By Zephyria As the wind fiercely brushed past their ears, multiple gazes converged on one body. Screams could also be heard from here and there. But there was no time to hesitate. Various mages and spirit masters tried their best to slow their descent or gather wind to create footholds.
In a hurried mind, such consideration was rather a hindrance.
Leaping across the pieces of wind they had created, I landed safely on the ground. Some steps were skipped to descend faster. Then, Hugh, who had been far away, drew close. It wasn’t just that I had approached, but also because Hugh had run towards me.
Hugh Benson, his brow furrowed, shouted irritably.
“Don’t you see the ladder hanging there? What is this sudden act!”
“A star has appeared.”
“⋯What?”
“A black, black star has appeared. There are no black stars even during the day.”
“No, what… Speak in the common tongue. Is it some kind of ominous sign? Is the Oasis like that?”
“The Oasis is busy with their honeymoon.”
“⋯Thank you so much for the news I was not even a little bit curious about. So, why? What?”
“I have to find it.”
“⋯What? Now? No, didn’t it take years to find it even when Michael was the Blue Star, and you gave up? What will change if you find it?”
“⋯.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to send Ranunculus to His Majesty now? There are enough spare Ranunculuses, and by now they’d be either in Yeldidus or Kiadris, so they wouldn’t be too far, and with a god by their side, you could just ask them to come over via portal. Didn’t they say they’d come right away if something happened?”
“⋯That, is true.”
“Calm down first. Calm down, and let’s first see where that star is, and leave the affairs of gods to the gods.”
Of course, this time the Oasis had not directly asked me. I knew that the gods of the continent had manifested and were watching over this continent. They were on humanity’s side. Therefore, if I could receive their help, it would be a hundred times better than acting myself.
But now, there wasn’t even enough time for Ranunculus to travel.
“The black star.”
“Yeah. What is it?”
“⋯It’s growing.”
“What?”
Hugh Benson’s gaze also followed mine upwards.
Hugh’s large eyes, gripping my forearm, widened even further. For now, in the blue sky, there was only a black dot, smaller than a speck of dust, firmly embedded. The dot, floating in the sky at the northernmost edge of Duke Ernhardt’s Territory, was imperceptible unless one looked carefully.
Hugh muttered as if spitting it out.
“⋯That, isn’t that it?”
“It?”
“⋯Aventa Bump? That thing.”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know, we saw it. A trap-type black magic, a medium with malice that draws in surrounding Mana and explodes it. The explosion size increases with the size of the black dot.”
“⋯.”
“But, fuck, wasn’t that buried in the ground? Why is that thing stuck in the sky?”
“I don’t,”
“I’m not saying it because I think you know. For now, send Ranunculus and have His Majesty flee immediately, and until they arrive, we’ll have to do something. Is it small because it’s high, or small because it’s small? Ah, this is suddenly getting intense.”
“⋯.”
I quietly looked at Hugh’s hand resting on my forearm.
It had been months since Hugh had held my arm so familiarly, standing so close. I thought he was just overwhelmed with shock, but I was also a little happy that it felt like we had returned to how we were before the kiss. My heart pounded between an anxious intuition and a faint confusion.
Hugh Benson decided it would be better to hear the report to be presented to His Majesties together, rather than explaining the current situation to each person individually.
He had the laborers temporarily halt their work and called the knights and mages to gather in a circle. Everyone present had come from the Imperial Palace. They all listened with bated breath to the familiar form of the report.
“⋯Currently, a series of disappearances of medium to large monsters are being confirmed near the roots of the Eldos Mountains, and we plan to conduct an on-site investigation after leaving security personnel at the construction site. We humbly report that we hope both Their Majesties will visit and inspect when time permits. October 15th, Ruberian Calendar Year 3, in Duke Ernhardt’s Territory, by Count Hugh Benson.”
When sending urgent news, it was customary for the person with the most distinctive Mana color among the party to take the lead.
In the desert, the one who drew closer to the god became Igshar. Therefore, my Sword Energy shone with a divine color, unlike other knights. It was a golden hue, burning like grains of sand, imbued with the scorching heat of the midday desert. Ranunculus, which had swallowed my Mana with a gulp, also shimmered golden.
The bird, flapping its small wings up and down a few times, sighed as if full, “Hoo.” I gently tilted the bird held in my right hand to gauge its weight. It was incredibly light, like holding a handful of feathers.
The next step was obvious.
“Are you ready?”
“Ready!”
I firmly grasped the bird, which answered with a flutter. I spread my feet shoulder-width apart and twisted my body diagonally. Ranunculus’s tense eyes widened. The sound of “Chirp” was drawn out.
I threw it straight towards the southern sky. The bird, shot through space like an arrow from a bow, quickly found its path and rode the wind.
Hugh was still watching me. For now, I had become his ‘us’ again.
“Let’s go too.”
“Where to?”
“Leaving Andrei as the on-site command personnel, you and I, and volunteers from the patrol knights. Among the mages here… Mage Sellars.”
“Yes.”
I was relieved it wasn’t the mage who had been chattering beside me the whole time. The woman who stepped forward at Hugh’s call wore a hat with a particularly wide brim and a bright sky-blue robe. She was so short she barely reached my shoulder, and her face was beaming.
“You specialize in flight magic, don’t you? Have you ever encountered black magic?”
“I’m confident in flying, but I don’t know about black magic.”
“Can you fly fast enough to escape the explosion radius, either by yourself or with others?”
“Of course. Up to four people, including myself.”
“Then I’ll ask you. Sir Oswald.”
“Yes.”
At Hugh Benson’s call, a knight stepped forward. I had seen him somewhere before, but I couldn’t quite remember. I wondered why he chose that person among so many, and stared intently. Hugh added no further explanation.
“Let’s go together.”
“Yes!”
“Alright. So that black dot is the target destination. Shall we fly from here?”
“You should conserve your Mana for now. Elvin, help the mage.”
It was common for mages at the scene to ride knights like horses. I obediently picked her up as instructed. The mage gripped my shoulder, settling into a stable posture, and Hugh gave instructions to the remaining knights.
“From now on, install the maximum defensive magic possible on the completed wall, and continue the work, but if anything happens, retreat behind the south gate wall. If the explosion begins, that black dot will be the starting point.”
Samantha, who had been silent the whole time, spoke with a worried expression.
“How long will it take?”
“Hmm. We just need to hold out until His Majesty arrives with Ranunculus, so about a week?”
Both Hugh and Samantha spoke politely, as if conscious of their surroundings. Watching them exchange glances, I felt hungry even though I hadn’t eaten.
The black dot, which seemed close, was elusive. Still, it was certain that the dot was fixed at one point in the sky. While the surrounding stars revolved along their orbits, the black dot remained fixed in place, without tilting left or right.
Duke Ernhardt’s Territory was a vast domain that even Sword Masters would take four to five days to traverse. We ran and ran without a moment’s rest. The first stop was in front of the Sacred Tree. The tree was intact, but Hugh wasn’t looking to confirm its condition.
Hugh walked around the large Sacred Tree, examining it from various angles, then stepped onto the thick trunk and grabbed a small branch.
A knight who had followed us was startled and jumped, trying to grab Hugh Benson’s ankle. I stopped him by grabbing his wrist. The knight’s gaze remained fixed on Hugh, who was still on the tree.
“Lord Benson! What, what are you doing?”
“His Majesty the King Consort once stopped something like this by pushing Mana into such a hole. His Majesty the King Consort isn’t here now, and this is the easiest way to borrow his Mana, so I came to see… Ha, it’s damn hard.”
“Uh. Ah.”
“As you saw him, he’s not the type to fuss over something like this. Is this falling? Yes, it’s falling. I’ll give up on breaking a branch of the Sacred Tree, and instead, I’ll collect some leaves.”
“Ah. Ah… Yes.”
“If I put these leaves into that hole, it will disappear?”
“Well, I’m just taking it as a charm, just in case. I wonder if we’ll even reach the front of that hole today.”
We picked several leaves within reach and gathered them into a bag. The mage also carefully put a leaf into her pocket. Everyone saw it but pretended not to.
Two more days passed since we visited the Sacred Tree. Now we stood at the border of the Duchy. The setting sun, slowly descending, was adorned with brilliantly red clouds.
At night, after the sun had completely set, it was difficult to distinguish the black dot with the naked eye. Fortunately, the dot had not changed much in size during the days we had chased it. Even this close, the black dot was still as small as a fingernail. A vague belief that it would be the same as last night even after this night stopped our steps.
Hugh, looking up at the sky from afar, let out a familiar groan.
“If we go any further from here… we’ll be crossing into the Yuil Mountains.”
“⋯Without any preparation? I’m not confident in combat. My magic was mainly used for transporting construction materials.”
The mage who came with me expressed her difficulty and nudged my shoulder. It seemed she wanted to be let down, so I set her down.
The mage, brushing the wrinkles from her robe, took out a familiar Artifact and clicked it.
“What is it?”
“Current Mana Concentration… 55mp? It’s slightly higher than usual.”
“This hasn’t happened since His Majesty the King Consort returned.”
“Exactly.”
A knight, who had been silent the whole time, interjected.
“I also think going further would be too much. We lack exploration supplies now, and we originally intended not to leave Duke Ernhardt’s Territory. It’s about time the personnel at the base would be worried.”
“That’s right, let’s go back. If it explodes that far away, the impact on the Duchy might be less.”
“⋯Yes. Let’s go back.”
The knight, hesitating at Hugh’s reluctant reply, seemed to make a decision and asked,
“If it’s alright… could we stop by the goblins on the way back?”
“Goblins?”