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

I stood in midair, looking down at Doldar.

A layer of tension condensed over the battlefield.

Even the slightest movement was a matter of concern.

My opponent was a person that deemed such a response.

“Doldar the Thunderbolt” was a pirate who was active when I was a human.

He was a mighty man who ravaged the seas of the world.

It was said that he could build a country with the treasures he possessed.

Even the demon race that followed the previous Demon Lord did not dare to approach the waters under Doldar's control.

This alone indicates what kind of authority he had.

The fact that Doldar was mentioned as a candidate for the hero stems from an incident when he refused to take on the task of subjugating the Demon Lord.

A country different from my former kingdom had asked him, a treacherous pirate, to do the job.

In return, they received the messenger’s freshly severed head.

The head was stuffed with gold coins in its mouth.

I guess that was Doldar's way of satire.

He was generally unrestrained and dangerous, but if you stayed clear of the waters under his control, you would not be harmed.

For this reason, the nations of the world tolerated Doldar's pirates.

Every once in a while, they tried to kill him but were always beaten back.

Doldar was known as a genuine scoundrel until the Demon Lord was finally vanquished.

I didn't expect such a pirate to be in the Imperial capital ten years later.

I could only say that it was an unexpected development.

For him, the empire was supposed to be a place with which he had absolutely no connection.

According to the information from our spies, a knight who used lightning magic had indeed been mentioned as a person to watch out for.

However, they did not know his true identity.

This must have been another piece of information that was kept secret.

It was a very strange encounter indeed.

“I’d heard that the Demon Lord was a vile necromancer, but it seems I was wrong. You can fight with a heart full of spirit.”

Doldar spoke with heartfelt joy.

Even in the face of a Demon Lord, he did not feel the slightest bit of fear.

I'm sure that for him, having dealt with sea monsters for many years, a Lich is an insignificant existence.

“A heart full of spirit, huh? Not as much as you… Thunderbolt.”

“Hoho, how long has it been since I've heard that name? It is an honor to be known by the Demon Lord.”

Doldar spoke in surprise.

There is no doubt he must have been joking when he said he was honored.

His face told me so.

“I thought you were a pirate. Why are you in the Imperial capital?”

“Hahaha! How many years ago are you talking about? I retired as a pirate when my ship sank; now, I'm a general for hire.”

Laughing loudly, Doldar put his hands on his chest and spoke.

I was surprised to learn that he had stopped being a pirate and chose to become a general of the Empire.

“Did you swear allegiance to the Empire?”

“No, I'm just a man who wants to have a good fight. It doesn't matter if it's on land or on the seas. The Empire is the most convenient place for me to satisfy my needs.”

This was a typical Doldar answer.

It is rare to come across a man for whom the word “allegiance” does not fit at all as it does for him.

As he said, he was hired, and his affiliation with the empire was probably temporary.

For Doldar, it must be a leisurely pastime.

“Let’s cut the idle chatter. I’ve received the order to defeat the Demon Lord, and after I am done with you, I have to deal with the undead army in the city.”

As Doldar gazed at the crumbling streets, he gave a sigh and raised his battleaxe.

The purple lightning, which had been quiet all this time, surged up again with a crackle.

The synergistic effect of body-strengthening magic had given him an inhuman level of physical strength.

“Let's go!

Doldar crouched, and in the next moment, his figure blurred.

He ran through the air, drawing an afterimage, and slashed at me with his battleaxe.

He is fast.

During the conversation, I enhanced my kinetic vision with magic.

I don't have physical eyes, but I can produce the same effect with my senses.

Doldar no longer flickered as he had earlier.

“Humph!”

Doldar swung down his battleaxe, and the swing hurled towards me.

It was a very straightforward attack, but it came at me with a power and speed that was difficult to defend against.

I spun around just before the blade hit me.

I could feel the blade of the battleaxe scrape my shoulder.

Disregarding the damage I took, I extended my hand, which was covered in miasma, towards Doldar’s face.

“Urk…!”

Doldar, who seemed to have a scowl on his face, withdrew his battleaxe and retreated.

As expected, even he has to avoid a direct miasma attack.

It seems that his lightning magic can combat the miasma to some extent, but there was a limit to that as well.

If he touches me, I can take care of him.

I manifested ivy from my hand with a spell and tried to entangle Doldar.

Even he can’t escape the fate of becoming an undead.

“Urk!?”

Doldar was a little surprised, but he used his battleaxe to cut down the approaching ivy.

It seemed that his reaction speed was also extraordinary.

He cut down dozens of vines in a flash.

I continued to grow the ivy without regard.

His strength is terrifying. But something’s amiss.

Through the series of exchanges, I was convinced.

“Doldar the Thunderbolt” wasn't a threat that could kill the Demon Lord.

His strength remained within the limits of humankind.

At the very least, he was not an existence that could stall my progress.

If this was an encounter based on the will of the world, then I had been underestimated.

While Doldar slashed at the ivy, I turned my attention elsewhere.

It was the nearest cannon battery on the outer wall.

It was anchored by ivy.

I deactivated the spell and removed the ivy restraints.

I then used the undead who was the former operator inside the magic artillery cannon to turn the barrel.

The target was Doldar's back.

The shells are already loaded. I can fire at any time.

After confirming Doldar was in line of the barrel, I fired a shell.

Doldar, who had cut away the ivy, reacted swiftly to the shell hurling toward him from behind.

"Guoooooooooooooooo!?”

He slammed his battleaxe into the oncoming shell and redirected its trajectory, releasing sparks.

A roar and a thunderbolt accompanied the storm.

The shell, with a now damaged tip, passed by Doldar and me.

I'm surprised. He can even fight off the shells, I see.

My opinion of Doldar grew higher.

He was a man of unusual skill and physical strength.

He was definitely worthy of being called a hero.

If only his personality and conduct were better, he might have really become a hero.

His ambition convinced me.

“…!”

He gave a small groan.

His battleaxe was broken and his arms were bleeding from dodging the shells.

His overworked muscles had reached their limit.

A few of his bones were probably broken.

He looked like he could drop his battleaxe any time.

I approached Doldar from behind and twisted the ivy around his limbs, blocking his counterattack.

Doldar looked at me with delight through his helmet.

His blue eyes were blazing with passion.

“B-Brilliant…”

As I listened to his mutterings, I snapped my fingers.

Doldar’s head flew through the air.

His head wearing the helmet burned with black flames and disintegrated into dust.

His body entangled in ivy was tossed down.

As blood spurted out from the severed part, and Doldar's body was lost to the streets of the Imperial capital.

After witnessing this, I landed on the outer wall.

The empire is desperate to strengthen its war potential. Were they planning to conquer the continent?

Although the exact time period is not clear, they had hired that Doldar as a general.

His enthusiasm for invading other countries was the real deal.

If left unchecked, he might have committed acts of aggression behind the scenes.

It seems I was correct to intervene at this stage.

It was a bit of a distraction, but it didn't affect my plans.

I'm going to continue to steal the Empire's military secrets.

I'll finish everything by sundown and leave as quickly as possible.