Chapter 252 - Nineteenth Story: Second Mountain Survey
I joined Harris-sama and headed to the border to participate in the second survey of the mountain.
Although it was called a survey, half of it was confirming the contents of the parchment found last time, so not many new things were discovered. In the end, all that was found was that the distinction between attack magic and action magic in the current elemental magic system didn't actually exist, and changing it or not wouldn't be a problem. The fact that the power could be increased by layering Holy on the First King series was more of a new discovery.
"With this, we are finished with elemental magic. In the next survey, will it be about holy magic or status change magic?"
When the survey, which was limited to two hours, ended and we were having a light drinking party with the Dwarves we called, Price-sama spoke.
In terms of volume, about one-third has been completed this time. Elemental magic, which has many types, naturally has many descriptions. In that regard, having the copies from the predecessors was a great help. If things go well, it might be finished after two or three more times, by next spring.
"Once the survey is over, won't you come for a while? That would be lonely."
The Dwarf gatekeeper asked. Since it had been four hundred years, only five visits would probably feel too brief.
"I'm sorry, but this place is too far from the Royal Capital. Besides, Jeanne is from a foreign land. She can't use Teleport."
James-sama made a sour face.
"Would I not be acceptable? Dwarf-dono, if you're fine with me, I shall be your companion."
"No, Sir Stephens. The barrier won't be deactivated unless Jeanne is here."
"What, was that so? Would a scroll not work?"
"It won't work. The person who can use it has to come, or it won't be a barrier. Hmm?"
Suddenly, Mel flew in.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone's come to the altar outside. They're wearing black robes. There are some non-humans mixed in too."
"What? It must be the people from the Ruined Town!"
Gwyn-sama stood up.
"There are no insects, so they'll come straight to the barrier. Wait a bit. I'll go see."
The Dwarf held his hand over the ground. A magic circle appeared, and he warped away.
"James!"
Gwyn-sama gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Yeah, if they're from the Ruined Town, let's capture them."
There are three people who can chant Purification. Price-sama is super high-level. We won't lose.
The Dwarf returned.
"Six of them. Three Revenants, and two living ones. Then there's one I don't recognize."
"Don't recognize?" Gwyn-sama asked back.
"Yeah, not human. A guy with long ears and strangely red eyes."
The Red-Eyed Man!
"Who is he? This Red-Eyed Man you speak of?"
I briefly explained the Revenant incident.
"What a wicked thing to do. To toy with the corpses of warriors!"
Gwyn-sama drew his silver sword.
"Gwyn. Don't kill them all."
"Yeah, I know. We need to tie some up and find out their background, right?"
On the other hand, Price-sama and Harris-sama were calm.
"Jeanne. Is that the one who was hit by the silver arrow and flew away?"
"Yes, that's right. Do you know him?"
"Actually, I received a report from Bishop Harris, and I have a guess."
"A guess?"
"He is likely a Vampire. However, he's of the type with weak magic, so he's probably a human who was bitten by a real Vampire. Subjugation rank is C."
Rank C! That's a serious monster!
"James-sama. He's not an opponent that can be easily captured. It's kill or be killed. We have to choose between staying inside the barrier and letting them pass, or fighting."
"We're fighting, of course! Right, James!"
"Three of us can use Holy or Purification. If it's a Vampire, it's Holy. Price-sama is here too, so if it hits properly, we should win."
Gwyn-sama and Harris-sama were full of motivation.
"Dwarf. Can you Teleport all of us?"
"Sure, I can. But sorry, spirits are neutral. I can't help with human conflicts."
"I know. But as a gatekeeper, you wouldn't want this place to be trashed. This is a threat, so to speak. If you don't warp us outside the barrier, the battle will happen here."
James-sama said with a smirk.
"You're a bad person. Fine, fine, I get it. I'll get rid of those guys from here."
The Dwarf was also smirking. I'm sure there will be a banquet later.
At the Dwarf's words, Gwyn-sama pumped himself up with a "Right!" and Harris-sama rolled up his robe sleeves. I decided to have Mel wait here with the Dwarf... or rather, have her protect the precious materials from the battle.
"When the opponent comes near the barrier, we'll be warped behind them and launch a Holy Over Flow. I'll create light with fire magic. The finishing blow is yours, Gwyn. Cut off the Red-Eyed Man's head."
"Leave it to me!"
"Archbishop Price and Bishop Harris, please handle the Over Flow. Jeanne, deploy Magic Reflection in the rear. Sir Stephens, please protect Jeanne. Regardless of the Revenants, let's capture the living ones."
The Dwarf was pressing his ear to the ground, listening for footsteps.
This has become serious. To think he was a Vampire.
This will be my third encounter with the Red-Eyed Man. The second time, I drove him away with the Holy I had hidden in my chest. I remember he was wearing a strange mantle.
Wait? Just a minute?
A mantle? Over a robe?
"Um, James-sama. Please wait a moment."
"What is it, Jeanne?"
The Red-Eyed Man only had a robe the first time. Angus-san and the others drove him away with silver arrows. And the second time, he was wearing something like a mantle over his robe. It might be for deflecting arrows.
I explained briefly.
"Last time I drove him away with Holy. This time he might have countermeasures against holy magic."
"What?"
"There are living people too, right? For example, protecting them with Magic Reflection."
Holy magic cannot break Magic Reflection of the same holy magic.
"Hey. They're close!" the Dwarf shouted.
"Then we shall fight with swords!" Gwyn-sama showed off his sword.
"Gwyn-sama. Please calm down. Even if he's of the weak type, the opponent is a Vampire. He's not an opponent a human can match."
"Archbishop. Then what should we do? Shall we just let them go?"
"I have a good idea. Let's have James-sama work hard."
Illuminated by the light of the lantern held by Sir Stephens, the Red-Eyed Man and the five others were saying something.
"It was just as Jeanne said. The Holy was reflected."
I had cast it immediately after warping, but it was blocked by Magic Reflection.
"You remembered well. If we had attacked according to my plan, we might have been hit by a counterattack."
Simultaneously with the warp, James-sama had deployed a Wind Barrier, creating a bowl the same size as the barrier wall and trapping the Red-Eyed Man and his group against the wall.
Gwyn-sama was making funny faces near the air wall. Seeing that, the Red-Eyed Man was angrily hitting the wall, but he couldn't break through. It's the magic of a super high-level mage. Even Magic Break was too late.
"But what do we do now?"
"James-sama. Can you manipulate the Wind Barrier to suck out the air inside?"
At the answer that came back, even Harris-sama, who heard it, was taken aback. Does he intend to suffocate the living ones?
It's hard to believe that's an answer from an Archbishop.
"If we suck it out little by little, the living ones will eventually faint. Then, shall we return to the first plan?"
"Magic Reflection!"
I chanted it twice and deployed it diagonally behind.
At the same time the two released the Over Flow, the bowl was deactivated.
Inside, two people were down. They must have fainted from the air being sucked out while they were gasping.
Harris-sama began an incantation.
The others besides the Red-Eyed Man likely knew their fate. They knelt and began to pray. The Red-Eyed Man was standing with a mantle over his robe.
Harris-sama's incantation ended, and he thrust out both hands.
Hmm?
"Holy Over Flow!"
Simultaneously, the bowl was deactivated.
White light was released, completely enveloping the four undead.
It's advanced magic and super high-level magic. If it's Rank C, they can almost certainly be defeated.
Gwyn-sama charged, drawing the sword at his waist. His target was the Red-Eyed Man's neck.
By the time the light subsided, the three Revenants were down on the ground, and the Red-Eyed Man's right arm had been cut off by Gwyn-sama's sword. Perhaps blinded by the Light I had cast on impulse, he was turning his face away to the left. The severed right arm was gripping an iron rod or something. In his left hand, a scroll was open.
"Curse you, girl! Once again, you interfere with your petty tricks!"
Both red eyes were glaring at me.
For a moment, I felt like I was going to lose consciousness, but Price-sama clapped his hands with a "clap," and that sound brought me back to my senses.
I made it in time. The scroll must be Magic Reflection. I had cast Light on impulse before the Over Flow was activated.
Because he was blinded, he failed to block Gwyn-sama's sword.
"Ugh! Did I fail!"
Gwyn-sama raised the sword he had swung to the right and took a high stance.
The Red-Eyed Man threw the scroll at Gwyn-sama.
I let the Firefly float above their heads, illuminating them. Harris-sama and Price-sama combined their Holy Lances for me.
Slipping past Gwyn-sama's sword and jumping up, smoke rose from the Red-Eyed Man's body. As he let out a scream, he likely lost control and hit the ceiling before falling to the ground.
Gwyn-sama rushed over and thrust the silver blade into his neck.
The Red-Eyed Man's eyes lost their light as he arched back, and finally, his neck was twisted off.
The Red-Eyed Man, with whom I had a history, was defeated. Third time's the charm. I turned over the smoldering corpse that was lying face down, and at Price-sama's instruction, Gwyn-sama thrust his sword into the heart.
When Harris-sama and I joined in Price-sama's prayer, he finally returned to the earth.
In the meantime, Sir Stephens and James-sama were tying up the ones who had fainted.
"Magnificent reading. And magnificent movement. Even though you were behind me, you suddenly came out to the front left and released Light magic faster than the opponent could move. Moreover, to create a Firefly after that and let it float before us!"
I was praised highly by Price-sama.
It's the effect of the Cat Stone. It doesn't last long, but sudden movements become faster.
I'm glad I'm an intermediate mage. If I were still basic, I wouldn't have had time to chant.
"Jeanne. I thank you. If it weren't for that, it would have been completely blocked."
I was also thanked by Gwyn-sama, who successfully took the head.
"No. Even so, his arm was cut off. If not for that, I wonder what would have happened by now."
He wouldn't have just flown away. He even threw the scroll. Because he couldn't use both hands, no wind occurred. All he could do was try to escape.
"As expected of a monster hunter. No wonder Eleanor-sama took a liking to you."
Even Harris-sama praised me. If Beatrix were here, she'd surely be leaning back boastfully.
"No. It's thanks to the Cat Stone."
"Cat Stone?"
"What is that?"
Come to think of it, no one besides Harris-sama knew. I had it attached to the amulet hanging on my chest through Eleanor-sama's introduction when I went to the Royal Capital for the Demon Lord subjugation war.
Since it was a good opportunity, I let them see it.
"Receiving the protection of various spirits, living with a ghost, being liked by a Water Dragon, and using Light magic, huh. Jeanne. Along with what you've done in our country, you might be being guided by something."
"Gwyn-sama. Sertoria is being guided by Jeanne."
Harris-sama. You're saying too much, no matter how you look at it.
"Come to Finis, Jeanne. Mary, for instance, participates in dinner parties with Aira every time she comes. She's very popular with the single knights."
That girl is special.
"No. Gwyn. Jeanne is the Madonna of Nakanohara. Although she's eighth."
Why does James-sama know that!
Is it Roberts-sama? It's Roberts-sama, isn't it?
"I believe it was the cursed eighth place. Come to my church once. I'll perform an exorcism for you."
Why does even Price-sama know? And it's quite detailed!
When I looked at Harris-sama, he looked away.
Dammit! I wonder if all sorts of things are being spread around?
"It seems there are many mysterious people in Sertoria. I don't quite understand it myself."
Sir Stephens concluded, and everyone burst into laughter.
The defeated Revenants were returned to the earth with the combination of Firefly and Holy. With intermediate Light, Phillips-sama's log-like Holy was necessary. It seems I lacked the power to obtain strength equal to the Ancient Priestess. I must devote myself.
The living men in black robes who were restrained were those who came from the Ruined Town. They were magic researchers, and it seems they were in the forest when they woke up. They were reportedly told to protect the three Revenants and the Red-Eyed Man.
They didn't know the Red-Eyed Man's true identity. They were apparently just brought along because they could use Magic Reflection.
The three Revenants and the Red-Eyed Man were directly under the Council of the Supreme Resolution, and they had no choice but to obey once instructed.
Of course, it was illegal entry. Unless there's a request for extradition as fugitives, they will be judged as criminals. If they resisted during the capture process, they couldn't complain even if they were killed.
The two who were informed by Price-sama that the Red-Eyed Man was a Vampire were terrified and reportedly spoke fluently as they were asked.
"Well, this time, instead of the death penalty, I'm thinking of having them work as magic researchers in our country. Of course, officially they'll be dead, and they'll be under surveillance."
While eating dinner at Sir Stephens' residence, James-sama told me.
No one disagreed.
"This time, we also received cooperation from the Gatekeeper-dono. We'll dispatch people from the Royal Palace, so please teach them the ancient script. We'll pay a reward. Sir Stephens. Please look after him. I'll provide the expenses."
"As you command. This mansion seems like it will become a bit more lively."
The Dwarf gulped down his beer.
"Is it okay? Me being the teacher. I'm telling you, I'm strict."
He held his chin and took a slanted stance.
"Don't act so cool."
"That's right. Being a teacher is three thousand years too early for you."
Dune and Mel smacked him on the head.
"Ow! Sisters, that's cruel. Three thousand years, and my life will run out."
Everyone laughed loudly at the Dwarf's words.