The Subjugation Team traversed the fields all day. By noon, a dense forest began to appear slowly from the left, and by evening, it had come close. The team prepared to camp at the entrance to the forest. It seemed that this was a common camping ground used by the upper echelons or mercenaries, as there were roughly constructed stone walls and spaces for toilets.
The workers immediately started unloading their belongings from the wagons and preparing dinner upon arriving at the campsite. The mercenaries also set up their sleeping spots or dug their latrines.
Court Mage Yuric, accompanied by three Mages and four Knights, approached the path leading out of the narrow stream into the forest. He did so to check if there were any suspicious signs nearby.
—
“There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual around here.”
—
In places like this, where there are many obstacles, it’s difficult to detect mana precisely, but detecting large creatures such as monsters or demons isn’t too hard.
After patrolling the area, they returned to the campsite. The pot, which had been off the fire, was already bubbling with warm soup. The workers served a bowl of soup, half a piece of bread, and some thinly sliced salty meat to the Mages and Knights Nari.
Yuric sat down next to a female mercenary who had laid down a comfortable spot beside him. However, instead of sleeping right away, he read a book given to him by Great Witch Adrian. It had become his habit to read a page or two before going to bed.
Rather than turning on his magic power, he caught a few fireflies near the stream and put them in a jar to light up the area. There was no shortage of starlight, so it wasn’t very dark.
—
Sounds of snoring, wind blowing, and animals crying.
—
The Mage closed his book and looked up at the sky.
A shooting star streaked across the sky with a long tail.
—
After watching the sky for a while, Yuric put the book in his bag and crawled into his sleeping bag.
He closed his eyes in the soft wool.
—
The night passed without incident as expected. However, everyone seemed to have restless dreams due to the eerie feeling emanating faintly from the forest.
People woke up with faces caked with fatigue and started cleaning up around. Yuric went to the stream to wash his face with cold water. The misty morning forest looked like a glimpse of the underworld.
The Subjugation Team finished their early breakfast and packed up before getting back into the wagons. Team Leader Thomas checked one last time to make sure no one had fallen behind and gave the signal to start.
—
“Let’s go!”
—
The wagons crossed a wide arch-shaped stone bridge over the stream and headed into the forest. In fact, the subjugation mission could be said to have begun the moment they entered the forest.
The mist spread as dawn approached, sprinkling a pastel-like red light. Yuric memorized this scene. He planned to draw it later when he finished the commission.
The thick fog gradually dissipated. The forest path, barely wide enough for two wagons to pass, was more still than dynamic. Despite the brightness around, the forest felt excessively heavy with negative energy. While avoiding such paths would be ideal, all routes ultimately had to traverse this forest.
—
“This place always feels unsettling. There’s something mysterious about the forest.”
—
“Ha, you must be a fortune-teller. You should set up your stall properly.”
—
Yuric periodically released mana to assess the surroundings.
Especially concerning were flying monsters. One could suddenly fly over and crash into the wagon, or even pick it up and drop it.
Previously, Yuric had been captured by a strange bird during training with Great Witch Yelni and fell from a great height. Fortunately, he only suffered broken limbs.
—
“When attacked, monsters immediately drop their prey. If caught, don’t hesitate to attack first.
—
Even though it’s a monster, its characteristics aren’t much different from those of the strange bird.
—
The Subjugation Team continued moving along the forest path, stopping for brief rests several times until noon. During one of these stops, they noticed something unusual.
The lead wagon, racing ahead, waved a red flag, signaling a stop. Soon after, the entire convoy slowed down and halted.
—
“Didn’t we just take a break?” the mercenaries peeked outside, discovering chaos in the middle of the forest path.
—
The Subjugation Team disembarked and cautiously approached the scene, surrounding the area. It was clear from the looks of it that an ambush had taken place.
—
“There are no survivors!”
—
The mercenaries and knights searched everywhere, but found no sign of people, not even the corpses of horses pulling the wagons. Either the monsters had eaten everything, or those who survived had been dragged away by other beasts in the forest.
From the appearance of the wagons and carts, the group that had crossed the forest path didn’t seem very large—maybe seven or eight at most. They might have been able to fend off monsters, but they were clearly insufficient to deal with flying monsters.
—
“The casualties keep increasing.”
—
“We need to act quickly to eliminate them.”
—
Still, it was certain that monsters were active in this area.
If there were too many people on this side, however, monsters might not appear. Therefore, the team leader planned to hide some members inside the wagons when the monsters became active.
—
“First, let’s clean up the debris!”
—
The Subjugation Team went to the chaotic scene and began clearing the debris. Some mercenaries carefully examined the debris, looking for any valuables that might be hidden.
Of course, mercenaries often believed in superstitions, and many refrained from touching abandoned items for fear of bad luck.
—
“If you take the dead ones’ stuff, you’ll end up in the same place.”
—
“I’d rather die eating.”
—
The team leader didn’t interfere with such superstitions. He had observed the mercenaries’ habits for days and knew that these items were essentially ownerless.
—
After clearing the debris from the road, the Subjugation Team resumed their journey and soon arrived at a spacious clearing in the middle of the forest path.
—
“Wait here.”
—
Thanks to the ample space, it would be easier to deal with monsters here compared to the narrow forest path.
Team Leader Thomas gave detailed instructions as he moved around, ensuring everything was in order. Given the high possibility of monsters appearing tonight, they needed to be fully prepared.
He asked the Court Mage Yuric, who had returned from exploring the area, to handle any monsters that appeared.
—
“Heh, he’s more important than me.”
—
Yuric pointed at Yuric, who was calmly resting among the mercenaries far away.
—
“…That man?”
—
When Thomas asked what he meant, Yuric stroked his beard and confidently replied,
—
“He’s above me. He’s not ordinary.”
—
The other two Mages hadn’t noticed, but Yuric, who was highly regarded at the Mage Tower, immediately recognized Yuric’s strength.
—
“The circulating mana is being refined every moment… His understanding and proficiency of circuits are beyond belief.”
—
When Yuric first saw him, he found it hard to believe what he was seeing. At first glance, it seemed like simple mana circulation, but it involved an incredibly intricate and lengthy circuit, invisible to the naked eye.
—
‘Even if forced, it’s impossible to do this constantly without rest. What kind of training has he undergone to actually perform this feat, which exists only theoretically!’
—
‘His master must have taught him monstrous techniques.’
—
At first, Yuric was surprised that the mages’ skills had improved so much during his absence. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that this was the result of individual ability, not teamwork.
—
‘Where did such a person suddenly appear…?’
—
Such a monster would naturally spread across the continent and reach Yuric’s ears. However, he hadn’t heard of such talent recently.
—
“…He seems to be a remarkable talent.”
—
The Court Mage didn’t intend to force his opinion on the skeptical team leader.
After all, it would become apparent during the upcoming battle against the monsters.
