kscans

Chapter 119 - Episode 7. The Red Library

A week had passed since I last spoke with Alfina at the Grand Duchess's residence.

In a subsequent discussion with Euphillia, it was decided that I, along with Mia and my father, would be staying at the residence until things were settled with the Empire. It was Euphillia's proposal, citing safety reasons.

I couldn't refuse, as I was well aware my situation as a walking state secret had only intensified thanks to the Empire. This had nothing to do with any mysterious pressure from Alfina.

Afterward, we departed for the Western Observatory. Located southwest of Bertold, it was a plain, square building. The second floor rose into a dome, giving it an appearance similar to an astronomical observatory. For measurement purposes, it was also equipped with laboratories for producing materials like Magic-sensing Paper.

The town of Bertold, by the way, was even more bustling than the last time I saw it. The workshop had also begun its expansion, using lumber that had not been destroyed by the monsters.

And now, the walls of Bertold and even the dome of the Western Observatory had vanished beyond the canopy of trees.

About half of the surrounding trees had red leaves. The vegetation itself was also changing. Huge cycad-like trees and large ferns not found in a normal forest were scattered about. Seeing a red fern was incredibly jarring.

But the ground was what mattered most. With a gloved hand, I carefully dug into the earth. The surface was a layer of fallen red leaves. Beneath that was reddish-brown, decaying soil with only the leaf veins remaining. And below that, black humus.

Even in a forest influenced by magic, the basic cycle of material decomposition seemed to be the same. However.

"Ricardo Vinder. The break is over. We're heading deeper."

"Hyde-dono. How far in are we?"

"You should have realized by now, but there is no clear boundary between a normal forest and a red one. If I had to define a border, this would be it. That means from here on, you cannot let your guard down for a moment."

I see. It seems creatures like dragons won't be a problem unless we go deep into the magic veins of the mountains, but then again, there was the incident in Kurtheite. And a two-meter-long magic wolf would surely kill me in an instant.

I had heard that a human cannot even beat a large dog with their bare hands. A wolf the size of a bear that runs faster than a dog. It would be over the moment I saw one.

"That said, this is after last year's monster flood subjugation. It is a relatively safe time. And we have a map of this area."

Hyde was accompanying us as the captain of a six-man knight squad. His five subordinates had formed a circle around us.

"My apologies for this. Forcing you to come along."

"I am not protecting you. I am upholding an order from my commander, Prince Craig. I have been strictly commanded that should anything happen to you, we would lose our means of dealing with the Empire. ...Well, I came to understand your importance in opposing the Empire during the last monster extermination myself."

"You're overestimating me..."

Just leading the distribution reform was dangerous enough, but on top of that, there's my past meddling with the Second Prince Faction and all the intelligence I have on the Empire's codes and latest weapons. My head hurts just thinking about it. On the bright side, I suppose it means I have value as long as the Empire remains a threat.

...Perhaps I need to start thinking about what happens after the war with the Empire is over.

"However, in this forest, you will follow our instructions. I do not know the purpose of your digging in the dirt. But as your escort, I cannot permit you to hinder our progress in an emergency. And of course, deliberately approaching a monster is out of the question."

"Understood. We'll make safety our first priority. But you should address that last part to the Great Sage-sama."

Hyde gave Fulsy, who was waving his antenna around, a sour look.

I placed a small amount of soil into the glass container Vinaldira had given me and attached a note that read "Midpoint." I did not expect much from this sample, but it was necessary for comparison.

The ground began to slope gently, and rocks became more prominent in the surroundings. It seemed we were approaching the boundary of the mountain range. Of course, I had no intention of going inside.

Thanks to the map, we were able to choose a route near the edge of a magic vein, and with Fulsy's radar, we had encountered no danger so far. The only thing of note was the appearance of a Mucus. Not one of the Empire's, but a creature about the size of a brownish, two-tiered rice cake. Other than that, we saw some purple mice and beetles with glowing wings.

Well, I was the one who accidentally dug that Mucus out of the ground.

Putting that aside, the surrounding scenery was quite eerie. Nearly all the plants were a sinister red, creating a scene of autumn colors in early summer. An unsettling shimmer rose from the crevices between the rocks. There was no smell of sulfur, nor could I feel any heat. It seemed to be a miasma vent.

In a swamp dyed crimson, bubbles rose to the surface. It was not as vivid as a pool of blood from hell, more like a red tide. This place did not smell of methane, either.

When I dug into the ground, the soil was even redder than before. Other than the color, the basic layering of the soil was the same as what I had confirmed at the forest's border.

"This is as far as we go," Hyde announced. Fulsy and I nodded in agreement.

"I just need to find a spot with particularly strong miasma, correct?" Fulsy asked.

"Yes. I'll be looking for the opposite."

I scanned the red forest for the few green plants that remained. Amidst the frail, small undergrowth, I found a single, dandelion-like plant. When I dug around its roots, the soil was brown. I could see it gradually change to reddish-brown as I moved away from the roots.

"Alright, this is more promising than I expected."

It had been worth the trouble of coming this close to the heart of the red forest. I collected a sample of the brown soil near the roots. Just in case, I took the roots as well.

"Between the rocks here, and this swamp over here, have strong reactions. It might be better to call it magic rather than miasma. Of course, the reading is so faint it is nothing compared to a magic crystal," Fulsy reported.

"That's enough."

I collected some swamp water and the red soil from the rock crevice. I attached an 'I' tag to the brown soil I had collected, and an 'A' tag to the samples from the locations Fulsy had indicated.

"I do not know what you are doing, but is it related to the color?" Fulsy asked, comparing the collected samples.

"I'm not sure, but I think there's a high probability of a connection."

"You said you will take them back, but even if that soil has some effect, what can you do with such a small amount?"

Fulsy aimed his antenna at the reddish water.

"I cannot tell at all. Perhaps a slight reaction. This one too... No, this one is impossible."

Fulsy then pointed the antenna at the sample I had chosen. His expression remained a question mark. It seemed he could not see a magical shadow, just like with that carriage. That was to be expected. If something so convenient existed, Fulsy would have found it on our way here.

"Besides, there is no guarantee the same conditions can be maintained away from the magic vein."

"I am concerned about that. That said, my primary target is this brown soil, so it doesn't need magic. As for the sample the Director selected, the scrap magic crystals from the Castle-Eating Worm extermination should be sufficient."

All that was left were the tools Noel was working hard on back in the capital, and the materials I had asked Dalgan-senpai to procure. With those, I should be able to at least begin my experiments.

"Captain. A magic signature is approaching," a knight holding something that looked like a simplified version of Fulsy's antenna reported to Hyde. He pointed toward the mountains.

"Judging by this reaction, it is likely a young magic wolf," Fulsy said, raising his own antenna. Hyde looked at me.

"I'm finished here," I said with a nod.

"We are withdrawing immediately."

The knights instantly closed ranks around us.

This expedition had cost so many people their labor and put them at risk. The responsibility was immense. That said, whether I had collected a useful sample, or whether it could even be utilized, was frankly a gamble.

However, if my hypothesis was correct, this tiny amount of soil held a vast amount of information. If I could just establish an effective method of selection, there was hope. I was pinning my hopes on this world's library of nature, built from the trial and error of hundreds of millions, perhaps even billions, of years.

I looked up at the red trunk of a giant cycad. Come to think of it, weren't the forests of the Carboniferous period filled with things like this?