Chapter 37. The Expedition Nears Its End (2)
Once the Dark Elves stopped launching ambushes, the expedition’s progress became smoother with each passing day.
Of course, befitting the reputation of the Mezaia Great Forest, encounters with monsters also became increasingly frequent.
However, Klein and Aneis had grown dramatically stronger, while Delilah had regained the ability to control the earth.
Their contributions were like giving the expedition wings.
After several days of advancing with the three of them at the center—
The expedition finally reached a vast cavern connected to several other passages.
Unexpectedly, the first group to arrive there was none other than the Lampert Adventurer Party.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
Judging by the various injuries covering their bodies, the Lampert Adventurer Party had hardly enjoyed an easy journey either.
Still, they did not appear to have suffered any casualties.
“Wow, that’s a relief. You guys got here first?”
“Yes. We encountered a monster hatchery on the way, so the battle became rather intense…… But other than that, we did not encounter any major threats.”
“Really? We ran into some Dark Elves on our side. They suddenly stopped showing up after a while, though. Still, this gentleman here did quite a bit of work.”
“……It was not enough.”
Adam muttered quietly.
His unusually sensitive Instinctive Perception had indeed been extremely useful in preparing for the Dark Elves’ attacks.
But the Knight Order of the Kingdom of Hiel, which had possessed the weakest combat strength among the expedition’s factions, had now been reduced to only four members, including Adam himself.
Having suffered such severe losses, Adam could hardly feel pleased with his own achievements.
“What happened cannot be undone. Still, every one of them fought bravely. Raviata will remember them.”
“……I appreciate the sentiment.”
Whatever else one might say, those words came from the leader of the Raviata Adventurer Party, regarded as a living legend.
They might have sounded arrogant from anyone else, but Raviata had also saved Adam’s life several times.
For that reason, he sincerely expressed his gratitude.
“Well, I’d like to start moving again immediately, but…… there’s still one team missing. Let’s wait a little longer. Two or three days. If they still haven’t arrived by then, we’ll leave. How does that sound?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Agreed.”
Everyone nodded at Raviata’s proposal and began preparing a camp.
After some time had passed, they finished surveying the surrounding area, confirmed that it was sufficiently safe, and were preparing to sleep when the final group finally arrived.
It was Dominic, Commander of the Imperial Guard Knight Order, and his remaining knights.
However, the expedition could not exactly greet them warmly upon seeing their condition.
“It appears…… you suffered considerable losses.”
The Imperial Guard Knight Order had already been reduced to half its original number.
Worse still, the murderous hostility filling the eyes of those who remained made it obvious that they had endured an exceptionally brutal ordeal.
“Hoho. It was this old man’s mistake. I never imagined they would pursue us with such persistence.”
It wounded his pride, but Dominic readily admitted that they had been inadequate.
Inside, however, his feelings were entirely different.
‘I will never forget this.’
Dominic’s fist trembled.
His mistake had been assuming that the attacks would stop for at least a while after the Organization Member visited them.
They had increased their pace in an attempt to reunite with the expedition as soon as possible.
But only yesterday, the Dark Elves had launched a massive assault.
Worse—
It had been an ambush prepared with traps.
If the Organization Member who had last visited him appeared before his eyes again, Dominic had repeatedly sworn that no matter what excuse the man gave, he would make sure his end was agonizing.
‘Still, I will be the one laughing in the end.’
The Imperial Knight Order had suffered heavy losses because of this incident.
But when one looked closely, the other groups were hardly unscathed.
The Lampert Adventurer Party, which consistently maintained a defensive approach, had preserved its numbers almost entirely.
However, the Knight Orders that took the offensive had been greatly reduced.
If Dominic continued the expedition slowly while whittling away the Lampert Adventurer Party’s numbers as well, he believed he would eventually be able to seize control of the situation.
The seasoned knight reorganized his plans once more in his mind.
But then—
Another event occurred that threw those plans into disarray.
“Brother!”
“Klein.”
The following day—
Shane appeared before the expedition.
—
The first person to react strongly to Shane’s appearance was none other than Klein.
“Brother!”
Klein had attracted considerable attention throughout the expedition because of his recent performance.
The moment he shouted, everyone’s gaze immediately turned in that direction.
Shane had maintained a relatively neat appearance for quite some time after the expedition began, but now his clothing was torn in several places.
His slightly gaunt appearance also made it clear that he had endured considerable hardship.
Klein felt as though his heart were being torn apart at the sight.
Still, he silently thanked the gods that his brother had returned alive.
“Are you injured anywhere? I’ll get a Potion immediately—”
“Klein. I am fine, so do not worry so much. It is merely mild dehydration.”
In reality, rather than dehydration, it was a shortage of Mana caused by continuously sustaining the Dark Elves.
There was no reason to mention that.
“Oh, Shane. I am truly glad to see that you survived.”
At that moment—
Although Shane’s appearance had horrified him inwardly, Dominic had survived for decades within the den of intrigue that was the Imperial Family.
He greeted Shane without allowing the slightest change to show on his face.
Naturally, Shane responded with an equally expressionless face.
“Unfortunately, I was unable to protect the knight who was with me. The Dark Elves’ offensive was simply too severe.”
“……No, no. Harpe would never consider his sacrifice meaningless.”
It lasted only a brief moment.
But a trace of relief passed across Dominic’s face.
After putting so much effort into his plan, if even the slightest evidence emerged that Harpe had attempted something against Shane, all of Dominic’s work could have been ruined.
Dominic welcomed Shane with an expression even more benevolent than usual.
Soon afterward, before the expedition departed again, everyone gathered for another strategy meeting.
During that meeting—
A single statement from Shane left the expedition members staring at him in shock.
“Wh-What? Is that true?”
“Yes. While hiding from the Dark Elves, I confirmed the existence of a Large-Scale Teleportation Magic Circle constructed by the Elves.”
For an expedition attempting to explore the immense Mezaia Great Forest, Shane’s words were like desperately needed rain during a drought.
Normally, Teleportation magic could not be used inside a dungeon because of Akasha’s Great Seal.
However, magic constructed before the Great Seal could still function.
Ilexa, leader of the Lampert Adventurer Party, nevertheless spoke with concern.
“But that magic was created by Elves, not humans. I admit that I do not know much about magic, but are we certain it would be safe for us to use it?”
“Hmm. That is a reasonable concern. I find myself wondering the same thing. Have you discovered a safe method?”
Dominic immediately supported Ilexa’s concern as though the opportunity suited him perfectly.
Shane smiled inwardly.
‘He is anxious.’
Dominic appeared relaxed on the surface.
But from his perspective, there was a reason the expedition needed to drag on for longer so its strength could be further reduced.
Naturally, the sudden appearance of a method like this would make him impatient.
And the more impatient his enemy became—
The more relaxed Shane could afford to be.
An impatient enemy was far more likely to make a mistake.
“Yes. Theoretically, it is possible. But to understand how, you must first understand the characteristics of the Elves who live within the Mezaia Great Forest.”
Since it was Elven magic, understanding Elves came first.
The reason Elves had survived in ancient times was that they exploited their ability to assimilate with surrounding Mana to an extreme degree, eventually bringing the Mezaia Great Forest almost entirely under their control.
Even when injured, Elves could rapidly recover using the life force of the forest.
They could also manipulate trees, and much of the magic they wielded was deeply connected to trees as well.
Among all those abilities, however, none could rival the Elves when it came to manipulating the Mana flowing through the roots that connected one tree to another.
Over countless years, they devoted themselves to studying that Mana until they could use it freely.
As a result—
They eventually developed a form of Teleportation.
First, they sent their consciousness through the natural essence flowing between trees.
They then used that consciousness as coordinates and instantaneously expanded the network of Mana connecting the intertwined trees, allowing themselves to travel between them.
After hearing the entire explanation, Raviata nodded and asked,
“Hmm. All right, I understand how the Teleportation works. But how are we supposed to use it? That method can only be used by Elves.”
She was correct.
The reason the Mezaia Great Forest was practically an invincible domain for Elves was precisely because only Elves could use such methods.
Very few beings could assimilate with the Mana of the forest as thoroughly as Elves could.
And no other race had spent countless generations developing that affinity specifically for their own use.
If the Elves had not entered their Dormancy Period, the expedition would probably never have made it past the entrance of the Mezaia Great Forest.
Shane, however, shook his head.
“We have someone as well. She may not be a tree, but her assimilation rate with Mana belonging to nature is comparable.”
Raviata’s gaze immediately shifted toward a single person.
Everyone else followed her eyes.
And there—
“Huh?”
Delilah tilted her head, looking as though she had absolutely no idea what was happening.
