Modern World Warlock

As Radeon told Dante about his life and how he became a Death Knight under Netherius' command, the warlock listened attentively.

"Hellslayer… This-" Radeon muttered.

"This is not what I wanted!" he continued, his voice breaking with desperation.

If Radeon had a body that wasn't made with bone fibers, tears would've come out of his eyes. Instead, the green glow that came out of his eye sockets changed hue into a softer blue.

"I just wanted to study more magic… Why would the goddess forbid it? Why was I sent to prison!? Why did I accept Netherius' deal!?" Radeon kept asking himself.

"It's easy to lose yourself in magic. You are not the first one who's gone through something like this," Dante replied, prompting Radeon to raise his head and stare at the warlock.

"Hellslayer… Do you understand my predicament?" Radeon asked with a calmer tone.

"I can't say I do… I'm not really a big fan of magic, so I was never interested in learning more than what I needed," Dante confidently answered.

Radeon was slightly taken aback by Dante's words, as he couldn't believe that someone who was at his level wouldn't show interest in magic. Still, he found it somewhat interesting.

"Radeon, you learned magic because you wanted to. I learned it because I had to…" Dante continued.

At that moment, Radeon remembered his own childhood. He was born into a good family who lived in a city bustling with opportunity, and learning magic was a hobby for his parents.

As he grew up, his love for magic became an obsession, which led him to search for more spells that would inevitably lead to his imprisonment.

On the contrary, Dante was abandoned at an orphanage in the Shadowvale area, adopted by another warlock, and taught magic in order to survive.

"Was I wrong, Hellslayer? Was it wrong of me to want to learn more!?" Radeon asked.

Dante took a deep breath and sighed. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to learn more…" he muttered.

The warlock's words seemed to strike deep into Radeon's heart, and as the man made of bone fiber sighed with slight satisfaction, he raised his head and looked at Dante in the eyes.

Dante clenched his lips with a bit of apprehension, knowing that Radeon was asking him to end his life, and while Dante was planning on doing that all along, it still didn't feel right.

"Are you sure?" Dante asked.

"I am… I'm not supposed to be here, Hellslayer," Radeon replied, his voice more confident than before.

"I would like to see my parents again… I want to apologize…" Radeon continued.

As Dante slowly placed his palm on Radeon's chest, the netherlord looked back at the warlock.

"Ah, I did cast an explosion spell against those women… I hope they are okay. They were outstanding fighters," Radeon commented.

After pointing in the direction where he had encountered Megan, Lindsey, and Irina, Dante thanked Radeon for his information, and with a wholly serious expression, he cast a "Destro" spell that turned Radeon's body to ash in an instant.

"Aaaaand, cut!" Tanya said, standing a few meters away from Dante, who was still kneeling on the ground without looking at the camera.

"Wow, what a great scene. Lots of emotions and dialogue!" The reporter continued, prompting Dante to stand up slowly.

"Ah, would you like to see the recording?" Tanya pondered, taking a few steps toward the warlock.

"Shut the fuck up for a minute, woman…" Dante said, his tone low and intimidating, gazing at Tanya and Dirk with sharpened eyes that showed evident anger.

The pair stood still for a moment and widened their eyes in fear, feeling like the warlock was about to kill them both, but when Dante turned his gaze away and walked to the opposite side, they let out a sigh of relief.

Even with how dense Tanya was, she was still competent enough to understand Dante's feelings.

"I'm sorry!" Tanya shouted as Dante walked away, making him halt his steps.

As Dante turned around, he saw Tanya and Dirk kneeling in front of the place where Radeon had died, clasping their hands together in prayer.

"What are you doing?" Dante asked the pair.

"Praying for safe passage… He said he wanted to meet his family, right?" Tanya replied, keeping her eyes closed and her hands clasped.

"Praying to who?" The warlock continued.

"Hmm? To whomever is listening…" Tanya confidently replied, opening her palm and inviting the warlock to accompany them.

Not knowing exactly what he needed to do, Dante kneeled next to Tanya and clasped his hands together in front of the small crater left by Radeon.

"Y-you are not gonna burst into flames or something, right?" Tanya pondered.

"What?" Dante asked back.

*Ahem* "Nothing, nothing… Anyways," Tanya said, waving off her comment and closing her eyes.

"Dear God, please allow this poor soul to rest next to his family…" Tanya said, speaking a full prayer that left Dante speechless.

In the world of Terra, people used to pray to Goddess Aelara for everything. They prayed to her for a good harvest, good health, and even asked for her favor in combat.

However, nobody ever prayed to her for the well-being of the souls of the deceased, as it was considered blasphemy to relate the goddess with the concept of death.

After praying to "whoever was listening," the trio stood up and kept moving to the place where Radeon said he was fighting Megan's group.

While walking through the corrupted streets, Dirk lifted his camera and began recording as Tanya walked beside Dante, asking him different questions about his world.

"And, can you tell us what exactly a warlock is?" Tanya asked.

"Umm, you could say it's a type of mage, I guess…" Dante replied without much care.

"I see… And why did Radeon call you 'Hellslayer'"? Tanya continued, prompting Dante to halt his steps.

Tanya got a little nervous, believing that she had asked something she shouldn't have. Still, the warlock simply turned around and said that it was "just a nickname."

Of course, the reporter didn't truly believe that excuse, but then again, she wasn't dense enough to ask it one more time.