The Lord Is With You (8)

A faint sunset lingered in the sky. It was already evening.

The Academy’s southern forest was quiet, as though the commotion during the Hunting Festival had all been a lie.

It had been in an uproar until only recently. The festival’s excitement was not the only reason. A named-class magical beast had appeared—one that should never have been discovered in the first place.

Recently dubbed the ‘Guts Collector,’ it had fortunately caused no casualties, but the incident had been enough to make the Academy tremble with fear.

The Academy had immediately formed an investigation team, and during the day, the forest was bustling with the sounds of dozens of investigators moving through it. But once the sun began to set, the story changed.

The sun was low in the sky. According to myth, the sun had been made from Arus’s liver. Thus, unclean things that went against heavenly law lost their strength when touched by sunlight, and magical beasts were no exception.

Even if they did not burn away the instant they touched the light, as in the legends, they were certainly weakened. Magical beasts were wicked beings born from mana, after all.

On the other hand, when the sun went down and a pitch-black curtain descended, the time of the evil god Omeros returned. It was when magical beasts began their full-fledged activities.

Of course, the moon hanging in the night sky symbolized Arus’s right eye. Even at night, the Heavenly God’s watch continued. Even so, once darkness spread across the land, there were bound to be places the moonlight could not reach.

There was no telling what dangers might still remain in the forest. The investigators had no choice but to withdraw once night fell...