Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 61
>Chapter Title: Ah, Not a Suspicious Person
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Hamern Great Forest.
This place, which has resisted human conquest to preserve its pristine nature, harbors many unsolved secrets.
They come in all varieties.
From monsters known to be extinct lurking deep within the forest, to remnants of ancient civilizations.
The spot where the Forbidden Mage Solion stood was one such remnant of an ancient civilization.
A massive cavern beneath the Great Forest.
“……Hmm.”
Solion crossed his arms and gazed ahead.
The space was quite bizarre.
An utterly enormous empty chamber, perfectly circular in shape, with walls densely covered in murals.
No, not murals.
A kind of script.
Yet this script was so ominous that it shrank the mind and body of any who beheld it, but Solion remained utterly nonchalant before it.
He was simply lost in deep thought.
“Hey, tunnel rat. Any progress?”
“……Ah, you’re here.”
Solion set aside his musings as Belroc approached unnoticed.
“Progress, you say…… You’d be better off seeing for yourself.”
Solion stepped aside.
As he did, one object came into Belroc’s view: a crystal about two meters tall.
And strangely, it seemed unaffected by gravity, floating roughly a meter off the ground.
That wasn’t the only oddity.
Saaaaah— saa……
Inside the crystal.
Black, rippling smoke. No, more accurately, a shadowy presence writhing within.
It was none other than the ancient abomination, Destrow.
Belroc stared intently at the Destrow squirming inside the crystal orb.
“The seal hasn’t broken yet? What about the Liberation Ritual? It didn’t fail, did it?”
“The Liberation Ritual succeeded. It just needs a little more time.”
“……Hmm. I see.”
Belroc let out a low groan at the longer-than-expected timeline.
‘I thought it would awaken right away.’
It had already been several days since they arrived at the Hamern Great Forest in search of Destrow.
Frankly, finding the ruins hadn’t been difficult at all.
Just look now.
Wooong…… Wooong—!
Like a giant’s heart, the crystal pulsed at regular intervals.
With each pulse, Destrow’s malevolent aura spread in concentric waves through the Hamern Great Forest, making it child’s play for Belroc to pinpoint the center.
But that wasn’t the important part anyway.
Belroc recalled the situation outside the ruins, in the Hamern Great Forest.
- Kieeeek—!
- Graaa……
Ancient spirits awakened alongside Destrow.
Monsters that had their bodies seized by those cursed souls, reduced to mere undead.
Not just one or two.
The area around the ruins had already become a land of complete death, and the undead monsters were expanding their territory in search of the living.
And that territory was still growing.
Considering that the horde of the dead grew stronger the more Destrow’s seal weakened, it meant awakening was imminent.
And yet.
‘Even after the Liberation Ritual, it hasn’t awakened?’
It was quite unexpected.
Though this was his first time laying eyes on Destrow himself, the records within the Salvatium were rich with information.
He could make a rough guess.
By the accounts of other Destrows in the records, it should have awakened by now……
“Heh.”
“……?”
Solion furrowed his brow and looked at Belroc, who had suddenly chuckled.
“Ah, no. It’s just…… things are getting more interesting than I thought. Way better than playing cleanup for that fool Frizen.”
“Frizen…… Hm. He wasn’t as incompetent as you think. That artifact he lost? Even the Elder Council saw potential in it.”
Belroc shrugged at Solion’s rebuttal.
“Hah, Solion. You actually trust those old fogeys’ judgment? Come on. Building a demon realm with some artifact? And if they really saw that much potential, why’d they let that halfwit run loose?”
“That’s……”
Solion clamped his mouth shut.
Fair enough.
“He was just…… yeah, a spare part. Success or failure, no big loss. And he wasn’t even a proper Forbidden Mage to begin with. A mere black mage hack trying to build a demon realm……”
The words were biting, but this time Solion didn’t refute them.
Not everyone who dabbled in forbidden magic became a true Forbidden Mage.
The demonic energy leaking from a demon realm, refined into black mana within the body……
And beyond that……
Molting.
The spirit had to transcend its limits, ascending one step further.
If likened to wizards’ realms, it was akin to Transcendence, the domain of archmages—but strictly speaking, entirely different.
A midway stage on the path to Transcendence.
In Salvatium, whether one had achieved Molting or not was a crucial matter.
“A worm who should be fetching and carrying…… Anyway, don’t we have business to handle?”
“Business…… Ah, the old war mage. Right, him.”
While searching for the ruins.
They had brushed past one old war mage.
Thanks to Belroc’s stealth, the war mage hadn’t spotted them, but the flash of sensation in his mind upon seeing him was vivid.
It was……
A shiver.
The feeling of beholding not a man, but a weapon.
Sensing defeat before the fight even began—for the first time since becoming a Forbidden Mage.
“Definitely…… he’ll be trouble. He’s surely searching for Destrow too, right?”
“Yeah, though he hasn’t pinpointed the location yet.”
“Hmm.”
Solion gathered his thoughts briefly and looked at Belroc.
“I need to maintain the Liberation Ritual. Can you…… handle him alone?”
“Handle him? You joking right now?”
Belroc barked a laugh and shook his head.
He called himself a mage hunter, but taking on a monster like that solo was near impossible.
However.
The answer from his mouth was surprisingly unexpected.
“Solion, this is a hunt. Know what? The easiest way to hunt anything?”
Belroc grinned wickedly as he raised his black mana.
It was shape-shifting.
“No monster, no matter how fierce……”
The black mana formed two monsters, large and small, and at that moment, Belroc’s hand snatched up the small one.
“Can ever ignore its young.”
Crack—
The small monster crumbled, losing its form.
“Get what I’m saying?”
“……Using his disciple as bait.”
“Exactly. You saw it too, right? That little brat trailing after the old war mage like a puppy. Looks like the geezer dotes on him plenty.”
“Hmm.”
It sounded plausible enough at first glance. Plausible, but……
“You think that’ll work? It’s an old war mage. You know better than anyone what those bastards are like.”
“I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
They called black mages two-faced monsters, but in some ways, old war mages were no different.
A disciple? They’d send them to their deaths for victory without batting an eye.
But.
“That’s the old days. Solion, know how many old war mage heads I’ve got in my subspace? Trust me on this.”
“Hmm. Fine, let’s say so.”
Even Belroc, driven purely by curiosity, wouldn’t gamble with his own life. So, his words rang true.
But.
“Even if you’re right, will the chance come easy? If he dotes on the kid that much, he won’t let him out of sight.”
“Heh, there’s ways around that.”
Belroc recited the intel he’d gathered while circling the Fourth Base Camp vicinity.
Couldn’t get too close thanks to the old war mage, but mercenaries scouted the Great Forest constantly.
“He’s calling in reinforcements.”
“……Reinforcements?”
“Yeah. Saw the disciple and a Pathfinder heading out of the forest. Not long ago. So……”
“Snatch him on the way back?”
“Bingo.”
“You sure? Reinforcements called by a mage of that caliber won’t be pushovers.”
Belroc shrugged.
“We’ve got reinforcements too, don’t we? Sure, they’re just worms.”
“Black mages…… Think those guys will help?”
Solion tilted his head.
Salvatium had dispatched a few black mages for this mission. Of course, none had achieved Molting, so they weren’t prime forces.
“Depends on how you use ’em, right?”
“……Tch.”
Seeing that shit-eating grin, Solion knew arguing was pointless.
He shook his head dismissively, waving him off to do as he pleased.
“Fine, do your thing. Just…… don’t let it mess up the plan.”
“The elders would skin me alive before you even could. Don’t worry.”
Belroc vanished right after.
Solion watched him melt into the shadows for a moment before turning away.
‘He’s not an idiot……’
He wouldn’t screw it up.
Just like he said, the elders wouldn’t stand for failure.
‘And if they come asking…… I wouldn’t be spared either.’
Solion turned his gaze back to the crystal sealing Destrow.
It was only a matter of time.
Whether Belroc stopped the old war mage, or the mage reached the ancient ruins and halted Destrow’s liberation.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very hour.
Greentown, the city adjacent to Hamern Great Forest.
A booming supply hub where goods from the forest flowed in and out, now welcoming a single mage.
The mage’s appearance was quite peculiar.
Even under the bright sun, his ash-gray hair held a dull sheen, and his stature was dwarfish for an adult.
That wasn’t all.
His face was hidden behind a mask of black with a white outline.
Suspicious as could be, yet the passersby failed to even register the mage.
He hadn’t concealed his presence.
It was just.
“Hey, hey! Load it up quick! We gotta head out by evening even if we’re late!”
“Boss! We’re short on wagons! Can’t fit more cargo!”
“Then prioritize the valuables!”
They were simply absorbed in their own tasks.
This phenomenon played out all over Greentown, and soon the mysterious mage halted his steps.
“Hey, you.”
“……Who’re you?”
At the mysterious mage’s call, a laborer mid-box-haul turned around.
Wariness flickered in his eyes moments later.
Who wouldn’t be wary?
Greentown.
A melting pot of dreamers chasing quick fortunes from the Great Forest, but someone this shady was rare.
“Ah, I’m not a suspicious person. Just don’t wanna show my face, so understand.”
“……Hm.”
If hiding your face wasn’t suspicious, what was?
The laborer was mighty curious about this mage’s definition of “suspicious,” but he shelved the thought.
Setting aside the odd look, the voice and tone didn’t scream danger.
Just……
‘Kinda rude, though.’
How many mages had any manners anyway?
Not that unusual.
“Well, I ain’t educated, so I might not explain great, but ask away.”
“Nothing much. Just, what’s with all this…… chaos around here?”
The laborer squinted, sizing the mage up and down.
“First time today? Nah, still weird you didn’t hear the rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“Guess you really know zilch. The forest’s been a mess lately. Monsters popping out left and right. Word is a monster wave’s brewing…… First in decades, maybe?”
“So……”
“Everyone’s evacuating. Dunno if the wave’ll hit for real, but if it does, Greentown ain’t safe. Damn empire bastards don’t lift a finger. Just rake in taxes and watch from across the river.”
The laborer grumbled with a sour face, then eyed the mage.
“Dunno why you’re here for the forest, but watch yourself. Even the adventurers inside are pulling out. Something big’s going down in there……”
“Ah, one more thing.”
The mage stopped the laborer turning to leave.
“……?”
“Looking for an inn called ‘Sun of the Pasture.’ City’s bigger than I thought.”
“Oh, that one…… Straight down this road to the plaza. You’ll see it. Good?”
“Close enough.”
The laborer nodded at the mage’s affirmation.
Then, from afar, an angry shout rang out.
“Hey! Hans! What’re you doing? Quit yapping!”
“Coming right now!”
The laborer named Hans jolted and hurried off.
But before he did.
He paused briefly to leave one last word.
“Don’t brush off what I said earlier. Dunno how tough mages are…… but you won’t see a pretty sight.”
With that, the laborer scurried away.
The mage watched his retreating back in silence for a moment.
After a pause.
‘……Hmm. Monster wave, huh.’
He mulled over the laborer’s words.
‘Yeah, things are heating up fast……’
Tch, this trip’s gonna be a pain.
Aster clicked his tongue and sauntered off.
First stop: the inn in the plaza.
Sun of the Pasture.
His guide to the Hamern Great Forest—and to Destrow—awaited there.