I Became the Dark Wizard Who Rules Over the Heroines

65 – Festival-5

“What kind of city is Córdoba? Isn’t it a fiefdom that preserved its purity through the will of the lord and citizens when others fell into evil temptations?”

That is correct.

Commercial cities inevitably fell more easily into the temptation of black magic.

It is capitalist logic. If you pay the same price and hire a guard of similar level, it is much cheaper to hire a warlock or dark knight than a ‘real knight’ who will already be a vassal of a nobleman and have a position.

But Córdoba did not make that choice. Rather, based on the enormous amount of money and honor they had, they hired many soldiers to support merchants and kept the security of the territory by holding expensive knights in their arms.

“No matter how much he came from the academy, he is a warlock. A dark priest came in. There is no way for us to know where they came from and what crime they committed to come here.”

“Ah, a dark priest?”

“Are you saying they are in this territory now?”

After the trembling voice, a huge roar rang out from the audience.

“We must kick them out!”

“We must stop it!”

Claire’s face turned pale. I pursed my lips and looked around.

‘Yes. Isn’t this a common accident…’

Claire did not become a ‘dark priest’ before entering the academy.

She lived as an ordinary ‘warlock wannabe’ for a short period of time, and those who knew her could see that Claire, who became a ‘dark priest’, was no different from the Claire before her.

‘At least, even the lord…’

He didn’t seem to let go of his doubts, but at least he was able to see Claire living a normal life with his own eyes.

The people here are different. They have never seen Claire. Even if you want to see it, you can’t.

In their eyes, we, the ‘visitors’, are nothing more than a dangerous element that could break the peace of the territory.

“That’s not all! Among the group that came in this time, a girl named Kelin is a woman who worked as a limb for the evil warlock, Erst Katarin!”

“Shall we go somewhere else?”

“…Yes.”

Claire nodded her head slowly.

There were many skewer shops. Even if you don’t go into a place with that ‘delicious smell’ and eat food, you’ll be able to find some pretty good snacks.

“This is Princess Catherine, who conquered the Ulan region by force and is suspected of assassinating Count Paldeer. The woman who brutally suppressed the civil uprising of the Barony of Vilde and brutally burned the Hergan Forest is that Kelin. No see!”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

When I turned around, I slowly held my breath and was lost in thought.

‘…Artificial.’

Of course, it was not strange for the information to spread that ‘a person is coming from the academy’.

Since the visit was to allay distrust in the academy and announce the existence of the empire, the officials would not have neglected publicity either.

In the process, it was only the fact that three of our party used the power of darkness. It was not a fact that could be hidden, so it would have been easy to find out.

‘

However, what made me feel strange was not the fact that they were spreading this fact or trying to reject us.

‘The person watching it is clearly heterogeneous…’

The audience was densely packed. If it were up to that point, I wouldn’t have been that surprised.

There were still a lot of people on the street. Although the event has not started yet, there were quite a few people who visited Córdoba in advance.

However, there was no reason for so many people to stop in one place and listen to his story.

‘The person’s words were intended for the ‘people of Córdoba,’ but most of those who listened were outsiders…’

It’s definitely strange. It doesn’t make sense.

Visitors, after all, come to Córdoba to have fun. They had no reason to listen to this serious story for a long time.

You may not know it if you are a young noble, but most of the attendants and those who follow the noble are commoners. They do not have many opportunities to travel, and this moment will probably be their ‘last visit to Córdoba.’

Every minute and every second will be a waste. If you were passing by and stopped for a moment and listened for about 5 minutes, you wouldn’t know, but there was no need to listen.

‘There were surprisingly few deserters.’

Even if I mistook their faces and said they were locals and not visitors, the strangeness did not go away.

If you are a local in Córdoba, you are busy right now. Even in this territory, a festival of this scale cannot be held every year.

The territory must deal with as many visitors as it can handle.

A person who runs a restaurant must cook food constantly, and a security guard must run out to stop a fight that is probably still happening somewhere in the bar.

‘The audience’s reaction also seemed to be disciplined…’

Considering the historical background, it is unlikely that people in this world who are hearing something shocking will stand still and listen to the speaker.

Spew out anger arbitrarily or refute by telling people not to talk nonsense. It would have been one of two things.

However, after ‘a moment of commotion’, they let out slogans as if they had been waiting.

‘…Is this way?’

A conclusion has been made.

‘Yes. As a Kazot, it would be easier and more convenient this way.’

It is the stronger warlock who subdues various warlocks and monsters.

However, killing the Demon King was always the responsibility of the warrior.

‘I changed direction.’

The intention is to raise the banner of justice high and use it as a weapon to defeat us.

‘I am clearly a serious threat to Kazot… But on the other hand, defeating just one person does not mean Kazot’s plan will succeed.’

They were spreading their power here and there. Among the warlocks, as well as imperial officials and renowned knights, there were humans who belonged to Khazot.

So, depending on how they appeared, the player’s strategy would also change.

Until the end, it could have been a ‘secret organization operating in secret around the world,’ a ‘warlock organization so strong that they could not be touched,’ or ‘a gathering of honorable knights with a somewhat radical view of justice.’ .

‘I distorted it once…’

However, I am also a warlock. They were able to attack my identity as someone who uses the power of darkness, and at that, to a fairly powerful level.

Attacks the messenger instead of the message. It always worked well, and it worked even better when the opponent was a warlock.

I also prepare accordingly-

“Wade?”

“Hmm?”

“Here, let’s eat here!”

Claire, who had already found the new store, was pulling my arm with a bright smile.

I helplessly followed her into her store. This place also seemed to sell some pretty good skewers.

For now, it seemed okay to focus on eating.

/////

“Why isn’t a single place that looks fun open?”

Claire sighed deeply.

“Because the festival hasn’t started yet. If it’s natural, then it’s natural.”

“Right? When it starts, we can see that circus too, right?”

“That’s true, but… we should come quickly. Once we show up, we’ll probably be popular.”

Although not many people knew the faces of our group right away, there were many people who knew of our existence.

A party that defeated Katharine and the princess at the academy, revealing the true identity of a secret organization called Kazotra. It was a huge enough party to attract public attention.

“Is that so?”

“After the festival starts… I think you’ll have a day or two to spare. You can come before then, and even if that’s not the case… How about getting some attention? You can just proudly enjoy it as a guest.”

“With confidence…”

Claire’s voice became quiet.

It may have been my first time being despised, hated, or feared. Even though I thought it was scary, I couldn’t help it. It was natural.

“Now, wait a minute! You there-“

Lilian saw someone and shouted. When she turned her gaze towards him, she saw an elf hiding her ears.

There was no noticeable difference, but if you looked carefully, you could see that they had a different appearance.

“Sorry! I met a friend from my hometown. See you later. Bye!”

Without a moment to say anything, she followed the elf and shot out like an arrow.

“It’s fast…”

Claire looked at Lilian’s back with a puzzled expression.

“Ah, I’m tired too.”

“You looked tired a few hours ago.”

Claire herself may not have felt it, but from the moment she first came out on the street, she was flopping around excitedly like a fish in water.

No matter how physically strong she was, she was bound to get tired if she had that much fun. She was already exhausted, she just didn’t feel it.

“Shall we go back too?”

Olivia shook her head.

“I still have places I want to visit more with you.”

She grabbed my arm. Kelin heard her.

“Then, you two, please take your time and turn around. I have nothing to do, so I will take Claire with me and return to the castle.”

“Ke, Kelin? I’m touched…”

Based on her strength alone, there wouldn’t be many people in this city who could defeat Claire in a fight, but even so, it was uneasy to leave her alone.

I nodded slowly. Soon, Kelin, who supported Claire, slowly returned to the castle.

“It’s night. Let’s have a conversation.”

Olivia’s eyes were looking directly at me.