Hunter of the Wasteland (2)
West of Weisenthal, at the edge of the Falkenfeld Plains.
“So this is the place…”
From the entrance, the plains beyond gave off an eerie atmosphere. Not a single blade of grass or speck of dust stirred. It was the very picture of a “windless” zone. The sky, choked with dark clouds, blotted out the light and stripped all color from the land.
“What in the world is this strange place… Feels downright unnatural.”
“Be careful, both of you. It’s easy to lose your way once you’re inside.”
The librarians had warned that anyone who entered would lose their sense of direction. I could see why. Every direction looked exactly the same. If we were already inside instead of standing at the entrance, finding our bearings would be nearly impossible.
“How do we mark our path? Couldn’t we just leave signs as we go?”
“That didn’t work either, apparently.”
“Why? What happened?”
“They tried tying red cloth to sticks. But…”
Soleil paused to steady her breath before continuing.
“After walking only a few steps and looking back, the markers had vanished without a trace.”
“Huh? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“No… I don’t understand it either.”
“There must be enemies in the plains. They’re trying to make intruders lose their way.”
My guess was this: the plains were so uniform that anyone who entered would quickly become disoriented. Once fear and anxiety took hold, something hidden would appear. Like a hunter stalking prey, it would slowly drive the confused victims deeper into the plains until they walked straight into a trap.
“Guiding people into getting lost… What kind of creatures are we dealing with?”
“Ugh… I don’t like this. Are they treating us like game?”
“We’ll find out what they are soon enough if we keep going.”
Step. Step.
The plains were silent. No wind rustled the grass, no birds or insects stirred. Only the sound of our footsteps echoed.
“How are we supposed to find the head librarian here?”
“I can sense a trace of mana. It’s faint, but it’s there. Quite a distance away.”
“I found it too. But… the head librarian’s presence feels weaker than usual.”
Soleil had detected it as well. Northwest from our position—roughly ten o’clock. The weakened mana suggested he had already encountered the enemy.
“…I feel a little left out.”
“Ah, no! Having you here is incredibly reassuring!”
“Exactly.”
“Hey. Ha… I can’t even get mad when we don’t know when the enemy might appear.”
“So, any enemies nearby? Sense anything?”
“None. At least not right now.”
I kept my guard up by reading the flow of mana, but this guy’s animal instincts were far superior.
“Let’s head in that direction for now.”
Just as I was about to step forward—
“Wait.”
Brita stopped and drew her axe.
“You feel something?”
“Yeah. Where is it?”
“Something’s approaching.”
She fell silent, focusing on the sounds around us.
“I can’t see them, but they’re definitely targeting us. Everyone, weapons up!”
“…!”
“Y-yes!”
Thirty seconds after Brita’s warning—
Whoosh—
An ominous wind rose. It grew stronger, swirling around us like a vortex.
“Tch, we’re surrounded!”
The wind spun for a long while before—
“Kiiiii!!”
“Kraaaah!!”
Wolves and deer burst out of thin air.
“Hah!”
Whoosh—
Brita swung her axe at one group.
“What the—? I didn’t even feel any resistance!”
The beasts her blade touched vanished instantly, leaving no blood or severed remains.
“Hah!”
“B-burn!”
Shhhk—! Fwoosh!
My magic and Soleil’s struck another group. They too disappeared without a trace.
So this girl’s a fire mage. Her skill is better than she looks.
“These monsters… they’re illusions!”
Defeating them changed nothing. Continuing to fight would only drain our strength. I finally understood their hunting method. They were wearing us down through attrition until we collapsed.
Whoosh—
I gathered wind into blades and sent them floating into the air.
“We can’t keep fighting here—it’s too dangerous! Move!”
“Got it! Leave the rear to me!”
“Okay!”
Shhhk—!
I spun the blades and tore through the enemies ahead. Or rather, erased their illusions. The wind merely made them fade like smoke.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Hah!”
“Yah!”
Whoosh— Fwoosh—
“…”
Shhhk—! Shhhk—!
The meaningless battle repeated. We struck again and again, yet they were nothing but empty shells. Just as I wondered how long this would go on—
“Huh?”
“What is it, Krim? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Swish— Swish—
“Is that… wind?”
A faint breeze stirred. The monsters stopped advancing.
“Hah… hah… Ah! Over there!”
Soleil, who had been catching her breath, suddenly cried out.
“It’s the head librarian’s lantern! Why is it here…?”
Centered around the softly glowing green lantern, the area looked completely different from its surroundings. This zone seemed unaffected by the windless plains.
Whoosh—
“Ha, those bastards finally gave up.”
Realizing they could no longer attack us, the wind died down and the monsters vanished.
“Whew…”
I dismissed my blades and surveyed the area. A single tree stood there. Beneath it lay the lantern, a backpack, and a large pouch.
“Did he leave these behind?”
“…That’s the head librarian’s backpack. But this…”
Soleil pointed at the pouch.
“Let’s take a look.”
Brita emptied the pouch’s contents. A tattered cloak, half-torn books, broken writing tools, and… a small badge stained with dried blood.
This was probably… belongings left behind by the missing students.
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong?”
Brita asked as Soleil held up one of the torn books.
“This… it’s a popular novel lately.”
“A novel?”
“Yes. I’ve seen it a few times on Café House Street.”
That meant the book’s owner had entered this place recently and met a tragic end.
“The head librarian was probably… trying to recover the students.”
“…”
Brita fell silent. Instead of bodies, he had tried to return even these belongings… It was heartbreaking, but a rational choice. Recovering remains alone in a place like this was nearly impossible.
“So where did the head librarian himself go? He left all this here.”
“I-I don’t know. What happened to him…?”
Something was definitely wrong. We had followed the mana we assumed belonged to the head librarian, only to find his lantern and belongings abandoned. The owner was nowhere to be seen.
“Maybe he’s not using mana right now.”
There was another possibility… but I decided not to voice it, for Soleil’s sake.
“…Right. He can swing a weapon like me, after all.”
Brita stared at me for a moment before agreeing. She had understood my meaning.
“…Then he must be in danger right now! Let’s hurry!”
Soleil glanced at Brita, gripped her wand tightly, and stepped forward.
Whisper, whisper—
I leaned in and whispered to Brita behind her back.
“Your face is giving everything away.”
“…”
Brita avoided my eyes. If you’re going to hide something, at least control your expression…
“Um… Is something the matter?”
“No, no! It’s nothing! Let’s go!”
With a flushed face, Brita marched ahead.
“I’m going. The direction is… Ah, over there.”
Just as we were about to depart, a chilling wind suddenly blew from ahead. It was the same sensation we had felt during the earlier attack. Even without mana detection or Brita’s senses, everyone could feel it clearly.
“Ah, over there!”
Soleil, who had been running ahead, pointed toward a noisy area. A middle-aged man was desperately fending off attacks.
“Kugh! Stop it, you bastards! Don’t you recognize me?”
“Grrr… Kyaah…”
He was confronting a group of people. Or rather, wraiths that looked human. They were different from the ones we had faced, but seemed to share the same origin.
“Let’s go, Brita, Soleil!”
“Right! We’ll save him first!”
“Yes! Hurry!”
Shhhk—! Whoosh— Fwoosh—
Our attacks struck the monsters. Just like before, the enemies we hit scattered and vanished.
“Head librarian! We came to help!”
“Soleil? Perfect timing! These students suddenly attacked me!”
“Students? Who?”
Brita gave him a strange look. The only living people here were the four of us. Given the circumstances, the “students” the head librarian mentioned were probably…
“…There are only the four of us here. Those are… monsters.”
“Monsters? What are you talking about?”
“Head librarian, snap out of it! More monsters are coming!”
“Kreeeer…”
More monsters similar to the ones we had defeated appeared. But their clothing… looked familiar. It was the same attire the students had worn before we visited the library.
Were they victims…? Or were the monsters mimicking the appearances of those they had hunted?
“There you are, you bastards!”
The head librarian shouted at the wraiths.
“What? Those things? Old man, get a grip! They’re monsters!”
Brita yelled at him. It was a hallucination. He had to be under the influence of the Void. If this continued, he would be in danger.
“Wash it away!”
Soleil quickly cast magic at the head librarian. A stream of water from her wand struck his face.
This girl can use water magic too?
“Puh-puh! Cough! Keck! W-what is this…!”
“Please come to your senses, head librarian!”
“Cough! Soleil? Huh… Why am I here?”
The drenched head librarian regained his clarity.
“Have you come to your senses?”
“I’m fine, but… those things!”
Spotting the approaching enemies, he extended his hand and prepared for battle.
“Let’s deal with them first! Hraaah!”
Whoosh—
Brita charged forward and swung her axe, erasing several of the wraiths as she passed through them.
“Grrr…”
Fwoosh—
One of the wraiths conjured flames with the wand it held.
“Watch out, Brita!”
“What the hell are these things?! They can use magic too?!”
“Hup!”
Bang—!
The head librarian’s summoned wind wall blocked the flames.
“You all right?”
“Phew! I’m alive!”
Whoosh—
“Hah!”
I hurled wind blades at another group.
“Kreeeer…”
The blades pierced through them, making the wraiths along their path disappear.
“As expected. No feedback from striking them.”
Splash— Splash—
“Rise!”
Soleil’s summoned water surged upward from beneath another group, launching them into the air.
“Kuooh…”
The water flowed upward without resistance or splitting.
“Kugh…”
This was just going to repeat the same situation as before.
“Everyone, head for where the lantern was!”
That lantern had the effect of blocking the windless zone, even if only in a small area. We needed to get there first and plan our next move.
“Ah, okay! Got it, let’s go!”
“Yep!”
“My lantern, you say? Understood. Everyone, stay close to me.”
Whoosh—
“Celero!”
Wind flowed from the head librarian’s hand and entered our bodies. The wind spread through us, making us feel lighter than usual.
So this is how skilled mages cast magic? Never heard of it before.
“It’s a spell that temporarily increases speed. Let’s move!”
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Thanks to the magic, we easily shook off the enemies and reached the lantern’s location in no time.
If it’s the same wind-attribute magic, maybe I can copy it too? I should try learning it once this is over.
“Whew, we made it.”
We returned to the lantern’s location without much trouble.
“What do we do now? To defeat those monsters…”
Soleil clutched her hands tightly, her lips trembling with anxiety.
“I think… we need to find their source somewhere to defeat them.”
“Like that slime back then? Then we just need to track it, right?”
“That carries too much risk. We don’t even know how vast this zone is.”
“You’re right. This plain is large enough to build several more cities. Finding the source inside would be difficult.”
The head librarian caught his breath before continuing.
“Let’s return for now. We lack too much information about them.”
It was a reasonable suggestion. We needed more information to form a strategy. Hearing his words, Soleil took out a compass.
“Understood. I’ll take the lead!”
“Hmm, so you brought it. Soleil, hand it to me.”
“Pardon? This? Head librarian, surely you don’t mean…”
“Are you planning to use teleportation?”
“Yes. I’ll move us to the coordinates the compass indicates.”
“What? That’s possible?”
Teleportation wasn’t something just anyone could do. If he could manage it, it meant the man before us possessed considerable skill.
“However, I need to gather mana. Teleporting four people requires a corresponding price.”
“If it’s mana, please use mine. We share the same wind attribute, so it should suit you well.”
“A fair point. Then… pardon me for a moment.”
Whoosh—
I summoned wind into my hand and offered it to the head librarian.
“Hmm? This is…”
The head librarian, receiving my mana, reacted with surprise.
“What’s wrong, head librarian?”
“…I’ve never seen mana this pure before. Who exactly are you…? This amount is sufficient. Everyone, place your hands together.”
Pure mana? If even someone as accomplished as him was seeing it for the first time, there must be something unusual about me.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
We stacked our hands atop one another.
“Reditus!”
Flash—!
At the head librarian’s single word, the scenery blurred in an instant. Moments later, an office came into view.
“Hmm. We’re back. Is everyone all right?”
“Ugh… I can’t do that twice.”
“Aaaah… My head is spinning…”
Huh… Am I the only one who’s fine?
“As expected. I thought you would be unaffected. Let’s wait until the other two recover.”
“…Understood.”
Pure mana, a body unaffected by the backlash of powerful magic. This wasn’t power taken from Gram or received from Mist. Did I… have some hidden secret?