The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

Chapter 118: The Sage Confesses to an Old Friend

At dusk that day, I was on the roof of the castle.

I stood at the highest point of the capital, and looked down at the city below.

This land, which was once a city of the undead, was currently lively once more.

There was no remnant of its former appearance, and it was functioning as the new capital.

A strong wind blew through.

The sky was gradually turning dark.

There were no clouds today.

I should be able to see a beautiful sky tonight. 

I actually had to continue with my office work.

Even as I was resting, the matters I needed to take care of would steadily increase in number.

It was around the time where my subordinates were struggling in their respective duties.

It was not the time to be lazy.

However, I didnt feel like doing work at the moment.

As I stood there doing nothing, I heard the sound of footsteps from behind me.

The presence that appeared stopped beside me.

What is it? Are you waiting for the starry sky?

When I turned back and looked, Logan stood there.

With his arms folded, he looked at me with eyes that made it hard to discern his expression.

Since I felt like he was trying probe me for something, I felt uncomfortable.

Despite such feelings, I shook my head.

I have no hobby of observing stars.

I know.

Logan promptly answered back, and then took a step closer toward me.

Then he quietly asked me.

Dwight, what are you worried about?

I looked down and remained silent.

If my body was not completely made of bones, my surprise would have been obvious.

However, since it was Logan, he would be able to read my emotions even though I was undead.

He was such a man.

Lies and deception wouldnt work against him.

He then went to ask the core of the matter.

Was it about the Hero about Claire Vaton?

I stiffened at his words.

As expected, he noticed it.

I responded to his question, while taking care to make sure that my voice wouldnt shake.

Why do you know that?

There are only a few reasons why you would act like this. How many years do you think Ive known you?

Logan sounded a little angry as he said this.

Perhaps he actually was angry.

I couldnt come up with a retort.

That was exactly the case.

Every time I tried to hide something, he would always notice it.

It seemed it was still the same even now.

Logan spoke to me with a calm tone.

Just tell me. Perhaps itll help you make up your mind.

But

Just ignore your title for now. I am here to lend an ear to my old friend's, to Dwight Howards, worries.

Logan told me to make up my mind.

His words were so enthusiastic, which was vastly different from his usual tone.

He must be that serious about this.

It wasnt a situation where I could just refuse him.

I made up my mind and nodded.

I understand.

Logan and I sat on the edge of the roof.

We sat next to each other as we looked down at the city, with our legs hanging in the air.

In that state, I told him my hidden worries.

To put it simply, Im at a loss. In the face of two decisions, I couldnt decide which choice I should make.

What are those choices?

It was about whether or not I should revive that person.

As soon as I said it, my heart swelled with pain.

It felt as if my field of vision got narrowed and my words were jammed.

It was something I've been worrying about for the past six months.

It was always lurking in my mind.

I was trying to reach the answer on my own without telling anyone.

However, I couldnt.

I wanted to show her the world when peace was realized. That is my personal wish. However, she might not wish for that.

Do you have any proof of that?

She is the only person I couldnt turn into an undead.

That was a fact.

The authority I had was superior compared to a common lich, which would allow me to turn any corpse into undead,

By adding magic into the mix, various modifications and customization are possible.

I could turn one into any undead race I liked.1

However, she was the sole exception.

Regardless of how much I exerted my ability, she wouldnt be revived as an immortal.

Considering that her bones still remained, it was originally an easy task.

More than a year has already passed since Ive returned above ground.

Despite the fact my authority had greatly strengthened compared to when I first revived, it was still impossible to do so.

That person wished for world peace.

That was the reason she became the Hero and finally defeated the Demon Lord.

And due to the same reason, she accepted her own execution.

It was because she was aware that if she were to resist, another conflict would arise along with it.

Her feeling for peace was real, without any doubt.

I wanted to show her a peaceful world. 

That was why I inherited her will and made an effort to achieve it.

The process until the peace reached was totally different, but the goal to reach such an end was the same.

However, perhaps that might be a mistake.

Perhaps she didnt wish to see the current state of the world?

Such a suspicion greatly disturbed my mind.

It always made me feel anxious, and made me stop thinking.

If not for my duty as the Demon Lord, perhaps I would have already sought my own death.

In the first place, the act of reviving the past Hero to a peaceful world in an act that would drag the world into yet another conflict. It would only produce more chaos. It is in conflict with my reason for existence.

The return of the Hero and the deterrent existence which led to world peace.

It was difficult to achieve both of them.

Both of them contradict in the process.

From the Demon Lords perspective, Heroes ought to never appear.

I have slain heroes with that in mind.

The act of reviving that person was synonymous to bending my policy so far.

I had no intention of fighting that person.

However, the people around the world would expect the Hero to slay the Demon Lord.

Everyone expected to see the realization of poetic justice.

It was an unwelcome turn of events for me.

If that person were to revive at the present age, she would be troubled with her own position.

She wouldnt be able to live in peace.

I ordered the laboratory to research methods to revive the dead. It still hasn't been realized, but it will eventually succeed someday.

I was sure of that.

That facility possessed the most advanced technology in the world.

If we were to research it for hundreds, thousands of years, we would eventually be able to realize the technology to revive the dead.

Not to revive people as undead, but to restore them as a perfectly normal living beings and return them to the current age.

The moment that technology would be realized, I had to decide what to do.

Diella asked me, what would she think if she saw me right now? I couldnt answer her.

It happened six months ago, when we fought at the end of Baruchs machinations.

The moment I received those words, I exposed a gap and ended up suffering a big wound.

It was something caused by my own weakness.

It was also a big worry of mine on its own.

If it was a mere provocation or incitement, it wouldnt affect me.

It was because I was wondering the same thing deep down inside of me, it exposed a fatal weakness in myself.

I had no choice but to admit it.

It was something I tried to ignore subconsciously all this time.

To be honest, I couldnt believe in my own actions and methods.

I was afraid of being despised by that person.

There was a possibility that we might end up fighting each other, regardless of peoples expectations.

As the Demon Lord of this generation, can I openly meet with that person?

Even as I asked myself about it, I couldnt immediately answer.

That was, without a doubt, a liability on my part.

That was the worry and conflict I carried inside of me.