The Real Hunt Begins
"What... on earth is this...?"
At the sight reflecting in the crystal ball, the color drained from the face of Kaiden, the head of House Lucen.
The projection showed his daughter, Petra Lucen, and the heir of Benheim, Arno von Benheim, facing a massive demonic beast.
It was no mere illusion.
An overwhelming, physical reality. The beast, exhaling dark red steam from its body, was unmistakably a real demonic beast.
Crash!
The teacup slipped from Kaiden's hand and shattered. He sprang to his feet, shouting as if he were about to grab Stern, who sat beside him, by the collar.
"Lord Benheim! What in heaven's name is the meaning of this?! Releasing a real demonic beast into the hunting festival—have you lost your mind?!"
"Calm down, Kaiden. I am no fool. No demonic beasts inhabit the forest where the hunting festival is held. Benheim's gamekeepers have already thoroughly surveyed the area."
"Then what is that beast doing there?!"
"Well. One can only assume someone released it."
"And who would that be?"
"Black mages."
Stern answered without hesitation.
Kaiden's brow furrowed.
"Black... mages?"
"Yes. Those insect-like scoundrels who slink around in the shadows of the continent."
Despite Kaiden's fury, Stern remained perfectly composed.
He merely stared at the crystal ball with eyes that had grown cold as ice.
"It is not just your daughter who is in danger. My son is there as well. We are in the same boat."
"Is that any way for a family head to speak right now?! We must deploy our forces immediately to rescue the children! I will summon the mages under my command. Right this instant, we must enter the forest and—"
"Kaiden, wait."
Stern stopped Kaiden, who was about to storm out of the viewing room.
"It is not yet time."
"..."
Kaiden was left speechless.
Inside the crystal ball, the two heirs were visible, fleeing in utter panic at the sudden appearance of the real demonic beast.
A hair-trigger crisis. How much longer did they have to wait? Kaiden could not comprehend Stern's thoughts at all.
"...Wait."
Kaiden's eyes narrowed.
The expression on Stern's face as he stared at the crystal ball was one of cold, calculated precision.
At this moment, Stern von Benheim was a mage before he was a father. Kaiden, also a high-tier mage and the head of a great family, could recognize this.
"Lord Benheim, you aren't flustered by this situation at all."
Kaiden pressed, and Stern let out a bitter smile.
"Did you... perhaps know that a real demonic beast would appear in this hunting festival?"
"And if I did, what of it?"
Kaiden ground his teeth.
"This hunting festival is not just for your family's mages. My daughter and the other descendants of Lucen are caught up in this as well."
"On the contrary, have you not considered that the black mages made their move precisely because the descendants of Lucen were present?"
"What?!"
Kaiden was outraged.
But Stern raised a hand to stop him.
"Calm yourself. The hunt has already begun. Now, it is time for our prey to show themselves."
Stern's eyes gleamed as he observed the faces reflected in the crystal ball.
Seeing that, Kaiden realized. The hunting festival was merely a front. Stern intended to use this festival as bait to flush out and eliminate the black mages.
"...If anything happens to Petra, Stern, I will have your head."
"Let us hope it does not come to that."
"Dammit."
Kaiden Lucen could only click his tongue and sink back into his seat.
Tracking the traces of black magic was not particularly difficult.
Lunia, possessing exceptionally sharp senses, noticed it immediately.
"Raygan, something's weird. I smell a foul stench."
"That's the distinct scent of black magic. Remember it well."
I bent down, examining the massive footprints cutting through the underbrush.
Deep claw marks gouged the trees, and a sticky brown liquid oozed down the grooves.
That was the source of the stench.
"Ugh."
Lunia grimaced.
Following a habit from my past life, I dabbed a bit of the brown slime onto my finger and brought it to my mouth.
"W-What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Why are you tasting that?!"
Lunia gasped in horror, but I focused entirely on the taste of the slime.
To survive in my past life, I had to employ every means and method available. Tasting a demonic beast's secretions was simply one way to gather information.
"Fishy, with a strong metallic tang. It's a recently spawned demonic beast."
"A demonic beast? A real one? Not an illusion?"
"Yeah. No doubt about it. Let's go."
"Go where?"
"We just need to follow this exact stench. The beast will be at the end of it."
"Wait, hold on."
Lunia tilted her head, utterly baffled.
"If a demonic beast has appeared, shouldn't we be running away? Why are you trying to track it down?"
"Because that beast will harm others."
"Won't the family's mages intervene before that? They're all watching us."
It was a perfectly reasonable question.
However, I didn't think Stern would act immediately.
He intended to use this hunting festival to lance the festering boil within Benheim. If so, he would wait for the hidden black mages to fully reveal themselves.
Why did the black mages tamper with this hunting festival?
The reason was simple.
Lunia, Arno, Petra. It's because of those three.
The direct descendants who would become the pillars of the prestigious magic families.
They were living treasures, inheriting the highly guarded, unique magic formulas of their respective houses.
"Lunia, keep this in mind. There is definitely a mastermind behind the appearance of this beast."
"A... mastermind? Who?"
"Black mages. They're in league with the ones who attacked you before."
Lunia's eyes widened.
"Is that true?"
"Your uncle was recently exposed as a black mage. Your father already knows. The black mages will target you. And not just you—your brother and that girl Petra will be targets too."
"What are they going to do to me?"
I let out a dry laugh.
"Either kill you, or kidnap you to extract your mana core."
Lunia covered her mouth at the grim revelation.
Indeed, the value of a magic family's heir was immense.
Since their mana cores were engraved with the core magic formulas of their families, to black mages, Lunia was practically a walking elixir.
In my past life, the Archduke of Demonic Magic had plundered the unique magic formulas of each magic family as soon as he started the war. This meant that for him, this hunting festival was the perfect opportunity to seize the secret techniques of two great magic families, Lucen and Benheim.
The exposure of the black mage Markel was likely part of the reason too. They must have judged this as their final opportunity before Benheim's security tightened completely.
"Then shouldn't we run away even faster?"
"We can't escape anyway. A barrier has been erected around the forest. Notice how there's no wind? No birds flying in the sky either."
Barriers were a signature technique of black mages.
Before my regression, the memory of being trapped in their barriers and fighting a war of attrition for four days and nights was still vivid.
Since they were bold enough to launch an attack right under the noses of two Archmages, they would have made sure the barrier was robust.
Even if Stern acted promptly, it would take at least ten to twenty minutes to dismantle the barrier.
"T-Then how about we go hide somewhere safe for now?"
"That's not a bad idea. But Lunia, are you really going to just run away quietly?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Lunia frowned at my question.
"They're in league with the bastards who targeted you last time. Are you really going to turn tail and run from guys like that?"
Lunia was still Lunia.
That hadn't changed even after returning to the past.
"...Hmph. Of course I'm going to kick their asses."
Lunia smirked.
I smiled back.
Memories of fighting enemies back-to-back in the past came rushing back.
With that, I pushed through the underbrush with Lunia, following the scent.
Our pace wasn't very fast, as Lunia's physical stamina wasn't exactly stellar.
"Looks like someone is fighting."
As we advanced, the distinct stench of the demonic beast grew stronger, accompanied by the thunderous crash of falling trees.
With every step closer to the noise, the worry on Lunia's face deepened.
"Wait."
Lunia stopped.
"It's Rune Magic. I can feel it. Just ahead."
"Rune Magic?"
"Yeah. At least 3rd-tier. There's other magic mixed in too."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Lunia's mana sensitivity was already at the continent's highest level, even at this point in time.
Excluding us, there was only one person at this hunting festival who could cast 3rd-tier Rune Magic or higher.
Crash!
"Ugh!"
At that moment, Arno von Benheim was sent flying through the thick bushes, rolling across the ground.
Covered in bruises, Arno ground his teeth and lifted his head, locking eyes with us.
"Lu-Lunia!"
Arno seemed more shocked than relieved. He cried out urgently:
"It's dangerous here! Run...!"
Before Arno could even finish his sentence, the trees behind him exploded outward as a massive shadow lunged forward.
A twin-headed wolf. A genuine demonic beast shrouded in dark red steam.
"Tsk!"
Before Arno could deploy his defensive magic, I made my move.
Clang!
Angling the flat of my blade, I blocked the beast's forepaw.
Even with my sword coated in aura, the force vibrating through my grip was substantial.
It's strong for a newly spawned beast. Is it a physical-enhancement type, or was it buffed with black magic?
While the beast hesitated for a split second, four or five crimson swords shot out from the flank.
Thud-thud-thud!
The beast let out a painful roar and pivoted. Standing in the direction the swords had flown from was a red-haired girl, equally battered and bruised.
It was Petra Lucen.
"You... you monstrous bastard!"
Petra ground her teeth, forging two more swords.
So that's Sword Creation Magic.
I was secretly impressed. True to the name "Sword Creation," the dark red blades Petra forged were visibly sharp and keen.
It's the same magic the Archduke of Demonic Magic used.
I remembered the dark red spears of mana the Archduke of Demonic Magic had unleashed in the final moments of my past life. He must have modified Sword Creation Magic to make it his own.
Though not on the level of the Archduke, Petra's Sword Creation Magic was still highly refined. Even so, her swords only managed to scratch the beast's tough hide.
In that case, this demonic beast was highly likely a physical-enhancement type.
"Tsk."
Whatever the case, the beast was still going strong, while the two heirs had reached their limits.
Honestly, it was a miracle they had survived this long.
"Arno, Petra."
I called out their names.
Only then did Petra notice my presence, her eyes widening in shock.
"Y-You lowborn...! How are you here?!"
"Cut the chatter. Just answer my question. How many of those swords can you summon at once?"
"Seven..."
"Then aim all seven at its left head. Just focus on drawing its attention. Your magic won't pierce its hide anyway."
"The head?"
"Just do as I say."
I cut her off bluntly and turned to Arno.
"Arno, do you have a way to bind its feet?"
"I have one, but the incantation takes time..."
"Then start chanting now. I'll have Lunia assist you. Work together. You should be able to finish it within a minute. Make it happen, no matter what."
"W-What are you going to do?"
Arno asked, half-skeptical, and I flicked my right hand, which held my sword.
"Slay the beast."
Just like always.
Petra Lucen was indignant.
A lowborn outsider mage dared to order her around. He had even belittled her magic, claiming it wouldn't even pierce the beast's hide.
What do you know...!
Anger flared within her.
Yet, she had no choice but to cooperate.
The beast's momentum was not something she could handle alone.
Right now, every extra hand was precious.
Ugh, this is the absolute worst.
She had no other option.
Petra ground her teeth, weaving threads of mana to forge seven swords.
Sword Creation Magic.
True to its name, Lucen's unique magic formula for shaping swords boasted unrivaled destructive power.
However, right now, she had to use that formidable lethality merely to distract the beast.
Just draw its attention? Me?
She was furious, but there was no other way.
Even Arno, the heir of Benheim, was meekly following Raygan's orders.
Petra clicked her tongue and manipulated the threads of mana bound to the swords.
Whoosh!
The seven swords floating in the air rained down like a torrent.
[Kieek?]
At that moment, the beast, seemingly perceiving Petra as the greatest threat, spun around and began charging toward her.
"Ugh!"
She was too slow.
Just as Petra was about to hurriedly dodge—
Slash!
The beast's forepaw, which had been raised high above Petra's head, suddenly went limp and dangled uselessly.
"Ah."
Petra realized what had happened a moment later.
The tendon in the beast's left leg had been severed.
As if to prove it, the sword held by Raygan, who stood behind the beast, was stained with fresh blood.
How on earth did he do that?
Until just a moment ago, Petra had poured all her mana into attacking the beast.
Yet, she hadn't been able to pierce its hide. Now, Raygan had neutralized its foreleg with a single strike.
[Graaaahr!]
The beast roared. Just as it raised its other paw to crush everything around it—
Rumble.
The ground shook, and thick vines sprouted, binding the beast's hind legs. It was the Rune Magic cast by the two direct descendants of Benheim.
Though only for a moment, the beast was halted, its movements visibly sluggish.
At that exact moment, an unbelievable sight unfolded before Petra's eyes.
Raygan was charging straight at the beast's front.
"Hey! Are you crazy?! That's not even a blind spot!"
For a mage to charge a demonic beast head-on was nothing short of suicide. Those two massive heads would surely tear Raygan's body to shreds.
But Raygan mocked Petra's common sense.
Thud!
Raygan's movements were closer to those of a wild beast than a human.
With its hind legs bound and only one foreleg functioning, the beast's center of gravity was forced to shift to one side.
As if seeing through all of this, Raygan slipped toward the beast's right leg along the shortest, most efficient path, thrusting his sword forward.
[Kyaaaah!]
As both heads shrieked, the beast's torso, losing its support, crashed heavily onto the ground.
Using the recoil of the impact as momentum, Raygan leaped high into the air, raising his sword.
The blue energy swirling around his blade was no magic. It was, without a doubt, aura.
Squelch.
The sword, imbued with blue aura, pierced the nape of the beast's neck.
It precisely penetrated the single vital point where the two heads joined.
Thud.
As the massive demonic beast collapsed, a brief silence fell over the forest.
Petra forgot to even breathe, staring blankly at Raygan as he casually flicked the blood off his sword.
This is impossible...
It wasn't flashy, nor was it extravagant.
Yet, it was more lethal and efficient than any magic.
Something that neither Arno, the heir of Benheim, nor she, the pride of Lucen, could accomplish, that lowborn had achieved with a single sequence of movements.
He... is a commoner?
Petra simply could not comprehend the sight she had just witnessed.