Me, the Weakest Member of the Hero’s Party? I’m the Villain Though? - Chapter 73

Devotees of Darkness

“Stop right there!”

I shouted at Mildred, who was walking ahead. At that, the entire party turned around at once and focused on me. It was awkward suddenly drawing everyone’s attention, but I had to say what needed to be said.

“You’re not an ordinary witch, are you? And the Black Flame Dragon isn’t here either. Where exactly are you taking us?”

Mildred stared blankly at me as I shouted, then tilted her head to the side.

“Well, if you insist on knowing… I suppose it can’t be helped. We’re almost there anyway, so I’ll tell you.”

With a vile cackle, Mildred slammed her staff down hard against the ground.

At once, the flock of crows gathered nearby took flight together, cawing loudly, ‘Kraah, kraah!’ At the same time, the ground began to tremble with a rumbling roar.

The party staggered in confusion at the sudden quake.

“I am a priest, a lich, an immortal mage who has returned from death who serves the Dark God!”

As she spoke, Mildred’s form burst into pitch-black flames and began to change into a familiar shape. Her flesh melted away, leaving only white bones behind, creaking as they moved.

I was utterly flustered by this completely unexpected turn and stared with my eyes wide. I was sure I’d heard that the lich had been destroyed by the hero’s party?

“Did it make multiple life vessel duplicates?”

Gerard, who was beside me, answered my question right on cue.

It seemed the lich had duplicated what was called a ‘life vessel’, the object in which it had sealed its soul to achieve immortality.

“But then why doesn’t it remember us?”

When I asked in confusion, Gerard turned to look at me with a face that said, how do you not know that?

“Liches usually make dozens of life vessels. They look the same, but each one is a completely different bastard.”

So the thing standing in front of us shared only the same soul as the lich I knew, but was otherwise an entirely different one.

Even so, after exchanging a few words, I’d almost felt a flicker of familiarity, which made it all the more disappointing.

“The Black Flame Dragon was never here to begin with! I merely planted indoctrination about a prophecy into the villagers and the Grand Duke to make them believe there was one, all to lure you here!”

As expected, the claim that the Black Flame Dragon had appeared was complete nonsense. I couldn’t tell whether I should feel relieved that there wasn’t another Black Flame Dragon, or disappointed.

“Why did you bring us here?”

Kyle said through clenched teeth. He probably thought he’d finally tracked down the Black Flame Dragon’s whereabouts, only to find out it was all a false rumor fabricated by a lich, which clearly made him angry.

“I know that you possess a sacred relic.”

“…A sacred relic?”

I recalled what Kyle had told me yesterday. It hadn’t been long since I learned about sacred relics myself, but I never imagined someone in our party might actually have one.

And if the relic was what it wanted, shouldn’t it have taken it last time? Then again, maybe it got beaten to death before it even had the chance to think about stealing it.

“Hand over the sacred relic you have right now! The Dark God requires it. If you don’t surrender it willingly, I’ll kill you and take it!”

As the lich raised its staff high, dozens of fireballs began raining down from the sky.

“Everyone, get behind me!”

Clicking his tongue briefly, Gerard lifted his staff high and deployed a shield.

Since the hero’s party had already defeated a lich once before, I wasn’t particularly afraid. But the moment that thought crossed my mind, the ground suddenly began to shake again.

When I turned around, monsters were pouring out of the mine in a flood, blocking off our escape route. I’d expected it to be a trap, but I hadn’t thought it would be prepared to this extent.

“Kyle, what should we do?”

The party, including Elonen, turned to look at Kyle all at once, as if on cue. It was a moment that demanded the hero’s decision.

“Gerard, you’re with me on the lich. Kakaros, take care of the monsters. Elonen and Derek, protecting Lysian comes first.”

At Kyle’s orders, the party moved in perfect unison. A hero really was a hero. His charisma and instant judgment stood out.

I was admiring him inwardly when Kyle suddenly stepped in front of me. Grabbing both my forearms, he spoke.

“Lysian, stay hidden in the back. You mustn’t get hurt, okay?”