Chapter 331: The Eye
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 331: The Eye
"I’ve mostly recovered."
As the magic crystal in his hand was drained of its energy and turned into a useless husk, the mana within Muen’s body finally returned to near full capacity.
He couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental. His mana reserves only required a single high-purity magic crystal to refill. Compared to the immense power of someone like Fullar, whose mana could trigger a localized "Magical Tide," the difference was truly night and day.
He remembered Teacher Mela saying that a person’s mana capacity was determined at birth.
Everything that followed was merely a matter of how well one developed and refined it.
So, while a mage’s growth relied heavily on knowledge and hard work, was it really impossible to become one without sufficient innate talent?
Well, whatever. It seems that as long as I carry the Campbell name, I’m destined to be nothing more than an underachiever who can only swing a blade.
But if he couldn't be a mage, being a "mage killer" seemed like a decent alternative.
Muen hefted Elizabeth in his hand.
The next time he faced a mage, he’d have to cut truer. He couldn't let a situation like this happen again.
Reflect.
Then, take it as a warning.
These were the words he had carved into his heart the moment he named his two blades—words stained with blood.
...
Pushing the useless thoughts from his mind, Muen glanced at the sky.
Through the hole created by their earlier battle, the azure sky was being stained crimson by the distant sunset. Mackerel clouds spread across the horizon, a sight so beautiful it was breathtaking.
"Is it already this late?"
"I wonder if we can make it out before dark."
Muen rubbed his chin and looked to the side.
"Liya, do you... hm?"
His voice trailed off into a question.
In a pile of debris, the girl was hunched over, surreptitiously looking at something.
She seemed completely enthralled.
This posture—so engrossed that she had completely let down her guard—was a rare sight for a girl who aspired to be the future Saintess.
"Did you find something good?" Muen asked curiously. "You're so focused."
"!"
At the sound of Muen’s voice, a jolt like an electric shock ran up the girl’s spine. She jumped, frantically shoving whatever she had been peeking at back into her tunic.
"N-nothing! It’s nothing!"
The sunset cast a deep crimson glow over her cheeks, making her look like a ripe apple, so fresh it seemed it could drip with juice.
"I can't even have a look?"
"No!"
The girl puffed out her cheeks and shielded her chest tightly, her resolve absolute.
"Alright, alright..."
Muen scratched the corner of his mouth.
It seemed he really had been "hated" just now.
But just like before, it wasn't like he’d done it on purpose.
Tsk.
I guess guys like me really don't get the 'protagonist treatment.'
"What... what did you want to ask?"
Once she was certain Muen hadn't seen anything, Liya patted her heaving chest and let out a cute sigh of relief, changing the subject.
"Oh, right." Muen tapped his palm. "I wanted to ask, Liya, do you know roughly how much longer it’ll take to get out of the forest? I suspect we’re not far from the edge, but I’m not sure. Earlier, you..."
"I saw the exit," Liya answered.
"Really?" Muen’s eyes lit up.
"Mhm." The girl nodded, counting on her fingers. "If we pick up the pace a bit, we should be out in about two hours."
The previous thirty minutes had been her at top speed. Now that the enemies were dead, there was no need to maintain that life-or-death pace.
Going a bit slower... wouldn't be so bad.
"Two hours, huh?"
Muen looked into the distance. Though the sunset was spreading, a small sliver of the sun’s disc was still visible against the silhouette of the giant trees. It would be a while before the sun truly vanished.
"Two hours should be enough for us to get out," Muen mused. "And even if we don't quite make it, the edge of the forest shouldn't be that dangerous. It’s a fair trade-off to walk a bit in the dark."
"It’s better than spending another night in a place like—"
"I don't think another night would be so bad..."
A whisper, faint as the breeze, drifted from the girl.
"Hm?"
Muen frowned. He wondered if he was hallucinating from absorbing too much mana at once. After all, how could a delicate young lady who hated snakes, poisonous insects, and the inability to bathe say something as foolish as wanting to spend another night in the forest?
"Let’s go," Muen said, deciding to ignore the harmless hallucination as he smiled at Liya.
"Mhm."
Liya gave her habitual soft affirmation, quickened her pace, and habitually grabbed the hem of Muen’s tattered clothes.
See? A girl this timid would never agree to something as dangerous as camping in the forest.
"Don't worry," Muen said, drawing Elizabeth to clear the path as usual, offering a reassuring smile. "The enemies are dead. This forest shouldn't be dangerous anymore."
"...I know."
Snap.
"Then... are you hurt? If so, as a gentleman, I could reluctantly offer Liya a hand." Muen’s gaze flickered toward a certain area of Liya’s that still commanded a strong presence, and he said with a straight face, "By my estimation, I can handle that much weight."
"No way."
The girl saw through Muen’s little scheme instantly. With the sunset’s glow still on her face, she pouted her pink lips and muttered, "Meanie. Pervert!"
"Tsk, dammit. How do you always figure me out..."
Snap. Crack.
Muen, who was walking in front, stopped mid-joke. Liya, caught off guard, bumped right into his back.
"Ooh... that hurts."
With tears pricking her eyes, Liya rubbed her nose and glared huffily at Muen’s back, giving him a retaliatory punch with her small fist. "What... what are you doing?"
Just because I didn't agree to your naughty ideas... if you had just asked nicely...
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
The sudden gravity in Muen’s tone made Liya freeze, and she immediately turned serious. She pricked up her ears, carefully filtering the ambient noise.
"I don't hear anything. Just the wind, and..."
"Caw—!"
A sharp, piercing crow’s cry cut her off.
Both of them turned to look at a flock of crows taking flight from a nearby branch. These crows had followed the scent of death and had been waiting patiently for Muen and Liya to leave so they could feast on the banquet laid out for them.
Muen hadn't bothered to bury Fullar; he knew these clever crows would just dig her up again.
But now, for some reason, the crows didn't care about the feast right in front of them. They spread their wings and fled into the distance in a blind panic.
"Something’s wrong."
Muen’s expression darkened, and he instinctively grabbed the girl’s hand. "Run!"
Muen pulled Liya along, sprinting.
Liya was quick to react, channeling a burst of Holy Light into them both, pushing their speed to another level. At this pace, they would be out of this dangerous forest in less than fifteen minutes, let alone thirty.
However...
Crack. Crack. Crack.
As the sound Muen had been searching for grew clearer, he finally realized what it was.
It was the sound of something... shattering.
But the problem was, in a forest filled with giant trees, vines, and soft humus, what could possibly make such a crisp, sharp sound when it broke?
"Muen."
Liya’s voice rang in his ear, laced with clear terror. "Look up!"
"Up?"
Muen, who had been focused on the path ahead, looked up.
Then, his pupils shrank.
Following Liya’s lead, he finally saw the source of that strange sound.
Right above their heads.
In the middle of that clear sky.
A pitch-black rift was slowly appearing, tearing from top to bottom.
Snap.
Crack. Crack.
Crrr-ack!
In this forest, neither the giant trees, the vines, the ground, nor the moss-covered stones could produce such a sharp sound, like glass shattering.
The thing making that sound was space itself.
Space was fracturing.
This wasn't like the minor spatial turbulence caused by the earlier spatial magic; this was space itself being violently torn apart like a piece of fragile cloth, revealing the profound darkness behind it.
The rift was gargantuan, as if it had split half the sky in two.
Then, before Muen’s horrified eyes, from within that deep darkness—which seemed to outline the shapes of mountain ranges—a blazing sun suddenly rose, looking down disdainfully upon all creation.
But Muen quickly realized that it wasn't a sun.
It was an eye.
A golden vertical pupil that seemed to embody all the majesty in the world!
"What... what is that?" Muen’s voice trembled.
...
...
"Lord Eller."
At the edge of the mist-shrouded forest, Adolf, who had just finished another aerial sweep of the perimeter, descended from the sky. He looked at the middle-aged man sitting solemnly on horseback and asked, "Any sign of the Campbell boy?"
"None."
Eller gripped his reins so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged. He shook his head. "The men I sent out haven't reported back."
"What about the search area?"
"This forest is too vast. Even with the army searching through the night, we haven't even covered a fifth of it." Eller reported the information, his gaze growing increasingly grim. "Furthermore, this is a strategic border region. Even if he is the son of that man, I can only spare half the troops for the search. I hope you understand, Lord Adolf."
"No, I’m in no position to reproach you. On the contrary, I’m immensely grateful for your help," Adolf replied with a self-deprecating, bitter smile.
As a veteran of the Adventurer’s Association and a world-renowned Coronation Level expert, he had actually managed to lose his client while personally fulfilling a mission. If word of this got out, his reputation would be utterly ruined in his twilight years.
But regardless, he had to find that Campbell boy as soon as possible. Otherwise, setting aside his reputation, he wouldn't be able to answer to the Lion King of the Campbell family, or even the Empire itself.
"Should I... risk entering the forest to search?" Adolf stroked his beard, weighing the possibility.
While the forest was technically forbidden to those of the Crown Level, if he suppressed his aura and moved quickly, it might be feasible. After all...
"Hm?"
In the distance.
A massive flock of birds erupted from the dense forest, blanketing the sky like a dark cloud driven by a gale.
As if sensing something, the usually composed Adolf suddenly fixed his gaze on the forest, his face filled with sheer horror.
"Lord Adolf!" Eller shouted, struggling to control his horse, which had become inexplicably spooked. "What’s happening?"
"No... impossible!"
Staring into the distance, Adolf was so stunned he didn't even notice he had plucked out several hairs from his beard. His voice shook. "How is this possible?"
"It’s been quiet for centuries... why now? Why would it suddenly wake up?"
"That... that Calamity?!!"