While riding in a carriage from the Magic City of Bemberg southwest for a full moon’s duration, fortunately, nothing untoward happened to Yuric and his group. Originally, the vast open fields were not particularly suitable for monsters or bandits to operate.
No matter where they looked, there were only green pastures, and most villages raised sheep. As a result, Yuric had to drink sheep’s milk until he felt sick, as people in the prairie supplemented their water intake with it due to its scarcity.
The sun was scorching during the day, causing sweat to flow, while at night, it was so cold that one could hardly bear it without wrapping themselves in thick blankets. Eventually, Yuric bought a woolen coat to wear every night.
After racing through the green prairie, they finally arrived at the city of Valenroad.
Unlike many small prairie towns, Valenroad had a massive rocky mountain beside it. Despite rocks being precious, the city’s walls were tall and sturdy.
Women tended to the livestock grazing in the prairie, while men went to the rocky mountains to mine stones or ores. This was how the citizens of Valenroad lived.
Surprisingly, the prairie city seemed much wealthier than expected. It was an important junction connecting the south and center, attracting numerous caravans. During this season when mercenaries flocked to the south, these caravans were even more active, seeing danger as an opportunity.
“…They must have wanted to hire big names with that much money.”
Magicians were never volunteers. Especially when moving a grand mage, even for trivial matters, one had to prepare at least a pouch full of gold coins.
Yuric, Rochelina, and Howell, who had disembarked amidst a bustling crowd at the station, marveled at the scenery of the new city. Regardless of their personalities, they were all magicians by nature and didn’t pass off anything strange without a second glance. For them, inspiration or stimulation could come from anywhere.
By the time the sun began to set, painting the prairie in red, the sight of the city gazing at the sunset was breathtakingly beautiful, unlike any other sunset seen in a magic city.
The three magicians blended into the crowd and entered the city. Although there was a checkpoint next to the main gate, soldiers merely observed suspicious individuals from a high platform. However, despite the lax checks, the watchmen patrolled the city continuously, maintaining a semblance of order.
Walking along the road where carriages and pedestrians mixed, the three magicians reached the baron’s estate just as dusk fell. They entered after showing their invitation letters.
Following the guide, they ended up at a practice ground instead of the baron’s office. Though Yuric was quite tall, Baron Monsel was half a head taller. He was also bulkier than most knights, with visibly defined muscles that exuded a sense of threat. Frankly, he gave off more of a warrior impression than a noble one.
“Oh, you must be the esteemed magician gentlemen!”
Despite being shirtless, he approached them without hesitation and shook their hands.
First, they explained that their masters couldn’t attend due to an urgent matter and that they were sent as proxies. The baron, having invited their masters, found it less ideal that only the apprentices came.
However, the baron laughed heartily, seemingly understanding.
“As long as someone can solve the problem, I don’t mind who it is!”
Naturally, given the circumstances, the baron stated he would discuss details tomorrow in his office and advised them to rest comfortably tonight.
The three magicians followed the guide again to their guest quarters. Along the way, Yuric kept observing his surroundings.
“Please feel free to rest. If you need anything, call us.”
Unlike the village where everyone slept in large tents, each person here had their own room. This allowed Yuric some personal time.
He took a hot bath to relieve his fatigue and headed to the dining hall for the baron’s dinner invitation. At the table, besides the baron, his family members were also present. The baron had three wives, and beneath them, ten children—both male and female—were well-built. In this nomadic society, that was considered handsome.
“You must have had a tough journey. Eat as much as you like.”
The table was laden with dairy products and meat. Additionally, fruits and vegetables were served for the guests, which were quite valuable here.
Yuric ate a little before putting down his spoon. Instead, he engaged in various conversations with the baron’s people. Howell, with his sociable nature, became a popular conversational partner. Rochelina, however, barely spoke except to ask questions and nibbled on a few pieces of fruit and meat.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms. Instead of changing into pajamas, Yuric slung a bag over his shoulder and left the baron’s estate.
Before hearing the baron’s detailed explanation, he intended to first check the communal cemetery where bodies had been stolen.
Humans are indeed peculiar creatures; when they hear a story, their brains tend to focus on that topic, potentially missing other details. His current visit aimed to avoid such oversights.
The communal cemetery was outside the city, requiring a considerable walk from the baron’s estate. Naturally, since the incident occurred once, guards were posted around the site. Yuric showed his invitation letter to confirm he was from the baron’s estate.
Using a magical item to light up the dim cemetery, he examined it thoroughly. There were likely hundreds of gravestones densely packed together.
On the graves of the stolen bodies, markers were placed on stone slabs. Yuric crouched down in front of the cemetery, touching the overturned soil with his hands.
He tried spreading mana around but detected no signs of tampering. Thankfully, it seemed they hadn’t buried magical items instead of corpses.
“…A simple theft? Or necromancy? Or perhaps another spell?”
There were many possibilities, but none stood out clearly.
Then, Yuric sensed movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Howell, smiling broadly, approaching.
“I looked for you in your room, but you weren’t there. I found you here.”
“I wanted to come see for myself before hearing your account.”
Howell asked if he had found anything significant.
“There isn’t much special aside from the missing bodies.”
“Do you have any guesses?”
Crouching, Yuric glanced up at Howell, slightly lowering his upper body.
“There are several possibilities, but I’m not sure yet.”
“May I hear your thoughts?”
“Given what you know, necromancy is the most common.”
Necromancy using corpses. While necromancy itself wasn’t banned, arbitrarily using any corpse was strictly prohibited.
“Otherwise… it could be materials.”
“Materials?”
Yuric stood up.
“There’s a legend in alchemy about a particular recipe.”
Howell, intrigued, opened his mouth.
“What are you trying to make?”
“The Elixir of Immortality.”
The Elixir of Immortality.
It was a potion that would drive anyone, alchemist or not, mad with desire. Someone might pay a fortune to obtain it.
“Does it require a corpse?”
“Some believe in such recipes. Of course, they’re mostly myths. But long ago, due to these beliefs, corpses across the continent vanished. Some even resorted to using living people. A dark chapter in alchemy.”
“So you think this could be related to that?”
“It’s possible. Perhaps even more so than necromancy.”
Just then, another person appeared at the cemetery. Rochelina, the apprentice of Drogman, looked as though she felt excluded. Despite that, her relationship with Yuric had improved significantly since their first meeting.
“I looked for you in your room, but you weren’t there… You two left me out. …Hmph, how sneaky…”
Howell grinned mysteriously, asking whose room they had gone to. She was momentarily speechless.
“Yuric’s room? Or mine?”
“…It doesn’t really matter. Did you find anything?”
Rochelina smoothly changed the subject.
Yuric relayed the conversation he had with Howell to Rochelina. Nodding, she agreed that it made sense.
“So there might be an alchemist in this city.”
“It’s just one possibility among many. Getting too fixated on one thing can narrow your perspective. We should investigate further.”
Thus, the three carefully examined the cemetery but found no notable anomalies.
“Could the bodies be sacrificial offerings?”
“That’s also a possibility we’re considering.”
The cursed city, Jallia Fortress, was destroyed instantly by a great demon’s curse using 66,666 corpses as offerings.
At that time, the great demon opened a hellish portal briefly by sacrificing those corpses. Consequently, the historically impregnable Jallia Fortress crumbled, turning into an area contaminated by the hellish curse, uninhabitable by humans.
However, curse magic was known to be unsuitable for human use, so there weren’t many mages studying curses.
After investigating this far, the trio returned to the baron’s estate.
When Yuric lay down on the bed, the city was already shrouded in darkness, almost impossible to find a trace of light.
As he examined the drawing he had made earlier in the cemetery, he drifted into sleep.
In his dream, he found himself standing amidst countless bodies.
The dead pleaded for mercy, grabbing his ankles and calves.
Gradually, he was pulled into the mass of bodies.
Upon waking, his back was damp with sweat.
