Chapter 111: Volume 7 - CH 107

Time goes back about one koku.

A man was crawling through the earth. His movements were like those of an earth dragon. He had an aptitude for earth sorcery, and in addition to the basic physical art and rijutsu of the Holy Sword Clan, he had honed his skills in the art of the earth, and by crawling under the earth in this way, he had overcome many obstacles and gathered information. Of course, he is also a master at putting out signs. The deputy squad leader of the patrol was deliberately made aware of his presence. Even so, the man is very thorough and has a lot of potentials. The size of his soul is unknown, but if he had been spotted at an early age, he would have been sent to the Place of Beginning without a doubt. He doesn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse that he was able to avoid that.

However, the man──Zelphys does not regret the fact that he was sent to the Place of Beginnings and spent his day training like a bloody vomit. He trained hard, but his talent was very mediocre, and he was never able to hold the Holy Sword, but he did not care about that either. The current head of the clan is very young, and although he was surprised when he heard about the replacement, he is satisfied with it.

The position of the head of a clan is unique. The strength that resides in the head of the clan is not a lie.

Zelphys cautiously made a hole in a part of the earth's surface. From there, he slowly observes the area.

He was right. The place he approached after burrowing underground in the shadows of the night was close to the site where an investigation team sent by Raid, the most powerful country in the region, had been attacked.

There were five burnt corpses. They had probably been beaten to death by sorcery in the blink of an eye before they had time to escape. Even though it was in the shade of the night, the light from the two moons was dazzling. It would be dangerous to go from here to the tree growing alone at the hypocenter since the edge of the warding is probably around here. If he touches the warding, the enemy will be aware of his attack. He must avoid that folly.

「Zegel ......」

Approaching the body of one of the five already dead from the ground, Zelphys let out a small cry of regret. It was the corpse of a member of his clan who had been in charge of the Raid. The distinctive belt buckle was an indication that he had been a member of the clan. He removed only the buckle from the burnt belt, closed his eyes, and prayed for the repose of his clan member's soul.

And.

Suddenly, using the body of his ally as a shield, Zelphys dove into the earth. His keen senses sensed that someone was approaching.

Enduring the unpleasant smell of burnt human bodies, Zelphys made an opening and stared outward.

――Where is it?

Don't be in a hurry. If he is killing his presence, he will not be noticed. The best people can sense not only someone's movements but even someone's gaze. Therefore, he holds still and searches in his field of vision without moving, avoiding eye contact.

Zelphys cautiously turns his attention to the sound of something flapping―and she was fascinated.

She is a girl in her mid-teens. Her bright red hair shimmers in the moonlight like a flame. And yet her skin, visible through the edges of her cloak, is the color of moonlight ― the color of an immortal. Zelphys is taken aback by the divine beauty of the girl, and he is left with a blank stare. So much beauty, so much loveliness, so much horror.

「Hm. ...... investigation team, huh」

A voice like rolling bells. Zelphys realized that he had been captivated by the lovely voice that matched her appearance. He looked away and glanced at her carefully as if catching it out of the corner of his eye―Glancing over, the Immortal King turned her gaze toward here. Oh, shit―Zelphys' heart jumps. But it would be even more dangerous to move here. He endures his desire to escape as quickly as possible and concentrates on eliminating all signs of his presence.

「Maybe it's just my imagination. ......」

The girl slowly approached her while saying so. Not good - unable to move, Zelphys continued to breathe in the dirt. Zelphys shrank back as the sound of a thud echoed nearby. It would be foolish to attack her here. His job is to gather information, not to fight. His first priority is to return home alive and pass on the information.

「I guess he is dead after all. I thought he might be alive if he could do something right since he was the least damaged of the three. Sorry ....... If you hadn't come here to find out about my Lord, you wouldn't have had to go through all this.」

―My Lord...?

A question dwells in Zelphys' mind. According to the view of the Holy Sword Clan, the 【Immortal King】 might be using Otherworldly Summoning to summon otherworldly beings. For the clan, 【Immortal King】 Leia Löwenstadt is not the target this time. The target is Satoru, the Otherworldly being that is summoned by the Otherworldly Summoning. It was believed that if they could eliminate him, the movement of Leia Löwenstadt would stop.

However, Leia's words now indicate the opposite. She may be following the otherworldly beings.

Zegel, who had been mixed in with the Raid's investigation team, was the second-best swordsman in the region's clans. He could have resisted the sudden explosion caused by the sorcery. Therefore, compared to the other members who had been completely extinguished, his body remained in a clear form. She must have come to confirm whether they were alive or dead.

Even though she was the perpetrator, Leia offered words of condolence to the victim and flew away with her 【Flying】 art. Zelphys breathed heavily in the dirt as he felt the presence move away. Sweat broke out. He was that nervous.

It was dangerous to stay here, Zelphys knew that even in his somewhat confused state of mind. There was a possibility that Leia Löwenstadt had left some kind of 【Distant View】 art behind.

He changed his position, and just the tip of the telescopic tube he had borrowed from Derek, was sticking out from between the earth. With the telescopic tube against the light to prevent reflections, he continued to search the area around the tree.

Thanks to his efforts, early the next morning, Zelphys retreated after confirming the shapes of the three women who had emerged from the tree.

「Oh. It was Zelphys, wasn't it? How did it go? Did you get any results?」

The next morning was set as the appointed time, but no definite time was set. Since he was not in a town, he had no choice but to rely on the sunlight in such an open field. However, thick clouds were still covering the area, and although it was difficult to tell the time, it was probably about half past the first koku. Derek had no objection to Zelphys showing his face in the morning as promised.

Derek was boiling water in a pot using a stone caged with art while trying not to cause smoke. It was as expected of him that he took care not to cause smoke. Zelphys shakes his head a little.

「The investigation team from the Raid was wiped out.」

「I see ......」

Derek returned, looking less than hopeful. Zelphys would not even reveal that one of the dead was one of his own clan. From Derek's point of view, the annihilation of Raid's investigation team was, so to speak, self-inflicted. The High Mentor of the Academy of the Wise had issued a notice forbidding careless investigations, but they had ignored it, and although he felt sorry for them, they did not deserve much sympathy.

「Also. What you saw yesterday was two girls, is that correct?」

「Correct」

「I've identified a girl who is the 【Immortal King】, a girl with almost black hair who looks like a half-elf, a brown-skinned girl, and a woman with light blue hair.」

「Huh? Brown skin and light blue hair?」

Derek sounded surprised. So far, the only things in Satoru's vicinity were a woman named Minerva, though unconfirmed, Leia Löwenstadt, and a half-elf girl who was said to have led the way. There was no other information about them.

「...... Minerva is a woman, no?」

「What does that woman look like?」

In response to Zelphys' question, Derek showed a photocopied paper depicting a standing Minerva. Minerva's hair is indigo in color. There is no way she could be mistaken for light blue.

「This is different. It was not this woman.」

「What about the biggest target, this big guy named Satoru?」

「I haven't been able to confirm that either.」

「......What? So, you're saying there are at least five women around the target, although we haven't been able to confirm the essentials?」

「You could say that.」

「I ain't listening to you, man. ......」

Derek's trembling voice echoes. Even for Zelphys, this is beyond calculation. With that many people following around the target, Satoru, there was a possibility that even the head of the clan would not match for him. Derek bites his nails in frustration as he gathers his thoughts.

The basis of battle is to know your enemy. Even if you are only good with a sword, there is much to learn about your opponent's strength and means of attack. Without these things, you will not be able to win a battle if you just attack in the dark with force―Derek was well aware of this in his own experience. Satoru still had a hidden gem.

Derek looked back at Zelphys.

「Can you get in touch with them? Why don't you connect to your head of the clan from here and I'll connect to my team leader?」(TLN: Sorry bit hard to translate here, お前は連絡つけられるのか？　なんならこっちから班長に繋いで、当主様にも繋いでいいんだぞ？)

「I will contact them separately, but it would be helpful if you would do so.」

Derek nodded and pulled a calling stone from his pocket. Zelphys, on the other hand, scribbled in fine print on a piece of parchment, clutched it, and said, 

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「『Transfer』」

Oh, Derek understood. Zelphys' actions made sense to him. He had probably designated a specific location and then used the art of 【Transfer】 to send and receive messages in the same way that they connect the magic guilds that are scattered throughout the towns and cities. By specifying the destination from the beginning, it is a little easier to use. The same method is used to transmit information from the destination to the home country, even on the battlefield.

The Holy Sword Clan is said to have its own unique way of gathering information, and Derek caught a glimpse of this.

Derek returned his gaze, grabbed a calling stone from his pocket, and chanted the secret word.

「『To the second pair of stones』, this is Derek」

『This is Marquat. Deputy team leader, go ahead.』

The person who responded was the number three of the team, the chief Marquat. He is a good practitioner, but he is too weak to do the kind of work that Derek is doing.

「Is the team leader nearby? And the head of the Holy Sword Clan」

『She's not around, please wait until about 1 o'clock (40 minutes). ...... Ah, the High Mentor left last night. He is going to draw up a camp at the exit of the Horwood valley.』

Derek almost bit his navel for a moment, wondering if he was too late, but on second thought, it was not too late. The calling stone he is using now is said to be the High Mentor's prized possession, and perhaps the High Mentor still has the calling stone in his personal possession. Otherwise, he would not have lent it to a lowly man like Derek, even if it was an important mission.

「Understood. Please contact me when the team leader arrives.」

After asking Marquat to make the necessary arrangements, the two of them spent an anxious time together over a simple breakfast. There is no conversation between Derek and Zelphys, both of whom are experienced warriors and both of whom are on their guard against the other party.

The calling stone in Derek's pocket made a small beeping sound. It was the sound of a call being accepted by the other party.

『This is Sheryl. Derek, what's the matter?」

With a small sigh of relief at the sound of the young, skilled team leader's voice, Derek decided to make the message brief. The calling stone could be used many times a day, but if used too often, it would take longer for the magic power to recover.

「I met up with a member of the Holy Sword Clan. With his help, we learned a few things.」

『What's information do you have?』

「First of all. The investigation team, which I believe was sent by the Raid, was wiped out.」

『.......! I see.』

Sheryl's voice sounded somber. Derek tells the next phrase in rapid succession.

「The target has yet to be confirmed, but it appears that there are at least four women in the tree at the hypocenter.」

『Four, you say, ......?』

「Yes. We have not been able to confirm a woman named Minerva, so if you include her, there are five women. And...」

Derek glanced at Zelphys.

「...... We were also able to confirm that the 【Immortal King】, who we thought was Leia Löwenstadt」

『......I knew it, I see』

Sheryl's bitter reply. She probably has a lot on her mind. Derek himself thinks of himself as a pawn. It is not his role to think. It is Sheryl's job as the leader of the team to communicate with the High Mentor and think about how to respond in the future.

「Also, is there the head of the Holy Sword Clan over there?」

『She is here. Wait a minute.』

Derek tossed the calling stone carelessly to Zelphys. It was a very expensive item, but Derek, being a man of the first class, did not care about that much. And it was unlikely that Zelphys would drop the stone.

『It's me.』

A voice different from Sheryl's echoed from the calling stone. A woman's voice, as if puzzled by the use of a magical tool she was not accustomed to using. Her voice sounded surprisingly young ― Derek thought casually.

「My Lord. It is an honor to hear your voice. It is Zelphys.」

『Ohh, Zelphys.』

Zelphys' voice, which has become condescending, also seems to tremble a little. Even for him, it is nerve-wracking to talk directly to the head of the clan. He coughs a little and then clears his throat.

「I apologize for guessing, but one thing. The 【Immortal King】 Leia Löwenstadt was mentioned by Derek-dono earlier. I confirmed this last night.」

『And then?』

「I do not know what kind of warding art she was supposed to be good at was. However, the Raid's investigation team, which included Zegel, was repulsed about 5 miles (6150m) from the tree.」

『Five miles, you say.......』

Derek does not know who or what Zegel and others are. It is probably good information that he does not need to know, but it is easy to imagine that he is probably related to the Holy Sword Clan. And that he was apparently blended in with the Raid's investigative team and died together.

Still, five miles ― an impossible size is chillingly scary.

The range of warding arts differs depending on the size of the soul. Of course, it depends on the contents of the warding, but even so, a five-mile radius is extraordinary. Perhaps it was Leia Löwenstadt, who was renowned for her unique warding arts before she manifested into 【Immortal King】, who created the wards. Derek was impressed by the legendary level of the practitioner. By the way, Derek's limit is a hemisphere of 10 feet (3 m). It's too far beyond the order of magnitude.

「Zegel was helplessly killed as well, having created a 【Ward】 with multiple effects with a range of Five miles, and the magic power that can easily kill a whole investigation team over such a long distance is clearly extraordinary.」

Derek did not miss the tremble still in Zelphys' voice as he spoke calmly. He was not tense about the fact that he was talking to the head of the clan. A single cough should have banished that tension―In other words, he may have recalled the horror of Leia Löwenstadt.

『I've got a plan in place, but ...... hmm』

「It is not in the request, but I would like to ask you to consider eliminating Leia Löwenstadt.」

Derek looked at Zelphys with his eyes peeled back. Zelphys' expression did not change. It is insane to casually suggest the elimination of the legendary 【Immortal King】. However, Derek was still surprised by the response of the head of the Holy Sword Clan.

『You're right. I will think about it.』

Oi, oi―Derek looks at the man who must be a member of the Holy Sword Clan with a shudder. The legendary being who manipulates extraordinary magical powers is a target that this clan can eliminate as a matter of course. Can the 【Immortal King】, whose soul is said to be more powerful than an entire country, be eliminated so easily? Derek's body is filled with fear.

『Zelphys, stay on the line and gather information. I want you to stay with Derek-dono.』

「Understood.」

Reverently offering the calling stone, Zelphys made sure the call was disconnected and tossed it back to Derek, just as he had done when it was handed to him. He received it with a snap and glared at him without care.

「Well, just as you heard. We'll be working together for a while.」

「...... Ouh」

At any rate, this man is an asset. He said he can see farther than me, and he would be a good watcher. Derek thought about this but then sighed despite himself, feeling that it was going to be a restless time.

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