By Zephyria 
As a large one lunged forward with both hands raised, it felt like a bear charging. Without thinking, I placed my hand on my sword hilt. But whether they trusted I wouldn’t strike, or if what I found was simply good… Excited, Leon shouted in a booming voice.
“I found it! I found it! This time it’s real!”
“What’s real?”
“It’s literally shimmering with Mana right now. I even confirmed Sylphs entering that cave in droves! With my own two eyes!”
Not knowing when the cave might disappear again, everyone stood up immediately.
We were told it would take a full day’s journey from our current location, but perhaps they were fast walkers. In less than half a day, we arrived at the spot the Mercenary Group leader had mentioned.
And I was surprised.
The same dense Mana scent I had felt before was still palpable. Dunmel Canyon was fragrant and buzzing. And a short distance away, I clearly saw a dark circle on the ground, which indeed looked like a cave.
Something blue and white, rising from the canyon, popped in and out of the opening. I watched them enter one by one, keeping their distance. After hearing the explanation, I understood. Those faint white things I had seen in the canyon before weren’t goblins, but Spirits.
The entire party waited at a safe distance. Hugh Benson, with a serious expression, took out an Artifact that had become smooth from wear and clicked it to check the Mana Concentration.
“⋯58mp.”
Could we get any closer? Everyone watched Hugh Benson’s lips.
Hugh Benson pointed and gave his orders.
“Lu, Elvin. Wait here. Benjamin, Michael, Leon. Follow me. Marianne, follow behind us at a moderate distance, and if you can’t continue, stop immediately and call me.”
“Yes.”
“Yes!”
Each responded politely and followed his words.
Click. Click. Click.
Everyone took each step with caution. Benjamin and I were relatively fine, but Hugh Benson and the mercenary leader Leon’s faces were visibly growing paler. Then, at one point, Marianne stopped dead in her tracks and let out a scream.
Everyone’s gaze immediately fixed on Marianne. She raised both hands and shouted.
“That’s not a cave!”
“⋯What?”
“It’s Black Magic! Retreat immediately!”
Everyone instantly leaped backward. Benjamin and I bumped shoulders for a moment as we both tried to grab Marianne and run. However, Marianne used Blink to escape first. Realizing it was a futile effort, I just felt awkward.
We retreated back to the original 58mp zone.
Hugh Benson let out a sigh, ran a hand through his hair, and stared at Marianne.
“What do you mean, Black Magic?”
“Yes, it’s ‘Aventa Bump,’ a type of trap magic among Black Magic. It was completely banned and lost to practice about 300 years ago; only its form and explosion radius are barely passed down.”
“Its function?”
“It’s an explosive magic that draws in surrounding Mana to a malicious medium, and once a certain amount of Mana is gathered, it explodes from the center of the medium, shaking everything from the ground up in a 360-degree radius.”
“The explosion radius?”
“The direct impact range is⋯. For magic of that size, it sweeps everything within a 30m radius, and the aftershock spreads up to about 1km. It could be even larger.”
“⋯.”
“It’s best to retreat for now. This is no miracle; it’s just a direct path to the Goddess if you stay nearby.”
Hearing this much explanation was enough.
Leon’s face turned ashen upon hearing this. If they hadn’t gathered people and charged in without thinking of obtaining something, no one would have remained here now. It was truly fortunate. If Marianne hadn’t researched Black Magic, wouldn’t we have suffered the same fate?
Everyone retreated obediently.
According to Marianne’s prediction, even if it expanded, it would only sweep up to a 4km radius. Just in case, we decided to walk for at least a full day.
Just in case, we gathered all the mercenaries we could find and headed down, further down. Many of the mercenaries turned pale upon hearing the story. Because we had to look after them, we didn’t run but moved at a steady pace.
One night, when the mercenaries grew tired and decided to take a break.
Hugh Benson, with a serious expression, called for Leon. As if he had been waiting, Leon rushed over as soon as he was called. Leon was extremely flustered and hurried, but it was understandable.
Mages were rare talents. Even if born a commoner, they bore the title of Mage and lived in the Magic Tower. Therefore, mercenary mages were one in a hundred, and most mercenaries knew nothing of magic. It was natural for them to be terrified at the mention of Black Magic.
“Where did you say the magic cave you saw last time was?”
“That⋯. It was a bit further east from here. That is⋯. Near the Troll Well.”
“When?”
“February. The second week of February.”
Hugh Benson drew a map on the ground.
We had first discovered this phenomenon last year, in late July. I saw it while Marianne was out for supplies, so it was certain. The location then was near the Camel Rock in the desert. And in February, Leon said he saw something similar near the Troll Well.
It was now early June. The location where we discovered this strange thing today was slightly west of the middle of Dunmel Canyon⋯. Looking at the line Hugh Benson drew, it became even clearer. Hugh Benson let out a sigh.
“⋯It’s moving west from the eastern end of Dunmel Canyon.”
Marianne added, “You said the Mana quantity suddenly increased last June, right? This might also be the effect of Aventa Bump. The Mana that Black Magic draws in is Contaminated Mana. It draws Mana from the Magic Territory and detonates it south of the Yuil Mountains, so the Mana quantity is bound to increase.”
“What are they doing with it?”
“I don’t know! Why on earth are they doing this?”
I also pondered, drawing on the ground with a twig. The habit of studying by writing down anything I didn’t understand, which I had developed while studying at the Academy, remained.
Ruben sat with his shoulder pressed against mine, pondering with me.
「Mana quantity increase confirmed in the capital two years ago.
First Imperial Knights dispatched three months later.
Second Imperial Knights dispatched five months after that.
Third Imperial Knights dispatched two months later.
Mana quantity surge notification from Withrow’s Magic Tower last June.
First Aventa Bump discovered the fourth week of last July.
Mutated Monsters appeared the fourth week of last October.
Mercenary leader discovered Aventa Bump the second week of February this year.
Aventa Bump discovered the first week of June this year⋯.」
Two years ago. Right after my Debutante, I confirmed the increase in Mana. Wesley recruited the Imperial Knights under the guise of service and took them to the Yuil Mountains. Since then, the continent’s Mana quantity had continuously increased. Strange things happened, such as Mutated Monsters roaming in packs.
⋯Could this be a coincidence? No way.
Ruben, who knew I knew, couldn’t help but know. He rested his cheek on my shoulder and let out a breath. To comfort him, I patted the back of his hand. Then, the child straightened up, looked at my face, and asked,
“If the cause of the Mana increase is Aventa Bump⋯. What’s the reason for the gaps in between?”
Marianne answered instead of me.
“Aventa Bump was banned during the Shiaren Great Reform, and all related spell formulas were deleted, but its basic principle is simple: ‘Draw in surrounding Contaminated Mana and detonate it.’ The more Contaminated Mana there is, the stronger its power becomes. Honestly, how big it explodes is a matter of luck. Like most Black Magic.”
“That means.”
Marianne pulled her knees to her chest and sighed deeply.
“It’s possible that Aventa Bumps were installed at shorter intervals, not two or three months apart. Roughly from three years ago.”
“Why are you so sure it’s three years ago?”
“Back then, the Mana Concentration in the capital only rose by 1mp. Of course, the capital is far from the Yuil Mountains, but it’s still close to Mount Eldos. It’s not something that started a very long time ago.”
After that, everyone fell into thought, and it was quiet for a long time.
Elvin opened his mouth and said something. Hugh Benson translated his words.
“He’s asking if we can know what the medium of that Black Magic is.”
“Hmm, after it explodes? Usually, the medium is revealed at the epicenter of the explosion. No matter how deep it’s buried, it shatters the ground, trees, or rocks around the epicenter.”
“⋯Then, let’s examine it again after it explodes. We just have to wait for now, right?”
Marianne nodded again.
Yes, if it was that dangerous, there was no need to push Marianne to do it recklessly. It was said to explode on its own over time, and once it exploded, we could check the Mana Concentration to see if it had detonated. It was better to wait here for the Mana Concentration to rise and then go find it.
This time, Rubel spoke.
“Is the medium of the explosion safe from the blast’s aftermath?”
“Huh? Uh⋯. Right? Before it explodes, the medium is practically invincible. Right after the explosion, it usually turns into an object, but before the explosion, Contaminated Mana would be seeping into it like crazy.”
“By any chance, Ruben.”
“⋯Yeah. I found it strange that Sir Denver’s Rocket remained intact at that spot.”
That’s right. Portraits are weak to water and fire. If there had been such an explosion nearby, it was strange for a silver accessory, not made of any special metal, to remain in its original form.
What on earth happened to Lloyd Denver?
I felt a pang in my chest, noticing Ruben’s face darken again. I squeezed his hand tightly. Ruben gave a bitter smile and just shrugged his shoulders. That smile was so pitiful.
That night, Hugh Benson ordered that he and Elvin would take the first watch, so everyone should rest well. No, even if they said it was okay, he admonished them to conserve their energy, as they didn’t know what would happen after the Mana explosion. So, I followed his words.
I pulled Marianne’s and Benjamin’s sleeping bags closer. Ruben, as he always did when he was troubled, came into my sleeping bag. Because my body had grown larger in the meantime, it was a bit inconvenient to overlap Ruben’s sleeping bag on his back.
I offered him my arm as a pillow and coaxed him to relax and sleep, but it wasn’t easy. Ruben said he was fine several times, but his expression was glum, and he didn’t seem to cheer up at all.
Just then, Marianne whispered in a small voice.
“This feels just like our first night camping out.”
“⋯It does.”
“Back then, I whined so much because you wouldn’t lie next to me, but I don’t know why I did that now. I can’t sleep because you’re too close.”
“Why?”
“Can’t you hear my heart beating? How can I not be thrilled when I have two absolute beauties beside me?”
Benjamin let out a stifled gasp. Ruben chuckled near my collarbone, relaxed his tensed body, and lay down. I also laughed in disbelief.
The rustling sound, as if smoothing out a sleeping bag, livened up the dark night.
Marianne, having fully enjoyed our hollow laughter, nodded proudly.
“Ah, you finally laughed. I accomplished something today too.”
“Stop saying strange things and go to sleep.”
“Okay, I’ll sleep now. Good night, everyone. Sweet dreams.”
“⋯Yes. Good night.”
“Sleep well.”
Throughout the night, the desert wind blew softly near the campfire.
I stayed awake for a long time, curious about the conversation between Hugh and Elvin, but there was no significant outcome.