Episode 38

The carriage raced at top speed along a roadless path. The ground was overgrown with grass and trees, and the rough terrain was full of bumps and hollows. Naturally, the vast jungle that no person ever entered was not managed by the kingdom. He had expected as much, but actually experiencing it made it painfully clear just how reckless this was.

“Two behind us! Forest Tigers!”

“I see them… Aqua Bullet!”

Ciel issued instructions from inside the carriage while Selen, atop the cabin, shot at the monsters with her guns. The water bullets fired from her magic guns pierced through the tiger-type monsters that inhabited the forest region and killed them instantly.

Even amid the violent shaking, Ciel carried out precise detection, while Selen immediately gathered mana and fired magical bullets. Their teamwork and skill were so seamless it could only be called perfect coordination.

“!? Something’s charging from the front!”

Van shouted from the driver’s seat. Ahead of the carriage was a giant bear covered in green fur. It was a Valtbear, said to deceive its prey by matching the color of the forest with its own physique. Though it was a monster that had undergone its own unique evolution, the sight of it charging straight ahead without making use of its own trait seemed almost like a display of confidence. Even if this was the ducal house’s prized carriage, a head-on collision would make it inevitable that it would be smashed to pieces.

“…I’m next.”

Atri was atop the cabin as well, just like Selen. Unfazed by the violent shaking, she quietly formed her spell. Selen widened her eyes at the amount of mana she sensed from Atri.

“—Grom Blaster.”

A beam of searing light made from enormous mana swallowed up the rogue of the forest. The Valtbear vanished without leaving even dust behind, and the ground was gouged out by the spell’s impact.

“This felt strange. I was surprised, but at the same time, I felt like if it’s you, then of course you’d do it that easily.”

“…Me too. I feel like I’ve seen your guns before.”

A flock of vividly colored birds came flying down from above. The bird-type monsters unique to the Verde Forest rushed toward the carriage, but they had already entered Selen’s range.

“Farewell. Forever.”

What her twin guns fired were large masses of water. The brilliantly colored birds were enveloped in spherical membranes of water and lost all freedom of movement.

The carriage continued onward, leaving the monsters behind. Finally, lightning bullets fired from Selen’s magic guns burst the water membranes apart.

“…A perfect score?”

“My, your magic isn’t bad either. It’s amazing that you can perform combination magic all by yourself.”

The magic Atri released from time to time flattened the ground, and as a result it became the path the carriage traveled. Van muttered that she was just as absurd as ever.

“Even so… why are we being targeted this much?”

“Because this is the monsters’ world. To them, we’re intruders ruining their territory, and convenient prey.”

From inside the carriage, Eris continuously cast buffs on everyone. She was switching between support spells according to the situation.

“Even if they’re normally in a hostile relationship, if something unexpected happens, they’ll cooperate whether they like it or not, right? Since they don’t have emotions, monsters are easy to understand.”

“So that’s how it is… Van, do the horses still seem alright?”

“They haven’t taken any hits, and their stamina seems fine too. Horses that can keep going forever thanks to holy arts… anything really goes, huh.”

The horses were built to match the large carriage. They were a special breed that did not flinch even when monsters closed in.

“Sorry to keep you waiting…”

Glanz appeared in the cabin as if from nowhere.

He had been using teleportation magic to investigate the condition of the Verde Forest.

“Van-san. Let’s change course a little. If we keep going like this, we’ll fall into a ravine. —Delta Storm.”

Glanz unleashed a dim black storm without chanting. The dense woodland that formed the forest was shredded by blades of wind. Many monsters must have been caught up in it as well, because their death cries echoed through the trees.

“…I’m not going to comment on any of that. We just need to change course, right?”

Everyone was slightly put off by the disaster-class magic that could alter the terrain itself.

“Hey, I just thought of something. Wouldn’t it be faster if the Sage-sama used teleportation magic to move all of us?”

“Teleportation alone consumes a fair amount of mana. The more people there are, the more pronounced that becomes, and when the distance increases, even double would not be enough.”

Teleportation magic required the technical skill to construct the spell, chanting, and immense mana and talent. In addition, it was necessary to understand the concept of space well enough to accurately grasp both the teleportation target and the destination. Merely being an excellent mage was not enough to reproduce one of the ancient magics.

“At its core, it is a method for short-distance movement. Long-distance teleportation is not impossible, but it lacks precision.”

Glanz explained that one could be teleported to an unexpected location, and that location could even be the bottom of a ravine. In the worst case, one could theoretically fall into the gap between spaces and be stranded forever. Van turned pale.

“So it’s better to take the long way around. Thank you. …I wonder if it’s the same technique as his teleportation magic.”

The carriage changed course. Even so, the monsters pursued them relentlessly. Glanz and the others intercepted the monsters that attacked according to instinct, seemingly without even possessing fear as an emotion. Behind the carriage, piles of corpses accumulated.

“They’re really absurd. What is going on here…?”

From inside the carriage, Eris watched them fight. Each person’s magic and martial skill was extraordinarily refined, and they repeated highly advanced coordination as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Glanz, Van, and Atri. Eris had offered to help save the Sword Saint, and the three of them had completed many requests together. Considering the relationship between Van and Atri, it was not strange for them to move in flawless coordination. Nor did it feel odd that Glanz, who had long been active as the Sage, could match pace with them. But—what about this situation?

People who had supposedly met for the first time just the other day were repeating highly advanced coordination without any real discussion. It did not seem possible that this was sustained merely because each of them was individually skilled.

(Had they really only just met?)

They likely had no such intention themselves, but for some reason Eris felt isolated. It was not merely the difference in the strength each of them possessed—she sensed something else. A strong bond, as though they had been together for years, or had crossed the line of death together again and again. As though they were connected in the deepest part of their souls. Eris could not shake that feeling. The emotion, unlike anything she had ever felt before, left her bewildered.

“This is… Sanctuary!”

Inside the carriage, the Silver Saintess Ciel, who was responsible for detection and healing, activated a holy art. A silver barrier was constructed to cover the entire carriage.

“What happened all of a sudden?”

“Brace for impact. It’s coming!”

After Ciel’s warning, a roar rang out and a shockwave spread.

“W-What the hell is that!? It’s huge…”

As if drawn by Van’s words, everyone turned their eyes toward the source. The being that had descended from the sky and created the shockwave was rebalancing itself after being repelled by the barrier and was already chasing after them again.

It had a massively muscular body and held a giant club in one hand. Its glowing red eyes were filled with killing intent.

“An Ogre King. A mutated species of ogre… the worst possible one showed up.”

“!? Seriously, Eris!? This is an ogre? It’s way more ridiculous than the one we fought before…”

It was far larger than the ogre Van and Eris had fought in the royal capital. Its gigantic body, far removed from any normal specimen, carried a pressure that overwhelmed all who saw it.

Eris said that no one fought it alone if they could help it. The immediate choice was always to retreat.

“O! OOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

“It seems… it has called its allies.”

As if responding to the Ogre King’s roar, hordes of all kinds of monsters living in the forest came pouring toward the carriage all at once. A reckless charge with no regard for life. It was even more troublesome than a clumsy attack.

“So they’re following that Ogre King. Is it the boss of this forest?”

The magic bullets Selen fired at high speed struck the monsters accurately between the brows and dropped them. Atri blasted monsters away with magic, and Ciel’s barrier blocked every attack. The struggle between humans and monsters only grew fiercer.

“Damn it, there’s no end to them. What do we do, Glanz-san!?”

“If we defeat the being controlling the pack, they should become impossible to direct.”

“…I’ll do it.”

Atri wove her magic. A lance of eternal darkness emerging from shadow. Atri chose dark-attribute magic, the counterpart to light.

“—Darkness Lance.”

A jet-black spear wrapped in death shot toward the Ogre King. It was almost impossible for the giant body charging at tremendous speed to avoid it. It seemed the spear had caught the great ogre—but the result was the opposite.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“!? That bastard used the other monsters as shields!”

As if obeying its roar, many monsters leaped into the line of fire and were pierced by the spear. Kicking aside the monsters that had protected it with their bodies, the Ogre King slammed into the carriage. Cracks spread across the barrier from the impact.

“What insane strength…”

“It won’t hold next time! Please do something to keep the monsters back!”

Van snapped the reins and increased their speed, but there was still far too much distance left before they could escape the forest.

With the Ogre King at the front, the horde of monsters still pursued Van and the others. It was only a matter of time before they were swallowed by the tide of monsters.

“Atri-san, are you ready?”

“…Leave it to me. This time I’ll finish it.”

The two mages began their chanting.

The experience Glanz had built up as the Sage, and the very essence of magic.

A young rising star cutting away the past and moving forward.

The staves of mana they spun together overlapped and gave birth to a miracle.

Rainbow-colored light illuminated the forest.

““Furnus Gate!””

The entrance to the underworld, drawing in all living things.

The Verde Forest, which no human had entered for many years. From the gate appeared the arms of the dead, dragging the creatures who dwelled there down into the land of the dead. Bound by thousands of stretching arms, the monsters were swallowed by the darkness.

“!? OOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!”

The Ogre King was no exception. Just like the other monsters, it too was dragged into Furnus Gate. From behind the carriage came the screams of the monsters as they died.

“…Hah, hah. I’m out of mana now.”

“Atri-san, thank you for your hard work. You matched me well.”

Atri collapsed where she stood, while Glanz looked at her with gentle eyes. He seemed like a kind old man delighted by the growth of the young.

After confirming that there were no more pursuers, Ciel released the barrier, and Selen lowered her magic guns.

There had been a chilling moment for an instant, but the group had overcome it without any losses. Everyone relaxed, thinking that all that remained was to get through the forest—but the ruler of the forest far exceeded their expectations.

“GWOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

A roar of rage. The Ogre King, having escaped the restraint of Furnus Gate, charged straight for the carriage while snapping trees in half. Blood spurted from all over its body, but it showed no sign of caring as it rushed forward with ferocity.

“…Our Unison Link…”

“It does not seem unharmed… though perhaps we only provoked it further.”

As Glanz said, the Ogre King’s eyes were bloodshot, and its fury was pushed fully to the forefront. There was no way it seemed likely the enraged ogre king would simply let them go like this.

“This forest is filled with dense mana. If a monster that has lived in that environment for years has magic resistance to an abnormal degree, that wouldn’t be strange.”

From inside the carriage, Eris analyzed the Ogre King. It was clearly wounded, but nowhere near fatally so. If even the strongest magic they could currently fire had failed, then their remaining options were limited.

“Ciel! Prioritize healing the horses. Only raise the barrier if things truly become hopeless. Glanz, we’ll hold it back… Glanz?”

While Selen readied her twin magic guns and prepared to intercept, Glanz merely gazed quietly at the Ogre King. Had he run out of mana in this situation? Judging from Atri’s state, it was not impossible—but the timing was far too bad.

Concluding that no support could be expected, Selen faced the Ogre King alone from atop the cabin. She loaded a bullet filled with mana to the utmost limit. —Failure was not allowed.

She drew it in until the last possible moment and placed her finger on the trigger. Just as Selen was about to pull it—something crossed in front of her eyes.

“Selen! Leave the driving to me!”

One person had been watching his companions fight all this time from the driver’s seat.

Attacks from atop the carriage naturally tended to be long-range attacks such as magic. One reason had been that he needed to focus on fulfilling his role as the driver, but watching his companions struggle while doing nothing had left him deeply frustrated.

If the enemy’s magic resistance was abnormally high, then now was precisely his time to act—this was what the only swordsman in the party, who had been waiting for this moment with predatory patience, had decided. Van hurled himself from the carriage and charged at the Ogre King.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Whether it had been swallowed by Furnus Gate or not, the club it had originally held was gone. But its gigantic, iron-like arms, several times the size of a human’s, were still intact. The Ogre King swung its fist, trying to smash Van away as he came toward it.

Van had no means of evading the attack while in midair. —Unless he had a foothold.

“Perfect, Glanz-san!”

A small whirl of wind formed in the air. The Ogre King had sensed the manifestation of magic, but had ignored it, deeming it no threat. That choice decided their fate.

Kicking off the vortex of wind, Van slipped past the giant arm rushing toward him. He entered the bosom of the king of ogres, a creature many times his own size.

“You don’t have any friends, do you!?”

The mana packed into the sheath up to its limit raged and grew hot. Van desperately restrained the sword trembling violently within it. The image was a flash. A single blade in an instant.

“Scarlet Sword: Draw Slash!”

The boss of the forest, whom even magic through Unison Link had failed to stop. The mighty arm of the Ogre King, who possessed absolute magic resistance, was severed by Van’s sword.

“!? G-GWOOOOOOOOOOO!?”

The Ogre King rolled around in pain. Seeing that, Van muttered, “Got him.” Despite the fact that he was still suspended in midair.

“—Splendid work, Van-san.”

When the gentle voice reached his ears, Van found himself atop the cabin. He had been moved there in Glanz’s arms, teleported by the Sage.

“I believed that if it was you, Glanz-san, then you’d understand what I was thinking instantly. …That’s why I could go all out.”

“Ho ho, that result was possible because of your own ability. I merely offered support.”

The two of them bumped fists. A true bond had been formed between them.

“You really do something reckless, don’t you, Sword Saint’s grandson. So then… is the Ogre King still chasing us?”

“It rolled around and then ran off in another direction. It had probably never experienced being struck back before. Serves it right.”

Selen, now acting as driver in Van’s place, and Eris, who spat abuse toward the Ogre King. Ciel let out a breath of relief, and Atri yawned.

The carriage carrying them continued toward the exit of the forest. —Toward the fixed future awaiting ahead, one that would not be overturned.