No one knows when this monster first came into existence, but it reigns as a terror among adventurers and mercenaries.
The true Great Forest of Hameln.
A hell known as the "depths."
One of the ancient species that emerged from there!
"......No one knows. Why this ancient species escaped from the depths and settled in the swampy outskirts of the Great Forest of Hameln, no one knows. But......"
Riley stopped speaking there.
Indeed.
The truth is, the cause of such matters is not what matters to adventurers and mercenaries.
What matters is that the Ruler of the Swamp has been devouring countless adventurers and mercenaries for hundreds of years.
"Hmm......"
I crossed my arms and leaned back against a tree stump.
The Great Forest of Hameln was now shrouded in darkness.
Crack, thud.
We had set up camp far from the wetlands and made a campfire, and we sat in silence as if by mutual agreement.
After a while.
"Why is it in the wetlands?"
"That...... I don't know. It's supposed to be in the Death Swamp, quite far from here."
Even for Riley, this seemed to be a truly unusual occurrence.
Indeed.
"It's said that it never left the Death Swamp for hundreds of years."
This was the reason why, despite being such a dangerous ancient species, the Ruler of the Swamp had not been exterminated.
No matter how powerful an ancient species might be, the Great Forest of Hameln is a treasure trove of natural resources.
The wealth derived from it is beyond imagination.
For noble families, other kingdoms, or empires, the Ruler of the Swamp might not matter, but for mercenary groups, it does.
If it posed a threat, it would be enough to form an extermination team, no matter the difficulty.
However, the reason they simply designated the "Death Swamp" as a forbidden area was due to this.
"Still."
"......Yes, please speak."
"Can't we just avoid it and cross the wetlands? Even if it considers the entire wetland its territory, it's not a small area."
No matter how powerful a monster might be, it only has one body.
The wider the territory, the weaker the defenses, and there must be some gaps.
However, Riley shook his head at my words.
"......It's impossible. It's a tenacious creature. The moment you step into the water, it will catch your scent. And it......"
"Will follow the scent until the end?"
"......Yes. Once, a peculiar noble experimented. After luring the Ruler of the Swamp elsewhere, he sent hundreds of slaves into the Death Swamp and scattered them......"
"They all died."
"Yes. The Ruler of the Swamp failed to catch only two cases. One was when they escaped the Great Forest of Hameln. And one was......"
"One was?"
"When they entered the depths."
"Hmm."
I paused after hearing this.
Beyond the campfire.
Riley's face, revealed by the faint light, had turned pale.
He had just barely escaped a panic state, but the aftereffects were still lingering.
'Anyway, two methods.'
Escape to the outside of the Great Forest or enter the depths.
'Neither is a viable option.'
Given the situation where we need to stop Destrue, escaping to the outside of the Great Forest is not even worth considering.
On the other hand, the depths......
'Unsettling.'
Even though I have entered and exited the Demon Realm, the depths of the Great Forest of Hameln were an unknown world.
A land of death that has swallowed countless soldiers, mages, and knights throughout history.
Among them were many Master Knights who had reached the pinnacle as great mages or knights.
"If you continue to move forward...... we need to modify the route."
"In that case, how long will it take?"
"Since it's a path I don't often take...... at least ten days. It could take up to a month."
Ten to thirty days.
"Of course, if that happens...... we will likely reach the third base camp, skipping the first and second."
"Is the wetland that wide?"
"Not really...... but we have to go around it. It's not as if the guides found a direct path through the wetland for no reason."
I looked at Obern after hearing this.
"Is that so?"
Obern had been listening to the conversation in silence, and his face was filled with deep concern.
However.
"......It seems there's no other choice."
Obern seemed to accept the situation and readily agreed with Riley's opinion.
But even as he said it was fine, the concern on his face deepened.
"To be honest, the situation inside is not good, right?"
I hadn't asked about the situation at the fourth base camp on our way here.
'From the Academy to Greentown, we shortened the travel time with a forced march.'
And if the situation was urgent, Obern would adjust the schedule on his own.
"To be honest...... so far, it's fine. But the situation inside is changing rapidly. If it takes another month......"
"So, it's urgent."
"......Yes."
"Hmm, what to do."
I paused to gather my thoughts.
'The Ruler of the Swamp......'
In terms of danger, yes.
It's not that it was left alone because it couldn't be caught, but rather because there was no reason to catch it.
The effort-to-reward ratio wasn't that great.
'If it were outside the Great Forest, it would be a different story.'
There are such people.
Those who hunt monsters that quietly sit in remote areas to boost their reputation.
This is called trophy hunting, and the Ruler of the Swamp would be the perfect target for such hunting.
Not only because of its notorious reputation, but also because it stays in one place.
'Of course...... most people would die trying.'
When Riley panicked and dragged us along.
For a brief moment, I felt the overwhelming fear in his cries.
- Roar
A roar that could make the mountains and rivers tremble and evoke an instinctive fear.
Indeed, it is an ancient species of the Great Forest of Hameln.
Even I felt a chill at that moment.
'......It felt like the first time I saw an ogre.'
But, is it impossible to catch?
'Who knows.'
If the opponent were a mage or a knight, it would be different, but with a monster, it's hard to gauge.
If it were a common monster, it would be different, but this is the Great Forest of Hameln.
An ancient species believed to have escaped from the depths.
It's natural that it can't be easily gauged by ordinary standards.
However.
"Alright, let's do it."
I made my decision after thinking that far.
"Then...... can we reroute?"
Riley took out the map of the Great Forest of Hameln he had and asked.
But I shook my head.
"No."
"......?"
"Let's break through the wetland."
The two people reacted very differently to my words.
"......What?"
Obern looked at me with wide eyes, as if to confirm if he heard correctly.
"What......"
Riley, about to curse, quickly covered his mouth with his large hand, realizing his mistake.
I smiled at the two of them.
"Why not give it a try?"
You have to try to know.
* * *
Was my statement that shocking?
A cold silence fell over the campsite.
It wasn't completely silent, though.
Crack, thud. Crack.
Unnamed insects drawn to the campfire threw themselves into the flames.
Squish, crack! Crunch—
Crunch......
From beyond the bushes, in the distance, the faint sounds of nocturnal monsters hunting echoed.
The campsite was out of the monsters' sight thanks to Obern's magic.
Having set up camp many times, he quickly cast a simple concealment barrier.
'He's a pretty useful guy.'
On the way here, I didn't call Obern a parasite for not killing a single monster, thanks to these small conveniences!
When I thought that.
"Sir Mage...... I think you didn't understand what I said. It's an ancient species. It's no different from the monsters lurking in the depths."
"Then?"
"Then! It's dangerous. The Ruler of the Swamp is very tenacious. It will definitely follow us, I'm telling you."
Riley, his face pale again, passionately argued.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding."
"Ah, a misunderstanding? I thought...... Sir Mage, you were suggesting we break through the wetland, and I was shocked."
Am I crazy?
"Of course not."
"Right, not?"
I nodded at Riley's desperate question.
'Would I follow a tenacious creature just because I'm crazy?'
The most terrifying thing is a tenacious creature.
A creature that is only strong can be avoided, and a smart one can be beaten.
But a tenacious one will follow you no matter what.
So, what should we do?
"We're not just breaking through."
"......?"
"We need to catch it."
"Damn it."
Finally, Riley couldn't hold back and cursed.
But I understood his feelings and let it slide.
"Ouch! Choke!"
I hit him twice.
Anyway.
"The schedule is urgent, isn't it?"
"No, Sir Mage. Is the schedule the problem? Trying to save a few days in the Great Forest of Hameln could cost you decades."
"That's a good point. Trying to live a few more days, have you ever thought you might die right now?"
"......"
Riley clamped his mouth shut.
But he wasn't the only one to object.
"Senior...... I'm fine. I'm grateful for coming this far, but there's no need to risk your life......"
Obern, his face dark, cautiously expressed his opinion.
In such a situation, he still cared for others, a completely pure guy.
Is that why?
"You're being ridiculous."
"......?"
Obern looked at me with wide eyes.
His eyes were full of confusion, which made me even more frustrated.
"You'll die like that."
"Ah, I...... I'm sorry......"
"Not you."
Morality and beliefs, and all that.
With such an indecisive mindset, you'll die.
The problem isn't just you dying, but others dying along with you.
"Do what you have to do. When Destrue comes, will you hesitate? If you have to kill your mentor and Destrue at the same time, what will you do?"
"......"
Life is a series of choices.
There might be better options, but there's no best option.
Or rather, there is, but only a select few can choose it.
"Anyway, there's no objection."
"......"
"......"
At my firm tone, both Riley and Obern closed their mouths tightly.
Crack, thud.
The sound of the campfire became a faint background noise as I declared again.
"The Ruler of the Swamp. We'll catch it tomorrow."
Is this the right choice?
I can't easily guarantee that.
But it's better than pursuing safety and missing the opportunity, only to regret it later.
"When you have to...... just do it......"
Obern, seemingly shocked, repeated my words.
He spoke up right then.
"Then...... I can help."
"Didn't you want to help?"
Did he need a mental adjustment?
I clenched my fist, but Obern shook his head and added.
A face filled with resolve, different from before.
He said.
"Although my talent hasn't fully bloomed...... I can definitely help."
"Talent?"
"......It's also called a Gift."
Gift.
At the unusual term, I frowned.
'Gift? Gift...... Ah.'
A memory came to mind.
There are such people.
Whether a mage or a knight, some are born with exceptional talent in one area.
This talent is not the same as the "genius" talent of someone like Damian.
It's something whose principles are unknown, yet not quite a superpower, but closely related to magic.
'He has a Gift?'
Curious, I looked at Obern.
He said.
And when he finished speaking.
I realized his Gift was quite useful.
"My Gift is...... Overclock. It can explosively enhance the latent abilities of a target for a moment. Of course...... since it hasn't fully bloomed, there are some limitations."
Overclock. The power to explosively enhance a target's latent abilities.
I sat up from my slouched position against the tree stump and leaned forward.