Chapter 38: Sub Quest (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Sub Quest (2)
In fantasy novels, there is one group that is persecuted every single time: Dark Mages.
While there are occasional novels where dark magic is used for good, in most stories, they proudly serve as the axis of evil. This world was no different.
To be honest, they were quite impressive in their own way.
Depending on the situation, defense is generally easier than offense. If the target of that defense is a massive power like the Empire, it should be even harder for the attackers to succeed.
Yet, even while being suppressed by every nation on the continent, these guys had the sheer doggedness to survive, pierce through the Empire’s defenses, and invade the Academy.
They were truly a diligent and industrious bunch.
If they had put that much effort into anything else, they surely would have succeeded. I used to wonder why they were so obsessed with dark magic, risking their lives and giving their all to such dangerous work, but...
"You're saying there's a Dark Mage here too?"
Apparently, those bastards were here as well.
What a total pain in the ass.
Common sense dictates that a Dark Mage’s natural habitat is somewhere near a RoFan female lead. Why the hell were they causing trouble in a backwater place like this?
"Yes, well, what happened was..."
The bandits—no, the people claiming to be residents of Violet Village—began to recount the events that had unfolded in their home.
"It all started a year ago."
It was a tragic tale for those involved, but for me, it was the kind of cliché story that would have me repeatedly mashing the 'skip' button if this were a game.
One day, travelers suddenly arrived.
They introduced themselves as pilgrims who had just finished a holy trek and asked if they could stay for a few days.
In a remote village far removed from the way of the sword, people felt closer to the Goddess than to the Leon family's martial traditions. Furthermore, a legend persisted across the continent that turning away those who had completed a long journey for the Goddess would incur her divine wrath.
Thus, the village chief and the residents lent the pilgrims the village hall and provided them with food.
But that was the beginning of the tragedy.
They weren't pilgrims; they were Dark Mages.
Using the village hall as their base, they cast mental magic on the villagers, turning them into slaves. Soon, the beautiful village once filled with violets began to bloom with a different kind of flower.
"It's a flower called Salvia..."
At the villager's words, I turned my head to look at Prince Ellen.
"What?"
"You're in the Flower Arrangement Club. What kind of flower is that?"
"...It's only been six months. I don't know all of them yet."
As Prince Ellen awkwardly avoided my gaze, one of the villagers answered cautiously.
"It's an ingredient for a drug that causes hallucinations."
I was speechless.
Even if it was a bit far from the city, Dark Mages were growing drugs just three to four days' carriage ride from the royal capital. I thought only the Empire had problems, but our Kingdom was in a sorry state too.
"The villagers have lost their sense of self and are being used as slaves to produce hallucinogens."
"I don't know what their ultimate goal is, but they certainly aren't collecting Salvia for anything good."
"Please, save our village!"
As the people prostrated themselves, begging for help, Prince Ellen looked ready to proceed with the quest as if it were the most natural thing in the world. However...
"Wait a minute."
I quickly grabbed Prince Ellen’s arm, preventing him from hitting the 'accept quest' button.
"What is it now?"
"First of all, there are three suspicious points."
"Like what?"
"First, if all the villagers were brainwashed into becoming slaves, I question how these people managed to avoid it and come here to ask us for help."
It would be one thing if they had awakened mana and possessed some resistance to brainwashing, but the people before us were just ordinary country folk. If the entire village was brainwashed, the existence of people capable of requesting a rescue was highly suspect. Unless there was a valid reason, it was safer to assume this was a trap set by the Dark Mages.
"That's because we were out of the village to buy daily necessities..."
The villagers offered a somewhat plausible excuse, but our group—composed entirely of sword-swingers—had no way of knowing if that was the truth or a suggestion planted by dark magic.
"And second. How did you know we would be passing by and wait for us?"
"We were just planning to ask any passing noble for help."
"Is that so?"
People who had lost their village and were living like bandits, finally resolving to ask a noble for help. I could accept that much.
However...
"Rather than ambushing a passing carriage, it would have been faster to just go to the nearby Lord's manor."
If we traveled just a bit further, there was a territory where we intended to stay the night. Instead of seeking out the local Lord, they had risked their lives to act like bandits and stop a carriage.
"That, that's..."
The villagers fell silent at my words.
A momentary hush fell over the group. I frowned and pressed them.
"Answer me."
As I glared at the hesitating group, a girl who looked to be about fifteen stepped forward and began to tear up.
"Well, you see..."
Prince Ellen shot me a stinging look at the sudden tearful offensive, but I didn't budge.
"Crying doesn't solve everything in this world."
I couldn't just let things slide because a child was crying; a member of the royalty was involved here. Honestly, as far as I was concerned, even if every villager here died, it didn't matter as long as Prince Ellen survived.
"Give me a valid reason."
I spoke while looking past the child at the adults. Perhaps my resolve not to let them appeal to my emotions using a child got through. One of the adults moved the girl behind him and, after a long hesitation, spoke cautiously.
"Violet Village is a settlement of slash-and-burn farmers."
With that one sentence, the reason they couldn't go to the Lord became clear. Since the village was illegal to begin with, seeking out the local Lord would likely result in punishment rather than help.
"So it's a village of criminals?"
"It's not like that. It's just that, during a past harvest failure, we couldn't pay our taxes..."
He said that, but there was no way to verify the truth here. Besides, tax evasion was also a crime.
"Adam. I still want to go."
When I scowled, Prince Ellen spoke with the justice-filled expression typical of a RoFan male lead. The villagers' faces brightened at his words, but I wasn't finished.
"Then, finally, the most important reason. Why on earth is a Prince of the Kingdom thinking about going off to hunt Dark Mages?"
At my follow-up question, the villagers hung their heads, and Prince Ellen tilted his head in confusion.
"Huh?"
Why was this guy making a face like I was stating something obvious?
"Isn't it the natural thing to do?"
He even said it out loud.
"No, it's not."
Even if the royalty of Leon learned the sword from a young age, and even if Prince Ellen himself was one of the strongest beings in this world's setting, there was no need to risk his life by sending him into a dangerous place.
"We can just send someone else to handle it."
We had left for the Academy with time to spare, but if things got complicated here, our return would be delayed. Well, if it was truly urgent, we could use a teleport from the Magic Tower, but wasn't it best not to create such a situation in the first place?
"If we send word to the Kingdom, specialists will arrive within a day at the earliest. There's no reason for Your Highness to step in personally."
Dark Mages were a continental nuisance. Therefore, any proper nation operated specialized anti-dark mage units. Leon also had professionals dedicated to hunting them down.
"We are on our way back to the Academy, not on a journey to slay Dark Mages."
"No, but still..."
"There's no urgent reason, is there?"
"T-That's not true!"
Someone from the villagers' side shouted at my words. Come to think of it, they kept interrupting a conversation between royalty and a high-ranking noble. Did they think I was an easy target because of my age, or was it really that urgent?
Just as I was thinking I should show them how terrifying a noble could be if it was the former...
"The reason we've been so rude is that those Dark Mages are planning to offer the villagers as sacrifices very soon!"
At the villager's desperate cry, I locked eyes with Prince Ellen.
"..."
"..."
Prince Ellen’s "I told you so" expression was hard to describe, but it seemed it really was an urgent matter.
The characteristic of sorcery and Dark Mages was their ability to draw out power beyond their limits by using sacrifices. However, unlike sorcery which usually required one's own possessions as a price, Dark Mages could freely sacrifice things that didn't belong to them.
This was the biggest reason, among many, why dark magic was suppressed. Generally, the greater the price of the sacrifice, the stronger the power one could harness. Dark Mages seeking ultimate power often caused incidents by sacrificing the lives and souls of others.
"For now, I've sent word to the Kingdom, so reinforcements will be on their way."
I had contacted the Commander immediately, but we decided to go ahead and check the situation ourselves.
"We are strictly just checking."
Prince Ellen nodded at my words.
"I get it. Don't you trust me?"
"No."
"..."
At my unhesitating answer, Prince Ellen pouted.
"I have my reasons for being cautious, so just follow my lead."
"Really?"
"Really."
It was true. Currently, the center of the continent was the Empire. The main stage for the RoFan plot was also the Empire. In other words, all the major events destined to happen on the continent would take place there. Dark Mages hiding in the boondocks growing drugs couldn't possibly be a threat to us.
"Don't charge in first. If something happens to Your Highness, we'll all end up on the gallows."
"I said I get it."
With Prince Ellen’s completely untrustworthy reply, we headed toward Violet Village, led by a young man from the village. Our group consisted of me, Prince Ellen, and twenty escort knights.
"Shit."
By the time we reached Violet Village under the moonlight, a suspicious ritual was clearly underway. As if advertising their identity as Dark Mages, figures in black robes were tying people up beneath an altar erected in the middle of the village. Purple flowers were piled around them and set ablaze.
"A Beastkin?"
In the center of that altar lay a bloodied Beastkin, unconscious. To anyone's eyes, the Dark Mages' ritual was in full swing.
"Here I go!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Ellen began to charge.
...Huh?
"Hey!"
At the sight of Ellen suddenly bolting, the escorts and I started running after him, a step behind.
"You told me to trust you!"
"You said you didn't trust me anyway!"
So you're just going to go for it because I don't trust you...?
He wasn't like this when he was younger—or rather, before he entered the Academy. This was definitely all Daisy's fault.
"What should we do?!"
In response to the panicked shout of an escort knight behind me, I drew my sword as my answer.