CHAPTER 73
The movements of the boy named Harua, which she learned through the Dog Keeper.
The more she traced his steps, the more certain Ignarion became.
This man truly possessed resurrection magic.
“Hee, hehehe.”
To think the solution to her lifeline was right under her nose. She thought he was a viper, but if brewed, there could be no more precious elixir.
But even an elixir can cause trouble if consumed too hastily. Ignarion used the Dog Keeper even more meticulously.
As a result, she noticed one fact.
A person connected to Harua.
Among them was the disciple of the Sword Lord, Soun.
A girl named Aranseol.
Her talent wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but Harua spent a lot of time with this girl.
‘Are they lovers?’

Ignarion slowly stroked her chin.
He was acting like a lover with the Sword Lord’s disciple.
That fact stuck out to her.
She looked at the photo of Harua.
The possibility that Harua might be a trap set by Soun came to mind.
But she soon dismissed that idea.
‘That man is not the type.’
He was a foolish man who wouldn’t use his own disciple as bait, swayed by personal affection.
That meant this wasn’t bait laid by Soun.
‘A coincidence? Really, is it just a coincidence?’
The Dog Keeper had rushed to tell her as soon as he got the information.
But Ignarion had already been using the Dog Keeper to lay bait to lure Soun to Nox.
The information that such a man had brought.
Was this information truly something the Dog Keeper had found out on his own?
Ignarion was a woman who kept all possibilities open.
The possibilities were endless, and she slowly narrowed down the unexpected situations.
She contemplated carefully.
And she came to a few conclusions.
‘If not the Sword Lord, then someone else intended this.’
The Sword Lord was not the type to engage in such troublesome schemes.
That meant there was someone who could advise and strategize for the Sword Lord.
She looked down at Harua in the photo.
The intention was to lure her out by dangling the bait of resurrection magic.
And behind that intention, the Sword Lord was pointing his sword at her.
‘What should I do?’
Should I spread the word about resurrection magic to the whole world and put them in a difficult position?
No, she wouldn’t consider that.
Ignarion needed resurrection magic more than anyone.
Above all, the value of resurrection magic was vividly clear to her.
Her eyes glistened with greed.
This was the ultimate value, something that couldn’t be exchanged for any amount of gold.
It was life itself.
Life could be infinitely cheap at times, but to some, it was endlessly precious.
A diamond mine called resurrection magic, the best in the world.
There was no way she would give up such a mine with her eyes wide open.
Besides, even renowned holy mages couldn't heal her body.
She would probably have to go to the Saintess to heal the wound left by Soun.
But going to the Saintess would only lead to a worse situation.
On the other hand, what about this boy with resurrection magic?
He shimmered at a distance that seemed within reach.
However, behind him, the beast known as the Sword Lord was eyeing her life.
It was a dilemma.
To heal the wound inflicted by the Sword Lord, she had to approach someone connected to the Sword Lord.
It was truly like walking a tightrope.
‘A cunning trick you’ve played.’
Would she be killed by the Sword Lord?
Or would she slowly die from the wound inflicted by the Sword Lord?
Ignarion slowly tapped the table with her index finger.
It was a habit that came out when she was lost in thought.
‘The Sword Lord wants to kill me.’
To be precise, Soun wanted to know the true headquarters of Black Dawn from Ignarion.
The executives of Black Dawn wouldn’t talk no matter how much they were tortured.
To them, Black Dawn was a faith, a sacred entity.
Fanatics would not speak the truth, even if their minds were broken.
On the other hand, what about the Red Flame Lord?
Ignarion was a golden firebird driven mad by greed.
If someone offered her a better deal than Black Dawn, she was a woman who would gladly betray them again.
Of course, unfortunately, since she knew their plans, she had no intention of betraying Black Dawn.
Ignarion was a woman who was much more reasonable than the Black Dawn executives.
‘He must want to capture me somehow.’
She could read a hint of that in this recent scheme.
So, who was the one who came up with such a cunning plan?

‘It’s this one.’
Harua.
The audacious viper whose name she only remembered now.
On that day at the Star Cluster Association, it must have been this one’s plan that had tripped her up.
What a truly sly bastard.
And a very interesting one at that.
“To think the day would come when I desire a man this much.”
A hollow laugh formed on Ignarion’s lips.
And her mind started to spin, figuring out how to lure this audacious brat.
He was a madman who would throw away his own life without hesitation to buy a few seconds.
Even with resurrection magic, it was not something a sane person would do.
Ignarion had seen a few people of this kind in her life.
And they were never the type to compromise on things they couldn't accept.
What caught her eye once again was Aranseol.
People are certainly swayed by personal affection.
And if it's a lover with whom they've shared a bed, they are swayed even more intensely.
No matter how tough a person is, they are bound to crumble under the weight of affection.
That's why Ignarion never formed any attachments.
The only person she believed in was herself.
Ignarion slowly pressed her nail into the photo.
“If you’ve shown your weakness…”
Her pupils glistened with a deep red.
“Then I must take that weakness.”
She took out a black jewel from her bosom.
Then, she tapped her finger on the jewel.
A moment later, the black jewel vibrated with a hum.
What appeared on the jewel was a pair of lips.
[Oh, heheheh, did you call for me?]
“Yes, I’d like you to kidnap someone for me.”
[Kidnap? You’re asking for something so dangerous. Who should I kidnap?]
“This girl.”
Ignarion pushed the photo into the mouth.
The mouth gagged, but it somehow managed to swallow the photo.
[Wow, what a pretty person!]
“Right? That’s why she’ll stand out.”
[Isn’t that the Sword Lord’s disciple?]
“That’s right, I plan to use her as bait to lure out the Sword Lord. He’s not moving as I expected, you see.”
Ignarion spoke brazenly without batting an eye.
She had absolutely no intention of sharing the resurrection magic with Black Dawn.
That was a tool that must be monopolized.
“You guys said you’d cooperate, didn’t you? I’d appreciate some help.”
[Hee-hee-hmm, but, but you see. If we lay a hand on the Sword Lord’s disciple, things will really become irreversible, you know? That man, he’ll go crazy and destroy everything, even if it means his own death. Are you sure about this plan?]
“Isn’t that exactly what you guys want? For the Sword Lord to fall into ruin.”
[Ahahaha, that’s true, but I’m also worried about you, my Lord Red Flame! We’re in the same boat, after all.]
He was so good at spouting empty flattery.
Above all, Ignarion knew well that there was no sincerity in it.
This man was the type to say whatever came to mind.
“So, are you going to do it or not?”
[Hmm, I must. It’s a request from you, my Lord Red Flame!]
“Come to think of it, there seemed to be a girl from the Amyeong tribe with them.”
[Oh, one of my kind?]
“Yes, isn’t it a suitable proposal to replenish your shadows as well?”
[Splendid. I’ll get right on it!]
With this, the Deadly Sin of Envy would bring the girl named Aranseol to her.
From then on, what needed to be done was already decided.
The fate of a holy mage swayed by personal affection.
She smiled contentedly, imagining the resurrection machine that would work for her for the rest of its life.

The capital, Valterion. I was face to face with a man.
His name was Soun.
The man called the Sword Lord.
A week had passed since I went to Nox. This also meant that the time I had promised Soun had come.
And today, there was something I absolutely had to propose to Soun.
Whether he would accept it or not was entirely up to him.
“So, you’re saying the Red Flame Lord has already seen through the trap you’ve set?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
A trap set by revealing the existence of resurrection magic.
The Red Flame Lord would have known about the existence of that trap long ago.
From what I heard from Babiyen, that woman seemed to have a good eye for reading situations.
The fact that she hadn’t immediately appeared to find me proved that.
“Then you’re saying you’ve done something meaningless. Why are you telling me this?”
“Because the Red Flame Lord will not give up on me, even if it is a trap.”

Resurrection magic was the only way for the Red Flame Lord to survive.
Would she give up on resurrection magic?
Absolutely not.
Greed includes one’s own life.
She would not give up on me for the sake of her greed to save her own life.
So, what would be the first method she would choose?
“Aranseol, Horizon, Babiyen.”
I listed the three names at once.
“These are the bonds I have built over time. And among them, my bond with Aranseol is the longest.”
Soun’s brow slowly began to furrow.
“Are you saying that woman will target Aranseol?”
“Yes.”
The surroundings began to tremble.
A deep wrath appeared in Soun’s eyes.
To shake the very air by merely revealing his emotions was just what you’d expect from the strongest swordsman.
“Aranseol will be kidnapped.”
“What?”
“That is why I have already received one of her fingers in advance.”
Soun’s eyes began to widen slowly.
“You bastard.”
At the same time, his anger now extended toward me.
He was enraged that I had orchestrated this, knowing that Aranseol would be in danger.
“This was a conclusion reached after discussing it directly with Aranseol.”
However, this was not a matter for Soun to interfere in.
It was a discussion I had directly with Aranseol and the other two.
「I told you I would be your safety net, Harua.」
Aranseol had willingly participated in my plan.
「This is about my master. We need to tie this up properly.」
Babiyen, filled with rage, had called for the Red Flame Lord’s defeat.
「Harua, you saved our sisters.」
Horizon had smiled brightly, saying she could finally repay her debt.
Aranseol, Horizon, and Babiyen had each entrusted me with one of their fingers.
It was the best possible move, as the Red Flame Lord could target them at any time.
That’s why I wasn’t the least bit afraid of Soun’s wrath.
For the sake of the three people who had entrusted their lives to me, I would never be scared.
“And you, Lord Soun, are the final piece.”
“...You bastard, what are you trying to say.”
I took a deep breath and looked at Soun.
Even Ririran, the master of space magic, cannot easily invade Nox.
The Lord of Nox also possesses abilities related to space.
So if Ririran tried to invade with Soun, they would be caught nine times out of ten.
Conversely, even if Soun invaded by himself, the Lord of Nox would notice.
But there was just one way.
A way for Soun to invade without being detected by anyone.

“Would you be willing to entrust your life to me?”
The Red Flame Lord.
This would be the ultimate ‘fuck you’ to feed that woman.