Chapter 38
Luka had also been harboring significant doubts about Chaian’s recent behavior.
Almost every story that came out of Chaian’s mouth lately revolved around one thing.
“Ceres treated me like a beggar at first. Not that she treats me any differently now, to be honest.”
“Is that something to laugh about? You were treated like a beggar.”
Or…
“Luka! Today, Ceres gave me an extra piece of meat!”
“You don’t even like meat that much.”
And even…
“Ceres did this today…”
Lately, Chaian hadn’t missed a single day of visiting that stew shop. But if anyone offered to go with him, he became overly defensive.
“At first, I thought it was because of the mana stone.”
The shop’s owner was rumored to possess the mana stone that Chaian had been desperately searching for. Initially, Luka thought Chaian’s visits were calculated to get his hands on it.
“But that wasn’t it.”
The mana stone seemed to have fallen out of Chaian’s interest.
There was something else in that shop that piqued his curiosity far more.
“Could it be her?”
Chaian had always been the type to easily become obsessed with something and just as quickly lose interest. Luka thought this time would be no different.
Whatever it was, he was sure Chaian would soon grow bored and find something else to focus on.
“But this time, something feels different.”
Watching Chaian urgently use magic to disappear earlier, Luka sensed that something strange was going on.
“What could it be?”
Luka was starting to get curious about what was in that shop and who its owner really was.
***
[Screeech!]
Thud!
[Squeal!]
“Why can’t you rats just stay in the sewers where you belong, instead of chewing up buildings?”
A giant rat that had been gnawing away at a building’s wall collapsed as its head was smashed.
“Been a while since I’ve seen you, filthy Bakura.”
Bakura.
It looked exactly like a rat.
Except it was larger than most adult men.
It not only attacked humans but devoured buildings indiscriminately.
Nothing was safe where they appeared. Their saliva was extremely toxic.
So toxic, in fact, that it could even melt metal.
“Good to see you, I guess.”
Ceres clicked her tongue and rushed toward another Bakura that was vigorously chewing through a nearby building.
[Screech!]
Noticing her, the Bakura lashed out with its claws, spitting venom in her direction.
Smack!
[Squeal!]
“Disgusting. Don’t you have any manners, drooling like that?”
But Ceres was faster, smashing its head with her makeshift weapon.
“Why don’t you ever change?”
Ceres shook her head as she noticed the other Bakura, oblivious to their comrade’s demise, completely engrossed in devouring the buildings.
The Black Forest.
Ceres had ventured into it countless times in her life as Grace.
Not as a healer, but as the head of the Ellsia Count’s Estate, which was once known as the Empire’s sword, it was something she couldn’t ignore.
“You should’ve thought twice before stretching your legs here. Do you know how many of your ancestors I’ve sent to the skies? Nobody’s visited the Black Forest as much as I have.”
Well, maybe one person.
“Kai.”
The Duchy of Persia had just as many Black Forest appearances as this place.
Because of that, Kainel had spent so much time in the Black Forest that he was thoroughly sick of it.
“It would take forever to kill all of you.”
If they swarmed her all at once, it would be easier. But no, she had to hunt them down one by one.
There were two ways to escape the Black Forest.
One was to kill every monster inside it.
The other was…
“Where’s the boss?”
…to take down the final boss of the space.
Doing that would dispel the Black Forest and its inhabitants without the need to hunt every single rat.
“There you are.”
Ceres’ gaze locked onto a distant point where an especially strong presence emanated.
Holding the spotless wooden stick, she disappeared from her spot.
***
“Bakura?”
“Wow, damn.”
“Ugh, this is driving me insane.”
“Why did it have to be them?”
After identifying the creatures destroying buildings and attacking people in the darkness, the mercenaries cursed almost in unison.
“How are we supposed to kill all of them?”
Individually, Bakura weren’t too problematic.
Their massive size and venomous saliva were dangerous, but they weren’t high-class monsters that couldn’t be handled.
The real problem was their sheer numbers.
To escape the Black Forest, they’d have to eliminate every single one of them.
“And what, we’re supposed to take on the boss?”
Who? How?
“Are you crazy? That’s a death sentence!”
The Bakura boss was so strong that even experienced mercenaries wouldn’t dare approach it.
Its toxic aura and sheer size were enough to crush the morale of anyone who saw it.
Charging at the boss with their current numbers was essentially suicide.
“If only the Guild Leader was here.”
At the very least, someone like Skal, the leader of the Black Guild, would be needed to stand a chance.
Even if dozens of mercenaries like them attacked, they wouldn’t be able to scratch it.
“For now, let’s focus on dealing with these things until reinforcements arrive.”
“Yeah, that’s all we can do.”
[Screeech!]
Sensing danger, the Bakura began to shift their attention from the buildings to the mercenaries.
The mercenaries locked eyes with dozens of glowing red eyes in the darkness and swallowed nervously.
Buzz—
“…?!”
It was then.
Just as they unsheathed their weapons, the mercenaries froze in shock.
The Bakura, which had seemed poised to attack, suddenly floated into the air.
[Squeal?]
Woosh!
[Screech!]
And then, a massive flame engulfed their bodies.
Horrific screams echoed as the Bakura were incinerated mid-air, leaving nothing behind.
“What… What just happened?”
The mercenaries were dumbfounded, staring at where the Bakura had been moments earlier.
Were Bakura always this easy to kill?
“Hey there.”
“…!”
A cheerful voice interrupted their thoughts.
Turning, they saw a young man strolling toward them casually.
‘Isn’t that the guy from the stew shop? The one who’s been hanging around a lot lately?’
‘Yeah, him. The one always cracking bad jokes and trying to cut in line.’
‘Yeah, definitely him.’
Recognizing the familiar face, the mercenaries exchanged whispers.
Hadn’t they heard something about him being a mage? Could he have been the one behind the magic just now?
“By the way, have any of you seen the owner of the stew shop?”
Chaian de Devrica’s question was met with blank stares and slow headshakes from the mercenaries.
Chaian sighed deeply.
“Where could she have gone?”
When he visited Where Your Feet Rest earlier, he’d only found Ceres’ younger sibling and the shop staff huddled together.
They’d told him she’d gone out for something urgent, so he’d rushed after her, but no matter where he looked, she was nowhere to be found.
“What’s up with her, seriously?”
Chaian glanced down at his hand.
In it was a small, black stone.
‘What’s that?’
‘Miss Ceres gave it to me. She called it a defensive stone.’
‘…’
When he saw the black stone that Colin had been holding, Chaian had been rendered speechless.
He barely resisted the urge to run back to his lab and analyze it immediately.
‘How did she even make something like this?’
The magical formulas embedded within the stone were unlike anything he’d ever seen. Just examining it briefly felt like getting hit over the head with a hammer.
‘And the mana in it is incredible.’
Though it only lasted three hours, it was powerful enough to block even a dragon’s breath.
‘Using something like this for mere defense feels like overkill.’
He had begged for one and managed to get it.
After setting up multiple protective barriers around the shop, he’d taken the stone and set off to find Ceres.
‘How does she have things like this?’
From the mana stone to this defensive stone with its unfamiliar formulas, everything connected to Ceres was extraordinary.
Who was this woman, really?
—
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