Magical User Aozaki Aoko Case Files Chapter 223

Although it seemed that Aoko and Gourry had completely annihilated Zelgadis’s troops, Zelgadis himself actually had two most trusted subordinates.

One was Zolf, a human sorcerer who had always been Zelgadis’s advisor. The other was Rodimus, a human warrior and mercenary whom Aoko had killed last night.

Zolf had originally hidden at a slightly further distance, planning to use a long-chanting, long-range, large-scale magic to turn the tide when Zelgadis could no longer hold out. This was also Zelgadis’s pre-arranged backup plan.

However, what Zelgadis and Zolf had not expected was how quickly Zelgadis was defeated. Even the werewolf warrior, who usually cherished his life, had his head cut off by Gourry, the golden-haired swordsman, dying beyond dead.

Since his boss had been captured by the opponent… then going out to surrender now was definitely not a good option. That woman was too terrifying. The next plan needed to be carefully considered. First, he would find an opportunity to secretly rescue his boss Zelgadis from that demoness…

All in all, Zelgadis’s most loyal follower had temporarily escaped.

—Divider—

In a large, ancient forest somewhere on the way to Atlas City, inside a cave that no one could find, was Zelgadis, tied up and suspended.

Standing in front of him were Lina, Gourry, and Aoko.

Aoko waved her hand, summoning a stream of icy cold water that splashed onto Zelgadis’s face. He struggled and moved, but with no result due to being suspended, only weakly opening his eyes.

“Hmph, it seems I’ve failed,” Zelgadis laughed self-deprecatingly. “Since you’ve caught me, do as you please.”

“Are you mistaken? You say that as if we’re the perpetrators,” Aoko said, frowning. “It was you guys who ambushed us on your own accord, then failed because you weren’t good enough, and now you’re pretending to be a carefree hero who sees through life and death? What a joke!”

“…Are all my subordinates wiped out by you?” Zelgadis didn’t answer Aoko’s question, but instead asked his own.

“If you’re talking about the subordinates you brought with you, yes,” Aoko said. “But I didn’t see that bandaged man. Did he probably escape?”

Zelgadis didn’t speak, but Aoko felt that he seemed to have let out a sigh of relief.

“I suggest you tell us all the information you know,” Lina said from the side, a mischievous smile on her face as she threatened him. “Otherwise, I can’t say what Aoko might do… She was quite cruel when she dealt with your subordinates earlier.”

“…What do you want to know?” Zelgadis unexpectedly didn’t play hard to get on this, but directly decided to speak.

“Huh?” Aoko said in surprise. “I thought you were a tough guy (literally), and would need some more persuasion.”

“Because there’s no need,” Zelgadis said expressionlessly. “I originally had no interest in you, I just wanted the Goddess Statue, and… I didn’t expect your strength to be so great.”

“Alright, then I’ll ask,” Aoko cleared her throat slightly and said, “What is your relationship with Rezo the Red Priest?”

“I am his… grandson, or great-grandson, or something like that. In short, I’m his descendant. That guy has lived for a long time,” Zelgadis said straightforwardly.

“Then were you originally like this?” Aoko asked curiously. “Did your parents or ancestors combine with monsters?”

“How is that possible!” Zelgadis loudly retorted. “It was a magic experiment, a magic experiment!”

“When I was in my teens, Rezo found me,” Zelgadis recalled. “At that time, I desperately practiced swordsmanship, wanting to gain power and make a name for myself.”

“So Rezo asked me that question: ‘Do you want power?’”

“So you answered yes?” Gourry asked curiously.

“Yes,” Zelgadis sighed and replied. “I was too naive back then… or rather, too foolish. Rezo did indeed grant me powerful strength.”

“But not in the form you imagined, right?” Lina said.

“Exactly!” Zelgadis gritted his teeth and said. “That guy used special magic to fuse me with a rock golem and a demon, turning me into this inhuman, unghostly appearance.”

“Then you’re still working for him?” Aoko said, crossing her arms.

“That’s for my revenge!” Zelgadis retorted. “And I’ve already found the secret to defeating him!”

“What exactly does Rezo want to do?” Aoko frowned and asked. “Or rather, why does he want the Philosopher’s Stone in this statue? Is it really to resurrect some Demon Lord Shabranigdu?”

“Huh?” Zelgadis sounded a bit confused. “How is that possible!”

Aoko thought for a moment, then waved her hand, and a wind blade cut the rope holding Zelgadis, making him fall down.

“I advise you not to mess around,” Aoko warned. “I believe the information you’re giving is true, so we’re probably on the same side now, both wanting to cause trouble for Rezo the Red Priest.”

“Hmph, I understand,” Zelgadis said, flexing his wrists that had been tied for a long time. “I’ll explain Rezo’s purpose to you, at least the purpose I know of.”

“If you’ve met Rezo, you must have noticed that his eyes are closed, right?” Zelgadis said.

“He wants to heal his eyes?” Aoko raised an eyebrow and said.

“Exactly!” Zelgadis said. “But his eyes cannot be healed by ordinary white magic, otherwise, as a high-ranking priest, he would have been able to open his eyes long ago.”

“And what’s stored inside the Orichalcum Goddess Statue is a Philosopher’s Stone,” Zelgadis explained. “The Philosopher’s Stone is the most powerful magic amplifier. He wants to use this Philosopher’s Stone to cast a great magic to heal his eyes!”

…That sounds like a normal person’s normal wish, but why does it involve so many monsters, bandits, and some world-destroying Demon Lord?

“…So your revenge method is to use the Philosopher’s Stone’s amplification ability to defeat him?” Aoko said.

“Or simply destroy this stone in front of him,” Zelgadis said firmly. “He ruined my life, so he shouldn’t expect to get what he wants!”

Aoko, Gourry, and Lina exchanged glances. It turned out they had gotten involved in someone else’s family dispute between grandfather and grandson… One could only say it was bad luck.

“Alright, it seems we can cooperate to make that Red Priest suffer,” Aoko said, grabbing a shirt from the side and throwing it to Zelgadis. “We can team up and beat up your grandfather together. I really dislike people who don’t talk properly and arbitrarily drag others into their messes!”

Zelgadis nodded in agreement, a hope he had never felt before surging in his heart.

His revenge against his grandfather, and Rezo’s terrifyingly profound magic, had always been deeply hidden in his heart, but Aoko’s strength made him feel that this was probably the best opportunity, and it would be hard to find another.