How to Survive as a Mage Inside a Game-Chapter 27: The Mage Is Too Strong (5)

Even if this were about tying up loose ends afterward, Paul wasn’t in a position to be leisurely right now.

‘Then who is this guy?’

Back to square one again.

Galler felt the darkness creeping up around him and shouted in panic.

“I’ll explain—! I’ll explain everything! So please, just... this first...!!”

He didn’t care who this guy was.

Survival came first.

Shhhh...

Karl partially lifted the spell, halting the creeping darkness around Galler’s body.

Even for a first-time spell, the system granted a decent level of mastery from the get-go.

“Talk.”

Karl jerked his chin at Galler, who was panting hard.

Galler wet his dry lips and began speaking again.

“That’s... the heirloom seal of the Dwayne family.”

“Heirloom seal?”

Karl didn’t recognize the name Dwayne, but it was probably just one of this kingdom’s noble houses.

Still, a noble family’s heirloom?

Karl tilted his head slightly, then let out a hollow laugh.

“So this kingdom really is a complete shitshow? People like you going after noble heirlooms?”

At that, Galler looked briefly confused—then quickly shook his head with urgency.

“N-no, no! Of course not! Do you think we’re insane enough to steal a count’s heirloom for ourselves?”

“Then what is it?”

“Well...”

Galler trailed off.

He had a bad feeling that revealing this information to this monster of a man would only bring more trouble later.

But he was realistic.

And he always put his own life above loyalty to the organization.

‘Keep your mouth shut and you die.’

He’d likely be killed regardless, even if he talked—but the longer he kept talking, the longer he stayed alive.

Galler cautiously began explaining.

“It’s tied to the Dwayne family’s succession dispute...”

Summarized, his long-winded explanation boiled down to this:

The Dwayne count’s family had three heirs.

The eldest son: Murse Dwayne.

The second son: Chris Dwayne.

The youngest—and only daughter: Rudy Dwayne.

Then, recently, Count Casus Dwayne died suddenly of illness, throwing the family into chaos over who would inherit the title between the eldest and second sons.

In truth, the successor had already been practically decided.

Before his death, the count had publicly indicated that Murse, the eldest, would inherit the title.

But many were dissatisfied with that decision.

Murse’s capability was far inferior to that of Chris, and his personality was weak—he clearly wasn’t fit to lead, especially compared to his brother.

The house’s factions split accordingly.

Some loyal retainers stuck with the late lord’s will and supported Murse. The rest backed Chris Dwayne.

Because most of the vassals who had been loyal to the late count supported Murse, things initially looked unfavorable for Chris.

But that imbalance didn’t last long.

Evidence surfaced that Murse had poisoned the count.

Supposedly because he feared the count would change his mind and favor Chris instead.

Rudy Dwayne got caught up in it as well.

The truth didn’t matter.

All that mattered was justification—and the pro-Chris faction moved swiftly, using force to corner the Murse faction.

And the group that secretly supplied military support to bolster Chris’s faction?

That was none other than Montoul, the underworld organization.

“After crushing the Murse faction, we secured the eldest son. Rudy tried to flee to the Count of Paul, her uncle, but was caught by our pursuit team. And the last thing left was...”

“This heirloom seal.”

“...Yes, that’s right. If the situation wasn’t tied up completely and that thing reached the Count of Paul, it would give them a valid excuse to intervene.”

Karl remained silent for a while after hearing everything.

Then finally muttered:

“What a mess.”

It was, indeed, the perfect summary.

He had assumed there was some complicated background to it all, but he hadn’t expected to be holding the centerpiece of a noble family’s civil war.

“So this second son hired you guys for this whole thing.”

“Hired... y-yes. That’s right.”

It was more than just “hired”—they were deep in this mess—but Galler didn’t bother to clarify.

“The guy’s holed up in the Dwayne estate right now?”

“Yes... our boss and all the main members are stationed there too. This was all under orders from our boss, after accepting the proposal. We were just following orders.”

Karl looked down at the man, still grinning pitifully, and said:

“Thanks ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) for the explanation. That said—”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

“That magic tool you’ve been hiding—how long’s it going to take to activate? How much longer do I have to wait?”

“......!!”

Shock. Panic. Desperation.

A mix of emotions flashed across Galler’s face in an instant.

A high-end magical tool, bought at a massive price, its mana signature nearly undetectable—meant to be used as a last-resort surprise.

And it had been noticed before it even finished activating.

‘Shit...!!’

The only bit of luck was that the tool had just finished casting.

Galler cursed inwardly as he yanked it out.

FWOOM!!

A massive pillar of fire erupted around Karl’s position.

The searing heat filled the chamber as Galler recoiled backward, grinning triumphantly.

“Khaha! Got you off guard! You arrogant bastard—playing it so cool—!”

But his laughter gradually trailed off.

“K-kha... ha...”

If the ambush had worked, Karl would be dead.

But the darkness still remained on the floor.

“......”

Galler’s face twisted into hopeless despair.

As the flames cleared, Karl was standing there—completely untouched, shield intact.

Perfectly fine.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Karl left the half-catatonic Galler where he was, sinking into thought.

‘The Dwayne family... So the second son is the one behind all this...’

Could he handle it?

Even considering that their forces would’ve been weakened by internal conflict, a count’s house was still a great noble lineage.

This wasn’t some ragtag group of street thugs. Going after them would be a heavy burden—even for Karl.

But if he was going to flinch halfway through, he wouldn’t have started in the first place.

‘I’ll go.’

Of course, there was one more thing to finish first.

Eradicating the remaining branches of Montoul in Kerry.

Karl knew full well it was just venting.

But it was also justified retribution.

They had ambushed him twice—and in the process, innocent people had died.

He turned his head.

‘That one... is it really dead? Or can it still move?’

He was looking at Elze’s corpse.

Despite being decapitated, her body was still twitching on the ground, dragging itself forward.

They’d said that if the corpse was too damaged, it couldn’t be reanimated as an undead. It looked like once she deteriorated any further, she’d stop functioning altogether.

“Looks like she can’t walk straight anymore.”

【Ray Buster】

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

KWAANG!!

Her body was wiped from existence in a single flash.

Karl turned his head again.

“You’re the next guide.”

“U-ugh...”

Terror rippled through Galler’s eyes, as if he already sensed what fate awaited him.

* * *

Early morning.

A rider passed through the gates of Kerry City on horseback.

The guards, panicked by the crest she presented, quickly let her through.

Despite the hour, the city was strangely unsettled.

Soldiers rushed back and forth, and a few uneasy citizens watched from the streets.

It didn’t take long for the woman to find the source of the disturbance.

A half-collapsed inn.

The crowd gathered there was buzzing with hushed voices.

“They said everyone inside died, right?”

“Tch tch... how awful. That sweet girl, Stella...”

The woman stood still, silently observing the scene, then crossed herself.

Her attention focused inward, behind the mask that hid her face.

No dramatic changes—just a thin black thread visible among the people, darting and weaving.

“......!!”

But unlike before, when the thread had always seemed distant and faint—now it was sharp and vivid.

Her indifferent expression twisted in an instant into something monstrous and furious.

‘He was here. Until very recently.’

At least until yesterday, she was sure he’d been here.

The dark mage of Gram.

At last—she had him within reach.

The woman followed the thread, moving swiftly through the streets.

It led her into a shady back alley tavern, where the sharp stench of blood struck her the moment she stepped inside.

On the floor lay the bartender and several others—dead.

Face hardening, she pressed forward toward the back, where the thread continued.

A staircase, like a hidden passage, led underground into a narrow corridor.

The scent of blood here was far thicker than above.

And then—she saw the scene.

“...Ah.”

Shredded. Blasted. Pulverized.

So many corpses, in such a state, she couldn’t even tell if they’d once been people or slabs of meat.

As she moved deeper in, she realized something else.

The black thread had become even more distinct.

And the air was thick with a cloying, malicious energy—something qualitatively different from mere bloodlust.

There was nothing visible, but she knew.

Not long ago, an undead had rampaged here.

Grit!

She clenched her teeth until they cracked.

Who they were. What their connection was to the dark mage of Gram.

None of it mattered to her.

Dark magic was absolute evil.

A cancer that must be purged from the continent—every trace, without exception.

If there was one unshakable truth in this world, it was that.

Fortunately, the thread had not been severed—it remained vivid, continuing clearly onward.

The woman exited the tavern.

She followed the thread as it looped through alleys and streets—until it eventually led out of the city entirely.

Kakoon.

The direction of Lord Dwayne’s estate.

Neighhh!

The woman whipped her reins and sped down the road.

It wouldn’t be long now.

She would face him soon.