Chapter 651
“Minister Martin!”
“I’ve confirmed it.”
Martin motioned to his rushing subordinate to hold back. Far off, the dragons scouting above the Mage’s Forest had all been brought down by a golden net.
The black-armored knights were involved too, but no one knew exactly what had happened. The only option was to send out scouts again to investigate.
“Hmm.”
But what if they sent more and they fell again? It would be like pouring water into a bottomless pit.
Rubbing his beard thoughtfully, Martin frowned. Since this was the forest where the mages lived, could there be some strange phenomenon at work? If not, then what on earth was that golden net? After a moment’s hesitation, he turned and approached Lady Darcy’s carriage.
knock knock
“Lady Darcy, are you well enough to speak for a moment?”
At his call, Lady Darcy drew back the curtain. She seemed to have been knitting, judging by the scattered yarn strewn about the spacious interior. She peered out with a questioning look.
“Why the delay? The carriage has been stopped for quite some time.”
“An unusual phenomenon has been detected in the Mage’s Forest. All the dragons sent to scout have crashed. Is it possible to communicate with the mages?”
“Communicate? Hmm, I’m not sure.”
It would be helpful to get more information, but Lady Darcy just shrugged.
“It’s a difficult matter. If there’s a problem, can’t we just avoid the Mage’s Forest? Hohoho.”
“That would change our route. It might not seem like much now, but the distance to Hielo would increase significantly, requiring a report to the palace.”
“Hmm. How complicated.”
So, does that mean it’s possible to reverse the mages’ ritual, or not?
Martin tapped on the carriage window, urging an answer, but Lady Darcy only smiled serenely and remained silent. Whether it was possible or not, it seemed she had no intention of trying.
“Well, I suppose we’ll have to see for ourselves. I’ll send Vitor. Since I’m linked to his sight, we’ll know immediately if there’s trouble.”
Martin glanced toward the Mage’s Forest. Whatever was happening, the vast woods seemed to tremble slightly. Flocks of birds took flight here and there, and the ridges shook faintly—signs of disturbance.
He reluctantly stepped back.
“Very well. Let’s proceed that way for now. But until we know the cause, we cannot send more dragons.”
“As you wish. Despite appearances, Vitor is a mage. If you tell him to hurry, he’ll fly there and back without fail. Just a moment—I’ll tidy up here before we depart.”
Lady Darcy winked one eye, and Martin turned away with a displeased expression.
No matter how you looked at it, she was a sly one. Outwardly cooperative, yet never revealing her hand, always trying to seize control.
‘Is this going to be alright?’
Martin pulled out a cigarette, frustrated that he had no choice but to follow the king’s orders.
Just as he was about to light it—
Rumble—
An unexplained vibration shook the ground. At first, he thought it was an earthquake, but something felt different.
Martin hurriedly raised his telescope and confirmed his suspicion. A massive plume of gray smoke was billowing over the forest canopy. The meaning was clear.
‘A battle is raging in the Mage’s Forest.’
Who could it be? Was there a mage hiding in the woods?
No, even if there were, they wouldn’t attack dragons and black-armored knights. The natural response would be to stay hidden. Attacking them meant this was an opposing force.
‘Bariel’s side?’
If Bariel’s mages had come this far, it would explain the golden net—a type of magic, perhaps.
But Hielo had burned, and most of Bariel’s mages were in Kalamath. It was impossible they’d been contacted so quickly.
Martin flicked ash from his cigarette, eyes fixed on the forest. The officers and soldiers around him were tense, all staring toward the dense woods.
“Ugh…”
“Oh ho! I’m coming through! Please step aside—the smell’s getting worse.”
“Minister, that’s Vitor the mage.”
Soon, Vitor staggered forward. Everyone covered their noses and stepped back from the foul stench. His necrosis seemed to be worsening.
Lady Darcy manipulated a puppet attached to her finger, guiding Vitor step by step.
thud, thump
His steps were weak and unsteady. Martin frowned, wondering how long he’d last. But then Vitor’s pace quickened, and he took off, flying toward the Mage’s Forest.
Ugh.
The stench he left behind was overwhelming. Could this really work? Honestly, he looked like a walking corpse, barely holding together. It wouldn’t be surprising if his limbs fell off.
Lady Darcy hummed softly, eyes closed.
“Now, now, everyone be quiet. I’ll go see what’s there.”
Through her third-person vision, the surroundings appeared faint but soon filled with lush greenery. Vitor had safely entered the forest.
She guided him deeper, searching for where the dragons had fallen, and soon found the village where the Luswena mages had lived.
“Oh my.”
“What is it, Lady Darcy? What do you see?”
“There’s someone here. Yes, someone in the forest—a little child and a burly man. I can see the golden net tangled around the tree trunks. Goodness. The dragons and black-armored knights—all of them—”
Lady Darcy hesitated, disbelief in her voice. The dragons lay unconscious, the shattered black armor scattered about. The knights who seemed to own them were crumpled on the ground.
The two people she mentioned—the burly man and the child—noticed Vitor’s sudden arrival and frowned.
“…Ian Hielo?”
“What did you say?”
“He looks like the Minister of Magic.”
“That’s impossible. He’s in Kalamath right now. He can’t be here.”
“Not just impossible—he shouldn’t be here. Not if Luswena’s advance is to succeed. But no matter how I look at it, that’s Ian Hielo.”
Lady Darcy muttered gravely, unfamiliar with the name. Then she tilted her head and flicked her fingers lightly. Vitor trudged forward, heading straight for the two.
“Hah, hah…”
Beric wiped his chin and looked at Ian. The sudden burst of magical power had been intense, yet Ian stood upright, breathing evenly.
Wasn’t this unfair? Beric had been training all day, exhausted, while this pampered noble who barely ate or slept was perfectly fine?
Beric snapped irritably.
“Ian, what did you do?”
“Do what?”
“You just exploded with magic—why are you fine?”
Foolish Beric. Of course, Ian had distributed his magic and idgal wisely.
He had opened the path as he approached the enemy, then switched to idgal to conserve magic as he pressed in. Their opponent was Luswena herself. Without Akorella’s help, he needed to stay calm and manage his strength.
‘My main opponent will be Luswena’s mages.’
Ian turned his head dismissively when Beric tried to say more, and Beric charged at him, laughing.
“Why won’t you answer? Tell me!”
“You’re just lazy with your training.”
“Come on! No one in the guard has taken more hits than me! Nobody fights like I do!”
Ian ignored him and summoned magic between his hands. There were still living dragons and black-armored knights left.
“I’ll trap the dragons with idgal first. Let’s deal with the black-armored knights.”
“Okay. Still, I cracked that guy’s helmet in one hit. They’re definitely tougher than before, but so are we, right?”
Beric wiped his nose and smiled with satisfaction. He could feel his own strength growing alongside their enemies’.
Suddenly, the black-armored knights who had regained consciousness drew their swords and staggered forward. Their stance was surprisingly solid. Ian raised an eyebrow and whispered to Beric.
“Beric. There’s a knight inside the armor.”
“The days of random thugs are over!”
“Be careful. One at a time.”
“No problem—!”
Swish!
Beric leapt with all his might, and the black-armored group lowered their bodies in defense. Ian placed his hand on the ground and summoned idgal.
The knights cursed in frustration.
“Damn it! Again!”
“Careful! That’s not good for the black armor.”
“It’s fine. A few hits and it’ll break!”
The idgal crept up their legs, freezing them in place. But as expected, the idgal shattered after a few movements.
Ian had anticipated this. He quickly brought his right index and middle fingers together and traced a circular magic seal.
Swish!
“Manyo (万葉).”
Behind Ian, a massive ancient tree shot up, its thick branches writhing and crawling like living things. It wasn’t the World Tree—just the nearby trees coming alive.
Those branches wrapped tightly around the arms and legs of the black-armored knights, binding them firmly. Ian poured his magic into the bindings, making sure they wouldn’t break free easily—unlike with Idgal.
“Here we gooo!”
At that moment, Beric, who had been hovering in the air, dropped his sword. The magic blade disintegrated instantly, and he pulled something very small from his pocket.
The knights looking up at the sky froze in confusion. What was that? Something barely the size of a palm…
‘A hammer?’
Clang!
It was a Dera tribe hammer. Beric swung it with all his might, striking precisely on the black armor’s helmet.
“Headshot!”
Clang!
“One more time—headshot!”
His playful battle cries were loud and boisterous, but the impact was undeniable. Ian couldn’t help but watch Beric’s solo rampage in silence.
After a few swings, the helmets shattered like sugar candy—none left intact.
“Heaaadshot!”
With the knights’ heads fully exposed, Beric drew his magic sword again. Having dealt with the black-armored foes more easily than expected, he grinned proudly, resting a hand on his hip and chuckling.
“Ian, I think we could just lie low here and pick off anyone who comes through. This kind of mission’s actually kinda fun.”
“The dragon scouts have already failed twice. They’ll definitely react differently now. Well, watching and responding isn’t a bad plan…”
Ian glanced down at the fallen knights, then suddenly turned around. He sensed an unfamiliar presence behind them. It was hard to describe—something heavy, sticky in the air, not a normal kind of energy.
Beric seemed to notice it too. He slid the hammer back into his pocket and locked eyes with Ian.
“Hey, look over there—”
Thud, thud. A man staggered forward as if drunk. His clothes were fine quality, but the fluids dripping from him told a different story—he was in terrible shape. Ian and Beric both furrowed their brows instinctively.
“Ugh. Ian, what the hell is that?”
“…His clothes look like a Luswena mage’s.”
“No way. Is he a monster? No, doesn’t seem like one. Just looks sick. Ugh.”
Who among the Luswena mages could have transformed into such a state?
The answer was obvious. Someone who had used forbidden magic. How he was still alive, Ian didn’t know, but he was certain.
“Are you the one who came to Hielo?”
“……”
The man stopped, took a few steps, then stopped again—repeating this over and over. He wasn’t right. It was as if he was being controlled by something.
“This is the last time I ask. Are you the one?”
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Ian crouched, gathering his magic. Just as he expected, the man growled a terrible, guttural sound and charged forward.
Ian finished the question he hadn’t yet spoken aloud.
“…Did you kill my family?”