90. Non-Ferrous Sword (2)
90. Non-Ferrous Sword (2)
- 1 -
"Did you rest well, Serha?"
"Yes, Lady! Thanks to you!"
Right after the army's reorganization and maintenance were completed, he summoned Serha from the guest room.
'Maria's skills had improved.'
He had restored her strength, but he had only just told Maria—still a lady-in-waiting or maid—to help Serha with her grooming.
Perhaps because of that, Serha looked much more put-together than before when they met again.
Her disheveled hair and feathers were tidied up, making her look less wild and, he had to admit, even cuter.
"I never knew a dungeon could be this comfortable. That thing called a blanket was amazing too!"
"If you want, I'll have a few sent to the harpy nests as well."
"Really? Mother and the others will be so happy!"
It wasn't a bad deal to win over all the harpies just by giving them a dozen or so blankets.
Due to their physical characteristics (mainly their sharp talons), they would need fresh blankets periodically, so if he later sold them on the condition of receiving payment, he would accumulate goods to exchange for a bit of currency.
'Considering Kamaya's disposition, selling them cheap would actually make it easier to get her into debt.'
"If you're happy, then I'm happy as well."
"Hehe."
A sharp light flickered in Serha's eyes as she smiled, pretending to know nothing, but he looked away, feigning ignorance.
That one—her gaze was watchful.
"Now we must go north. I'll ask you to guide the way."
"Are you bringing the entire army?"
"There's no need for that."
The personnel heading toward the northern coniferous forest consisted of half the high-rank and low-rank Skeletons, plus two platoons of Skeleton soldiers led by two Skeleton officers.
However, the Skeletons other than the soldiers here normally moved with the platoon as well.
This was because the elite-grade soldiers and officers possessed traits that affected a wide area.
『Special-grade Group Tactics - The more allied individuals of the same type nearby, the more all individuals' stamina slightly increases and mana slightly increases.』
『Superior Command - The more lower-ranking individuals of the same type nearby, the more the officer's stamina and technique slightly increase, and all individuals' technique slightly increases.』
『Gaze of Grudge - A gaze filled with the dead's resentment that makes the living cower. The technique of nearby hostile Living beings with average stats lower than 1.5 times the trait holder's slightly decreases.』
The ability of higher-ranking Undead soldier-type entities was to make allies strong and enemies weak.
This was also the reason he had invested some of his few 'Higher Entity Limit Slots' in them.
The adjutant also provided buffs to allies, but they were somewhat lacking compared to what he gained by investing in officers from the start.
"「Void's Shade」."
Sswook!
As he stomped the floor with the incantation, his shadow expanded greatly and swallowed up the lined-up soldiers.
A moment later, those remaining in that spot were just the four of them—him, Eve, Shue, and Serha—and those who had come out to see them off.
"Was that just now...?"
"It's a spell every Dungeon Lord has."
"Wow!"
Serha's eyes went round with curiosity, and as he nodded and answered, she circled around him for some time, pointlessly stepping on the shadow on the floor.
It was a waste of time, but he decided to watch that cute sight for a moment.
In any case, it was a situation where they had to travel for four days even in an ordinary carriage to reach the coniferous forest.
If something went wrong during that slight extra delay, there was nothing to be done about it.
"There's really nothing there..."
...Of course, he wouldn't deny that he had grown more generous-hearted at that cute sight.
"Are you done?"
"Ah, I'm sorry...! You must have been waiting!"
"It's fine. Let's be off."
He gave her a generous smile and stroked her head, and then they boarded the carriage.
- 2 -
During the hours ordinary creatures were awake, Shue took the reins; at other times, Eve became the coachman and drove the carriage.
Normally, a horse would need rest, but there was no need this time.
It was because what they rode was not an ordinary horse, but a carriage pulled by a horse composed solely of white bone and black shadow.
- Kihihing...!
Dagak dagak...
A ghost horse.
It was a creature generally treated as a set with a Death Knight.
Looking closely, one could tell that the sound was being made even though the hooves didn't touch the ground.
"We've finally arrived!"
Anyway, thanks to the horse's special nature, when they alighted from the carriage, they had already reached the entrance of the coniferous forest.
Since there was nowhere to stop or rest along the way, they had come all this way without a single rest.
Serha had been remarkably lively.
"You must have been bored."
"Not at all! I wasn't bored because I was with you, Lady!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
But it turned out she hadn't been bored at all.
She'd been staring at his face every chance she got, to the point of being almost burdensome, so he'd assumed she was thoroughly bored.
'I was feeling rather apologetic, too.'
He hadn't felt bored.
He had been concentrating on a spellbook for most of the travel time.
At most, it felt like killing time reading a web novel on a train, so it hadn't been that dull.
"They're fighting..."
- Tak.
After he shook off the somewhat apologetic feeling he'd had toward Serha, he saw Shue staring beyond the forest, murmuring something and surveying the area.
She was leaning slightly forward as if she could see something there, her ears folded back in a wary posture, her whole body tense.
Eve was also looking in the same direction, so there definitely was something over there.
Probably a fight had broken out somewhere nearby.
"It's over..."
"Already? That's disappointing. I was trying to see what the battle patterns between the two factions were like."
"The nearby fight is over... There are still many more."
"Is that so...?"
The region ruled by the Queen of the North.
In other words, this place where the coniferous forest was located was a plateau situated about three days northwest of Solemio.
'Was it called Mistheim?'
To the south and west, it was bordered by the Eisenlight Mountains, a range higher than this plateau,
and as its name suggested, the plateau was perpetually shrouded in mist with such a dense coniferous forest that its interior couldn't be seen properly.
Moreover, this plateau and forest also shared the same name.
"So this is that tree."
He had heard rumors about the trees here even among humans.
That although it was a dangerous place with many monsters, the wood obtained here was of high quality and sold for a high price, so requests accompanied by woodcutters and adventurers were frequent.
Ttok ttok.
When he knocked on the tree out of curiosity, a hard sound resonated back along with a strong repulsive force.
The firs named 'Hysen Mistheim Ironwood' made up the coniferous forest here, and they were simultaneously famous as materials for all sorts of weapons due to their toughness and their harmonious connection (缘).
"Do those harpies know? That the reason they've survived just fine here is because of humans' needs."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"You see, humans greatly favor this tree."
In fact, the existence of the monster groups here was well known even to the Kingdom's side.
The reason this place hadn't become a target for monster subjugation despite having such useful materials was also famous.
A place with useful materials and monsters sufficiently hostile to humans, even if they didn't actively expand outward.
Yet there was a reason it didn't become the target of a subjugation aimed at 'monster extermination.'
'They were lucky.'
It was because the mages' investigation revealed that the ironwood grew so hard due to the excrement of the monsters inhabiting this area.
"So what you're saying is..."
"I'm saying that parts of monsters are mixed into the bark of these trees."
"Ugh. That's a bit grotesque when you put it that way..."
The excrement of the monsters here contained some component that created a 'hard carapace', and the reason the firs here maintained their elastic, tough quality was a phenomenon caused by absorbing that excrement.
From the humans' perspective, the situation was that they only needed to periodically subjugate the monsters here to control their numbers so they wouldn't grow too large.
This was also the reason why Solemio, despite being a countryside area with poor transportation, could still maintain its fortress appearance and relatively large size as a city.
Its management was entrusted simultaneously to the Copherin and Solemio Adventurer Guilds.
'In truth, it's not Hysen-made, but monster-made Mistheim Ironwood.'
In that sense, taking this place wasn't a seizure of ownership rights, but practically the same as reclaiming lawful ownership.
Of course, that was sophistry.
"First, let's head toward where the ruler of this place is."
"Understood! This way!"
"Shue. If a battle breaks out nearby, let me know immediately. I should observe at least once."
"Yeah..."
Ddagak ddagak...
Swaaaak......!
He looked around while riding in the carriage driven by Shue.
The carriage moved relatively slowly, unlike when they had come here.
The sound of a strong wind blowing through firs so dense it was doubtful any one could receive full sunlight.
And a white darkness—bright from the mist but with no sunlight penetrating—where the naked eye couldn't distinguish anything beyond ten meters, along with the light diffusing through it.
Overall, it was a scene that inspired both mystique and eeriness.
The 'flow' felt within it was also strange...
Wait.
'Something felt off.'
Originally, high mountain areas tend to have frequent mist, but a place like this region where the mist never lifted all year round was rare.
The reason both wind and mana couldn't escape this vicinity was now laid out before his eyes.
"The culprits were the trees."
- Dalkak.
"You felt it too? The trees are all holding onto the light and mist."
- Tak!
"As you said, investigating properly would be interesting."
That secret lay in this place, in the air currents created by each individual fir tree.
Sareureureuk...
The firs had grown using monster corpses, their bodies and blood rich with mana, as fertilizer.
Each of those plants, long accustomed to mana, was instinctively using mana to tightly hold onto the moisture and light they needed, refusing to let go.
This should be seen as the firs' use of mana reaching the realm of a primitive supernatural ability.
Literally, it was a naturally occurring labyrinth.
'No wonder the mist was so thick, yet it didn't cling to the skin much.'
Once he shifted his thoughts and surveyed the area, the air was just cool and not sticky enough to raise anyone's discomfort index.
No matter how high the altitude, with humidity this high, water would usually condense on the skin or inside clothes and be annoying.
"With this level of ability, a new monster will soon emerge in this forest."
"Like a new king...?"
"That won't happen. There are already two leaders."
"Ah, of course."
Probably, if those firs were given a longer lifespan and a safer environment, they would soon turn into monsters like Alraune or come to harbor spirits.
That was what he meant by 'investigation.'
Dagak.
While he was observing the scene and thinking, he felt the carriage come to a stop.
"This way... Huh?"
"The signs of battle have come. Lady."
"I see. Let's go on foot."
It was news of a battle.
After listening to Serha's flustered voice and Shue's calm reply and alighting, he began moving with Shue in the lead.
"Kisaak!!"
Peoeok!
"Kyaaaaa!!"
Kwajik!
Not long after walking, the scene that spread before his eyes was a battlefield where the blood and slime of warriors clad in hard carapaces and demon beasts spattered.