Chapter 58 - Evil's Gentle Touch

The wind made Silveryn's skirt flutter above her knees.

Worried it might become transparent, I neatly spread the blanket over her legs.

She kicked it off like someone with bad sleeping habits.

I stared bewilderedly at the blanket that had been pushed onto the sand.

"Don't need it. I run hot."

"..."

"Hurry and lie down."

I picked up the blanket again and, pushing aside various stray thoughts, laid down beside her.

Fragments of clouds moved slowly in the sky. It was perfect.

"Eternia is a great place to practice spirit arts."

"Teacher, I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Does Eternia not have winter?"

I had assumed it was just a warm region, but something felt odd. It was now December, and this place was much further north than Wiesel on the map.

"That's right. It doesn't. We erased it since Plantera's movements become sluggish in winter."

Did I hear that wrong? Erasing a season?

"Is that possible?"

"Not for ordinary humans. No one but Erzsebet could do it."

Controlling a region's seasons—it seemed beyond magic, more like the realm of gods.

"Is that possible with one person's power?"

"Not with one person's power alone. No matter how great a mage is, their mana has limits. But it's different when using the power of nature and spirits."

This was truly beyond my comprehension.

"Going beyond using the power within your body, you can become an Archmage if you know how to harness and utilize external transcendent powers like earth, nature, spirits, and divine power."

"..."

"Are you getting interested in spirit arts now?"

"...What should I do?"

"Feel the wind. Feel the sunlight, the flow of the river, the texture of the sand. Engrave both warmth and coldness into your skin."

It sounds like she was just telling me to lie down leisurely.

"Imagine each hair on your skin has eyes, nose, and mouth."

"That's hard to imagine."

"We're building your sensitivity to nature and spirits. Some people are born with this ability, others never achieve it until death. You're closer to the latter, so you'll have to work extremely hard."

Well, I'd been told multiple times that I had terrible talent for magic and spirit arts.

Trying to follow Silveryn's instructions, I could only imagine mythological monsters covered in eyes and felt nothing special.

I had no idea how to approach this.

I slowed my breathing and focused on all my bodily sensations.

The sunlight was warm, the wind pleasantly cool. The sand was soft, and I was becoming drowsy.

After a few minutes, my eyes began to relax, and sleep started to overtake me.

Just as my eyes were about to close, Silveryn pinched one of my cheeks.

"...?"

"Don't fall asleep."

Ah, she has been watching the whole time.

With one cheek still under her control, I said, "I don't know what I should do."

I'd spent plenty of time lying down surrounded by nature, whether training with logs in Wiesel or during the entrance exam, but what should I be perceiving differently?

"Having sensitivity isn't necessarily good, and having it closed isn't necessarily bad. No need to rush. Just feel it with a comfortable mind."

I wondered what she meant by it not being entirely good.

"Why isn't it always good to have open sensitivity?"

"Hmm... imagine someone with extraordinary hearing. Someone who can hear ant footsteps, mosquito wings, and even the heartbeats of humans. Do you think you could live well utilizing such exceptional hearing properly?"

"...I don't know."

"Think about hearing every sound in the world. You couldn't sleep properly. It would cause serious problems in daily life. You might even go mad. It's similar when you have extremely high sensitivity to spirit entities. You're forced to receive unwanted stimuli."

Now I understood a bit better. So that was why someone like Luna acted so sensitively.

"Your sensitivity is at the opposite extreme. You're as tightly closed as a rock or iron. To be frank, even with lifelong training, you'd struggle to handle even a mid-level spirit. Well, you might improve a bit with my help."

"So what's good about not being able to handle spirits?"

Seeing my disappointed expression, Silveryn smiled and said, "That's also your talent. Steadfastness that isn't easily swayed by surroundings. You have the potential to become mentally stronger than anyone."

Mental strength—compared to freely controlling spirits, it didn't seem like such a great advantage. She wasn't just trying to make me feel better, was she?

"Like two sides of a coin."

Silveryn released her pinch and gently stroked my cheek.

"Right, even if this place was a cursed land full of evil spirits, you could take a nap if you judged it safe. In such places, people like you are actually the safest. Those with good sensitivity couldn't last even an hour."

"Before, Luna came to me suddenly and said... that children avoid me. Is that related?"

Silveryn turned toward me, propping herself on her arm, and said, "Somewhat. But that's not the only reason. Spirits dislike you while fearing you. Spirits rarely feel fear unless facing someone of my power level."

It sounded like I was an oddity with everything spirits hate. Though I'd wanted to handle at least one spirit, her words made it seem impossibly distant.

"Why do they fear me when I can't harm them at all?"

"Well, I roughly suspect it's related to your sword, but we'd need to research to know for sure."

"Hearing you talk makes spirits seem so distant."

"You're worrying too much in front of me. If I set my mind to it, I could make even a neighborhood dog form a spirit contract, so just do as I say, my disciple."

"..."

Silveryn poked my cheek with her index finger as if handling a curious creature, and said, "Besides, I like your qualities. They're completely opposite to mine. Maybe because they're qualities I don't have, but when we're together, it feels like neutralization... I just feel at ease. That's enough for your talent. You pass as my disciple."

I would have thought being similar would make a more suitable disciple, but whatever. 

Pass, she says. 

What more could I ask for if Silveryn approves?

***

The expression of Priest Colt wasn't pleasant as he re-read the Romeda Forest Keeper's report.

Reports of large-scale ghoul movements kept coming in, and news of magic creature incursions occasionally arrived from areas previously protected by divine power.

As Saint Flenche's power weakened, these incidents became more frequent.

In this situation, ominous news arrived from the Romeda Forest.

Romeda Forest was one of the holy zones directly managed by the Order.

It was the land where Hanox, the 500-year-old blessed Sacred Tree, had deeply rooted itself.

The divine power emanating from Sacred Tree Hanox protected several nearby territories from dark magic.

"Are there really no additional communications from the Forest Keeper?"

Holy Knight Brook, commander of the Romeda Forest investigation team, replied with a stern face, "That's correct."

Colt tucked the letter back into his chest and said, "...We must hurry."

Colt and the other thirty holy knights had been directly dispatched from the Holy City under the Order's command.

They were there to check the condition of Sacred Tree Hanox.

Romeda Forest was a place where ordinary people couldn't even enter.

The Forest Keeper was a top-tier mage who had once held the position of Imperial Court Mage, and the forest was protected by powerful phantasmal beasts.

And barrier stones perfectly concealed Hanox from the world.

Thanks to this, no one, no matter how skilled, nor any magic creatures could approach Sacred Tree Hanox.

For hundreds of years, Hanox had never been threatened.

Yet the Forest Keeper's urgent message contained only one hastily scrawled strange sentence:

[Hanox is in danger.]

Though the Order had sent only a small number of people, judging it wouldn't be serious, Colt thought differently.

The ominous feeling grew stronger as they approached Romeda Forest.

Though the early winter drizzle chilled them to the bone and the muddy ground slowed their pace, they couldn't delay any longer.

Holy Knight Brook said, "From here is Romeda Forest's territory."

Colt warned, "We could be ambushed at any time. Stay on maximum alert."

Heavy tension spread among the holy knights.

Colt placed his hand on the ground and closed his eyes briefly. The divine power he sensed from Hanox had weakened to an unbelievable degree.

"We must make haste."

Colt unfolded the map of Romeda Forest provided by the Order. In this vast forest, only the Forest Keeper and Order officials knew Hanox's location.

Colt took the lead of the thirty holy knights.

"I'll lead from here."

Taking the shortcut, they could reach Hanox in five or six hours.

The march continued in tension and silence.

Around sunset, the investigation team stood before the barrier stone protecting Hanox.

Fortunately, the barrier stone was intact. This meant Hanox was still safe. To enter the barrier, one needed either divine power or had to destroy the barrier stone.

Colt led the holy knights inside the barrier to check Hanox's condition.

Beyond the illusory wall created by the barrier, the massive tree that had been hiding came into view.

Colt approached Hanox's thick roots spreading across the ground and placed his hand on them.

Something strange was happening.

"No... how can this..."

Though the barrier stone was intact, Hanox was dying, having lost its divine power.

Black droplets fell on Colt's hand.

It wasn't rainwater. It was viscous and had a fishy smell. The liquid poured down from the sky like rain.

Then the holy knights behind Colt shouted, "P-priest! This is no time for that!"

Colt turned around.

The holy knights had drawn their swords with terrified expressions.

And their gazes were directed skyward.

Colt slowly looked up.

And was shocked by the horrific sight.

The Forest Keeper and ten silver wolf phantasmal beasts were hanging by their necks, dangling from the trees.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

Colt was momentarily speechless.

And on Hanox's leaves covering the sky, thousands of leeches clung, spraying blood as if holding a feast.

Colt finally gathered his wits and shouted, "We... we must leave! It's a trap! Hanox is as good as dead!"

The holy knights hesitated, caught in panic.

"Hurry!"

Colt quickly stood and ran toward the barrier's exterior.

From beneath the formation of knights, an arm suddenly shot up. It grabbed one knight's leg and pulled him underground.

"Aaah, aaagh!"

The ground where that knight had stood suddenly collapsed, and he vanished.

The commander, finally grasping the situation, shouted, "Ghouls! Ghouls are lying in ambush! Retreat immediately!"

And hands reached up from underground, snatching knights one after another.

Screams continued in succession.

Though the holy knights fled in panic, it was already far too late.

Only five holy knights managed to escape the barrier alive with Colt.

The commander too had fallen to the ghouls' attack and failed to escape.

One surviving holy knight asked, "This is... surely... could it be?"

"It's a dark mage. There's no time to explain. We must flee."

Though it was questionable how they had penetrated Hanox's divine power, this wasn't the time to think about that.

Colt led the survivors and hastily retreated from Hanox.

The knights kept stumbling and falling as they fled.

Though they helped each other up and continued, the falls became more frequent.

Their condition was steadily worsening.

And at some point, the knights couldn't keep up with Colt.

Colt sensed something wrong and looked back. About ten paces behind, the knights were flailing their arms in the air.

"P-priest. Has night fallen? I... I can't see anything."

"I'll use magic to create light..."

Colt stopped speaking and checked the knights' eyes. Their pupils had turned completely white, like blind people.

"Ah, this can't be."

They had all gone blind.

Colt's whole body trembled. Only then did he recall again what he'd seen inside the barrier.

The corpses hanging from trees, leeches, blood.

It had been a curse ritual. The dark mage had already known the holy knights would come seeking Hanox and had prepared a curse ritual site.

He collapsed, overwhelmed by despair.

Escape was impossible.

They had already been dancing in the dark mage’s palm.

The moment they entered the barrier, no, from the moment they entered Romeda Forest, death had been predetermined.

Colt hadn't escaped the curse either. His vision too was beginning to darken.

Before it was too late, Colt took out paper and wrote a message announcing the dark mage’s appearance.

After sending it off with a Stitch, Colt closed his eyes and offered a final prayer.

The sound of ghoul footsteps approached from the distance.