Shayin, who had suddenly appeared, was glaring at me with an irritated voice.
However.
"…Smaller?"
Now, it's almost the size of my waist. So, like a miniature knight.
[It can't be helped; Sir Sand's mana core is so small. Anyway, tell me what you're up to. You can't be asking me to serve you as a slave.]
He spoke with a rather serious tone.
However.
'This brat...'
Could he have been able to adjust his size so conveniently all this time? And yet, he didn't?
My fist clenched tightly!
But the anger was fleeting.
Sssss—
The evil aura (邪氣) I felt behind me was like a snake.
As if it had a will of its own, it swept across my neck and crept over my entire body.
Compared to the discomfort this eerie aura gave me... well, Shayin is just a joke.
Anyway.
"Isn't everything wrapped up now? You've avenged your grudge, and all that's left is to break the seal on Destrue."
[Well, that's true, but...]
"So, let's go our separate ways."
[...Huh!]
Shayin laughed as if I had said something ridiculous.
The flame inside his helmet flickered intensely as Obern stepped forward.
"Even so, it would be better if you came with us until the end..."
"Do you not trust me?"
[Trust who I can. Do you know, you were waiting for Destrue to break... *gag*.]
Who does this brat think is trash?
Anyway, Shayin's rant was cut off by Obern, who was already exercising his authority.
"Sir Deathknight, I apologize. I will release you once you calm down."
Nod, nod.
Shayin nodded.
Obern then released Shayin's right to speak and looked at me with a worried expression.
"Senior, even so..."
"Can you handle that evil aura (邪氣)?"
"Such..."
Obern's mouth tightened. Well, that's to be expected.
Look at the Black Horseman. Although he died pointlessly at Shayin's hands, he wasn't originally a weakling.
There might have been a reason why the trap was so easily blocked, but more importantly...
'It's because of this evil aura (邪氣).'
His composure was shaken.
The Black Horseman was at a higher level than Obern and more familiar with this kind of aura.
If even he was shaken, could Obern handle it?
"Then..."
"Go outside the Great Forest. If you hurry, you might find Rayleigh without much trouble."
"...What?"
"Did you want to go to the Fourth Base Camp? It's already covered in undead. Don't go there and make a fuss; just leave quietly."
"...Ah."
Obern let out a soft sigh.
However, he nodded in understanding.
I handed him a bulging bag from the subspace.
"This is..."
"A spirit medicine. I don't know how much is left, but you ate a lot earlier."
"Why are you giving this to me..."
"If you're taking the worms with you, you'll need it, won't you?"
"...Ah."
Obern, who could only say "...Ah," received the bag from me.
I then looked at Shayin.
"Take good care of your new master."
[Ha! What master? I'm just doing this because I have some affection. Once we leave the Great Forest, the contract will be terminated.]
"Whatever."
I didn't really care.
He's more affectionate than he lets on, so he won't turn his back so easily.
When the situation was almost wrapped up.
"Are you not coming?"
"Senior, you should reconsider..."
"Tsk."
"...Understood."
Obern bowed his head weakly and took a step forward, his shoulders heavy.
Shayin, now even smaller, followed Obern's steps and glanced back.
[Where will we meet?]
"At the nearest warp gate city."
[Hmm, I see... Alright.]
Shayin then turned and walked away.
Thud, thud.
Their footsteps grew distant. I watched until they completely disappeared from my sight, then picked up the crystal orb.
"Stupid or ignorant."
A communication crystal orb. It wasn't that it didn't work in the Great Forest; Obern had just set it up incorrectly.
Anyway.
[What... crackle... is it?]
The sound quality was much better than when Obern was using it.
"Is the situation better?"
[Crackle... Yes. Support... crackle. Come...]
Was I the stupid one? I couldn't understand what he was saying at all. It was impossible to communicate.
I stared at the communication crystal orb and repeated the message I wanted to convey several times.
'Well, he'll understand, right?'
After repeating it about a dozen times...
[Under...stood...]
Flan's voice came from the other side.
"Did you understand?"
I'm not sure.
'Well, if he understands, that's good. If not, it's his problem.'
There was no point in worrying about it.
If I had known, I should have asked Shayin and Obern to pass a message to the Fourth Base Camp.
'If I had, they would have left long ago.'
Obern's personality probably wouldn't have allowed him to leave.
Anyway.
I sat in a lotus position and looked beyond.
Creak, creak—!
The evil aura (邪氣) moved strangely, sometimes like a snake, sometimes like a broken jointed doll.
Obern and Shayin only sensed the size of the evil aura, but to me, it was different.
The evil aura seemed to have a will of its own... no, it definitely had a will and was circling me.
Was that all?
Whiiiiiiii—!
Suddenly, the Fire Seal (火印) resonated so strongly that my heart ached.
"Damn, are you trying to kill me? Huh?"
Now, I understand.
The stronger the evil aura, the stronger the resonance.
The burned magic book and the ancient monstrosity Destrue. The two are reacting to each other.
No, it's not just a reaction... they are pulling each other.
In this situation, what message did I send to the Fourth Base Camp?
There is only one.
- Destrue's arrival. Plan B.
Destrue is coming.
So... prepare Plan B.
Plan B is as follows.
Before casting Turn Undead, set up the barrier that once contained the ancient spirits at the Fourth Base Camp.
'Prevent the ancient spirits from lending their power to the awakened Destrue.'
It's like trapping the Fourth Base Camp in reverse.
Of course...
'They will die.'
Many mercenaries will die.
'Senior Reheim will spit blood.'
But, what is more desperate for them?
Honestly, there is still hope now. The ancient spirits, like a tidal wave, will come, and if they can hold on, the seal on Destrue will eventually break.
They might even survive.
But now, it's different.
'They will all die.'
For the slim possibility of eliminating Destrue.
Trapped in the Fourth Base Camp, they will fight the undead until they die.
Of course...
"Do you know?"
...Of course, I do.
"Damn."
Usually, I wouldn't care how many mercenaries die, whether Senior Reheim spits blood or vomits from a hangover.
But now, I understand.
"From the beginning, I said something was off. Damn."
Destrue. An event significant enough to be talked about in any era.
In my previous life, I had no memory of hearing about it.
Because I was a street urchin in the Black and White Zone at that time? No, that's not it.
If Destrue had come, even after a few years, I should have at least heard rumors.
'Yet, I never heard of it.'
What does this mean?
In my previous life.
That is, the time when I was not involved.
'Senior Reheim's plan... must have succeeded.'
Even with the Black Horseman, it would have been the same. Of course, I can't guess the process.
The reinforcements sent by the headmaster might have arrived in time, or Senior Reheim might have come up with a brilliant plan.
How can I be sure?
The Fire Seal (火印).
How can I not know when this damn thing is howling like this?
The closer the distance, the weaker the seal on Destrue. Or, more accurately, the Fire Seal (火印) is accelerating Destrue's arrival.
So...
"I know. It's my karma."
The Black Horseman and the great traitor.
I thought they were the worst villains here, but it turns out the real villain is me.
'Tsk. Just ignore it?'
A strong urge.
Pretending not to know and ignoring it is one option.
What does it matter if Destrue and the Fire Seal die or really die?
The only thing the Fire Seal (火印) can do is whine.
But...
"...Sigh."
I looked up at the sky.
"Are you watching, Wyvern?"
The vast sky. A wyvern flew in the sky. Of course, it wasn't really flying. It was just a feeling.
Anyway, the imaginary wyvern chirped. As if it could hear.
So, I barked back.
"This is the freedom I chose, Chacha."
Every freedom comes with responsibility. Of course, there is freedom without responsibility, but I chose the one with responsibility.
Of course, that doesn't mean I plan to lose the fight.
I closed my eyes.
"Inhale, exhale."
Maybe it's because I haven't brushed my teeth in the Great Forest. A warm, trashy smell brushed against my nose, but I didn't wrinkle my nose.
Life is too short to always be smiling.
So.
I spent enough time preparing after finishing my breathing exercises. I took out some jerky from the subspace to fill my stomach and took care of other matters.
After about an hour.
"Alright! Let's go?"
With a determined step, but not a good feeling!
I couldn't help feeling uneasy, but what can you do? Even if the mustard is bitter, you have to eat it if you decided to.
If you decided to eat it, you have to eat it. That's how it is.
...Sigh.
* * *
...Meanwhile, at that time.
Fourth Base Camp.
"Hmm, so Plan B is that?"
"...Yes, that's right."
In the monitoring room surrounded by video output devices, Flan was talking to a woman.
She wasn't a mercenary.
The equipment she wore was all top-notch, clearly crafted by a master, and the aura she exuded was extremely noble.
Flan was unknowingly overwhelmed by the woman's aura, but she spoke at that moment.
"How is the situation here... not bad?"
"Thanks to you..."
Flan glanced at the monitors in the monitoring room.
Videos showing various parts of the Fourth Base Camp.
It was quite terrifying.
Countless undead pounding on the walls, including giant species several meters tall and small species climbing the walls.
I thought the surrounding monsters were all gone, but where were they hiding? Now, possessed by ancient spirits, they are flooding into the Fourth Base Camp.
However.
The situation was overwhelmingly in our favor.
Mages were stationed at regular intervals along the walls.
Those in blue robes cast spells to block the undead.
They didn't cast large-scale spells. They just cast the necessary spells at the right time, as easily as breathing.
'Their affiliation...'
Wasn't revealed.
Or, perhaps they didn't want to reveal it, as the emblems on their robes were all covered.
However, as a military academy cadet who knew the empire's military organizations, Flan could easily identify them.
'Blue robes and a combat style that prioritizes extreme practicality. There is only one place like this...'
The Lamberg Dukedom's mage corps, the Clear Eye (青眼).
Then, the woman in front of him, leading the Clear Eye. Her identity was also easily guessable.
Piercing blue eyes.
'...The Duchess of the Lamberg Dukedom.'
The current leader of the Clear Eye, Iris de Lamberg.
Her name was known even to Flan, who was in the Great Forest. She was said to have an uncontrollably cruel disposition...
Swallow.
Thinking of her status again, his mouth dried up with tension.
However, in the midst of this.
"Hmm, good. Then, it doesn't matter if I leave, right?"
"What do you mean...?"
"Ah, don't be so tense. My subordinates are well-mannered. I've already told them to transfer command to you, so there won't be any problems with control."
"But, that's not what I meant..."
Before Flan could say anything, the duchess quickly left the monitoring room.
Where was she going?
Flan's mind was filled with questions at that moment.
The duchess, with her blue robe fluttering like a cloak, left the Fourth Base Camp.
Of course, the undead, hungry for life, tried to catch her, but she didn't care.
She just took a few steps and floated in the air, walking without falling.
It was an incredible display of magic.
In the midst of this.
"This way?"
The duchess paused to gauge the direction, then immediately headed in one direction.
That direction was deep into the Hameln Great Forest.
Toward the ancient ruins.
"The disciple who received the symbol of the New Moon (朔月) from my teacher, instead of me. Let's see that face."
If Aster had heard this, he would have been shocked.
There were two errors in one sentence.
First, he is not a disciple of Schwerz, so he is not a senior to the duchess.
Second, the New Moon was only borrowed, not inherited.
However, the duchess, unaware of these facts, walked confidently in the air.
Somehow, a faint killing intent (殺氣) seemed to surround her steps.
However, the duchess soon lost her sense of direction.
"Damn, it's so vast..."
In the Hameln Great Forest, a guide is essential.
If I had known, I should have brought the Pathfinder who guided the Clear Eye.
It's a dangerous place, but since he's a criminal, it doesn't matter much.
However, at that moment.
Something caught the duchess's eye in the distance.
"Huff, huff...!"
A man was panting and running hurriedly toward the edge of the Great Forest.
It seemed he had come from inside...
"Hmm, let me ask you something."
"Y-Yes, who, who are you?"
The man was startled by the duchess, who seemed to have dropped from the sky.
"You came from inside, didn't you?"
"..."
The man, or rather, Rayleigh, rolled his eyes.
'This is... what...'
A bad feeling came over him.
It was like the first time he met the masked mage. Different, but the same sense of crisis.
"No, not really?"
He tried to deny it.
However, it was the worst choice.
"You lied to me."
"..."
"You deserve to die for lying to me, but I am merciful. If you do one thing for me, I will forgive your sin."
He's crazy.
Rayleigh genuinely thought so.
But maybe because he had already experienced a crazy person like Aster, he didn't speak rashly.
From experience, speaking rashly would only get him beaten like a dog.
However.
When the duchess continued, Rayleigh couldn't help but speak.
Or, he had no choice but to speak.
"Guide me."
"Where...?"
"To the ancient ruins? That's what they call it. Do you know? It doesn't matter if you don't. Just guide me."
"...Damn it."
She must be crazy, but firmly crazy.
"Alright, I understand."
Rayleigh quickly accepted reality.
Generally, it's impossible to communicate with someone who doesn't communicate.
"I will guide you quickly, accurately, and comfortably."