Chapter 28
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: A Suspicious Search
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On the way to the Bronserian Forest.
Basel, the commander of the Ercal Garrison, glanced at Demian walking beside him.
*...This little punk.*
He recalled the time Tarone had first come to report the mana contamination.
He had looked quite furious.
"How long are the scouts going to freeload on their salaries?"
A harsh tone.
The atmosphere had turned hostile because of Tarone, who had stormed into the garrison headquarters and started making threats.
Then, he had presented the evidence.
And the absurd suspicion of 'mana contamination'.
At first, Basel had dismissed it as nonsense.
He had even called Tarone out on his rude behavior.
But after the temple testified that a wicked energy could be felt from the evidence Tarone brought, the mood had inevitably shifted.
Just as Tarone had said, the scouts had become a group of freeloaders.
*How does he know about mana contamination?*
He had a decent build, but his face was boyish.
Fifteen at most?
And yet, a punk like this had been the one to raise suspicion about mana contamination.
“You're Demian, was it?”
“...?”
Demian looked at Basel, who had suddenly spoken to him.
A slightly wrinkled forehead.
His dull blond hair and similarly colored front teeth were noticeable.
Demian nodded.
“That's right.”
“That's right?”
For a moment, Basel was so taken aback he almost stopped walking.
The words from the young brat's mouth had been far too blunt.
“...Is there a problem? You're with the Ercal Garrison. I'm with the Neokalitz Unit.”
If our units are different, rank and all that nonsense goes out the window.
Demian asked, looking at Basel as if he were the strange one.
Basel's voice trembled slightly.
“St-still, I'm an officer.”
“Ah, whatever. Officer or not, let's not be so uptight, mister. I'll cooperate as much as I can, so don't you worry.”
Demian waved his hand dismissively and strode forward.
At the sight, Basel ground his teeth.
“I've never... seen such an insane bastard...!”
He vowed to protest to Tarone when he got back. But just then.
“Who is that gentleman?”
Claire, who had been following quietly from behind, asked Basel.
Basel looked at Claire.
White priestess robes.
She wore her hood low and a white mask covered her face from the nose down, obscuring her features.
But her long eyelashes, peeking out from under the hood.
And her sparkling eyes were enough to stir Basel's imagination.
Basel quickly looked Claire up and down before speaking in a polite voice.
“...A new soldier from the Neokalitz Unit named Demian. I'm told he's the one who first raised suspicions about this mana contamination.”
“Is that so?”
Claire looked at Demian, who was walking ahead.
The words "the one who first raised suspicions" had piqued her interest.
However.
“...”
The look in Claire's eyes as she watched Demian was not entirely favorable.
To notice mana contamination.
*It could mean he already knew about it...*
One must keep all possibilities open.
Claire's gaze remained fixed on Demian for a long time.
* * *
*Rustle, rustle.*
To the sound of dry leaves crunching underfoot, Demian held his breath and scanned his surroundings.
He didn't sense any particular danger, but.
*The feeling gets stronger the deeper we go.*
He couldn't define it as 'mana contamination' precisely.
After all, Demian couldn't sense mana contamination.
Just a pressure, as if something were weighing down his shoulders.
The heavy air entering his nostrils.
It was because the sharp sensation, like standing in the middle of a battlefield, was growing stronger.
“Are you sensing something?”
Just then, someone approached Demian.
Demian turned his head.
“Ah, the priestess.”
“I am Claire. I heard you were the one who first raised suspicions about the mana contamination. May I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course.”
“How did you know it was mana contamination?”
Claire's eyes changed.
Demian let out a small laugh at her directness.
*That look in her eyes...*
*I'm being suspected.*
Well, mana contamination must be a very important matter for priests.
“I learned from my late father.”
“About mana contamination?”
“No, about suspicious circumstances like these. My father told me he'd had a similar experience in the past.”
“...Could you elaborate?”
Demian nodded at her words.
“Have you seen the carcasses?”
“Yes.”
“You can deduce it from the black spots. They weren't caused by a common disease. But what was most suspicious was their abnormal ferocity and strength.”
Demian said, glancing around.
“I know a fair bit about the monsters in the Bronserian Forest.”
But the black bear he had encountered then was a type he'd never seen before.
Both its size and its strength.
“Moreover, it seemed to have lost its reason, which made me suspect it might have been poisoned by 'mana contamination'.”
“Did you learn that from your late father as well?”
“Yes.”
An unhesitating answer.
Unwavering eyes.
Watching Demian, Claire eventually nodded.
“I see. Thank you for your answer.”
Claire bowed politely and turned away.
What he'd said was persuasive enough. However...
*The fact that it's too persuasive...*
Is the problem, in a way.
On top of that, there was no way to verify the person who gave him this knowledge.
How could one find a dead man?
A sliver of suspicion still remained, but.
“I think we need to move deeper inside.”
First, she felt she needed to encounter a monster afflicted by mana contamination to be sure.
At Claire's request, Basel looked at the search party and said.
“Move out.”
From here on, it was a place where monsters could appear at any moment.
The members of the search party walked on, their faces tense.
*Hmm... Not yet.*
But Demian couldn't care less about searching for mana contamination.
His only interest.
*Herbs! Herbs! Herbs!*
Herbs that help increase mana!
Of course, as a bonus, he also planned to gather herbs for treating his unit members.
Wasn't that why he'd brought two sacks?
And just as the search party entered the deeper part of the forest.
“Oh!”
“Did you find something?!”
“A monster?!”
At the small exclamation, the nearby search party members flinched and warily scanned the area.
But.
“Wow... Just as I thought.”
My prediction was right.
Demian's eyes sparkled as he looked at the herb growing next to a small rock.
*It's White Rot...*
White Rot was an herb that bloomed with flowers that looked like white spots.
Its stem and root were full of ingredients that helped increase mana, and its leaves had the effect of speeding up mana recovery.
However, the flower contained a potent poison, so it had to be harvested after cutting the stem at least 3cm away from the flower.
*To think that what I studied back then would be this helpful.*
In the past, Demian had been unable to learn mana.
Because of that, he had become obsessed with it and studied a great deal of information related to mana.
That was why he knew about the Delft Mana Cultivation Method and possessed extensive knowledge of mana-related herbs and artifacts.
However...
“What the hell, you bastard!”
“This son of a bitch...! Does he think he's on a picnic!”
Startled by Demian's action, the search party members scowled and cursed at him.
“This little brat... you think we're here for a leisurely stroll to pick herbs?”
“...Ha?”
*Have these bastards lost their minds?*
Demian stood up and looked at the soldier in front of him.
Eyes full of hot-blooded vigor.
He was a fool who couldn't even control his own temper.
Demian said.
“If you keep spouting off whatever comes to mind, you'll die young.”
“What did you say?”
“The search is your mission. I'm in a situation where I'm 'cooperating' at your request. Is there a problem with my actions right now?”
“Y-you startled everyone here!”
The man shouted.
Demian scoffed and said.
“Oh! If a short gasp like that is enough to make you tremble in fear, I can see what you guys are made of. Don't you realize that the more you talk, the more you're dragging the Ercal Garrison's reputation through the mud?”
Demian subtly jutted his chin towards the back.
The moment the man frowned and glanced behind him.
“Heek!”
Basel was glaring at him with a murderous look in his eyes.
“That's enough. And...”
Basel approached Demian.
“I won't permit this kind of sudden behavior. Your actions could compromise the search.”
“I'll stay within the perimeter.”
Demian hadn't really done anything wrong.
He hadn't strayed from the search party and had only moved within the designated area.
But Demian took a step back.
There was no need to confront them in the middle of an operation.
Basel frowned at Demian's words but turned his head without another word.
“...Sigh.”
Demian let out a small sigh and began to carefully dig up the White Rot.
A conflict was a conflict, but he still needed to get what he came for.
After that, Demian focused more on gathering herbs than on the search.
Monsters appeared from time to time, but none of them were afflicted by mana contamination.
They were just Steelwolves or groups of Orcs.
And the search party could handle them without much difficulty.
Thus, Demian was able to focus even more on gathering herbs.
The garrison soldiers kept giving him dirty looks, but if he were the type to back down from something like that, he wouldn't have come in the first place.
*Wow... what a haul.*
He gathered quite a few herbs related to mana enhancement. In addition, he collected a significant amount for his unit members.
To the point where it was hard to tell if he was a professional herbalist or a soldier.
The corners of Demian's mouth crept upwards.
But just then.
“Kuaaaaaaaaargh!”
“Monster!”
“Prepare for battle!”
The same sequence as before.
Was it because they had won the last few battles so easily?
The search party members prepared for battle with somewhat relaxed expressions.
“Heh heh, it's just an Orc unit, right?”
“Looks like about one squad?”
The search party members smirked.
One squad was less than half their number. It would be no trouble.
However...
“...Those guys look a little different, don't they?”
“Huh?”
At someone's words, the search party members looked at the orcs that had appeared.
Unlike the brown skin they had seen until now, these had dark skin. And spots on their bodies.
Especially their eyes, which glinted red and seemed steeped in madness.
“I-it's orcs afflicted by mana contamination!”
“Everyone, be careful!”
Basel shouted loudly.
But in that instant, an orc charged at a soldier in the front and swung its axe.
*Schlick!*
“....!”
The shaft of the spear he was holding snapped as the soldier's head flew into the air.
The search party's eyes widened in shock at the sight of their comrade, his head and body separated in an instant.
“Pomeeeeeeeen!”
The soldier, wailing his dead comrade's name, immediately looked at the orc.
His crazed eyes showed no fear.
“You baaaaastard! My brother!”
It seemed the dead comrade had been his younger brother.
The man, half-mad with rage, thrust his spear at the orc.
*Thwump!*
The soldier's spear pierced the orc's shoulder.
He had aimed for the chest, but his aim had gone awry at the last moment.
“Kuaaa!”
*CRACK!*
The orc grabbed the spear in its shoulder and shattered the shaft.
The soldier's eyes widened as his spear broke.
Moreover, the man, who had frozen on the spot.
*SWOOOOOSH!*
Could only watch as the axe fell toward his head.
“What are you doing, doooodge!”
His comrades screamed, but no one could save him.
But in that instant.
*CLANG!*
“....!”
“Snap out of it, you idiot.”
Demian, who had grabbed his spear at some point, said as he parried the orc's axe.