Holy Relic
Holy Relic
The activation of the magic was incredibly swift and precise.
The Mana, scattered like a thin layer of frost, seemed about to trap them in a pillar of ice, but in an instant it crumbled, leaving only shackles of solid ice behind.
The twenty strapping men, suddenly weighted down at their limbs and bodies, all staggered violently without exception. But the ice born from Seneran's magic didn't stop there; it branched out like tree limbs, stuck to the floor, and connected the men like spiderwebs, solidifying its hold.
The spectacle of the shattered ice fragments defying gravity and coalescing was nothing short of artistic. And watching from the side, I had no choice but to upgrade my assessment of Seneran.
Because this was the first time I'd felt that scrupulously orthodox magic was so difficult to overcome—more than chantless casting or the magic that Bolta Bay's Unlucky Bard had demonstrated back at the Imperial Academy.
"A common misconception. They think a mage who's only ever played with books in a library is easy pickings."
Seneran, brushing the lingering frost from her fingertips after casting her magic, addressed the horrified thugs.
Whether it was genuinely a trivial spell to her, or she was simply acting like it was, I couldn't tell, but her reaction was so matter-of-fact that despite her haggard appearance, she was completely imposing.
"Looks like I'll need to set that perception straight, using all of you."
I didn't know about anything else, but that vicious-looking smile that tugged at her lips as she finished speaking was absolutely genuine.
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I'd half-expected there to be blood, but Seneran hadn't forgotten the reason I hadn't stepped in.
She resolved the matter by forcibly inscribing a magic imprint on them.
The process was laced with considerable malice, imposing a highly vague condition that they must never again get 'entangled' with her, a condition that they leave this place the moment the ice melts and never approach again, and a final condition forbidding them from ever speaking of this incident anywhere.
Since it was she who had mentioned the danger of vague conditions during the contract with Merdela, it even made me wonder if she really had no intention of letting them live long. After all, the boundaries of what counted as 'getting entangled' were completely undefined.
"Usually, that sort of thing relies on the consciousness of the contracted party. For example... if we assumed they distributed an item I made, then whether they live or die would hinge on whether they knew I was the one who made it or not—does that make sense?"
"What happens if they find out after they've distributed it?"
"They die."
When I voiced the impromptu question that arose while walking through the forest with Seneran, who was practically admitting she intended just that, she answered immediately without a shred of hesitation.
"So you never really intended to spare them?"
"Of course not. Even this is them getting lucky. If it weren't for what you said earlier, I would have killed them all on the spot. The lingering resentment typical of rule-breakers is a problem, but those bastards aren't bold enough to pull something like this on their own. It means someone has been tailing me."
There was someone behind it? I opened my eyes wide at the unexpected information, and Seneran irritably scratched her head before continuing.
"I thought I was just being a little hasty, but I guess some people noticed things were off and put two and two together with my usual behavior. Even though I tend to pay generously, this time I spent rather exorbitantly. It was a reasonable expense since I had to keep the identities of the people I brought here secret, but from an outsider's perspective, it must have looked like a massive sum of money was moving."
"So it looked like a bold investment made because there'd be a return to recoup?"
"Probably, right? The truth is, most of what I use for smuggling is just excessive spending for research, but at times like this, a reputation really comes back to bite you."
Grumbling that it might become troublesome later, she didn't slow her pace, so we arrived at our destination quite soon. Seeing the clearly artificial stone structure from a distance, I couldn't help but think we might have found it just by searching the surroundings, but Seneran confidently erased my doubts, boasting about the barrier she had set up together with my teacher.
"Come to think of it, I suppose it's about time I learned magic."
"Huh? Did something happen in Levien to change your tune?"
"I fought some bastard who was a division commander, and it was hopeless."
"What?! A division commander?!"
Seeing Seneran's jaw drop in shock, as was fitting for someone whose research was directly tied to whether I lived or died, I felt a little sorry.
Just a very, very little.
"What was his name again, Irap? He was an impressive bastard with those Water Buffalo Horns..."
"Crazy. You went up against Irap, the one who shoots light?"
Still, I felt I had some obligation to explain, so I started to tell the story, but Seneran recognized exactly who my opponent was just from hearing the name.
"Was he famous? You recognized him right away."
"In the Demonfolk Territory, he was like a legend of rising through the ranks. The Demon King's Army is strictly a military, and becoming a division commander on sheer combat ability alone isn't as easy as it sounds."
"I was extremely curious about that myself. Are the other division commanders vastly different in combat power?"
"I've heard there's a huge gap among the division commanders. Though, of course, there are some who are just as strong as that guy and equally sharp."
It's fucking hopeless, honestly. As I listened to the explanation that naturally soured my expression, I couldn't keep my questions down.
"By the way, what do you mean by 'among the division commanders'?"
When I asked Seneran, who was merely relieved that I'd returned alive and in one piece, she answered with a casual 'Ah,' as if it were nothing.
"Because I've heard that even among ordinary soldiers, there are quite a few Demonfolk as strong as Irap. They just lack the leadership to command a unit, or have some other defect, so they're employed as lone combatants."
But the answer itself was anything but trivial.
The anomaly was that he rose to division commander through strength alone, and there are more of those bastards below him? God-fucking-dammit. That was disheartening news.
"I really do need to learn magic, and fast."
"You'll pick it up quickly anyway. The reason it takes the Human Race so long to learn magic is mostly because their total Mana pool is laughably insufficient, talent aside. You know what I'm saying, right?"
"Isn't talent the problem? When I see the Margrave of Levien doing chantless casting, or the magic you just showed me, Seneran, my confidence just vaporizes."
"Well, now? I've also lived my life hearing people say I'm something special, so I can't say for sure... but from what I've seen, you're not lacking in talent. Your comprehension is exceptional, after all."
Is that so? I tilted my head and looked at Asilie, and she surprisingly expressed violent agreement, nodding vigorously.
It seems my reincarnator bonus, the old-man passive, was causing a significant misunderstanding... well, it'll work out somehow.
Half-resigned, I followed her, and as we reached the front of the structure, two rough-looking men who had been standing guard shifted their gaze towards us and gave a slight nod. I couldn't tell if they were strong, but their taciturn nature was abundantly clear.
From the outside, it looked like a collapsed pile of rubble, but once we passed the men and entered, we were greeted by stairs and stone walls that were impossibly clean by comparison.
Amid a profound sense of dissonance so strong that I would have mistaken it for a dungeon if I hadn't heard beforehand that this was an ancient Demon God Temple, I was briefly bewildered. When I finally descended the stairs, my teacher and about half a dozen others were busily investigating something, their area illuminated by magic fire.
The scene itself wasn't special, but perhaps because of that, the Demonfolk priest with his horns openly displayed, conversing with my teacher alone among them, stood out all the more. When my teacher's eyes met ours, he cut the conversation short and approached, and the priest followed behind him.
"You've come sooner than I thought. Is Levien already settled?"
"It's not completely over yet, but the Silver Eagle Independent Combat Brigade is capable, so it should be finished soon. I returned because there didn't seem to be anything left for me to do."
No follow-up questions came. He seemed to have already heard everything he needed to the moment I arrived with Seneran. Apparently, the two of them were business partners who worked in better sync than I'd thought.
Instead, my teacher tried to introduce me to the Demonfolk priest who had approached beside him, but the priest politely declined my teacher's consideration and addressed me first, offering a courteous greeting.
"A pleasure to meet you, Eldmia. I am called Mender, a faithful servant of the Demon God Epaga. The Saintess asked me to send her regards."
The greeting out of his mouth was so unexpected that I had to run through the Suicide Bomber Saintess and the prospective Saintess of the Holy Light Cross Order before I could finally recall our Saintess.
Was it a coincidence? When I glanced back, just in case, Seneran read my thoughts and nodded nonchalantly, answering my unspoken question.
"I met her last time, and I figured she might be a little more friendly, so I deliberately sought her out. Fortunately, she was willing."
Hmm. Whatever else, it was clear she hadn't read my exact thoughts. In the end, I had to turn my bewildered gaze back to the cleric who had introduced himself as Mender, and he bowed his head a little more politely as he continued.
"I apologize for bringing this up the moment we meet... but if it is alright with you, may I escort the Saintess here?"
No, wait, what the hell were you doing this whole time that you have to ask me *now*?