Chapter 45 - It Meant Incredibly Small
It Meant Incredibly Small
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Translator: Ruby
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: It Meant Incredibly Small
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“But… this seems like it will be rather difficult to make according to the calculations.”
Things had been going well until now, but Marco suddenly shook his head.
Pico tilted his head and asked,
“Why is it suddenly impossible? Ppyak?”
“First of all, obtaining Raplaren flowers has become impossible.”
“Huh? Even if Raplaren flowers aren’t exactly common, it’s not to the point of being impossible, is it? Ppyak.”
“That used to be the case, but…”
As Marco trailed off, Jephron answered in his place.
“Recently, a Death Fog appeared in the nearby forest. It has remained stationary in a specific area without moving, but… it cannot be approached. It seems the Raplaren flowers are also located there.”
Marco nodded in affirmation.
So unless we went there, Storm Growth would be impossible?
I thought I needed a more detailed explanation about this so-called Death Fog.
“I would like to hear more details.”
Jephron nodded and continued.
“Outwardly, it looks like an ordinary fog with nothing special about it. From a distance, it merely obscures vision like real fog. Its height stays at about twice that of an average person’s height… but the problem is that once you step inside, it melts flesh.”
“It… melts flesh?”
“Yes. It does not move even when the wind blows, and it does not react when stones or branches are thrown in. However, it reacts precisely to living beings, so even the beasts in the surrounding area have disappeared.”
He let out a sigh and continued.
“The Oliton Archdiocese suspected that this abnormal phenomenon might be connected to the Graveyard Anomaly. That’s why Commander Vincent and I moved to Saint Traval. We thought that if we eliminated Horikdon, the cause, everything would return to normal, but…”
“It seems that wasn’t the case?”
“Yes. Immediately after returning, we sent troops again yesterday to check, but reports came back that nothing had changed.”
Marco shook his head regretfully.
“Without Raplaren petals, it’s going to be difficult no matter what.”
Just as everyone felt cornered at a dead end—
Pico spoke up again.
“I want to see it myself, ppyak. I have a guess, ppyak. Master! I want you to take me there, ppyak!”
I turned my head toward Pico.
“You have a guess? You think you know the cause?”
“That’s right, ppyak. I may look like this right now, but I still retain all the memories from my past life, ppyak. Still, I think I need to see it in person first, ppyak.”
“Hm…”
There was nothing to lose by going to take a look.
I nodded and asked,
“If your guess is correct, can we retrieve the Raplaren flowers?”
“Yes. If I’m right, ppyak.”
“Good. Inquisitor Jephron, could you guide us?”
“Of course.”
Once the next destination was decided—
Marco, who had been listening, raised his hand and asked,
“Th-then what happens to me?”
“Wouldn’t you just prepare everything else in the meantime?”
“Well, th-that is… aside from the materials, it will cost quite a lot of money too…”
I turned toward Jephron and spoke.
“Inquisitor Jephron.”
“Yes.”
“Is funding available here?”
“Of course. How much will you need?”
I gestured toward Marco with my chin.
“As much as he wants. All of it.”
Upon hearing my answer, Marco’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
“H-huuuh…! I-I-I… I’m not even a certified alchemist yet, I’m just an apprentice…”
“So? You don’t like it?”
“N-no! I love it! Absolutely! Th-thank you! Sir Rohan! Thank you! Thank you so much!”
I smiled faintly.
“Sir Jephron. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make arrangements so that the funds are provided immediately on the way.”
This was by no means a losing deal.
After all, Marco was someone destined to become a legendary alchemist.
Making him my ally would be a tremendous asset in the long run.
“And it’s not even my money.”
Having gained Marco’s goodwill without lifting a finger—
I then set out toward the Death Fog.
***
The Oliton Forest.
The city of Oliton in the Kingdom of Baltras was actually named after this forest.
True to the meaning of “old” in its name, the place was filled with exceptionally massive trees.
We were passing through those giant trees.
While doing so—
Pico, who had perched himself on my shoulder, asked,
“By the way, ppyak. Why did you name me Pico? Ppyak. Does it have some noble meaning? Ppyak?”
Pico was a name I had given him.
And as he said, it carried a very, very significant meaning.
“Of course. It’s a meaningful name.”
“Ohhh. I haven’t spent that long with you yet, Master, but someone like you is rare, ppyak. If a master like you named me, that just makes me even more curious, ppyak.”
“Do you want to know?”
“Of course, ppyak!”
I slowly told him the meaning of the name.
“Ten to the power of negative twelve.”
“Ten to the what? N-negative? Ppyak? Twelfth power? Ppyak?”
He still didn’t understand even after I explained it directly.
I was a bit disappointed, but since he was still just a chick, I added more explanation.
“It means 0.000000000001.”
“P-ppy… ppyak? What does that mean? Ppyak.”
“It means incredibly small.”
“W-what! Ppyak! I-I’m not small! Ppyak!”
I slightly turned my head and looked at Pico.
At best, he was only as big as my ear.
“You’re small.”
“P-ppy! Ppyak!”
He flapped his wings frantically, but the wind it produced was no more than a gentle breeze.
At that rate, flying was impossible—he would only fall.
At that moment, Diaz, who was beside us, stepped in to mediate.
“Pico. Please come here.”
“Subordinate No. 1! Ppyak! I’m really so hurt! Waaah! Ppyak!”
A phoenix crying while burying its head in someone’s palm.
I wondered how long it would take to raise him properly.
Still, a chuckle escaped me.
In my constantly nerve-wracking days, it felt like a small source of comfort.
And while we were spending that lighthearted time—
“We’re here, Sir Rohan. From this point onward is the fog’s domain.”
We had arrived before the Death Fog.
***
Just then—
A bird that had been cutting through the air flew low toward the Death Fog.
And the moment it stepped into the fog’s territory—
Flap! Flap!
We witnessed an unbelievable sight with our own eyes.
The instant the bird entered the fog, smoke rose from its entire body as if it were burning.
“Kyaaah!”
At the same time, with a desperate cry, it fell.
Unable to fly again, it plummeted straight down.
Soon, the bird completely disappeared into the fog.
Thud.
Only the faint sound of a miserable crash echoed from somewhere deep within.
Even I, seeing such a sight for the first time, was left speechless.
“……”
And yet, surprisingly—
“Sniff! Sniff! Subordinate No. 1, put me down, ppyak.”
Without showing much surprise, Pico wiped his tears and stepped forward.
“O-okay.”
Once Diaz set him down on the ground—
Pico toddled up to the front of the Death Fog.
Then he flapped his wings forward.
Pico’s wingbeats should have produced no more than a faint breeze, but—
Whoooom!
The fog trembled.
Seeing that sight, Jephron gasped in shock.
“N-no way…!”
Of course, the fog did not completely disappear.
Even so, it was impossible not to be astonished.
After all, he knew better than anyone how all previous efforts had been futile.
“No matter what method we used, the fog never budged even an inch…!”
And yet, that tiny wingbeat had moved it!
“As expected… Sir Rohan’s chick truly is different…”
Was that a compliment?
“It’s ambiguous…”
In any case, Pico nodded as if he had finished assessing the situation.
“As I thought… Master! Master! My guess was right, ppyak.”
I lowered my palm so he could climb onto it.
Hop.
Perched on my palm, Pico nodded and continued.
“Yep! This looks like something a Mortal Phoenix made, ppyak. It’s probably somewhere nearby, ppyak.”
“A Mortal Phoenix?”
If it was a Mortal Phoenix…
I knew about it as well.
“The Immortal Phoenix and the Mortal Phoenix.”
Death and rebirth.
The end and eternity.
Two divine beings symbolizing complete opposites.
That said, the Mortal Phoenix was not an evil existence.
Rather, it was truly worthy of being called a divine being.
“A bird that allowed the undead to rest again and guided the dead safely to the afterlife.”
That was the Mortal Phoenix.
However, the Mortal Phoenix never appeared in the original story.
It existed only as lore.
Just like Pico, the Immortal Phoenix.
Even if the Mortal Phoenix disappeared, it didn’t seem that the concept of death itself vanished.
It was merely that the guide to the afterlife had disappeared.
In any case, I remembered that the lore never explained why the Mortal Phoenix vanished or what happened to it afterward.
“I think they said that because the Mortal Phoenix disappeared, the undead increased, making the Great Invasion easier.”
As I traced my past memories—
Pico tilted his head and spoke again.
“Jephron. Didn’t you say this appeared quite a long time ago, ppyak?”
“Ah… y-yes.”
“That’s strange. This guy isn’t the type to stay in one place, ppyak.”
At that moment, I wasn’t interested in the habits of a Mortal Phoenix.
“So. If your guess is right, is there a way through?”
“Of course, ppyak.”
“How do we do it?”
“The master goes in, ppyak. Master! Charge forward! Ppyak!”
What kind of nonsense—no, bird nonsense—was that?
He was telling me to walk straight into a Mortal Phoenix’s domain.
“……”
“What, you don’t trust a phoenix? Have you been scammed your whole life? Ppyak?”
“Would you, if you were me?”
“The Mortal Phoenix’s power is exactly the same as mine, ppyak. But right now, the master has my regenerative power combined with your own inherent strength, ppyak. That puts the power balance perfectly even, plus your abilities on top of that, ppyak. So it’ll definitely be fine, ppyak!”
Even if he said it seriously, it would’ve been hard to believe.
With all the ‘ppyak ppyak’ in between, it felt even less trustworthy.
“Still, it doesn’t seem like he’s lying.”
“Don’t worry, ppyak! I’ll stay out here and restore you with everything I’ve got! Just trust me! Ppyak!”
I almost wished he hadn’t said anything.
It drained my energy.
Trusting Pico’s words—
“I’ll be back.”
“P-please be careful, Sir Rohan.”
“We’ll be waiting, Sir Rohan.”
I stepped into the domain created by the Mortal Phoenix.