Chapter 14
Chapter 14
I took Yunes's right hand and stood him beside me.
"Let's go catch the Shaman."
"... Sir, I was ordered to follow Knight William."
I said, looking into Yunes's blue eyes, which were staring intently at me.
"You just saw it. He can't use his strength."
Yunes looked at me, his arms trembling slightly.
"... If this is considered a deviation and I am punished, can you take responsibility?"
Why would I.
I shouldn't voice the thought.
"You only need to think about the results. If we catch the Shaman, there won't be any punishment. I have a sure way."
Yunes's eyes widened.
"A-are you really sure there's a sure way?"
As if.
It's just a way to make him follow me somehow.
According to Archmage senior, half of it depends on the mage's own capabilities.
"Yes, we can definitely succeed."
"... Then, alright."
Oh, it worked.
A lie spoken with soul.
Swish-
I opened my Inventory and took out the potion bottle containing the Orc Commander's blood, which I had collected yesterday.
After hearing from the Archmage in the gallery how to track an Orc Shaman, my first question to Riselinn was where the Orc Commander's corpse was placed.
I was able to draw blood from the corpse, which the soldiers had moved to the warehouse using a cart to prove that the Commander had indeed been killed.
The Orc Commander's blood and flesh.
That was all the preparation needed.
"Hic!"
Yunes let out a strange sound upon seeing the bottle filled with thick flesh and blood.
"W-what are you going to use those for...?"
I could see his lips trembling.
"Do you know tracking magic?"
Yunes nodded vaguely.
"Should I call it basic... I know tracking magic that uses blood as a medium. However, the Blood Magic I know, 3rd-tier magic Sanguis Revelare, can track the being that possesses that blood, but it can only track the blood of the same individual. Tracking an entire species with the blood of one member requires much higher-tier magic. It's something you can do with 5th or 6th-tier magic."
That too was something I heard from the Archmage.
"They say it works. Regarding the Orc Shaman."
"What?"
"If you properly use the magic to awaken the traces of the curse imprinted on the blood, you can find out where the Orc Shaman who cast the curse is, through curse tracking magic."
Yunes stared at me with a blank expression.
"It's said that only Orcs leave traces of curses in their blood even after death. A Commander-class Orc must have been significantly imprinted with curses by an Orc Shaman, right?"
It was a strange face, a mix of foolishness and seriousness.
"H-how, how can that be? Only Orcs, a single species, that can't be...!"
It's the same.
The reactions were exactly like the comments the Archmage senior had listed under 'Mage's Expected Reaction' in the gallery yesterday.
-
Archmage) They'll insist there's no way such specific exceptions exist in the realm of magic.
"There's no way there can be such an abnormal, peculiar exception in magic!"
-
Archmage) However, that is why it is magic. It is a realm of mystery. To make assumptions is simply arrogant.
-
Ah, but I feel like I've seen this before? Wasn't this posted by someone while climbing the Tower? I think it was adopted and put up as an announcement.
-
Archmage) Yes, when I reached the 30th floor, as soon as I got on the Tower climbing gallery terminal, I gathered information that non-mages wouldn't know and posted it. To prevent as much meaningless death as possible.
Honestly, up until then, our Archmage senior seemed very cool.
Until the next comment was posted.
-???? Wait, you were that person?
-
'Invincible Ironblood Magical Girl Ophelia' was you? Damn, I wondered where you went.
-
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Invincible Ironblood, what? You changed your nickname well and got caught bragging after decades ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Hilarious.
-
The person who used that kind of thing is now 'Archmage'. Wow, simple and clear. You've realized that simple is best. It's great progress ㅋㅋㅋㅋ But you confessed and got caught like this wwww
-
Pioneer) The Hard difficulty players probably noticed, but they were pretending not to. Why are you suddenly self-destructing like this?
-
Dragon King) Beltui- also knew.
And then, Archmage senior did not post any more comments or replies until I closed the gallery.
He neither confirmed nor denied, but his silence was like adding a huge weight to the confirmation side.
"Stop saying you can't believe it and just try it."
Yunes still had a face full of disbelief.
"... Alright."
Oh.
I couldn't help but be surprised when I saw Yunes immediately grab his magic staff.
This was contrary to Archmage senior's prediction.
-
Archmage) If you suddenly tell them to find traces of a curse, nine out of ten will ask what magic they should use.
But he didn't ask that.
He bent down, looking at the Commander's flesh and the blood sloshing in the potion bottle, as if he already knew what magic to use.
"Do you know what magic to use?"
Yunes slowly nodded.
"Exploration is part of my main specialization, so... I know that the magic to use in this situation is Arcana Revelara."
The name was the same as the magic in 'Invincible Ironblood Magical Girl Ophelia' senior's comment.
Still, he was a smarter mage than I thought.
Yunes sprinkled the blood onto the flesh as I had instructed and then cast the magic.
Yunes's lips slowly opened.
"I shall reveal the secret."
And at the end of that sentence, a dark red hue bloomed on the Orc Commander's flesh.
Yunes's complexion began to change subtly.
"... It's true, the imprint of the curse is engraved in the blood. I really can't understand why only Orcs have this characteristic."
The bewilderment and disbelief were gone.
"Normally, curses and magical blessings disappear when the recipient dies, but only Orcs leave such traces."
His current expression looked like that of a mage filled with curiosity.
"This is my first time tracking a curse caster, but I think I can approach it the same way as tracking a magic caster."
The 3rd-tier Knight who came as support was a bust, but fortunately, the mage seemed to be someone useful.
Fzzt!
Immediately after another spell manifested, drawing a magic circle, a blue light flashed before Yunes's eyes.
"... I see it. The direction appeared as a blue line. But it seems to be a line only I can see."
Yunes, who was speaking, suddenly returned to his dazed expression from a moment ago.
"Hic! T-this means I have to follow you directly and guide you!"
I wasn't surprised at all.
I had intended to bring him along anyway.
"Guide us."
"Hic!"
"I won't let you die."
While I was busy reassuring and coaxing Yunes, Riselinn, who was standing beside me, poked her head in.
"I'll go with you too. If you're going to take the Orc Shaman's head."
I could leave Yunes's safety to Riselinn.
I'm becoming a worse person, but it can't be helped.
Riselinn said she would pack potions and simple rations, and we would depart in 20 minutes.
"Ahem!"
Knight William, the 3rd-tier Knight, glared at me with a deeply displeased expression, his cough being his only protest.
"I cannot fully trust your words, so I will focus my efforts on dealing with the Orcs I can see."
Perhaps it was because he was openly humiliated, or perhaps it was from being hit a few times. The action he chose was not problematic. It could be considered quite normal.
Someone had to focus on defending this very wall.
If that breaks, my quest breaks too.
"That's an excellent idea, Knight."
At my words, William suddenly flinched.
Why is he acting like that?
"Please guard it well."
Then, I took Yunes and Riselinn, along with one 2nd-tier mercenary, Lucerna.
Towards the front of the wall.
'At least I need to defeat the boss by tomorrow and go to the 3rd floor waiting room to participate in the exchange event without any problems.'
Swift and decisive.
I decided to quickly take down the Orc Shaman.
Kwah-ah-ah-!
The Orc's scream-like cry struck my ears.
This one also had a noticeable red glow in its eyes, so it was undoubtedly an Orc that had received a curse-based enhancement.
According to Riselinn, it was an Orc in a Frenzied State.
There were no Orcs with such eyes at the entrance of the forest.
They only started appearing when we reached the middle of the forest.
[Mana Body Reinforcement Lv.2 - Activating skill.]
I felt Mana spreading through my Mana Heart.
I pressed the Black Javelin, a black Short spear, vertically down onto the head of the Orc charging from the left.
With my Straight sword, I simultaneously severed the heads of the two Orcs charging from the right.
Blood and flesh splattered all over my armor.
Currently, my level had risen by 1 from the starting level of 8 to 9.
Unlike the starting point of the 2nd Floor Stage, where leveling up occurred after killing just five or six enemies, my level did not increase even after cutting down over twenty Orcs.
However, what I definitely felt was an improvement in my combat sense.
It was as Sword of Light said. While the sparring with Golem Mk2 had been a great nourishment, real combat was an even steeper stepping stone for growth.
After defeating two more Orcs in a Frenzied State, who charged without hesitation even after seeing three of their comrades die, I heard Yunes's trembling voice beside me.
"We're almost there. We've gotten close to the presumed Orc Shaman."
Finally.