Chapter 10

The Forest of Death. The sea of trees formed by enormous trees felt like a natural fortress. Just as it looked from the outside, the inside of the forest was dim. And the mana filling the air was terribly heavy. The mana in this place was so dense that even Van, who had no aptitude as a mage, could tell. The sense of pressure made his breathing rough.

“Damn it! That bastard Zeke is screwing with me!”

While running, Van cursed Zeke, who had disappeared somewhere. The bag he had prepared for this training was already gone from Van’s back. By now, its contents were probably scattered somewhere in the forest. Thinking that he would have to retrieve them later, he met the enemies with the sword in his hand.

“Flame Slash!”

He unleashed a flying flaming slash at the pursuers behind him. Normally, techniques involving heat were strictly forbidden in forested areas, but he had no room to worry about that. Perhaps it was because of the dense mana, but even when Van’s flames struck the trees, they did not spread, nor did they even appear to burn. In that case, it was convenient, so he decided to wield his power without worrying about it.

(…That said, my attacks aren’t getting through to these things at all.)

The flaming slash hit, but it did not seem to have much effect. The monsters chased Van without caring about appearances. Not enemies, but prey. As if the monsters understood that, they tried to hunt Van while getting in each other’s way.

(They’re completely looking down on me. …But now, while they’re careless, is my chance.)

“Counterform Flame Slash!”

Blades of flame flew. A bear-type monster took the repeated slashes with an annoyed look. Alongside it, lizard-like monsters and goblins with black skin unlike ordinary goblins chased him, each trying to be first.

Van and the others had moved to the Forest of Death through Zeke’s teleportation magic. The destination they had teleported to with the carriage had been right in the middle of the forest.

Perhaps the timing had been bad, because two humans and a carriage had suddenly appeared as though cutting into the battlefield where all kinds of monsters were fighting. Van would probably never forget the dumbfounded expressions of the monsters as they forgot their battle.

The mass of monsters interrupted their territorial dispute and attacked Van and the others. Thinking, “Already?” Van drew his sword. First, before the training, they would cooperate and defeat the monsters—but when he turned around, Zeke and the carriage had vanished. He had constructed teleportation magic in a split-second decision and teleported away… leaving Van alone.

From there, Van’s deadly game of chase with the monsters had begun, leading to the present.

(The effect is weak… No, it’s barely working at all.)

They lived in an environment with mana this dense. Naturally, their bodies must have been sturdy from birth. It was easy to predict that their magic resistance was also high. Above all, the daily struggles with other monsters must have led them to even greater heights. This was probably still only the beginning. There were likely far more terrifying beings all over the place.

(That’s right. It’s only just begun…)

A wolf-type monster boasting beautiful fur broke away from the group and leapt forward. It ran through the forest, where the footing was poor, with supple movements and speed that made full use of its body’s traits.

The reason it had shown a change at this point was probably because it had concluded that Van had no decisive blow and was lower-ranked prey. It had come to settle the fight.

The wolf’s sharp fangs closed in, trying to catch Van… but its fangs only cut through empty air. Van had moved right beside the wolf.

“Too slow. Zeke is way faster.”

He clad his sword in flame and strengthened his own body with mana. For Van, who was bad at magic, bodily enhancement and altering mana’s attribute were the most basic of basics.

He unleashed the swordsmanship he had gained from swinging a sword for years at the wolf. The wolf took the flaming slash head-on and died while letting out a death cry. Following through with that momentum, Van charged into the horde of monsters chasing him from behind.

(Zeke would probably clean this up without any trouble. …Well, I’m not him, so I’ll just beat them my own way.)

Van’s sudden change of direction and the sight of the dead wolf spread agitation among the monsters. It was more than enough of an opening. Because they had been careless, the effect was great. Into that opening, he hammered his sword technique. He leapt high, then swung downward. He gave them no time to dodge.

“Raging Flame Warhammer Blade!”

He delivered a straight downward cleave with his roaring flame sword. The bear-type monster that took the attack directly was split in two, and the heated impact swallowed the surrounding monsters, turning them to ash.

“I’m going to get stronger. I can’t afford to stumble in a place like this.”

Leaving behind the monsters that had become prey to the blazing flames, Van quickly departed from that spot. He had judged that consecutive battles in monster territory would be bad. He had to recover his bag and reunite with Zeke, who had disappeared.

“…I wasn’t abandoned, right?”

Naturally, there was no one to answer Van’s question.

The scent of death drifted around the carriage. An enormous number of monster corpses stained the ground with blood.

(My senses really do get thrown off. I aimed to teleport to the entrance of the Forest of Death, though.)

The Verde Great Forest, which he had once visited to check on the Sword Saint’s condition, had also been filled with an abnormal amount of mana, but this place was not even comparable. Due to the influence of the dense mana, spatial perception would not settle. He would need to sharpen his nerves even further for long-distance teleportation. …In other words, using teleportation magic at the Gate to the Otherworld or its surroundings would be close to impossible. The mana in that land shifted irregularly.

In the game, he had understood from the characters’ exchanges that the Forest of Death was an abnormal place, but it was impossible to feel mana through a television. …To begin with, he had never thought about something like that. If he had, he would have been a weirdo.

(For now, I’ll make this place our base.)

Hiroto noticed the abnormality immediately after teleporting. If it had only been about annihilating the monsters, there would have been no problem, but he could not allow the carriage loaded with supplies to be targeted. In order to regain his footing and look for a place suited to become a base, he teleported again. …Leaving Van behind for the time being.

Originally, this area had probably been monster territory too. In order to protect their own territory, the pack had attacked all at once.

What he thought while fighting was that, as expected, their strength was on a different level from monsters outside. If he expressed it in game terms, their levels were different. The current protagonist party might be able to fight them, but staying here for a long time would be harsh… but Zeke was different.

(I can fight them. This is the result of the training I’ve done as Zeke. I can’t be careless, but with this…)

He would win the survival competition against the monsters. As the first move, he had taken this territory from them. The monsters living in this land must have already sensed the abnormality and were wary of him. They were probably scheming to take this territory back.

From the monsters’ perspective, having a newcomer who suddenly appeared trample them and hunt their lives would be unbearable. …But he did not care about that. He also had a reason to fight, a need to become stronger. He did not think they were pitiful. They would kill each other as equals.

(Now then, I wonder if Van is all right.)

He fired flashy magic into the sky. If the protagonist was alive, he would use the magic as a landmark and reach this place.

With Van’s ability, he thought there would be no problem as long as he was not careless. Against that monster horde, he should somehow manage if he avoided consecutive battles. To begin with, if he dropped out at this level, there was no way he could defeat Elzen.

He needed to make him grow both physically and mentally in this Forest of Death. For now, Hiroto had no choice but to believe that was the best option for this world.

Sensing a new presence and hostility, he turned around. Whether they thought they were being stealthy or not, their bloodlust was leaking everywhere. He was more sensitive to malice than anyone. There was no way he would overlook it.

“Be honored. It has been decided that you will become stepping stones for me. …Disappear for my sake.”

Malice for malice. He had no intention of holding back. He would crush them thoroughly. After all, Hiroto now had a reason to fight.

Several days had passed since Zeke and Van left the royal capital. For the month or so remaining until the night of the new moon, those who stayed behind refined their martial skills and deepened their knowledge, each with the desire to do what they could now and become even a little stronger.

“So this is the basic training menu… You’re doing some pretty hard things.”

“In this era, simply firing magic does not make one a mage… That is the vice commander’s view.”

The one who had joined the Mage Corps’ training and was undergoing special training was Selen, Ciel’s bodyguard. Since she was currently prioritizing training, she had parted from Ciel and was acting separately.

Selen’s combat style involved magic guns, which were closer to magic tools than magic itself. However, in the sense that mana lay at their foundation, there were things in common. She devoted herself to training, also using it as an opportunity to review how she handled mana and her basic conditioning.

And then, there was one more person who had joined the Mage Corps. She was receiving direct instruction from the regimental commander.

“Whyyy do I have to instruct someone?”

“…I don’t know. Orders from Glanz-san.”

Unlike the lively training of the other mages, the atmosphere around the two was relaxed. An indescribable air flowed between Yorn and Atri.

The two knew each other from the conflict surrounding Zeke. Yorn had been Zeke’s collaborator. Atri had been Van’s companion. They had not fought directly, but they had come one step away from it. In a sense, their relationship was complicated.

“The Sage, huh… Should we just put in some token effort and end it? Whoa, they’re watching us like crazy.”

At the end of Yorn’s gaze stood Glanz and his superior, Vice Commander Merlan, who were watching them from a distance. Glanz wore a gentle smile, and Merlan wore a faint one… but neither of their eyes were smiling. For some reason, the words “What do you think will happen if you don’t take this seriously?” flowed through his mind.

“…If you don’t want to, you don’t have to force yourself. I’ll join Selen and the others.”

“You’re serious. …But what for?”

“?”

Yorn did not deeply know Atri, Van and the others, or their relationship. But in the meeting held the other day, Yorn had learned about the royal family, Lagias, and the existence of the inheritors. That had also included the Guide.

“Considering your position, I think you’re also a proper victim. …But you know, the same goes for him.”

“…”

“I’m not blaming you or anything. I’m simply curious. If it were me, I think guilt would drain away my will to face forward.”

Because of Atri’s existence as the Guide, Zeke’s parents, who had been Watchmen, had walked toward death. Because no one was responsible, it was all the more unbearable. Perhaps the Freak Trading Company was the one they should resent, but there were likely not many people who could simply divide things that neatly.

“It wouldn’t be strange if he hated you, and honestly, if it were me—I don’t think I could forgive you.”

Yorn’s hometown, Westen, had been targeted, but thanks to Zeke’s efforts, it had escaped harm. However, if something had gone wrong, it would have met the same future as Osten. If the cause of that destruction had been Atri… Yorn probably would not have been able to remain calm.

“So if I were in your position… I might choose to distance myself from him. It isn’t a problem that can be solved through forgiveness or lack of forgiveness.”

“…I think you’re right. I don’t have the right to stay by Zeke’s side. It wouldn’t be strange if Zeke killed me.”

Yorn did not want to denounce Atri. He was simply curious. If Atri, whose role had ended, did not need to join this battle, then she had no obligation to do so. Moreover, the role assigned to her was the most important one, and it also came with danger to her life. They did not even know whether they could truly win against an immortal person.

“…But Zeke saved me. Instead of killing me—he told me to live. That’s why I’ll fight.”

Atri had little emotional fluctuation. Even Yorn, who had almost no relationship with her, could tell that much. But the Atri before him now showed very strong eyes and strong emotion openly.

“…I’ll fight. I can fight. This is the life Zeke saved twice. It might be erased. I can’t accept that.”

“Even if he rejects you?”

“…I don’t mind. I’ve already decided.”

An unwavering will. A feeling that would never break. It was enough to move the heart of the unmotivated Yorn.

“I hear you’re good at dark magic. …It’s outside my specialty, but I’ll take a look. Dark magic is a reflection of the heart. The stronger the emotion, the more it shows its true value.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

For a time, another new master and disciple had been born here as well.

Two mages looked toward the Mage Corps’ training and the practice between Yorn and Atri. The former vice commander of the Mage Corps and the current vice commander—Glanz and Merlan. What did they think as they watched the young people carving out a new era?

“She has tremendous talent. Did you instruct her, Vice Commander?”

“You are the current vice commander, Merlan-san. …Atri-san is a talented young person.”

Five years had passed since Glanz left the Mage Corps. After that, Merlan had inherited the position of vice commander. Since her predecessor had been the great Sage, she had gone through all kinds of hardships.

“To me, you are still the vice commander. …If Yorn would become a little more serious, my life would be easier.”

“Mages have their own colors, after all. One way or another, he is the type who does what must be done when the time comes.”

He was a mage who should have had more talent than anyone, yet had less motivation than anyone. His principles of action were unreadable, and he often caused problems, but Merlan had never imagined he would side with Zeke when Zeke was wanted. She sighed, wishing he would always display the intensity he showed from time to time.

“Still… I feel like something has changed about him recently.”

“Perhaps meeting Zeke-san, Luke-san, and many others gave him something to think about.”

If meeting Zeke had changed him… then the same was probably true for Glanz as well. There was no doubt that Zeke had been part of the reason he had stepped down under the pretext of handing the path over to the next generation.

Merlan thought that, if she had the chance, she would like to speak with Zeke.