter 201 - To the Kingdom of Keortia (2)Chapter 200 - To the Kingdom of KeortiaChapter 199 - He who digs a pit for others falls into it himself (3)Chapter 198 - He who digs a pit for others falls into it himself (2)Chapter 197 - He who digs a pit for others falls into it himselfChapter 196 - The Emperor, Ketlan Tesla (3)Chapter 195 - The Emperor, Ketlan Tesla (2)Chapter 194 - The Emperor, Ketlan TeslaChapter 193 - Prince of Ruin, Kran (3)Chapter 192 - Prince of Ruin, Kran (2)Chapter 191 - Prince of Ruin, KranChapter 190 - Shh. It's a secret (3)Chapter 189 - Shh. It's a secret (2)Chapter 188 - Shh. It's a secretChapter 187 - Got caught (3)Chapter 186 - Got caught (2)Chapter 185 - Got caughtChapter 184 - Shaela (3)Chapter 183 - Shaela (2)Chapter 182 - ShaelaChapter 181 - The owl laughs (3)Chapter 180 - The owl laughs (2)Chapter 179 - The owl laughsChapter 178 - Change (3)Chapter 177 - Change (2)Chapter 176 - ChangeChapter 175 - Great Light Temple, Again? (3)Chapter 174 - Great Light Temple, Again? (2)Chapter 173 - Great Light Temple, Again?Chapter 172 - Listen To The Story (3)Chapter 171 - Listen To The Story (2)Chapter 170 - Listen To The StoryChapter 169 - I Repay The Favor (3)Chapter 168 - I Repay The Favor (2)Chapter 167 - I Repay The FavorChapter 166 - Entangled and connected (3)Chapter 165 - Entangled and connected (2)Chapter 164 - Entangled and connectedChapter 163 - Frugally (3)Chapter 162 - Frugally (2)Chapter 161 - FrugallyChapter 160 - Pilgrimage Route (3)Chapter 159 - Pilgrimage Route (2)Chapter 158 - Pilgrimage RouteChapter 157 - To the North (3)Chapter 156 - To the North (2)Chapter 155 - To the NorthChapter 154 - Teasing with Tongue (3)Chapter 153 - Teasing with Tongue (2)Chapter 152 - Teasing with TongueChapter 151 - The Pursuer is the Same (3)Chapter 150 - The Pursuer is the Same (2)Chapter 149 - The Pursuer is the Same (1) Chapter 148 - Hume is Hume (3)Chapter 147 - Hume is Hume (2)Chapter 146 - Hume is Hume (1)Chapter 145 - Remove The Silent Mask (3)Chapter 144 - Remove the Silent Mask (2)Chapter 143 - Remove the Silent Mask (1)Chapter 142 - How dare you aim at my stuff? (3)Chapter 141 - How dare you aim at my stuff? (2)Chapter 140 - How dare you aim at my stuff?Chapter 139 - It's very tempting (3)Chapter 138 - It's very tempting (2)Chapter 137 - I want itChapter 136 - Have you forgotten who I am? (3)Chapter 135 - Have you forgotten who I am? (2)Chapter 134 - Have you forgotten who I am?Chapter 133 - To the Auction house (3)Chapter 132 - To the Auction House (2)Chapter 131 - To the Auction HouseChapter 130 - Too Much to Refuse (3)Chapter 129 - Too Much to Refuse (2)Chapter 128 - Too Much to RefuseChapter 127 - Let's Take Care of This (3)Chapter 126 - Let's Take Care of This (2)Chapter 125 - Let's Take Care of ThisChapter 124 - Departure to the South (3)Chapter 123 - Departure to the South (2)Chapter 122 - Departure to the SouthChapter 121 - Get the Black Bead (3)Chapter 120 - Get the Black Bead (2)Chapter 119 - Get the Black BeadChapter 118 - To Find the Notebook (3)Chapter 117 - To Find the Notebook (2)Chapter 116 - To Find the NotebookChapter 115 - The Invitation is Here (3)Chapter 114 - The Invitation is Here (2)Chapter 113 - The Invitation is HereChapter 112 - The Reint Mercenary Corps (3)Chapter 111 - The Reint Mercenary Corps (2)Chapter 110 - The Reint Mercenary CorpsChapter 109 - We don't seem to be in sync (3)Chapter 108 - We don't seem to be in sync (2)Chapter 107 - We don't seem to be in syncChapter 106 - Step by Step (4)Chapter 105 - Step by Step (3)Chapter 104 - Step by Step (2)Chapter 103 - Step by StepChapter 102 - Assassins (3)Chapter 101 - Assassins (2)Chapter 100 - AssassinsChapter 99 - Necromancy (3)Chapter 98 - Necromancy (2)Chapter 97 - NecromancyChapter 96 - Step on the enemy's foot while stepping backward (3)Chapter 95 - Step on the enemy's foot while stepping backward (2)Chapter 94 - Step on the enemy's foot while stepping backwardChapter 93 - Chasing (3)Chapter 92 - Chasing (2)Chapter 91 - ChasingChapter 90 - Organization, the Beginning of Ale (3)Chapter 89 - Organization, the Beginning of Ale (2)Chapter 88 - Organization, the Beginning of AleChapter 87 - Viscount Chefran (3)Chapter 86 - Viscount Chefran (2)Chapter 85 - Viscount ChefranChapter 84 - Loyalty to You (3)Chapter 83 - Loyalty to You (2)Chapter 82 - Loyalty to YouChapter 81 - Convince the Craftsmen (3)Chapter 80 - Convince the Craftsmen (2)Chapter 79 - Convince the CraftsmenChapter 78 - Take Over (3)Chapter 77 - Take Over (2)Chapter 76 - Take OverChapter 75 - Housework (3)Chapter 74 - Housework (2)Chapter 73 - HouseworkChapter 72 - Return to the Frontier (3)Chapter 71 - Return to the Frontier (2)Chapter 70 - Return to the FrontierChapter 69 - Let's Catch the Rat (3)Chapter 68 - Let's Catch the Rat (2)Chapter 67 - Let's Catch the Rat!Chapter 66 - Moving (3)Chapter 65 - Moving (2)Chapter 64 - MovingChapter 63 - Time Has Stopped (3)Chapter 62 - Time Has Stopped (2)Chapter 61 - Time Has Stopped?Chapter 60 - Secret Safe, Fallen Ghost (3)Chapter 59 - Secret Safe, Fallen Ghost (2)Chapter 58 - Secret Safe, Fallen GhostChapter 57 - Death Knights Follow (3)Chapter 56 - The Death Knight Follows (2)Chapter 55 - Death Knights FollowChapter 54 - This Cheer is Just For Me (3)Chapter 53 - This Cheer is Just For Me (2)Chapter 52 - This Cheer is Just For MeChapter 51 - Am I the Main Character Today (3)Chapter 50 - Am I the Main Character Today (2)Chapter 49 - Am I the Main Character Today?Chapter 48 - Hold on (3)Chapter 47 - Hold On (2)Chapter 46 - Hold on!Chapter 45 - Who is it? (3)Chapter 44 - Who is it? (2)Chapter 43 - Who is it?Chapter 42 - It Changed (2)Chapter 41 - It changed (2)Chapter 40 - It changedChapter 39 - Refreshing and sweet scent! (3)Chapter 38 - Refreshing and sweet scent! (2)Chapter 37 - Refreshing and sweet scent!Chapter 36 - Rewards are Sweet (3)Chapter 35 - Rewards are Sweet (2)Chapter 34 - Rewards are SweetChapter 33 - Divine Beast Birth Banquet (3)Chapter 32 - Divine Beast Birth Banquet? (2)Chapter 31 - Divine Beast Birthday Banquet?Chapter 30 - There's a Sign (3)Chapter 29 - There's a Sign (2)Chapter 28 - There's a SignChapter 27 - And Run Into (3)Chapter 26 - And Run Into (2)Chapter 25 - And Run IntoChapter 24 - Meet (3)Chapter 23 - Meet (2)Chapter 22 - MeetChapter 21 - Is this how it goes? (3)Chapter 20 - Is this how it goes? (2)Chapter 19 - Is this how it goes?Chapter 18 - Ghost Domination (3)Chapter 17 - Ghost Domination (2)Chapter 16 - Ghost DominationChapter 15 - Fate is so… (3)Chapter 14 - Fate is so... (2)Chapter 13 - Fate is so...Chapter 12 - Training (3)Chapter 11 - Training (2)Chapter 10 - TrainingChapter 9 - I Knew This Would Happen (3)Chapter 8 - I Knew This Would Happen (2)Chapter 7 - I Knew This Would HappenChapter 6 - One Step (3)Chapter 5 - One Step (2)Chapter 4 - One StepChapter 3 - I Remembered (3)Chapter 2 - I Remembered (2)Chapter 1 - I Remembered