Chapter 130
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: A Small Banquet in the Forest (1)
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According to Makina, after we left for the ruins, Bartans and Gatras had started lurking around the area.
At first, there were only one or two, but their numbers gradually increased. Some even charged toward the cabin and crashed into the defensive barrier.
"The sky suddenly went boom! with lightning. You have no idea how startled I was!"
Makina said this as she casually passed by the spot piled high with Bartan corpses.
The magical beast carcasses gathered in various clearings throughout the area were smoldering away bit by bit.
With the polluted mana that had been leaking from the ruins now gone, the fires caught easily on the beasts' bodies.
"Still, if it weren't for your barrier, we would've been in real trouble. Thanks, Liberic."
Makina grinned and held out her hand to me.
"I'm just glad it helped."
I gave a wry smile and lightly clapped her palm. Truth be told, I'd hoped nothing would happen at all.
"We used up every last harpoon and arrow we'd stockpiled. Some of those bastards came at the magic wall like they meant to smash right through it."
"No Shaikas showed up, I take it."
"Yeah, thank goodness for that."
So the Shaikas had all gathered at the ruins where we were. The rest of the beasts—Bartan and Gatra—must have been drawn here by the surging mana.
"They stopped coming after the earthquake hit. And that's when Max returned."
Makina's gaze led to Max, who was standing in the front yard.
"Max!"
Makina waved, and he approached us with a relieved expression. In his hands, he clutched two chickens.
"Poor things—two chickens and a pig got caught up in it and died. Dinner's gonna be a feast tonight."
Makina beamed and dashed down toward Max.
By the time we reached the cabin's front yard, Hugo and Gordon had come out to greet us as well.
The Silver Guard Knight carried Fren straight up to the cabin's second floor, with Wedin following close behind to tend to him.
The rest of us agreed to regroup after freshening up.
I gave myself a quick rinse and changed clothes. Even so, the metallic tang of blood lingered at the edge of my nostrils.
It felt like I'd need a long soak in hot water scented with spices, but such luxuries weren't possible here.
Outside the cabin in the front yard, Makina and Hugo were busily preparing dinner.
They roasted a small pig and chickens whole, then simmered soup from the leftover birds. The rich, savory aroma filled the forest.
I headed down to the front yard to retrieve my barrier spell. Ash, who had been lounging on the roof, had already followed me down.
The stench of burning magical beasts is overpowering.
"It'll fade soon enough."
I stroked Ash's head.
He shook himself in the wind and gave a quick lick, cleaning up in no time. Watching that, I could understand why he insisted on his wolf form.
I reached my hand toward the sky, and the blue ecronium that had served as the core of the defensive barrier slowly returned to my palm.
The barrier was damaged in places, and much of the incantation had lost its power. Still, it had done its job, so that was a relief.
I fully dispelled the incantation within the ecronium and pocketed it.
"Liberic."
I looked up to see the Silver Guard Knight gesturing to me from the window of the second floor.
Ash and I climbed up to the cabin's second floor. Gordon's room door stood open.
Gordon, the Silver Guard Knight, Wedin—of course—and even Shuren and Ilenia, now changed into fresh clothes, were waiting there for me.
I gave a light greeting to Gordon, who sat on the bed, then took a seat on the opposite one. Ash hopped up lightly beside me.
"Continue, Wedin."
The Silver Guard Knight nodded toward Wedin from the window.
"Fren should be able to move around after resting here for three or four days."
Wedin said this as he tidied the holy magic tool he'd placed by Gordon's bedside.
"You'll recover even faster, Sir Gordon. Once you've got the stamina to leave the mountains, you can head back to Fren and Cophet in Elgrace."
"Mm."
Gordon nodded, looking as though he felt a heavy sense of responsibility.
"Don't worry. I'll see Fren safely to Elgrace."
"I leave it to you, Sir Gordon."
I let out a sigh of relief.
Miles had been so worried. At least we'd saved Fren, so I could bring him some good news.
"You mentioned a white tree inside the ruins. Could you tell us in detail what happened?"
"That'll have to come from you, Liberic."
At the Silver Guard Knight's words, everyone's eyes in the room turned to me.
Come to think of it, aside from Wedin, I hadn't properly explained about the tree.
We'd been too busy escaping after the tree vanished and the ruins collapsed.
"That tree was a dangerous spell called 'Mage Hunter.'"
I spoke calmly into the hushed room.
I explained how the white tree had suddenly sprouted at the center of the ruins, shattering it while absorbing mana and drawing in the beasts.
How the hallucinations had broken the knights, luring Fren into the tree—and how Fren had used the ruins' mana to create that labyrinth.
"...I see. Understood."
Gordon spoke heavily after a long silence, having listened to the tale.
It looked incredibly hard for him to accept that his knights had mistaken each other for Shaikas.
"I'll entrust their insignia to you, Sir Gordon. Please deliver them to Elgrace."
"Yes, Silver Guard Knight."
They were already used to not recovering bodies. At least with the insignia, they could inform the families.
It was a common enough occurrence for any Silver Moon Knight.
Wedin had already told me about such things once before—on the terrace of Elgrace's palace banquet hall.
When I glanced at Wedin, he was staring straight at me. He clearly had something to say.
And Wedin never held back when he did.
"Lib, what were you thinking, walking into that tree of your own accord?"
As expected.
"You walked into the tree yourself?"
Shuren reacted immediately. The Silver Guard Knight frowned as well.
"What do you mean? Didn't you say the tree's magic was designed to absorb a mage's mana?"
"It was to save Fren and dispel the spell."
I said hastily.
"Fren was too weak for me to think of another way. You can't damage the tree from the outside."
"But Tureha burned it down?"
Ilenia shrugged.
"That's because I destroyed the source of the corruption from inside the tree."
I answered calmly.
"It was a white seed that was the cause. The tree's seed, I suppose. Inside it was a tiny red fragment of a seal."
The Silver Guard Knight and everyone else looked stunned, at a loss for words.
The image of that white seed was still vividly etched in my mind, as if I'd seen it right in front of me moments ago.
"How did something that dangerous get inside the ruins?"
No one could answer Gordon's question. Silence filled the room.
That was the biggest cause of this incident. A white seed containing a fragment of the red seal.
Whether it was intentional or mere coincidence—we had no way of knowing.
"You all done talking? Anyone wanna help with dinner prep?"
As we sat in silence, Makina called up from downstairs.
"Shuren, Ilenia—go help Makina. Wedin, look after the wounded."
The Silver Guard Knight straightened from where he'd been leaning against the window. Shuren and Ilenia left the room at his command.
"Liberic, a word."
I paused as I stood to leave.
The Silver Guard Knight lightly touched my shoulder before stepping out first, as if switching places with me.
Leaving Wedin and Gordon in the room, I followed the Silver Guard Knight with Ash.
"Ash..."
"He can come along."
The Silver Guard Knight entered his room at the far end of the hall. Ash wagged his tail and trailed after him.
As soon as we entered the dark room, he drew back the curtains to let in the light.
Ash jumped straight onto the bed, stretched out long, and flopped down right there.
I perched on the edge of the bed.
"I'd like more details on what happened in the ruins. I need to report to Lord Claus as well."
"Of course."
The Silver Guard Knight removed his still-unswapped coat and hung it on the rack.
He took the knights' insignias from an inner pocket and set them on the table—then froze, staring down at them.
"...Silver Guard Knight?"
"Yes..."
The Silver Guard Knight finally tore his gaze away from the insignias. Astonishingly, in that brief moment, he'd seemed to forget I was even there.
"About how you dispelled the tree's magic..."
He trailed off abruptly and glanced back at the firmly shut door.
What?
I tilted my head in confusion.
The Silver Guard Knight silently gestured for me to stay quiet, then took a step toward the door.
Without a sound or warning, he yanked it open...
"Whoa."
"Ah."
Shuren and Wedin stumbled into the room with startled yelps.
They'd been pressed side by side against the door, attempting the most ridiculous eavesdropping.
"I gave separate instructions, didn't I?"
The Silver Guard Knight looked down at them calmly.
"Oh! Uh, we were just passing by."
"M-Me too."
Shuren and Wedin spouted nonsense as they scrambled to their feet. We all knew full well this was the end of the hallway.
"Then continue on your way."
Thankfully, the Silver Guard Knight had no intention of scolding them.
"Y-Yes, sir."
They gave awkward salutes and turned to leave down the corridor.
The Silver Guard Knight watched their retreating backs until they were completely gone.
Only once the hallway fell silent did he let out a small sigh and close the door.
"Liberic, how much do those two know about you?"
I blinked up at the Silver Guard Knight.
"I heard about what happened to you at age twelve. The White Guard Knight told me afterward. It involved the seal fragments, after all."
He pulled a chair over from by the window and sat.
"That incident... they don't know. I couldn't possibly tell them that a seal fragment fused into my body."
Just telling Wedin and Clemence about my constitution that attracted demons from childhood had shocked them enough...
I couldn't share anything more terrifying than that.
"Mm," the Silver Guard Knight nodded gravely.
"As you know, keeping that a secret is for your own safety."
His voice lowered.
"If word got out about you, some would try to kill you instead of the demons. Especially if you absorb seal fragment mana like you did this time..."
"How did you...?"
I widened my eyes.
I hadn't breathed a word about absorbing the seal fragment's mana into my body.
The Silver Guard Knight's face twisted with a mix of regret and anger.
"The evil mana trapped in the seal fragments never truly dissipates."
He knew.
I hadn't meant to deceive him, but I'd secretly hoped he'd let it slide. A naive thought, perhaps.
"The only way to handle it is to isolate it with powerful seals and barriers. Yet you said you destroyed it."
He looked at me and sighed softly.
"I assume you chose that as a last resort. Even if I'd been there, the outcome wouldn't have changed."
The Silver Guard Knight paused, his expression darkening as if lost in thought.
"So your choice is my responsibility too, Liberic. I'm grateful you did your best."
"Silver Guard Knight..."
"But as I said, that method helps you not at all. We need to find another way."
"...Yes, I understand."
I nodded to the worried Silver Guard Knight.
Helps me not at all?
A questioning voice popped into my head.
Do you really think so?
Swallowing a mouthful of that slightly filthy, sticky mana made me feel like my capabilities had grown tremendously.
If Berkis's mana was eventually going to break free and roam the world anyway, wasn't this the best choice?
I'd grow stronger and stronger, and at the end of it all...
...what would I become?
A chill settled in my stomach like I'd swallowed ice.
This was exactly what Grivis and the demons wanted from me.