“First of all, Hailyn, you have certain innate limitations.”
“Innate limitations?”
“Orc shamanism is fundamentally built upon the foundation of a powerful physique. Unlike conventional magic that draws upon external mana, an Orc’s sorcery uses their own body as a vessel to commune with the spirit world.”
“Ah.”
“Hailyn, your body is far too frail compared to an Orc’s. You might be able to cast simple star sorcery to read omens of misfortune, but you won’t be able to summon ancestral spirits to protect this land or sing of the stars’ wrath.”
“Then what should I do?”
“You have to fight dirty.”
“Fight dirty…?”
“You must combine weak spells—not ones meant to destroy, but ones that hinder movement, cause irritation, and make things generally uncomfortable and unpleasant. In small skirmishes, they might not seem like much, but in large-scale battles, those kinds of spells are far more potent. Which is more valuable: dropping a boulder on someone’s head to kill three or four people, or turning the ground an entire army is marching on into a quagmire, rendering thousands of enemies unable to move as they wish?”
“Ah! I think I understand.”
“Sorcery has many techniques as powerful as magic. However, the true value of sorcery shines when you utilize the environment. You must fight intelligently, Hailyn.”
“Yes! I will! Lady Sherizik, you seem to know a lot about sorcery too.”
“I had a talent for sorcery as well.”
“Then why didn’t you become a shaman?”
“My talent as a warrior was much greater.”
“Hmm… I think shamans are much cooler than warriors.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing! So, will I only be learning minor spells?”
“Well, you should have at least one trump card, shouldn’t you? A means of mutual destruction to threaten them if overwhelming enemies arrive. For instance, summoning a star from the sky to sweep both allies and enemies alike into the spirit world…”
“I like the sound of that! I can’t die alone. If I’m going down, we’re all going down together!”
“Excellent, Hailyn!”
* * *
After a long moment of deliberation, Elizabeth finally spoke.
“We must avoid the Elves as much as possible. Outside the woods might be one thing, but facing them inside the Crevelin Great Forest is impossible. The forest and the fairies are practically one and the same.”
“Is it impossible even if you help, Elizabeth?”
“I won’t be helping.”
“Are you perhaps weaker than High Elf Nadine?”
“…To be honest, I lack confidence within the forest.”
Elizabeth glared at me.
“Do you have any idea what kind of being High Elf Nadine is? That old Elf is a contemporary of my Husband. She is a fairy who has existed since the days when this continent was called the First Land. What on earth were you thinking, provoking someone like that?”
“Hey, they attacked first.”
“Even so! You didn’t have to throw that last provocation!”
“…She insulted the Caravan name.”
A being that should never have been born.
Yes, that was what the old Elf had said.
「You did well, young descendant. There is no need to be intimidated.」
Liam agreed as well.
「However, only someone of my caliber can get away with saying things like that. Your actions weren’t wrong, but your current weakness and inadequacy are. If it bothers you, you should have grown stronger faster.」
“…”
As always, the follow-up wasn’t strictly necessary, but that was just how he was.
“Fine. If it was to protect that precious Caravan pride of yours, I suppose it couldn’t be helped. But I can’t send anyone else. I won’t allow my younger sisters to be sent to a place like the Crevelin Great Forest, and there’s no one who knows the location as clearly as the Descendant of Steel… In the end, it’s only right that you go. Attaching a companion would be the best course of action.”
“A companion?”
“I’ll go with you.”
Elizabeth wore an expression of grand resolve. She looked as if she were making a truly monumental sacrifice.
“As the First Witch, I have a duty to recover the treasure, and I have an obligation to ensure this task succeeds. Above all, there is no one as outstanding and trustworthy as I am. You should be delighted, Descendant of Steel. To receive the help of the witch Elizabeth once more, and to set off on another adventure with a beauty as peerless as me!”
Hmm.
‘I miss the days I traveled with Sherizik.’
Sherizik really was the best companion.
* * *
The Crevelin Great Forest.
If the Sky Mountain Range is the First Mountain, the Great Forest can be called the First Forest. Having absorbed sacred energy for ages, the forest itself became a natural fortress defending against intruders, and the World Tree, rooted at its center, established itself as a guardian deity protecting the forest’s inhabitants.
Because of the World Tree, which bestows eternal abundance, the Great Forest does not have a brutal ecosystem like the Sky Mountain Range; instead, it is quite peaceful. Beings born in the Great Forest can survive without eating or drinking thanks to the World Tree’s blessing, and since any seed sown is guaranteed a bountiful harvest, they can freely export their plentiful resources.
Thanks to this, the factions within the Crevelin Great Forest all possess a fairly sophisticated appearance. They don’t waste resources on food or drink. Furthermore, if they dig up any stone or herb in front of their homes, it is likely a rare jewel or medicinal plant. Since the entire Great Forest is the territory of creatures born under the World Tree, the land is also incredibly vast. Consequently, despite its nature-friendly appearance, the Crevelin Great Forest is a wealthy place with considerably advanced technology. Contrary to its reputation as a Forbidden Zone, it is even surprisingly peaceful.
However, there is a reason it is a Forbidden Zone.
It is because the peace of the Great Forest is permitted only to fairies and beastfolk. The Great Forest is isolationist. The World Tree shows no kindness to anyone not born beneath its boughs. And the moment the World Tree sings of wrath, no being except for fairies and beastfolk can survive. The Forest’s Wrath—the terrifying violence of nature inflicted upon strangers—was the reason the Crevelin Great Forest was designated a Forbidden Zone of the continent.
“To enter the Great Forest, we must first deceive the woods.”
“Deceive them?”
“It means we must disguise ourselves as Elves, beastfolk, or some other forest creature. You must never enter in your true form. If you do, even I would find it difficult to survive.”
“Is it that severe?”
“Even the Dragons of the Ancient Era couldn’t conquer the Great Forest. Its influence is only powerful within the woods, but conversely, within the forest, the World Tree can exert divine power rivaling the Seven Chief Gods and Nine Goddesses.”
“Dangerous, indeed.”
“Yes. And the High Elves are beings capable of wielding the World Tree within the Great Forest. Do you understand what that means? Inside the forest, they are like gods. You might as well have provoked a god, you foolish swordsman.”
Damn. She really holds a grudge.
「I want to stab her for all that nagging.」
…Still, she wasn’t as extreme as my Master.
Regardless, aside from being chatty and holding a grudge, Elizabeth was an excellent companion. As seen in the memories of the legendary adventurer, magic power is always an essential asset. This is because the presence or absence of magic power determines ‘convenience.’
“Let’s head out for now.”
Elizabeth was the pinnacle of witches. A top-tier mage can teleport to any desired location on the vast continent with a single incantation. While Audrey had to scrape mana from here and there just to manage it, Elizabeth performed inter-kingdom teleportation as easily as breathing. Truly, the value of mages was high.
‘She’d be incredibly troublesome as an enemy.’
A magical asset who could flee to the other side of the continent in an instant or suddenly appear right in front of you from across the world. She even possessed the combat power to neutralize an entire brigade of mages in a heartbeat. The significance of a top-tier mage was immense.
“Is this the Storm River?” I asked, looking around.
The place we reached via Elizabeth’s magic was a valley. It was a valley with clear water flowing through it, and the sunlight pouring down in fragments was breathtakingly beautiful. At my question, Elizabeth shook her head.
“This is the entrance to the Great Forest. No matter how great a mage I am, I can’t enter a Forbidden Zone with a single teleportation. The Sky Mountain Range, the Great Forest, and the Northern Continent’s Monster Land—teleportation is impossible in these places. The flow of mana is too unstable.”
“Ah, how tedious.”
“…A swordsman who would have been trudging up mountains on horseback or in a carriage if not for me certainly has a lot of complaints. Didn’t I tell you to always have a heart of gratitude? If you keep this up, the Father of the Sky might truly strike you with a bolt from the blue.”
Hmph, whatever.
“Do we just walk in? You mentioned something about a disguise earlier.”
“I’m going to disguise us now. I’ll mix external mana with the mana of the Great Forest to create a new shell to hide our souls. It’s a shell to evade the eyes of the World Tree, but it won’t last long, so we have to get in and out as quickly as possible.”
“What kind of shell are you going to make?”
“I’ll disguise myself as an Elf, and the Descendant of Steel will be disguised as an earth spirit.”
“Why are you a beautiful Elf while I’m a lump of rock?”
“Well, because I am beautiful… ahem, no! It’s because of Gaia’s Sword, which the Descendant of Steel possesses. I’m going to extract the power within it to create the shell.”
Hmm. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like personal bias was involved.
“Let’s just get it over with.”
Well, it didn’t matter. Whether I became a rock, an Elf, or a maggot, wasn’t it fine as long as I could get in and out safely? Thinking this, I glanced at the map. I didn’t even need to interpret the Labyrinthos precisely. I had the memories of hiding the witches’ treasure within the memories of 「Ascension」 that I had digested.
‘…But I don’t know why such an object was named Thunder.’
I remembered the moment the old adventurer and Icarus hid the witches’ treasure. But naturally, the two of them didn’t even know it was a witch’s treasure, and they never imagined it was a ‘valuable item’ in the first place. It was simply one of the many spoils the father and son had acquired during their time as adventurers. They never stole items that had owners, and if they found something that belonged to someone, they would return it to the original owner.
To that extent, the object called ‘Thunder’ didn’t look like a treasure at all. Since the witches were mages and simultaneously religious figures serving the Chief God known as the Father of the Sky, it might be a symbolic religious artifact. If so, it would make sense. Believers often worshipped bizarre objects as sacred relics.
“It’s done.”
“Is it really? I don’t feel any different.”
“It looks that way on the surface. But the World Tree doesn’t see creatures with its eyes; it sees existence by piercing through the soul. In the eyes of the World Tree, we will appear as an Elf and a spirit. Now, lead the way. I can’t maintain this for long.”
“Fine, I understand.”
Nothing had changed to the naked eye. I had been worried my body might suddenly turn into a stone, so this was a relief.
“Follow me closely.”
Taking the lead, I stepped into the forest. Amidst the thick scent of nature, a single question began to surface.
‘…But if every being except Elves and beastfolk is excluded, how did the former master of Ascension enter all the way to the Storm River?’
According to my memories, the old adventurer had entered perfectly fine and come out without a single scratch. How was that possible? As my habitual suspicion bloomed, a hypothesis soon formed in my mind.
‘Could it be…?’
No way. Is it that?
‘Nah, there’s no way.’
I shook my head at my own thought. It couldn’t be. There was no way the authority contained in a single sword could be that powerful. Even if it was a ‘Legend,’ could it really do something like that? I tried to laugh it off.
But if…
‘If my hypothesis is correct…’
Then roaming through this Great Forest would be an easier journey than expected.
Perhaps, even if I were to face High Elf Nadine, it might not be much of a problem.
