Chapter 380
Chapter Title: Anomalies in Dobella
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380.
Dobella.
In Ellehem, a nation mostly comprised of desert, it was the only city lush with vegetation.
It should have been the most developed city in Ellehem, but Dobella was one of the nation's most underdeveloped regions.
This was due to Dobella's geographical location.
No matter how lush the vegetation, if it belonged to the Forest of Monsters, it was not a blessing but a curse.
In a forest teeming with boundless life, monster attacks were relentless.
If the monster attacks weren't stopped, the crisis could spread beyond Dobella and threaten the entire nation.
The central government of Ellehem continued to provide financial aid to maintain the defensive line that was Dobella.
But the central government's support ended there.
The Ellehem royal family wouldn't care even if the entire country fell into ruin.
To them, Dobella was nothing more than a nuisance, and they provided only the minimum financial aid necessary to keep it from collapsing.
They offered no further management.
Naturally, Dobella saw a constant stream of mercenaries.
The lives of mercenaries, who fought life-or-death battles against monsters, were strongly driven by the pursuit of a big score.
Thanks to such mercenaries, the security in the neglected city naturally declined.
Even within the chaotic state of Ellehem, Dobella's situation could be described as even more severe.
Meanwhile, outside the walls of Dobella.
*Creeeeak! Thud—!*
A giant tree fell.
*Groooowwwwwwl!*
"O-Ogres?!"
The appearance of a pack of ogres, high-level monsters, caused the mercenaries to scream in horror.
The monster at the top of the food chain in the Forest of Monsters was the troll.
While trolls were undoubtedly fearsome monsters, they were creatures that skilled mercenaries could easily subdue.
But ogres were fundamentally different beasts from trolls.
Their skin was so tough that a normal steel sword couldn't even pierce it, and their strength was enough to easily hurl massive boulders.
Overwhelming durability and strength.
For ordinary mercenaries, they were the stuff of nightmares.
The appearance of monsters that didn't originally exist in the Forest of Monsters sent many mercenaries into a panic, forcing them to retreat.
*Step—*
"And here they were, all bragging about how we could count on them."
A sighing girl stepped forward through the fleeing mercenaries to face the ogres.
Unlike the battle-hardened mercenaries, the beautiful girl drew her sword. *Shing—*
*Fwoosh—!*
Flames erupted from her body.
*Swoosh—!*
A fiery aura bisected an ogre that was charging toward the girl, Martina.
*Thud—!*
The ogre, split in two, collapsed and died.
"Ooooh!"
The mercenaries who saw it let out cries of admiration.
Just then, a golden flash erupted.
*Kwagagagak—!*
A blonde girl, moving at incredible speed, weaved through the ogres, landed on the ground, and spun around.
"Wooooooah!"
The mercenaries' cheers grew even louder.
But their cheers didn't last long.
"You're both pretty good."
The girl holding a rapier, Celia, smiled faintly as she approached the ogres.
Celia elegantly swept her hair back and readjusted her grip on her rapier.
*Tap—!*
"Shall I finish this?"
*Fwooooosh—!*
Flames of incomparable heat shimmered around her body, far surpassing Martina's.
At the appearance of one of the strongest second-year students from Lumerne's Knight Department, the mercenaries let out desperate screams.
"Lady Celia!"
"Please, don't get involved!"
"Aaaaaah! She's a disaster who turns everything to ash!"
Celia's face crumpled at the mercenaries' over-the-top reactions.
"There's no need for you to step in, Senior Celia. You too, Martina."
*Gooooooh—!*
A golden aura enveloped Aina's body.
"Here... I'm more than enough on my own."
*Stomp—!*
Aina's feet dug into the ground.
Bending her knees, she charged toward the ogres at an imperceptible speed.
With a flash of Aina's sword, the ogres' heads flew off.
"A-As expected of the Sword Saint's bloodline."
"To slice through ogres' necks like tofu at such a young age."
"She's scarier than the monsters."
Celia narrowed her eyes as she watched the murmuring mercenaries.
In just a single day, Aina had become a figure of fear among the mercenaries.
It wasn't simply because she subjugated monsters with overwhelming power.
The flames of Jerdinger were far more suited for dealing with multiple enemies.
In terms of the number of monsters subjugated, Celia was superior.
And yet, Aina had become an object of fear because she constantly radiated a murderous aura.
She didn't care about getting blood on her.
Even for a hero candidate, the sight of a young girl, covered in blood like a butcher and lopping off monster heads, was more than enough to be unsettling.
After annihilating the ogre pack in an instant, Aina flicked the blood from her sword and sheathed it.
*Trudge— Trudge—*
Celia sighed as she watched the blood-soaked Aina approach.
The mercenaries furtively avoided Aina's gaze.
"Aina, you're too impatient."
"..."
"Why are you like this? You're the best among the first-years."
"Unless I'm acknowledged by Senior Leo, none of that matters."
For reasons unknown, Celia knew that Aina was obsessed with gaining Leo's approval, more so than necessary.
*'I should talk to Leo about this.'*
Just as Celia sighed.
"Ladies! Thank you so much!"
A man who appeared to be the mercenary captain approached with a broad grin.
"Thanks to you ladies, our mercenary corps earned a month's pay in a single day."
"Ah, yes."
Celia had come to Dobella to explore the Forest of Monsters with her mentees, Aina and Martina.
And so, Celia found and contracted a mercenary corps that had been active in Dobella for a long time and had a decent reputation.
Having been active in Dobella for so long, they had their own system and were familiar with the geography of the Forest of Monsters, which was helpful for the exploration.
The payment was the corpses of the subjugated monsters.
The mercenaries of Dobella received payment using the subjugated corpses as proof.
This was also why the mercenaries had screamed when Celia was about to step in.
Celia's flames incinerated the monsters completely, leaving no corpses behind.
Simply guiding the overwhelmingly powerful hero candidates was profitable, so the mercenary corps welcomed the three of them enthusiastically.
"So you're saying today was the first time you've seen an ogre?"
"That's right! I've been a mercenary in Dobella for five years, but this is the first time I've ever seen an ogre!"
*'Just as I thought. This is definitely an anomaly.'*
Just as Celia narrowed her eyes.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble—!*
The ground began to shake.
"W-What is it?"
"Monsters are moving in large numbers."
Celia said, her senses sharpened.
"Money's just rolling in!"
The mercenary captain beamed.
"Well, I don't think that's quite it."
"Huh?"
Just as the mercenary captain was getting flustered.
*Swoosh—!*
"Hello, Celia."
"Hmph. So it's Celia."
Abad and Duran emerged, parting the bushes.
Behind them were their mentees, Fritz and Habiden, along with their own mercenary corps.
"Oh my! Senior Celia. So you were here?"
From the sky, Sasha, the top first-year student of the Summoning Department, appeared, riding a massive eagle-like high-level phantom beast.
Beside her stood her mentor, Woreden, with his arms crossed.
Abad and Duran had the same idea as Celia and had also hired a mercenary corps.
They had come across Celia's location while searching for a good spot to subjugate a monster pack.
Celia pouted.
Unlike her, with her fire attribute, her peers could leave monster corpses behind, so they could fight as much as they wanted.
"Another chance to earn some income."
Celia said primly to the mercenary captain.
The mercenary captain's expression turned serious.
"It is your turn to act, Lady Celia!"
"Pardon?"
"A rule among mercenaries. No matter who helps catch the prey, the one who finds it first gets all the pay. Even if we help, we won't get a single coin. But if we avoid the fight, we'll just be scorned."
"So?"
"If we can't have it, we burn it!"
"..."
In short, rather than working hard only to benefit others, he was suggesting they burn everything.
Sighing, Celia readjusted her grip on her sword.
"Please, burn it all!"
Celia shook her head at the shout from behind her.
***
That evening.
Celia sat in a tavern in the center of Dobella.
Across from her sat Abad, Duran, and Woreden, whom she had encountered in the Forest of Monsters earlier that day.
"So."
Duran, arms crossed, wore a cynical expression.
"What's the reason you called us all here, Woreden Tiden?"
The one who had organized this meeting was none other than Woreden.
"Because I felt the need to exchange information."
"Hmph. How unusual. For you of all people to request cooperation."
"This mission training isn't a competition."
Abad said with a faint smile.
"Does feeling the need for cooperation mean you've found something unusual?"
In response to Celia's question, Woreden took out a dark red orb from his coat.
Seeing it, Abad stroked his chin.
"A golem's core."
"A golem was roaming the Forest of Monsters today. This is what I got after dealing with it. Abad Llewellyn. You should be able to tell what era this is from, right?"
Nodding at Woreden's words, Abad reached for the magic core.
Meanwhile, Woreden looked at Celia and Duran and said.
"My mentee and I spent the day scouting the skies above the Forest of Monsters."
Woreden hadn't hired a mercenary corps; he and Sasha had moved independently.
Hearing this, Celia tilted her head.
"Aren't the skies above the Forest of Monsters hard to approach by flight because of the strange air currents? I heard even that butterball gave up because it was too much trouble."
"Spirit users and mages are fundamentally different. While a wind mage controls the surrounding atmosphere, a spirit user can dominate it."
"So, what's your point?"
"As soon as I scouted the forest, I realized an anomaly was occurring. Many monsters that don't belong in the Forest of Monsters have appeared. I'm sure you all know this as well."
"Right."
"And all of those monsters showed characteristics of monsters from the southern part of the continent."
Even among ogres, those from the northern regions and those from the southern regions have different characteristics.
"Are you saying it's a World of Heroes from the southern region?"
As Celia tilted her head, Woreden narrowed his eyes.
"That's not all."
"Then what is it?"
"The monsters that appeared each bore the characteristics of different eras."
Monsters are intelligent creatures.
Some among them possess high intelligence.
They have their own cultures, and these cultures are revealed through the monsters' armaments.
Therefore, the state of a monster's armament subtly changes from era to era.
For monsters with such diverse characteristics to appear in one place.
It could only mean one thing.
"Are you saying there might be more than one Hero Dungeon?"
Just as Woreden nodded at Duran's words.
"I've figured out what era this golem core is from."
Abad said then, his face filled with confusion.
"What era is it from?"
"Based on my analysis of the core's foundational formula, it's an object from before the Age of Heroes."
"What?!"
Everyone's eyes widened at Abad's words.
"You mean it's from the Age of Calamity?"
Celia asked urgently.
"It's an object from the Age of Calamity, yes. But I can't be sure this core is from 5,000 years ago."
"What do you mean...?"
"The activation formula that drives this core's magic is from 3,000 years ago. I've never seen or heard of anything like this. I'll need to investigate further, but this is a major discovery that could turn the world of magic studies upside down."
***
*Fwoosh—!*
With a bright flash of light, a girl collapsed to the ground.
The heart of Dragonia.
The girl frantically looked around to assess the situation.
Then, she spotted the words [Conquest Failed] before her and let out an empty laugh.
"...So this is the place."
The girl, Rodia, nodded and pushed herself up.
She knew exactly where she was.
Her childhood.
This was probably the very first page of her Hero Record.
The day she first confirmed the infinite possibilities of the Hero Record.
Rodia reached out to the undivided, complete form of the Hero Record.
The page of Lisinas, the Great King of Wisdom, was open.
Rodia's favorite heroic tale of Lisinas.
The page she had attempted to conquer countless times.
But a page she had never managed to conquer.
Rodia knew the reason why.
It was because of the absence of one person.
"Sir Kyle. I wonder if he's the only one who can conquer this world."