Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Trees and Iron
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The beast pierced through both eye and body by Altemia staggered atop the branch before plummeting straight to the ground. With a thud, its transparently concealed form was revealed. The elves and Arhil gasped in surprise at the sight, and Judah immediately kicked off the ground and charged forward. Mana instantly empowered his body, making his movements incredibly agile.
The activated demon eye revealed things normally invisible to him, stealth and concealment included. He moved so fast that he felt the air's resistance across his entire body as he summoned Altemia into both hands.
The sharp, sleek red blades mercilessly tore through the bodies of the unidentified beasts. Slicing, stabbing—they were dispatched by his inorganic gaze.
'Familiars... weren't they?'
He couldn't recall their exact name, but these weren't monsters like the black wolves or silver wolves that resided in a single region. Proof came as the attacked ones lost their forms over time, melting into the air. Normal monsters didn't vanish without leaving loot behind.
Though it was his first time seeing them, these were familiars used by mages to spy on others from afar and gather information. He'd killed every visible one, but there was no telling how long they'd been watching.
"......"
He kicked the one collapsed in front of him. It rolled like a soccer ball before bumping into a tree trunk. He watched silently as its body turned to powder and dissolved into the air, then turned and headed back. The elves seemed to know these were familiars used by mages—some stared at Judah with pale, anxious faces, while others inspected the weapons they'd shared earlier, ready to fight no matter who appeared.
"Judah, these... so those things that vanished earlier, they're familiars, right?"
Arhil stopped talking with the elves as Judah approached. It wasn't just the elves; her face was stiff too, tense from realizing someone had been spying on them.
"Who told you?"
"I did."
An elf who'd been speaking with her stepped forward.
"Sirin."
He nodded. The first male elf they'd rescued, recently captured by humans and sold to the mansion. Judah recalled meeting him there, creating butterflies with mana to cast sleep magic.
"Come to think of it, you were a mage too. ...What are their characteristics?"
"Just the weakest monsters from the demon realm. They breed easily and serve as prey for other beasts. Like how we elves have eyes of truth, theirs blend into the surroundings."
"The demon realm?"
It was news to him. Well, no one would make familiars via alchemy or chimera craft.
"They're easy to summon and maintain with low mana, making them a favorite familiar among mages. Even if their position is discovered and they're killed, the backlash is minimal. Some elves use them too... but their creepy appearance keeps them from being popular."
"Any other traits?"
"From about 5km away from the summoner, they can transmit information, and as you saw, they hide transparently. That's it—no other functions. They don't eat other monsters, no teeth to fear. They feed solely on mana."
5km—a considerable distance.
"No way to pinpoint the user?"
"Of course not. That's the point of mages using familiars for stealth. Unless they attack first, there's no finding them."
He spoke bluntly but shared all he knew. Judah sighed softly and checked his . Not to locate the enemy, but to gauge the distance to the mountain range blocking the path from Silan's territory to the elves' forest.
'We'll reach the mountain's foothills by tonight.'
If only he knew the mages' direction, but without that, hunting them down was impossible.
"Nothing we can do, then. Whoever it is, we keep moving until they show."
"......"
"Let's go. No point staying now that our position's exposed."
Judah strode forward casually, Arhil following, then the other elves. As he said, with no clue where the spy was, cowering or guarding the spot was pointless. The elves tightened their robes and pulled hoods low, scanning the surroundings with uneasy eyes. The forest remained quiet.
+ + +
Twitch!
"Ugh..."
Miloca, a lean man sitting on the gravel by the river, shuddered and groaned. The familiar's death sent backlash pain surging through him. Not scream-worthy, but linked to his eyes, it felt like a punch to the face. Eyes made even mild impacts different.
It didn't end with one. Consecutive pains were enough to draw groans. Owen watched impassively from the side before resuming his task.
He slit the bellies of river-caught fish with a small knife, gutted them, and discarded the innards. Processing about ten didn't take long. Then he skewered them on pre-whittled wooden sticks, secured them before the dry-branch fire, and propped them up.
"Done whining?"
"Damn it. Whining my ass! Thought I was dying!"
"You're just weak. Other mages say the backlash isn't that bad."
"Bullshit. Bring whoever said that—I'll test it. Bet they'll clutch their eyes and cry."
Miloca scowled and cursed roughly. Owen, muscular and sturdy, chuckled at the unfiltered profanity.
"Looks like you're fine, judging by the talk."
"No! I'm not! Why won't you believe me?"
"...You're not some delicate lady."
Owen's blunt words made Miloca grab his forehead. Undeniable. He fell silent. The roasting fish smelled decent.
"Spit out what the familiar saw."
"That guy... was with elves."
"What?"
"With elves. Not one—about twenty?"
"Pretty?"
Miloca thought, then thumbs-upped and nodded. Elves were elves, worth nobles' obsession.
"Nice. Catch 'em for the Duke, maybe he'll spare one."
"Hmm... maybe. But something bothers me."
"What?"
"The guy with the elves—definitely the one impersonating Radiance. His moves weren't ordinary. Spotted my familiar instantly, took out all the scattered ones in under a minute. Blinked and they were gone—handled them so fast."
Miloca's familiars were demon realm bottom-feeders. They survived the harsh, human-unlivable demon realm but sat at the food chain's base, useless for hunting or threats.
Blending into surroundings was their only trick. Incredibly useful for mages, undetectable unless highly mana-sensitive. Spirit Sword owners could sense them easily with their keen senses, but...
"Not a Spirit Sword owner, right?"
Owen asked on a hunch. Miloca shook his head firmly.
"No way. Looked super young—like fresh out of adulthood? Oh, disgustingly handsome. Bet he'll break hearts when grown."
Miloca nodded, recalling the view through the familiar. Handsome bastard, annoyingly so. Fur-trimmed coat suited him perfectly—not the forest sort.
"Don't care about a guy's looks. Gotta kill him anyway."
"...Fair. But won't be easy. Summoned red-glowing daggers in his hands. Threw with left like mercenaries... faster than you, maybe. Eyes had a weird glint too."
"Demon eyes?"
"Probably."
Rubbing his eyelids, Miloca sighed and pulled a rolled parchment from his bosom. He placed a finger on it, channeled mana, and began writing. Each stroke etched a line.
"Reporting to the Duke?"
"Obviously."
Miloca nodded flatly. Impersonator alone? Casual report. But with elves? He paused, tilting his head. Their spot—behind lay Decarman Mountains, then elves' forest.
'Taking elves to the forest?'
Obviously. They'd crossed Urun's border, so he knew Silan prepped war on elves. Isolated elves wouldn't know, but if they reached the forest, the secret would spread fast.
'Tell the Duke to advance the war timeline?'
Might listen or not—worth suggesting. Miloca resumed writing. Message complete, the text faded from the parchment. Confirmed sent, he rerolled and pocketed it.
"Done?"
"Yeah."
"Exchanging letters over such distance—mages are impressive."
"Plenty of money, you could too."
But no one to write. Owen had no family or lover, so even with magic parchment, no recipient.
"Eat and move?"
"Nah, requested backup. Wait for nearby Radiants."
"Why?"
Owen flipped the fish skewers. Miloca grinned.
"Obviously, to capture him and the elves."
"Right. But others will take time?"
"No biggie. Crossing Decarman takes days anyway. Little fortress up top has teleport circles—they'll use those. Duke orders personally? They'll ride 'em hard."
True, too obvious—they laughed together. Fish sizzled golden over the fire.
========== Author's Note ==========
1. Oh man, lay down for a quick rest and zonked out.
Heh heh. Chain posting.
In two days... that day, huh?
Gifts for good kids, but you all aren't kids... shh!?
2.
Q. Author-nim, Shadow Sword Arts/Heresy? Whatever, you said 15 forms at first, now 10—adding 5 more later??????
A. Yep, planning five more. Could be passives!