The reason the Poison Master had been able to rampage on the surface until now was thanks to another fragment of himself that remained in the mines.
That fragment had been drawing the mana that filled the mine up to the surface for him.
But that fragment was destroyed by something.
The steady supply of mana was cut off, and in his shock, his body froze for just a moment.
And in that moment, his death was sealed.
[Will Embodiment – Reversal of Heaven and Earth]
A force great enough to topple even a mountain came crashing down on the Poison Master’s head.
“Now I finally understand how you move.”
“……!!”
Rumble—!
He tried belatedly to move at least part of his body.
But he couldn’t.
The surrounding mana wouldn’t budge, as if it had been frozen solid.
And so, the greatsword came down upon his head.
Craaaack!
Booooooom――!!!
The terrain twisted and collapsed.
Within it, what had once been the Poison Master crumbled without leaving even a trace of form.
His heart too was completely crushed.
“Haaa…”
The source of this entire calamity had fallen.
Only then, looking around, did he see that even the endless clones that had been swarming them lost their forms and collapsed into heaps of poison.
“It’s over.”
The first light of dawn began to brighten the sky.
The long, long battle seemed at last to have come to an end.
Or so it seemed.
Until Ginovan who was standing behind Dexter raised his sword.
***
Ginovan Edmiller.
A fallen noble knight who had shown genius in swordsmanship from a young age and entered the Imperial Academy.
On the night he received word of his parents’ passing—
He swore an oath upon his sword.
That one day, with this very blade, he would restore honor to his family’s name.
But reality had proven far harsher.
To rise higher, one needed not only swordsmanship but also the art of dealing with people. Ginovan had no such talent for diplomacy.
No…he knew, but he refused to learn.
Because it was through swordsmanship alone that he sought to make his name known.
To a knight, an oath was less a vow and more a shackle.
And so he was cast down into what knights called a place of exile: the third level, the Voltaine Ore Fields.
Meanwhile—
The White Whale mercenaries, the very group that had once given him a taste of success, had accumulated countless achievements and been promoted to a mercenary corps.
To say he felt no jealousy would be a lie.
He envied them. Those who were recognized by the world through sheer skill alone.
But such opportunities were never granted to him.
Even so, he carried out his duties in silence.
Believing that one day, someday, he too would be acknowledged.
And then, on one of those endless, monotonous days—
– It’s been a long time, Ginovan. Since the funeral.
Botan.
His uncle had come to see him.
Why had he come?
It certainly didn’t feel like it was out of pure intentions.
– I’ve been running a business recently, but things aren’t going well.
The moment he heard those words, suspicion took root.
This was the man who hadn’t reached out even once after the death of his parents.
Now he was here, speaking of selling herbs, complaining of hardships.
Ginovan dug deeper.
Mobilizing what few connections he had, he discovered that Botan’s merchant guild operated not in the light, but in the shadows.
And recently, in a letter from Jun, leader of the White Whale mercenary corps, Ginovan had read:
He mentioned incidents related to herbs even breaking out on the surface, didn’t he?
There was a chance his uncle was involved in those very incidents.
If he could resolve this matter tied to his uncle, perhaps he could finally escape this place of exile.
So he thought, in a fleeting moment.
And with that thought came contradiction.
Would he turn a blind eye to the betrayal of blood?
Or would he, bound by his knightly oath, treat his own uncle as a criminal?
Standing at a crossroads of choice, Ginovan decided he should first learn more about his uncle and dig deeper into the case.
And that decision led him into a swamp as deep as the abyss.
The Heavenly Church.
He became aware of their existence, and while secretly investigating the case on his own, he nearly drew suspicion once.
Each time, he barely managed to slip away, but in the process, he unknowingly swallowed an evil spirit orb, which bound him with a final shackle.
“……”
Now it was no longer honor and his uncle on the scales, but life and death themselves.
So this is the end for me, after all.
The power given by the corrupted spirit was anything but sweet.
It had raised his swordsmanship to its peak, yet swordsmanship no longer brought him joy.
It felt as though his heart itself were collapsing.
As if even the swordplay that had once brought smiles to his parents had been stolen away.
He could no longer love the sword now tainted.
What is left for me now?
Only a hollow slate of honor.
He could not even take his own life.
Because even that last shred of honor would be defiled.
Was I truly this indecisive all along?
While he lived every day trapped in suffering—
A mage came to him.
The very leader of the White Whale mercenary corps, who once under his command had helped slay the Goblin Lord.
“It is only a theoretical method. Will you try it?”
And without further explanation, he held out his hand once more, asking Ginovan to believe in him.
***
An order handed down from the Master of the Poison Master, who had once been human.
– Sprinkle some ashes on the table.
Simple, yet vague. It was an order with many possible interpretations.
And for the Poison Master who was now a monster, it was a blessing in disguise.
There was no end to the things he could do.
One of them was the assassination of an imperial member.
At first, the plan had been to poison one of the two imperial members, sparking internal conflict.
But now that the imperial family had begun to act in earnest—
Killing even one would bring about true chaos, which was the most ideal outcome.
And the one who caught his eye was Ginovan.
A man bound to a corrupted spirit, just like himself.
He could be used.
I must give the order.
Quietly, ever so quietly, he began to approach from behind.
Fortunately, even the protective barrier that blocked all hostile acts had its weaknesses.
It would not block anything that caused no harm to the caster.
In other words, if he used a non-poisonous spore, it could slip past the barrier’s defenses.
Bit by bit, little by little, he stretched the range of his mana, squeezing it out until he created a clone within.
And so, the Poison Master succeeded in switching places with the clone he had conjured behind those focused on his true body.
Killing an imperial member outright is impossible.
With this body, split and split again until most of its fighting power was lost, it could not be done.
According to the information, both imperial members were formidable in their own right.
And with the barrier in place, not even poison could be used.
Therefore, he would manipulate the spirit dwelling within Ginovan and use him to assassinate the imperial members.
Disobedience to a command was impossible anyway.
With that decision made, the Poison Master stretched his hand toward Ginovan’s heart.
And he sent a signal to the spirit residing within.
…Twitch.
The response came a little later than expected.
But that was fine.
Against Ginovan’s own will, a red gleam began to flicker in his eyes.
If possible, kill them both!
Leave First Prince Dexter to Ginovan.
He himself would assassinate the frail Third Prince, Javier.
Whether both died or only one, it didn’t matter.
Chaos would descend upon the empire either way, and the aftermath would be handled by the Heavenly Church.
And just as Ginovan’s sword was about to strike at Dexter—
Pshhk—!
“……?”
The Poison Master, standing behind Ginovan, did not realize it.
That the tip of Ginovan’s sword was not aimed at Dexter, but at himself.
“Ginovan?!”
“C-Commander!!”
The two princes, only now noticing the Poison Master’s presence, cried out in shock and rushed forward.
At the same time, Dexter drew his blade and swung, crimson aura blazing along its edge.
The Poison Master’s heart, already pierced by Ginovan’s sword, was utterly obliterated by Dexter’s aura, and not a speck of it was left behind.
To the very end, the Poison Master was filled with questions.
Ginovan had driven his sword through his own body just to pierce the Poison Master’s heart?
That alone was astonishing, but it wasn’t all.
The spirit within Ginovan, designed to obey and never defy the commands of a “higher” spirit like himself, had refused his order.
And that defiance might, perhaps, become the towering wall that blocked the Heavenly Church’s path in the future.
How… could this be?
One thing was certain. There was no shaman here who could unravel his doubts.
***
Scratch, scratch.
The first thing Ginovan saw as he opened his eyes was a familiar ceiling.
“Well now. This feels strange.”
“…Jun.”
Turning his head weakly, he saw Jun skillfully peeling an apple.
“I’ve woken up to see someone at my bedside a few times, but being on the other side of it… it’s a strange feeling.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. And I have to say, it’s not exactly pleasant.”
“Of course. Who would feel pleasant sitting next to a patient?”
“Well, that too. But it also makes me wonder if my comrades felt the same way when I was the one lying down.”
“…Hmm.”
At that, Ginovan closed his eyes for a moment, as if in thought, then spoke again.
“How did you manage it?”
“You mean when your spirit didn’t react?”
“More precisely, it awakened. But only halfway. It never managed to seize control of my body.”
“…So it still needs refining.”
Muttering to himself, Jun raised his hand and pointed to his ring, Illusia.
“Well, you can thank the one inside here. Not that I know if he’ll appreciate it.”
“The one inside? A spirit?”
“Yes. A dream spirit. Normally he just sleeps quietly, but… thanks to certain circumstances, I’ve been able to receive his help in many ways.”
It was after encountering the wind spirit dwelling in Aiden’s body that Jun first spoke with him.
Since then, Jun had made steady efforts to converse with Illusia. His curiosity about spirits knew no bounds.
“This one can shape the user’s knowledge into the form of dreams and then draw them into reality.”
“…Which means?”
“Borrowing that power, I cast [Sleep] on the corrupted spirit inside you and subdued it.”
The result had far surpassed Jun’s expectations.
With the innate power of a dream spirit added on, the effect was strong enough to suppress even a corrupted spirit.
“Still, it’s not perfect yet. Partly because it’s magic enhanced by a spirit’s power, and I’m not used to handling it.”
“…Even so, you saved my life.”
“I should be the one thanking you. I never imagined we’d actually take down the Poison Master.”
“You captured him alive?”
“Haha, unfortunately not.”
Consumed by the corrupted spirit, the Poison Master met his end.
It would have been ideal to take him alive, but he had always been a troublesome opponent. And in the end, he was killed on the spot.
“Even Sir Dexter expressed regret over that.”
“The First Prince… I see.”
“Oh, and I suppose this is something of a misfortune? That uncle of yours, the one you mentioned….he was captured.”
“…And what will become of him?”
“Well, who knows? I imagine only those above us could say for certain.”
That was what Jun said, but both of them could already guess Botan’s fate.
Death would not come easily to him.
The crime of disgracing the imperial family… well, that’s the kind of charge that dooms three generations in one stroke.
No matter how gentle the emperor was said to be, Botan who had laid hands on his own children and even his concubines would not be granted a peaceful death.
“…Then what about me? What will become of me?”
That final question hung in the air.
And Jun fell silent.
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