Chapter 543 - Chapter 5: The Wetlands of Northern Gram ④
We successfully defeated one of the Demon Race.
Because my Light couldn't be aimed pinpoint, it didn't reach the point of completely stealing their vision. However, it seems it served as a dazzle. Magdalena-sama, Will, and Bonnie shot arrows into their feet to prevent the activation of a Teleportation Circle. The Demon Race member jumped back, but they were aimed at by Henry-sama and Wilson-san. Since they have no wings, they cannot change their posture in mid-air. Wilson-san froze the area around the landing point, and Henry-sama drove an arrow into their right chest. It's a white silver arrowhead. The damage must be great. Having taken an arrow to the chest and losing their footing on the frozen ground, they fell and were hit by Wilson-san's second shot, and their body from the chest up was gone. Or so Will told me.
When I went to look, indeed, the head was gone. Half of the chest was gouged out. It must have hit the throat. (T/N: '喉' can mean throat or windpipe).
Since I couldn't just leave it like that, I searched around the ice pillars stuck in the ground while illuminating with Light, and it came out from the thicket. When I picked it up, placed it by the corpse, and offered a prayer, it crumbled like dust and vanished.
"We have struck a blow. We shall go on the offensive at once."
Eleanor-sama, who sent a simple report to Eowyn-sama via a letter-sending magic circle, prepares a medium-sized bowl. We hurriedly climb in. Since it has been high-speeded, we arrived at the Demon Race fort in no time.
"Wilson, is there any magical reaction?"
"No, I cannot detect anything."
Is it an empty shell?
"Um, shall I go and take a look?"
It's Fiona. The strongest scout.
"The opponent might be the Demon Race. Are you okay?"
"I will make sure not to show my form. Besides, the Demon Race does not use white silver weapons, right?"
As expected. Now she's become equivalent to an intermediate mage. According to the Queen, it won't be long before she becomes upper-level. She's very reliable. Though, for a person who has been a ghost for thousands of years, I don't know when 'not long' is.
"Then, I'm off."
"Yes. Please."
Fiona, who dissolved her merger with me, vanished. She probably flew toward the fort just like that.
"There was nothing."
Fiona returned in about an hour. The fort is made of stone, with three rooms on the first floor and two on the second; there's no basement. It seems no one was stationed there normally. It was surprisingly empty.
"Wilson, attack the fort with Megiddo Fire."
"I have received your command."
"Harris, Jeanne, there may be more fighting, so please leave some strength in reserve."
"I understand."
"Y-Yes!"
Perhaps having anticipated it, Harris-sama and Wilson-san calmly began their chanting.
A huge fireball was formed above the bowl. If there were Demon Race members in the fort, there's no way they wouldn't notice. However, there was no particular counterattack.
As the Wetlands Priestess had said, the fort was just for show, and perhaps no one usually lurked there.
"Prominence!"
It activated. Harris-sama fires Holy Lances in succession. I fired an Eight-Fold Salvo just once. Since I myself am ultra-high-level, it's an over-ultra-high-level plus more—so to speak, an Over-Ultra-High-Level Deluxe. I might faint, so I won't tell anyone.
Fortunately, I didn't faint, and the dragon's neck successfully turned white. Its destructive power was truly tremendous. Since I fired it horizontally, the magic penetrated and the fort, now with a large hole, collapsed into a pile of rubble. Wilson-san further fired Cocytus to cool it down.
"Wilson. We will crush the high grounds other than the fort. Please guide us. In the order they catch your eye is fine."
"I have received your command."
Eleanor-sama suspects that the high grounds other than the fort are suspicious. During the raid during the day, the Wetlands Priestess said the Demon Race was not in the fort. We don't know where they were. However, the other high grounds had served as decoys for the fort until we could approach in the bowl. On the high grounds where there were no monsters, there were rocks and groves. As a result, the people of Gram thought all the high grounds were probably the same. It seems it was also a topic at the strategy meeting after the sortie during the day.
The bowl flies at a place that isn't very high. Judging from the position of the moon, we are heading northwest. Since it's high-speeded, we arrived quickly. It's probably the upstream one of the two high grounds furthest north in the wilderness.
On the high ground, there are black shadows of either rocks or groves. From the perspective of the allies' fort, it's in the southwest position. The area around the high ground has become wetlands.
"Can you see anything?"
"Rocks. They are surrounded by trees. Could it be something made to look like a fort?"
For example, if you opened a hole in a rock with Curve, it would become a fine fort. It might be a secret base. Here too, Fiona volunteered to go out for reconnaissance.
Before long, Fiona returned. It seems they are just several rocks. However, they weren't things sticking out from the ground; rather, she said they might have been brought from elsewhere. Apparently, the feel of the rocks and the surrounding ground was different. I don't understand well, but when I remember the soil near the silica mining site in the Flatlands, the soil around large rocks is somewhat similar to crushed rocks. Fiona can dive into soil and rocks. She must be able to tell the difference in feel more than I can.
Beatrix cut the trees with Wind Cutter, and the rocks were smashed to pieces by Wilson-san's Crevasse and Colossal Scraps. When we went to see the site, as Fiona said, the rocks were hardly buried in the ground. When we blew away what had been smashed into stones with Clump Stone, ordinary ground appeared.
"Jeanne, illuminate the ground with Fireflies."
I put out one Firefly as I was told.
When Eleanor-sama peeled off the surface soil with Clump Sand, a stone slab with a magic circle drawn on it appeared.
"This is Teleport, isn't it?"
As expected, it should be connected to the Demon Lord's cave. Since it's blocked on purpose, it wouldn't be an exit.
"Shall we analyze the destination?"
Wilson-san said. Eleanor-sama can analyze it.
"No, we must hurry. Beatrix and Jeanne, please copy it. Everyone else, please guard the surroundings."
"Okaay. Then, Jeanne, keep it illuminated, okay?"
"Yeah, got it."
Beatrix cast Camouflage, and Harris-sama deployed Magic Reflection. Since the Firefly is only illuminating below, it shouldn't be visible from the outside. Except for one part.
"Hey, what is this Teleport used for?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't explained it to Beatrix... to be precise, to the people who didn't participate in the meeting. I briefly explained it like this and that. I emphasized that it hasn't gone beyond the realm of an idea.
"So, does that mean monsters surge out from here?"
"Eh? Is this an exit?"
"Probably. Look, look here?"
When I looked where Beatrix was pointing, it was indeed an exit. In other words, it means they are blocking the exit. I wonder if the entrance became unusable for some reason?
"Waiting for analysis. I want to learn Teleport too."
If Beatrix learns even movement-type magic, she'll be the same as Adolf-san. She'd be equivalent to ultra-high-level.
"What kind of image should I have for movement-type?"
I try asking Beatrix. From now on, I'll probably only learn Holy Magic. Previously, I heard that those who first learned Holy Magic can basically only learn Holy Magic. The First King series would be an exception among exceptions, so they're a no-count. Other magic is impossible unless I become a Revenant and use Memorize. That's why I probably haven't been able to create images for magic other than Holy Magic well. Movement-type is even more so.
"Before, I asked Marcelo-san."
"Yeah."
"Then, he said there's a basic magic for movement-type."
"Eh? Is that so?"
I've never heard of that. Or rather, it wasn't in the secret books.
"That thing, the basic one is a magic circle."
"A magic circle?"
"Yeah, it's apparently called Trade. It seems there are times when you suddenly have a flash of inspiration after drawing thousands of magic circles. And then, he said you can't use it if someone teaches you. So you have to draw thousands of magic circles. That's absolutely impossible, right?"
What is that? There's no way to train. No, drawing thousands of magic circles is sufficient training. However, it's not guaranteed that you'll learn it as a result of drawing them. Since Teleport is a rare magic, it should be almost impossible to learn. In fact, Angelica-san, who draws several a week for her job, cannot use it. Assuming she draws ten a week, that's about five hundred a year. Five thousand in ten years... hmmm, isn't this impossible? Normally thinking, it would exceed the age for learning magic.
"Rather than training or practice, it's already a penance, isn't it? You'd fall into darkness."
It's possible. Considering the original occupations of the people I know who can use it, there are only Church priests and magic soldiers of the Kingdom Army. I bet they finally learn it after being made to make scrolls until they go crazy at the Church or the Magic Corps.
"Now, it's done."
"Good work."
Beatrix rolled up the parchment she had copied the magic circle onto, put it in her storage bag, and pointed to the magic circle.
"What should we do with this? Since the rock that was blocking it is gone, we should do something, right?"
We certainly have to block it. If it's connected, monsters will surge out.
After confirming with Eleanor-sama and smashing it with Wilson-san's Curve, we sank it into the wetlands with Clump Stone.
"There were ten high grounds in total. There are nine more."
"Are we going to investigate all of them?"
"Yes. This wetland has clearly had some kind of hand added to it. Besides, that two-headed snake... Amphisbaena... has no discovery cases on the White Island. There is a possibility they are flying them from somewhere and releasing them here."
That two-heads eats frogs. And it was lurking in the water. It can be kept free-range in the wetlands where insects, which are the frog's food, surge. However, there were no two-heads in the Demon Lord's cave I went to. In other words, does it mean they've started new breeding? Just where did they bring them from? It's become a complicated story.
We proceeded due east and reached the second high ground. This place isn't as high as a high ground. There are no rocks, only a grove. However, in the middle of that grove, there is a circular mound, and weeds are growing grandly. No matter how you think about it, it's suspicious. When we dug with Clump Sand, a stone slab appeared immediately. Under the stone slab, there was a large stone.
"Is this adjusting the height?"
"Height?"
Beatrix is looking up at where the stone slab came out from the foot of the mound. The mound is taller than Beatrix.
"Yeah. The ground here is lower than the place before, right? I wonder if the magic circle is in a higher place for that portion."
I see. I don't know the reason, but that might be it.
But would they adjust a Teleportation Circle that much? I'd understand if it were a barrier...
Barrier? Eleanor-sama said there are ten high grounds. If you stretch a pentagonal barrier doubly, it's decagonal. They placed magic circles in ten places and tried to produce some kind of effect...
"You noticed well. It's probably some kind of barrier, or a huge magic circle. However, Teleport might be unrelated."
"It's not Teleport?"
"Yes. Could it be that Teleport was installed later? In other words, if it was originally something else, for example, a Holy Magic barrier... or if it was the reverse, I wouldn't not understand."
I see. But it's quite a wide barrier. It means one side is nearly two post stations.
"What are you saying? The barrier where the secret books are kept covers a much more vast range."
That's certainly true. The distance of one side of that couldn't be measured in post stations. After all, it was so big that I couldn't even tell well if it was square or pentagonal.
"Then, hey, was it okay to break that stone slab?"
"That stone slab was Teleport. There shouldn't be a problem. Besides, the barrier of the secret books was not made with magic circles. It just had the Signs of Protection placed."
The Signs of Protection are that altar. Those altars had the Five Great Signs engraved.
"So, I wonder if there are Signs here too?"
"There might be. They might have been lost. However, this land is not where the Demon Lord appeared. It might have been some other barrier."
It's simple. Since there are monsters inside, it would be a barrier of confinement.
"I think so too. In fact, it seems the fort our allies are protecting and the surrounding land were never attacked by insects. In other words, they are being confined. Perhaps Teleport is the only way to escape outside the barrier."
Hmm. It's a difficult thing.
"Is this just piled-up earth?"
This time it's Will. Did she notice something? She was talking to Wilson-san until just now.
"Do you have a question?"
"Yes. For example, if it rains heavily upstream, the amount of water in the river will increase. Furthermore, if a high tide overlaps, this wetland might be completely submerged. If it's just piled-up earth, won't it collapse?"
That might be so, but the mound remains.
"Then, how would it not collapse?"
"On the mainland, when making a levee, they solidify it with stone walls as a foundation, pile earth on top of that, and further plant grass to let the roots spread. It seems there is such a method. I wonder if this mound is also like that."
Eleanor-sama is looking intently at the mound. The mound is long from east to west... in other words, it's an oval along the flow of the river. It also looks like the upstream side is thinner than the downstream side. It's like an artificial levee.
"Shall we dig a little?"
It seems to have piqued Eleanor-sama's interest, as she immediately began digging on the downstream side.
As expected, stone walls appeared. They must have made it so it wouldn't collapse by assuming the situation Will thought of.
"Wilhelmina. It seems it is as you thought. You and Wilson are being made to study using various literatures, including those brought from the mainland, and it seems it was the correct answer."
"Thank you very much. It is thanks to the great seniors, starting with the members of the Royal Family."
As expected of someone aiming to be the State Chancellor. I couldn't help but exchange smirks with Beatrix and Bonnie.