Make Dark Fantasy Great Again-Chapter 82: The Scorching Black Flame, DanGaleon (1)

0% “They’re holding a secret meeting in Bondalles tomorrow—”

Risir was the only one who managed to extract meaningful information from the letter.

And his actions stirred others into motion.

“Wait—”

“Let me see that.”

Specifically, Valrod and Maldad.

Valrod was one of the most renowned opponents of black magic within the Red Tower. Maldad, on the other hand, was a Devil Hunter whose authority was widely recognized for his expertise in dealing with devils and their followers.

They were men who typically led others through sheer force of knowledge.

And yet, Risir—a young man who by age alone could have been their apprentice—had uncovered a crucial piece of information from the White Shadow Order’s letter. While they had come up empty-handed.

Had their disciples been present, it would have been an outright humiliation. Not that their absence spared the pair’s pride.

Valrod’s bushy red eyebrows formed a fierce curve matching his expression. The Devil Hunter’s eyes flashed with intensity through his black bangs.

“Maldad, hold on! I’ll look at it first and then pass it to you!!! Don’t be so hasty and—”

“You’re the one who should—”

The two men gripped the edges of the letter with their calloused hands, leaning in as if vying for dominance, their faces nearly touching.

“Eugh.”

Shakan’s ears drooped as she stepped back to watch the scene. It was quite a spectacle, in more ways than one.

After some time had passed...

“...”

Valrod released the letter with a dissatisfied expression.

Now the letter was entirely Maldad’s, but he too frowned as he put it down.

Shakan poked fun at him with a grin.

“Did you figure anything out?”

Her expression said, “I’m not curious at all, just asking to tease you.”

When else would she get to see these two wearing such constipated looks and make fun of them for it?

Sure enough, Valrod and Maldad could only smack their lips in displeasure.

The beastkin warrior bared her sharp canines in stifled mirth.

“...”

Lan’s expression was extremely conflicted as she watched it all. Who would have thought that the youngest—one might even say greenest—honorary mage among the four would make the biggest contribution?

She still found the whole situation bewildering.

“Risir.”

Valrod’s gaze turned to Risir. His angular face trembled, accentuating his already fierce features.

Red Tower mages were famous for their fiery tempers; a result of their immersion in fire magic, which influenced their personalities. And even among these flame mages, Valrod was a special case.

As the Red Tower Lord’s disciple, he was considered one of those closest to mastering the essence of flame, second only to the Tower Lord himself.

In short, his temperament went beyond fiery—it was practically fire itself. This had been clearly demonstrated during the recent capture of the cultists.

-Aaaaargh!!!

-Don’t rush to your deaths, you worms!

When some cultists belatedly assessed the situation and attempted suicide, Valrod had angrily reduced their fingers to ashes.

For a young mage to outshine a man like him and achieve merit?

Under normal circumstances, Risir would have had to go through a near-interrogation to prove himself.

“How did you reach that conclusion? Explain in detail, so I can understand! If you acted without sufficient evidence, you’ll have to take responsibility for your actions!”

Yet at present...

“Just to be clear, I don’t mean to challenge your opinion in any way...”

Valrod was almost groveling before Risir. Despite quivering like a boiling kettle, ready to explode with anger, he ultimately showed respect. There had been too much evidence of Risir’s capabilities to dismiss him as a young mage or prioritize his own pride.

Valrod wondered: without him, would they have been able to uncover the White Shadow Order’s secret ritual in time to save the victims?

Most likely...

-Talk about stating the obvious! Worthless human, had you tried that on Mastah, I would have—!

“Oh for crying out loud, just be still.”

...No, it would have been impossible.

And so, an astonishing scene unfolded.

“Would you mind, teaching me how you interpreted the contents of the letter...?”

The Crimson Spear of the Red Tower asked the young mage for guidance.

Maldad followed, nodding respectfully as he spoke.

“...I, too, humbly ask.”

It wasn’t just them. Shakan and Lan also gazed at Risir with eyes full of curiosity.

Their initial suspicion had completely vanished.

Risir finally replied.

“Well, it’s nothing special.”

His tone was so ordinary that they started to wonder if, as he said, it really wasn’t anything special after all.

“I remembered something from a book I read before, related to the character system used in this letter. It just happened to come to mind.”

During his time in Bendel, Risir had devoured all sorts of miscellaneous books in the annex of the Hayeren Library to make a living. The book he was referring to now was one he had come across during that time.

This was why Risir felt so bewildered. It was a book and knowledge that even he, a bastard child, had easily accessed. Yet these experts were acting as if they knew nothing about it.

“There’s a book like that?”

“If you don’t mind, could we know the name?”

Valrod and Maldad’s eyes sparkled with expectation and curiosity.

“Let’s see...I believe it was a book with an unusual title called Book of Inheritance: Daronan.”

“...”

“...”

The sparkle in Valrod and Maldad’s eyes froze at the same moment.

“...Lad, how did you read that book?”

“Huh? Oh. In the annex of the library in the city where I lived—”

“No, that’s not what I meant—No, why was that book even—No...”

The devil hunter turned into a parrot, repeating only the word “No.”

A moment later, Valrod and Maldad exchanged blank looks. Their faces seemed to ask, “Why is he perfectly fine?”

***The Books of Inheritance?

Well, isn’t that another huge topic. You didn’t actually read that, did you?

Haha! Of course not. There’s no way you did. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be standing here in front of me with those doe-eyes, asking about it.

The Books of Inheritance were written by the ancient mage Yel Canuer—seven volumes that refer to...phenomena.

Yes, phenomena. Some people call them grimoires or forbidden books, but oh, I beg to differ. What kind of forbidden book or grimoire wanders the world with a will of its own, overwriting other books?

These phenomena exist wherever books exist. Even that naughty book you’ve hidden under your bed could become part of the Books of Inheritance.

The value of the knowledge contained in each of them is...beyond incredible. Lost ancient knowledge—ooh, isn’t it thrilling just to imagine?

A perfect example is the Book of Inheritance: Daronan which covers Daronish, the language that forms the foundation of various magic systems.

If you were to learn Daronish, you’d gain profound insight into certain types of magic. A prime example of that is...black magic. In fact, Daronish is the language most specialized for the dark arts.

For the same reason, some black mages use Daronish as their foundation.

But did you know? The Daronish most black mages know is only half-baked.

Want to know why? Because the text that delves deepest into Daronish is none other than the Book of Inheritance: Daronan itself.

Yes, that’s right. Even black mages, who are almost synonymous with madness, go insane after reading the Books of Inheritance.

The Books of Inheritance erases everything from the reader’s mind, except the knowledge contained within the book. How to speak, how to communicate, even how to breathe—everything gone.

Occasionally, you’ll come across them...people who died holding a notebook, their eyes still open. Just as books are overwritten by the Books of Inheritance, so too are humans.

A book overwritten can still be read, but what can you possibly do with a person?

So, if you ever happen to come across one of them, it’s probably best not to give in to curiosity.

What should you do instead, you ask?

Mm...

Ah! How about gifting it to someone you don’t like?

- Eloran the Crawling Library -

(Keyword: Books of Inheritance)

***“Is there a problem?”

Valrod and Maldad fell into deep thought at the young mage’s question. How on earth were they to respond?

As if on cue, the devil provided a clear answer.

-As expected of Mastah!!! To be fine after reading one of the Books of Inheritance!!!

So they followed suit, exclaiming brightly with unfocused eyes.

“No! No problem at all!”

“Reading one of the Books of Inheritance...that’s truly extraordinary!”

“...”

Risir felt an inexplicable uneasiness.

-Mastah really is on a different level from these worthless humans!

“But I’m one of those worthless humans.”

-Please don’t lower yourself!

“...”

Risir ignored Dan’Galeon and spoke to his companions.

“Should I read the letter aloud exactly as it is?”

“N-no!!!”

“Absolutely not! Just, summarize it for us!”

Valrod and Maldad recoiled in horror, backing away from Risir.

Lan and Shakan did the same. Even the cultists on the floor rolled away from him.

Risir felt unfairly isolated.

“For crying out loud...”

Meanwhile, Lan spoke up with a suggestion.

“Shall we return for now? I’ll have someone take care of handing over the victims and cultists.”

***Upon returning to Lan’s manor, Risir immediately summarized the contents of the letter for them.

The letter contained the location and time of the secret meeting, but no more detailed information beyond that.

And this meant...

“Looks like we can’t make any rash moves.”

The others nodded at Shakan’s words.

They remembered Goldana, the White Shadow Order priest they had encountered at the secret location. She had chosen death before they could even engage in proper battle.

But the desperate resolve she showed just before the fight—her power...

What if the group had split up for the search? What if an individual had to face Goldana alone? Surely, one of them would have suffered considerable damage.

Yet, Goldana’s letter had been passed down to her from higher up. It was very likely that forces greater than her were waiting at the meeting place written in the letter.

The safety of the entire party was at stake.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, and after a brief pause, Shakan cautiously broke it.

“I’d like to bow out at this point.”

“I too find it difficult to be involved any further.”

“Likewise.”

The request they had received from Lan involved interrogating the devil and tracking suspected devil worshipers.

A direct confrontation with the White Shadow Order was an entirely different matter—one that would require even them to risk their lives.

“...”

Therefore, if Lan wanted their further cooperation, she needed to promise them a greater reward and formally request their support.

However...even City Councilor Lan had her limits. Even she couldn’t arbitrarily bring that level of military force into the city. So, she was left with only one option: to entrust the rest to the city guard.

It was like setting up a victory, only for another councilor to claim it.

“...”

Lan cursed softly under her breath, biting her lip.

But then...

“Hey, Dan’Galeon.”

Risir prodded the black crystal orb.

“Don’t you know, well, anything more?”

-...

“?”

No answer came from the orb—it was suddenly empty.

***I did it. I made it!

The Scorching Black Flame, Dan’Galeon, inwardly yelled in triumph.

While the humans were momentarily distracted, it had successfully transferred its consciousness into another sealing stone. Though the process forced the devil to give up most of its power, it was an unavoidable choice.

Had it remained by that Mastah’s side, it might have ended up like that thing.

Damn it. Damn it! DAMN IT!!!

Dan’Galeon writhed in humiliation. Who could imagine a being as powerful as itself being toyed with in the hands of a mere human? The shame was unacceptable. So, it was only right to pay it back.

Everything was for revenge.

As Dan’Galeon concentrated, the surroundings of the sealing stone were directly transmitted to the devil. Though its vision was limited due to its weakened state, the voices and presences came through clearly.

One high priest of greater rank than Goldana, and three priests of her level...

Goldana had mentioned that the White Shadow Order disciples, soon to join, possessed some of the remaining sealing stones. It surmised that these were the ones she was meant to meet.

Then, suddenly, the devil heard a voice.

“Dan’Galeon. Why are you here? What happened to the ritual?”

The voice belonged to a being of higher rank than Goldana—a high priest of the White Shadow Order.

Dan’Galeon felt a flicker of displeasure at the irreverent tone, but quickly realized something. The vestiges of power it sensed from the speaker revealed they were a priest who served a greater being than itself.

-The ritual...

Dan’Galeon was about to tell the truth.

City Councilor Lan, Shakan of the Skystride Tribe, Valrod of the Red Tower, Maldad the Devil Hunter, and Risir, the Honorary Mage of the Gray Tower.

These individuals had thwarted the ritual and Goldana was killed (committed suicide).

-...

But the words wouldn’t come out.

Why?

It wasn’t long before Dan’Galeon realized the reason.

-Mastah!

Following the voice of a certain naive girl, it remembered the thunderous cry of one mighty being.

-Bow your heads, worms! Welcome the night! I, the Sand Mountain That Shrouds the Sun, hereby revoke all your rights!

Finally, Mastah’s oblivious voice came to mind.

-It’s nothing much, I just read one of the Books of Inheritance.

Dan’Galeon thought of the entity served by the nearby high priest.

Maltael...

Then the two devils above Maltael.

Kalas... Goliah...

And above those two devils was—

...Verdandes.

Just then, another priest spoke.

“High Priest. We’ve found a fragment of the Great One.”

Dan’Galeon realized—it was merely bait. The disciples’ true purpose was to manifest Maltael here in Bondalles. Its own revival was merely a means to buy time for that.

...

The first emotion Dan’Galeon felt upon facing that humiliating truth was not humiliation or anger, but doubt and concern.

Given what happened to Verdandes, could Maltael handle that even if it manifested?

***-O Mastah!

“Huh, you’re back again?”

The Scorching Black Flame, Dan’Galeon, had completed its calculations faster than light with the power of an omnipotent devil.

-Of course I had to come back! Where else should I be but at Mastah’s feet!

“Where did you go?” freeweɓnovel-cøm

-I scouted the enemy camp!

“Woah, you can manage something like that? Amazing.”

Dan’Galeon trembled at the human’s audacity to look down at itself from above.

Why-why am I like this...!

But on the other hand, it felt a tickling sense of being honored.

-O Mastah!!!

The darkness of the swirling mist inside the crystal orb seemed to lighten slightly, taking on a grayish hue.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on (f)re𝒆web(n)ovel.com