Chapter 49. The Count's Request (2)
'That's supposed to be 3rd tier?'
Impossible.
The spell that dealt with the Ogre was clearly mid-4th tier magic. Creating a wall by manipulating terrain was also impossible with the mana capacity of 3rd tier. Even spreading mana detection so widely without showing any signs of strain was the same.
Which could only mean, he had been hiding his true ability.
He wanted to ask why he had deceived the Count, but now was not the time.
"Romeo! Fren! Break through the path!"
Under Balkan's command, the search party pierced through the weakened encirclement.
However, it was not easy to shake off pursuit. They could not be seen in sight, but he could feel that the enemies had not given up and were still chasing them.
At this rate, they would never escape the forest. And if the damage began to spread, it would tarnish the name of the House of Count Rodenmeyer.
No choice.
"Clark! Prepare that thing!"
"Y, yes! Captain!"
"Asher! Can you use mana detection to find us some open ground?"
"I will try."
Verden immediately began searching for a suitable spot.
Before long, he found a place where an abandoned hut stood. Turning their direction, the search party arrived at the hut. Clark pulled out a magical item from inside his robes.
'A portable magic circle?'
A disposable magical item, crafted with mana stones.
Specially made at the Artison Magic Tower, it was an item forbidden from private transactions.
Clark pressed a switch and drove the portable magic circle into the ground.
At once, a ring of mana appeared around them, and magical characters began surfacing one by one.
'A concealment and protection magic circle.'
A suitable circle for the current situation.
But to Verden's standards, the circle's performance seemed lacking.
"This should be good... W, wait! What are you doing!"
No time to explain.
Ignoring Clark, Verden drew threads of mana and infiltrated the circle. He pierced through blocked pathways to simplify the circuits, and added supplemental runes where it was lacking. Efficiency and performance were simultaneously raised.
Normally, these two processes could never be performed at the same time, but with Exceed equipped, this level of multitasking was hardly difficult for Verden.
"H, huh?"
Clark's eyes widened.
Modifying a circle midway through its construction? Was that even possible? From the perspective of a Mage, it was a sight almost impossible to believe even while watching.
Soon, the circle was complete.
A translucent dome enveloped the hut and its surroundings. Before long, several of the pursuers, including a Platinum Rank adventurer, wandered about and then disappeared from sight.
Only then did the search party finally loosen their tension.
Balkan approached Verden.
"Looks like we managed to succeed. But, next time, I'd appreciate a heads-up before you do something like that."
"I will do so from now on."
"...Good. Then let's rest and draw up a plan. We also need to figure out what on earth is happening in this forest."
Balkan dragged the captive Brennan and entered the hut.
And froze.
"C, Captain Balkan?"
"Viscount Bailon?"
The missing 1st search party and Viscount Bailon, they were hiding inside the hut.
***
'So that's why they hadn't shown up on mana detection.'
Verden glanced around the floor.
The concealment and protection magic circle carved inside the hut. Thanks to the portable circle the 1st search party had carried, the viscount's group had narrowly survived.
Viscount Bailon let out a deep sigh.
"Phew, to think Count Rodenmeyer would send his captain. Thanks to that, I can finally breathe easier. Looks like we might just make it out alive."
"What on earth happened here?"
At Balkan's question, the viscount replied.
"...We were leaving the village on the Kazerdan Ridge to return to the count's estate, when we heard screams coming from the forest."
"Screams?"
"So we went to save them. Protecting our subjects is the duty of a noble, even if this is at the edge of the count's domain."
That was his thought, but he never imagined something would actually happen.
He had attendants with him, after all. They had escorted him through numerous visits to other territories without so much as a scratch.
But that assumption was a mistake.
"We entered the forest where the screams came from. But there was no one there. Even the cries, which had been loud, suddenly vanished. And there, there was... a tree."
"A tree...?"
"Yes, a gray tree that gave off an ominous feeling. I ordered my attendants to scour the surroundings. Then suddenly, a chilling aura brushed the back of my neck."
The viscount's party sensed danger.
They tried to withdraw quickly for safety, but by then it was too late. Treants disguised as trees began blocking their path, and creatures with white eyes charged in from all sides.
They struggled, but the outcome was as seen.
Balkan carefully asked.
"Then, how did you survive?"
"They didn't kill us, instead, they threw us before the gray tree. Then its roots moved, wrapping around us. It was... how should I put it. I felt my strength being drained, as if even my life force itself was being absorbed."
The roots that bound them were so tough they could not escape.
Before long, the attendants, drained of vitality, began dying one by one. The others too, it was only a matter of time.
Then the 1st search party appeared and rescued them.
The vice-captain of the Rodron Knights supplemented the explanation.
"Through pursuit, we managed to save the viscount and two attendants... but escaping was impossible. The Treants weren't much of a problem, but many of those with white eyes were powerful."
"There seemed to even be a Platinum Rank adventurer among them."
"Yes, besides that, there were dangerous demi-humans and magical beasts such as Ogres and Leafquatches. If Brennan, Kehan, and Sergan had not sacrificed themselves... we would have all been annihilated."
"What?"
Balkan pointed at Brennan.
"If Brennan died... then who is this Brennan here?"
"That gray tree seems to have the power to command the dead. The attendants whose life force was drained turned into white-eyed creatures and attacked us. And when those things are slain, their bodies vanish without a trace."
"Then there's no way to bring them back...."
"None. They're already dead. What you see are nothing but puppets controlled by that tree."
Grit. Balkan ground his teeth.
The noble sacrifice of his subordinate, his knight, being defiled in such a manner...!
"Your anger is understandable, but right now, we must think ahead."
"...I know."
"Then I ask, what is your plan?"
At the viscount's question, Balkan replied.
"My original thought was to rescue the missing and withdraw, but... I have judged that leaving this forest without incident is impossible. The fact that it commands the dead, I cannot even begin to predict how far the damage might spread."
Therefore.
"We will annihilate them here."
Crunch! Balkan snapped Brennan's neck.
Something white seeped out of his body, and both body and aura vanished without a sound.
A human with white eyes. Perhaps, just perhaps, there might have been a chance to restore him, so he had held back, but if they were already dead, there was no need to hesitate.
The captain of the Rodron Knights, the vice-captain, their knights, Viscount Bailon and his attendants. And last of all...
"But, though I ask late, who is that man?"
The viscount turned his gaze to Verden.
The other was a noble, so Verden replied with due respect.
"My name is Asher."
"A Mage hired by Count Rodenmeyer. Thanks to this man, we made it this far unharmed."
"Hooh, impressive."
And a Mage hiding power that was difficult to measure. The fighting strength was sufficient.
After a brief rest, Balkan gripped his sword and spoke to the search party... no, the subjugation force.
"Our target is the gray tree. Every hindrance shall be erased from the Count's domain. Ferris and Goben, along with the attendants, remain at the viscount's side."
"Yes, Captain!"
Next, he turned his head to Verden.
"Asher, you may act independently."
"Are you certain?"
Balkan nodded, recalling the Ogre that had fallen in a single blow.
"I do not know exactly what level of Mage you are, but I cannot imagine you falling easily. Since our coordination may not match, I judged it may be best for you to act separately. While we draw their eyes, you find the gray tree's position and fire this signal flare. Then we will rush to you at once. But if you judge it dangerous, join us whenever you wish."
"Understood."
"Good. Then───."
───The subjugation begins.
***
The House of Count Rodenmeyer was famed as a clan of swordsmanship.
An original sword art handed down since their ancestors, honed and advanced with every generation. Among the swordsmen of the principality, the current Count, contrary to his appearance, was one of the strongest in rank.
Even in middle age, when his body had grown weaker, his mastery far surpassed his youth.
That the Rodron, the count's personal order of knights, were strong, was only natural.
They inherited fragments of the count's unique swordsmanship, and their loyalty burned within their hearts. Among them, Captain Balkan was on another level.
Slash! Shraaaak!
Balkan's sword gleamed, slicing through foes. The bodies of white-eyed creatures fell, and then vanished.
Already, the number he had slain alone exceeded thirty.
Clark's spell. A giant spear of water swept through the enemies.
Under the immense pressure, their bodies burst apart, and nearby, the vice-captain's spear pierced through charging magical beasts and goblins.
Thus, all fought at their own positions.
'It goes smoothly.'
Then, a sound of air splitting was heard.
Balkan twisted his body, deflecting an arrow flying at his head.
"They've come."
A Platinum Rank adventurer.
Too heavy a foe for his subordinates. The captain himself must handle it. If that one was slain, the gray tree's strength would fall sharply.
Kaaang!
Balkan's sword and the adventurer's arrow clashed.
***
Separated from the others, Verden gazed at the forest from the sky.
Where was the gray tree hiding? Since its roots had moved, perhaps it could shift itself like a Treant, one of the abnormal species. If so, it would be even harder to find.
'Then....'
Verden drew upon his mana.
For the first time, he spread mana detection at full strength. His mana drained at a dizzying rate, but it was something he could still endure.
The enhanced senses perceived everything within range.
'Found it.'
Verden moved at once.
Falling toward the ground, he thrust his staff.
A colossal spear of stone.
Its overwhelming destructive force exploded through the forest. With a gust of wind, he blew away the thick dust, revealing the gray tree the viscount had spoken of.
'It does indeed give off a sinister aura.'
Perhaps because it stood among other trees, it looked all the more bizarre.
Verden descended to the ground. White-eyed figures emerged one by one around the gray tree as if to guard it. Among them was the Mage who had once sat on the Ogre's shoulder.
Time to fire the signal flare Balkan had given him.
But Verden did not. The distance to the subjugation force was considerable, and forcing them to move quickly might cause losses.
And more than that.
'It will be faster if I deal with it alone.'
Bzzzt!
From Verden's staff, blue currents echoed.