A/N: And here is part 2 of Summoned!
A few days after the celebration, Erwin was urgently summoned to the palace. Upon arrival, he was immediately informed by a guard that one of the ogres they rescued was waking up.
Erwin swiftly moved toward the infirmary, just in time to witness a red-haired ogre violently pushing aside palace guards in a frantic attempt to escape. Erwin frowned and waved his hand, causing chains of glowing magicules to snap around the ogre's whole body. The ogre jerked to a stop with a startled cry and tripped, faceplanting into the floor.
Erwin checked the guards before quickly rushing into the room. He was relieved when he saw no one was hurt.
"What exactly happened here?"
Chikuan stepped up, brushing dust off his robes, and explained. "He woke up just a few minutes ago, thanked us for saving him, and then panicked once he learned three days had passed."
The red-haired ogre glared furiously at Erwin. "Release me immediately! I have no time to waste, I must return to my village!"
Erwin frowned and asked, "Explain first. What's going on?"
He would like to know how they got hurt in the first place and why they would be in such a hurry.
"I don't have time for explanations!" the ogre snapped impatiently. Then, with a roar of rage, his body surged with enough strength to overpower Erwin's chains. The red-haired ogre broke free from the chains and prepared to flee.
"Wait!" Erwin called out before he could run, "If you explain, I can help you get there faster. I know spatial magic."
The red-haired ogre halted mid-step, turning his fierce gaze toward Erwin. There was urgency in his voice, but also a hint of hope.
"An Orc Lord is invading the Jura Forest with an army of 200,000 Orcs. Before we were attacked, I overheard that the Orc Lord himself, along with ten thousand of his elite, were heading for my village."
Understanding immediately the dire urgency of the situation, Erwin reached out and firmly grasped the ogre's arm. "Which direction?"
Without hesitation, the ogre pointed east. "That way!"
"Hold tight," Erwin instructed firmly, channeling his spatial magic. In an instant, both he and the ogre vanished.
After a rapid sequence of teleportations, Erwin and the red-haired ogre arrived on a hilltop that overlooked a dire scene. The Ogre Village below them burned, smoke billowing into the sky while orcs swarmed its perimeter. Chaos reigned around the village as a small group of Ogres tried their best to hold back a seemingly unending horde of Orcs. Near the center of the fight, Erwin saw three ogres clash with a towering, heavily armored orc.
Erwin's eyes narrowed as he spotted another figure cloaked in black robes behind the giant orc, casting supporting spells. He looked like a human with a mask, but the feelings he was giving off were closer to those of a monster.
'The Orc Lord and a Majin.' Erwin identified immediately.
Without hesitation, Erwin grabbed the red-haired ogre and teleported them directly into the thick of battle. They arrived behind the three Ogres.
The red-haired ogre wasted no time. With a roar of unrestrained fury, he charged in. Power surged through his body as he activated his berserk state.
Two of the ogres turned briefly to acknowledge the new arrivals. A broad-shouldered warrior clad in iron armor met eyes with a gray-haired, elderly looking ogre. They nodded in silent agreement. With synchronized precision, the warrior launched a combined assault with the berserking red-haired ogre, forcing the Orc Lord back a few steps.
The older ogre seized the opportunity to fall back and approached Erwin. The ogre was on guard but not hostile.
"I am the Sword Ogre," he introduced politely. "You arrived with our kin, but I don't recognize you. Who are you?"
Erwin blinked in mild disbelief, recognizing the name immediately. From his studies, Sword Ogre was famed as the master who trained the Hero King Gazel Dwargo of the Dwarven Armed Nation over three centuries ago. The history books praised him as a legend, yet here he stood, alive and well.
He quickly composed himself. If Gazel Dwargo was still alive and ruling, it wasn't unreasonable for his old master to still be alive as well.
"I'm Erwin Price," he answered. "We found your red-haired kin injured and unconscious several days ago. When he awoke and learned how long he'd been out, he rushed back. I offered to teleport us here after hearing about the Orc Lord."
An Orc Lord is no minor threat. Should he enter a berserk state, he and his horde could devastate entire kingdoms.
"You have my gratitude."
"I understand the potential disaster an Orc Lord could bring, especially if he got his hands on the powers of Ogres. I'm here to help."
The Sword Ogre gave a nod of acknowledgement. His gaze turned briefly toward the Majin standing behind the Orc Lord. "That one... he's dangerous. We've not been able to get close. If you could handle him, it would shift the tide of battle in our favour."
"Understood," Erwin said with a nod. "Leave it to me."
He would help, like he said, but if he was honest, it was also because he was interested in what magic the Majin might have as well.
As the Sword Ogre joined the fight again, Erwin saw a flurry of energy fired by the Majin arcing toward the red-haired ogre.
Erwin raised his hand and conjured a spatial barrier, blocking the magic projectiles. As expected, the Majin sensed him and instantly turned to face him.
"To block my Mana Bullet so casually, you've got to be a pretty good mage," The Majin stated in a strange, grating voice.
"Mana Bullet? Wouldn't it make more sense to call it Aura Bullet?" Erwin asked. He analyzed the energy projectile and saw that it was made of Aura instead of Magicules. Erwin was interested in studying Aura too, but he currently had his hands full with just magic.
The Majin scoffed in annoyance, not bothering to answer Erwin's question.
"I am Gelmud, a Greater Majin. A mage of your caliber could be useful. I'll be generous and give you a chance to become my subordinate."
"Not interested," Erwin replied without missing a beat.
Gelmud's voice twisted in fury. "You dare reject me?! You, a lowly human?!" He flew into the air, seething, and launched another round of [Mana Bullets] at Erwin.
Erwin formed another barrier and blocked the attack, not retaliating immediately. Instead, he carefully observed the attack and used [Intuitive Aptitude] to analyze the method behind the Majin's flight magic.
Frustrated by the lack of effect, Gelmud let out a frustrated cry of anger and began gathering an enormous amount of Aura.
"[Maximum Mana Bullet]!" he shouted, unleashing a massive sphere of raw destructive force in Erwin's direction.
Erwin responded by firing a razor-sharp [Water Blade] that sliced the attack cleanly in half, causing it to detonate prematurely in midair. A second [Water Blade] followed. The Majin let out a panicked cry and twisted his body away just in time to avoid being cut in half, but the blade carved deep into his shoulder.
"Geld!" Gelmud cried out as he desperately cast a healing spell.
The Orc Lord, now known as Geld, let out a roar of fury and tried to break away from the four Ogres fighting him, but was held back by their coordinated efforts.
"You useless beast!" Gelmud snarled down at Geld. "I should never have wasted my strength naming you!"
Erwin raised his hand again. "Is that all?" he asked coldly, sending another [Water Blade] toward Gelmud. If this was all this "Greater Majin" could do, then it was a disappointment. Aside from the flight magic, he hadn't seen it use any other magic.
Gelmud dived down in desperation and yelled, "Footman! Save me!"
A strange Majin popped from underground. The chubby figure wearing an angry clown mask arrived in a shower of dirt in front of Gelmud with his arms spread wide open. The [Water Blade] struck him right in the chest.
Erwin frowned as the blade did no damage at all. This new Majin is clearly stronger than the first.
"What am I paying you for?! Kill him!" Gelmud yelled.
Footman gave a lazy salute, "Sure thing, boss."
With a chuckle, he curled into a ball and began rolling in place.
"An Akimichi?" Erwin stared in disbelief. He never thought someone would use a move like this in real life.
Magicules surged around his body as he built up momentum.
Erwin's eyes widened. The energy being compressed within Footman's spinning form could level everything behind him if he dodged, and behind him was the Ogre Village. He activated [Thought Acceleration] and used [Intuitive Aptitude] to scan for a weakness. In a flash of insight, he found it.
As Footman launched forward like a cannonball, Erwin used [Mana Manipulation] to form a ramp of earth directly under the Majin's path. Footman launched upward in a blur of speed, only to meet a ramp of ice in the air. The ramp curved around, sending the clown Majin hurtling in Gelmud's direction.
"WAAA!" Gelmud shrieked, diving away just in time as Footman smashed into the earth where he stood, sending the Greater Majin tumbling through the air.
"Retreat!" Gelmud yelled with a panicked shriek before vanishing in a swirl of warped space.
Footman stopped rolling and stood up, looking dazed. "Uh... boss?" he muttered, looking around but failing to find Gelmud. "Aww, is the fun already over?" He said before blinking out of sight with a teleportation of his own.
On the battlefield, Geld let out a furious roar after hearing Gelmud's retreat. The shockwave blasted the ogres back just enough for him to disengage. He shouted a guttural command to his army.
The Orcs began to retreat en masse. The ogres, recognizing their opportunity, pursued long enough to cut down stragglers, but did not follow far. For now, the battle was over.
In the aftermath of the battle, Erwin gathered with the remaining ogres in the chieftain's house. The atmosphere was tense and most of them were exhausted from battle. Sitting across from him was the Ogre Chief, the same battle-hardened warrior Erwin had seen leading the charge against the Orc Lord. Beside him sat his son, the Young Master, who had also fought valiantly by his side against the Orc Lord. The red-haired ogre, still bandaged from his prior wounds, stood near his friend, the Young Master. He looked more relaxed now that he knew his village was safe. The Sword Ogre was also present, standing silently but vigilantly in the background.
Erwin's attention was drawn to a new presence, the pink-haired Princess in priestess clothing, daughter of the Ogre Chief and sister to the Young Master. She offered him a polite nod. Her demeanor looked calm despite the earlier circumstances, but Erwin could tell she had been worried.
The Ogre Chief turned his gaze to Erwin. "Human. Without your aid, we would not have driven back the Orc Lord and his army so easily."
"I only did what I could." And he did. If Gelmud hadn't been scared into retreating, he wasn't sure he could beat the clown-masked Majin. From his brief glimpse at the Majin's power, he seemed as strong as the Orc Lord, perhaps even stronger.
"And yet, you still helped to turn the tide. For that, you have our gratitude."
It would be rude to deny their gratitude, so Erwin inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I'm glad I was able to help. But we need to talk about what comes next."
The mood in the room turned serious.
"That we do. Even though we drove them back, we can't afford to remain here," the Chief said heavily, "We may be warriors, but our elders and children would not survive if the Orc Army returned in full force."
"Indeed. This village isn't safe anymore. I suggest we move to a more secure and defensible location. We can then regroup and gather the forces of the forest to fight back against the Orc Army," said the Sword Ogre.
"But where would we go? From what my friend said, the Orcs are invading the whole of Jura Forest." The Young Master asked with a worried expression.
Erwin perked up at that, "You could come with me to the Kingdom of Raja. It's at the edge of the Jura Forest, and Queen Towa would welcome your people, either as citizens or temporary refugees."
He's part of the Kingdom now, so it would be beneficial if he could get strong people like those in the Ogre Village to join them. Plus, they have someone like the Sword Ogre in their ranks. Having a legend around would keep troublemakers from popping up. He's also sure Towa would agree, both because it would benefit her kingdom and because she has a bleeding heart.
"And you can speak for this Raja Kingdom?" The Sword Ogre asked.
"Ah, right. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Erwin Price, Royal Mage and Count of the Raja Empire. I assure you that Raja would take you and your people in with open arms."
The Young Master's brows furrowed. "A sound offer... but moving the entire village that far? If the Orc army catches us in the open, we'll be slaughtered. Without our Village's natural defenses, I doubt we could survive another battle."
"We won't survive another battle even if we stay. 10,000 Orcs we could fend off, but 200,000? There's no way," the Chief said gravely, "No matter how strong our warriors might be, it would be suicide."
"Then we simply don't travel on foot," Erwin said simply. "I know spatial magic. Give me some time and I should be able to teleport everyone here to Raja."
Silence filled the room as all eyes shifted toward him. Some with scepticism and others with hope.
The red-haired ogre spoke up first, voice filled with confidence. "I've seen what he can do and I've met the people of Raja. I trust him."
The Chief looked to his son and daughter, then to Erwin, and nodded. "You've already done more than we could ask. If this plan has a chance of saving my people, I'll support it. What do you need?"
"Not much. I simple need a space big enough to fit everyone, and a day to prepare the spell."
"The center square of the village will be big enough. It can hold the entire village if need be." The Chief declared. "I'll give the orders to pack up and begin moving. Princess, show our honored guest to the center square and see to it he is comfortable until he is ready."
"Yes, father," the Princess agreed, inclining her head respectfully. She then turned to Erwin. "Please follow me, Lord Erwin."
Erwin followed her out of the chieftain's home, noting the tired and tense expressions of the villagers he passed along the way. He could understand their feelings. A great danger loomed in the future and they didn't know when it would arrive or what they would do when it did.
After a short walk through the village, the Princess led Erwin to a large open area that seemed to be lined with various stalls. This was probably used as a trading hub and meeting place for the village before the invasion.
"Here should be fine," Erwin said after surveying the area.
After confirming the location, Erwin turned to the pink-haired Princess standing beside him. "I'm going to return to the Raja Kingdom to inform Queen Towa. We'll need to prepare a place for your people."
With a simple gesture, Erwin activated his spatial magic. He vanished from the Ogre Village in a swirl of twisted space and reappeared inside the familiar stone corridors of the Raja's palace. He asked the workers to see if they knew where Towa was and quickly got his answer. He made his way through the halls with ease and eventually arrived at the palace library, where he often spent his days studying.
The familiar scent of parchment and faint candlelight welcomed him as he arrived in the Raja Palace Library. He spotted Towa sitting quietly in the chair he usually used, playing with a book rather than reading it.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat to get her attention.
Towa jumped up the moment she saw him, her face lighting up with joy. She looked like she would run over and embrace him, but caught herself just in time, stopping just in front of him with a bright smile.
"You're back," she said, voice filled with joy and relief. "I heard what happened from Chikuan. I'm glad you're safe."
"Sorry to worry you," Erwin said with a soft smile. "Things got a little hectic."
He quickly explained everything, how the Ogre Village had been attacked, how the Orc Lord led an army of 200,000, and how the ogres wanted to relocate to Raja temporarily.
Towa didn't hesitate. "Of course, they may stay. They are welcome as long as they wish to remain." She declared.
"I knew you'd agree. I'm thankful we have such a generous and compassionate queen," Erwin teased. She had been teasing him about his titles and awkwardness in noble society for the past few days. He decided to get back at her with some teasing of his own and found he liked her reaction quite a bit.
Towa turned her cheeks pink. "It's the right thing to do, isn't it?"
"Of course, but it's also good to have people appreciate your kindness. It's part of your charm." He smiled at her teasingly, which only made her blush harder.
"Ah- A-Anyway, about the Ogres..." Towa released a cute squeak before desperately trying to change the subject.
Erwin chucked but didn't push further. The two then discussed the logistics of receiving the ogres, how many there were, what supplies they'd need, and where to house them.
"We should get Mobuji. He is better at logistics than we are," Erwin suggested after a few minutes of discussion.
Towa nodded. "You're right. Let's meet with him."
The next hour passed in rapid conversation with Mobuji, going over terrain, proximity to the city, and available resources. In the end, Erwin proposed a location near the Wyvern Riders' station. They could section off a part of the Wyvern's field near the city to create a temporary camp for the Ogres. He even went there himself, using earth and space magic to flatten some of the rocky terrain to make the camp easier to set up.
Workers from the city arrived quickly to begin erecting tents and preparing supplies. Once it was finished, Erwin nodded to himself and teleported away.
Without wasting time, Erwin teleported back to the Ogre Village. As he appeared, he found the Princess waiting for him at the center of the village.
"Sorry it took so long," Erwin said as he approached.
"There's no need to apologize," the Princess said kindly. "We should be the ones thanking you for helping us."
He wasted no time after that. Drawing on his knowledge of the cursed Magic Circle he'd seen beneath the lake, combined with his understanding of space magic, he started shaping his Magicules into a massive teleportation circle in the heart of the village.
The creation of the Magic Circle itself was easy. The time-consuming part was gathering enough Magicules to power it. Since he doesn't have enough to bring along three hundred ogres, he had to gather the needed Magicules from his surroundings using [Mana Manipulation]. The more Magicules he took from the surroundings, the harder it was to gather more since he had to wait for them to replenish.
Soon, evening turned into night, night turned into morning, and morning into afternoon. All through the process, the Princess stayed by his side. She brought him water, prepared simple meals, and stayed nearby in case he needed something. Erwin appreciated her presence even if he didn't need it.
Finally, as dusk fell the next day, Erwin stepped back from the completed circle and turned to the Princess.
"It's ready."
"I'll get Father," she replied immediately and dashed toward the Chieftain's house.
Once the Ogre Chief was informed, he sent words to have everyone gather. They all assembled in the village square, each ogre carrying only what they could manage.
Erwin stood at the center, and when it was confirmed that everyone had gathered, he activated the magic circle. He watched as the runes lit up, bathing the entire square in brilliant white light. One by one, the villagers were enveloped by the glow until finally, they all vanished from the Ogre Village in a flash of light.
A week after the battle at the Ogre Village, Erwin found himself standing at the mouth of a cavern deep within the Jura Forest. This was the very cave where the True Dragon, Veldora, had been sealed for centuries.
The Ogres had explained that the forest had once thrived under Veldora's protection. No army, human or monster, would dare move against the forest while the dragon remained. However, Veldora's overwhelming aura had suddenly vanished four months ago. Without it, the Orcs had seized their chance to invade.
That was why Erwin was here: to investigate the mystery surrounding Veldora's disappearance.
The cave was sealed by a massive metal door reinforced with powerful magic. Rather than deal with dispelling those layers of enchantment, Erwin simply bypassed them altogether by digging a tunnel through the side of the mountain using Earth Magic. Normal mages or people wouldn't be able to do this as they would have no idea where they were digging. If they were lucky, they might end up in a cavern. If they weren't, they could pass by it entirely and end up digging to nowhere.
However, Erwin could use [Intuitive Aptitude] to pick the place and direction where he'll most likely run into a cavern and dig there. Lo and behold, he found his way into a cave after only a minute of digging.
As he ventured deeper into the cave, Erwin noticed signs that others had been there before him. Footprints on the ground, disturbed rocks, faint magical remnants, and the fact that there were barely any monsters around. With how long Veldora had been trapped here, his leaking Magicules should have spawned hundreds or perhaps even thousands of strong monsters.
'Someone must have come to investigate before me and taken care of them.' With something as powerful as a True Dragon disappearing, he doubted people would just ignore it.
The further he went, the more the effects of Veldora's magic became evident. The dense Magicules that had saturated the cave over centuries had mutated everything within. Lush plants with magic-filled leaves grew everywhere despite there being no sunlight. Rare ores with unnatural colors jutted out from the rock faces. Even the very air seemed heavy with condensed energy.
He recognized them for what they are, Hipokute Grass and Magic Ore. Hipokute Grass was said to grow and Magic Ores are said to form in Magicule-dense places. With how much Magicules Veldora released into the cave, it was no surprise he found them here.
'Don't mind if I do.'
Seeing the opportunity, Erwin took the time to harvest as much as he could. Using [Mana Manipulation] and Earth Magic, he carefully extracted the ores and gathered the unique flora, storing them safely in his subspace.
Eventually, he reached the heart of the cave where Veldora should have been imprisoned. It was the area with the densest concentration of Magicules, so much so that he had to protect himself with a barrier to prevent Magicule poisoning, even with his Abnormal Condition Resistance.
He found that the area was... pristine. There were no signs of battle, scorched marks, craters, or anything to suggest a violent breakout. It was as if Veldora, along with his prison, had simply been erased.
Erwin frowned deeply. From what he knew, Veldora had been sealed by an incredibly powerful Skill, a space-time barrier that should have been near impossible to remove without a catastrophic struggle. Yet here, there was nothing. It was almost as if something had simply devoured the entire seal, dragon and all, in one go.
But that made no sense. If something truly massive enough to devour a True Dragon had appeared, someone would have seen it. News of such a being would have spread like wildfire.
Ultimately, Erwin had to accept that it was too late to find anything of note after hours of careful searching. Veldora had vanished for months now. Any evidence that would have been left behind was either too faint to detect or already erased by the passage of time.
What he did find by Veldora's prison was a different type of Magic Ore. These ores were so magically dense that they made the earlier ones look normal by comparison. They also gave off a dragon-like aura and seemed almost alive.
'Magisteel Ores could be strengthened further?' He thought upon seeing the ores. Sadly, there wasn't much of this "super magic ore" to be found.
'At least this hadn't been a wasted trip.' The magic ores and plants he collected would help the Raja immensely. Towa hadn't told him about Raja's money problem, but it wasn't that hard to figure out. It'll be even better if he could learn how the herbs and ores were made. Then he might be able to replicate them and solve Raja's economic crisis.
Since there was nothing else he could do, Erwin turned around and made his way back to the surface before disappearing in a swirl of space.
Upon returning to the Raja Kingdom, Erwin was immediately stopped by a guard at the palace gate. The man informed him that Queen Towa had requested his presence at the newly established Ogre settlement.
Erwin made his way there. As he approached, he saw Towa and Mobuji standing among a group of seven strangers. However, the more they felt really familiar. Through [Intuitive Aptitude], he quickly realized who they were: the Ogre Chieftain, the Sword Ogre, the Young Master, the red-haired ogre, the Princess, and two others, a purple-haired female and a blue-haired male, who had often been seen alongside the Young Master and Princess.
Their once large and slightly monstrous forms had slimmed down, becoming more human-like, but their auras had gotten far more potent. Their bodies radiated strength and magical power on an entirely different level from before.
The Princess caught sight of him first and waved enthusiastically, drawing everyone's attention toward him.
"Lord Erwin!" She called out excitedly. Well, as much excitement as the usually reserved Shuna could show anyway.
Towa quickly followed up with a pleasant smile. "Ah, welcome back."
"Hey, everyone. What's with the sudden... changes?" Erwin couldn't help but ask. He left with them a day ago before they split up to look for allies while he headed to Veldora's cave. This was a massive change for just one day of not seeing each other.
The red-haired ogre grinned and stepped forward to answer. "As we were explaining to Queen Towa earlier. While we were traveling through the forest to search for allies against the Orc Lord, we ran into a slime named Rimuru Tempest."
Erwin blinked in disbelief. "A named slime?"
The purple-haired female chimed in excitedly, "I know, right? Rimuru was so cute."
"That still doesn't explain the whole transformation thing," Erwin pointed out.
The red-haired ogre chuckled. "I'm getting to that. Rimuru invited us to his village, which was made up of Hobgoblins, Goblina, and even some Dwarves. All of whom were named by him."
"ALL of them?" Erwin asked incredulously. Naming a monster was no small feat. It required Magicules, and the more powerful a monster is or the more potential they had, the more Magicules it takes. If the one naming lacked sufficient power, it would draw from their life force and soul power instead. That was why Gelmud had been so weak despite being a Greater Majin. He had named Geld and suffered for it, losing much of his strength.
"That's right. And after we stayed there for an afternoon, he said not having a name is inconvenient, so he gave us one. After which, we evolved."
"Just like that?"
The red-haired ogre gave a nod. "Allow me to reintroduce everyone. My name is Hiiro. This is our Chieftan, Koji. Benimaru, our Young Master. Shuna, our Princess. Our teacher, the Sword Ogre Hakurou. And my friends Shion and Souei." He said, gesturing to each Ogre, or rather, Kijin now. The last two of which were he purple-haired and blue-haired Kijin, respectively.
This felt like the most unbelievable thing he had heard all week, and he helped fight against an invasion, found out one of the apex beings of this world went missing out of nowhere, and just recently acquired some ores that seemed almost alive.
"How is this Rimuru after giving out so many names?" Erwin asked curiously.
Koji answered for him with a laugh, "Aside from needing to rest to recover his Magicules, he's completely fine."
Erwin couldn't help but think. For Rimuru to name an entire village of goblins and then seven powerful ogres without permanently weakening himself like Gelmud, he must be immensely powerful. Possibly even strong enough to rival a Demon Lord.
As he considered that, his mind wandered back to his recent investigation of Veldora's cave. The missing True Dragon, the strange tracks that he thought belonged to some mutated snake, the fact that no sign of battle was found, and now a mysteriously powerful slime appearing in the forest shortly after Veldora's disappearance...
'It couldn't be that a slime... ate Veldora... right?' He wondered.
The thought felt ridiculous to Erwin, but it was the only theory he could come up with at the moment. He shook his head. He shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. At least he should meet this Rimuru Tempest first.
Erwin turned to the newly evolved Kijin and asked, "Would any of you be willing to take me to meet this Rimuru? I'd like to meet him."
From how they speak of him, he doesn't sound like a bad person... er... monster... slime?
Shuna immediately stepped forward, smiling brightly. "I would be happy to take you, Lord Erwin."
Before she could say anything more, Koji and Benimaru exchanged concerned glances. Despite the evolution, their protective instinct for the youngest member of their family had not left them.
"Are you sure, Shuna?" Benimaru asked with a frown. "Going through the forest is dangerous."
"It's the least I could do. You and Father are needed here while Master Hakurou, Shion, and Souei have their own job to do. I want to help Lord Erwin in whatever way I can," Shuna replied with a gentle smile.
Benimaru frowned, still clearly worried about her safety, but before he could say anything, Hiiro rolled his eyes and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Bah, stop being such a worrywart. Shuna can look after herself. I'll go with them too if it'll make you feel better," Hiiro said, flashing a grin.
Just as the matter seemed settled, Souei stepped forward, "If I could interject, there is something you should know, Lord Erwin, Queen Towa."
Everyone turned to him, sensing the seriousness in his tone.
"We've spoken before about the lake being poisoned by a curse," Souei said. "During our stay, I had taken to liberty to investigate anyone suspicious, and thanks to the skills I gained after evolving, I believe I've discovered the culprit."
Erwin immediately shelved his plans to meet Rimuru. Protecting Raja, his new home, comes first.
Towa blinked in confusion. "But you just got back. How did you investigate so quickly?"
Without a word, Souei formed a seal, and in a puff of smoke, another Souei appeared.
Souei explained. "I obtained a Skill called [Body Double] upon evolving. While my [Body Double] only has a fraction of my power, it allows me to be in multiple places at once."
Erwin's eyes lit up with interest. If he had a cloning Skill, he could study magic, help around, and do more at the same time. As much as he wanted to study Souei's Skill, he tempered his excitement for now. There were more important things to deal with.
"So, who is responsible?"
"The peddler Lacua," Souei replied. He described how he was investigating the lake area and witnessed Lacua panicking upon seeing the purified lake and land. That alone wouldn't be enough to accuse the peddler but it made Souei suspicious, so Souei decided to trail him. He followed Lacua to his cart, upon which he heard the peddler muttering to himself about wanting to find out who ruined his plans and needing to take more drastic measures.
"He also retrieved an orb that gave me a feeling of danger before heading out. I looked around his cart and managed to find a second one, here." Souei said, taking out a box from inside his clothes containing said orb.
"It's a power amplifier," Erwin explained after a moment. "But it's saturated with cursed poison. If someone used it directly, it would temporarily boost their strength tremendously, but at the cost of going berserk and dying soon after."
"Why would anyone use something like this?" Shuna asked, horrified.
"It could be used indirectly to empower spells too, allowing a caster to achieve greater effects without immediately dooming themselves," Erwin explained. As he delved deeper, he noticed something even more alarming. "This... it has the same origin as Towa's tiara..."
"What does that mean?" Towa asked in concern.
"It meant whoever this Lacua is, they have a connection to the 'goddess' your ancestors met," Erwin explained.
Towa gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "That can't be true. The goddess blessed our kingdom..."
"It's too early to jump to conclusions," Erwin said quickly. "We need more information."
He turned back to Souei. "Were you able to figure out why Lacua is doing this?"
Souei shook his head. "No. His motives remain unclear."
"That's fine. Do you know where he is right now?"
"Yes," Souei confirmed. "My [Body Double] is still tracking him. He's currently underground, inside some kind of ritual chamber."
"Good. Take me there."
"Wait-" Before he could leave, Towa reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "If Lacua does have a connection to the goddess, it could be dangerous..."
Erwin gave her a reassuring smile and gently patted her head. "I'll be fine. I've seen Lacua a few times and have a rough idea of his strength. He's about as strong as the Orc Lord at most, and unlike the Orc Lord, he doesn't have an army behind him."
Towa's worry didn't fade, but she dropped her hands. "Just… please come back safely."
"I promise," Erwin said sincerely.
He turned to Souei. "Take me there."
With a sharp nod, Souei used [Shadow Step], and the two of them vanished into the shadows.
Souei and Erwin materialized within a dark, underground ritual chamber next to Suoei's [Body Double]. Ahead of them stood Lacua, hunched over an ancient-looking altar, doing... something Erwin didn't care to figure out.
Not wanting to risk whatever ritual Lacua was attempting, Erwin immediately began gathering power for the most potent binding spell he knew: the [Curse of Obedience].
Lacua sensed the sudden surge of powerful magic and snapped his head around, eyes wide in alarm. He opened his mouth to react, but before he could do anything, Erwin's spell struck him.
The peddler staggered and trembled for a bit as his body and soul tried to resist the foreign magic with all its might. For a brief moment, Erwin thought he might break free, but the spell eventually caught hold and took root within the peddler's soul.
"Stop whatever you are doing," Erwin commanded coldly. "Do not move or act unless I order you to."
Immediately, Lacua's hands fell limp at his sides, and the magic he gathered dissipated into the air.
Erwin frowned. He could feel Lacua pushing the limits of things he could control. He powered the spell to its limit, not wanting to take any chances, and Lacua almost broke free. It made Erwin realize grimly that if he ever wanted to use [Curse of Obedience] on someone more powerful than Lacua, he would need to either increase his personal power or enhance the spell. The thought of improving the spell left a bad taste in his mouth. He already disliked using it as it was.
Pushing aside his discomfort, Erwin stepped toward the peddler.
"Tell me the truth." Erwin ordered, "Were you the one who placed the cursed magic circle at the bottom of the lake?"
Lacua visibly struggled against the command, his teeth gritting and sweat beading on his forehead. But in the end, the [Curse of Obedience] forced him to speak.
"Yes," he ground out.
Erwin's hands clenched at his sides. A flicker of rage flared inside him, but he forced himself to stay calm. He needed information.
"Why did you do it?" he asked coldly.
"To create a perfect body for my Queen to manifest in the physical world," Lacua answered, his voice low and fervent.
Erwin's frown deepened. He had a sinking suspicion about who this "Queen" was.
"Tell me everything," he commanded.
Bound by the spell, Lacua began to speak.
"Hundreds of years ago, the first Queen of the Raja Kingdom made a contract with my Queen in their moment. They wanted to protect their kingdom, so my Queen gifted the tiara, an artifact of immense power. With it, the Queen and her successors defended the kingdom and led it to prosperity... but there was a price. Every time the tiara was used, it would dye the user's body and soul with my Queen's essence until their body transformed into the perfect vessel for my Queen. Many of them used the tiara over the years, yet each of them died before the transformation could be completed."
Lacua's fists clenched at his sides.
"Thus, I took matters into my own hands. I created the poisoned magic circle beneath the lake to force the previous and current Queens to use the tiara more often. I hoped... I hoped to accelerate the process and prepare her body for the descent of my Queen."
After hearing Lacua's confession, Erwin's anger boiled over. Knowing that Lacua was the one behind Raja's suffering, and more importantly, Towa's pain, his anger got the better of him. He conjured Nuclear Magic into his palm, condensed it tightly, then fired a beam directly at Lacua's legs.
The blast tore through flesh and bone, searing Lacua's legs clean off. The peddler's agonized screams filled the chamber, but he could do nothing to resist, still bound by the [Curse of Obedience] to remain still unless ordered otherwise.
Despite his fury, Erwin forced himself to remain focused. He noticed something important during Lacua's explanation. Lacua said he took matters into his own hands, likely without the knowledge of this "Queen" of his.
Erwin stepped closer, voice cold. "Who is your Queen?"
Lacua answered through the pain with gritted teeth, "The Primordial Daemon... Violet."
Erwin's mind immediately ran through what little he knew about the Primordial Daemons from his studies. Information was scarce, but the fragments he uncovered painted a vivid picture. Violet was known to be whimsical, a dangerous and unpredictable individual, same as most other "purple" Daemons. All books that mentioned them warned to treat any deal with her with extreme caution and suggested against doing deals entirely if possible.
Still, one thing stood out. None of the stories described Violet breaking a deal. She might attack or torment those who summoned her after fulfilling her end of a bargain, but never before. And considering she had waited centuries without interfering directly, it told Erwin that she is someone who honors their agreements.
'Since he acted without orders...'
Without further question, Erwin created a subspace pocket using his magic and sealed Lacua within it. As much as he wanted to erase Lacua from existence, he didn't know how Violet might react to the death of her servant. It was better to be cautious.
He turned to Souei, who watched silently.
"Thanks for your help," Erwin said.
Souei gave a respectful nod. "Think nothing of it. It's the least we can do after everything you've done for our people."
With Lacua taken care of, Erwin teleported them out. He and Souei vanished from the underground ritual chamber and reappeared back at the Ogre settlement.
Towa immediately rushed toward him the moment he appeared, looking relieved. "You're safe! How did it go?"
Erwin gave her a reassuring smile. "It's done. Lacua won't be a threat to Raja Kingdom anymore."
Towa's shoulders sagged with relief.
Erwin continued, "He was working for the 'goddess' your ancestors spoke of, but hadn't been acting under her orders. He was going behind her back in a misguided attempt to please her."
Towa visibly relaxed, relief evident on her face now. "Thank goodness... I didn't want to believe the goddess who protected my people was evil."
Erwin didn't have the heart to tell her that many considered Violet a malevolent entity. In fact, if what history said about her is true, then he considered her evil too... but that wasn't important right now.
"Speaking of which," Erwin said, shifting the topic, "Would it be alright if I borrow your tiara for study? I'll return it when I'm done."
Towa unclasped the tiara and placed it gently in his hands without hesitation. "Of course. I trust you, Erwin. After all you've done for us, I would even gift it to you if you wished."
He chuckled softly. "This is your family's heirloom. I only want to study it, nothing more."
Turning to Shuna and Hiiro, Erwin offered an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid our trip to visit Rimuru will have to be delayed. I need a moment of rest, and after that... I'll be busy for a while."
Shuna gave a knowing grin. "We understand."
Hiiro gave a knowing grin. "You know where to find us if you need us. Don't let us keep you."
After a few more words shared between friends, Erwin left the Kijin to their own devices. He departed with Towa, the tiara in his possession, and his mind already whirring with plans for the future.
It only took Erwin a little over two weeks to fully unravel how the tiara worked, far faster than the months he had initially estimated. This was thanks to his deeper understanding of magic, previous studies of items related to the tiara, like the curse magic circle and Cursed Orb, and the subtle improvement of his [Intuitive Aptitude] Skill from how often he used it. He hadn't even realized how much [Intuitive Aptitude] had grown until he used it on the tiara again.
As he had suspected, the tiara was directly connected to the Primordial Daemon Violet. It functioned much like Holy Magic, but where Holy Magic relied on faith and channeled Holy Power, the tiara drew from the user's lifeforce and used it to channel Violet's dark power to grant the user their desires.
By the end of his study, Erwin had even unraveled the mechanics behind Violet's Cursed Poison spell. He could replicate it now if he wanted to, though he lacked the vast reserves of Magicules needed to wield it on the same scale or power as Violet herself.
Before returning the tiara to Towa, Erwin had one last plan in mind.
He placed the tiara atop a summoning circle, specifically designed to use its direct connection to Violet. His intention was not to summon the daemon fully, that would be idiotic, but rather to pull a projection of her into this world. Essentially creating an avatar for negotiation.
Erwin had thought long and hard these past two weeks. He knew it was risky, but he had thought it through carefully. Towa and her descendants deserved better than endless suffering. He wanted to solve the root of the Raja Kingdom's problem now, rather than leave it festering until another daemon under Violet's banner decided to get a "bright idea" like Lacua.
As the circle activated, a figure materialized within it. A young woman with short lavender hair and a carefree smile that contrasted with her unsettling aura.
Erwin felt his heart skip a beat when he realized she hadn't appeared as a projection but rather fully in a Magicule-based body. Violet looked around the room in curiosity with an almost innocent-looking gleam to her violet-colored eyes. She looked more like a whimsical princess playing at being dangerous than a truly dangerous being. Of course, Erwin knew better.
"This… this wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a projection..." Erwin muttered.
Violet turned her attention to him and let out a light scoff, placing a hand on her hip. "Of course, I can manifest fully. You used my creation to summon me. That created a direct link, silly."
Erwin mentally cursed himself. He should have anticipated this. Fortunately, his [Arcane Eyes] showed that her body wasn't fully stable. It would eventually dissipate.
Violet tapped her foot impatiently. "So? Why did you summon me, little human? And how did you get your hands on my tiara?"
Erwin quickly answered since he didn't want to agitate her. "I borrowed the tiara with permission from the current Queen of Raja. I summoned you because I wish to propose a deal."
Violet's expression brightened with interest. "A deal, you say? What do you want?"
Erwin took a breath. "I want to end the pact you made with the Queens of Raja. In exchange, I will find a more suitable vessel for you to descend into."
Violet scoffed immediately, "Why would I break a perfectly good contract I already set up? Besides, the Queen herself isn't here to renegotiate."
Erwin had expected that response, but it was worth a shot.
"Out of curiosity," he said carefully, "could you tell me the original terms of the agreement? It's been generations. No one on Raja's side remembers it fully."
Violet twirled a lock of her hair and shrugged. "It's simple. Should the Queen willingly use the tiara's power, she would slowly be dyed in my color. Once fully dyed, I would take her body as my vessel. Nothing more complicated than that."
Erwin activated [Thought Acceleration], reviewing the terms of the original deal in his mind. A realization struck him.
"Wait," he said aloud, "if terms were for the Queen to willingly use the tiara, then wouldn't your follower, Lacua, forcing her to use it by poisoning the lake violate the contract?"
Violet's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He did what?!"
Quickly, Erwin explained what Lacua had been doing for the past few years, how he had secretly pushed Towa into using the tiara to speed up the process.
Violet's expression twisted in rage. "Where is he now?"
Without a word, Erwin summoned the starved-looking Lacua from his subspace. He had been locked inside for weeks now, and if Erwin was honest, he kind of forgot about the guy. One thing Erwin did note was that his legs had regrown.
Upon seeing Violet, Lacua fell to his knees. "My Queen! Save me! This human attacked and captured me without warning!"
Violet's response was swift and brutal. With a simple flick of her hand, dark threads shot from her fingers, wrapping around Lacua. Erwin instinctively activates [Arcane Eyes] and [Thought Acceleration] like he had been doing this past week to analyze the spell. He found that the dark threads were destroying not only Lacua's body but also tearing his very soul apart too. Lacua didn't even have time to scream before he disintegrated into nothing.
'Whimsical indeed,' Erwin felt a chill run through him at the casual, horrifying display of her power.
"Since my subordinate broke the contract, it is now void. I no longer have any claim over the Queen of Raja." Violet said coldly.
Her body started to fade as her magicule constructed body weakened. Erwin noticed that she was also taking the tiara with her.
"Wait!" Erwin called out.
Violet's body solidified again, her impatience clear. "What now? My time is limited."
"I still want to make a deal," Erwin said. "While the conditions have changed, my offer mostly stays the same. In return for helping you find a physical body that can withstand your full power, I want you to work for me and protect the Raja Kingdom for a set amount of time."
Violet tilted her head. "How long?"
"A hundred years," Erwin said firmly.
Violet laughed. "One year."
Erwin winced. This deal was something made up on the spot. He promised to return the tiara, which means not letting Violet take it away. But since he started it, he would try his best to get the most out of it.
They argued back and forth, but eventually settled on twenty years, with a caveat. If Erwin failed to find her a suitable vessel within one year, she would claim his body instead. Additionally, she would allow the Queen of Raja to continue using the tiara without suffering any corruption.
Erwin agreed. Twenty years was more than he hoped for. With his growth rate, he believed he could become strong enough within that time to deal with most future threats.
"But," Violet said with a grin, "To finalize the contract, I need to see if you can handle my power."
"How?" Erwin asked warily.
"Simple," Violet said sweetly. She unleashed her Cursed Poison, sending it straight into Erwin's body before he could react. "You simply need to survive."
"GAHH!" Erwin screamed in pain. The poison dug into his very soul, causing a level of agony that even [Pain Nullification] could not fully suppress. Gritting his teeth, Erwin activated [Arcane Eyes] and [Thought Acceleration] to analyze what was happening to his body.
To his horror, the Cursed Poison was the same one that had infected Towa for years, only vastly more powerful. It seeped into his very soul and would destroy it over time if he did nothing.
Erwin forced himself to calm down and focused on countering the Cursed Poison. He drew on his own version of the Cursed Poison to counteract Veiolet's poison. Since Violet wasn't continuously powering the spell, Erwin was able to slowly but surely destroy her poison and drive whatever he couldn't out of his body.
He gasped and stumbled a bit as the last of the Cursed Poison left his body.
Violet watched with genuine surprise and obvious intrigue. "Interesting. Very interesting. How did you use my Cursed Poison? I've never taught the full scope of it to anyone before."
Erwin only gritted his teeth in pain and said nothing.
Violet giggled. "Since you survived, our contract is sealed. I can't torture you for answers now... but how about another deal? Tell me how you did it, and I'll extend my service to the full hundred years you originally wanted."
Erwin thought quickly. Telling others your Skills wasn't without risks, but the risk wasn't that high... and it's not like he had much choice here either. If he didn't tell her and she somehow still kept her end of the deal, she would simply wait until their terms ended to "take" the answers she wanted from him. That was, if she didn't do something else against him that was still within the terms of their contract during that time.
Still, to extend her contract to a full 100 years was worth it.
"I have a Unique Skill. It lets me understand and replicate anything if I study it long enough. I learned your magic through studying the tiara." He explained.
Violet grinned widely, and Erwin felt a sinking feeling in his gut. "You're interesting. Serving you might not be boring after all."
With those final words, she disappeared.
Erwin let out a long breath of relief once she was gone and sat down cross-legged. He used [Arcane Eyes] again to carefully examine himself. The purge he had done was a rushed job. He wanted to be sure he didn't miss anything and was glad he did because he did, in fact, have remnants of the Cursed Poison remaining in his Soul. Thankfully, his soul was actively expelling the remnants by itself, having survived the process.
Once he made sure all the poison was gone, he noticed something surprising. His soul had not only survived the ordeal but had become stronger in the process.
Moments later, a voice he hadn't heard in half a year rang out in his ear.
[Confirmed. Abnormal Condition Resistance has evolved into Abnormal Condition Nullification.]Erwin chuckled dryly. "Well... at least something good came out of being poisoned."
Still, he really, really hated pain.