By Zephyria 
The group quickly regained their clean appearance with the power of magic.
We climbed a hill overlooking the collapsed buildings and sat in a circle. The Demonic Cult bastards’ records were sparse and incomplete. I helped the God of Records by deciphering the parts written in Central Plains script, while the others casually flipped through the booklets before them, glancing at them once.
From a distance, I saw Mage Boulder tearfully bidding farewell to Kkokko. The goblin had clearly grown on him; Boulder’s hunched back as he stroked its head, held its hand, and counted its fingernails was truly pathetic.
While Gano Paquin sorted through the organized records, I informed the group about the Thousand-Faced Devil and Soho Cheon-nyeo.
I told them that in my past life, I had already killed them both, their respective positions within the Demonic Cult, and the nature of their martial arts.
“The Demonic Cult is a peculiar religious group that takes the Heavenly Demon as its leader, with various sects beneath him. The Thousand-Faced Devil and Soho Cheon-nyeo were each elders of different sects. At the time I encountered them, they were at the Transcendent Peak… roughly at the level of a Sword Master. They couldn’t wield swords, but they were quite influential in the field of sorcery… that is, Black Magic.”
“Sword Master? But now.”
“Yes. They are stronger now. Originally, the Thousand-Faced Devil couldn’t handle living beings. Seeing him freely wield Benjamin, who is only at the threshold of Sword Master, it’s clear he has reached a realm twice as high as before.”
“…”
“I had rather overestimated my own abilities after swallowing a shard of a god…”
Gano Paquin, who had been unfolding and examining scrolls, interrupted with a sigh.
“It’s because this is a Magic Territory.”
“Hmm?”
“The Ninth was originally a god of love and people, but now he’s a god of chaos, despair, and destruction. This chaotic junkyard has become the domain of the youngest, so it’s natural for his vassals to appear stronger in a Magic Territory. It would be different even in Sierran.”
“…”
It was a blessing in disguise. The words that my power wasn’t insufficient were sweet to my ears.
But how can a person live on only good words? Now that I knew my shortcomings, I had to train more and develop proper swordplay. I decided that instead of clinging to new epiphanies I hadn’t yet received, I needed to consistently dedicate time to practicing the sword forms I had already mastered.
Did my solitary resolve need to be outwardly displayed? Boulder, having finished his farewells from afar, approached with eyes as sorrowful as an ox and sat beside me. Without paying him any mind, I continued what I had to say.
“Although I cut him down, it’s not certain if he truly dies when killed. It would be wise to prepare for the possibility of meeting him again in the future.”
“He doesn’t die? How?”
“In my past life, he jumped between various bodies. The Thousand-Faced Devil not only controlled zombies but also frequently raised the dead to use their corpses in place of his own.”
“…Is he insane?”
“If the Thousand-Faced Devil can do that, it doesn’t make sense that Soho Cheon-nyeo’s Sound-Based Skill was only at that level. Perhaps she was distracted by something around her… or there was some other restriction.”
Everyone fell silent for a long time, lost in their thoughts.
Gano Paquin, who had been flipping through the papers as if not reading them, let out a hollow breath.
“Uh, about those Imperial Knights you were looking for. They don’t seem to be in the Magic Territory?”
What? Everyone’s attention snapped to him in surprise. Gano Paquin gathered the papers and patted them. The leather-bound papers molded like clay in his hands, becoming round and smaller.
Gano Paquin, who promptly swallowed the records, now as small as marbles children play with, continued in a bitter tone.
“It seems they hid them in the mines of Grimesbane. In batches.”
“…What?”
Frankly, I didn’t believe the Imperial Knights were still alive.
Their kidnapping happened before I even graduated. How many years ago was that? If they had been forced into labor, their chances of survival would have been higher, but since they were taken as sacrifices, I assumed they must have suffered some fate. This was even more true after zombies appeared in the world.
They were that close to Sierran.
How much effort did the people of the Sierran Empire pour into reclaiming the mines of Grimesbane? I heard the story of the Grimesbane territory being lost due to monsters from the Yuil Mountains when I was exploring near Dunmel Canyon…
“Since when, exactly?”
“A little over 4 years ago. Before that, they were right here. In this ‘Training Grounds’.”
“Ha…”
Gano Paquin paused, unable to continue. Not knowing what he was contemplating, I gestured for him to hurry and speak. Gano Paquin, rubbing his dry face with both hands, continued.
“I don’t know if they’re alive. But do you want to go? We have to cross mountains…”
“Yes. We will go.”
“We must.”
Everyone present answered in unison. If we could find even their bodies, we had to. While searching for the Ninth God was necessary, it would be even better if we could disrupt one of his activities.
Furthermore, if I could seize an opportunity to visit the front lines of Grimesbane and deliver news, that would also be…
I stopped myself there.
This thing called longing, no matter how hard I tried to suppress it, kept peeking out like clothes left in a poorly closed box, disturbing my heart.
There’s a limit to how pathetic one can be. I couldn’t afford to be weak-hearted when the task at hand was so urgent. While my companions didn’t notice, I bit my tongue and swallowed my surging emotions.
Everyone got up, dusting themselves off.
“…Alright, then. Let’s cross to Grimesbane first and then come back. I’m a bit uneasy because I’ve never seen humans cross these mountains, but… do you have any useful magic?”
“Yes, yes! I’ll cast warming magic on everyone’s shoes! Frostbite would be a pain. Well, since you’re all Sword Masters, I think I just need to take care of myself… Ah, and that. Could you ask the Sylphs beforehand to look after us if we can’t breathe?”
“Understood.”
Mage Boulder, lowering himself, busily drew magic circles on the tips of everyone’s shoes. Boulder’s frantic demands to extend hands and feet made me forget my sorrow.
Watching his antics, I worried about Boulder’s voice being unusually lower than usual since Kkokko left. I should find a monster to carry along the way.
On the other hand, Gano Paquin, who had swallowed a generous amount of suspicious records, was more energetic than before. With a grunt, he stood up and immediately pointed in the direction we needed to go. Although dusk was settling, no one suggested taking a rest.
We started at a leisurely pace, but once the direction was set, everyone picked up speed and ran.
❖ ❖ ❖
Though we departed in haste, crossing the mountains took longer than expected.
I hadn’t realized how high they were, having crossed them on a Wyvern before. Gano Paquin’s face brightened as soon as we cleared the highest peak of the Yuil Mountains.
Walking behind him, I glanced back once. Leon, with a tired Boulder slung over his back, grinned and shrugged his shoulder.
Even after descending the mountain, the wind was cold. Was winter already approaching?
The salty scent of the sea tickled my nose.
The Duchy of Grimesbane and the Duchy of Withrow were divided east and west based on the Eldos mountain range. Both territories were far north of the capital, and while they both bordered the Yuil Mountains, their regional characteristics differed as much as Anhui and Sichuan.
The Duchy of Withrow, constantly under the shadow of Dunmel Canyon, where mana storms raged, had a high overall mana concentration, leading to frequent appearances of medium to large monsters. Consequently, it teemed with mercenaries seeking monster byproducts and various outsiders, primarily wizards.
In contrast, Grimesbane was bordered by the gentle and calm Berg Bay. The sea, deeply indented, was tranquil year-round. Outsiders were mostly merchants coming to trade weapons and jewels. The locals, for generations, had made ironworking their family trade.
From lessons or visits to weapon shops, I had heard that Grimesbane was a city of fire and iron, where the blast furnaces never went out. It was the hometown of the spirited and cheerful Matt Nico. I had even heard the unbelievable tale that all Grimesbane people were spirited and jovial.
However, there was no trace of such a scene now.
A broken lamp fell at my feet.
Though artifacts were commonplace in Sierran, I had heard that when entering mines with fluctuating mana levels, people used oil lamps rather than artifacts. Around the shattered glass lamp, not a drop of oil could be found.
How long had this lamp been lying here, broken? Concerned that those behind me might hurt their feet, I nudged it with my toe. A rusty metal component rolled away, stopping some distance off.
On the thick hillside, holes bored by humans stood in regular intervals. The abandoned mine looked desolate, like a dead beast with its jaws agape. The Knights were supposed to be inside. Listening closely, only the sound of the wind whistled past.
The zombies, unseen for a while during the crossing of the Yuil Mountains, reappeared like ghosts as we descended. While some were zombies made from people, most were zombies raised from monsters.
Was it because the Thousand-Faced Devil was still alive? No, didn’t less skilled black magicians raise all sorts of zombies in Indus Canyon before? The presence of zombies alone couldn’t determine the Thousand-Faced Devil’s life or death.
Hugh Benson, who had been walking silently for a while, suddenly spoke.
“Do you know which mine they are in, or anything like that?”
“Of course. There are numbers on the front of the mines. We plan to start with mines 1-3.”
“…”
“Why?”
“Let’s rest for a moment. After our lights are working.”
“…Hmm.”
The suggestion was to use Mage Boulder’s Light Magic, as we didn’t have oil lamps. Was he still unable to walk on his own? I checked Boulder’s complexion, slumped on Leon’s back.
Mage Boulder, who had been listless, nodded like a drunkard, realizing he was being talked about.