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Episode 39
Retrograde (2)
Hwaaaa …
[… … .]
As the darkness that had been blocking my vision completely cleared, I quickly looked around.
It was an unfamiliar space.
The people who had been next to us just a moment ago were nowhere to be seen.
Did Riley and I move here alone?
“Ugh, ugh… … .”
[Oh, surprise.]
what.
It wasn’t just me and Riley.
I heard a sobbing sound and looked to the side to see Olivia curled up and shivering.
But, what.
Anyway, I don’t think this guy will be of any help in the current situation, so let’s just ignore him for now.
“Gurrung… … !”
Looking to the other side, I saw the golden golem, just awake, walking towards Riley.
There was this one too.
This was fortunate.
There is nothing worse than losing a golden golem that you worked so hard to obtain.
[By the way, this place is… … .]
I looked around, muttering to myself.
It was a place full of colorful plants.
A place reminiscent of an indoor garden in a palace.
[Hmm.]
I looked up.
The ceiling was made of glass.
An unidentified light shone through the cracked, old glass, and thick clouds of dust poured down, covering the plants.
The garden was obviously unmaintained for a long time, with weeds growing everywhere.
[… … .]
okay.
garden.
This was a garden.
However, there is something a little different from the garden I know… … .
[… …Why are the plants so huge?]
The thing that struck me the most was that all the plants here were incredibly huge.
The flowers were all taller than Riley.
The trees were all distracting.
Even if we exaggerate a little and compare it to the World Tree, it would not be inferior.
‘It’s like an indoor garden for giants.’
[huh.]
Originally, the ruins of this site were based on the palace of the giants.
Considering the overall concept, a garden of this size would not be unreasonable.
[Ummm… … .]
Then one question arises here.
why.
Why on earth did the other party teleport us here?
The magic our opponent used to move us was “Shadow Movement”.
As it was a powerful spell that forced the target to move, there were countless restrictions that followed this spell.
The most representative limitation was the enormous consumption of horsepower.
After using this spell, the caster cannot use any other magic for a while.
But you used such a risky magic just to separate our team members?
That doesn’t make sense.
There must be other reasons, of course.
For example, whether this place had any characteristics that were advantageous to them.
‘Hmm.’
Riley cautiously questioned what I said.
‘No matter how much I think about it, this doesn’t seem like a good battleground… … .’
It was just as she said.
The widely distributed plants occasionally obstructed the view.
Even if you could use “Magic Detection”, a place with limited visibility wasn’t a good place to fight.
But that’s only a general case.
In a situation like the present, all special circumstances must be taken into consideration.
Our opponents are wizards like us.
Clearly, we were brought here because we could have special advantages even in such an unfamiliar environment.
[Let’s see.]
After gathering my thoughts, I looked around the interior of the garden.
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plant.
A lot of plants were visible.
[… … .]
I chose a place with so many plants, even if it meant giving up the view… … .
[……no way.]
Suddenly a hypothesis occurred to me.
Rustle──.
But I couldn’t help but stop my thoughts when I heard a sound behind me.
I looked back.
Beyond the bushes I saw a couple walking towards us.
A woman with gray hair.
And the man with dark green hair.
These are the team members of Theobald that we ran into in the alley earlier.
They were talking to each other about something or other.
“I still don’t understand.”
The ashen-haired woman grumbled in an irritated voice.
“Why did Grandpa Theobald waste his chance to attack like that? If he had just made a more precise strike, it would have been over immediately without the need to fight like this.”
The man who had been silently listening to the complaints slowly opened his mouth.
“Because a surprise attack is not a fair attack.”
“Ha! What the hell are we, knights? Do we have the spirit of knighthood?”
“that…….”
“What, why? Is there a law that says wizards can’t be taken by surprise?”
The woman cut the man off in an annoyed voice.
“And if we were going to fight fair anyway, why did you make us wear the dragon’s skin?”
“… … .”
“Ugh, look at this. It’s my favorite robe, and it already smells.”
An ashen-haired woman with a wrinkled face, lifting her robe slightly.
The blue blood on the robe had already dried and curled up.
“Well, anyway… … .”
The ashen-haired woman who came up to us trailed off.
Her eyes were now focused on Riley and Olivia.
“hmm?”
She happened to see Olivia crouching and shivering, and frowned.
“Hey, look at him? He’s in a total panic.”
She looked at Olivia with pitiful eyes.
“What on earth does Grandpa Theobald tell us to watch out for when dealing with guys like that?”
“Miss Dorothy, you still must not let your guard down.”
“I know, I know… … .”
The woman had a very displeased expression on her face.
“No matter what, I have to give it my all against a brat and a coward like that?”
“… … .”
“Hey, kid. Don’t you think that’s a little unreasonable?”
The ashen-haired woman suddenly asked Riley a question.
She looked down at us with a leisurely smile.
“It’s practically a two-on-one. What good would a friend from the Blaze Arcane School be if he were shivering over there?”
“… … .”
“You don’t think you can handle us alone, do you?”
I know.
It was a very unfavorable fight.
In wizard combat, numbers are everything.
If the number of hands to deal with increases to two, the battle becomes that much more difficult.
“Surrender. Rebecca is already dead. Grandpa Theobald is serious about her.”
“… … .”
“You’ve already failed this exam.”
Becky is currently fighting Garon Theobald alone in another space.
No matter how great a wizard Becky is, it would be difficult for her to face the High Command alone.
It was a kind of time attack.
Before Becky dies, Riley breaks through those two and joins them.
Or maybe Becky dies and I just fail this test.
‘Can you do it?’
[well.]
The chances were slim.
Needless to say, the situation was unfavorable for us.
Those two wizards blocking our path also looked like veterans who had reached the mid-level of the middle ranks.
Riley’s worries grew longer.
When there was no answer, the ashen-haired woman spoke to him in a urging tone.
“We don’t want to fight with you either. This is a pointless fight for both of us. Don’t you think so?”
“… … .”
“But, well, if you really want to fight.”
Kkwaddd …
“As Grandpa Theobald had instructed, we will never let you off.”
A thud echoed through the air and clouds of dust rose from all directions.
The ground shook as if there was an earthquake.
I could immediately pinpoint the source.
bowels of the earth.
Something was rising from deep beneath the floor.
Pavabababak──!
flower.
Hundreds of colorful flowers burst through the dirt.
The problem was that they were all the size of a house.
The flower buds are in full bloom.
The flowers were waiting for their prey, their mouths licking their lips like they had mouths open.
‘This is… … .’
Riley muttered, looking at the flowers.
‘… … So this is why you moved us to the garden.’
Hundreds of colorful carnivorous plants faced us.
It was truly an overwhelming sight.
Did he read Riley’s expression? The green-haired man who had been silently watching us opened his mouth calmly.
“It’s my ability.”
With hundreds of flowers in full bloom behind the backdrop.
He continued speaking slowly.
“To be exact… … I inherited the vision magic of the great archmage Crombel Stingwood.”
“… … .”
Archmage, Crombel Stingwood.
And his vision magic.
This alone would have been overwhelming, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the only enemy we had to deal with.
Sasa sasa sak─!
Tall flowers.
The shadows spread out beneath it began to stir.
The wriggling shadows organically intertwined, forming a single living thing beneath the dirt floor.
Crunch, crunch crunch─!
The shadow moved freely at the gesture of the ashen-haired woman.
The shadow began to move and come to life.
“… … .”
[… … .]
There are hundreds of colorful flowers on the ground.
And underground, hundreds of dark shadows.
Flowers of opposing tendencies were in full bloom.
[under.]
When I saw that sight, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Carnivorous plant.
And the shadows of these guys.
It was truly a fantastic combination.
“Little one.”
“… … .”
“We don’t want to fight you either. As I said before, fighting a wizard of a lower level than us would be a blow to our pride.”
The ashen-haired woman continued speaking in a soft voice.
“So just surrender.”
“… … .”
“You’re still young anyway. Even if it’s not this year’s selection test, you’ll have plenty of opportunities.”
Riley was silent.
Instead of answering the woman’s words, she whispered something quietly to me.
‘Your Majesty.’
[why.]
‘What do you think?’
Riley added.
‘Do you think I can beat them?’
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I looked closely at my opponent.
[… … .]
I have lived for thousands and tens of thousands of years, faced countless enemies, and experienced countless defeats and victories.
And in the midst of such processes.
I gained one ability.
Combat power meter.
A sense that can gauge the opponent’s fighting power.
[Riley.]
This combat power meter of mine was telling me one thing.
It is possible.
The current fight has a good chance of winning.
[Didn’t I tell you this half a year ago?]
Half a year ago.
That’s what I told Riley when we first arrived at Richie’s hideout.
[The selection test is a competition. It is no different from a fight between the candidates.]
“… … .”
And on Earth, my hometown, there exists a book called The Art of War, which contains the surefire method to win this battle.
[There is a saying that if you keep your distance, you will lose a hundred battles.]
If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not be in danger even if you fight a hundred battles.
[Riley, who do you think you need to be most careful with here right now?]
After hearing my question, Riley immediately gave an answer.
‘We must prioritize targeting that man who controls the plants.’
[Why?]
‘In fact, that person is the main character of the combo. If all the flowers disappear, the shadow plants controlled by the woman will naturally disappear as well.’
[That’s correct.]
We just need to subdue that green-haired man.
Then the shadows will lose their subject and disappear.
[But that guy is quite a dangerous enemy. No wonder, the ability he uses is Crombel Stingwood’s vision magic.]
Archmage, Crombel Stingwood.
His vision magic was to summon plants as summoning creatures.
You can use thorny vines to bind your opponents, or use the spores of a poisonous mushroom to paralyze your opponents.
It is also possible to create man-eating plants to directly attack enemies.
“… … .”
As it was an unprecedented form of magic, it was quite a difficult enemy to deal with.
This was especially true in a situation like now where plants were strewn everywhere.
[But here’s a question.]
I asked Riley.
[Who on earth raised the great wizard Crombel Stingwood?]
“… … .”
Riley didn’t answer.
Just smile.
[You know the story of Crombel Stingwood. And the background to how his vision magic came to be.]
Half a year ago.
Looking at the statues of the great wizards erected in the square of the system.
I told Riley.
Their story.
Their anecdotes.
In my past, I was so nostalgic that I told Riley every story about my students.
When Riley heard the story, sometimes she laughed, sometimes she looked serious, and sometimes she looked sad.
If you keep at it, you will lose a hundred battles.
If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not be in danger through a hundred battles.
-Hey, Crombel.
-yes?
-What do you like?
And I.
-It’s a plant.
-… … .
-Glimur, I like growing plants.
We knew very well the enemies we were going to face now.
