kscans

Chapter 102 - Chapter 4. The Red Terror

"So you're saying it's not perfect when it comes to things that are still moving."

"That's right. It's one thing if we're dealing with the massive magical energy of a dragon or a clear target like a bare magic crystal, but it struggles if something as small as a lesser monster is on the move."

"But even a 'lesser monster' is a serious threat to an ordinary person..."

Inside the swaying carriage, Fulsy and I were discussing the radar's performance. Noel's efforts had improved its stability, but there were still many issues to resolve.

"You really come up with some wild plans, thinking you can just send civilians into the Red Forest to gather resources," Noel commented.

"Well, that's only if we can make it work. I just thought that since the carrying capacity of the carriages has increased, if we could just detect approaching monsters with the radar, it might be possible."

"In any case, you'd still need a mage who can operate the radar, wouldn't you?"

"That's the sticking point."

I need to investigate the mechanics of magic circuits a bit more. Even if it's magical energy that flows through them, a circuit is still a circuit. I should be able to understand it to some extent with the knowledge I have.

Even if I figure that out, civilians probably have too little magical energy to use it anyway. It would be better if it didn't rely so much on an individual's aptitude. I wonder how the Empire manages it.

"Future plans aside, the measurement results so far have been just as you predicted," Fulsy said, looking at the antenna pointed toward the ground. We were about a fifth of the way from the Royal Capital to Bertold. It had taken us two days because we couldn't use the main road and needed to measure the ground's magical energy in detail.

The surrounding area was dotted with shrubs and bamboo groves. There were no villages nearby.

"This area seems to be the epicenter of the magic vein's decline," Noel noted, watching the steadily decreasing magical energy readings. We had determined that the drop wasn't an illusion caused by our measurement limits. It formed a distinct, bowl shaped circle.

"It's all well and good that your theory was correct, but how does this connect to the disaster? The magic vein is thin to begin with, and at this level, it's no different from ordinary ground. There's no way a monster could exist here."

"Right, that's why. Something is consuming the magical energy..."

Just as I was about to explain one possibility to Fulsy, a man's face appeared in the carriage window. It seemed to be time for a regular report. It was Hyde, who was escorting us on horseback with four other knights. Whatever his personal feelings toward me, he was loyal to his duties.

"Sage-sama. I had my men scout the surrounding area. We found no signs of danger."

He was loyal to his duties, but he didn't forget to give me a look that said this was all a pointless exercise. And indeed, with the early spring sky, the grasslands just beginning to show their green, and the surrounding shrubs, the scenery was peaceful.

"Hold on there, Knight-san. Saying there's 'nothing' might not be quite right," said Jacob, who was also on horseback. Dangling from his hand was the corpse of a small animal, torn in half.

We stopped the carriage to look at Jacob's find. It was the mutilated remains of a large rat.

"It was probably eaten by a fox," Hyde said, dismissing Jacob's words.

"What's your opinion, Jacob?"

"The knight's view has some merit. But a magic wolf, the main force in a monster flood, would have swallowed a big rat like this in one bite. Besides, a knight of your caliber should have sensed if a monster like that was approaching."

"That is true."

"As long as it isn't running, it should show up on my radar as well," Fulsy added.

"I see..."

The data said there was no danger, so I would trust that. In the first place, the whole premise of our investigation was to survey a place where the magic vein was declining. There was no way something dangerous would be here.

"However, the cross section of this half eaten corpse is a little strange. There are no teeth marks."

The torn surface looked as if it was starting to rot. Perhaps it had been nibbled by insects after being left here.

"Also, near where I found this, there was some kind of white powder on the shrubs."

White powder. I wondered what it could be.

"Sir and Baron-sama, please refrain from entering this side," Remi said, sectioning off the right side of the carriage. She and Noel then occupied the less cluttered half. I had no intention of doing so anyway, so Fulsy and I settled down to sleep in the cramped remaining space. If we're going to be on a long term observation trip, I really need to think about making this more livable.

◇◇

...ka...ka...kan kan...kan, kan, kan!

"...Wh, what is that!"

I was jolted awake by the sound of a bell. Remi was already outside. I scrambled to peek out of the carriage.

"Wha, what is this!?"

I was stunned by the sight, so completely different from how it had been at dusk. More than twenty glowing red things were writhing all around us. Even as I watched, they were slowly, creepily drawing closer. The eerie red lights in the dark of night created a synchronized pattern of blinking.

Besides the ones crawling on the ground, others were hanging from the branches of the shrubs. All of them were moving toward our carriage.

"Anyone who can't fight, stay inside. You'll just be in the way," Hyde yelled at me. He wasn't on his horse, but he was fully armed and held a faintly glowing sword. Compared to the one Prince Craig had during the dragon subjugation, its light was quite faint.

"A, are you going to be okay? We're surrounded by so many."

I asked the composed Hyde. He gave me a smirk, so full of contempt it was visible even in the dim light.

"Of course. The likes of a Mucus is no enemy."

The young elite of the Anti-Monster Knight Order declared. I wish he wouldn't say things that sound like he's tempting fate.

But Hyde's actions backed up his words. He advanced on one of the approaching creatures and swung his sword. The faintly glowing tip of his blade drew an arc in the night's darkness, and the red thing, unable to dodge, was split in two. With a splat, it spread out on the ground in a glowing red stain that quickly lost its light.

Following their captain's lead, the remaining knights moved toward the other lights. Jacob and Remi were also menacing the red lights with torches. So they're afraid of fire. How unsettling. In the meantime, the knights crushed the red lights one by one. In no time at all, the ominous swarm of crimson light that had surrounded us was annihilated.

◇◇

The next morning. I was shown the results of the knight order's work in front of the carriage. It was a pile of dead, gelatinous creatures.

"Such tiny magic crystals. These are practically useless," Noel said, looking at the small stones that had been extracted. If they had magic crystals, then last night's event was indeed a monster attack.

Looking closely, I could see mole-like holes in the ground. Had they been hiding underground during the day? White powder clung to the area around the holes. It was probably the dried mucus that had covered the monsters' bodies.

So it was these monsters that ate the rat.

"Director. What exactly is a Mucus?" I asked, prodding a corpse that had barely kept its shape, probably from being bludgeoned with a blunt weapon. Even knowing it was harmless, the jiggly mass, about the size of a large bundle, was disgusting.

"You could call it the weakest of all monsters. During the day, it seems to spread out underground and absorb magical energy, and at night it attacks small animals. Judging by these tiny magic crystals, it appears it can survive even on a weak magic vein. That number last night may have been drawn to our magical energy," Fulsy explained.

So basically, a slime. It seems they're the weakest in this world, too. The scene last night was terrifying, but in reality, that entire swarm was wiped out in an instant.

However, there were two major problems. This was the border between the kingdom's central and western regions. Normally, no matter how weak, there shouldn't be any monsters here.

"As I said last night, they're insignificant monsters. Even you could probably manage to run away from them," Hyde said to me after giving Fulsy a bow.

"But they're still monsters, right?"

"Yes. The very fact that monsters exist in a place like this is a major problem. I must report to the commander at once. ...We'll also have to investigate the other spots you mentioned. The Mucus may be one thing, but there's a possibility of more powerful monsters."

Exactly. Major problem number one was the potential for higher-tier monsters. If something like a magic wolf were to appear, the surrounding villages wouldn't stand a chance. If a merchant caravan on the road were attacked, they likely wouldn't be able to escape even a single one.

"Where did they come from, these slimes... I mean, Mucus?"

Monsters are living creatures. They shouldn't just spontaneously generate.

"The most likely explanation is that their eggs hatched in response to the magic vein," Fulsy suggested.

I see. If that's the case, it's possible they could survive for a long time or travel great distances. The activation of the magic vein we observed during the race could have awakened long-dormant spores. On a bacterial level, that was entirely plausible. Still, it felt a bit strange given their size last night. Then again, there's no rule that says the eggs have to be small.

"Balto and Cayless, return to the Royal Capital at once and report to the commander. Lyle and Barret, conduct a further investigation of the surrounding area," Hyde commanded. I had no complaints about his orders. Last night, his judgment and skill against the monsters had been sound. As expected of someone from the Second Knight Order, which has dealt with monster floods.

The appearance of monsters so close to the Royal Capital was a situation that could shake the entire nation. Even if they were weak, they had to be exterminated as quickly as possible. Especially with the prophecy of that disaster hanging over us.