The forest of the uncharted lands. Demonic energy surged, and amid the living demon trees and their thorny vines, Allen sat.
“One…… two…… three…….”
He counted the stars as he looked up at the sky.
Small yet enormous fragments, shining in that faraway world. Allen closed his eyes and agonized over his own future and that of his clan.
“You should be in the middle of a mission. Is it all right for you to leave your post?”
At the voice that rang out then, Allen turned in that direction.
“Take this.”
Lilia Primienne. A woman who had once been judged by the Grand Elder to possess the qualities to become a lamp for their clan. She handed him a file.
“Burn it as soon as you read it.”
“…….”
[Report on Jeokgwe Village: The Reality of Jeokgwe Terrorism]
[On the Management of Jeokgwe Camps and the Disposal of Prisoners]
[Bettan’s Development of “Classification Magic”]
[Proposal for Camp Gas Chambers]
[Expansion of Rohalak’s Scale]
A total of four topics. They were confidential documents related to the full-scale suppression of the Jeokgwe. Allen asked about one of them.
“Gas chambers?”
“Sealed spaces filled with toxic air. A mad scheme to put our clan inside and massacre them.”
Allen closed his mouth. No matter how he thought about it, he could not understand.
Since when had the continent become like this? Was the crime of the Jeokgwe truly nothing more than being born Jeokgwe?
“How long do you intend to keep playing at theater beside Deculein? Once this bill goes into effect, it will be too late.”
Allen looked at Primienne. Primienne’s face was expressionless, but Allen could discern the complicated feelings hidden within.
“Do you know what the Professor said to me?”
Allen spoke. Primienne shook her head.
“Deculein’s name appears many times in those proposals. There are many things that professor personally agreed to.”
“It isn’t on the gas chamber proposal.”
“……In any case. It is true that the professor agrees with the suppression. The Jeokgwe he has slaughtered would fill a truck.”
To the Jeokgwe tribe living in hiding, Deculein’s name was more than that of a reaper. Many among the clan would rather be mauled to death by a tiger than be caught by him.
“He even had children confined in Rohalak.”
“But no children have died in Rohalak. And the Professor said children are different, at least. In any era, in any moment, children alone are without fault.”
“…….”
Primienne clicked her tongue.
Why had the most cold-blooded one among the clan become like this? Just what had he seen in Deculein?
“The higher-ups want the professor assassinated.”
“No. The Grand Elder would never give such an order—”
“Elesol wants it. Your own blood kin.”
“…….”
Allen looked at Primienne.
Elesol. It was a name he had not heard in quite a long time.
“The Grand Elder does not have much life left. Since Karixel is in Rohalak, Elesol will command the Jeokgwe now.”
“If we assassinate the Professor, the suppression of the Jeokgwe will only worsen.”
“They are prepared for war. Rather than let our clan die like dogs trapped in gas, rather than sit by and watch.”
Primienne had lately been feeling the tension slowly tightening around them.
The classification magic invented by Bettan. The day when that damned Blood Demon would reach even high-ranking officials was not far off.
“They are gas chambers, Allen. In no history of this continent has there ever been a record of humans being massacred in such a way.”
At that, Allen asked back dryly.
“……What do you think, Primienne? Do you want me to kill the Professor?”
“…….”
Primienne did not answer. In truth, Deculein remained as a somewhat special memory to her as well, so she merely stared straight at Allen for a while before shaking her head.
“Leave before winter ends. Since this is Reccordak, your method of withdrawal should look natural. Your new identity has already been decided. And even if it isn’t you, Elesol will try to kill Deculein anyway.”
“……It’s about time for me to return.”
Allen rose to his feet. He took a single step, and with that stride closed a distance of thousands of meters.
In other words, he vanished from the forest.
“…….”
Left alone, Primienne looked at her watch.
4:13 a.m.
By now, Deculein must have awakened from sleep as well.
* * *
Scratch, scratch— scratch, scratch—
I was writing formulas and magic circles with a fountain pen. It was the final part of the “Advanced Lecture,” the remote exam.
[1. The following is a certain magic circle to which the Iron Man’s theory has been applied. Interpret it correctly, then predict and describe the utility and results of the magic.]
A question that gathered only the essence of what I had taught thus far. If there were an answer sheet for this exam, and if a student submitted a proper answer, its length would be longer and larger than that of most theses.
Therefore, I could say with pride that its difficulty was—
Atrocious.
Scratch, scratch— scratch, scratch—
The exam questions I had written so far amounted to seven pages. The mana consumed was roughly five thousand.
I planned to set six questions, but had yet to complete even one, so it would likely require more than eighty thousand mana and nearly two weeks of time.
Scratch, scratch— scratch, scratch—
When I had squandered half my mana on 「Comprehension」, I looked at the clock.
5 a.m.
Knock, knock—
Just then, a knock rang out. I opened the door.
“Professor. Have you been well?”
The guest beyond the threshold bent at the waist at an angle.
“……Primienne? What is it?”
“I have brought an agenda item. May I come in?”
I nodded. She trudged in and sat down on a chair.
“…….”
“…….”
There was silence for a moment. I looked the Deputy Director of Public Safety up and down.
She looked like some sort of Eskimo. A thick padded coat and a hat covered in fur.
“Do you dislike the cold?”
“Yes.”
“I understand you are from the North.”
“I dislike the cold. Even someone from the North can dislike the cold, can they not?”
“……I suppose.”
Primienne placed crystal orbs on the executive desk. There were three in total.
“This is a remote meeting regarding Sylvia. If you are able to attend, please do.”
They seemed to be crystal orbs connected to executives of the Intelligence Bureau and Public Safety Bureau. The meeting request was somewhat sudden, but I had promised with my own mouth to provide counsel regarding Sylvia’s matter.
“……Very well.”
“Yes. Beginning connection.”
When I nodded, Primienne infused mana into the crystal orb.
“Ah, ah. Can you hear me, Director?”
─…….
“Ah, ah. Director. Ah, ah.”
─…….
“Hey.”
—Hm? I can hear you. Is that Primienne?
“……Yes. The Professor is beside me.”
—Ah! Professor. A pleasure to meet you. I am Dron, Director of Public Safety.
“A pleasure.”
Primienne connected to the second orb as well. This time, it was the Intelligence Bureau.
—A pleasure to meet you, Professor. This is the Intelligence Bureau. Due to the nature of our work, please understand that we cannot state our ranks or names.
“I don’t mind. Get to the point.”
—Yes. We intend to raise Sylvia’s surveillance level.
“The reason?”
—It has been confirmed that Sylvia and Rohakan made contact.
I listened in silence. I did not reveal any expression. Primienne was trying to read my face, but it was laughable.
—Rohakan is a Black Beast-class criminal. Therefore, anyone who contacts and cooperates with him while knowing his identity becomes a target of surveillance under imperial law. Yet Sylvia has done so not once, but several times. It could be called collusion.
“Do you have evidence?”
—Yes. Primienne has it.
I turned to Primienne. She handed me several photographs from within her coat.
Sylvia and Idnik conversing with Rohakan at an inn.
It must be evidence the Intelligence Bureau had obtained directly.
—What do you think?
“……Did the Intelligence Bureau take these themselves?”
—It is evidence we received from an informant.
“There is no lunatic in this world who would take pictures of an inn with a camera and then report them.”
—…….
“Vulgar fools……. If this sort of paparazzi behavior is discovered, the masters at the inn will bombard you. Hide your faces as much as possible.”
—Yes.
Tch— I clicked my tongue.
“At any rate, since the circumstances of her contact with Rohakan are this clear, raising her surveillance level is only natural.”
—Yes. That is correct.
It was the answer the Intelligence Bureau wanted.
“However, refrain as much as possible from physical contact or close surveillance.”
—Yes. However, the targets of surveillance are not only those two. Deputy Director Primienne?
At that, Primienne handed over several more photographs.
Evidence kept popping out of that thick padded coat.
“…….”
I looked at the photographs in silence.
—Likewise, this is an inn on the Floating Island. The Red Garnet Adventurer Corps.
Seats at an inn. Ganesha and Rohakan were sitting face-to-face.
Up to that point, there was no issue. Even if Ganesha went off the rails, she was not a Named who could be shot dead by the Intelligence Bureau.
However.
—The ones beside Ganesha may be unfamiliar to you. They are children named Lia, Leo, and Carlos, respectively. They are from the Archipelago.
I set the photographs down. The moment I saw a face resembling Yoo Ara’s, my mood sank, and the moment I saw the half-human, half-demon’s mug, anger surged up.
—All of them conducted a transaction with Rohakan.
“……And? What exactly are you telling me to do? They should have nothing to do with me.”
This time, Primienne answered.
“They are currently here in Reccordak.”
“……Those bastards are? Are you certain?”
My brow naturally furrowed. Primienne calmly nodded.
“Yes. I made contact with them personally.”
—Professor, you are currently judged to be the only magician in the Empire capable of opposing Rohakan. Furthermore, they may be on their way to contact Rohakan. Therefore, if you would make an effort, Her Majesty Sophien will surely grant a fitting reward.
The only magician capable of opposing Rohakan…… If Rohakan exerted his full power, I would be cut to pieces without even being able to respond.
Had they deliberately excluded Adrienne because she was on bad terms with the officials?
“Has this been reported to Her Majesty?”
—Not yet.
I looked at Primienne again.
“If you made contact, did you simply let them go?”
“No. You insult me. Surely you don’t think I would do that.”
Primienne raised her arm. Mana was rippling around her fingers.
“I attached ‘strings’ to those children. They are still within Reccordak.”
“…….”
I nodded.
“For now, we wait. The screening is still in full swing, so there is no need to cause an unnecessary commotion.”
“Yes. Then where shall I stay? Professor. Please tell me.”
Primienne asked. Her tone was slightly shameless.
“Stay anywhere in the prison.”
“Yes. This mansion appears rather spacious.”
“…….”
“The living room alone will be sufficient. Thank you.”
Primienne bowed her head. Then she trudged down to the first floor.
* * *
─Yes. This mansion appears rather spacious. The living room alone will be sufficient. Thank you.
Sylvia quietly opened her eyes. She had just listened to the conversation between Primienne and Deculein.
“……Jeokgwe.”
However, what mattered was what had happened even earlier than that.
Sylvia had found Primienne’s sudden appearance in the North suspicious, and had secretly watched her.
That was how she discovered the truth.
“Primienne is Jeokgwe. Deculein’s assistant is also Jeokgwe.”
They could not be blamed for carelessness in being discovered. To begin with, no one could live in the demon forest of the Land of Extinction, and thus it was only natural there would be no listening ears.
Moreover, Sylvia’s magic 「Wind」, developed solely for Deculein, had now reached a level where perception itself was impossible unless one was approaching the rank of archmage.
“…….”
There were Jeokgwe beside Deculein. Jeokgwe who bore grudges against Deculein were there. Jeokgwe who had ordered Deculein’s assassination were lying in wait beneath his feet.
Sylvia closed her eyes. She thought deeply.
“No.”
However, she still could not simply stand by.
No, she must not stand by.
Deculein must die by my hands. The right to kill Deculein belongs solely to me.
It cannot be yielded to the likes of the Jeokgwe.
“…….”
She slowly rose to her feet. She left her temporary underground residence and came up to the surface.
A white, cold world.
Sylvia slowly walked along the snow-covered road.
Crunch— crunch—
She trampled over the piled snow, marring it.
…….
Meanwhile, in the uncharted lands where a campfire crackled and burned, Epherene was counting the number of monsters she had hunted with her team.
“One, two, three, four, five, six…… We have thirty-three.”
A total of thirty-three. No small achievement. She felt proud of herself for no particular reason.
“What about you?”
Epherene asked Julie’s team, whom they had happened to meet and joined up with.
Julie answered briefly.
“Mm. Thirty-one. Congratulations on your victory.”
“Heheh. Ah, it looks like the food is almost ready.”
Epherene took out the potatoes and the pot she had left in the campfire. Today’s menu was chicken soup and steamed potatoes with ketchup.
“Here, here. Let’s eat together~”
While Epherene was portioning the food onto the dishes, Gwen, who had been standing blankly beside Drent, snapped her fingers as if something had just occurred to her.
Then she took some documents from inside her coat.
“Oh, right. Julie. Want to read this?”
“……What is this?”
“A mage scouting report. You don’t know, do you? There are others besides Deculein.”
“Ah!”
Epherene showed interest. She handed potatoes and soup to Sirio, then hurried over.
“May I see it too? The professor’s report……”
She spoke excitedly, then glanced at Julie’s expression.
Julie shook her head without showing much reaction.
“It’s fine. Let’s read it together.”
“Ah, yes…… Thank you!”
Epherene carefully edged closer and sat beside her.
[Imperial Knights Scouting Report]
“It’s confidential, okay? You can’t tell anyone I showed it to you.”
At Gwen’s words, she nodded, and just as she was about to read through the report, luxurious even in the quality of its paper—
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr─────!
A vicious roar shook the very earth.
Both teams’ eyes flew open as they straightened. They took up their weapons. They wrapped their entire bodies in aura.
“……”
“……”
In an instant, a terrifying silence settled over them.
Epherene felt like she knew what that cry had been.
“A-A tiger……”
Her bracelet began to glow in many colors. Having experienced the majesty of a tiger firsthand through the “Voice,” her breath caught in her throat.
“Shh. Do not panic. Fortunately, it is far away.”
───────!
A vibration that seemed to tear apart heaven, earth, and the mountain ridges. A wave of mana spreading like a gale.
Whoooosh……
The wind slowly pushed in and swept over their bodies. The spirit and mana mingled within it were sharp enough to cut.
“Guys? This is no joke, is it?”
By this point, Epherene was not the only one bewildered. Goosebumps rose across the skin of Julie, Gwen, Sirio, and the other knights.
“Is it a Mountain Lord?”
Debrun spoke seriously.
Epherene was greatly startled.
“Moun…… tain Lord?”
A Mountain Lord. It was correct to regard it as the ultimate tiger. Even if the archmage Demakan and the guardian knight Gefried faced one, victory could not be guaranteed……
“No. It is not a Mountain Lord. If it were a Mountain Lord, there would actually be no need to worry.”
Julie said. As she said, a Mountain Lord did not pick fights with humans or magical beasts. Nor did it roar so noisily.
For in human terms, it was already no different from an “immortal who had transcended the secular world.”
“……It’s a Great Tiger.”
Gwen said.
A Great Tiger was the stage just before a Mountain Lord. A leader-class tiger that still lived in the mundane world and flaunted its strength.
“Judging by its roar, it seems to be an Evil Tiger among them.”
“An, Evil Tiger……”
Epherene’s breathing grew more and more strained.
An Evil Tiger meant exactly what the characters implied: a wicked tiger. A tiger with an evil nature that picked fights with everything it encountered, breaking and killing whatever it could.
It was a beast far more dangerous than a magical beast.
Grrrrrr──────!
The third roar. At the same time, a thunderous explosion erupted on a distant ridge. Mana surged up as if boiling, and the entire mountain warped.
“At that level, it is definitely a Great Tiger. Let us retreat for now. I will tell the other teams the same.”
Julie took out a crystal ball. Of course, everyone must have heard that clamorous roar, but it still had to be relayed through the central reporting system.
“This is Julie. We have sighted a Great Tiger……”
At that moment, an alarm bell rang in her mind. The aura of death flashed past without warning.
Julie carried Epherene on her back faster than anyone. Gwen carried Drent.
Sirio also took a stance to run.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaa───!
Lightning raced horizontally. A flash of light hurtled forward, smashing every feature of the terrain beyond.
The shockwave through the earth distorted the entire space, and through it arrived a bizarre creature wrapped in mana and blood. It revealed irises glowing a sickly yellow. It radiated a chilling sharpness.
Grrrrrrrr──!
It was a tiger’s charge, leaving not even an afterimage behind.
“You’ve got to be insane!”
From that far-off place, in less than a second, the tiger reached Julie’s group.
The beast, as large as a house, lunged with its jaws wide open…….