My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 27

-I deeply apologize!!!! Master!!!!!

The day after Laila's concert.

As soon as Cain finally plugged in his charger and turned on his smartphone—something he had completely forgotten to do since coming home the night before—he frowned instinctively at a call from Oman.

A booming voice echoed through the entire room, loud enough to worry about noise complaints between floors, even though the phone wasn't on speaker mode.

Rubbing his still-ringing ears from the unexpected auditory assault, Cain questioned Oman.

"What is it."

From what others said about him, Oman was supposedly a reserved and solemn individual who didn't know the first thing about joking around.

Why he always seemed so desperately fired up whenever they talked, Cain had no idea.

He wished Oman would just speak calmly and softly, as he did with others.

Still, killing Oman out of sheer irritation wasn't an option, considering there wasn't anyone competent enough to take over his duties.

Cain even suspected that Oman imposed such an overwhelming workload on himself as a defense mechanism to avoid being killed outright.

-I disobeyed Master's orders and took it upon myself to escort the Young Lady! I sincerely beg your forgiveness!

"Ah, you mean that."

He had completely forgotten about it.

Only now did Oman’s outburst make sense to Cain.

'Come to think of it, that did happen.'

When he thought about it, Jealousy had operated so discreetly at the concert venue that Cain hadn't noticed his presence until much later. And honestly, it felt more like Jealousy had saved him from a hassle, so Cain had decided to let it go.

-Please grant me the chance to offer a sincere apology! Allow me to commit seppuku with all my might!

"Stop overreacting. I mean it; don't even think about doing that seppuku nonsense."

He had told him before—bringing someone back as an Undead significantly reduced their efficiency.

Cain had spared Oman from death since there was no one else to handle that mountain of work, but if he committed suicide, Cain wouldn't let it slide.

-To be forgiven for such a grave sin! I will serve you with eternal loyalty, Master!

"No, sigh. Whatever. Think what you want."

He hadn't been like this when they first met.

How had Oman ended up degenerating into something as unpleasant as a stale, expired rice ball?

"I don't care about that anymore, so if you have nothing else to say, stop wasting my time and hang up."

-Ah, wait! That aside, I have another report to deliver!

"Before the report, lower your voice first."

Cain was sure he had set his smartphone's volume to the lowest setting.

Yet, in terms of sheer volume, Oman’s voice seemed louder than the concert singer who had performed with top-notch sound equipment the night before.

No wonder his ears were still in pain from holding the phone.

-Yes, understood.

At Cain's words, Oman's voice finally returned to its usual tone.

A deep, resonant voice, like an echo in a cave.

It was such a stark contrast to earlier that Cain could finally bring the smartphone back to his ear with relief.

-I believe we've pinpointed the approximate location of the opened gate to the Underworld.

What was he going on about now?

Cain, half-listening and yawning at Oman's report, had his expression darken the moment he heard what came next.

"Explain in more detail."

His tone grew serious.

His gaze sank low and sharp.

His voice carried a blade-like edge, as if it could cut someone down with words alone.

The atmosphere was so tense that Oman instinctively drew a sharp breath.

Even though only Cain's voice came through the smartphone, it felt as though his throat was being tightly squeezed.

Oman broke into a cold sweat, nervously grinning at the unmistakable shift in Cain's mood.

'This is it.'

Though Cain had long reached the top of the Dark District and withdrawn to enjoy a peaceful rest, his core nature remained unchanged.

The Death King, who had once brought death to all before him and ruled the Dark District with sheer power, was still very much alive within him.

Oman rubbed his arms, trying to calm the goosebumps crawling up his skin.

His Master awaited his response.

Shaking off the tension that bound him with sheer loyalty, Oman slowly began to speak.

-After investigating individuals resurrected by Wrath and Greed, we mapped out the results.

From Dekken Nasara, who caused an uproar at the Grant Department Store, to Freddy, the former leader of Freddy Dog who kidnapped Laila Ruby yesterday and was thoroughly crushed by Jealousy.

"So yesterday's culprit was also one of the resurrected dead?"

-Apparently, ten years ago, he had done the same thing and met his end at Jealousy’s hands. Though Jealousy doesn’t remember that incident at all.

Ten years ago…

That would have been when Jealousy drifted from the Hwan Empire to the Elemental Kingdom's Dark District, running wild like a storm.

Taking whatever he wanted, killing whoever he wanted.

Jealousy’s worst and most savage prime, where his already foul personality was at its peak.

'It's no wonder he doesn't remember, given how many people he killed for trivial reasons.'

He had been so reckless that even years later, when Cain and Oman pacified the Dark District of the Elemental Kingdom, Jealousy had shown up uninvited and gotten beaten like a dog on a hot day, just to test his skills.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Cain was the main reason Jealousy had developed enough reason to make situational judgments today.

"......."

It hadn't even been a month, yet this was already the second such incident.

And Cain, who rarely left his home, had experienced both.

Every time he stepped outside, something seemed to happen.

Was it really fair to call this a coincidence?

-And as a result, we discovered that most of the resurrected dead are concentrated in the Elemental Kingdom.

Just as Cain had expected.

Oman continued to report.

There were occasional incidents involving resurrected individuals in the Great Nature Yggdrasil or the Hwan Empire, but they were very rare.

Most were concentrated in the Elemental Kingdom, and those found elsewhere had originated from this country before moving abroad.

Additionally, all discovered individuals were confirmed to have been villains with a history of wrongdoing.

-It seems that only the gate to Hell's side of the Underworld has opened.

"Damn."

Of all places, the most critical area to manage had been breached.

Was the King of the Underworld seriously not doing his job?

What kind of management led to the Hellgate being breached and left unrepaired for years?

-Based on this information, the passage must have opened somewhere in the Elemental Kingdom.

Although the exact location hadn't yet been determined, this alone marked significant progress.

They had reduced the search area by a quarter.

'Should I call this good luck or bad luck?'

By sheer coincidence, he had stumbled upon a lead to his enemy in the very place he had settled to live peacefully.

Thinking about how the world never let him rest in peace, Cain let out a faint chuckle.

-Therefore, Master, I propose that we immediately dispatch the Dark District's forces to the Elemental Kingdom...

"Permission granted."

Before Oman could even finish, Cain cut him off.

"Act as you see fit. If any of the other Seven Deadly Sins are free, make full use of them. Just bring me results."

-Understood.

"Oh, and to avoid misunderstandings, you should personally meet with the King and the Demon Lord to negotiate."

As long as they weren't attacked first, retaliation was unnecessary.

That was the Death King's motto, and he preferred not to break it unless absolutely necessary.

"Resolve this as peacefully as possible. I don't want any hassle. Use my name if needed. But if they ultimately refuse our demands, let them know we'll resort to force."

Surely, they wouldn't outright reject negotiations.

Cain hadn't planned on getting involved with the Demon Lord, but things had taken an unforeseen turn.

-I will follow your orders, Master.

Everything shall proceed according to the Death King's will.

With no objections, Oman prostrated himself and ended the call, then immediately relayed Cain’s orders to his subordinates.

* * *

The Dark District was on the move.

At that moment, the ones who had been hiding behind the shadows of the continent since the war with the Great Nature Yggdrasil decided to rise again under the orders of the Death King.

"Thank you so much, Maril!"

Benedict Academy was enjoying peaceful days as usual.

Class A students had left the classroom and come out to the playground, which was unusual.

Having changed out of their school uniforms into gym clothes, they chatted excitedly with their close friends, their moods more buoyant than usual. Among them, Arina clasped Maril’s hands tightly with both of hers, shaking them up and down enthusiastically as Maril arrived a little late to school due to family matters.

"You must have had a good time yesterday."

"Yes!"

Was she waiting for that comment?

Or was it because she had been itching to brag? Arina burst into speech, talking rapidly without stopping.

"I shook hands with Laila! Took pictures! Got an autograph! Even had a conversation!"

"You’re too excited. Calm down and speak slowly. I’ll listen to everything."

For someone as composed as her to be this ecstatic, it was surprising.

Seeing her so thrilled made the giver of the gift feel quite proud.

It even made them want to give her something else in the future.

"And also…"

Despite Maril’s attempts to calm her down, Arina couldn’t stop herself and kept chattering away.

Her enthusiastic thanks, mixed with boasting, finally came to an end only after she pulled out her smartphone from her pocket and showed a photo of herself posing affectionately with Laila.

"Still, I was relieved. Despite what happened yesterday, she seemed fine. To be honest, I was worried until the moment I met her after the concert."

"What happened yesterday? What kind of incident?"

"Ah."

Was it because she was too excited and let her guard down?

In the end, Arina let a slip of the tongue escape her lips.

'What should I do now?'

She had been asked to keep it a secret.

She had been strongly warned to make sure not to let a word of it leak to anyone, as it could cause trouble externally.

And yet, she’d made such a mistake the very next day after receiving that request.

Had her mouth always been this careless?

Flustered, Arina’s eyes darted noticeably in another direction.

"Uh, um, so? Why were you late to school today, Maril?"

"…"

Her awkward tone, riddled with stammers, combined with the cold sweat trickling down her forehead, were a conspicuous mess.

The way her eyes quivered and she kept gauging Maril’s reaction was an absurdly chaotic combination.

If you’re going to change the subject, you might as well do it naturally.

Trying so blatantly to hide it was not only ridiculous but, strangely enough, also endearing.

"It’s nothing special."

Finding her efforts commendable, Maril decided to let it slide once and replied in line with the topic Arina had clumsily redirected to.

Unaware of Maril’s consideration, Arina seemed to think she had successfully gotten away with it.

She let out a sigh of relief.

"My brother had to go on a business trip to another region. I was just seeing him off on my way here."

Although there wasn’t really a need for her to see him off, she knew well that if she didn’t bid him farewell, he’d sulk the entire way and make the people traveling with him uncomfortable.

Besides, the lessons being covered right now were all topics she already knew, so there was no harm in missing them.

"Honestly, it’s a bit over the top. It’s not as if he’s going to another country; he’ll be back in just a few days by airship."

"…"

"He could’ve left a bit later, too. Thanks to him, I ended up coming to school earlier than expected and got dragged out here to the playground."

Her brother must truly be the quintessential prince, huh?

If the prince himself went on a business trip instead of sending someone else, it must have been for some significant task.

For Maril, however, the nature of her brother’s mission seemed less important than her annoyance at not being able to skip the current lesson.

"…"

At that moment, the murmuring among the children began to die down.

Noticing the shift in the atmosphere, Arina and Maril turned their heads toward where the children’s gazes were directed.

"Is everyone here?"

Even a baggy training outfit couldn’t hide her voluptuous figure.

Her slightly tanned skin and hair tied up with a string showcased her healthy beauty.

Rolling her deep navy-blue eyes over the students, the woman slowly opened the attendance book she had brought along.

"I’m calling attendance. If you don’t respond, I’ll mark you absent immediately, so answer properly."

[Enhancement Magic Introduction] Professor Natilda Scape.

As her voice rang out across the playground, the children’s chatter ceased, and the class officially began.