Chapter 119
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Trap (2)
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"Ash, can you pick up the scent?"
'No.'
Ash's reply was ruthlessly swift.
He glanced around the surroundings and lightly climbed the hillside. Even so, he remained within my line of sight.
'Too many smells of wild animals and magical beasts nearby. It's making me dizzy.'
"That's some bad news..."
"Why? What'd he say?"
Makina, who was leading the way, turned back to look at me. I shrugged.
"Too many wild animals and magical beasts around, so tracking by scent will be tough. Can't even be sure they headed this way."
Makina led us toward the western side of the lodge. The Nameless Era ruins weren't far, she said.
Unlike the lodge area, where trees sparsely dotted gentle hills, this place was packed with steep slopes and wildly overgrown trees.
Thanks to the thick canopy, it was dark and damp as we passed below.
"Lots of wild animals around here. Mostly docile ones."
"Docile and 'plump' ones?"
Remembering what Max had said, Makina giggled.
"That's why there are traps set near the path for catching wild animals. Things like thorn snares or nooses."
Traps? I couldn't help but start scanning the surroundings.
The landscape looked utterly peaceful—no sign of any traps anywhere.
"They're hidden in the dirt or bushes, so they're not easy to spot. Stick to the path. You might step on one."
"Honestly, the path itself is hard to make out."
Right now, Makina was ahead, so I could follow her footsteps, but this was such a remote area that the trail was barely visible at all.
I let out a sigh and passed on a warning to Ash to watch out for traps too.
"The traps are partly because of the ruins too. Can't have wild animals wandering nearby and turning into magical beasts."
"Ah, yeah, that makes sense."
As we followed Makina a bit further down, red markers were scattered here and there. Small strips of cloth caught on branches or wedged between rocks.
It was similar to what Makina and Max had done before, piling up stones to block a cave entrance and sticking a red cloth in them.
Markers everywhere saying, 'Do not approach further.'
"Look over there."
Makina stood at the edge of a rocky hillside and pointed downward.
Ash and I stopped beside her.
The small basin ringed by rocks had a completely different vibe.
Hunched trees had grown intertwined with one another, their bluish leaves sprouting thickly to block out nearly all the sky.
Trees that gave off a blue glow and shimmering moss grew in abundance in the basin, where little light could penetrate.
These were plants I hadn't seen even once on the way here.
"Plants near the ruins exhibit unique vegetation..."
I murmured a passage I'd read in a book as I gazed down at the scene.
Plants around Nameless Era ruins often took on blue hues. That was one reason why spotting those sites wasn't too difficult.
"The ruins themselves are a little further in. Want to poke around here for a bit? I think I saw a rabbit caught in a trap earlier."
"Ah, yeah. I'll do that."
As Makina retraced her steps, I carefully scanned the surroundings and made my way cautiously down the hill.
I could feel the very air around me changing on my skin.
Ash sensed it too—his body trembled faintly as he puffed up his fur to a silvery sheen.
"Watch your step, Ash."
'You too.'
Ash moved ahead with light, scoffing footfalls. I chuckled and followed him into the basin.
The books had illustrations of the ruins, but seeing it firsthand was still strangely fascinating.
It was as if the air itself had been tinged blue.
If the mana at the dragon's lair had felt like it was cozily buried in nature, the mana here was vividly alive and pulsing, filling every nook and cranny without gap.
It filled me with euphoria and drew me in.
The perfect environment to lure in wild animals and turn them into magical beasts.
As I passed beneath the thick shade of the trees, I spotted a particularly noticeable stone.
I dropped to one knee and examined it more closely.
Every surface of the weathered stone was etched with unique, irregular patterns.
Or perhaps letters—hieroglyphs, even.
The books referred to them as the "lost language" or the "voice of mana."
These patterns could be found on every rock, every stone—even tiny pebbles—near the ruins.
Countless people had tried to research their meaning over the years, but there wasn't a single success story to be found.
Not even any theories born from wild imagination.
It was so bizarre that conspiracy theories even circulated about some unknown entity from antiquity interfering with Nameless Era research.
'Liberic, burn marks.'
At Ash's voice, I straightened up.
Ash, a few steps ahead, had found a scorched patch of ground and was sniffing at it.
Charred stones and ashed branches lay scattered about.
"Wait, does that mean..."
Ilenia had come this way?
As I glanced around while passing by a large tree, something bumped against my foot with a thud.
It was the familiar shape of a black sword hilt.
Goosebumps prickled across my skin as I gripped the hilt and drew out the long blade.
The familiar weight and length. The extended edge and the Prius emblem engraved along its inner side.
It was a knight commander's sword, just like the ones used by Prius.
"Ah, that's mine."
"Eek!"
I jumped back at the nonchalant voice coming from overhead.
Ash, equally startled, shot in front of me like an arrow.
The thick leaves above my head rustled, revealing a woman with red hair hanging upside down.
She wriggled about in her inverted position, struggling to peel off the leaves clinging to her face and hair.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you lift the sword up here?"
Stunned as I stared up at her, I came to my senses with an "Ah!" and hurriedly handed her the sword.
She was so high up that I had to hold the blade tip high while she strained to reach it with her hand.
Once she had the hilt in her grasp, she hauled herself up with a "Heave-ho!" and vanished back into the leaves.
"Liberic, what was that?"
Makina hurried over after hearing my yelp from a short distance away.
"Uh, um... I found her."
I said that as I pointed upward.
The tree shook violently, and the red-haired woman landed lightly on the ground.
Her long red hair, tied tightly back, settled gracefully.
She wore a long tan traveler's tunic and black pants, both covered in leaves and twigs.
Her small face—pale skin and deep green eyes—instantly brought the Red Guard Knight Merian Cortis from my memories to mind.
One hand held the longsword, the other a thick rope. Leaves and severed rope rained down around us.
"Haa, finally down."
"Ilenia!"
Makina's eyes went wide in shock.
'Liberic.'
Right then, Ash puffed up his silvery fur and began warily scanning our surroundings.
The presence of a magical beast. Not just Ash—everyone could sense it clearly.
A heavy, chilling pressure made my spine crawl.
"No, Shaika...!"
Makina's face stiffened as she drew the short sword at her waist. Ash blocked my front protectively.
Something darted swiftly between the trees and hurled a lump of blue ice toward us.
I tried to draw in mana and cast a defensive spell... but it was too late.
At that moment, someone yanked me inward and thrust their arm forward.
"Tureha!"
Whoosh!
Red flames erupted from the palm and swallowed the incoming ice lump whole.
The ice vanished without a trace, and the flames stretched out to where the beast had been, charring the trees and bushes black.
But the magical beast was no longer there.
"Tch."
As Ilenia crooked her hand, the air tugged inward, and the flames snuffed out in an instant.
"Be careful—it's still nearby."
"No way. We can't fight Shaika here."
Makina's face had gone pale as she raised her sword and scanned the surroundings.
This was different from any other magical beast we'd encountered so far. She was afraid.
"Yeah, I agree... Urgh."
Ilenia groaned and sank to the ground. Blood oozed from her left ankle.
"You're hurt?!"
Makina rushed up to her in alarm.
Up close, I could see how badly the wound had shredded her traveler's pants—deep and bleeding heavily.
"The snare had sawteeth on it. But right now—"
Ilenia snatched up the sword hilt and hauled herself to her feet.
Leaning on Makina's shoulder, she swung her blade past her at something blue I hadn't even seen—the beast dodged backward.
The air froze once more, our breaths fogging in the chill.
The Frostfield Shaika retreated to a distant rock in an instant before pausing there.
Its eerie eyes, glowing red, stared straight at us.
Its movements were so fast I couldn't track it with my eyes at all.
"What should we do about that thing?"
Ilenia readjusted her grip on her sword, bracing to charge at Shaika.
"No! Not here...!"
"Tureha... Argh?!"
The moment flames sparked along Ilenia's sword, her foot stepped into a trap hidden in the underbrush.
Makina lunged and grabbed Ilenia, who was about to vanish into the pit on the ground.
"I told you, too many traps here, you idiot!"
"Oh, right."
Ilenia muttered in a deflated voice.
It was the kind of situation that drew an involuntary sigh, but I couldn't afford to just stand there watching idly.
Shaika was on the move.
The instant Shaika vanished from sight, I hurriedly conjured defensive spells in every direction around us.
Spells that encompassed the half-sunk Ilenia, Makina pulling her up, and even Ash.
The moment the spells took shape, Shaika appeared right in front of Makina.
Pop!
A few blue crystals instantly sprouted on Shaika's head where it collided with the spell.
Just before it could land a heavier blow, Shaika fled far away with astonishing reflexes.
With the blue crystals embedded in its head and black blood dripping down, it bared its teeth at me.
A chill ran down my spine in that moment.
Shaika shook its head as if in agony before vanishing once more.
I tensed, expecting another attack, but the frigid air gradually faded.
"...It's gone."
Only after the suffocating pressure lifted and the white wisps of our breath disappeared did I let my mana disperse.
Against a magical beast that fast, a defensive spell was the only thing that came to mind in that split second.
We'd been lucky to block it before it got any closer, but if we'd been even a little slower... I didn't want to think about it.
"Good job, Liberic."
Makina stared off in the direction Shaika had fled before shuddering with a shiver.
I tucked my staff back at my waist and helped Makina haul Ilenia up onto the path.
"Ilenia, can you walk?"
"Yeeeah..."
The moment her blood- and mud-caked left foot touched the ground, Ilenia staggered.
Only after Makina supported her shoulder could she barely stand.
Ilenia gave her thanks as she slid her sword back into its sheath.
"Let's head back to the lodge. Path's narrow, so watch your step. Liberic, Ash—keep an eye out in case that thing shows up again."
"Got it."
Makina supported Ilenia as they slowly retraced their steps.
Ash and I followed behind, scanning our surroundings.