Chapter 103
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103
Western Voltimir Territory. A dense forest bordering Ishtal.
Kiriel was participating in the treasure hunt competition alongside her two aides.
One might wonder why a student council president was spending her time on a simple treasure hunt, but one of the prizes was particularly enticing to Kiriel. It was the ‘Leave Pass,’ a B-grade or higher reward.
The pass granted an additional day of leave on top of the twenty-one days students were allotted each year. In short, it was a legitimate way to skip class.
Truthfully, Kiriel had already given up on her written exams, and even her family had stopped caring about her grades. Her older sister, however, had roared that she wouldn't tolerate any dip in Kiriel’s attendance score, forcing Kiriel to attend every single lecture.
But if she could secure a Leave Pass, she could occasionally skip class for a much-needed change of pace. For Kiriel, who valued freedom over a cookie-cutter education, there was no better prize.
Squeak!
As she searched the forest, a squirrel-shaped spirit scurried out from the bushes and perched on Kiriel’s shoulder.
“Tailsquil, what’s the situation?”
Squeak, squeak!
The squirrel whispered into Kiriel’s ear, pointing its tail toward a thicket.
“Ah, there’s one over there? Let’s go, quickly.”
Squeak!
Tailsquil, a low-ranking tree spirit, dashed into the woods, and Kiriel followed close behind.
“Lady Kiriel, please slow down!”
“Wait for usss~”
Silphy and Rina hurried after her, deeper into the forest.
“Ah, I found it!”
Near a tree stump where the spirit had led them sat a note shimmering with a trace of mana. It wasn't the white of a C-grade note she’d seen so far, but the brilliant blue of a B-grade!
With sparkling eyes, Kiriel opened the note. Inside was a message written in Freya’s elegant handwriting.
[B-Grade Prize: 1-Day Leave Pass]
[Congratulations on your good fortune—or perhaps your outstanding skill and determination.]
[One day will be added to your current leave. We will coordinate with the deans of each academy to ensure it is applied, but please consult with your supervising professor for specific details.]
It was a Leave Pass, signed by Freya herself. The moment she saw it, Kiriel leaped into the air with a cheer.
“Woohoo!”
“Congratulations.”
“You found a good one~”
“Hehe, thanks, you two!”
Kiriel was excitedly showing off the note, doing a little victory dance, when it happened.
Flutter!
Birds suddenly took flight from the forest beyond, fleeing as if from a predator. In an instant, the expressions of Kiriel and the other elves sharpened.
“...!”
They were elves—people of the forest and friends to the spirits—but they were also a tribe of master hunters. The movement of those birds was clearly unnatural. They were fleeing from something dangerous.
Then, a scream echoed through the trees.
“Aaaah!”
Their expressions hardening, the elves exchanged glances and immediately sprinted toward the source of the cry.
*
“R-Run!”
By the time Kiriel reached the source of the sinister presence, a battle was already underway. Small figures were swarming the students. They were monsters that barely reached a human’s waist, possessing large, pointed ears and sickly greenish skin.
‘Gremlins?’
Kiriel’s eyes widened. It was common knowledge within the Union that various animals inhabited the dense forests of the Voltimir territory, and ferocious carnivores were spotted occasionally. There were even rumors of lions and tigers.
But never before had a large pack of monsters like this been discovered within the territory.
“Silphy!”
“On it!”
At Kiriel’s shout, Silphiette wove a bow from pure mana and loosed an arrow.
Fwing!
With a sharp twang, the mana arrow cut through the wind, striking the forehead of a gremlin chasing the students with perfect accuracy.
Gweeeek!
The gremlin tumbled to the ground, dead before it hit the grass. But even with their leader down, the pack didn’t hesitate, continuing their frenzied charge.
Rina summoned a low-ranking water spirit and issued a command.
“Ms. Undine, a water bubble, please~”
As Rina lazily extended her hand, Undine—a girlish spirit in a blue dress—manifested and formed a massive sphere of water in the air.
Wobble.
The gremlins, unable to stop their momentum, plunged straight into the floating bubble.
Blub, blub!
Trapped within the sphere, the gremlins flailed desperately before drowning. A moment later, the bubble burst with a wet splat.
“Gasp, gasp...”
With the pack neutralized, the fleeing students collapsed onto the grass. Kiriel reached them in a single bound.
“Is everyone okay? Are you hurt?!”
“We’re... we’re fine.”
“But one of us stayed behind... to buy us time.”
A female student pointed toward the thicket they had just escaped from. It seemed someone had acted as a decoy.
“Got it! I’m counting on you two to handle things here!”
Kiriel borrowed the power of a wind spirit to accelerate.
Swoosh!
The scenery became a blur. Wherever she stepped, the grass and trees seemed to part to make way for her. It was the Path of the Forest, a unique ability of High Elves. Even at full tilt, Kiriel kept her ears perked, pinpointing the sounds of combat.
She arrived at the scene in an instant, but then she paused, tilting her head in confusion.
“Huh?”
All that remained were the mangled corpses of gremlins and a lone female student standing in the clearing, drenched in green blood and breathing heavily.
“Huu, huu...”
The girl had a sky-blue bob and piercing blue eyes. She wore a silver breastplate over her uniform and gripped a massive greatsword. When she spotted Kiriel, her defensive posture relaxed.
“Ah... Lady Kiriel?”
Kiriel checked the student’s name tag and the academy crest on her breastplate. She was a student from Seintea named Adler. Kiriel vaguely recalled seeing her with Elena before.
“Yeah. Did you take care of all of them by yourself?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m exhausted.”
Adler sighed and swung her greatsword, flicking the green ichor from the blade. The blood covering her uniform and armor belonged entirely to the monsters; fortunately, she didn't seem to have a scratch on her.
Still, the fact that so many monsters were roaming Voltimir territory was alarming.
“How on earth did you run into monsters here?” Kiriel asked, her voice laced with doubt.
“I don't know, ma’am. I was patrolling the area on Lady Elena’s orders when they suddenly attacked.”
“The automated golems are supposed to be patrolling. How could this happen?”
The territory’s ecosystem was managed by automated golems. Moreover, the physical and magical barriers surrounding the Union should have been impenetrable to common monsters.
“A golem... I saw a broken one nearby, ma’am.”
“A golem was destroyed?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It was hard to believe, but if Elena’s aide said so, it had to be true.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. I apologize for such an unpleasant incident occurring on our grounds.”
“It’s not your fault, Lady Kiriel. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Where to? You should get checked out by a medic, just in case.”
“I’m not hurt, so I’m fine. But... you should probably get away from here quickly, ma’am. Something feels off.”
“Off?”
“Yes. Well then.”
With those cryptic words, Adler turned and vanished into the woods. Kiriel watched her go for a moment before turning her gaze toward the dark heart of the forest.
Woooo—
An unsettling magical energy was radiating from the shadows. It felt as if a bizarre distortion of mana was blurring the very fabric of space-time. Just as Adler said, something was wrong.
‘It’s... strange.’
The nearby elemental spirits were trembling with anxiety because of this foul mana. Gremlins had already appeared and attacked students. In the worst-case scenario, they might have come into contact with the Dark Mana Stones rumored to be spreading through the academy, mutating into something far more dangerous.
‘Right.’
Kiriel nodded, steeling herself. She would investigate this on her own. She couldn't risk sending other students into such a volatile area. For all her faults, she was still the student council president. And while she might struggle with theory, she was peerless in a real fight.
“Everyone.”
At Kiriel’s call, the five elemental spirits contracted to her gathered. A fire sparrow, a water girl, a forest squirrel, an earth dwarf, and a steel beetle. She was a genius spirit user, the first in a century to contract with all five great elemental spirits.
As she caught her breath, Silphy and Rina joined her, having escorted the other students to safety.
“President, there you are.”
“What’s the plan~? It looks dangerous~”
Clank.
Given the situation, the two had brought along an automated golem they found patrolling nearby. As student council members, they had the authority to commandeer the territory’s golems in emergencies.
With their combined strength and the golem’s support, a brief investigation seemed manageable.
“Monsters in the territory... it’s clearly an anomaly. I suspect it’s related to the Dark Mana Stones.”
“That makes sense. Are you sensing anything else?”
“Yeah. A really nasty feeling. My gut is never wrong.”
A throbbing, headache-inducing sensation was emanating from the depths of the woods. It was the unmistakable aura of darkness. As a High Elf, she could feel it in her bones.
Rina advised, “I think it would be better to go back and get the professors~”
“That’ll take too long. Other students could get hurt in the meantime.”
“Understood. But we retreat the moment it gets too dangerous.”
“Of course. I’m just going to take a quick look.”
Silphy and Rina nodded, and the group began to venture deeper into the forest.
*
Voltimir Territory.
The vast woodland separating Ishtal and Voltimir—commonly known as the Black Forest.
Standing alone amidst the trees, I closed my eyes and activated Mana Detection. As I focused my mind, my other senses sharpened.
Swoosh.
The branches trembled in the wind. I heard the chirping of birds and the low hum of insects in the grass. The fragrant scent of damp earth and the refreshing aroma of pine tickled my nose. I could even track the rustle of small animals beyond the bushes.
As I heightened my senses...
“...!”
I felt a flow of blue energy rising from the darkness.
Shaaa—
This energy, shimmering like a heat haze beyond my eyelids, was mana. Being able to feel this meant I possessed what this world called mana sensitivity. Those without the talent could go their entire lives without ever feeling it, but fortunately, Roen’s body possessed this gift.
A mage was someone who could feel mana and bend it to their will through laws and principles. Barring rare exceptions, mages without mana sensitivity didn't exist. All I had to do was internalize this basic talent.
The flow of mana was clearly converging somewhere. I followed the current. By tracking the directional flow, I soon reached the source: a white note tucked under a small stone. It was a C-grade item from the treasure hunt.
Ting!
[You have discovered a specific item for the first time using Mana Detection.]
[Mana +1]
A hidden achievement. The more mana I had, the better, so this was a welcome development. I closed the notification and checked the note.
[C-Grade Prize: Raffle Ticket & Gift Certificate]
[Congratulations! You can participate in the upcoming prize raffle with the number on this ticket.]
[Additionally, you are awarded a gift certificate worth 50,000 points, usable within the Ishtal territory. (Valid at most shops; please check for participation.)]
“Hmm.”
I stuffed the note into my pocket. I’d heard that B-grade notes and above were handwritten. Apparently, Freya’s hand had cramped so badly from writing them all that she’d had trouble gripping her sword the next day.
In any case, with Roen’s current Mana Detection, finding C-grade notes was trivial. I needed to raise the stakes. I’d heard that the B-grade prizes included a Leave Pass. For someone like me, who had exhausted all my leave due to injuries, it was the perfect prize.
Just as I was refocusing my mind to search again...
Thump.
Suddenly, the demonic blood in my veins pulsed. It was a warning.
This was a far more primal instinct than a mage’s mana detection: the innate ability of a demonic bloodline to sense its own kind. From somewhere deep in the forest, a thick, sticky demonic energy tugged at the back of my mind.
It wasn't a simple monster or a magical beast. It was the aura of a true demonkin.
‘...One of Carmilla’s kin.’
If there was a silver lining, it was that I had found it here, in a deserted forest. I needed to eliminate it before it crossed paths with any students.
With that thought, I began to walk, following the trail of darkness.