Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Diverging Paths
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"Hurry, that way! Let's go that way!"
"...What?"
Forgetting that others were present, Allen answered out loud. That was how unexpected it was.
"Young Master, is something wrong?"
The knight looked at Allen with a puzzled expression when he suddenly stopped talking. Allen shook his head and replied quickly.
"I was surveying the forest with magic. Could you please be quiet so I can concentrate for a moment?"
"Ah, of course."
The knight immediately fell silent. Allen paid them no more mind and focused on Vestla.
Hearing her words, his first thought was simple.
‘Why?’
It wasn't a question about following her directions, but rather, why she had spoken at all.
The reason she remained silent when others were around or when he was conversing with someone was simple.
He had no way of speaking to Vestla privately.
If their conversations were to get mixed up while he was talking to someone else, he would look like a perfect lunatic.
That was why Allen had made a promise with her.
To remain silent in front of others.
"I'll explain everything later! Please, just go that way!"
And so, the unspoken rule that had been kept until now…
"Hurry!"
...was broken in this moment.
"Can't you just listen to me this once?"
She tried to slip from his hand, as if she would go by herself if Allen didn't move.
Before she could truly leave, Allen tapped the rattling hilt a couple of times and opened his mouth.
"Everyone, follow me."
At his words, the waiting knights' gazes turned toward him.
"Did you find something?"
"Yes, while surveying with magic... I noticed a few things."
"Ooh...!"
The knights, being laymen when it came to magic, agreed with his words. Vestla, too, grew quiet upon seeing that Allen was about to move.
"I'll tell you everything later. So for now, please follow my lead."
No, it would be more accurate to say that while the sword itself remained still, her words became more insistent.
"First, let's go over there, to where that pointy tree is."
Allen nodded obediently and began walking in the direction the sword's hilt was pointing.
Behind him, the knights shouted loudly, and the soldiers followed.
"Everyone, move out! Don't let your guard down!"
"Yes, sir!"
The search of the forest had begun.
* * *
Allen swung his sword down on the monster charging at him. The strike, imbued with immense power, split the two-headed orc's body in half.
He formed a hand seal, and the head of a nearby gnoll exploded from the shockwave, scattering fragments everywhere.
Just as Allen had expected after entering the forest under Vestla's guidance, monsters began to attack.
‘So they were all here.’
Allen flicked the blood from his sword and surveyed the battle.
"Guard the rear!"
"Don't break formation!"
"Hold on! The Knight Order is behind you!"
The situation was not bad.
The soldiers held their ground, calmly defending against the assault. Whenever they were in danger, the waiting knights would surge forward, and the monsters would be unable to retaliate.
As expected, the monsters were soon dealt with, and there were no casualties.
"Four wounded! No casualties! All are minor injuries, so they can continue fighting!"
"Let's wrap this up quickly!"
And so, Allen once again followed Vestla's guidance deeper into the forest.
"Slightly to the right of the pit ahead!"
The monsters continued their assault.
Chimeras, undead, greenskins, and even bizarre beasts.
"Ignore the pile of rocks ahead, just climb over it!"
The faint smell of sulfur in the forest, which had begun its demonic transformation, grew strong enough to sting the nose. Grotesquely twisted beasts with extra legs or tentacles also started to appear.
The deeper he went, the more Allen began to feel a sense of unease.
‘The monsters…’
The closer they got to their destination, the less frequent the attacks became.
He was slow to notice because the decrease was so gradual, but at some point, the frequency of monster appearances had dwindled.
The soldiers seemed to have noticed as well, their relief palpable, but Allen, on the contrary, heightened his vigilance.
‘Is this all there is?’
No.
The incident he remembered had involved a force capable of taking on the entire Count's domain, even without the corrupted Divine Beast.
It wasn't supposed to be an easy affair that could be handled so smoothly without any casualties.
Allen fell deeper into thought.
‘Excluding the Divine Beast, our current forces are sufficient. But were they really this weak?’
Meanwhile, the group continued toward their destination, following Vestla's guidance.
The stench of decay wafted through the twisted trees.
Mushrooms on the ground flicked their four-cleft maws, and the cloying aura of death, which grew thicker the closer they got to their destination, made even the knights shudder.
‘It’s almost as if we’re being lured…’
Just as Allen was beginning to vaguely predict the enemy's intentions, Vestla cried out.
"It's right ahead!"
*We're already here?*
At her words, Allen cut short his thoughts and looked up. Before him lay a clearing that had been utterly devastated, as if destroyed by some great force.
Around it, a building that was clearly man-made came into view.
And in the center of that clearing.
"Grrrk—"
A monster of immense size—five meters tall—with muscles that looked ready to burst and six arms, no.
"A-a giant!"
A giant, its entire body a horrific sight of stitched-together flesh, let out a great roar.
"GRA-A-A-A-A-A-A!"
The forest trembled and birds took flight. The soldier who had cried out "giant" clamped a hand over his mouth, his face pale with terror. As the knights rushed toward the giant, it began to charge at them as well.
"Huh? Ah?"
Amidst the chaos.
"Ah."
Vestla let out a gasp of dismay, as if she had just witnessed the impossible.
* * *
Julius strode through the Forest of the Divine Beast with unstoppable steps.
There was no hesitation in his gait, only confidence on his face.
"...Young Master, do you know where you're going?"
Camilla, who had been forced to accompany him at his suggestion, asked with an anxious expression.
The others didn't say anything, but their faces were full of curiosity at his demeanor, which suggested he knew his exact destination.
"I do."
"Are you saying you know where the enemies are...?"
She eyed him with a look of disbelief.
[Stop the warlocks trying to corrupt the Divine Beast and rescue it within the time limit! Time Limit: 0:4:11]
[Reward: Favor of the Divine Beast, ???]
Of course, he knew. The quest told him everything. But he couldn't just say that.
Julius resorted to his usual convenient excuse.
"Yes, I found some information about the Forest of the Divine Beast in the mansion's library."
"Ooh! As expected of the Young Master!"
"You are always so thorough, Young Master Julius!"
The other knights looked relieved at his answer, and even Camilla began to see him in a new light, so different from his hooligan days.
"So, don't worry. At the very least, we won't get lost."
Julius inwardly muttered as he listened to their praise.
‘Map open.’
When he shifted his gaze to the empty air, he saw the [Map] system that had recently become available.
On the compass-like radar, red dots, presumed to be the warlocks' locations, were clustered ahead.
"If no monsters block our path, it should take about thirty minutes? Still, everyone, stay on your guard."
"Understood."
Perhaps finding his behavior peculiar, Camilla murmured softly.
"...You are very well-prepared."
"Have you considered joining my side yet?"
"...I will think about it some more."
Julius took the opportunity to extend his offer once more, but Camilla rejected it flatly. However, the conviction in her reply was weaker than before.
‘Just a little more persuasion should do it.’
It would have been easier to convince her if Byron or Anya were here.
But he couldn't bring them along, as they had been assigned other tasks. Only his handmaiden, Reina, followed him like a shadow. Still, Julius wasn't worried.
‘This task is simple.’
It might have been different if he had come alone, but he had soldiers and knights, and even the Knight Commander.
Having witnessed the Knight Commander's power firsthand, Julius had no doubt that this matter would conclude without a hitch.
He knew who the enemies were.
He knew what schemes they were plotting and what they were going to do.
He also had the Knight Commander, who, although not mentioned in the novel, was certainly among the powerful.
Finally, he had his own lightning-aspected mana, which was filled with the power of purification and was the natural enemy of dark magic.
At this point, it would be stranger if he failed.
‘I’ll just take down the hidden boss and strengthen my [Rainbow Mystic Eye (S)].’
He was almost there, so he hoped no monsters would show up.
As if his thoughts had jinxed it.
*Woosh!*
Something suddenly shot out from the side.
He twisted his body by instinct. The jaws of a gnoll, baring its teeth ferociously, grazed his side. He immediately swung his sword down, and before it could dodge, its head was rolling on the ground.
"Young Master!"
At the knight's shout, he ducked. A steel bird crashed to the ground with a *thud*.
"It's an ambush! Everyone, get ready!"
"Young Master! Birds from the sky...!"
Looking up, he saw silver-gray birds with blood-red eyes plummeting from the sky.
"I'll handle it!"
Julius immediately roused his mana.
Deep blue lightning coursed through his sword. Dodging the falling birds, he unleashed a blade of energy, and crackling electricity filled the sky.
*Kieeeek—*
The flock of birds shrieked for a moment before they fell to the ground, unable to resist.
*Thud-thud-thud—*
"Young Master, are you alright!"
"I'm fine. How are the soldiers?"
"Thanks to your quick judgment, Young Master, the damage is minimal."
He turned his head to see the soldiers calmly fending off the monsters swarming from both sides.
"Young Master, I will go and provide support..."
Having confirmed Julius's safety, Camilla quickly turned to advance on the monsters targeting the soldiers.
*Tap—*
If not for the hand that grabbed her shoulder.
"What are you doing!"
"Is more support necessary?"
"Of course, we need more..."
*BOOM!*
"Waaaah!!"
When she whipped her head around, the monsters she had been about to target were already in pieces, scattered on the ground.
Most of the monsters that had swarmed the area were being quickly dispatched, unable to withstand the Knight Commander's attacks.
"Looks like the Knight Commander is handling it all."
"...Still, I have a duty to fulfill."
She ignored Julius's attempt to stop her and moved to finish off the remaining monsters. That was her duty, after all.
"So stubborn."
*That's why I want to recruit her, though.*
The lives of extras meant nothing to him, no matter how many were lost, but it was a different matter for her.
‘Does she consider them comrades?’
Julius shrugged and checked the map.
He didn't have much time left before he had to face the warlocks.
But the map looked strange.
"Why is the red dot right next to me..."
"—Die."
Goosebumps rose on his skin. The suddenness of it all made his reaction a little slow. *Why are they here? Why did they suddenly move?* His thoughts flowed sluggishly.
‘At this rate, I'll be hit first.’
He twisted his body as much as he could. Deep blue electricity instantly enveloped him as he raised his sword at an angle. But it was too late. If he had spotted them earlier, he wouldn't have been pushed back.
‘...You are so dead.’
Julius's furious gaze turned to his attacker.
Just as the ink-black greatsword was about to split his head open.
*CLANG!*
A figure cloaked in white light parried the dark sword strike.
"...Step back, Young Master."
"A pity."
"Shit...!"
Julius wiped away a cold sweat and quickly retreated behind the Knight Commander.
Seeing him attacked, the knights hurriedly gathered around him.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
"Are you injured anywhere...?"
Julius couldn't hear their words.
The back of his neck felt cold. Anxious, he quickly checked the map again and saw red dots rapidly approaching their location.
"Son of a bitch!"
"Young Master, what's with the sudden...!"
As the knights were startled by his curse, the ground began to rumble violently, and black fireballs started raining from the sky.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble—*
"Everyone, form up! The warlocks are coming!"
The soldiers and knights, who had been hesitating at the sudden turn of events, snapped to their senses at his shout.
"Stop them!"
"Kill them all! They're warlocks!"
Monsters poured in from all sides, and the red dots that had been in front of them all converged. Curses and dark magic rained down from the sky, and an unknown black knight clashed with the Knight Commander.
"Give it everything you've got!"
"For him!"
"Sacrifice your lives!"
Julius bisected a dullahan that was getting close and spat.
"Fuck."
Things were starting to go horribly wrong.
* * *
Anastasia listened to the sounds of explosions coming from the forest and let out a small, derisive smile.
"Princess, should we support them...?"
"It's fine, Jane. They haven't even used the seed yet, have they?"
Whether they couldn't use it because of the urgent situation or simply hadn't thought to, Anastasia had no intention of moving until they gave the signal.
‘No, even if they do give the signal.’
If their forces couldn't even win a single battle, what was the point of them coming to help?
"Remember, Jane. Our objective is to retrieve the young Divine Beast."
"My apologies. I misspoke."
"It's alright. They have a strong warrior with them, so they should be able to handle a threat of this level on their own. We..."
She turned her gaze. Dozens of elves were concentrating, their hands on the backs of the person in front of them.
"Finding the Divine Beast's location is more important than killing a single warlock."
Above the elves' heads, a small humanoid figure resonated with something, letting out a silent scream, before pointing in a specific direction.
"In any case, thanks to them, the enemy's forces have been reduced..."
*I suppose I should thank them later.*
Anastasia pushed away the fleeting image of Julius's face and stepped onto a branch.
"Let's go. Before it's too late."
"Yes, Princess."
As she headed in the direction where the Divine Beast was presumed to be, dozens of elves followed silently behind her, treading lightly across the treetops.