Chapter 212: All Sorts of Branches (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: All Sorts of Branches (4)
A person was burning alive, standing upright.
Of course, in a medieval fantasy world, this wasn't exactly a rare sight.
Witch hunts and similar atrocities had happened here in the past, after all.
I’d heard that in some small nations—not stable ones like the Empire, Leon, or Dale—the commoners, unable to endure tyranny, would occasionally burn the local lord’s family and their castle to the ground.
Still, it wasn't exactly a common occurrence.
Burning at the stake is one of the most agonizing punishments a human can experience. It was so cruel that even the medieval folks in my previous life eventually reached a point where they thought, 'Yeah, maybe this is a bit much,' and began to avoid it.
In fact, during the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in my past life, it’s said that about 200 people jumped from those heights because they couldn't withstand the heat from the explosions.
It inflicts such horrific pain that people would choose that fall even in a Christian nation where suicide is viewed as the ultimate sin.
"I’m about to lose my lunch."
The faces of the few remaining enemies before me were distorted by such immense agony that they could hardly be called human anymore.
Surprisingly, there was no smell of burning flesh, which was the only reason I wasn't actually vomiting. For most people, just looking at this would be enough to make them retch and leave them with permanent PTSD.
Well, regardless. I had a job to do.
"Boradori. Water."
"Water!"
I could produce a bit of water myself using lifestyle magic.
But the amount of water needed right now was on a different level.
Boradori seemed to understand why I was asking. She manifested a massive sphere of water, the size of a two-story building, over the burning corpses.
"……"
The moment the water hit the five pillars of fire, it vanished instantly.
Because so much water had fallen at once, the ground got slightly damp, but the sheer heat was so intense that most of it evaporated without a trace.
However, that heat wasn't spreading to the surroundings. It was concentrated entirely on the people being burned.
Damn it, who’s the culprit?
I really have no idea.
"Uncle Aeryun?"
Even after the dousing, the flames didn't go out. They didn't even weaken.
This was Hellfire—a flame that burns until its target is completely annihilated, capable of incinerating even members of the Demon Tribe who can't be killed by ordinary means.
Actually, it was impossible not to know who the culprit was.
"……"
Uncle Aeryun was frantically trying to send a signal through his communication device, but it didn't seem to be working properly.
"Is it broken?"
"Not exactly… but I think I need to recalibrate the transmission values."
It couldn't be helped.
Our opponents were specialists capable of completely cutting off mana in a specific area.
Compared to Silence, they lacked range, power, and the ability to toggle it on and off… but since there were thirty of them, they were causing a lot of headaches.
One of those headaches was the malfunction of magic tools in certain areas centered around the enemy. Sensitive tools like communication devices were prone to glitching out or having their settings reset.
—Commander Aeryun! We have a problem!
"Did the Fire Spammer bolt?"
—Who is that?
"Ah."
Once the connection was established, a brief exchange followed.
—The Dale agent, Marie Ekid, has evaded surveillance and fled!
"I know."
—Pardon?
"I said, I know."
The Empire was always late to the party.
I was currently staring at five human pillars of fire burning brightly right in front of me.
"How did she do this? Is the Fire Spammer stronger than these guys?"
"It’s not that. No matter how strong Marie is… well, given the nature of Hellfire, once the spell is cast, it won't go out, but…"
We tried spraying water and other odd methods. As for sorcery… honestly, even as a non-major, I couldn't tell if it was being used or not.
Boradori, who had been conducting various experiments at the scene of the burning bodies, quickly reached a conclusion.
"First of all, she seems extremely pissed off."
"I could tell that without looking."
"No, I don't mean it like that. If you look closely, the firepower is weak."
"This is weak?"
The heat was intense enough to evaporate a building-sized mass of water, leaving the ground only slightly damp. Even those traces were gone now.
If this was 'weak,' the whole world would have burned down if it were any stronger.
"I don't mean it in that sense. Look at the burning speed."
"Speed?"
"Their faces are still perfectly visible."
Following her gaze, I could clearly see their expressions, twisted in agony.
"The fact that they're frozen in that state means they died the moment they made those faces."
"I guess?"
"But they're still burning perfectly, right? Everything except their hair and clothes is intact."
"Isn't that just a side effect of the Dark Mage's modification surgery?"
"Well, I can't say that has zero impact… but there's no way a body modified by a Dark Mage could withstand flames that can annihilate the Demon Tribe."
"……"
True. If they were that durable, the Academy would have been overrun by modified zombies long ago.
"This means the user of the Hellfire is controlling the speed. She's making it as slow and painful as possible."
"Oh…"
The Fire Spammer is one scary woman.
When she loses it, she really knows how to sear a person evenly.
"On that note, I have good news and bad news."
"Bad news first…"
"First, the good news is…"
"So you weren't actually asking?"
Regardless of my preference, Boradori shared the good news first.
"This level of application means she has perfect control over her ability."
Hellfire was a secret magic of Dale that was said to carry a risk of going berserk because it was so difficult to master.
Wasn't that the reason Dale cooperated with the Empire to hide the Magic Spammer's kidnapping from the Fire Spammer? Even though the Prince had been kidnapped—and even though his guardian, the Fire Spammer, might die the moment the Prince did—they feared that berserk state.
But now, that dangerous time bomb was being controlled.
It was a relief, but if that were the end of it, she wouldn't have insisted on telling the good news first.
"What's the bad news?"
"This appeared in the Original Work."
"If it was in the Original Work…"
"Yeah. It means she's in a berserk state."
"God damn it…"
It turned out that even 'perfect control' was just one stage of going berserk.
*
Marie Ekid - ???
The Guardian of Dale.
This bond goes beyond mere magic, connecting two people through a complex structure of sorcery and various other ties.
Therefore, Marie couldn't be kept in the dark about Arwen’s condition simply by blocking information.
At first, she just felt a bit uneasy.
Then, she began to feel a sense of urgency.
As time passed, for some reason…
The Prince is in danger.
An impulse, almost like brainwashing, began to consume Marie’s will.
And so, Marie evaded the eyes of those around her and moved toward the direction her instincts pointed.
Then, she encountered them.
"Sorcery."
The worst criminals of Dale and the natural enemies of mages: the sorcery of Silence.
It was a technique known to all high-ranking officials in Dale, and simultaneously, one that was impossible to counter.
Of course, the original Silence had died long ago.
Because Arwen had been put in danger during that process, Marie had researched the sorcery… but she still hadn't found a solution.
However.
"A phoenix?"
"No, it’s a human shape!"
"What is that thing?"
"A monster?"
"Shut up! No matter what kind of magical entity it is, against us right now…!"
The fortunate thing was that her opponents weren't perfect beings like Silence.
And the other thing was…
"I see."
The Marie of today was different from the Marie of the past.
"It can speak?"
"I told you to shut up and get ready!"
At Marie’s murmur, one of them lunged forward.
His running form was a mess, and he couldn't even control his own strength, but the moment his foot hit the ground, the earth caved in. His speed surpassed that of a knight using mana.
But.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Marie didn't do anything special.
She simply tapped the shoulder of the opponent charging at her.
That was enough for a tiny spark to transfer to his body. And with just that, the steel-like flesh—modified by a Dark Mage to the point where even Adam Smith would have to literally beat it into submission—burst into flames.
But what was even more horrific was that the flames didn't consume the flesh.
They burned only the opponent's soul, over and over, inflicting pure agony.
"……"
"……"
"……"
"……"
The other four swallowed hard as they listened to the never-ending screams.
They didn't think they could win against the fire monster before them.
No matter how much conviction they had in their mission, they instinctively felt that fighting the person in front of them wouldn't be a sacrifice for their cause—it would be a meaningless death.
And so.
"Run!"
At someone's shout, they began to flee in different directions as if they had planned it.
A short while later, another endless scream was added to the air.
And not long after that, yet another.
And then… the moment the screams of four people echoed out.
Whoosh.
Petals of flame drifted down in front of the last remaining man.
"Aaaaaagh!"
The screams of five people echoed for what felt like an eternity.
"……"
Five followers of Silence, modified by Dark Magic and capable of using mana nullification sorcery.
The only reason Marie could catch them so easily was simple.
She didn't even need to use magic; she herself was already the Hellfire.
Gazing at the five screaming pillars of fire with emotionless eyes, she spoke.
"Ah. I needed someone to question."
Like a flower blooming in barren land, the 'Angel of Fire' episode. It was a short part, but she was a villain that no one except Arwen could stop.
"I guess I don't need them?"
Tilting her head, she continued forward, following the pull of her soul.
*
After running with Boradori in the lead, we discovered three more pillars of fire.
"Hmm…"
"What is it?"
"No, this is bad."
"What?"
"The more people she burns, the faster the traces of sorcery disappear… and since the number of sorcerers is decreasing, it’s getting harder to find their location…"
I voiced my doubt at Boradori’s disgruntled muttering.
"Doesn't it make it easier since there are fewer people leaving traces?"
"That would be true for a powerful sorcerer, but these guys are clearly rushed jobs. The traces of sorcery they leave are weak. I was only able to follow them because they were bunched together…"
She explained that because those traces were being rapidly erased by the Fire Spammer’s flames, tracking was becoming difficult.
"It seems like the main group that kidnapped Arwen still has the same number of people… but if Marie gets there first, we’re screwed."
"Then we can just go straight to the main group."
"There are two places that look like the main group. They’re moving in opposite directions. I have to pick which one is real… but I can't guarantee I'll get it right."
In short, there was a 50/50 chance of a total catastrophe.
However.
"Then can't we just track the Fire Spammer?"
"No, how are we supposed to find her…?"
"You said the Guardian of Dale isn't just using simple magic. Isn't it sorcery then?"
"No, it’s not that simple…"
"Plus, you said she’s berserk. That should make her even easier to find…"
"……Is that so?"
Boradori tilted her head.
She started scribbling and drawing something on the ground, and after some grunting and groaning…
"…Oh."
"It actually works."
I wanted to give her a smack on the back of the head for that comment, but there were more important things to worry about right now.
"Run, Boradori."
We ran to secure the Magic Spammer before something disastrous could happen.