NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 75. I was invited.
While struggling between life and death.
Plane had a terrible nightmare.
No, is it a nightmare?
He was left alone in the middle of the Hamern Forest, heading somewhere.
I struggled through the bushes, scratched my face on the branches, and fell over and over again.
'But… where were you going?'
A question close to the unconscious.
The answer came to me without difficulty.
'… … Yes. Base Camp 1. A place with stupid mercenaries who don't really seem like mercenaries.'
But why was he heading there?
I was the type of person who didn't usually have very good feelings about the first base camp.
No, is it just not good?
It was negative.
'After two hundred years of doing this, isn't it time to stop?'
A petty jealousy. To be honest, it was envy.
But why was he going to the first base camp?
Why, Fixer? Why did I run so desperately to meet that old fart?
I don't remember.
However, it was just desperate.
– Keeek… … !
– Big!
Monsters of the great forest blocking every step.
Even though I was on the verge of death countless times in that grip, in those teeth, in those claws, only one thought came to my mind.
'Pixar, you have to meet Pixar.'
You must meet the chief of Base Camp 1.
I met that un-mercenary chief… … .
'I met the Chief… What did I do?'
Hold on.
'Chief? Chief… … Ah! Chief.'
It was at that moment that a scene that had been sinking darkly suddenly rose to the surface.
Chief.
guv.
Why did he want to meet the chief of another camp instead of his own?
– Live.
With his heart pierced, his eyes lose their light.
A black energy that disappears with a whoosh, as if turning back time in a cup soaked in ink.
Eyes turning gray.
– You are the chief.
'The chief… is dead.'
The owner of the Big Tima has passed away.
There were no warning signs.
A pale hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It pierced my heart.
and…….
– Slurp.
Beyond the collapsing body, a single visible shape.
The black robe that wraps around his entire body is dark as if it contains all kinds of impurities, but the eyes that sparkle beneath the hood are innocent.
Like a child observing a bug out of curiosity.
'……devil.'
If there is a demon that exists only in mythology, would it be in that form?
Amidst the instinctive fear, a wildfire of anger soon filled my heart.
'That bastard… … .'
No, I must avenge the Chief.
It was then that light entered Plan's retina.
“Huh!”
A deep breath that goes deep into the lungs and then suddenly passes through the throat and is exhaled!
At that moment, someone's voice rang in my ear.
“No, Wizard. No matter what, if you hit someone who's unconscious like that… Huh? He's really awake?”
It was a voice that sounded somehow familiar.
This frivolous voice… … Yes, the Pathfinder who, while blatantly wandering through the forest, manages to preserve his life amazingly.
'Railey… was it?'
But why does my cheek hurt so much?
I absentmindedly placed my hand on my cheek, and soon a clear image formed on my retina, which had adapted to the light.
It's tied up… … .
“……Huh!”
If the breathing a moment ago was an exhalation, now it was the opposite.
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When faced with unexpected fear, the act of momentarily holding one's breath due to an inability to control one's breathing.
“……Who, who?”
Plan calmed his startled heart and looked at the person holding his collar.
The appearance was quite peculiar.
Dark gray hair and a black mask.
But, those eyes… … .
Gulp.
As Flan swallowed his saliva under the indescribable pressure, a voice rang in his ear.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Wh, what…….”
"What happened here? If you answer honestly, your life will be spared… Ah, isn't this it? Anyway."
“If it’s here…….”
Plane looked around with a bewildered look.
But, something feels familiar.
From the wooden barrier visible behind the masked man, there are guard posts erected at regular intervals.
And even the tents located underneath it.
“Could it be, the second base camp…?”
Why are you here?
'I was definitely… heading to Base Camp 1.'
However, Aster's group did not wait for Plan to fully grasp the situation.
"I understand your confusion. I'll explain it step by step. But I think it would be better to answer the wizard's question."
“What the heck are you all doing… Ah, no. First of all… Okay.”
Flan exerted superhuman discernment, suppressing his inner turmoil.
I don't know who it is, but the masked person's gaze was truly eerie.
“But before that… what happened to our chief?”
“He’s dead.”
“…….”
Flan kept his mouth shut at Pixar's answer.
One, that too is temporary.
“I see, that’s what happened. But what happened…?”
Judging by the nuances, it seemed that Chief Hallig wasn't the only one who had a change of heart.
Perhaps, something happened throughout the entire Second Base Camp… … .
“For now, I will tell you only the part that I remember.”
Plan immediately shook his hand away and wanted to look at the other members, but first he answered the masked man's question.
And when that explanation was over.
“Hmm, so that’s what happened?”
It was then that the masked man let go of his collar.
A mask that walks somewhere with a swaying sound.
Plane followed the figure blankly with a possessed expression, then turned his gaze away.
“……I’d like to check out the second base camp. Is that okay?”
“I think it would be better not to look…….”
“……?”
The answer of the pixie who doesn't understand English.
Plan frowned slightly and then stood up.
“I don’t know what you mean, but I have a duty to check.”
– You are the chief.
Now he was the chief of the Victima.
Even though he was left alone, the responsibility his chief had placed on his shoulders did not go away.
The name Victima has not faded.
Pixar, who confirmed that intention, nodded.
“Then… let’s go to the central square.”
“……Yes, then.”
Flan looked into Pixar's eyes, which seemed somewhat worried, and then nodded.
And not long after.
… … !
A scream echoed through the second base camp.
… … ! … … ! … … … … !
It was the echo of a beast that had lost its language, something that did not seem human at all.
* * *
When the screams echoed through the second base camp.
“……You were here.”
Pixar noticed Aster on the guard post at the back door and started walking.
Aster's gaze was fixed on the Hamern Forest, and Pixar looked at him for a moment before opening his mouth.
“You are… quite cruel.”
"I?"
"Yeah. Can't you hear that sound? Is there a reason you showed that tragedy to Plan?"
Originally, Aviot's mercenaries attempted to collect the dead as soon as they discovered the tragedy.
one.
– Let's just leave it for now.
Aster steps forward and blocks.
The mercenaries tilted their heads, unable to understand English.
Some even showed slight resistance to Aster's instructions.
However, Aster's will was stubborn.
– Just leave it. I'll take care of it today.
At first I thought it was to find traces of a monster, but… … .
'That wasn't it either.'
The first time Aster looked at the tragedy was the last time.
“I have to see the end of my colleagues with my own two eyes.”
“……I don’t think that’s a good choice.”
"For now, yes. But wouldn't it be better than holding it in your heart for a long time?"
“That too to some extent… um. No, that’s not it.”
The pixie cut off the horse.
For some reason, Aster's back as he looked at the vast forest felt empty.
'It's as if… …you've lost countless comrades.'
In fact, who hasn't lost a colleague?
However, the wizard in front of me felt a little different.
As I said, he seems like a person who has lost countless comrades, but has never heard of them, let alone seen their last.
One, that's that.
“I think it’s time to tell you.”
Pixar has been with us since the day he picked up Plane and until today, when he arrived at the second base camp.
I let out the question I had been harboring.
"What did you see that day? What was that rat thing? Was it somehow related to the man in the black robe that Plan mentioned earlier?"
The man in the black robe that Plane spoke of.
Suddenly, without warning or sound, he appeared and pierced Hallig's heart.
Ask him.
It was then that Aster turned his gaze away from the forest.
“I guess I’ll have to consider it one of those groups.”
"company?"
“Because there are more than one or two.”
“Hmm… I guess so.”
Pixar nodded as if he understood.
The tragedy at Base Camp 2.
Everyone held their breath in the central square of Base Camp 2, with no one able to escape.
It was a complete annihilation.
Even for someone who had reached a high level, it was impossible to slaughter all the mercenaries in one place like that.
So, we have no choice but to view it as a group.
“So, what did you find out that day?”
“What did you find out…….”
Aster folded his arms and stared at the ground.
To be honest, I didn't find out anything in particular.
– Heh, heh. It's the prophet's order. He's just bait to lead you to a place with more sacrifices.
– Bait?
"Tremble in fear, you lowly sorcerer. He has marked you. A restless death awaits you."
The full-scale investigation hasn't even begun.
After saying that, he suddenly disappeared.
It was a suicide.
Of course, the word 'scream' means 'scream', but it was far from an ordinary suicide.
– Passus-
As if all the moisture had drained out.
The shape that crumbles into sand.
All that was left was an ominously black pile of ashes and some clothes.
Even the ashes were scattered and fluttered in the wind.
After all, the only evidence of his existence is the blood on his hands and the shabby clothes.
but.
'It's not like I found out nothing.'
The stealth magic he used.
It is different from the general stealth magic.
It wasn't that he was hiding in the shadows, but that he was literally absorbed into them.
‘It didn’t seem to be very stable, but… … .’
The collision effect interferes with the magic power, so the fusion with the shadow is easily broken.
It was thanks to that that I was able to pull him out.
Anyway, there was another clue.
The ominous aura emitted by the man who committed suicide.
‘It was definitely… …magic energy.’
No, it's refined, so I guess you could call it black magic.
Aster relayed these facts to Pixar.
Of course, excluding any part about 'Magi'.
“Hmm… Unidentified wizards.”
Pixar, who had heard the circumstances, slightly wrinkled his face.
“Why… at this time? What on earth is your purpose?”
"……well."
Aster shrugged.
Of course, it's not that there's no way to guess.
'Only black magicians accumulate magic. So… … .'
The Golden Horse Society, Salvatium.
A past life's ill fate. Sinister, secretly active entities that became entangled while defeating Prizen.
They were powerful.
Aster recalled the information about Salvatium he had heard from Professor Felina several times.
– Not all warlocks belong to the Salvation. However, regardless of affiliation, the Salvation stands above all warlocks. The reason is…
'Did you say it was because of the existence of those guys called Geummasa?'
A being who has mastered forbidden magic like the black magicians, but on a different path.
'underneath…….'
An image appeared in Aster's mind.
The man in the black robe that Plane spoke of.
'Is he a forbidden magician?'
It could have been one of the many warlocks, but I had a strong feeling it was going to be him.
If all these speculations are true.
‘Their goal is probably… … .’
Destroy.
It was clear.
From what I heard from Professor Felina, Salvatium is said to be moving towards evil things like the Demon Realm.
'No, whatever.'
Aster gathered his thoughts and raised his head again.
In front of the observation post.
Amidst the dense undergrowth, the large trees grew densely, blocking the view.
And in between.
Clink, clink.
Grasshoppers crying at regular intervals.
Whatever the purpose, it is faster to see it with your own eyes than to think about it a thousand times.
That too, like this… … .
'If you invite me blatantly, that is.'
Aster smiled bitterly at the presence of his familiars lined up as if guiding them along the way.
“Let’s put those complicated thoughts aside for now and just stay here for today.”
“……Hmm, yeah. I guess that’s what we need to do to recruit Victima’s mercenaries. But……”
After saying that, Pixar lowered his gaze.
Aster, who had been next to me, was now positioned beneath the guard post, beyond the barrier.
“Where are you going?”
Aster answered the question without looking back.
“I was invited, you know.”
"invite?"
Pixar tilted his head in confusion for a moment, then seemed to realize something and said, 'No way…'
“Those… unidentified wizards? Well, then I’ll go with you… um.”
Pixar couldn't finish his sentence.
Because, before I knew it, Aster had disappeared.
but.
[If I don't return by tomorrow morning, leave first. I'll catch up with you soon.]
Only the magic of the message ripples in his ears.
“What the heck…….”
Pixar stared blankly in the direction he thought Aster might have been heading.
‘… … He’s a man with many secrets.’
They generally reveal all the information, but keep the most crucial parts hidden.
He's a completely unknown guy.
“Tsk.”
Pixar thought about it that far, then quickly turned around and jumped down from the guard post.
'It's not something I should be curious about.'
All he had to do was escort and guide the group to the 4th base camp.
But why is that?
“…….”
Fixer looks back several times.
There was a faint worry in those eyes that I didn't even notice myself.