The Undying Magician - Book 2 - Chapter 58 - Contemplation (Patreon)

                                                              Nathan
                                        Year 2849 | Month 1 | Day 28

A few days pass without any attacks by the magicians. But despite that, I keep all of the refugees inside of the cave, not allowing them to leave and simply letting them have the massive stash of food and water that I’d built up from my mercenary work. Food and water that I don’t really need, since I’m not really a fan of eating food in general. Unless it’s mint ice cream that is.

And thanks to my condition, I don’t have to eat all that much to keep myself from feeling that vague hunger that not eating gives me. Or the light pins and needles feeling it comes along with when my body is basically trying but failing to starve.

So all that food was kind of just sitting there barely being eaten anyways. Better to just let the refugees have it if it’ll keep them from leaving the cave where they might be killed by the magicians.

I silently walk through the newly dug out tunnels of the underground village, simply passing by refugee after refugee, each of them waving at me or giving me some form of greeting along the way. And throughout this process, I can’t help but smile very faintly.

It’s nice to know that I’m not becoming completely apathetic towards people. Since I do care about these refugees.

At this point I think I’m just apathetic towards those who do me harm. Like soldiers who shoot at me for example.

Which basically means that instead of the small amount of guilt I felt before when killing someone in battle, I now don’t feel anything like that. Of course, that’s only when they attacked me. If I’m not attacked, then there’s no reason to kill them.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth after all.

Anyways, I continue making my way towards the main tunnel leading to the entrance of the cave. And when I make it to the barrier, I walk outside before closing my eyes and focusing on my senses.

From what I’ve been able to gather when going out like this, there is a large encirclement around my cave. But none of the magicians involved in the encirclement are actually approaching us. They’re all just there in a blockade outside. Almost as if they’re preparing something.

I open my eyes again after finding that the blockade hasn’t gotten any closer.

Judging by the conversations I’ve overheard from time to time, the soldiers in the actual blockade aren’t going to be participating in the battle. Just the magicians from nine different cities.

So I won’t bother the soldiers themselves. After all, the people will need them for protection after the magicians are dead. And who knows? Maybe I could hire them to look after the refugees if they aren’t terrible people.

Because I never signed up to be a babysitter.

My thoughts pause for a second when I hear someone stepping out of the barrier, making me glance over to find Carol having walked outside of the cave.

“Do you think we’ll be in trouble?” she asks when she gets close enough to me. But I just shake my head and focus on the trees again.

“No,” I answer after a few seconds. “Not as long as you stay inside of the cave.”

She doesn’t say anything for several minutes, simply standing out with me as I stare at the forest until she finally says, “Please win. The children would be devastated if you died.”

I glance at her with a raised brow before focusing on the trees again and saying, “I can’t die. So don’t worry about that.”

Carol doesn’t say anything in response, instead simply going back into the cave again, leaving me in silence.

It’s nice to say that out loud for once. Not having to keep it a secret.

Although people most likely wouldn’t believe me. In fact, I wonder if Carol even believed me there? She might’ve just thought that I was bluffing or something to make her feel better.

Which isn’t something I’d do.

I can’t really blame them though. Immortality is a thing a lot of magicians strive for, and yet, none of them have succeeded. Except for two that is.

Myself of course, and that skeleton. Neither of which were through our own doing.

And technically the skeleton isn’t really immortal. Since his body runs on miasma, if all of the miasma in his body is wiped out, then he will die.

It’s just that he generates far more miasma simply by existing than he uses up to stay alive.

In all honesty, this fight won’t likely amount to much more than another experiment for me. The only reason I’m not going in right now to attack is that I actually want to see whatever they’re preparing. I want to see what effect taking more damage will have on my immortality.

Will the distortion in my time and space mana reappear and grow large than before? Will it actually reach a point where I’ll take damage that won’t repair right away? Or will it just be another failed attack on me like all the others have been?

I doubt it’ll result in much, considering that I’ve been hit by both the skeleton’s miasma and a small attack by the doctor before and still healed right away from them. But at the same time, I wasn’t focusing on the time and space mana at the time. So all I know is that I healed, not the actual effects it had on my condition.

One thing I am looking forward to after this though.

Getting rid of these nuisances. Because these nine are the most annoying out of all the magicians who have been badgering me these past couple months.

So not having to deal with them anymore will be a major bonus for me.

I continue watching the trees for a few more minutes before going back inside of the cave again.

Still no signs of attack today.

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