Chapter 87: Volume 6 - CH 83

At that moment, a feeling of fear, more intense than he had ever felt before, ran through the old man.

Bauers, the Elder of the village of Ruijs, is also the most skilled practitioner of the spiritual arts. Of course, his skill is of the highest level. In other words, he is of a rank that can sense magical vibrations. Normally, due to the effect of the 【Lost Forest】 art, which thoroughly weakens outside arts, it is rare for him to feel the magical vibrations emanating from the outside world, but these vibrations were of an unprecedented level, and even Bauers was horrified by it.

Even some of the practitioners who specialize in spiritual arts reacted in unison. Next, the earth trembled and the leaves rustled.

「W-What happened!?」

Bauers tried his best to keep his voice calm and looked back at his surroundings.

「Elder! Look at that!」

Looking in the direction the relatively young elf pointed, Bauers was speechless. The 【Lost Forest】 art hides the World Tree from the outside world, but it is possible to see the outside from the World Tree. The elves accept this as a result of the mysterious tree called the World Tree, but the truth is not clear. However, even though they can see outside, they usually only see the endless sea of trees, but this time was different. A tremendously high mushroom cloud was rising beyond the sea of trees.

「...... What the hell, is that?」

「Explosion? If so, this is outrageous!」

The old-timers who saw the event voiced their shock. The smoke cloud, which looked as if it were several times the size of the World Tree, whose height is not clearly known, was growing in size. He has heard that the Dragon Heart Mountain, where many dwarves and elves live, erupted a long time ago.

「Is this the disaster that the Academy of the Wise was talking about, but this is....」

As he looked at the smoke cloud that was covering the sky, Bauers felt an intense sense of fear. If the event is within the visible range like this, there is a high possibility that its impact will reach them. The 【Lost Forest】 art may dampen the effect somewhat, but he raised his voice loudly as he thought of what would happen if the effects he was imagining were to reach this village.

「Gather all the wind experts of intermediate level and above on the east side as soon as possible! Quickly!」

The seriousness in Bauers' voice was quickly responded to by the elven. Each of them hurriedly called out to their compatriots living in the village.

If only Satoru-dono were here,―Bauers gritted his teeth. He is the man who can beat Ingolshenes. Just when he thought that Satoru would have protected them against such a disaster, he realized another possibility.

It was hard to believe that the disaster that was happening right in front of him was a natural phenomenon. There are no fire-breathing mountains in the vicinity of this Dark Green Forest―and while there may be a phenomenon known as 【Starfall】, which is said to occur once every several hundred years, what happened shortly after Satoru's departure was not a natural phenomenon at all, but a phenomenon that could have occurred at any time of the year. He wondered if this was what Satoru had done.

Bauers took the initiative and set it up in the center of the eastern edge of the village. He could only use up to intermediate level, but the old elf had a soul of his own. Even if they lack instantaneous power, they keep their staying power. Bauers shouted out to the practitioners who had gathered one after another from the village.

「The wind with heat is likely to rush in! Use the 【Storm Wall】 to deflect the onrushing hot air to the upper side!」

No sooner had Bauers sent out these instructions than a sudden cloudburst broke, and the leaves on the east side of the village began to rustle violently. Bauers shouted as loudly as he could as he felt the violent sound approaching.

「All hands, use the 【Storm Wall】!」

A wall of wind was formed, released simultaneously from dozens of practitioners. In the next instant, the trees in front of them shook violently and the winds surged with tremendous force. The village was hit by a hot wind filled with an enormous amount of heat, which can only be described as tremendous.

「Ugh ......!」

Bauers realized that his prediction was partly right and partly wrong. He knew that he had been correct in his judgment as to the countermeasures against the hot winds coming from the east. The only thing was that the hot winds were far beyond his imagination. The pressure was so great that he almost let himself be blown away, but he held on just in time. Some of the practitioners seemed to have been knocked unconscious by the unimaginable pressure, expending most of their magic power before they could even think about it. If this 【Storm Wall】 collapsed, they would be the first to be caught in it, and they probably won't survive.

「We only have to hold out for ten seconds. Put all your magical power into it!」

Bauers shouted with determination. He continued to apply the 【Storm Wall】, which was the most powerful he could exert. It would not last long; he said he would only last for ten seconds, but there was a chance that it would exceed that. The mushroom cloud was a long distance away, and it was unimaginable that such a hot wind would still be surging past the 【Lost Forest】, which dampened the power of various arts and disasters. Some trees were also blown down and knocked over.

And... Leaves rustled above the heads of the elves who were trying their best to endure.

「The World Tree is ......!」

Someone shouted. The shining World Tree trembled and increased its luminous intensity, and a loud zap sounded to negate the oncoming hot wind.

「Ohhh ......」

That is an unbelievable phenomenon. Perhaps the World Tree, sensing the danger that it too would be knocked down if things continued as they were, released the power it had kept dormant for self-preservation. It may have offered a helping hand to the elves who had endured the loss of much of the magical power that resided in their bodies. Although they do not know the truth, there is only one clear thing.

「I-It seems we were saved. ......」

Breathing heavily on his shoulders, Bauers looked around. It seemed that many of the practitioners had spent their magical power almost to the limit. Perhaps they were just a hair's breadth away. If the World Tree had not helped, the hot winds would probably have swept into the village, causing considerable damage.

The damage to the village was not total. Some trees were knocked down and some people were injured by flying branches. He looks at the mushroom cloud that is still expanding its power. The distance between the two areas, and the effect of the 【Lost Forest】, which dampens the power of many things, is the only reason for this much damage. He wonders what is going on outside the 【Lost Forest】.

「Is Satoru safe?」

Bauers uttered this unintentionally. Satoru himself refused, but no matter what he said, Satoru is the hero who saved this village. Even with the blessing of the 【Lost Forest】, he still has this much destructive power. If this were a disaster, and he was involved in it, he would not get away unscathed, no matter how invincible he boasted of his invincibility.

On the other hand, I am lost. If, as I first thought, it was Satoru who caused this disaster. How should I deal with it?

The elves of the village are coming one after another to take care of their compatriots who saved the village.

「Are you all right, brother?」

Bauers nodded to an elderly female elf who was the first to call out to him.

「That direction where the explosion occurred is in the direction of the village where I was. We must hurry and investigate.」

Bauers was taken aback. When he was decided to expel Liz, Bauers had secretly asked his sister, who was out of the village, to take care of Reine and Liz. However, it took some time to find the mother and daughter, and as a result, she was informed that Reine's legs had deteriorated. He felts sorry for Reine a lot.

The old woman whom Reine and Liz had met by chance and whom they thought had helped them was the one. Of course, the mother and daughter are unaware of this fact. A fact that only the Bauers' blood relatives and some of the elders have been told about. Bauers intentionally placed Delgitta, his younger sister, outside the village to get information about human society. It was this Delgitta that Raymond first met in the village where Reine and Liz were living.

Satoru made Bauers promise to take care of  Reine and Liz. If, as Delgitta said, the explosion had involved the village where Reine had been, it would be necessary to investigate immediately. However,

「It is dangerous. We can't send anyone from the village to investigate under these circumstances.」

As the person in charge of the village, it is only natural for him to make that decision. We don't even know what happened to the damaged 【Lost Forest】

「Please let me investigate there.」

Bauers' brow clouded as he recognized the woman who told him so clearly. There she was, Bauers' daughter, Helmera.

「But Helmera」

「I am aware of the danger. Many of the trees in the forest have been blown down. There is a high possibility that the 【Lost Forest】 will be distorted by this. However, I am still worried about Reine. Besides, I can't fulfill my promise to Satoru-dono ......」

Bauers groaned and ponders. At this stage, if Reine was involved, it would not be a matter of the village's responsibility. Satoru would probably understand. However, if they neglected to mention that Reine was returning to the village, it could become a problem later on.

In any case, an investigation would be necessary. Helmera is not good at the wind arts, but she has advanced skills in the water and rijutsu arts. She is the perfect person to be sent to investigate.

「Besides, the investigation is also necessary to return those who have fled to this place.」

「Mugh......」

The village is still functioning at this stage. However, with the sudden increase in the number of people, it is rather on edge as an operation. Bauers nodded at her daughter's advice.

「It can't be helped. I'm counting on you.」

The daughter also nodded and immediately ran off to the village.

＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

At that moment.

For the third time in recent days, Sheryl was firmly aware of the magical tremor.

The shaking was clearly of a different dimension than the previous two times. It was a magical tremor of a level that could not even be compared to the previous ones. The tremors were so tremendous that a strong sense of dread overcame her. Normally, magic tremors can only be felt by those who have mastered intermediate spiritual arts, but with tremors of this magnitude, a practitioner with a background in spiritual arts might be able to sense them. It is that great.

Impossible──she thought about once. In this day and age, there are only a few practitioners who can create a magical tremor, which can only occur when more than 1,000 magic powers are consumed at once, but in reality, 1000 or so magic powers can only spread about 10 majors. That's just a little chill. She has only one person in her mind who could cause the level of magical tremor she felt just now, even though that person should be quite a distance away.

At the same time, a dry crackling sound echoed through the room.

「T-the stone slab is....」

「......!」

The team members were all surprised to see the message tablet, which was used to communicate with Raymond Dantes, an adventurer who had been cooperating with the team, and his crew, shattered. It was not that they had dropped it or anything. It had just been placed on the table, but it was broken. That could only mean one thing.

The stone tablet, the counterpart of the tablet, was broken.

「Hurry up and use 【Detection】 on the 【Giant Killer】 ......」

The moment Sheryl instructed the only means to find the only way to find out, the earth shook with a grumble.

「An earthquake?」

It is not a big deal in terms of intensity. It was only noticeable because she was sitting on the floor, and if she had been walking, she would have noticed it. The windows were shaking and the shaking itself stopped after a few moments. However, the members of the team, including Sheryl, were not a little shaken. This is a very rare phenomenon in this region.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Waiting for the tremors to subside, Sheryl turned to the practitioner in charge at the moment.

「Use 【Detection】!」

At Sheryl's renewed instruction, the practitioner hurriedly cast the 【Detection】 art. The location of the legendary greatsword, which had been unaccounted for the past day and a half, appeared in his mind.

「......Uh, there was a response. West of the Raid, on the outskirts of the 『Dark Green Forest』 ......! This place.」

「It must be around where Sir Dantes was.」

「...... y-yes」

Sheryl uttered her prediction before the practitioner, who reported in a shaken voice, could look back at the map, and the practitioner nodded his head in approval. Raymond reported that Satoru had entered the 【Lost Forest】, and then stayed at a certain point. Sheryl knew what object Raymond was using for 【Detection】," so she was checking the location just in case.

「Raymond ......」

Just to be sure, Sheryl let the spell play in her mouth before using the 【Detection】. The target is the ring worn by Raymond, which is paired with her own engagement ring.

But there was no response. She had predicted this when the message tablet was broken, I knew it - Sheryl sighed.

(Fufu, my father will be angry. But it's none of my business.)

Sheryl smiled faintly, realizing that she was not in the least bit shocked. She was surprised that she is not somewhat shocked that her partner, who would have been married next year if everything had gone according to plan, has apparently died. She mocked herself for being such a cold-hearted woman.

She noticed that everyone in the team was staring at Sheryl, and she clears her throat.

「Perhaps, Sir Dantes has made contact with the target. ...... I've tried to use 【Detecting】 Sir Dantes, but there is no response.」

A dignified voice echoed throughout the countermeasures room. Even outside, one could hear the commotion. A magical tremor on the scale of a disaster, and an earthquake, which is rare in this region. The elements that would cause a commotion were all over the place.

However, Sheryl's calm voice kept the room quiet.

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「The only reason the tablet broke is because its counterpart was destroyed. ...... Perhaps Sir Dantes was hit by the target.」

「Team leader, that's.....」

Sheryl gave a small shake of her head to the concerned team member.

Although her fiancé had apparently died, Sheryl showed no signs of being upset. The team members may see her as a strong woman, but of course, that is not the truth. She just didn't have feelings for her fiancé.

「There is no doubt that it would cause a lot of commotion. There are many aspects of the situation that we will have to seek the High Mentor's judgment. ......」

Sheryl looked at the map, cut off her words, and thought small. There is no telling what Satoru will do in the future. What we do know is that the only department that has Satoru as its sole target at the moment will be very busy from now on.

「I am very sorry, but we are going to be busy for a while. Just be prepared for that.」

A heavy air enveloped the task force. Then, a rough knocking sound could be heard on the door. Without waiting for a reply, one of the secretaries of the High Mentor showed his face.

「Team leader Maylander, the High Mentor has summoned you. He wants you to attend the Mentor's meeting.」

That will happen, Sheryl predicted. If this happened, it would not be a matter of the High Mentor and this group alone. There would be tremors of extraordinary magic power and earthquakes. Both were probably caused by the target, Satoru. Now that he could no longer be hidden, it was necessary to reveal some details.

「Understood.」

Sheryl stood up with the necessary tools and documents and sighed heavily as she thought about what might happen next.

It seems that things have taken a terrible turn―.

＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

The earthquake was followed by a tremor of extraordinary magnitude. The Academy ofo the Wise, the highest academic institution in the world, immediately convened a meeting of the faculty to address the unexpected event.

The Mentor's Meeting is a gathering of the eight Mentors and the High Mentor, who sit at a round table and discuss various matters with the High Mentor acting as chairman. As it happened that all the mentors who were qualified to participate in the Mentor's Meeting were present in the academy, the meeting started immediately. Needless to say, the topic of discussion was the tremors and earthquakes that had occurred at a tremendous level.

Several letters were sent to the Academy of the Wise through the Magic Guilds in nearby towns. The art of 【Transfer】 a person is extremely difficult, but the art of 【Transfer】 an object is much less difficult than 【Transfer】 a person. The Magic Guilds make use of such arts to deliver letters as a kind of business, and when such unforeseen events occur, they use their information network to gather information.

One of the guides, who had already estimated the damage based on the many reports he had received, breathed a sigh of relief.

「It looks like an explosion.」

「If that's the case, then the earthquake must have been caused by that impact.」

「I thought there were no volcanoes in that area.」

「Could it be a natural 【Starfall】? But that doesn't explain why the magic tremor occurred. ......」

While the Mentor and the Mentor's advisors were bickering and arguing, High Mentor Graham Coogan, who chaired the meeting, remained silent.

Legend has it that in the days of the Ancient Magical Kingdoms, there was sorcery called 【Starfall】. It is said to have been sorcery to send down stones of tremendous size from high in the sky, but that sorcery has been lost in the modern world. Even so, there are reports of damage similar to that kind of sorcery once every few decades to a few hundred years, so it is known to some people that such events are not limited to sorcery, but are a natural occurrence.

It is one of the duties of the Academy of the Wise to organize the information that comes in one after another, not only about sorcery, but also about disasters such as these, and to integrate it and report it to the appropriate authorities. The Mentor, who had unfolded a map of the area and filled in several locations on the edge of the damage, groaned.

「The scale of the damage is tremendous, isn't it? We have not been able to confirm it, of course, but it is at least 20 miles in diameter. I'm estimating, but it looks like it blew about 30 miles.」

「30 miles......!」

One of the Mentor's companions opened his mouth and shook his head from side to side at the number, which seemed so far removed from reality.

「Such magnitude, I can't think of anything but 【Starfall】.」

「How do you explain the magical tremors?」

「It is not a very likely situation, but could it be that there was an unexcavated labyrinth? It could have been a direct hit there, releasing the magic power.」

「No.」

All eyes were focused on the short denial of the High Mentor, who had remained silent until now. The High Mentor had never looked at the damage report.

「I will make this known to everyone as a highly accurate story. I don't know if this damage was caused by the 【Starfall】 art, but it was probably caused by someone else.」

「What did you say!?」

The youngest Mentor among the participating Mentors was agitated by the gravely worded words of the High Mentor. The Mentors exchanged glances with each other at the unbelievable story.

It would be difficult to do this much damage even with unlimited magic in the Ancient Magical Kingdom, even with magic that is now lost. The Mentor and his colleagues calmly made this judgment. It is extremely difficult to control such a large amount of magical power, and moreover, there is no way to use such a large amount of magical power in this life. The largest magic stone being studied at the Academy of the Wise boasts a figure of 1,500, but even if you used it with all your might, you would not be able to cause this much damage.

Another Mentor, who is older than the High Mentor, laughs sarcastically, The High Mentor must be senile. No human being could cause this kind of damage. Even if all the members of the Academy of the Wise concentrated on a single ritual, it would not be enough to cause this much damage.

「Listen here, do not try to use 【Farsightedness】 on the center of the explosion. Notify the countries through the Magic Guild.」

Probing gazes focused on the High Mentor. The youngest Mentor raised his hand and directed a question to the revered High Mentor.

「Does the High Mentor know who caused all this?」

「It's a matter of possibility.」

The most senior Mentor turned his eyes. He had not been informed of the existence of such a monster. The next moment he was about to speak up, a knock sounded from outside.

「Pardon my intrusion.」

The older Mentor shot a curt look at the young woman who bowed and entered the room. I know who this woman is. Of course, she is not of the caliber to enter a place like this.

「You, a leader of a patrol unit, with what authority do you have to enter this place where only the Mentor class is allowed to participate?」

「That's fine. I called her. Give me your reports.」

Holding out his hand to restrain the older Mentor, the High Mentor turned his gentle gaze on Sheryl. Sheryl bowed silently once more to the full throne and then assumed an upright, immobile posture.

「The target's location is approximate.」

「I knew it.」

With eye contact, Sheryl nodded. With a grunt Ummm, the High Mentor closed his eyes and leaned himself against the back of his chair. It occurred to several of them that the young woman on patrol had been appointed head of a dying department at the urging of the High Mentor, but none of them could remember the official name of that department.

The face of the beautiful woman, who had been standing upright and immobile with a sharp expression on her face, became a little distorted there.

「And. The 『Message Tablet』 has been destroyed.」

The High Mentor's eyes widened as she continued her report.

「Say what. Then, Sir Dantes is?」

「I use 【Detection】 on his ring, but there was no response. ...... Perhaps Sir Dantes made contact with the target and was blown away.」

「Mmmm ......」

This young beautiful woman and the High Mentor are having a conversation that only the two of them understand. The Mentor looked at one of the Mentors who was about to raise his voice to ask for an explanation in impatience, and after restraining him with a glance, the High Mentor opened his mouth gravely.

「I just want to let everyone know about this. The person who is believed to have caused this explosion is a young man who calls himself Satoru. He called himself a 『Foreigner』 and is not known where he came from.」

「Say what?」

「He is a man outside of the 【Soul Search】 process, just after birth.」

In this world, it is a rule to conduct 【Soul Search】 on newborns. Those who are under the protection of the state are the basic targets, and elves, dwarves, aquatic tribes, and children of slaves who are not under the protection of the state are originally exempted from this practice.

However, as a result of long-established custom, it is common practice for those living in this world to take those with large soul born from time to time as a result of mutation, etc., and place them under the protection of the state or educate them. Even from the slave class, there occasionally appear people with large soul. The reason why they are placed under the supervision of the state is because such a large soul is so precious. The Patrol Task Force for Persons of Interest, of which Sheryl is now the leader, is also originally a department to monitor such people.

「Sheryl, the target heart stone is....」

「Here.」

Sheryl placed the stone in the center of the round table, and the High Mentor personally put his magical power into the stone. The image that emerged from the stone was that of a large young man and woman. After showing the image to everyone, the High Mentor looked around the room.

「It is this man. The leader of the Maylander team here has found him. He is a being whose soul is so large that it cannot be confirmed by the 【Covert Soul Search】 and who could be the Demon King.」

「Oh, my God.」

They have never heard of a soul that cannot be confirmed by 【Soul Search】. Even those with a soul that is too huge, such as the Five Dragons, can be identified by the 【Soul Search】 art. The 【Covert Soul Search】 is an art that can be invoked without the use of words in the chanting, and although it only gives a rough number compared to the number given by the measuring sphere, it is still impossible not to know the number.

After calming down the rustling of the Mentor once again, the High Mentor turned his stern gaze on everyone.

「We judged him to be a considerable risk factor. I have to say that he probably caused the magical tremor the other day, the one in the 『Labyrinth of no Return』, and the breakthrough in the labyrinth―all of them were caused by his hand. His soul probably numbers more than 10.000.」

A rustle, the Mentors murmured. There was certainly a suspicion that the magical tremors that occurred in the city the other day were too large to have been caused by the High Mentor. Here, once again, was a declaration that the High Mentor had not done it.

At first glance, Satoru, who is reflected in the heart stone, appears to be nothing more than a large, stout, crude warrior. Unbelievable, to be sure, but even more outrageous if true.―The High Mentor turned his stern gaze into a soft one as the Mentors began to murmur once again.

「There's no need to worry. It would be too dangerous for the academy to fight him directly, so we have prepared a plan.」

Pheeew, a collective sigh of relief escaped from everywhere. The most senior Mentor's gaze was as tight as ever, but the High Mentor was unconcerned and spoke to everyone as if to say something to them all.

「Direct contact with him, however, is too dangerous. My 【Farsightedness】 and 【Distant Hearing】 were destroyed before. Therefore, you should not probe the explosion site directly.」

「Understood」

The youngest Mentor, who respected the High Mentor, bowed his head, and all followed suit. Regardless of what was in their hearts, they could not let the Mentor class cross a dangerous bridge.

Then, a knock sounded again. The person who peeked out was the chief secretary of the High Mentor, who had recently lost weight from exhaustion.

「High Mentor, you have been summoned by the Senate. I heard they're holding an urgent Imperial Council meeting.」

The High Mentor exhaled as if troubled. Surely, this issue cannot be settled by the Academy of the Wise alone. The nation needs to come up with a plan to deal with this problem as well. The High Mentor also holds the title of First Count and is a member of the Ares Senate, and he is respected as a consultant.

But this is, on the contrary, an opportunity. Because appealing to the public about the danger of Satoru and gaining the support of the Ares Senate and the royal family will have an effect that cannot be ignored. Right now, Sheryl's team is the only one pursuing Satoru, but now that things have come to this point, they need additional personnel and budget.

「Good grief. Everyone continues to gather information on the damage. Sheryl, you're in charge of tracking.」

「Ha!」

With a heavy heart, the High Mentor stood up from the round table. Sheryl also bowed to the Mentor and left the conference room.

The remaining Mentors sighed and continued to work hard to fulfill the duties assigned to them.

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