Chapter 120
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Trap (3)
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“What the hell happened?”
“Just a light patrol. Like a stroll and a patrol at the same time.”
Ilenia let out a deep sigh.
“Honestly, I was kinda curious about this area. Sir Gordon kept warning me not to go near it because it was dangerous, which only made me more curious.”
“Didn't you see the red markers? 'No Entry.'”
Makina nodded toward a stone decorated with red cloth.
“Ugh. I did. Sorry. I knew there were traps everywhere. But I fell for them twice... Uncle's gonna laugh his ass off if he finds out.”
Her last words were more of a mutter to herself.
She sighed again and wiped her face.
“I was gonna head right back. But then the ground started shaking... and something pitch-black burst out from the ruins! It shot up into the sky and then just plummeted back down.”
Makina let out an incredulous chuckle.
“What are you even talking about? Something popped out of the ruins?”
“It had pitch-black wings. About as thick as my forearm, with three talons on each foot. It flew up into the sky whoosh, then crashed down.”
We had seen exactly what Ilenia was describing before. Just a few hours ago.
“Karaks...”
I muttered from a few steps back, and both Ilenia and Makina whipped around to look at me.
“You know what it is?”
Ilenia asked. I nodded silently.
“It's a magical beast only found in Eckronium mines. We saw some in a cave on the way here.”
“I saw them too.”
Makina added with a grim expression.
“Earlier, I thought a rabbit had gotten caught in a trap, so I went to check. It was one of those things. A Karaks. Its head was charred black, totally dead.”
What was going on?
The countless Karaks we'd seen in the cave weren't native to that area. And these ones suddenly appearing here were the same.
“So I wasn't hallucinating. Anyway, while I was checking out that beast, three Shaika showed up out of nowhere. Tureha and I tried to fight them off... but I stepped into a snare.”
Ilenia groaned, recalling the moment.
“It grabbed my ankle and dragged me up into the tree. I dropped my sword, and those three Shaika were circling below. I hid in the leaves, but the wound kept hurting, and I hadn't eaten lunch, so I was starving to death.”
Right on cue, a pathetic rumble echoed from Ilenia's stomach.
Makina snickered.
“So you were stuck like that for hours until we got there.”
“It's not funny. I almost died. If I don't eat soon, I really might.”
“Yeah, yeah, we're almost there.”
The sharp roof of the lodge came into view over the hill.
The smell of food wafting from the lodge reached us, and Ilenia suddenly perked up, quickening her pace.
But the moment she stepped into the front yard with an ecstatic look on her face, she froze like a statue.
“Wh-what are you doing here?!”
Ilenia's shocked yell echoed across the yard.
Shuren, who had been sitting on the steps polishing his sword, glanced at her and replied calmly.
“On duty, obviously.”
Shuren sheathed his sword and stood, turning to me.
“Lib, everything okay? You were late, so I was about to go look.”
“Oh, yeah...”
I nodded awkwardly. We'd dealt with Shaika and Karaks corpses—not exactly uneventful.
“You said you were heading back to Prion! Why are you out here... ugh.”
Too excited, Ilenia misstepped and wobbled with a groan.
Makina hurriedly caught her.
“Let's get inside first.”
“Ah, I'm fine. I can tough it out.”
Ilenia waved it off like it was nothing, but Makina dragged her in anyway.
“I'll go get Weddin.”
Shuren watched them go, his expression twisting complicatedly, then turned toward the lodge.
“Okay, spill it.”
Shuren gave me a baffled look, like he had no idea what I meant.
“Lady Ilenia Cortis. What happened between you two?”
I asked politely again.
“What... haa.”
Shuren sighed with an uncharacteristically complicated expression.
After helping get Ilenia inside, Shuren relayed that the Silver Guard Knight and Max were waiting for me at the northern spring.
They needed help disposing of Bartan's corpse.
Shuren led the way, and I followed with Ash.
The encounter between Ilenia and Shuren earlier had been weird to anyone watching. No joy at seeing each other—just pure awkwardness.
Shuren sighed again and scratched his hair.
“We were just surprised. Never expected to run into each other here. She's the Red Guard Knight's daughter. Figured she'd be with her squad.”
“Huh, yeah.”
Now that he mentioned it, that was odd. Normally, the daughter of the Red Guard Knight would join the same unit.
I hummed thoughtfully and glanced at Shuren.
“That's it? No fights or anything?”
“Fight? Who said...”
Shuren shrugged reflexively.
“That girl's an Arbat of fire, so she tends to charge in headfirst.”
Her quick reflexes were already proven. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made it this far, or gone out for a 'stroll' and ended up trapped.
“And she's strong too. Most magical beasts are weak to fire, plus as a fire Arbat, her base stamina and strength are top-notch.”
That much was confirmed.
A normal person couldn't hang all day in a thorny snare.
“But looks like you two don't get along.”
“What...”
Shuren scratched his head.
“Had to nag her nonstop when we traveled together. But... she's not a bad kid. Just unpredictable, hard to handle. Honestly, a bit worried about the Silver Guard Knight.”
“Hmm. What did he say?”
“Told me not to fight her.”
Shuren frowned, and I chuckled.
“I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a full knight now. Why would I...”
“Heh, better listen to the Silver Guard Knight.”
I suppressed a grin and gave Shuren serious advice.
He raised an eyebrow and turned to me.
“What? I don't need that from you either...”
“Ah, there he is.”
Perfect timing. We spotted the Silver Guard Knight and Max standing at the valley entrance.
They waved at us.
Next to them were piles of Bartan and Gattra corpses like a mountain.
They'd tried using fire tools to burn them, but the flames fizzled out in the wind.
A week ago, a few tries would've worked, but now they wouldn't even catch.
The mana contamination was getting worse over time.
The Silver Guard Knight asked me to incinerate the corpses the moment he saw me.
He pointed up at the sky.
A few massive Phaynax circled lazily overhead, hunting for prey.
A chill ran down my spine as I headed straight for the corpse pile.
I extended my hand, gathered mana, and conjured flames.
Whoosh!
The intense blaze instantly shoved aside the dark aura clinging to the corpses and set them ablaze.
The sudden inferno flared up so fiercely I stepped back.
I shook out my hand, releasing the gathered mana, but my fingertips still tingled.
For a split second, the mana had felt out of control... The firepower was way stronger than I'd intended.
“It's a problem if we need a mage just to dispose of these.”
Max said grimly, watching the beasts turn to ash one by one.
They'd taken down all these without a single scratch. Just a bit of black beast blood on their clothes.
“Once we resolve the ruins issue, the contamination should fade gradually. Claus Sage once called it 'a power that defies the world's laws.' Fix the cause, and the world will heal itself.”
“Claus Sage said that?”
I turned to the Silver Guard Knight in surprise. He nodded.
“Yes. Back in Aieli.”
Claus had grasped the situation properly.
Even though it was beyond his understanding, he'd tried to make sense of it. Because everyone around him called him 'Sage.'
And he'd made it this far through sheer desperation.
He'd failed in Aieli, but here... I wouldn't let that happen.
We stood there watching until the corpses reduced to handfuls of ash.
As the contaminated mana dissipated, the Phaynax flock vanished soon after.
On the way back to Outpost 5 after finishing up, I reported finding Ilenia.
The Silver Guard Knight's expression hardened slightly at her injury, but he didn't seem too worried.
More concerning was the snowfield Shaika—one appeared before us, three before Ilenia. The mood grew serious.
“Snowfield Shaika... This is getting troublesome.”
The Silver Guard Knight stroked his chin with a worried look.
“They're native to the northern mountains. They don't usually come this far south.”
Max added from behind.
“Smart and nimble hunters. Lightweight, so they avoid traps, and they lower the temperature around them while shooting ice.”
“They were definitely fast. Barely visible.”
I said, recalling the moment.
Could Ilenia even track their movements?
At least my magic couldn't keep up.
“A variant of regular Shaika?”
Shuren asked, and the Silver Guard Knight nodded.
“Normal Shaika are small and docile. In Laitas, people keep them as pets. But variants... not easy. You'll need every sense except sight.”
By the time we returned to the lodge, the sun was setting.
Just a few days in the mountains, and I already knew the sky would turn pitch-black soon.
Ash bolted to the edge of the lodge the moment he saw it and leaped onto the roof. He'd sneak inside once night fell.
In the front yard, Hugo and Makina were preparing dinner.
“Bags are up on the second floor!”
Makina called out while stirring a pot of bubbling soup.
After lunch, we'd left our bags on the first floor in our rush. She'd moved them for us.
“And thanks for handling the northern spring. Now we have plenty of water. Bath's out, though.”
Makina laughed and shooed us inside to rest.
I gave her a light bow of thanks before we climbed the lodge steps.
“Ugh, I really wanna wash up.”
At the entrance, I brushed off my clothes and realized how filthy I was—dirt and dust everywhere. And I stank.
From the cave that morning to the ruins and northern spring, we'd been running around nonstop. My stamina was shot.
“Rest until dinner. I'll check on the wounded.”
The Silver Guard Knight headed up to the second floor first.
Shuren and I were both exhausted and grimy, so we accepted without complaint.