Chapter 34
－From the Perspective of the Captain of the Emperas Kingdom's First Order of Knights－
I was hurrying down the hallway when a voice called out from behind.
"Did you hear?"
"Yeah."
The entire castle is tense over this topic right now.
The King received the report and killed the knight who delivered it on the spot.
From my perspective, killing him served no purpose, though.
If I said even a word of that aloud, my head would fly or I would be reduced to slavery.
Either way, my life would be over.
The forest's first anomaly.
The King probably thought of it as his final act of resistance.
He tried to settle things by strengthening the magic-eye spell.
But the result was...
...
A single magic stone supports the compound magic-eye spell.
It is said to have been discovered in an ancient ruin.
The compound magic-eye spell was made possible by the discovery of this magic stone.
The magic stone possessed an abnormal amount of power, and even mages were unable to analyze it.
I hear that the blood of many mages was spilled.
It was our country's King who used that magic stone.
At first, he used its power to stop his body from aging.
No, "stop" isn't right. He merely delayed it.
Apparently, he has been growing older little by little.
Next, he used the magic stone to enhance multiple magic-eye spells so he could become the king of the world.
More than tens of thousands of sacrifices were poured into the magic stone.
Through those sacrifices and their blood, the magic stone grew even stronger, as did the magic-eye spells.
Everyone believed without a doubt that he would obtain the forest and become the king of the world.
That is how much power that magic stone possesses.
...
A truly tiny crack appeared in that magic stone.
Yes, a very small crack.
I feel sorry for the mage who found it.
The mage had discovered something that incurred the King's wrath.
And now.
Apparently, the Fourth Order of Knights has been called to assemble.
Most likely, they will be ordered to go to the forest and investigate.
That place still holds the power of the King of the Forest.
It seems the area around the forest has been brought under control, though.
But even so, less than a tenth of the forest is under control.
Moreover, if they are going to investigate, they will probably head for the central part of the forest.
What will happen if the knights of the Emperas Kingdom, who have been meddling in the forest, go there?
But what is happening?
I've heard that the magic stone has grown considerably stronger since it was first discovered.
The being that damaged that magic stone.
Apparently, the Kings of the Forest have repeatedly counterattacked until now.
But they never had enough power to affect the magic stone.
And then, all of a sudden.
Did something awaken?
A being more powerful than the King of the Forest?
Could the being above the King be a god?
Has a god awakened?