Chapter 43
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43
Deep within the overgrown thicket.
Rustle—
Huddled in the undergrowth, we peered through the leaves to survey the goblin settlement. It was a small colony centered around a cave entrance, ringed by a crude wooden palisade.
Next to the fence, they had even erected a makeshift watchtower. Goblins clutching torches patrolled the perimeter, their eyes scanning the dark. Judging by the size of the camp, there were at least a hundred of them living there.
It was a much larger colony than expected—large enough to potentially house goblin shamans or even hobgoblins.
Freya, who had been carefully observing the enemy's movements, turned to me.
“What do you think, Roen?”
“There are more than I expected, but it’s manageable.”
In truth, it was more than just manageable. In terms of pure combat strength, Freya alone could mow down dozens of goblins without breaking a sweat. The only variables were potential traps or poisoned projectiles, but even those were predictable. If I handed Freya the Aegis and sent her in alone, she’d likely wipe them all out and be back before dinner.
But there’s a more fundamental question here.
I frowned, my eyes fixed on the settlement. How could a goblin colony of this scale exist here?
Though this was an uncharted region, it was still adjacent to Union territory. Automated golems periodically patrolled the area to clear out monster habitats, and instructors were dispatched regularly to manage the local wildlife. While a stray monster like an owlbear might wander in and survive, a colony this size should have been impossible to sustain without being detected.
There was something deeply suspicious about this place. It felt just like the sudden appearance of the dire wolf pack.
First… I’ll have to go in to find out.
I nodded and raised my hand, giving the pre-arranged signal.
Instantly—
Thwack!
An arrow and a bolt of mana streaked through the air, obliterating the head of the goblin atop the watchtower. It was the handiwork of Hakone and Yulina.
Kieeeek!
Seeing their comrade fall, the guards at the palisade shrieked and fell into a defensive stance. Their eyes turned bloodshot as they brandished their crude clubs.
“Die!”
Gaurel and Karon burst from the adjacent bushes as if they’d been coiled springs, their blades flashing toward the goblins’ throats.
Slice—!
Kiek!
As if seeking vengeance for the humiliation they’d suffered at the hands of the dire wolves and the automated golem, the two of them moved with lethal efficiency, cutting down the guards surrounding the cave. A dozen goblins fell in an instant.
When Freya joined the fray, the skirmish was over in a heartbeat.
After securing the cave entrance, we moved into formation with Jimmy’s shield at the front.
Clank—
We blocked the mouth of the cave, forming a tight semicircle. We waited, and sure enough, goblins began to pour out from the darkness.
Kieeeek!
But with our formation set, their fate was sealed.
Thwack!
Each time a goblin rushed out, we cut it down with clinical precision.
This is going smoothly.
After we dispatched several more, the flow stopped. It seemed they possessed enough intelligence to realize that charging the entrance was suicide; they were holding their ground inside.
When no more enemies appeared, Hakone made a suggestion.
“Roen, how about we just start a fire at the entrance~?”
She was right; it would be easy to seal the mouth of the cave and smoke them out. However...
“It won’t work if there’s an air passage deeper in. Besides, if the cave fills with smoke, it’ll be a nightmare to go back in and collect the mana stones. Let’s stick to the plan.”
“That’s true~”
“They aren't coming out, so we have to go in. Advance in the secondary formation.”
At my gesture, the team shifted seamlessly. Hakone and Gaurel, our trap experts, took the lead. Jimmy the shield bearer and Freya, our heavy hitters, flanked them. The rest of us followed, with Karon guarding our rear.
Each of us lit an oil lantern and stepped into the oppressive darkness of the goblin cave. As we entered the poorly ventilated tunnels, the characteristic stench of the creatures—a rank, cloying odor of filth—hit us full force.
“Ugh, it stinks~”
I’d smelled my fair share of blood and grime, but this was on another level.
“Shit, it smells like rotting corpses.”
“Hey, do you really have to say that out loud?”
“Could you all please be quiet?”
“…”
The team bickered in low whispers. I said nothing, quietly wetting a handkerchief with water and tying it over my nose and mouth.
“…”
Freya watched me silently. I pulled out a spare handkerchief and handed it to her. She gave a slight nod of thanks and followed my lead.
We pushed deeper into the cave. The further we went, the more a strange, nagging sense of familiarity tugged at my mind. I kept moving, trying to pin down the source of the unease.
There were a few crude traps along the way, but Hakone and Gaurel disarmed them with practiced ease.
Thwump-thwump-thwump—!
Arrows fired from the darkness were caught harmlessly on Jimmy’s shield. The archers, having revealed their positions, were immediately silenced by Yulina’s magic.
Kiyaaak!
They tried to halt our advance with poisoned daggers and thrown torches, but their efforts were futile. The gap in power was simply too wide. We cut down every goblin in our path until we finally reached the deepest chamber.
“This looks like the heart of the nest.”
Just as I swept my torch across the room—
Kieeeek!
A goblin shaman wearing a crude feathered headdress shrieked from the shadows, swinging a gnarled staff. But before it could even begin its curse—
Slice—!
Its head was severed by Freya’s blade. With an impassive expression, she flicked the blood from her sword and sheathed it.
I looked at the shaman’s corpse and shrugged. “Looks like that was the last of them.”
We had exterminated the nest, but what awaited us wasn't a treasure chest or a rare artifact. There were only crude tools and a small stockpile of scavenged food. Nothing looked valuable.
Gaurel grumbled, his face sour. “Tsk. What a bust.”
It was a fair reaction. We had risked a cave crawl only to walk away with nothing but the mana stones harvested from corpses.
“It’s weird to think there’d be anything amazing in a goblin cave anyway~”
“Weren’t we here for the mana stones in the first place?”
“Can I go out first? The smell is giving me a migraine.”
As the others chattered, my eyes continued to scan the chamber. I was searching for the source of that strange sensation.
There…
In the corner of the room, something resembling an altar caught my eye. A small niche had been carved into the stone wall, housing a wooden carving that served as a shrine. I walked over and picked up a small, jet-black stone resting on the altar.
“…”
Though it was no larger than a fingernail, I knew exactly what it was from the dark energy radiating from it.
A fragment of a Dark Mana Stone.
Vwoom—
I felt Derod’s ring on my left hand react. I pocketed the fragment immediately. This explained why the colony had formed here. The goblin shaman had likely used the power of this Dark Mana Stone to maintain a cognitive interference barrier, which was why the golems had never found them.
“Let’s move out.”
*
By the time we emerged from the cave, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. We hunted a wild boar nearby and found a suitable spot to set up camp.
Gaurel and Hakone handled the butchering, and soon the team was enjoying a whole-hog barbecue. Paired with the leftover soup and bread from the previous day, it was a hearty, satisfying meal.
After dinner, it was time for the night watch. Just like the night before, it was my turn to pair with Freya.
I followed behind her as we patrolled into the dead of night. The fog was even thicker than yesterday, clinging to the trees like a damp shroud. The only sounds were the whispering wind and our footsteps, the faint moonlight barely penetrating the mist.
“I heard about the territory war.”
Surprisingly, it was Freya who broke the long silence. It seemed the news of the conflict had reached even her ears.
“I’m not sure what your intentions were… but you did a good thing.”
Though the full details hadn't been made public yet, she seemed to have grasped the gravity of the situation.
I kept my pace behind her and replied calmly, “There’s no need to overthink my intentions. I simply did what I had to do as the Student Council President.”
Saving Izelin Academy and potentially preventing an invasion from Jerome—in truth, it was all for my own survival, but framing it as duty was the most logical explanation.
“Have you had a change of heart recently?”
“…After I nearly died, I decided I should try to live a bit more diligently.”
Another convenient excuse. It was the only plausible reason for the notorious troublemaker Roen Devalis to have suddenly turned over a new leaf.
“…”
Freya fell silent for a moment, seemingly unsatisfied with my vague answer. She hesitated, then spoke again.
“But then, why the letter I sent you before…”
In that moment—
“Wait.”
I stopped dead and caught Freya’s arm. I stared into the darkness beyond the narrow path ahead. A strange energy was bleeding through the air. I couldn't explain it, but my instincts were screaming.
I narrowed my eyes and whispered, “Something’s wrong.”
“…What is it?”
“I don’t know for sure. But stay sharp.”
It was strange that Freya, whose mana detection far surpassed mine, hadn't sensed it yet. But an unsettling, familiar dread hung in the air.
Seeing my sudden tension, Freya let out a deep sigh. “Please don’t try to scare me. The atmosphere is already unsettling enough—”
“I’m not joking.”
The words had barely left my mouth when—
Shwaaaa—!
A thick, black mist erupted from the ground, instantly swallowing our vision.
“!”
The pitch-black fog billowed in all directions, isolating us. Simultaneously, the mana density in the area skyrocketed, and a crushing pressure began to weigh down on our lungs.
“Ugh.”
This wasn't natural. It was a deliberate, artificial manipulation of mana. While the Howling Mountain Range was known for its fog and unstable mana, it was still a controlled zone used by the Union. A malevolent aura this powerful shouldn't exist here.
Freya tensed, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword. She scanned the swirling blackness and spoke in a low, sharp voice.
“This is a barrier.”
“A barrier?”
“Yes. And one cast by a high-level mage. Someone far beyond a professor, or even an academy dean…”
“…”
A barrier that surpassed a dean…
!
As I racked my brain, a specific villain from the Myrillin Saga flashed through my mind. A black mage specializing in spatial and barrier magic. One of the Twelve of the Demonic Path—the primary antagonists of the world.
Instinctively realizing the truth, my eyes widened as I stared at a faint silhouette emerging through the mist.
…Gilean of the Black Mist.
Just as that legendary, nightmare-inducing name surfaced in my mind, a melodious voice drifted from the darkness.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
Step—
“Roen Devalis.”