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Though the Hero Perishes, the Lake’s Beauty Persists – Part 03

Even without Hikaru’s Mana Detection, the surging energy was unmistakable. Dark purple mana spewed forth from the cup and spread in the surroundings.

Skaer’s hair stood on end as if caught in a storm, and the hem of his clothes fluttered. The lake’s surface rippled, the waves reaching Hikaru.

“What is he doing?!”

Skaer’s gaze was fixed on the cup, his mouth moving subtly. Though he couldn’t hear what he was saying from the distance, Hikaru instinctively recognized it as some form of incantation.

Skaer had the missing cup in his possession. He was attempting something with it. And the expression on his face…

“It’s the same.”

He was wearing the same smile he did when he saw Zappa’s dead body.

The mana gradually shifted from a dark purple to a reddish hue, now turning a dark red. This time, it was being sucked into the cup.

This wasn’t good. It was an incredibly malevolent force.

Hikaru swiftly picked up a stone at his feet and hurled it toward Skaer.

Whether it was the sound of the wind or Hikaru’s movement, Skaer noticed and, startled, turned his back to shield the cup with his own body.

With 2 points in both Muscle Strength and Projectile, Hikaru’s power equated to a trained adult tossing a pebble. When the stone struck his back, Skaer staggered forward, but he barely managed to endure it.

“Who’s there?!”

“…What are you doing?”

Hikaru approached Skaer cautiously and stopped just in front of the pier.

The sinister mana stilled, but the cup was now filled with a dark red light.

“What… am I doing?”

Skaer grinned, a grin that said he wasn’t under some form of hypnosis but willingly participating in this ominous ritual.

“You threw a stone at me without even knowing?”

“That cup is from the dungeon. Scorching Goblet had decided to hand over all the treasures to the Adventurers Guild.”

“Ah… right, yes. People who don’t understand the value of things would indeed make that decision.”

“Value of things? Do you know the value of that cup?”

“I knew it. You are dangerous.”

“What?”

“You declined Lord Zappa’s invitation to the party. That alone is unforgivable, and now… Now you’re eyeing the cup that I obtained!”

Hikaru swiftly jumped backward. A spear of earth erupted from the ground where he had been standing.

Magic?! No, there was no incantation.

He dodged it solely because he sensed the surge of mana, and that turned out to be the right decision.

Hikaru couldn’t tear his eyes away from Skaer. His eyes were now completely red, and his skin had taken on an ashen color. Cracks appeared on his cheeks and neck.

“Are you… an actual monster?”

The extraordinary, demonic force clearly belonged to a genuine monster.

Skaer removed his glasses with one hand and carefully placed them in his chest pocket.

“You call us monsters, or fiends, but in my eyes, you humans appear far more cunning, cruel, greedy, and foolish.”

Hikaru’s Instinct warned him of danger. This wasn’t Skaer. It was something else wearing Skaer’s skin.

If only I checked his Soul Board, I could’ve learned something!

Hikaru never sensed anything odd about Skaer’s behavior until now. Even with his Instinct at level 3.

Skaer had flawlessly masqueraded as a Scorching Goblet support member—a diligent boy with poor eyesight, and a man who admired and idolized Zappa. Or perhaps, that wasn’t the whole story.

“I thought you admired Zappa,” Hikaru said. “Was it all just an act?”

Maybe his feelings towards Zappa were genuine.

“How dare you talk about Lord Zappa with that filthy mouth of yours!”

The lake’s surface near the pier shimmered before swiftly freezing. A cold shockwave traveled in all directions. Hikaru couldn’t dodge it, but traveling in all directions meant it was also weak. He guarded his face with both arms, feeling sharp pain on his skin.

He’s angry… So his feelings towards Zappa were genuine.

“Why… Why did you kill Zappa?”

“What?”

“I saw it. I saw your wicked grin when Zappa died. I knew then that you killed him.”

“…”

Skaer was momentarily taken aback, his anger dissipating. Then, his shoulders started shaking, and he burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“What’s not funny? I doubt you would’ve understood.”

“What are you on about?”

“You know nothing about Lord Zappa. He possessed abilities that regular humans can only dream of, casting light all around like the sun. Imagine how dazzling that must’ve appeared to me, dwelling in the shadows.”

Dwelling in the shadows? It could mean living in the underworld or that he was hiding something. But that didn’t seem to be the case in this context.

“When he was out adventuring, that’s when Lord Zappa truly shone,” he said euphorically. “And he was at his brightest when he fought in the depths of a dungeon! I forever etched his magnificent and valiant figure into my memory.”

“And then…” A cold air started enveloping Skaer once more. “As soon as Lord Zappa distanced himself from adventuring, his brilliance waned. Well, compared to ordinary folks like you, he still gleamed incredibly bright, but when he drank, reveled with women, he turned into a sun blanketed by dark clouds, a setting sun. I no longer wished to see Lord Zappa like that.”

Skaer tilted the cup towards Hikaru. There was something inside—some kind of strands.

Hair? Whose exactly?

Hikaru immediately suspected it belonged to Zappa.

“Did you use that cup to kill Zappa?”

If the cup was a cursed tool, and those were Zappa’s hair, it made sense.

“I wouldn’t use such a strong word as ‘kill’.” Skaer smiled, like he couldn’t contain his amusement. “I simply took his soul the moment he was at his most glorious.”

“You took his soul? What on earth are you talking about? And why?”

He’d feel better if Skaer just killed him. What was he planning by taking out the man’s soul?

“To make him a part of me.” Skaer’s smile had vanished. “Lord Zappa will merge with me. Then, I can edge closer to perfection.” He strode along the frozen pier. “You need not understand, human. The infallibility of a Half Wraith is beyond your comprehension.” He stepped off the pier and onto solid ground.

Hikaru’s mind struggled to keep up. A Wraith was an undead monster born from the soul of someone with bitter grudges or regrets. Being a Half Wraith meant he was part monster.

A half evil spirit, half human? If only Paula was here…

Paula’s holy magic should be effective against him.

But bringing her along would’ve put her in danger.

Had Paula been present, Skaer would have singled her out first.

He probably can’t directly harm me with that cup. I doubt he has my hair. But the mana inside the cup is dangerous.

Skaer remained cool even after unleashing mana capable of freezing the lake because he was absorbing power from the cup. This meant Skaer could cast spells freely. And he didn’t need to recite an incantation, perhaps owing to his wraith counterpart. Hikaru was fortunate he had Mana Detection.

“Hmm?!”

Lost in thought, Hikaru felt the ground rise beneath him again. He quickly sidestepped, sensing the flow of mana in time to evade.

“So, you can somehow sense my magic.”

“Just my intuition. I reckoned an annoying brat like you would resort to magic at this exact tim—”

Ice chunks materialized around Skaer and shot towards Hikaru.

“I was talking!”

Darting aside, Hikaru evaded all projectiles, which pierced deep into the forest trees. They packed quite the punch.

And Hikaru grasped his current position—right at the lake’s edge, opposite the settlement. He had been led to this location.

“I like the look on your face. I might not understand how you sense magic, but there is no escape now. Though if you fancy a little dip in the freezing water, I won’t stop you.”

“I get it. You’re confident you can finish me, hence the chat.”

“You seem smart, but alas, I only want souls that shine brightly. Dull ones like yours hold no value.”

“…”

Dull soul? Hikaru felt a twinge of irritation. I mean, sure, I’m hiding something.

“All right. One last question then,” Hikaru said. “Why did you come to the lake tonight? You knew the guild’s investigation team was on their way, and you took it right before they arrived. And I wouldn’t have spotted you if you hadn’t come here.”

Skaer’s eyes narrowed. “You’re sharper than I thought.”

“You want to let me go, then?”

“No. On the contrary, I want to kill you even more now. As a parting gift for your journey to the afterlife, I’ll enlighten you. The cup belonged to a mermaid who once lived in this lake.”

“…”

The revelation was within Hikaru’s expectations. A dungeon with fishmen monsters. A mysterious cup and mummies in the deepest room. It was perfectly logical to associate these factors with the legend surrounding Lake Tseng-Ti.

“To become human and give up her mermaid magic, a mermaid has to sacrifice the life of someone she loves,” Hikaru said. “Without knowing this, the mermaid went through the ritual, became human, only to discover that the life of her beloved had been lost in the process.”

“Exactly. That is the real legend, far from the silly love story circulating in this settlement.”

“So that cup was used for the ritual?”

Skaer nodded. “This vessel scooped up the soul of Lord Zappa, whom I held in the deepest reverence. And by offering his soul to the lake, the ritual will be complete.”

“Are you trying to become human?!”

Hikaru made the connection between the legend of the mermaid and the Half Wraith Skaer.

“You fool.” Skaer sneered. “I knew humans couldn’t grasp my infallibility. How truly lamentable. I possess both the power of a Wraith and a human. Why should I discard the other?”

“What?”

“I will obtain both in their perfect form.”

Skaer spread his arms wide. A cup rested in his right hand, and his left hand held nothing—but it seemed as if that hand sought to grasp onto something.

“To become a Perfect Double, I needed tremendous power. Yes, the kind of power found in a champion’s soul.”

It finally clicked. Skaer genuinely admired Zappa. But beneath those sentiments lurked a craving for the power possessed by formidable humans like him.

The legend and ritual of Lake Tseng-Ti perfectly aligned with Skaer’s ambitions. He sacrificed Zappa’s life for his desires, to make the power his. Attaining the powers of both a Wraith and a human was his ultimate objective.

“Does it make sense now? Though the great man Lord Zappa is no more, there’s no need for sorrow. Once I become the Perfect Double, a new hero, a man greater than Lord Zappa will rise!”

Skaer laughed maniacally. His face was pale, and despite having a human body, his vitality seemed weak.

Hikaru’s lips loosened. “Pathetic.” He flashed a smile.

“…What did you just say?”

“I said you’re pathetic. Miserable. Compared to Zappa… No, comparing you to him is disrespectful. You’re just a little backstabber who betrayed Zappa when he had his guard down and killed him with a cheap shot.”

“…”

“To top it all off, you’re bragging to me, an adventurer with the lowest rank. I thought you wanted others to know. Others to tell you how great you are. But you couldn’t tell Scorching Goblet. Because if you did, you’d be condemned for your cowardice and pettiness, and you’d become aware of it.”

“…”

There was a crackle, like the snapping of dead trees. It was the sound of the area around Skaer turning extremely cold, and the moisture in the ground freezing and rising.

“A worm like you could never understand my lofty ideas!”

A shockwave of mana was unleashed.