Chapter 112

The ground trembled—Boom!

Another rumble followed, accompanied by the roar of a monster.

Judging by the intensity of the tremors, it had to be a massive beast.

Thud—!

A colossal face appeared above the towering trees.

It was a Titan of the Giant race.

In front of it stood a Lizardman wielding a spear, with a multitude of monsters trailing behind them.

It was an immense horde of monsters.

They were far too close to the monsters.

Among the creatures were those with sharp senses of smell and sight, making it inevitable that they would be discovered sooner rather than later.

The first to charge at them was a beast-like monster. Several others followed after it.

A battle resembling a war broke out.

The Lizardman seemed to be the leader of the pack. Both the Lizardman and the Titan observed from a distance.

It was fortunate that the two hadn’t joined the fight yet.

Fending off the swift beast-like monsters was difficult enough; dealing with a giant and an intelligent Lizardman on top of that would have been overwhelming.

But that was only the case when they appeared to be at a disadvantage.

Just when they thought the tide was turning in their favor, after slaughtering monster after monster, something unexpected happened.

A spear flew through the air, narrowly grazing her face before embedding itself in the neck of a monster behind her.

The Lizardman’s spear, intended for her, ended up killing one of their own. If her luck had been worse, the spear would have pierced her body instead.

She felt blood trickling down her cheek where the spear had grazed her.

Roughly wiping the wound with the back of her hand, she confronted the Lizardman.

The Titan, following the Lizardman’s orders, also joined the attack.

With a single swing of its massive arm, trees came crashing down, forcing them to dodge both the monster’s attacks and the falling trees.

If there was one silver lining, it was that the fallen trees crushed several monsters, reducing their numbers.

With the end in sight, they found the strength to press on.

After exchanging several blows, they managed to take down the Lizardman.

Next was the Titan.

They slashed at the Titan’s legs as it charged, causing it to collapse. Then, they struck at its neck.

The Titan let out an ear-splitting roar before finally succumbing, marking their victory in the battle against the monsters.

During the fight, she discovered that infusing divine power into the Sacred Sword of the World Tree greatly enhanced its strength.

The sword’s power increased in proportion to the wielder’s divine energy.

As she caught her breath, the ground trembled once more.

Another wave of monsters was approaching.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand on legs that felt ready to give out.

She desperately wanted to stop.

When would this endless battle finally come to an end?

The fight had grown tiresome—beyond tiresome.

The comfort of just a few days ago felt like a distant memory.

Tap-tap-tap-tap—!

Beast-like monsters charged toward them.

A new Lizardman hurled its weapon at them.

But then, something unexpected happened.

A fireball descended from the sky, landing in the middle of the monster horde and engulfing them in flames.

“This way!”

A voice called out.

The sound of footsteps filled the forest.

Capes adorned with the golden insignia of the Imperial Family fluttered in the wind.

“The Commander and the Chief are here!”

Ah…

She let out a low sigh of relief upon recognizing the Imperial Knight Order.

Although encountering the knights didn’t necessarily signify the end of their ordeal, she felt reassured knowing that she and Eched no longer had to face the monsters alone.

Just a little more, and they could escape this forest.

She tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword.

The arrival of the Imperial Knight Order turned the tide of the battle.

Monsters fell to the knights’ swords and were incinerated by the attacks of the Imperial Mages.

A Salamander appeared, shaking the ground as it approached, spewing flames.

The mages’ shields blocked the Salamander’s attacks, leaving only the monsters to suffer its wrath.

The knights used the Salamander’s fiery attacks to their advantage, guiding its flames to burn through the monsters blocking their path.

Once the Salamander had served its purpose, its head was severed.

The battle soon came to an end.

* * *

Outside Haltonea Forest, at the knights’ encampment.

Having emerged victorious from the grueling battle, they quickly exited the forest and settled at the camp.

Though the encampment had been damaged by monster attacks, it was still a suitable place to rest their weary bodies.

“Here.”

“Thank you…”

She accepted the cup offered by a knight. Steam rose from the hot water inside.

Blowing on the water to cool it, she scanned the encampment.

The knights moved about busily, yet there was no sense of urgency or anxiety among them.

In fact, they seemed so relaxed that it was almost puzzling.

Her eyes met Orgon’s, who had been conversing with a mage.

After finishing his conversation, Orgon approached her.

“Terry.”

Blowing on her hot water, she gave Orgon a questioning look.

“…”

Orgon hesitated, searching for the right words.

She took a sip of the now slightly cooled water. Warmth quickly spread through her body.

“This feels like salvation. I really thought I was going to die.”

“D-Don’t say such things… Sniff.”

Orgon’s eyes welled up with tears, causing him to fall silent.

That overly sensitive guy.

Orgon was simultaneously moved by the fact that she was alive and guilt-ridden for thinking she might have died.

She could tell from the way he had been sneaking glances at her since their time in the forest.

Feeling too tired to deal with him, she waved him off.

“I’m exhausted, so don’t bother me. Given the situation with the wyvern, it was only logical to assume I was dead.”

There was no need for Orgon to feel guilty.

He had made the most rational decision possible from his position, setting aside his emotions.

“And in the end, you came looking for me.”

“Terry…”

“Well, not for me, but for Eched.”

“…”

At her additional remark, Orgon’s previously calm eyes wavered intensely.

She had meant to tease him but chose not to reveal the truth.

Finishing her warm water, she asked, 

“But why is everyone so relaxed?”

While there didn’t seem to be any signs of more monsters emerging from the forest, surely they should be busy dealing with the ones that had already appeared?

“The situation isn’t as severe as we thought. Fewer monsters emerged from the forest than expected, and, for some reason, they’ve stopped coming out altogether.”

It was as if the barrier that had disappeared had suddenly been restored.

“So, once we deal with the monsters that are already out, it’ll all be over?”

“Exactly. And most of them have already been dealt with.”

The second monster outbreak was coming to an end.

“Ha…”

Finally, this nightmare was drawing to a close.

As her tension eased, the fatigue she had been suppressing came crashing down on her.

“Terry, once the situation is under control, return to the capital with the Commander.”

“No.”

She ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

Her eyes landed on Eched, who was conversing with Taltos.

“I need to go to the Kulnensi Marquisate.”

“All right. Resting there before heading back to the capital makes sense…”

“No. I’m going to capture the dark sorcerer, Masetike.”

While the monster outbreak was nearing its end, their battle with the dark sorcerer was far from over.

She had to use her sword to eradicate the dark magic.

She had to fulfill the prophecy of the World Tree.

Orgon asked seriously, 

“Is Masetike in the Kulnensi Marquisate?”

She shrugged.

“I don’t know. But I’ve been thinking—what do we really know about Masetike? Everyone from his hometown supposedly died during the monster outbreak two years ago. But did they really all die?”

Her answer was no.

The isolation of mountain villages was both a strength and a weakness.

Their limited self-sufficiency meant they relied on merchants for supplies.

Naturally, Masetike’s village would have had merchants.

“Perhaps some villagers were in the Marquisate at the time.”

As expected, the clever Orgon quickly understood her point without needing further explanation.

“And since the Kulnensi Marquisate is nearby, he might have been staying there for the past two years.”

“It’s a plausible theory. But Terry, I don’t feel good about you going there.”

“There’s no choice. I’ve received the prophecy of the World Tree.”

A prophecy, or rather, a compulsion.

She had already explained the World Tree to Orgon.

While surprised, Orgon had acknowledged that the mysterious nature of the monster forest made it plausible for the World Tree to be connected to it.

“And in the underground of Haltonea Forest, I found a coffin that likely once contained the corpse of a dark sorcerer. Judging by the engravings, I’m sure of it.”

“Once contained?”

“Yes. When I found it, it was already empty. What purpose could it have served?”

There were many questions.

Who had placed the dark sorcerer’s coffin in the monster forest? Why Haltonea Forest? And how had they managed to do so?

But these details weren’t crucial. What mattered was that the corpse had been there and was now gone.

“Well, we’ll find out everything once we capture Masetike.”

That was enough thinking for one day.

Yawning, she succumbed to the overwhelming fatigue.

The day was coming to an end.

For now, she would sleep and head to the Kulnensi Marquisate tomorrow.

***

At the Kulnensi Marquisate’s residence.  

A luxurious office adorned with crimson carpets and golden stag decorations on the walls.  

“So, the Imperial Knights have arrived…”  

The Marquis of Kulnensi repeated the words with a sly smile.