Chapter 32. The Hunt (3)
“This is jackpot, for real.”
Libiel grinned in satisfaction, patting her bulging pouch securely closed.
The haul was simply too satisfying.
Magic crystals, proof of their hunt, were piling up in the blink of an eye.
'Teaming up with Kirian for the hunt was the best choice ever!'
Lure and Spear of Lightning made for a fantastic combo.
It was fundamentally efficient, too.
Mihaden and Lorang had to keep running around, burning stamina, but Kirian and Libiel could just stand back leisurely, gather the beasts, and wipe them out in one go.
Sure, from Libiel's perspective, unleashing attack spells all at once drained her mana like crazy, but with Kirian solidly backing her up, there wasn't a single dangerous moment.
“Hey! What do you wanna eat? Just tell your big sis! I'll treat with scholarship money!”
It was Libiel's bold declaration, suddenly finding Kirian all the more endearing.
But there was no reply from Kirian.
“……”
“What? You listening? I'm asking if there's nothing you wanna eat.”
“Yeah.”
“……How am I supposed to take that? Were you listening, or do you just not want anything?”
For some reason, Kirian's face was utterly expressionless.
He just stood there, lips pressed tight as if deep in thought, staring into the Eternal Forest.
Then, abruptly, the silence shattered.
“Let's head deeper in.”
“Huh? Deeper? Do we have to……? We can just keep doing what we've been doing.”
But Kirian rummaged in his pocket and pulled something out.
The unicorn horn wand he'd gotten from Bastion.
Libiel's eyes flickered in an instant.
She'd begged to fiddle with it countless times, so she spotted the change right away.
“You, what'd you engrave on that wand? A magic circle?! Why?”
“Follow me.”
He'd personally inscribed a spell onto the wand, which amplified magical effects.
It was ingenious—but dangerous.
Libiel was dying to know his intent.
But Kirian gave no answer, just started walking ahead.
A fierce debate raged in his mind.
"Absolutely not! The magic controlling the Eternal Forest couldn't have broken! 'Twas bestowed by Ulfrik himself!"
'If not, how else do you explain this?'
* * *
A faint, fishy scent of mana wafted on the incoming breeze.
I was certain.
'Beasts stronger than Chief Kobolds are on the move.'
In the age of war, they'd even rated monster levels with stars: 1-star, 2-star, and so on.
Now it was purely a human benchmark.
By that scale, kobolds and goblins were mid-1-star monsters.
'Professor Rapens tuned it down even lower, I felt.'
But the Chief Kobold we'd just fought was solidly 2-star.
And from deeper in the forest came an even greater pressure in the mana traces.
Meaning something stronger than a Chief Kobold was prowling around.
'That fleeting glimpse of Professor Rapens's face earlier wasn't normal, either.'
Signs that things were going sideways.
Assuming the control magic on Zone 1 was broken—which Hierniorn insisted was impossible—there was no other explanation.
"Fine, say it is! If the control magic's glitchy, why keep pushing in? What's your business there?"
'Well……'
I narrowed my eyes toward the forest's depths.
500 years ago, when Ulfrik had imposed the control magic here, flashed in my mind.
“To plant a powerful magic circle, you need a source to match. Remember that, all of you.”
If the control magic truly was damaged, its core source would likely be exposed on the surface at the center.
Back then, Ulfrik had buried something extremely valuable deep underground.
"You don't mean that……?"
'Yeah. I'm taking it. Perfect timing, right?'
If the magic was damaged and the source exposed, it couldn't be reused.
It'd lost stability.
So I planned to claim it.
"True enough. Left alone, the professor would reclaim it as some antique. Better with thee."
'Depending on condition, you might absorb it.'
"Truly……? This Hierniorn's power from that stone……?"
'Depends on how you perform.'
Hierniorn immediately burst into oaths of eternal loyalty.
I pressed on.
If my hunch was right, higher-grade beasts would be crawling out, wandering around.
Right then.
“……?”
A chill prickled the back of my neck; I halted, and even the chattering Hierniorn clamped his beak shut.
I nodded, and the guardian spirit zipped off into the forest.
Libiel muttered too.
“Something's…… off……”
“Be specific.”
“Feels like the forest suddenly got darker. Mana flow's weird, and it's a bit colder too.”
She was spot on.
The smooth mana currents caressing the woods had turned erratic, thrashing wildly.
Like the balance was utterly shattered.
The deeper we went, the colder the air grew, and the light filtering through the branches dimmed.
'The source really is damaged.'
"Tiberian! Battle stations!"
Hierniorn returned, screeching warnings.
No need to go deeper.
The ground trembled.
Roooooooar!
A savage roar no mere kobold could make.
Danger alarms blared in my head.
I could almost see the silhouettes lurking ahead.
Then, dust exploded right in front of us.
Boom!
A shadow hurtled in at blinding speed, crashing before us.
Not an attack, but just as urgent.
“What……?”
Libiel blinked in confusion.
As the dust settled, we saw what it was.
Professor Rapens.
“You two, head back to the entrance. Control magic's malfunctioning—hunt's canceled.”
He brushed dust from his robes, face utterly grim.
* * *
Moments earlier, Schud Rapens had stood at Zone 1's entrance.
Mulling Kirian's lure strategy.
Amazement and admiration mingled within.
Herding hunt with Lure.
'How'd a first-year think of that?'
Mastering the spells was impressive too.
Complex even for third-years.
A faint smile tugged at Schud's lips amid his thoughts.
'Undeniable talent. Nurture it right, and he'll be exceptional. Enough to change our school's fate.'
But his expression darkened.
Memories from 20 years ago surged like a tide.
They'd used a similar tactic then.
'We needed efficiency too……'
Screams from dawn nightmares echoed in his ears again.
Schud shook his head sharply, snapping back.
His trimmed nails dug into his clenched fist.
'Focus. Not the time for emotions.'
To calm himself, he traced a complex magic circle in the air with his finger.
Initiating a new spell.
A white wave rippled outward from his feet……
Whoooosh—
The ripples spread across the forest in seconds.
Mana coalesced in the air into large and small ovoid shapes.
“Show me.”
His command birthed a dozen mirrors.
The Observation spell tied to the control magic.
Through them, Schud surveyed the woods.
Mihaden and Lorang, who'd charged ahead—
'Textbook: chasing packs, picking off one by one.'
The boys' faces brimmed with tension and thrill.
Even mere kobolds—the joy of hunting beasts gripped them.
Kirian and Libiel hadn't started yet.
'No need to rush with Lure.'
The matchup seemed decided.
Still, an intriguing contest.
Schud pushed old memories aside, continuing observation.
But soon.
“Hmm……?”
He straightened, eyes widening.
Trouble at Mihaden and Lorang's side.
A wrong beast had appeared before the boys.
'An orc?'
Incomprehensible.
He'd tuned the control magic for kobolds only.
'Why an orc?'
No time to ponder.
First-years couldn't handle orcs.
He flicked his finger; air warped massively.
Pop!
Schud Rapens blasted through the forest at explosive speed.
He knew their location.
“Mihaden! Lorang!”
“H-Here, Professor!”
There—Mihaden facing the orc.
No visible wounds, but Lorang was down.
Bludgeoned in the head, maybe.
'Where'd it come from?'
Sword drawn beneath his cloak.
He kept momentum, charging the orc.
One slash severed its neck.
Slash!
“……!”
The beast crumpled without a cry, head rolling across the dirt.
Schud rushed to Lorang.
Lucky—no real injury.
Just mana flow disrupted.
“Spell tangled mid-cast—backlash hit.”
“Y-Yeah, panicked seeing the orc……”
Schud nodded at Mihaden's explanation.
Turning, he inspected the orc corpse—no anomalies.
No sabotage plot.
'Control magic's faulty.'
Old magic circle—makes sense.
Just annoying it failed on a day with first-years roaming.
“Mihaden, hunt's over. Back to entrance.”
Mihaden's eyes wavered in dismay.
The boy started to protest, but Schud frowned.
“You agreed to follow orders if trouble hit?”
“Y-Yes……”
Schud shut down rebuttals, casting Transport on unconscious Lorang.
Meridians might be twisted—handle with care.
As mana tethers linked the floating boy.
“……?”
A faint vibration underfoot.
Thump, thump, thump……
“Tch.”
Schud clicked his tongue, turning.
Control magic badly broken, it seemed.
“Take Lorang and go first. I'll fetch Kirian and Libiel.”
“C-Can I help?”
“No. Obviously.”
“Yes……”
Mihaden hesitated, then obeyed.
Alone, Schud flew through the forest again, culling orcs.
Problem: broken control killed observation too.
Hard to pinpoint Kirian and Libiel.
'Somewhere around here.'
Orcs would pour out nonstop till he sealed the entrance.
Schud blocked paths, inching along to find the pair.
Finally, he met them.
“You two, head back to the entrance. Control magic's malfunctioning—hunt's canceled.”
Just hold till they exited.
Then call other professors to clean up.
By then, orcs would multiply massively—overnight in the woods inevitable.
'No choice.'
Had to endure.
But then, unexpectedly.
“Sorry, Professor, but we can't get back on our own.”
“……?”
Kirian stepped forward boldly.
That subtle glint—hallmark of gifted mages.
Rapens asked why.
“Our retreat's blocked.”