Episode 157
“It’s a Dark Forest… …Interesting.”
“I look forward to it later. Suffering makes me strong.”
Rian and the butler slowly nodded with faces accepting everything.
He didn’t even look surprised anymore.
Looking at that expression, I wonder if I’m expecting it now.
Ryan looked at me and asked.
“What is the great evil again?”
The two of them even drank tea leisurely while saying that.
It was said to be the 5th stage of death, but wouldn’t these two have already reached the 5th stage?
Is it the stage of acceptance?
That’s great.
Both jumped from denial to depression all at once.
I smiled contentedly.
“Finally, you have overcome your fear. I am proud of both of them.”
“…Rather than shaking it off, I think I just gave up.”
Eileen shook her head at my reaction.
“When I walk with you for a long time…That’s how it works.”
“What are you shaking your head at? It’s your story.”
Aileen looked at the sky through the window quietly with a bitter expression.
A face immersed in melancholy.
“this…It’s karma.”
Seeing the increased bullshit, it was clear that he had a great talent to be in my company.
In any case, the next destination was definitely decided to be the Dark Forest.
“Ah, by the way, there will be about two more party members, so be aware.”
“party…? who?”
“It’s nothing special, one Master Assassin and one Dark Elf.”
“Is that so? Master Assassin… …Yes? Wait, Master Assassin?”
“Oh right.”
As soon as I nodded, Hados jumped out from behind.
“Hello everyone.”
“Aww crazy!”
Surprised by the sudden appearance, Lian jumped up.
Then, in disbelief, he silently looked at Hados.
“…Are you real?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“No, this isn’t some kind of baton touch, why the hell would the master give it to each field…ah.”
Then, as if realizing something, Lian muttered as if brainwashing herself.
“Peace of mind after…”
“Variety.”
In any case, the destination has been set.
dark forest.
It is a cursed forest that has Dark Elves as its inhabitants, and the starting point of contagious madness that will soon burst.
“Come to think of it, warrior.”
“hmm?”
Hedos cautiously called me.
“For now, as you said, measures have been taken, but are you okay? I am confident in my skills, but they are not ordinary people.”
“are you okay.”
I smiled at Hados.
I know what worries he is.
But it’s okay.
“Because that’s all taken into consideration.”
* * *
Dark green eyes shone in the darkness.
“Fabiryan Walpurgis’s vigilance has weakened. It is an opportunity.”
“Right.”
Several people were busy moving around, but no one noticed the existence of these two.
Of course.
These two are elite Dark Elf warriors dispatched to retrieve the runaway shaman apprentice.
Even among the Dark Elves of the Dark Forest, they were recognized for their skills.
However, it was not easy for even those ‘competents’ to deal with the great family of the Empire called Walpurgis.
“…It was good to find the goddamn whereabouts, but I would have guessed that the Walpurgis was the place he had run off to.”
“It is unavoidable.”
The Dark Elf Keal, who was dispatched with Fabirion, replied with a blunt expression.
“You should consider yourself fortunate to have found your whereabouts. If we don’t retrieve the apprentice priestess, there will be no future for the forest clan.”
“…yes it is.”
In the end, it was said that they were forcibly dragged to make a ‘scapegoat’, but the two did not care.
Anyway, in order to survive in the dark forest, a scapegoat is absolutely necessary.
As the word says, it is just to retrieve the scapegoat.
The same non-elven offering.
In the end, the shrine maiden was just such an existence to them… ….
The problem is that it is very difficult to retrieve the scapegoat.
It wasn’t enough that he crawled under the protection of Walpurgis, so the one protecting the apprentice priestess is the Master Assassin.
If it had gone according to the original plan, the Master Assassin planned to finish off the bone marrow with a curse and retrieve the apprentice priestess… ….
‘Damn, why the hell wasn’t the curse activated?’
The Curse of the Master Assassin showed no signs of activating.
According to common sense, the curse inherent in him should have been activated and his life taken away.
But that didn’t happen… ….
“Focus on Pavilion.”
“Know.”
Pavilion shook his head to shake off his thoughts.
Yeah, it doesn’t matter what happened to the curse.
Time has already been overdone and they have to achieve results.
Then the opportunity came.
The Master Assassin is away and Walpurgis’s vigilance has weakened considerably.
You never know when an opportunity like this will come, so you have to seize it now.
They rode the shadows and slowly approached the apprentice shaman.
As confirmed beforehand, she was alone.
“under.”
Well, how could even that Walpurgis be vigilant in all four seasons?
It is inevitable that gaps like this will arise.
Rather, it was strange that there had been no gaps until now.
Hiding in the shadows, he slowly approached the apprentice priestess.
Even the apprentice shrine maiden is a skilled person who is well versed in the clan’s “shadow hideout.”
One step, two steps… ….
When they almost arrived, Pabilian took out the prepared anesthesia magic tool.
Certainly and secretly.
Thinking so, he tried to knock out the apprentice shrine maiden.
‘uh…?’
Dismissed!
The outstretched hand bounced back with a short spark.
Pavilion was momentarily taken aback, but immediately grasped the situation.
‘A magic barrier? Is it divinity?’
If it was a power that instinctively had a repulsive force against ‘darkness’, it would be right that it had divine power.
Even very cleverly, it only rejects approaches from the outside.
“ah.”
And at that moment, the apprentice shaman’s eyes turned to him.
Her eyes widened and she hurriedly tried to back away.
“All of you…!”
“Cuck damn!”
He grumbled briefly and moved quickly.
The barrier was obviously annoying, but once they were caught, there was no choice but to subdue it by force.
when I was about to move like that.
“hey.”
“…?!”
Suddenly, the body stiffened.
There must have been no other beings around here besides them and that apprentice priestess?
Like a prey standing in front of a predator, a cold sweat broke out on its own.
Instinct speaks.
‘I must not look back.’
But where is the instinct to be what you think?
I slowly turned my head.
and.
“young.”
He saw that his bright red eyes were coldly staring at him.
those red eyes.
In this vast territory, there are only two families with ‘red eyes’ as red as blood.
And if you’re young.
“Michael Walpurgis…!”
“I don’t think my family has any memory of allowing access to the assassin’s territory in the dark forest…”
He said and lightly snapped his fingers.
Even without holding a staff, the magic is naturally manifested.
“Ugh?!”
His body stiffened as he was about to pull out the dagger.
The body does not move.
Later he realized that he had been enchanted.
I was devastated by the completely unexpected situation.
‘There is still Keal… …!’
Keal is a skilled person who boasts even more secretive stealth than himself.
He didn’t seem to notice Kair’s presence yet.
As long as he’s not paying attention, if Kehl is after him… ….
“Ah, are you looking for a colleague?”
He smiled as if he understood the thought.
What lingered in his bright red eyes was cynicism toward him.
“…ah.”
Slowly, his gaze lowered.
And only then did he see the scene beneath his feet.
Keal was rolling at his feet with his eyes closed.
…when?
I didn’t even think of that.
At some point, he even felt an illusion as if he had an incomprehensible monster in front of him.
“You the hell are you…”
“Who is the warrior?”
the guy laughed
With a smile that was terrifying for him.
“A warrior who catches guys like you.”
With those words, a staff flew right in front of me.
* * *
“…Hmm, is it almost over?”
I laughed as I watched the two dark elves lying on the ground.
It seemed like it would come soon.
The apprentice shaman was a very important being to the Dark Elves, and of course, from their point of view, they must have ‘collected’ it.
But I never thought I would approach it in such a hurry… ….
‘Well, I must have been in a hurry. For these guys, the fate of my forest must have been at stake.’
Even so, it doesn’t change that they are taking care of themselves with the pain and resentment of the scapegoat.
“Is there any problem?”
I looked at Mia and said.
But at that moment.
“Hee hee hee?!”
Mia, who was still, was taking a step backwards and increasing her distance from me.
Somehow, he seems to be more afraid of me than the two who just attacked.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“Staff…!”
“hmm?”
What the heck is the big problem?
I sneakily lifted the staff I was holding.
It was stained a little red with blood, but there was nothing strange about it.
drip.
It seemed like drops of blood were dripping, but there was no reason to respect them anyway.
“what. No problem.”
[…] …Ah, in the end, even the least common sense has collapsed.]
Set said in a terrifying voice, clutching his face with his palms.
[Either the wizard uses the staff as a blunt weapon, or the bloody staff… …Don’t you think that this isn’t common sense at all?]
“Hmm.”
Is that such a big deal?
His father’s staff, which he had seen since childhood, was always red.
concluded.
ok no problem at all!
Unlike my father’s staff, only the tips are slightly red!
within an acceptable range.
[Hey.]
“Anyway, Mia. I mean these two Are they familiar faces?”
“Uh um that…Oh, it’s a familiar face. first…They are elite warriors, not many of them even in the forest.”
Mia said that and looked at me in disbelief.
“…They’re not the ones to be defeated so easily.”
“That means they were quite a bit of a name-caller. It didn’t seem like a big deal.”
“In the first place, since we were able to see the location, we should see that even if our combat power is low, it will be reduced by half, right? But the hero confirmed the location and cast a spell as if it were natural.”
Mia said that and frowned.
“…But the forest must have been contacted right away. As soon as our family suffers, the news spreads immediately.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
I don’t care how vigilant the Dark Forest is.
“Rather than that, in the Dark Forest, are there only those who think of using the shrine maiden as a ‘scapegoat’?”
“that…no.”
Mia continued with a bitter voice.
“But it is also true that the mainstream is to keep the situation as it is. A few times, there have been talks about getting out of the dark forest or fighting against the spirits of our ancestors…“
Everything was ignored.”
At my words, Mia nodded quietly.
Anyway, the important thing is that Dark Elves with different thoughts exist even inside the Dark Forest.
That’s enough.
“You don’t need to change everything.”
“Why are you so surprised all of a sudden?”
At my words, Mia stuttered and waved her hands here and there, then spoke in a small voice.
“Really…I know you’re destroying our clan.”
“….”
At those words, I quietly looked away.
It was really deplorable.
To think that even my pure words were conveyed distorted like this… ….
‘If you’ve been with me on set, you’ll understand how absurd such a stereotype is, right?’
Set looked at me with a surprised expression and said.
[Didn’t you mean to drink it really ground?]
…In any case, it really couldn’t have been more lamentable.
Great mage who transcends by regression
