Chapter 413 – Great Forest
The Sovereign carefully read through the letter that had arrived from another continent.
"...So, the master of the Diamoon Magic Tower, that detestable opportunist, was captured and killed by the Transcendent of Black Hour. Rather than feeling satisfaction, I find myself deeply perplexed."
The death of the tower master.
It was hard to believe, but there was no need to strain to verify its truth.
After all, the source of the news was none other than the Arnak Empire.
The empire of the western continent did not directly intervene in the Ownerless Land to support any particular force.
It only traded.
And for the Sovereign, the Arnak Empire was his greatest trade partner.
"Hahaha, the world is going to go insane again. Well, whether the Transcendents of the western continent wage war, or whether the magical world collapses or thrives, it's none of my concern."
One of the Sovereign's lieutenants, the Mercenary King, spoke up.
"So, what will you do? If you plan to make a move in the disputed territory, I'll summon the men."
"That would be a poor choice. War, by its nature, demands the greatest cost from the one who opens fire first."
The Sovereign stepped down from his throne and began to walk slowly with his hands clasped behind his back.
"The Diamoon Magic Tower is known for its thorough concealment and security. Perhaps it was meaningless against a Transcendent, but the nuisance it poses is beyond dispute."
"That's true. Thanks to that, the Southern Alliance has hidden a quarter of the disputed territory they control from us... and now, quite unexpectedly, the tower master is dead, and not only him, but his successor as well."
"All that remain are his child and his second disciple. With only a little agitation, they'll try to kill each other for the seat of tower master."
The Sovereign stroked an ornament.
A splendid sculpture of gold and jewels gleamed brilliantly in his hand.
"I will make contact with the second disciple."
"Oh, you intend to join hands with the Diamoon Magic Tower?"
"If it proves valuable enough, then of course. But first, I will lure him into leaking classified information about the disputed territory."
The Sovereign was one of the Central Continent's Four Powers, but it was not mere strength that had allowed him to reign over the Ownerless Land for over a decade.
Cunning.
That was the essential virtue of one who dared claim the title of ruler.
The Mercenary King asked.
"Then I suppose the war with the Southern Alliance will have to be delayed. What about the others?"
"The great lords of the east will not react immediately, even if information about the Diamoon Magic Tower is spread. They are far too conservative. Left alone, they will bare their fangs at the Southern Alliance on their own."
"I see. War makes for great profit, so I'd rather it be fought on a grand scale. Ah, but what about the Shinseong?"
The Shinseong of the eastern continent, Asher.
The Sovereign had tried to probe his intentions by abducting Liam Arein, but there had been unforeseen interference.
The three lords he had dispatched were annihilated by the Eye of the Great Forest, Merquien.
The Sovereign roughly stroked his chin.
"Maintaining the status quo with the Shinseong is the wisest course. To recklessly provoke the Elves, especially Merquien, could mean war with an entire race. If that happens, the Ownerless Land will cease to matter."
The Elves were residents of the great nature.
They were the race humans must never provoke. Long ago, a small kingdom that had opposed the Elves was annihilated by irregular guerrilla warfare beyond reason.
Its royal family perished, not in battle, but isolated without supplies, starving to death...
'With only my own forces, I cannot withstand the swift armies of the Elves.'
It was an objective assessment.
"Still, if the Shinseong's personality is as rumored, he will not remain hidden behind the Elves forever. He chose to establish himself in the Ownerless Land without a true throne, after all. Someday, he will reveal his true nature. By now, he is likely focused on gathering the information he requires."
The Sovereign made his decision.
"We will move only after the Shinseong does."
***
The Great Forest, with its green waves stretching beyond the horizon, was itself a vast labyrinth.
The paths open for movement were fairly broad.
Yet when one looked around, the dense walls of trees gave an oppressive feeling of confinement.
Within just five minutes of entering its domain, one would feel as though trapped inside a cramped prison.
And still, if one pressed forward, the moment they crossed the unseen boundary and reached the deep layer, they would begin to be consumed.
Spatial coordinates unraveled, compasses spun endlessly, and ordinary people gradually lost all sense of direction.
An incomprehensible anomaly.
Those who lost their bearings would almost always meet their end—isolated, driven mad, then committing suicide or being hunted down.
Some asked.
If the forest was the problem, could one not simply use an airship or
That was the epitome of ignorance.
Without touching the ground, one could never enter the deep layer of the Great Forest.
For humankind, the Great Forest was regarded on par with the Demon Realms, the Demon Seas, and the Desert of Silence—one of the great unexplored regions.
***
Verden's group arrived at the Great Forest by means of a special vehicle, a
From there, they proceeded on foot toward their destination.
The deep environment of the great nature disrupted even Verden's senses, but thanks to Merquien, an excellent guide, they did not lose their way.
'Had Karans chosen this place as his stage, Leonil would never have caught him.'
Leonil Bertanas, the court mage captain of the Estiria Royal Family, who had kidnapped a Guardian Elf as an experimental subject.
Knowing well the perils of the Great Forest, he had used lures to draw the Elves outside.
'But he's already dead.'
No more Elves would die in such a way.
Time passed, and days went by.
Moonlight filtering through the canopy illuminated the ground.
It was a picture-like scene.
Verden leaned against a tree, absorbed in a tome of spatial magic.
Rustle, flip.
The sound of pages turning at regular intervals.
He had recently finished the first reading and was now partway through the second.
Though he had already grasped the knowledge contained within, he still spent considerable time carefully revisiting the contents.
Such deep concentration upon the written word gave the illusion of sinking into the very concept of magic itself.
At least, it did for Verden.
Back when he had been deemed worthless by the magic tower at thirteen and consigned to labor, he had studied magic on his own in restrictive conditions... and from that, he had developed a kind of habit, or compulsion.
At that moment, Isabella approached.
"Master, I'm here."
Had the time already come?
Verden activated [Raindia], storing the tome of spatial magic into subspace.
Isabella sat down across from him.
"What magic will you teach me today?"
"Yesterday you learned
At present, though Isabella's being had changed and she had reached the level of upper sixth-tier, she could not actually cast the magic of that tier.
It was simply a lack of knowledge.
After all, sixth-tier magic was not something an academy graduate of a fallen noble house could easily acquire.
'Isabella is already formidable with only Mado and her transformed body...'
But still, the accumulation of knowledge was undeniably beneficial.
And more importantly, she earnestly desired to grow.
There was no reason not to teach her.
Verden was pleased with Isabella's determined heart.
Thus began the midnight lecture.
"
Verden explained steadily.
"The theories required for the calculations are, in order, 'basic attribute conversion', 'heat of low temperatures', 'mana manipulation and contemplation', 'critical path of elements', 'polar point', and finally 'Raxellon's wave'."
"I remember the first two from the academy, and the next three are the ones I recently learned from you. But the last one, I've never heard of it before."
"Raxellon's wave usually comes at the very end of the process. It is, as the name suggests, a theory for adjusting the influence of high-tier elemental magic."
"Influence?"
"Put simply, it's a way of regulating the range of the spell to create a safe zone while simultaneously extending its effect farther and wider. Still... it's easier to see than to hear."
He focused his mana into his hand.
The process was so slow that the density of mana could almost be seen with the eye as it swirled.
Gradually, a circular boundary formed, clearly delineating the inside from the outside.
"What you are seeing now is Raxellon's wave. The empty center is the safe zone, and the outer part is the effective range of the spell. And then..."
Fwoooosh—
Once again, the gathered mana shifted into attributes and combined with each other.
In no time, it aligned into a certain formation, and at last, a circular boundary reappeared. A faint chill spread outward, everywhere except the palm of his hand.
"This is the calculation process of
Even with its power deliberately reduced, the destructive force of a sixth-tier spell should have been overwhelming, but the result was pathetically modest.
Exactly as intended.
There was no need to actually cast
'What matters, above all, is the essence.'
Verden's Mado,
Isabella marveled.
"It's always amazing... just one glance and I understand what the spell is.
Even though she had completed every academy course at the very top of her class, never before had she received such precise instruction.
"If you had taken up a professorship, both the academy and the magic tower, no, the entire magical world would be clamoring to invite you. I guarantee it."
A professor, was it.
It was a profession Verden had once considered. His limit in tiers had been low, but his understanding of magic had always been solid.
Yes, if the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory had been properly published... if the Bohemirn Magic Tower had been what it should have been, perhaps he might already have been holding a professor's staff.
'A vain fantasy, but still.'
Isabella manipulated her mana, diligently reviewing the theory she had just learned.
Verden took his eyes off her and glanced to the side.
A blazing campfire.
Around it sat Adrian, Merquien, and Alpha.
They were preparing supper.
"This meat is tougher than what we ate in the city. Isn't this the same cut? Human, did you even cook it properly?"
"Do you think it makes sense to compare a professional chef's steak to mine?"
"If you can't do it, hand it over. I'll do it."
"You already burned four slabs of prime meat black as coal, and you dare talk? Even if I grilled with my feet, I'd do better than you. Be quiet."
"Hah, if not for Asher, you'd have long since become one with nature."
"You, too, would have been dead already if not for our lord."
Adrian and Merquien bickered as they grilled the meat.
Meanwhile, Alpha radiated a glow of mana.
[Scanning.]
It analyzed both the properly grilled meat and the charred one Merquien had burned, identified the concept of texture, and confirmed the relationship between doneness and toughness.
[Scan complete.]
Soon, Alpha reached an optimal conclusion and began cooking on its own.
Though small, it was a golem, and strength came easily—handling tools was no problem.
Sizzleee—
It grilled the meat, then let it rest for several minutes to trap the juices inside.
When the dish was finished, it split portions and handed them to Adrian and Merquien.
"...Huh?"
"Why is this good?"
The reaction was praise.
[Verification successful.]
Alpha brought a serving of the meal to Verden.
Even with nothing more than salt as seasoning, it was more than enough to rouse the appetite.
"It's delicious."
[Thank you, Lord Verden.]
Turning its back, Alpha stared quietly at Adrian and Merquien.
[That's not how you grill meat.]
It was a pure piece of advice, without the slightest trace of mockery.
But the two, rebuked by a palm-sized golem, froze in place.
Verden gazed up at the night sky through the branches.
A peaceful campsite.
At least for this moment, a day without any troubling thoughts.
'It's like glass.'
Transparent and pure... but an everyday life that could shatter at any time.
***
Two more days passed after Alpha's talent for cooking emerged.
None of the party showed fatigue from the journey, yet with each repetitive day, a tinge of boredom could have set in.
"Stop."
Merquien raised his left hand.
Everyone froze in place and fixed their eyes ahead. Leaves quivered here and there, clearly visible to their sharp gazes.
Faint presences drew rapidly closer.
───Tap.
Humanoid shadows landed soundlessly, one by one, revealing themselves.
Forest wardens, clad in their distinctive light armor, armed with bows and curved blades.
"You've done well bringing such precious guests, sister."
A voice came from the rear.
From within the group of Elves radiating sharp intent, someone stepped forward.
To Verden, it was a familiar presence.
"You look well."
"Haha, thanks to you. I'm truly glad we could meet again so soon."
The Guardian Elf, Karans.
The one Verden had saved from the Estiria Kingdom, smiled broadly.
"Welcome to the Great Forest, my brother."
***
...A secluded space formed from thick, green roots.
At its center sat a massive golem, left alone upon a magic circle so weathered by time its original form could scarcely be discerned.
Its metallic parts were badly rusted, its body was blanketed with vines, and moss filled the cracks in its frame.
Born some 500 years ago, it had already outlived its usefulness 400 years past.
Its lifespan of movement had long been exceeded.
Its Frame could no longer support its own weight and had deteriorated beyond repair.
And yet.
[Absorb... convert... fuse...]
The golem still lived.
How it continued on with no remaining power source was unknown.
But one thing was certain.
[Absorb... convert... fuse...]
The golem still carried out the duty it had been given.
Though its role had long been fulfilled.
Still, unceasingly.
Until its creator returned.
"...Pitiful thing."
A noble Elf gently stroked the golem.
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