“Wow, that’s one big fish.”
First, count seven for sure.
That was the number of Landgar’s remaining henchmen who each got a taste of my fists and are now knocked out.
As expected, instead of rashly grabbing the first green thing we saw, it was wise to calmly follow it.
Thanks to that decision, we managed to uncover the hideout of these goons.
“Though is this truly the end of it?”
Grrrr-
Green mistook my talking to itself as an invitation and naturally approached me.
Instinctively, I went to pet Green’s head but quickly stopped myself.
“I might as well pretend to have nothing to do with the undead.”
Woosh-
Instead, I sent Green back to its original position.
To anyone secretly watching from afar, Green would suddenly disappear.
Not only was I tailing these guys, but someone else was stealthily following as well.
Out of caution, I checked who it was by moving into the air.
Turns out it wasn’t one of Landgar’s crew. Most likely an academy student.
After all, this is an academy, and they didn’t seem particularly strong.
Though why they’re here at this exact moment is beyond me, but there was nothing much I could do about it.
Though I wanted to separate the girl from the scene, I left her be.
I might lose track of Green if I get distracted by her, and honestly, having her here won’t change anything significantly anyway.
Maybe this will become just another piece of gossip circulating in the academy.
Perhaps about more villains hiding in the deep woods.
Sneaky-
The girl lying flat on the ground was still staring at me.
At this point, it should end, shouldn’t it?
“Hmm, it doesn’t really matter.”
After briefly considering what to do with the student, I decided to leave them be.
First, I had to enter their hideout and clear out the rest.
Woosh-
Touching the tree where the goons suddenly popped out gave off a subtle vibration.
This wasn’t ordinary mana flow.
It was strangely familiar.
The sensation one feels when space is being opened.
“Oh, what’s this?”
Woosh-
And then the view shifted.
Just moments ago, I was in the middle of the forest, but after passing through the space, I stood indoors.
“Is this the hideout?”
“Huh?”
I was merely muttering to myself, but a response came from within.
A sturdy-looking door from inside opened, and someone emerged.
Like those I’d encountered earlier, a man wrapped in a white robe.
At a glance, I could tell:
This guy was the boss of the remaining lot.
“You, huh?”
“Who are you!!”
Zzzzap-
Just as expected.
Different from the earlier bunch, this guy moved faster and had a different way of pulling up mana.
The man gathered a massive amount of mana quickly and prepared for an attack.
I grinned unseen as I moved my body.
Let’s see if this guy falls with a single blow.
*
“Gya.”
Erika marveled as the wide-open view of the horizon greeted her eyes.
The clear sky, the blue expanse above, coupled with the sunlight beaming down, and the ocean stretching endlessly.
Scenes like these were truly rare to see.
“Isn’t the west the best, really? Isn’t it?”
“…Sure.”
“Put a little life into your answer!”
“…”
Erika shot a reprimanding glance at the owner of the half-hearted reply, Jacqueline.
Jacqueline, the captain of the Black Shadow Guild’s second unit and known to be arguably the strongest individual in the organization when considering sheer combat power.
Jacqueline, much like Erika, was one of the founding members who had been alongside Ryu Young from the very start.
“Nah, this is good.”
“…Alright, fine.”
“Any information?”
“Nothing particularly new. The info sources are already out there, but it’ll probably take half a day at least.”
“Ugh.”
Erika inwardly sighed as she glanced at Jacqueline, who delivered curt and emotionless replies with her beautiful voice.
Why did she always end up with these types of people?
Last time, it was Yuria, and now it’s Jacqueline?
Simpler to just go solo, really.
“So, let’s take a break, huh? Good weather, nothing else to do. I’ll treat you to a meal. Just got some cash out of the Guild Leader.”
“Nah, I’m fine.”
Erika’s suggestion was flatly rejected, but she paid it no mind.
Erika and Jacqueline have known each other for years by now.
Jacqueline’s reaction was nothing new to Erika.
“Come on, I’ll be lonely if I’m alone. Let’s go.”
And with that, Erika grabbed Jacqueline’s arm and dragged her along.
Jacqueline, who’s about 10cm shorter than Erika, came along without much resistance.
‘Normally she’s this tame and girlish.’
“Isn’t it really been a while since we last worked together?”
“…Yeah.”
Erika carried on the conversation despite Jacqueline’s reluctant and matter-of-fact replies.
There was one reason for both of them being in the west of the continent.
To investigate the war recently ignited between the Lorelai Kingdom and the Flora Kingdom.
Specifically, it wasn’t about the war itself, but to uncover the source of the black magic that instigated it.
While the nations of Lorelai and Flora were traditional rivals in the west and of equivalent power, any battle between them usually resulted in lengthy conflicts.
This time was different.
Since the first battle, the Flora Kingdom had been on an impressive winning streak.
And at the center of it all was black magic—something everyone now knew.
The Flora Kingdom had been putting the black-magic-created creatures, known as “creatures,” to good use.
These creatures were entirely different from the undead.
While there existed some data on the undead from what’s been observed throughout the Arkarian continent, these new creatures were unprecedented.
Thus far, Flora had used three types of these black magic creatures in battle.
Namely, the “Black Sheep,” creatures that divided and multiplied.
The “Crow,” bird-like creatures that flew.
And the “Black Golem,” a towering golem engulfed in black mana.
Despite the world rallying and sending reinforcements to the Lorelai Kingdom, it was proving insufficient.
With no prior knowledge about these creatures and their devastating killing power, the Lorelai Kingdom was struggling.
After only three battles, the kingdom had suffered near-annihilation and had to retreat significantly.
“It’s so chaotic here.”
“Considering there’s a war going on in the neighboring town, and at its center is black magic.”
Erika and Jacqueline sat in a restaurant overlooking the sea after placing their orders.
The restaurant buzzed with noise and confusion, as mentioned by Jacqueline.
Given the timing, no tourists would be visiting the west, so the restaurant’s patrons were mostly locals.
From snippets of conversation without even trying to eavesdrop, it was easy to sense the widespread unease.
Flora was pushing further.
Mandatory enlistment was rumored to begin soon.
Even the allied forces moving in were reportedly attacked by Flora during transit.
“So, we’re headed to the Flora Kingdom, right?”
“Yeah?”
“But why did we come here first?”
Erika stiffened at Jacqueline’s sharp question.
Unlike her usual self, Jacqueline seemed unusually perceptive this time.
‘Sharp, huh?’
“To gather some information from our source here. It’s better to know something rather than nothing, right?”
“I see.”
‘Phew.’
Erika heaved a sigh of relief as she noticed Jacqueline’s focus return to her teacup.
Certainly, it was partially true—they did need to gather information before blindly charging in.
However, that wasn’t the sole reason for coming here.
The west part of the continent brought to mind vast expanses of the sea.
Before diving fully into their mission, Erika wanted to enjoy the ocean here, even if for just a short while.
She’d been handling too many intense tasks at the academy recently anyway.
She hadn’t anticipated that the normally reckless—or sometimes outright dull—Jacqueline would ask “Why here?”
While the food was being served, Erika thought she’d successfully brushed it off.
The seafood near the ocean was simply the best.
“Ah, this looks absolutely delicious.”
“Enjoy.”
Erika’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the succulently cooked shrimp and crab.
Even on a work trip, there should be a taste of something good.
“You heard this one?”
“What news? These days there’s so much to keep up with.”
“Apparently, undead creatures have appeared in the Crescent Empire!”
“Nah, that’s old news.”
From the table behind, two old men were having a conversation with familiar terms.
Undead and Crescent Empire.
‘Ugh, even thinking about it gets under my skin.’
The scene where Yuria froze thousands of undead with a single spell still left Erika feeling slightly inadequate in terms of talent.
“Hehe, you’re too slow! There’s news again! This time, flying-undead horses!”
“Is such a thing even possible?”
‘Hmm?’
Erika’s interest was piqued as she strained to listen more intently.
“Flying horses do exist! There’s definitive footage! And, you know what?”
“What?”
“The undead appeared at Crescent Academy!”
‘Huh?’
The more Erika listened, the more things clicked in her head.
Flying undead horses.
Crescent Academy.
“The last incident also took place at Academy, didn’t it?”
“That’s right! But this time, the issue was stopped before it could escalate…”
“By the academy professors?”
“Nope, nope. That’s exactly what’s surprising. The Black Shadow Guild protected the academy! And the Guild Leader even took a personal hand in it!”
“WHAT!?”
Erika, caught off guard by the unexpected revelation, spewed out the shrimp she was chewing.
“Ah.”
Her spewed shrimp landed precisely on Jacqueline’s cheek.
