Death of a Mage

“W-What's... going on?!”

An abrupt voice rang out.

Irene raised her eyes, shifting her gaze away from the old mage to look toward the source of the voice.

Through the path cleared by the crowd, she clearly saw a middle-aged man staring at his own hands in disbelief.

His hands, along with his feet, were rapidly disappearing under a powerful spatial fluctuation.

“Teleportation magic?”

The little dragon girl's slender eyebrows arched slightly, and she reached out to feel the air in front of her.

Before her was an invisible magical barrier, protecting the old mage and the people behind him.

Burning his life force to block her just to send this man away?

How very interesting.

Irene looked at the middle-aged warrior who was being teleported away, then glanced at the old mage sitting not far away. He seemed to have lost all will to fight, but in truth, he was still gripping his staff tightly, remaining on guard against her.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

She did not choose to immediately shatter this not-so-sturdy Mana Barrier.

Once teleportation magic was activated, it could not be canceled. Even if she rushed forward now, she would likely be blocked by the old mage risking his life.

Besides, she probably wouldn't be able to stop the teleportation anyway.

She might as well watch the show.

“Rudolf, what are you doing?!”

Only then did Moses realize what was happening. He stared at Rudolf's back in sheer terror.

His body trembled as he roared:

“Stop it right now!!”

Rudolf did not turn back. His eyes remained warily fixed on Irene as he replied in a raspy voice:

“Do you remember what I told you that night?”

Moses froze upon hearing this.

Rudolf continued:

“This old man heard you that night. You gave me your word.”

His voice carried a heavy weariness, yet it was surprisingly calm.

It was as if he were speaking of something entirely ordinary.

Moses fell silent.

Gazing at the old mage's back, he couldn't help but recall their conversation from that night.

By now, the sun had risen above the horizon.

The sunlight bathed Irene's face. She turned her head slightly, finding today's sunlight a bit too bright.

By this point, Moses's body had almost completely vanished, leaving only his head floating solitary in the air.

At this moment, even if the Mana Barrier was immediately breached, it would be extremely difficult to kill him before the teleportation was complete.

Rudolf seemed to relax his guard slightly. He also turned his head, looking toward the rising morning glow.

“Remember to say goodbye to those old friends for me...”

It sounded like an invisible bubble bursting in the air.

The Silver Rank Grand Knight named Moses completely vanished into thin air.

Only empty space remained where he had been.

Rudolf let out a heavy sigh.

He released his tight grip on the staff. One final wave of mana swept in all directions, completely erasing all traces of the teleportation's magical signature.

From this moment on, no one would ever be able to use magic to track the destination of the teleportation.

Irene clapped her hands lightly and nodded in satisfaction, seemingly quite pleased with this good show.

Sensing that the magical barrier in front of her had vanished, she walked toward the old mage step by step.

Behind her, the numerous Imperial Guards closed in alongside a claw-baring, fangs-baring Daviel.

These last remaining human survivors were completely surrounded.

Except for Rudolf, deep despair was etched on everyone's face.

They knew they had no hope of escaping.

Yet, they still raised their weapons, preparing to fight to the very last breath.

If they could not return in triumph, dying in battle was the best end a soldier could ask for.

“Kill!!!”

It was unclear who shouted first, but both sides clashed once more.

Daviel took the lead.

His innate advantage as a dragon made him an absolute force of destruction against these Silver Rank, or even sub-Silver Rank, humans.

Amidst the spraying blood and tears, the Imperial Guards tacitly drew the crowd away, leaving a wide open space for Irene.

The small area where she and Rudolf stood was like a tiny, solitary island in the middle of a raging sea.

Irene clapped her hands lightly and slowly walked over to Rudolf, her eyes looking down slightly.

The draconic features on her body gradually receded.

She raised her hand and retrieved a stack of parchment from her storage ring.

She asked in a very gentle tone:

“Did you draw these?”

Rudolf raised his head with difficulty. Upon seeing the stack of parchment, his brow furrowed slightly.

But he quickly recovered his composure and replied in an increasingly raspy voice:

“Yes.”

Hearing the expected answer, Irene nodded and put the parchment back into her storage ring.

Her gaze shifted to Rudolf's aged face.

“I quite appreciate you. Work for me.”

This scene was surprisingly warm.

It looked just like an ordinary girl asking an old man who had fallen if he needed help.

Yet, this old man, who looked very much in need of help, replied:

“No, black dragon. Kill me...”

“Are you sure?”

Irene frowned slightly.

Her forces were filled with nothing but hotheads who only thought about fighting and killing.

She could only barely understand those blueprints herself, let alone anyone else.

That was why she wanted to recruit this highly educated old mage to help her research these things, which she suspected were alien technology.

She hadn't expected him to refuse so decisively.

“Hehehe...”

Rudolf let out a couple of dry, raspy laughs, seemingly mocking himself or perhaps the black dragon in front of him.

It was a grating sound.

Like the rubbing together of withered bark.

“My body is already riddled with ailments. Even if I drag out my life, I will probably only die a painful death in a sickbed before long.”

“Rather than living such a pathetic existence, I would rather fall on the path of pursuing truth and knowledge.”

“What's more...”

At this point, the old mage's gaze suddenly grew firm. He raised his head to meet the young girl's eyes.

“To die at the hands of a dragon in the pursuit of my Dao is no insult to my lifelong reputation.”

“Is that so...” Irene crouched on one knee, closing the distance between her and the old mage.

“You're making me look like some sort of big villain.”

Then, her tone shifted as she continued:

“However... for the sake of those blueprints, I shall begrudgingly grant your request—”

“—Respected Sir Mage.”

With those words, Irene narrowed her eyes. One of her hands transformed into a dragon claw and lunged forward, thrusting toward the old man's chest.

Rudolf did not resist, allowing the icy dragon claw to pierce through his chest.

She ripped out his slowly beating heart in a single motion.

He closed his eyes with a smile, a final thought flashing through his mind.

“O Gods, though one Rudolf falls today, another Rudolf will stand up tomorrow, and thousands more Rudolfs will follow in the future.

Sooner or later, a lucky soul yearning for truth and knowledge will completely unravel the darkness and... secrets... that you have hidden beneath the yellow sands and savagery...”