Chapter 15
The Boy and the Fallen Throne (2)
The Eternal Forest was one of the northern danger zones.
The mercenaries stationed at White Eagle Fortress, which oversaw the area, had disappeared in a single day.
They had simply vanished—quite literally, like smoke.
All manner of rumors flooded the city streets.
“Some woodcutters apparently spotted a group of druids dressed in black. Think those fanatical environmentalists might be behind this?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I heard beasts walking on two legs have appeared along the forest’s edge.”
“Hmm. What if the corrupted land itself swallowed them?”
While the entire city descended into noisy chaos, two groups quietly and swiftly departed through the city gates.
They were the largest mercenary companies remaining in the city.
As though they had been waiting for this opportunity, they quickly renewed their contracts with their existing members and vanished from Wintersteel.
“Don’t you find that strange?”
Allen asked, his eyes gleaming as he emptied his tankard.
“Why do you think they rushed out of the city so quickly?”
“I’m not sure.”
Kaspar murmured while fiddling with his cup of warm milk.
“The earlier they move, the better their chances of securing a favorable position... Or perhaps it gives them an advantage when negotiating a contract with the fortress. Something like that?”
“Oh, you’re pretty close.”
Allen grinned approvingly.
Ellasen clinked her tankard against Allen’s and added,
“The Eternal Forest is actually a pretty cushy assignment.”
“Cushy...?”
The tavern’s first floor was nearly empty.
With two major mercenary companies having left, there were noticeably fewer customers than usual.
Kaspar blinked, and Allen chuckled.
“I mean it’s popular with mercenaries. The work is easy, and the money is good.”
“Easy? Isn’t that the forest where the Lords of the Forest wander with their minions?”
Allen and Ellasen exchanged peculiar expressions.
They looked as though they were wondering where to begin.
The Eternal Forest was said to be home to powerful beings known as the “Lords of the Forest.”
The most famous among them were the Queen of Spring and the Night Hag, otherwise known as the Witch of the Night.
The two beings were said to have fought for control of the forest, with the other Lords of the Forest dividing into opposing factions and joining their conflict.
However, it was nothing more than a legend.
At most, it was a forgotten ancient faith taken seriously only by the forest’s inhabitants and children with overactive imaginations.
“There hasn’t been a single recorded encounter or battle with them in decades. At least, not in Wintersteel’s official records,” Allen explained.
“...Then you believe the disappearance has nothing to do with the Lords of the Forest.”
Allen nodded.
“Right.”
“But wouldn’t it still be dangerous? Something of unknown identity is lurking inside the Eternal Forest.”
Entire mercenary companies had disappeared, after all.
“Well, perhaps. It might truly be dangerous. But if we’re going to tremble in fear over that, we shouldn’t have become mercenaries in the first place, should we?”
Allen looked entirely unconcerned.
“Besides, remember the profits I mentioned? Every resource that comes out of the Eternal Forest absolutely reeks of money.”
“Reeks of money?”
Allen began counting them off on his fingers.
Frost Apples, which nobles supposedly served only to honored guests.
Fairy Mushrooms, for which mages of the Magic Towers willingly paid a premium.
Starlight Wood, used to create sacred relics at the headquarters of the Church of Radiance.
One expensive item after another—none of which Kaspar had ever heard of—poured from Allen’s mouth.
Kaspar listened with lifeless eyes until Allen mentioned the suspected perpetrators. Then his eyes regained their focus.
“The Beast Walkers?”
“Yeah. That’s who Wintersteel suspects of being behind the disappearances.”
Ellasen folded her arms, glanced at Allen, and spoke.
“But Allen, are you sure it was the Beast Walkers? Most of the current rumors are pointing toward the Black Druid Covenant.”
Everyone turned toward Ellasen.
“The Black Druid Covenant?”
“There haven’t been just one or two sightings. And I don’t think the rumors are completely groundless. It wouldn’t be the first time those environmental fanatics caused a commotion in the name of protecting nature.”
Among the primitive druids who communed with the gods of ancient forests, there had once been a faction that viewed the expansion of civilization as a threat.
They embraced the power of sinister beings wholly unlike the gods with whom they had previously communed.
They then began working toward the destruction of every great civilization that encroached upon nature.
That was how the Black Druid Covenant had been born.
Ellasen continued gravely,
“If it really is the Black Druid Covenant, this could be dangerous. I saw them fight once before, and they used all kinds of bizarre arts. I couldn’t even tell whether it was magic or sorcery. I thought they were cultists, not druids...”
Ellasen trailed off.
“Kaspar?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you smiling?”
“...No particular reason.”
Kaspar cleared his throat and erased the smile that had unknowingly crept across his face.
Allen gulped down the rest of his beer.
“Whether it’s the Beast Walkers or the Black Druid Covenant, this is an opportunity. Let’s stop wasting time, establish our mercenary company immediately, and head for the Eternal Forest.”
Allen’s gaze was sharp.
Opportunity did not come to those who hesitated.
Only those who raced forward without delay could seize it.
In the short time since their last visit, the clerk at the Mercenary Bureau had become gaunt.
The mobilization order had caused his workload to explode.
“There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with the application. But...”
The clerk raised his head and stared at the three people standing before him.
“Is this truly everyone?”
“Zrek is passed out because he’s still drunk. We brought his thumbprint, so that should be enough.”
Allen replied confidently.
“Or is the guarantor the problem? Look at the bottom. It says Taylor is the notary. He’s our relative, registered with the Brokers’ Guild, and pays his taxes faithfully. Surely you aren’t suggesting that he’s unqualified to serve as our notary?”
That isn’t the issue.
The clerk clutched his dazed head and swallowed a sigh.
Four? Only four people?
What can you possibly accomplish with four people?
He desperately suppressed the words climbing up his throat.
No matter what he thought, saying that aloud would be far too rude. He decided to phrase it as tactfully as possible.
“That number is closer to an adventuring party than a mercenary company.”
A clear female voice answered him.
“What choice do we have? Everyone else has already rushed off to the Eternal Forest like their asses are on fire. Should we recruit just anyone to fill our ranks? How could we possibly trust them?”
The clerk stared blankly at yet another brazen mercenary.
“Ellasen.”
“What? Am I wrong? Besides, you never know. We might start small but end magnificently.”
“...It seems your arm was treated successfully.”
“Oh, this? Zrek and I received treatment from the Church of Radiance’s senior clergy. Whatever else you might say about them, their skills are certainly impressive.”
Ellasen casually swung her arm around as she spoke.
“Anyway, we’ve got two Sword Users and one Sword Expert. Aren’t you being a little too skeptical?”
Most members of mercenary companies were Sword Runners.
Reaching the next rank of Sword User was already enough to carry oneself with pride, while a Sword Expert would receive favorable treatment wherever they went.
Thus, Ellasen’s argument was not entirely unreasonable.
“Besides, the four of us defeated Jerpet. Is that still not enough?”
Allen’s eyebrow twitched.
Kaspar did all of it by himself.
Ellasen remained shamelessly confident.
We were in the same party, weren’t we? We share each other’s fate.
The clerk closed his mouth.
The paperwork was completed in no time.
After firmly pressing the final stamp onto the document, the clerk placed it in the submission box.
His gaze then shifted toward Kaspar.
“Oh, Kaspar.”
“Yes?”
“Perfect timing. Someone from the Metal Magic Tower came by—”
“Ah, yes. I understand. I’ll return the books immediately.”
Kaspar’s response came as quickly as lightning, as though he had prepared it in advance.
But the clerk shook his head. Apparently, the Metal Magic Tower had already gathered all the necessary materials and evidence and had made no further demands.
“That isn’t it. Someone from the Metal Magic Tower left this for you.”
The clerk handed Kaspar a letter.
Kaspar tilted his head.
The Metal Magic Tower sent me something?
“May I read it now?”
“That’s up to you, but... it may contain something important. If I were you, I’d wait until I was alone.”
The clerk rubbed his tired eyes and looked at the three of them.
“Your mercenary company’s approval won’t be decided until sometime tonight. Come back tomorrow morning.”
The following morning, a great wave of people flowed through Wintersteel’s gates and headed east.
They were mercenaries.
“Wow.”
Riding in a wagon, Kaspar looked around in amazement.
He could feel the air trembling.
In addition to the wagon’s vibrations, a rough tremor pulsed through the earth itself.
The sight of more than a hundred heavily armed mercenaries moving in unison was magnificent.
Moreover, according to Allen, these were people who never hesitated when opportunity presented itself.
Their strength was evident from their very presence. They were on an entirely different level from an armed refugee group like the Scavengers.
“This is incredible. Even after two large mercenary companies already left, there are still this many.”
No one answered Kaspar’s exclamation.
When he looked back, he discovered that everyone else had closed their eyes and fallen asleep.
Did they all stay up through the night?
[Kaspar, you should get some sleep as well. You need to conserve your strength.]
The voice came from above him as he scratched his cheek.
When Kaspar climbed onto the wagon’s roof, he found the familiar girl there.
“It has been a while, Fallen Throne.”
[Indeed, it has.]
The girl sat on the wagon roof, calmly watching the procession of mercenaries following behind them.
A mage and a fallen Throne sat side by side, gazing in the same direction.
The Fallen Throne’s radiant silver hair hung serenely around her, utterly unmoved even by the northern wind.
[We still have quite some time before we reach White Eagle Fortress. You should sleep, if only to relieve the boredom.]
“But I have many questions for you.”
[For me? What do you wish to know?]
“Was this the ‘interesting event’ you mentioned before?”
Kaspar remembered how the Fallen Throne had disappeared while he was eating.
[It was.]
The girl nodded readily.
Kaspar sat down beside her.
[That day, the lingering thoughts of a messenger who had ridden from White Eagle Fortress flowed into my senses.]
“Ah. Then you didn’t directly sense anything happening in the Eternal Forest.”
The girl’s gaze drifted away from the mercenaries below and toward Wintersteel’s splendid spires in the distance.
[Kaspar, that city is protected by a mighty Authority.]
[It separates the inside from the outside like a veil. While within it, even my senses are restricted. They cannot extend beyond the city.]
“Wintersteel is protected by a veil?”
Kaspar also turned to look at the city.
It was a grand and beautiful place, possessing such a powerful presence that the awe he had felt upon first seeing it returned in full.
[You say you never imagined such a thing, but you have already experienced an Authority yourself.]
“I have...? Ah.”
In the middle of speaking, Kaspar realized what she meant and let out a quiet groan.
The Fallen Throne was right. He had already experienced an Authority.
He simply had not been the one who wielded it.
Jerpet...
But he had seen nothing resembling a magical veil.
[It is an Authority, Kaspar. An Authority. It resembles magic, but it is another form of power governed by entirely different principles.]
“A power that resembles magic but isn’t magic?”
[Correct.]
“I never imagined such a thing existed.”
Jerpet had been an exile of the Metal Magic Tower who harbored enormous ambitions.
When the Fallen Throne descended, he had been consumed by the resulting phenomenon and transformed into a pile of flowers.
Had Kaspar seen anything resembling a magical pattern during that process?
No.
“Existential rank... providence... manifestation... law...”
[You look as though you have a great deal on your mind, Kaspar.]
“I’m curious about Authorities. How can someone wield one?”
The girl looked at the boy.
[Since you are a practitioner of magic, I shall explain it in terms suited to you. What is magic? There are many possible interpretations, but ultimately, it is the power to draw upon the mana scattered throughout all creation and use it to produce change. Correct?]
“Yes.”
Kaspar nodded.
Thanks to the concentrated reading he had completed in such a short period, the fundamentals of magical theory had already taken root in his mind.
[An Authority is different. A higher being reveals the rank of its own existence, inscribes it as a new providence, and then imprints that providence upon reality. That is an Authority.]
Kaspar repeated the explanation to himself.
[Inscribing a new providence upon reality is itself an immense transformation. But its driving force is not mana. It is the rank of one’s existence and the providence born from it. Though its outward appearance resembles magic, its roots are entirely different.]
“Then it would be difficult for anyone other than a higher being to use one.”
[Precisely.]
“Then whose Authority is protecting Wintersteel?”
[ELician’s—the ruler of Wintersteel and its Empress.]
Kaspar’s eyes widened at the wholly unexpected answer.
[You look rather surprised.]
The girl smiled, clearly enjoying his reaction.
“...The way you said that makes it sound as though Lady ELician isn’t human.”
The girl calmly nodded.
[You understood correctly. ELician is not human. She may possess a human form, but her true nature belongs to a rank of existence higher than humanity.]
“Are you saying Lady ELician is a being of the same rank as you?”
[I do not know yet. Once my power has recovered, I may be able to judge her rank, but it is beyond me at present.]
The girl smirked.
[Do you not find it fascinating? A higher being who protects a human city. An empress who reigns over humanity while safeguarding both its people and its city... I would like to meet her someday.]
Her jewel-like eyes sparkled as she gazed toward the city.
As the procession moved farther from Wintersteel, the surrounding scenery began to change.
Houses and roads gradually vanished, while thickets and trees filled the empty landscape.
It meant that the Eternal Forest and White Eagle Fortress were drawing near.
“Fallen Throne, now that we’ve left the city, have your senses expanded again?”
Sitting in the wagon with his arms spread wide to welcome the cool breeze, Kaspar suddenly thought to ask.
[They have.]
“Then can you sense anything in the Eternal Forest? Is there anything that might be useful for me to know?”
[Something that might be useful...]
The girl had been resting her chin in one hand while watching the mercenaries following below. She turned toward Kaspar.
[Are you asking who is behind the disappearances? Whether it is the Lords of the Forest, the Beast Walkers, or perhaps the Black Druid Covenant?]
“I am curious about that too. Which of the three is responsible?”
[How amusing.]
The girl moved closer. Pretending to stroke Kaspar’s hair, she extended a hand and whispered,
[Why do you assume there is only one?]