78
Chapter 78
"What exactly is a warlock?"
I only vaguely knew them to be something like a black magician, but the meaning seemed a bit different in this world.
Of course, just looking at her appearance and the magic she used, it wasn't too far off from the image I had in mind.
The gloomy atmosphere, the eccentric way of speaking, and even her appearance like a witch.
However, looking at her actions so far, she didn't seem to have any particular ill will.
In fact, she was the only one who had treated Bill, so it was hard to jump to conclusions.
'She looks like a black magician, but... her actions say otherwise.'
I suppose this is why prejudice is dangerous.
Although, I was still just as scared of her.
"Tsk, tsk, you don't know a single thing."
She clicked her tongue and scolded me.
Just how many times have I heard her click her tongue today?
She ignored my words and rummaged through a wooden box in the corner of the warehouse, looking exhausted.
What she soon pulled out was a small green porcelain bottle that seemed to contain liquid.
Pop!
Pulling out the stopper, she silently brought the bottle to her lips and gulped it down.
The liquid trickling down her lips had the thick consistency and color of boiled moss.
It smelled just as awful as it looked.
The damp stench of a sewer mixed with the pungent scent of herbs, making it painful to even breathe.
"Ugh, what is that?"
I asked while reflexively blocking my nose at the terrible smell.
"Hm? This?"
The old woman rolled her eyes while keeping the bottle in her mouth.
"It's a potion I made."
"...A potion?"
Is she talking about the potions I used to see in games?
Those actually exist?
"What kind of effect does it have?"
"Why are you asking so many questions? What do you think, of course it's for recovering mana."
"...Recovering mana?"
If this is a world where such potions exist, why haven't I ever seen one until now?
...No, come to think of it, I feel like I might have briefly heard of them before.
Maybe it was during a carriage escort mission.
I hadn't seen it myself, and I couldn't be sure if it was exactly like this.
I had seen things like medicine made from boiled herbs in shops a few times,
but this was the first time seeing something clearly called a potion right in front of my eyes.
At best, they were just boiled juices or bitter herb infusions on the level of folk remedies....
"Was that made with magic too?"
"Hah, don't be stupid. If you could just make all of this with magic, who would bother learning alchemy?"
The old woman glared at me with a you-didn't-even-know-that expression.
"Besides, I don't know how much of the world you've traveled, but they're everywhere if you just head toward the capital. You country bumpkin."
...Country bumpkin?
She wasn't wrong, though.
The only city I had ever been to was Mondak, and even that was a place that developed thanks to its location as a key trading hub, not a major metropolis on the level of the capital.
I had heard about that. That there were much larger and more glamorous cities than Mondak scattered all over the place.
'...I really don't know anything at all.'
Should I actually try looking for a library or something?
Feeling bitter for no reason, I silently sniffled once.
"Hey, you there."
"Hm? Me?"
At the sudden call, Baldic pointed to himself and asked back.
"You. You're a religious zealot, aren't you?"
"I am, but... why do you ask?"
"Because you look exactly like you got kicked out for doing something stupid like this guy. So, what can you do?"
Whether it was an intuition born of experience, the old woman saw right through Baldic's history in an instant.
"Uh... hemostasis, maybe?"
"Hah, this guy and that guy, not a single one of you is decent. Don't tell me the god you serve is..."
"Ulgran."
"Damn it. It was that layabout after all."
The old woman spat out a curse.
Just looking at her reaction, it seemed that god was far from the healing or recovery types.
I never expected such abilities from Baldic to begin with, but it was definitely not the case.
"Are you allowed to talk like that?"
If this is a world where magic exists, gods might actually exist too.
Was it really okay to commit such blatant blasphemy toward a being like that?
"Well, if a god is petty enough to come down here just because I said a few words, then they aren't really a god."
Now that I heard it, she had a point.
Baldic didn't seem to care much either.
"Anyway, as soon as that guy wakes up, take him and get out of here."
"...When will he wake up?"
"How should I know?"
It was a completely irresponsible way of speaking, but I had no choice but to let it slide.
She said that and was about to leave the room, but glanced back at the broken door one more time.
"Fix this before you go, too."
"......."
Damn it.
***
Baldic ended up taking charge of fixing the room door.
I offered to do it, but he insisted he was confident since he was a Dwarf.
Well, there was no reason to stop him if he said so himself.
The door he somehow put together using tools he dragged out from the Warehouse was...
Creak... Scrape, scrape.
"Is this supposed to be finished?"
"......."
It wasn't even the right size, so it scraped the floor, and the sides were cut so jaggedly that it wouldn't even close properly.
Honestly, it looked more like a lid than an actual door.
I guess not all Dwarves are good with their hands.
In the end, it was only after the two of us took it apart and fixed it again that we managed to make it function like a door.
Just as we were wiping our sweat, somewhat satisfied with the result——
"Uuugh......."
I noticed signs of someone tossing and turning.
It was Bill.
He had finally regained consciousness.
"Mmm... hm...?"
Bill furrowed his brows and tossed around before slowly opening his eyes.
His gaze was still unfocused, but he soon slowly blinked as he stared at the ceiling.
"...An unfamiliar ceiling?"
At those words, I approached him and asked carefully.
"Bill? Are you awake?"
"Eek! Ah... Mister?"
Bill, who struggled to turn his head, recognized me and looked relieved.
His voice was still weak, but his consciousness had definitely returned.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"Yeah... Other than my body feeling a bit stiff... I think I'm fine."
Baldic also came over and checked Bill's face.
"Thank goodness. You suddenly disappeared, so everyone was going crazy trying to find you."
Bill blanked out for a moment, then flinched as if he had remembered something.
"Ah... Back then, in the forest... A Grandmother...."
"Right. That's exactly it. Do you remember anything?"
When I asked cautiously, Bill slowly nodded and spoke.
"Yeah... The dog I was walking ran off in a weird direction, so I followed it... and there... I picked up a strange Stone. It was a black, shiny stone, but as soon as I touched it... I don't really remember what happened next."
That must be the 'Demon Stone' in question.
"And then... I came back to the Village, and a Grandmother approached me, saying I was going to be in danger soon, and brought me here."
I briefly looked back at Marley.
She was sitting in the Kitchen sipping a cold drink.
So, that eccentric Old Woman really was the one who saved him.
"So you weren't kidnapped then?"
"Kidnapped?"
Bill tilted his head in confusion.
"...Never mind."
...Right, this Kid probably wouldn't know.
Just how dangerous of a situation he had been in.
"I'm so glad. Everything's fine now. Don't worry."
Bill nodded and closed his eyes again.
Soon, I could hear the sound of his deep breathing.
It seemed he was still exhausted.
"Fortunately... he seems to be okay."
"Then in the end, everything that Old Woman said was true."
"That's right."
"Damn it, that's an even bigger problem. It means things like this are already happening all over the place!"
Baldic muttered through gritted teeth.
He was right.
I had already seen a similar sight once before.
Back then, I simply thought it was 'a problem isolated to that Village'... but looking back now, that might have been the beginning.
'This isn't just a problem for this Village.'
Something happening across the Kingdom, or maybe even this entire world.
Something spreading secretly and stealthily.
The beginning of it all was only just starting to sink in.
But... did she already know?
It was strange in itself that she was doing such bizarre things in such an isolated place.
Like someone who had anticipated this situation and acted accordingly.
Honestly, there were many things that couldn't be explained otherwise.
Furthermore... the knowledge she possessed didn't seem to be on an ordinary level.
Mentioning not only Magic but even the Magic Tower, she definitely knows a lot.
But is it really a coincidence that someone like her has been hiding all this time?
...It's dangerous, but at this point, it might be a risk worth taking.
I need to try having a conversation with her.
I cautiously approached her.
The Old Woman, who was still drinking the Potion with the bottle in her mouth making a glug sound, rolled her eyes as if she felt my gaze.
"What is it? Why are you staring at me like that? Stop making a fuss and just speak."
...She really had a lovely way with words.
"...This isn't your first time dealing with something like this, is it?"
Her hand paused for a moment as she set the bottle down.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but seeing the way you're asking, I have a rough idea."
The Old Woman glared at me with heavily wrinkled eyes, before letting out a sigh—
"Right. I have seen it. I've seen plenty of similar ones since a very long time ago. At first, they lose their minds and run wild like a Beast, and later on, they explode and die before you can even do anything about it. That Kid was still lucky."
I quietly gasped.
"...Then, are things like this happening in other places too?"
"What does a guy like you know? Why do you think I'm living stuck in a remote place like this all alone?"
At the end of her sentence, she tossed the bottle toward the wall with a whoosh.
Making a clatter— sound as it rolled on the floor, the bottle wobbled and soon stopped.
"The world already reeks of rot. Even I don't know where it started rotting from. But you see, that lump that was squirming inside that Kid's body. Its roots run very, very deep."
Even after saying that, she didn't speak for a long time.
It was a face that wished I wouldn't ask any more questions.
However, I couldn't stop.
"A lump...? What in the world is that?"
Wasn't it called a Demon Stone?
What is this about a lump?
The Old Woman glanced at me once again.
"...I will give you an answer. But only once. If you ask again after this, I'll smash you into the wall. Got it?"
"Yes. I understand."
"...'Evil Seed'. The thing that attached itself to that Kid was its Seed."
Evil Seed.
It was a word that sent a chill down my spine just hearing it.
"Is that... related to a Demon?"
"It would be strange if it wasn't related. The reason it first started spreading was also because of a strange Mineral that sprang up from the Basement."
She pointed to the spot where Bill was lying with her fingertip.
Inside that Mineral, there are things that can be called the seeds of a Demon. To be exact, they are creatures in the form of Mana.
"So that's why it's a Demon Stone...."
In other words, I suppose it should be considered something like a pathogen.
If I had to specify, it seems closest to a Zombie virus.
"What that Kid picked up must have been a Fragment of that Mineral. It didn't enter him on its own. That thing always 'chooses a person' and burrows into their body."
Just as a Seed chooses soil to take root.
She muttered quietly.
"There aren't many people who can stop it. And among them, the people who can stop it properly can be counted on one hand. Even I wouldn't have been able to stop it if it was a complete body instead of a Fragment."
She slowly put her weight on her Staff and stood up.
The creaking wooden floor let out a small sound.
"That's why... I came all the way out to the countryside like this, dealing with Magic that's like child's play. Don't let your useless curiosity get the better of you, and just go on your way. That's for the best for a half-wit like you."
As if calmly spitting out her own reality, she said that and turned her back.
In the end, she had also come here to avoid it.
Seeing that even someone who looks much stronger than me is trying to keep her distance from this problem... if I get involved in this, I would really be finished.
I kept my mouth shut for a moment and stared at her back as she slowly walked away.
This might be a much deeper and more complicated problem than I had thought.
However, I also needed to find out information for my future survival.
"I have also seen a similar Stone in another Village. I've even broken one."
"Hm?"
The Old Woman stopped in her tracks and looked at me with interest, narrowing her eyes.
I briefly explained what had happened in Delhar Village.
"Tsk, you're a lucky guy."
"Lucky?"
The Old Woman gave a crooked smile.
She scoffed as if it was obvious and continued speaking.
"Right, luck. The one you encountered must have been one that just swallowed up a normal Hunter. So it was desperate. Because it was that kind of guy, it ended up getting caught by a half-wit like you. You were just lucky."
"...Can something like that be desperate?"
I couldn't believe it even as I said it.
Does it mean it 'acts' to that extent?
The Old Woman brought the bottle to her mouth again, took a sip, and smacked her lips.
"They look like Mana on the outside, but they're basically half-creature. If left alone for a long time, they gradually become unstable and eventually move on instinct. Then they explode like that."
The moment I heard those words, a scene flashed through my mind.
Mondak. Those Suicide Weapons I saw on the Castle Wall.
Those Thieves who swallowed a Stone and exploded with madness in their eyes.
"Then, what was the thing I saw on the Castle Wall before?"
The Old Woman narrowed her eyes and looked back at me.
"Castle Wall?"
"It was in a City called Mondak. Thieves chewed and swallowed that Stone, and exploded as if self-destructing. Were those the same things too?"
She stopped, seemingly flinching.
She didn't even pick up that detestable bottle and remained silent for a while as if deep in thought.
Then, she slowly looked at me with heavy eyes.
"...Is that really true?"
"Yes. It's true."
A brief silence. And a mutter mixed with a sigh.
"Then that whole area is doomed. Damn it... Don't even step foot in that direction. It's a problem beyond handling now."
There was clear resignation in her tone.
That made me even more anxious.
"Pardon...? What does that-"
"I told you earlier, right? They aren't simple Mana Stones, but a kind of creature. If one explodes, it spreads around the area like an infection. That self-destruction isn't just simple destruction. It's kind of like 'sowing Seeds'."
I couldn't continue speaking and just blankly opened my mouth.
My mind became hazy.
To think that what I simply thought was a Stone was actually a ridiculously dangerous infectious agent.
She lifted the bottle once again, took a sip, and spoke in a grumbling tone.
"Besides, if they're abusing them like that, there must have been quite a lot. So, don't step foot in that City out of some soft sense of justice. Right now... it's not on a level you can worry about."
I didn't have any intention of going in the first place, but her stating it so firmly really made it sink in.
It really must be an incredibly dangerous matter.
"Then... is there no way?"
"Wasn't there a Church in that castle?"
A Church....
"There was an Order of the Sereon Church."
"Well then, it won't explode right away."
"...Does that mean the Order can do something about it?"
The Old Woman let out another long sigh and looked at me.
Her eyes were clearly mixed with an exhausted annoyance, but I'm used to that kind of expression by now.
I silently nodded and waited.
"...If there were proper Priests, they would have at least done a primary lockdown. Whether by pouring Holy Water or spraying Divine Power... in their own way, at least."
"Then, is Divine Power a weakness?"
"It's not that simple."
"...Pardon?"
She kept the bottle in her mouth and took another sip.
And she slowly continued speaking.
"They react to 'foreign energy'. Whether it's Mana or Divine Power, anything out of the ordinary acts as a stimulus. Divine Power is just one of those things."
"Then...?"
"It stimulates them. But it doesn't end there. In fact, if you just stimulate them and leave them be, some will run even more rampant. If you're unlucky, some even turn it around and use it to their advantage."
It was a scale I couldn't really imagine.
One thing was clear. I am not at a level to intervene in this situation right now.
"Then... that City is...."
"If they're unlucky, it'll happen in an instant. If an awakened one taints its surroundings, that place is finished. Not many people actually know that."
"...That's the worst."
"Exactly. The idiots who treat that kind of thing as just a Stone are the problem."
The Old Woman finished speaking and tapped her bottle once.
Her expression, unlike before, was somehow mixed with fatigue and resignation.
"...But, that City you mentioned earlier. How did it end up?"
At the sudden question, I lost my words for a moment.
I didn't expect her to ask me a question.
Why is she suddenly curious about that?
"...A Gold Token Mercenary came and cleared it up. Corpses gathered... and created something like a strange Flesh Monster."
The scene from that time flashed through my mind.
Twisted arms and legs, tangled faces, and Flesh that heaved like a Maggot.
That nauseating figure remains vividly in my memory even now.
It was a scene I couldn't forget, no matter how hard I tried.
"Flesh Golem... It seems those filthy Demon Worshippers have gotten involved too."
"...Demon Worshippers?"
The moment I heard that, a chill ran down my spine.
The word itself was simple. Worshipping a Demon.
However, in a world where a Demon could actually exist, its meaning wasn't simple at all.
"Were you bullied at the Magic Tower or something? Why do you know absolutely nothing? Are you even from the Magic Tower to begin with?"
"Ahem...."
I didn't really have anything to say.
Because the fact that I'm a Magician was honestly closer to an accident.
But just as I was about to retort, she sighed and turned her head.
"Tsk, well. It's none of my business. Seeing the state you're in now gives me a good enough idea anyway."
And then, she continued speaking as if she had lost interest.
"Those guys are scumbags that came out of the Black Magic Tower back in the day. They touched upon a taboo within the Magic Tower, and a fight broke out. After that, they split off and completely turned to Demon worship."
"Then... are they still active now?"
"They scattered. Some changed their names and infiltrated other organizations, while some went down into the Basement. And the rest... are making things like Flesh Golems like this."
She spoke casually, but the implications behind her words weren't light.
And then I realized.
This Old Woman knew far more than I had thought.
She just had a foul mouth and an eccentric personality, but she was a strangely kind teacher... who gave out solid information.
Are all Magicians normally like this?
Or is it just this person who's so peculiar?
Whatever the case, one thing was certain.
If it weren't for this woman, Bill would have already been dead by now, or turned into something else.
In fact, it's highly likely that not only Bill, but the Village would have turned into a mess as well.
Once the questions were over, she didn't say another word.
She simply stared blankly at a spot on the floor, slowly swirling the remaining liquid in her bottle.