The Shelmil Incident
The atmosphere in the city was relatively peaceful once I stepped out onto the streets, just as it had been when I arrived. Of course, people carried their own small and large hardships and personal troubles, but there was no despair or terror blanketing the entire city, no massive, suffocating chaos.
It was a strangely novel feeling. Even though Kainaknus had been kidnapped and the demonic beast legion had been revived—events that could easily be mistaken for a return to the Great War—their daily lives and routines continued uninterrupted.
The last Great War had literally held the fate of the world in the balance. Because of that, nearly everyone, whether on the battlefield or not, had been forced to share in that anxiety and fear. Sorrow had been everywhere, and unease had touched everyone. Some had raged, while even those who struggled to hold onto hope had merely dragged themselves through each miserable day.
The world had never been completely at peace, but never before had every single person shared such negative emotions so completely.
Looking back, it was hard to even imagine how intense that energy must have been.
The vast, powerful negative emotions that had built the Tower of Destruction and summoned the goddess Nyx. And even with all that immense energy, the goddess Nyx had still been unable to fully manifest in this world. At the time, I had simply accepted it with vague admiration, but now, thinking about it again, I could truly feel just how unbelievable what Rowell and the rest of us had accomplished really was.
“What business brings you here?”
When I arrived at the Mage Guild, a man who appeared to be a guard asked politely. The fact that they were using guards instead of apprentice mages suggested this branch had a healthy budget.
I pulled a small insignia from my pocket and showed it to him. It marked me as a high-ranking official of the Sage’s Tower, something Medrup had given me when I went to speak with him about the Raiven clone. It was meant to cut down on unnecessary introductions, explanations, and proof.
“Ah, please go right in!”
The guard recognized the insignia and immediately stepped aside. Of course, I had to repeat the process with several mages inside, but eventually we were able to connect with Medrup through the crystal orb.
—Yes. What is it?
The person on the other side of the crystal orb was not Medrup. The man had a somewhat stiff expression; he was probably Medrup’s assistant, John.
“It’s been a while, John.”
—Yes. It has been a while, Lord Anak. Lord Medrup was actually quite worried because you weren’t at the location you were originally supposed to be.
Well, technically I should still have been searching the surrounding areas at the request of the other kingdoms.
“Yes. Something came up. Did Lord Medrup need me for something?”
Medrup had entrusted me with the searches for several kingdoms and regions that had requested support, and had told me to contact him once everything was finished. It had been a diplomatic and political measure to avoid unnecessary confusion—having me handle it instead of Rowell and Bagloros, who were essential to our fighting strength, or Aegina, who carried strong symbolic weight.
It was meant to reassure the anxious kingdoms and demonstrate that the hero and his companions were actively moving. Of course, unexpected events had delayed things, but even without those incidents, this wasn’t the kind of task that could be completed in such a short time. The fact that he was looking for me now meant something must have happened.
At my question, John’s expression grew somewhat heavy, and he nodded.
—…Yes. Just a short while ago, Shelmil was attacked by the demonic beast legion.
“Shelmil?”
Shelmil? What possible reason could there be to attack that place? It wasn’t a strategic chokepoint, nor did it hold any special significance from the Great War. Raiven had no reason to target it.
—Yes. That’s why Lord Medrup and the other three are currently in Shelmil. They instructed me to either bring you to Shelmil as quickly as possible if you contacted us, or at least relay your exact location.
I turned to look at Geil and Elena. Geil, who had already heard about the clone’s appearance, seemed to understand the situation to some degree, but Elena looked startled by the sudden news.
“…How bad are the casualties?”
—Fortunately, because Lord Medrup and the others arrived quickly, it isn’t too severe, but still…
Right. No matter what, it was the demonic beast legion. There was no way there would be no casualties. Even though he said that, the devastation in John’s eyes said everything.
“…I see.”
—Then, Lord Anak, will you head to Shelmil right away? Shall I inform Lord Medrup?
I shook my head.
“No, don’t do that.”
With Medrup and Rowell already there, my going wouldn’t change much. I didn’t know why they had attacked a small kingdom like Shelmil, but right now, Kainaknus…
“Wait, Shelmil…?”
Come to think of it, wasn’t Shelmil one of the places, along with Melpis, that had suppressed and persecuted summoners?
—Lord Anak?
Something felt off. Raiven preparing clones was one thing, but why now, all of a sudden? It had already been several years since the demon king’s army was destroyed and the goddess Nyx had fallen into her long slumber. Even if the clone technique was incomplete and proper control took a long time, could the timing of the Dark Temple’s emergence really be explained as mere coincidence?
Moreover, even though they had declared war on Rowell, they had attacked Shelmil, which had nothing to do with it. No matter how different the clone’s consciousness was from the original, given Raiven’s personality, this was a decision that made no sense at all.
—Lord Anak?
“……?”
At the puzzled looks from John and Elena, I stopped thinking for the moment. There was still no solid evidence to be certain about anything.
“John, please relay the situation to Lord Medrup for now.”
I explained that Kainaknus had been captured by a group suspected to be the Dark Temple, that I had discovered their meeting place, and that I suspected a connection between the clones and the Dark Temple.
“I’ll head over there for now. If I’m lucky, I might be able to rescue Lord Kainaknus or at least find his exact location.”
—Please wait a moment, Lord Anak! It’s dangerous to go alone. You should inform Lord Medrup first and receive help…
“There’s no time. Besides, Lord Medrup needs to keep watch in case the demonic beast legion appears in other regions, and Rowell, Bagloros, and Aegina need to stay with him to respond effectively to any additional attacks. I’ll get help from others. Just pass that along. I’ll see you next time.”
While John hesitated, I cut the connection. If the demonic beast legion was moving in earnest, we couldn’t afford to split our forces. No matter where they appeared, the others needed to stay with Medrup for rapid response. The sudden attack on Shelmil meant other regions were just as vulnerable, and they might even strike multiple places at once.
Of course, I could ask for help from Aegina, Bagloros, or Orcan, but no matter which of the three came, I wasn’t comfortable with it when I considered the worst-case scenario.
If Bagloros came to help me, Rowell’s defensive strength would weaken. If Aegina came, not only would our defensive strength weaken, but if anything happened to her—even the slightest chance—I would never be able to forgive myself. As for Orcan… well, I didn’t even want to go there.
If there had been no other options, I would have had no choice, but since there were alternatives now, I didn’t want to take that risk or deal with the hassle.
I had a nearby mage prepare a teleportation circle. Geographically it was a slight detour, but if I wanted help, there was no helping it.
“Lord Anak?”
“Both of you, follow me.”
I briefly explained my suspicions about the connection between Raiven’s clones and the Dark Temple to Elena as I walked toward the teleportation circle outside. By the time we stepped out, the mages had already finished preparing it.
“Where would you like the arrival coordinates set?”
One of the mages spread out a map and asked. I pointed to a spot on it with my finger.
“Send us to the southern part of the Ancient Forest.”
* * *
The teleportation circle activated, and the surrounding scenery transformed into a deep, dense forest. The unique scent of the Ancient Forest and the awe-inspiring atmosphere and pressure created by its ancient trees washed over us.
“Please summon Duran.”
There was a chance wild monsters might attack, and while I wasn’t entirely sure, Duran, as an Incarnation of Greenery, might have a way to contact Granbipra immediately. While waiting for Duran to appear, I began pulling out the artifacts I had carefully stored in my pocket and equipping them one by one.
I had been so worried about dropping or forgetting them that I had nearly driven myself mad. It reminded me of the time long ago when I was still a child and had gone to Amusbian with my father, only to lose my coin purse containing half a coin’s worth of allowance. (Thinking back, I was probably pickpocketed.) The memory kept coming back, so I had checked my pocket several times earlier as well.
—The Ancient Forest?
Duran, upon appearing, looked quite surprised that we were in the Ancient Forest. No, it wasn’t just surprise—there was even a hint of fear in his expression.
“Is something wrong?”
Moreover, it wasn’t just Duran. Elena also wore an uncomfortable expression.
“No, I’m fine. May I ask why we came here?”
Despite her words, she was glancing around warily.
“I came to ask for help. I mentioned it earlier, didn’t I? That I would get help from others.”
Geil was explaining the current situation to Duran through mental synchronization, and Duran was quickly catching up.
—Help? From whom, in this Ancient Forest?
They looked at me in disbelief. It was understandable—finding a capable ally in the Ancient Forest, filled with primordial lifeforms, monsters, and beasts, was hard to imagine. We could certainly find useful summoned beasts, but there was no need to search for new ones in such a busy situation.
“Well, just wait and see.”
I closed my eyes quietly. Just because we had formed a master-servant contract didn’t mean we were constantly aware of each other’s presence, but Duru Satal, whose consciousness network was spread across a wide area, should be able to sense me even at this distance.
“Ah, and no matter what appears, don’t attack first unless it attacks us.”
They looked puzzled by my words but nodded in agreement. A moment later, the sound of something large approaching rapidly from afar reached our ears.