Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

Though the possibility existed, Justin had not expected the mage to still be alive. The curse had little offensive power, but shock alone could have been fatal.

"It seems my spell was powerful enough after all. Normally, they would have woken up by now."

The Mage lay motionless, completely unconscious. Even after Justin roughly flipped him over and gave him a few taps, there was no response. It was clear that no matter what they did, the Mage wouldn't wake up until he recovered on his own.

"What should we do, boss?" Derek asked, approaching Justin with a slightly puzzled expression. They hadn't expected to capture a prisoner.

"Should we just finish him off while he's still asleep? One hit to the head, and it'll be quick—"

"No. Let's take him with us," Justin cut him off.

"Huh?"

"This guy's from another territory. We need to interrogate him and figure out where he's from."

If the situation had been too chaotic earlier, they might not have had the luxury of taking a prisoner. But now, Justin saw no reason to pass up such an opportunity. After all, this captured Mage was from an unknown territory, which meant he could provide valuable information. Learning about the state, mood, and power of other territories was crucial.

"Of course, let's search him first and see if there's anything useful."

Justin scanned the unconscious Mage from head to toe. If the Mage had a summoning item, it would likely be on the outside of his clothes for easy access during emergencies. After all, keeping it in his inventory would make it slower to retrieve when needed.

"Is this it?"

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Sure enough, the summoning item was easy to find. There was no need to search further. A small flute, hanging from a necklace, stood out immediately. Justin carefully pulled off the necklace and inspected it, prompting an item description window to appear.

[Whistle of the Winged Steed]

Category: Summoning ItemRarity: RareDescription: A small, finger-sized flute. When blown, it summons a winged horse twice a day. The steed obeys its summoner and remains for 30 minutes. Once the time limit expires, the horse automatically lands and vanishes.

"Impressive," Justin thought.

Although the summon time was only half that of the Imp, considering the Pegasus's utility, it was an excellent item. Thirty minutes was more than enough to dominate a small-scale battle and control the skies. Essentially, it allowed the user to command the skies for two battles, ensuring a strategic advantage.

Justin quickly pocketed the flute and stood up. "We'll skip dungeon exploration today. Let's take him back and start the interrogation."

"Understood. But who's going to carry him?" Derek asked.

"Obviously, you, Derek. You're the strongest."

"..."

As the group returned to the territory, carrying the unconscious Mage, they were greeted with surprise. It was clear from a single glance that this was no guest—they had brought back a prisoner. The fact that there was a prisoner meant there had been a battle, and the people feared something major had happened.

Justin quickly addressed the gathering citizens.

"It's nothing serious. Go back to your tasks!" he barked. Your journey continues with empire

"Yes, sir!"

At his command, the gathered villagers quickly dispersed. But even the other pioneers were shocked, and Zachary approached as their representative.

"What exactly happened out there?"

"It's nothing major. We just fought with some folks from another territory."

"Another territory besides Aaron's?" Zachary's eyes widened.

"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you, Aaron's dead," Justin said casually.

"…!?"

Zachary stood there, dumbfounded. Justin, with a calm demeanor, explained the situation in more detail. As he finished, Zachary, still in disbelief, exclaimed, "You went into such a dangerous situation with just five people!?"

"We had no choice. We were the best," Justin replied matter-of-factly.

"I mean, even so…!"

"Sure, if we had brought more people, it might have been easier to win. But we would have had casualties on our side."

At the mention of casualties, Zachary fell silent. The death of a pioneer wasn't just a matter of losing strength; it could instill deep fear into the rest of the group. The fact that their elite team had gone out and returned safely was the best outcome. No one had died, and Justin's authority, along with that of his lieutenants, had only grown stronger.

Zachary, after mulling it over for a while, let out a deep sigh.

"While it ended well this time, in the future, you should take enough men with you, even if it means risking casualties."

"I plan to. We need to avoid unnecessary risks. If I fall, the whole territory could collapse."

"That's one reason, yes. But we also need to avoid becoming too reliant on you, my lord," Zachary said, his expression serious as he looked Justin in the eye. "In a world like this, people need to get used to combat between humans and even the worst situations. If we delay too much, they won't be able to act when the time comes."

"Hmm."

Justin nodded silently, acknowledging the truth in Zachary's words. It would be ridiculous for his people to be strong but inexperienced in real combat. When the time came to fight against other pioneers, they would need to take those currently out hunting with them into battle.

After Zachary left, Justin turned his attention to distributing the items they had retrieved.

"This shield... Rachel's the only one who's really suited for it."

The anti-magic shield was perfect for rushing into battle while blocking enemy spells. While Ethan also used a shield, his role as a healer meant he couldn't be on the front lines. Derek had abandoned shields entirely, leaving only Rachel, who was skilled enough to use a shield and fight at the same time.

"Thanks, Justin! I'll make good use of it!" Rachel said, her face lighting up as she accepted the shield.

Next was the Pegasus summoning flute. It would be an excellent asset for any long-range fighter. Though Justin could use it himself, he handed it over without hesitation.

"Nathan, you take this."

"Me!? You're not going to use it yourself?" Nathan asked, clearly surprised as he looked between Justin and the flute. Considering Justin's firepower, he could have become a flying fortress in battle. Why give up such an advantage?

The reason was simple.

"If I use it, I'll attract way too much attention."

With his current level of firepower combined with aerial dominance, Justin would become a prime target. Enemies would focus all their efforts on him. While flying made it easier to dodge attacks, there would be no cover in the air, and even a lucky shot could hit him if he were being targeted from all sides.

"And I can't summon the Imp while in the air. If I run out of magic, I'd have to land and recharge, which would be a huge hassle in the middle of a fight."

On top of that, there was the issue of firepower…