Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn! 155 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Lars felt his soul lurch within him as he remembered the heart-warming and enlightening words that the Gorun Stadium Head Administrator had imparted unto himself and Darius.

That scene was still engraved clearly in his memories, changing his mindset towards the world at large and erasing much of his hatred and indifference towards human-kind - and yet here Mr White was, caught red-handed as an accomplice... No, as one of the Underworld's captains and a mastermind of the crime that occurred in the city!

"Mr White!!! How could you!!!?!? How could you do this?!?! I thought you were different, I thought you were someone who cared for the human race! You were an inspiration when you spoke those simple yet profound words! Yet were they for nothing!?? Just empty sophistry used to deceive and fool those of the younger generation like me?!? SPEAK!!!"

(SPEAK speak speak speak....)

Lars did not realise just how loudly he was roaring until he heard the echos of his last bellow continue resonating through the hallways long after he had stopped speaking. Suddenly he realised that he had his fists gripped incredibly tightly and had unconsciously slammed his foot into the ground, exacerbating the already collapsing complex.

However, the ever-white-robed public servant who was now revealed to be a member of the underground world remained silent, looking as if he were thinking about how to respond to the boy before him.

Lars felt his blood boil over, enraged by the fact that a man he had looked up to and trusted, a man who he had felt a warmth and bond with like no-one before could be one of the depraved minds behind the great crimes perpetrated in this city. He literally could hear the sound of something snapping within him as he thought nothing of wasting his mana and the cooldown of a Blink spell and teleported, reappearing face to face with Mr White.

In a twinkling of the eye, Lars had grasped hold of the old man's collar and flung him into the already crumbling walls, eliciting a heavy "Ooof!" as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. The sickening sound of cracking bones was heard as well as the merely Grandmaster-level man could not withstand the level of manenhanced force used on his body as Lars leapt onto him and straddled him on the floor, gripping his neck and shouting into his face, desperate for an answer to satisfy his shattered beliefs.

"TELL ME!!!! TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME!! Don't just keep quiet, SPEAK!!!!"

But Mr White continued to lie underneath Lars silently with only the sounds of his laborious breathing heard and the occasional drip-drop of the blood that trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Seeing the man's reaction made Lars feel unnerved. He loosened his grip and narrowed his eyes as he felt confused. Hoping for words that would make everything make perfect sense as to why a man he had considered great and visionary would be leading one of the most vile and wicked organisations to mar the face of the earth.

Eeven from their short periods of interactions, Lars had felt that the white-haired old man was a stand-out role model for the human race, able to speak words of wisdom and truth incisively to "slap awake" arrogant young people like himself and Darius with just a sentence or two.

And now he was a traitor committing the most heinous acts against his own kind such as slavery, prostitution, murder and countless other depravities...?

Lars' eyes stared deeply into Mr White's weak and wan face, the youth's expression imploring the older man for a good explanation, a reason that would make everything clear.

But his hopes were dashed as the corners of the older man's mouth began to curl upwards in a mocking, cunning smile before he began laughing maniacally.

"HAH HAH HAH HAHHAHAHA!!! HA, HAHAHA HAHAHHAHHHH! Boy, you are so naive, so so so naive!"

Mr White struggled to sit up slightly so he could spit out the words from his damaged body, saying, "Boy! If you think everything works like in those dramas or epics, you're dangerously naive, stupid even! Do you think everything is so romantic as in those stories?!? If you live with that mush in your brain, how will you survive in this wild, murderous dog-eat-dog world!?? Wake up! Stop being so stupid!"

The words became too much for Lars and he began shaking his head - though he still was not defenceless or in any danger of being defeated as his mana continued to circulate through his entire body.

However, Lars' face turned pale and he half-stumbled, half-fell as he stepped backwards, receiving a psychological blow by the sudden change of image of a man he respected. His brows trembled every now and then and his breaths became hoarse. He could not find the words to speak that could express what was going through his mind, so much was there flitting through his brain right now.

"I did it all for my own selfishness! So there!!! Hahahaha!!! HAH AH AH HAAHHAHAAHH!!! Yes! I am Rogen the Shadow, the mysterious Head of the Four Gates of the Underworld, the one who stands shoulder to shoulder with the Laughing Man, the man who holds the finances of the the entire Gorun City branch and whose single word means the destruction of thousands of families!! That is me!!!"

"And if you want the treasure... Hahaha! Just kill me for it!!! Here it is, here is the secret letter that will tell you everything! Don't worry, it's indestructible! So just kill me! HAHAHAHAHHA!"

As countless thoughts bombarded Lars and plagued his very soul with doubt towards trusting people and believing in human-kind, he felt his heart ache along with his head. Kizorik and Velzash too were not sure how to react. At first they had believed just as Lars had that the old man had a deeper meaning, a heart-wrenching reason for his acts. Perhaps blackmail, perhaps he was a soul-slave, perhaps... Perhaps something, anything at all!

Anything except for the answer that Mr White was pursuing his own selfishness!

At times like this, he felt that his 10 times faster thinking speed was a curse more than a blessing, as he was subjected to mental anguish to his sensitive and tender heart.

One might mock Lars for feeling such a way, but to each their own, was it not...? And though Lars was someone whose heart was not easily swayed nor opened, to those he did trust and open up his heart to, he began to care for greatly... And was thus truly hurt when his beliefs were turned on their head.

Seeing Lars' hesitance, Rogen a.k.a. Mr White pounced to his feet and began to run away, clutching the piece of parchment in his hand - the key to the Underworld's Treasures!

Lars eye were already completely red and bloodshot by now. Releasing a bestial roar of angst, dissatisfaction as well as resentment towards not just Mr White but the wretched, deceitful world as a whole, he turned into a streak of lightning as he used his own bare hands to smash down on the fleeing man's spine, instantly snapping his body in half and ending his life.

However, he was not satisfied with just that and continued punching, kicking, pummeling and smashing his fists and feet into the already-dead body, venting his frustration and anger even as tears began to brim in his eyes.

After an indeterminate amount of time beating down on what was left of Mr White's body, Lars stood over the mashed up and mutilated pile of flesh and bones and panted heavily, striving to draw in breath after breath of air.

He felt dazed and in a blur as he regained his senses, then felt sticky fluids on his face, lips, hands and hair. In disgust, he summoned water to wash it all away quickly.

Lars then looked around - he was unsure of just how long he had lost his rationality, but by the looks of it, it hadn't been long as the collapse of the ceiling had not progressed much.

Absent-mindedly he waved his hand and grabbed hold of the piece of parchment lying on the side. It was smack-dab in the middle of a mangled pile of blood and flesh, but whatever material it was made of was extremely resistant to dirt or staining as everything just slid off the parchment when he picked it up.

Despite his poor state of mind and being in a terrible mood, one that gave him no joy at discovering wealth as this time, Lars' greed still spurred him on to examine the note.

And when he did, his jaw dropped, his eyes turned into fountains instantly and he fell to his knees, sobbing.

'Why...'

'Why must it have turned out like this...?!?'

'How can this be true... How could Mr White be... How could he be someone like that...'

'No... No!!! It can't be true... But I can't deny it... Because...'

'I'm the only one in the entire world, in the entirety of the universe who would be able to confirm what he has written...'

'How can it be so sad...? So tragic...'

'Kiddo.......... I.....' Kizorik too was distraught while Velzash could barely hold back his own sobs, the melodramatic soap-opera consumer that he was.

'You were right when you said life isn't like a drama... No... It is far more dramatic, fuller in twists and turns, more tragic than any story or tale could be...'

Even though the urgency of finding the treasure trove and escaping was increasing with every moment that passed, Lars couldn't care less. He held the note tightly in his hand as tears filled his eyes and streamed down his face, blurring his vision completely and falling with heavy *plop* sounds onto the note. His hands spasmed every now and then, desperate and unwilling to let go, but at the same time unwilling to crumple the last words of the departed man.

Chapter end