Chapter 18
The magical beasts moved without a sound. That was why the forest was utterly silent.
Come to think of it, the forest being completely silent was strange. All sorts of wild animals, including birds, lived in the forest. Naturally, there should have been some kind of sound.
The forest’s depths being quiet like this meant that a predator had appeared—one terrifying enough to silence every living creature within it.
I came to a stop in a clearing. At least there was enough room to swing my sword. However, I had no intention of facing the magical beasts in a fair fight.
There were no rules or etiquette in a battle against magical beasts. It was simply a fight to kill or be killed.
I took a potion from inside my coat. It had a faint gray sheen.
It was the item Emma had given me during our last meeting. Her masterpiece, which had returned to my hands only because her father had vehemently refused to accept it.
When I uncorked the potion bottle, a sharp scent wafted out. Just from the smell, it seemed unlikely to taste good. But I was already too old to be picky about my food.
Without hesitation, I poured the potion down my throat. A searing heat passed through me like strong liquor. Then that heat traveled along my veins and gradually spread through my body.
My heartbeat gradually slowed. My breathing quieted like that of a corpse newly dead. I felt as though my existence had become untethered; even I could not be certain that I existed.
In exchange, my movements became slightly sluggish, but it was still well within what I could tolerate. Around then, I recalled once more the last conversation I had shared with Emma.
Emma had predicted that the potion would be useless because the materials she gathered had distinctive scents. In other words, the potion could not erase odors from outside my body.
I scooped up damp earth with my hands. I sprinkled it over various parts of my uniform, crushed some grass, and smeared its juices over my body.
It was strange. I had once been disgusted by nothing more than the sensation of grass brushing against me, yet now I was calmly dirtying myself without a second thought.
It was hardly something befitting a noble young master. I felt a faint sense of incongruity, but that was good enough for now.
I drove my sword into a tree, then launched myself upward in a single motion and climbed onto a branch. Hidden behind the leaves, my body was out of sight.
I was in an ideal state of concealment. Even my body odor, breathing, and heartbeat could not be sensed.
My gaze grew still, like that of a fisherman waiting for the right moment. A world in which I could not even feel my own breathing was infinitely quiet. Even the slightest disturbance felt like thunder.
A faint rustle rang shrilly through the silent forest. My fingertips stiffened with tension.
Holding my breath, I watched the clearing through a gap in the leaves. A massive creature with gray fur was moving there.
It was a wolf. Even its size made it appear larger than most adult men. And its pitch-black eyes seemed incapable of reflecting even the faintest glimmer in the darkness.
The only part of its body that reflected light was its grotesquely developed molars. I could not recall seeing anything like them in any known species.
It was undoubtedly a magical beast.
The moment that realization crossed my mind, my heart, which had lost its momentum, began pounding again. Heat entered my breath. A pleasant tension pulled my muscles taut.
I reversed my grip on my sword and waited for the right moment.
The gray wolf tilted its head and shoved its nose against the ground. My scent should still have remained. It must have been frustrated, unable to figure out where I had disappeared to.
The sound of sniffing continued right below me. My heart pounded as though it would burst. And just as I made up my mind and took a step—
Rustle. The sound of leaves brushing against one another rang out. The gray wolf’s pitch-black eyes immediately shot upward.
Yet reflected in those eyes was already a falling silver line.
With a smack, brain matter splattered.
The mana-infused blade transferred the force of my fall directly into the magical beast’s skull. Its aura was not dense enough to pierce the skull, but the blade lodged diagonally and succeeded in cracking it.
With a hoarse howl, foul-smelling blood gushed out in spurts. The massive creature, struck in the brain, thrashed about. Powerful convulsions rolled through it like waves.
Like its death cry, its thrashing was brief. The spark of life gradually went out in the magical beast’s eyes.
The twitching lump of flesh was the last trace of life the magical beast left behind. I gritted my teeth and held my sword embedded in it until the tremors subsided.
Only after every movement had vanished from the magical beast’s body did I rise with a long exhale. I took the canteen hanging from my waist.
My throat was parched. I shook the canteen out, trying to replenish my fluids, but only a few drops of water fell.
If I had known this would happen, I should have rationed my water more carefully. I muttered in a hollow voice.
“……This fucking sucks.”
It was a sensation I had never experienced before. A life convulsing within my grasp and gradually slipping away.
The hand holding my canteen trembled slightly. I nearly dropped the lid several times while trying to close it.
However, I had no time to dwell on the impressions left by my first hunt. I could already sense the magical beasts approaching.
They must have heard their companion’s howl. The forest had been quiet enough for that death cry to echo everywhere. More than anything, the stench of blood stabbed at my nose.
The soil, already sodden with moisture, had absorbed a great deal of blood and squelched with every step. That was good for me.
My body was already drenched in the magical beast’s blood as well. The wolves would no longer be able to distinguish my scent.
For now, the option with the highest chance of survival was to remain hidden.
I did not know how long the potion’s effects would last, but it should not take long for Professor Derek to notice that something was wrong. A few hours at most.
But if I did that, the wolves might give up on the pursuit. The moment even one of them abandoned its companion’s revenge and went after Seria instead, her life would be in danger.
I could not allow that. I rolled around in the blood-soaked mud and dirtied my body once more. Then I dragged the magical beast’s corpse away and threw it into the nearby grass.
Then I curled up in the grass beside it. Once again, I had to endure a brief wait.
Within only a few minutes, a wolf appeared, ambling along. It could not be the last one. I could already sense several magical beasts approaching from all around me.
There were at least five. Wolves were pack animals by nature. Becoming magical beasts had not changed that fundamental nature.
Becoming a magical beast required a high density of mana, so even a large wolf pack was unlikely to number in the dozens. Still, I would have to prepare myself to face around ten.
The fortunate thing was that my heart settled once more when I saw the magical beast before me.
The shock of my first hunt had not even faded yet. Even so, all I felt now was the subtle tension unique to a hunter standing on the verge of a hunt.
There was no need to ask why.
My eyes pieced together a route. I had to deal with that one before the other wolves came any closer.
The wolf that appeared in the clearing looked slightly flustered. The sight of blood everywhere would have that effect. Like its companion, it shoved its nose against the ground and began sniffing.
It slowly approached along the trail of blood. The closer it came to me, the fainter my breathing became.
It did not take long for the wolf to discover its companion’s corpse. I had thrown it into the tallest grass I could find, but the magical beast was so large that it could not be concealed completely.
The wolf cautiously approached its companion’s carcass. Its alertness toward its surroundings made it look like a careful scout.
It had an excellent stance, but its opponent was unfortunate. No matter how carefully it watched, there was no way it could notice me, even after I had drunk the potion.
I gripped the sword’s handle with both hands. A magical beast’s hide was tough, so a thrust would be more effective. It would allow me to concentrate as much force as possible on a narrow area.
The wolf came right up to me. The rank smell peculiar to canines filled the air. It still had not noticed me.
Then I thrust—a blow that shot out like a flash of light.
Because I had thrust from a crouched position, I could not put my full strength into it. But it was still powerful enough to pierce the wolf’s defenseless flank.
A high-pitched yelp rang through the forest. I gritted my teeth and forcefully cut through the magical beast’s tough hide.
With a wet rip, blood and intestines began spilling out. The foul odor of its entrails stabbed at my nose. It felt as though my sense of smell would be numbed.
That was why I failed to notice it in time.
With a crunch, pain shot through my forearm.
“Ggh, ngh……!”
I forcibly swallowed the scream that burst from me. It did not matter if the wolves discovered my location, but I could not reveal my existence.
I had to remain an unknown enemy. Ignoring the force of the wolf’s bite on my forearm, I drew my blade all the way down.
The wolf’s intestines spilled out, and its life ended. Even as it forcibly curled its body around my forearm and bit down until the end, resentment lingered in the magical beast’s eyes.
Seeing those eyes, I laughed in disbelief.
“Then why did you pick a fight first, you fucking mutt……”
I slammed the sword’s pommel into its nose, and the wolf’s jaws fell open limply. Its pitch-black eyes had gone glassy long ago.
It was dead. I could not sense even the slightest breath from the wolf. Staggering, I gripped my bitten forearm tightly.
It hurt. Those grotesque molars had pierced my muscle, and the pain reached all the way to my bones. I rummaged inside my coat for a cotton cloth, then wrapped it around the wound to stop the bleeding.
Failing to disinfect the wound properly left a risk of secondary infection. But I did not even have time to treat it now.
Perhaps because I had already lost a fair amount of blood, my mind was hazy. The dizzier I felt, the more vigorously the mana coursing through my body seemed to surge.
It was inexplicable. Even with my thoughts failing to function properly, I instinctively hid myself and waited for the wolves.
Like a seasoned hunter.
After repeating that several times, the clearing became so littered with wolf corpses that there was barely any room left to move.
My sword found another victim. The wolf, pierced through the nape of its neck, stared at me with eyes wide in disbelief.
Of course it had not known. Who would have guessed that I was hiding among the corpses of its dead companions?
Another massive body collapsed limply to the ground. At the same time, I had to catch my breath with several rough gasps.
My body was stiff. I could not put much strength into it. The bleeding from my forearm had stopped, but my injuries were accumulating as I fought the wolves.
Seria…… Where was Seria?
Had she reached Professor Derek by now? Surely she had not lost the magical beasts. Nothing could have passed through this place without noticing such a powerful scent of blood.
I prayed that was the case. It was the best I could do.
Sweetness tinged my ragged breath. I was slowly approaching my limit. That was when I heard a growl.
Two wolves were walking into the clearing. They were pack animals, so it was only natural. But the problem was that I had spent the entire time trying to pick them off one by one.
There had been times when more than two came at once, but I had been hidden then.
Now I could not hide, and my body was reaching its limit.
Had I been wrong to step forward? Using my sword as a cane, I panted and wondered. But regret was always too late, no matter how soon it came.
My golden eyes glared at the wolves with hostility. Blood-soaked hair obscured my vision, but I did not care.
The two wolves flinched when they met my gaze. They had no choice. There were no fewer than eight wolf corpses sprawled across the clearing.
I had accomplished it alone. Even as beasts, they should have instinctively understood that I was not an easy opponent.
I exhaled and steadied my breathing. The hazier my mind became, the sharper my senses grew. Mana pulsed through every corner of my body.
Just as my body began to recover a little of its vigor—
“……Come on, you bastards.”
Leveling the point of my sword, I forced a smile filled with bravado.
The two wolves soon charged at me like bolts of lightning. The battle was not over yet.
*
Seria arrived at Professor Derek’s side limping roughly an hour after she had set out.