By Zephyria If it weren’t for its grotesquely dark color, one might mistake it for a full moon in the daytime.
For the past few days, it had been a hole as small as a fish scale. Both I and Hugh were surprised by its sudden, rapid expansion. We were currently standing in the heart of Duke Ernhardt’s Territory. It was highly abnormal for the traces of Black Magic, which should have been at the summit of the Yuil Mountains, to be visible on such a large scale.
Hugh first found the night watchmen who were on guard near the campfire. They too had frozen stiff upon spotting the black dot that had only become visible as the sun rose.
“What are you doing? If you found it, you should have reported it immediately. How many minutes has it been since you found it?”
“⋯It’s been 3 minutes. The sun hasn’t even fully risen yet, so we thought we might have seen it wrong.”
“If you can’t trust the eyes on your own body, who can you trust? Give it here.”
Hugh Benson roughly snatched the bell from the hand of the knight on duty and shook it noisily above his head. Clang, clang, clang. The sound of cold metal colliding roughly in succession shattered the quiet surroundings.
Knights, accustomed to the emergency bell, rushed out within thirty seconds, while mages and laborers scrambled out of their tents with panicked, frightened expressions or poked their heads out to assess the situation.
Hugh Benson continued to ring the bell without a word. The startled squawks of the goblins, gathered in a circle not far from the humans, added to the commotion.
Everyone looked up at the sky. And they were aghast.
“What is that⋯. What is that?”
“It looked smaller than a pinky fingernail yesterday, and it’s already this big? In just one day?”
“At this rate, we wouldn’t have needed to send Ranunculus. It would probably be visible even from His Majesty’s location.”
“This is insane⋯. Isn’t that a type of Black Magic?”
Amidst the murmuring voices, the clanging of the bell continued. The sharp, repetitive noise, without a single word, calmed the people’s excitement. They exchanged glances, settled their now-vanished sleep, and one by one, quietly closed their mouths.
Then, the bell stopped. Hugh Benson surveyed his surroundings with a cold expression and spoke.
“I, Hugh Benson, Count and site manager for the Duke Ernhardt’s Territory Reconstruction Project, hereby order. All personnel, except for one squad to observe and manage the incident, are to return to the capital and await further instructions. All non-combat personnel are to pack up the site’s valuables and tents immediately within 30 minutes. Execute.”
“What? Now⋯. Right now?”
Another laborer roughly pulled the wrist of a laborer who was about to ask something in confusion. The bewildered laborers, along with the inexperienced mages, mingled together, hitched horses to carriages, and began packing items into boxes.
The knights, who had been standing haphazardly in front of their respective tents, naturally formed ranks. Seeing them, the mages who had experience on the Yuil Mountains or who hadn’t left with the laborers also straightened their backs sporadically.
“I have a hypothesis.”
“⋯.”
“During yesterday’s temporary patrol, I learned that while the branches of the Sacred Tree cannot be broken by human strength, its leaves can be harvested. His Majesty the King Consort is the adversary of all existing evils. Therefore, I, Hugh Benson, intend to prevent the growth of the Magic Circle by throwing the leaves of the Sacred Tree into the source of that unknown Black Magic today.”
“⋯.”
“Is there any basis for that hypothesis?”
“No. To be honest, it’s a suicidal act, close to madness.”
“⋯.”
The knight who raised his hand to ask a question immediately fell silent. Hugh continued to look at them slowly with a resolute expression. Most of the knights here were Imperial Knights or survivors of the Floyd battle. Those who had faced death multiple times did not know how to be afraid.
“However, I judge it to be better than doing nothing. The capital may be protected by the name of the First Goddess, but the southern part of Duke Ernhardt’s Territory has regions that have only just begun to recover from the aftermath of war. We cannot just sit by and abandon them all. Can we?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“This is a bizarre mission that requires traversing the summit of the Yuil Mountains in the shortest possible time, so I will accept volunteers. Those who cannot finish a one-on-one battle with an Owlbear within 5 minutes, step down voluntarily. First three to volunteer.”
“Me.”
I was the first to raise my hand hastily. After me, over a dozen others raised their hands and stared at Hugh.
The minimum unit for ascending the Yuil Mountains was one squad. A squad consists of four to six members. This is the minimum personnel configuration to perform the most formations.
Hugh Benson calmly assessed the faces of the knights. Then, his gaze fell upon me first.
“Elvin Brooks. Stand behind me.”
“Yes.”
Thank goodness. It seemed they weren’t going to leave me behind for being slow. After all, there was no one here whose hands matched Hugh’s as well as mine.
Hugh slowly looked over the volunteers and laughed as if he found it absurd.
“Samantha Andrei. If I’m not there, you’ll have to lead the people.”
“I cannot do it like Sir Hugh Benson. Sir Bailey Barton should lead the people, and I should ascend the Yuil Mountains.”
“⋯Alright. But Sir Oswald, you will remain. We need someone responsible for leading those goblins.”
“⋯Yes, I understand!”
“And⋯.”
All the knights’ gazes followed where Hugh Benson’s gaze landed. Among the mages, there was only one woman who had raised her hand. It was the very mage who had hidden behind my back yesterday, complaining about the goblins.
“Mage Sellars. May I ask your reason for volunteering?”
“Well, the mages here are not Battle Mages. None of them are from monster-related departments.”
“Yes. And so?”
“But, but you said you’d put the Sacred Tree leaves into that hole? The hole in the sky⋯. If knights throw it, they can’t change its trajectory mid-flight. However, if I’m provided with a focused environment, I can make objects under 50kg fly autonomously. The lighter the weight, the faster they move, and if they’re as light as leaves, I can move a hundred at once.”
“It could be dangerous. You showed early symptoms of Mana Poisoning at the base of the Yuil Mountains yesterday. You also said you were reluctant to climb the mountains.”
“I received the Blessing of Mana, so I should be fine. I mostly carry Mana Stones. I think I can endure up to 80mp. And also.”
“⋯.”
“And⋯. I’ve been thinking about it for the past few days⋯. If I do this well, I might get praised by His Majesty the King Consort. Please consider it fan loyalty.”
“Ha. You could die. You must know what this means.”
“I know. But regardless, if I go home now, I think I’ll regret it for three years.”
Hugh ran a hand through his bangs as if dumbfounded. Mage Sellars clasped her hands tightly in front of her body and looked at Hugh. In the end, Hugh nodded.
“Hugh Benson, Elvin Brooks, Samantha Andrei, and Mage Sellars. This one squad will immediately proceed to the origin of the incident at the upper part of the Yuil Mountains. The remaining personnel are to escort the non-combatants to the capital at maximum speed from now on, and as soon as all non-combatants have evacuated, rendezvous at the former Grimsvein front line in the southern Pyton Plains to prepare for any possible situation.”
“Yes!”
“Sir Oswald. You will select two knights yourself to escort the goblin tribe to the southern region of the Eldos Mountains and explain the situation to the capital’s guard to request cooperation.”
“Yes, I understand!”
“Let’s go. Elvin, escort the mage.”
“Okay.”
This time, one hand had to be free. Unlike yesterday, I grabbed the mage’s leg with one arm and lifted her up. The mage, momentarily surprised, placed one arm on my shoulder and firmly gripped her staff in the other hand.
Lord Barton, who had run over from the side, hastily handed us each a prepared bundle. We all knew the items needed for climbing the Yuil Mountains. Their contents were predictable, but they were a great help.
Giving a slight nod of thanks, I chased after Hugh, who had already started moving ahead, and ran at full speed.
The Yuil Mountains were certainly a rugged mountain, but running on them was a different story when it was us.
Hugh Benson and Samantha Andrei, running before my eyes, were the top and second-ranked students in the Swordsmanship department of our era. I too had been climbing mountains much higher and more treacherous than this, like slippery sand dunes, since I was very young. The mage’s stamina was not a concern, as I was carrying her.
Hugh led the way, carving a few notches into slippery rocks to improve our grip, and hacking through dense forest vines to clear a path. Samantha, following closely behind Hugh, bickered, claiming she would contribute too.
“I see an Owlbear up ahead. Two of them.”
“Avoid them. We don’t have time to fight now. We’re heading between those two trees on the left at maximum speed.”
“It’s blocked ahead. Should we break through?”
“Break through what? Just jump over it.”
“It’s too high.”
“Elvin can jump over that with his eyes closed. Are you saying you want to follow but can’t even do this?”
“The problem isn’t me right now, it’s that she’s carrying someone…!”
“Shut up, speak quietly.”
“Ah, seriously. You always pick a fight when someone speaks.”
It was fine stepping on wet leaves or jumping over tangled vines. What wasn’t fine was watching Hugh and Samantha bicker right in front of me. For some reason, I felt increasingly hungry and thirsty. It was always like this when I looked at those two lately.
The mage, leaning on me with her full weight, asked in a small voice.
“Um, are those two dating…?”
“Fuck.”
“No!”
Both of them answered simultaneously from up ahead. They didn’t stop walking, but both glanced back at us. Sword Masters generally have highly developed senses, so no one here could have failed to hear the mage’s voice speaking at this distance.
Hearing that, I understood what had been bothering me all along. Only then did I feel a surge of sadness.
“⋯So you’re not marrying me?”
“⋯.”
“⋯.”
A chilling silence swept through the group. Both of them, who had been leading, stopped dead and turned back to look at us. The flustered mage looked up at me and asked the most obvious question.
“Gasp. I, uh, between the two of you, which one…”
“Hugh.”
“What the hell are you talking about! I’m not involved with Samantha!”
“A misunderstanding?”
“A misunderstanding!”
When I asked again, just in case, Hugh yelled back. Then, the Owlbears, who had noticed us, let out loud roars and turned towards us. Seeing their eyes glowing red, it was clear we couldn’t avoid them.
We quickly prepared for combat, all three of us. Samantha clicked her tongue in disbelief and looked back at Hugh.
“What? You said absolutely not.”
“Shut your damn mouth.”
“Who’s the one attracting all the monsters by shouting right now?”
The mage, gripping her staff tightly, rolled her eyes and looked up at me. I’m sorryyyy…* I didn’t bother to acknowledge her very quiet apology. I was very hungry and deeply depressed.