Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Ruins (1)
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“I wanted to have a chat with Lady Sears, but my conversation with the marquis dragged on too long.”
“I'll come visit next time.”
“Then I'll prepare some fine tea and wait for you.”
The Grand Archbishop of Sephira finished his farewells and returned to his order with his priests.
“It's late, everyone. Get some good rest and we'll meet tomorrow.”
“Good night, Grandfather.”
“Haha. You too, sleep well, Jamie.”
“Rest well.”
“Yes. You did well today too, Sears. Get some rest.”
The Bell Marquis headed to his chambers.
Sears, carrying the sleeping Sara, kissed Jamie on the forehead.
“See you tomorrow, my son.”
“Good night.”
Sears also returned to her room.
Once the adults were gone, Jamie entered his room. Bena, who had finished preparing, spoke in a quiet voice.
“Shall we go now?”
“What about the dummy?”
“Right here.”
Bena pulled back the blanket, revealing Jamie sound asleep.
Jamie nodded in satisfaction.
Bena had no talent for other magics, but she was quite skilled in transformation magic.
Since she wasn't maintaining her squirrel form now, she should have plenty of mana to spare.
“Tell me if you start running low on mana.”
“Got it.”
Jamie quietly opened the window.
The summer nights were nearly over, and the night breeze felt a bit chilly.
He scanned the outside once.
“Sable?”
“What?”
Bena poked her head through the narrow window gap.
Her chest pressed down on Jamie's head as a result.
Jamie, still a child, couldn't withstand it and his head dipped lower.
“Move, you idiot!”
“Why?”
“It's heavy!”
“Oh.”
Finally realizing, Bena pulled back from the window with an embarrassed look.
She then covered her chest with both hands and glared primly.
“Pervert.”
“Drop dead.”
Jamie shook his head and turned his gaze back to the window.
Sable was leading soldiers somewhere.
His expression looked quite grim. Had another incident occurred?
‘Did the [Demon] show up?’
That was the only thing he could think of.
Jamie slipped out the window, thinking as much.
“Come on out.”
“Heave-ho!”
Bena squeezed through the window with some effort and came outside.
Sable and the soldiers were gone by now, and no one was around to see them.
Jamie took Bena's hand and soared high into the air.
“Wheee!”
“Quiet down. What if someone hears?”
“Flying like this is always the best.”
“A mage who can't even fly.”
Jamie himself had relied on Black's help just a few months ago because he couldn't fly properly.
“Speeding up.”
“Wheeee!”
As Jamie accelerated, Bena, hanging onto his hand, shouted in delight.
Jamie told her to be quiet again, but it fell on deaf ears. Only after she let go of one hand did he get her firm promise to behave.
“Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Late at night, a man was running desperately from something.
He turned corner after corner in the alleys.
He kept his legs moving nonstop to ensure no one knew where he was.
Yet beastly sounds kept coming from behind.
‘No! I don't want to die!’
He had heard rumors of the [Demon]'s specter haunting the city, but he hadn't believed them.
He thought it was just some crazed murderer.
He'd even boasted that if it appeared before him, he'd beat it down.
But it was a complete delusion.
He realized his pursuer wasn't just some mad killer.
It looked human but wasn't.
‘It's really the [Demon]'s specter!’
If caught, his heart would be ripped out.
He'd end up a cold corpse.
Then, a chill ran down his nape. Instinctively, he ducked his head.
Shriiik—
A chilling sound cut through the air.
“Eek!”
The man convulsed, somehow steadying his collapsing body and running again.
He couldn't afford to look back. Even a split-second hesitation would send him to the other side.
‘Damn! Damn!’
His breath reached his throat.
His thigh muscles overloaded.
His whole body heated up.
As his body hit its limit, a faint lantern light appeared in the distance.
‘God hasn't abandoned me!’
Overjoyed, the man shouted with all his might.
His breath was bursting, but now wasn't the time to care.
“Help! Save me!”
His lungs burned like they were tearing.
With his breathing ruined, he could run no more.
In that hair-trigger moment, the soldiers holding the lantern spotted him.
Relief spread across the man's face.
“Thank good—”
But the smile didn't last.
The soldiers simply watched him silently.
Standing still, doing nothing.
Only then did the man sense something was wrong.
Stab—
Too late.
A black hand pierced through his chest.
In his fading consciousness, the man saw something red clutched in the hand.
It was his own heart, its pulsing slowing to a stop.
“Another one.”
A soldier reported to Sable, the inspector for this incident, with a grave face.
The dead man's chest had a single hole.
Once again, only the heart was taken.
“It's still warm. Happened recently.”
“Seal off the area, form search teams, and comb every corner of the city. The culprit hasn't gone far yet.”
“Understood.”
The squad leaders hurried off to carry out their orders.
Sable crouched to examine the body.
The culprit had left no traces besides removing the heart.
“This is odd. There were sentries monitoring this area. They claim they heard nothing. Doesn't make sense.”
Libos, the inspection assistant and a centurion, said to Sable.
“An inside job, maybe? It doesn't add up that we can't catch them despite all this.”
“The assistant's right. Everyone thinks the same. There must be an insider.”
“Enough.”
Sable cut them off.
“Don't suspect your comrades lightly. We can do that when we're truly cornered. We're not there yet, and we can solve this.”
“But...”
“I understand. I've thought it too. But that's exactly why we need unity.”
“......Understood.”
“We'll be careful.”
They looked uneasy but followed their superior's absolute command. Sable was right, after all.
They left to fulfill their duties.
Alone now, Sable closed the victim's still-warm eyes.
Then, the monster appeared.
“Fools.”
The grotesque figure, covered in hideous scars, held Libos's heart.
He had ambushed the assistant when he stepped away briefly for his task.
“Keep searching. See if you can catch me. Heh heh heh!”
The slowing pulse of the heart always felt good.
He tucked it into his cloth pouch. The night was still young. He'd harvest at least three more before heading back.
Flinch—!
That was when.
The monster sensed a powerful presence right behind him. An inexplicable floral scent filled the air.
He turned. Then he laughed aloud.
“Keh heh heh!”
Sable stood there, sword drawn, glaring murderously at the monster.
The night wind rustled fallen leaves with an eerie whisper.
The forest at night was pitch black, impossible to see ahead.
Even trivial insect chirps put people on edge.
This place especially so.
Just looking at it felt ominous, shoulders slumping with inexplicable weakness.
A forest so repulsive that even resolved steps wanted to turn back.
“Well-deserved reputation.”
Jamie smiled at the entrance to Mirine Forest.
Seeing it firsthand confirmed it was the dark forest Pyro had mentioned.
Though at the edge of the vast Ariajad Great Forest, it was still part of it.
True to its forbidden outskirts status, tension gripped him just standing there.
‘How's Bena holding up?’
A timid, fearful Bena might beg to turn back in fright.
Imagining her pathetic display, he glanced at her.
“You okay?”
“Why, Master?”
Her unexpected reaction flustered Jamie.
It wasn't just different from expected.
“B-Bena?”
“I feel power surging through me!”
Her large eyes sparkled clearer than usual.
Her pink hair gleamed, skin looked healthier—her condition seemed peak.
“Why? I feel refreshed, like after twelve hours of deep sleep.”
She herself didn't understand the surge of vitality.
As Jamie stared in confusion, he recalled a Valkyrie trait he'd forgotten.
‘That's right. Valkyries are a forest race.’
Valkyries depended more on forest essence than even elves, their fellow fae.
Meaning Valkyries away from forests couldn't perform at full strength.
Now in the forest, Bena could unleash all her Valkyrie abilities.
“Not bad.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Let's go in.”
“Yes!”
Bena answered energetically.
With power surging, her voice boomed too.
Or perhaps the stress from Sara was finally easing.
The two entered the forest.
Mirine Forest was so dark without light that nothing was visible ahead.
“Gets more ominous deeper in.”
“Ominous? I feel even better.”
That's because you're a Valkyrie.
He almost smacked her head but held back.
Jamie stayed vigilant. Monsters could leap out anytime.
‘Called the Haven of the Defeated. The outskirts should be safe, but dangerous beasts likely lurk.’
Underestimating monsters defeated in territory wars would be foolish.
Fighting for territory meant they held domains in the Great Forest. Even pushed out, establishing here proved their strength.
And sure enough—
TseeEEEK!
A bizarre screech echoed as trees to the left shattered.
A massive shape appeared from empty air.
No, its transparent form was reverting.
A mere monster using invisibility?
Shocking even to Jamie, but he didn't panic much.
“Just a monster.”
Jamie's eyes turned purple.
Black mana rose from his fingertips. He'd erase it tracelessly.
As he resolved and smiled to cast darkness magic—
Pop—
The black mana dispersed.
His purple eyes reverted to emerald.
Jamie froze at the suddenness.
In that instant, the monster was upon him.
As the thought “I'll die like this” flashed—
“Master, what are you doing?!”
Crack!!
Bena leaped high, slamming her fist into the monster's face.
Its jaw twisted badly.
She didn't stop, swinging her raised leg down.
Her heel hit its crown, eyes nearly popping out.
BAM—!
Slammed into the ground, the monster only twitched, unable to rise.
“Whew—”
Bena landed and dusted off her skirt.
She then scolded the motionless Jamie.
“What if you just stand there? That was close.”
“S-Sorry.”
Jamie looked at his hand.
He tried summoning black mana again, but nothing happened. No eye change either.
Sensing oddity in Jamie's rare fluster, Bena asked.
“What's wrong?”
“Can't bring out the black mana.”
“What do you...?”
Bena scoffed it impossible and tried herself, but failed too.
Her black mana differed fundamentally from Jamie's. Yet both blocked meant one reason.
“Looks like the forest doesn't permit black sorcery.”
Jamie's face soured slightly.
He looked ahead.
Countless monster eyes gleamed in the darkness.
This might get a bit annoying.