Chapter 193

01 “Master, I’m scaaared. The monsters are gonna get me.” “It’s all right, Mariela. Daigis covers this house and conceals your magical power, and the bromominthra planted around it has a smell the monsters hate and keeps them away. The monsters won’t come all the way here.” “But, Master, the monsters hate people, right?” “No, Mariela, they actually don’t. Dark, evil things collect inside them that cause them to get agitated when they spot humans. Even you don’t want to be near people you don’t like, right? It’s not all that different. Just by keeping a safe distance, even people can live near monsters.” Mariela remembered that conversation taking place right around the time when her master had adopted her. Every time the still-young Mariela cried about being scared of spending the night in their cottage in the Fell Forest, her master would tell her this and stay in bed with Mariela until she fell asleep. Every day when the sun rose, Mariela’s master would take her on a walk through the Fell Forest. The woods were a treasure trove of alchemy materials. Some days, the two searched for medicinal herbs to plant in the garden around their cottage. Other times, they gathered mushrooms for use in poisons and medicine. The Fell Forest was thick with trees and very gloomy, but there were occasional gaps in the dense canopy that beckoned shafts of light down from above. The places where the sun peeked through and rained down sparkling particles were safe and suitable resting spots for Mariela, who was young and weak. Sacred tree shoots sprouted in such places, and according to Mariela’s master, they would protect everyone “when they grew up.” When the pair left, they gave the tree shoots water infused with magical power in gratitude. Curiously, they often found something of use after doing so. Thanks to monster-warding potions and magic circles that concealed their presence, they never encountered monsters, but sometimes Mariela’s master would hunt them, saying, “This’ll be tonight’s dinner.” Although the Fell Forest was a frightening place where fearsome creatures ran rampant, it was also an abundant woodland that provided Mariela and her master with seasonal produce, from fruit and mushrooms to tubers and wild grains. The pair would hide behind a tree with pounding hearts as they watched the burning of strange chestnuts, which, on rare occasions, exploded with enough force to make trees collapse when they were tossed on a fire. There were other times when Mariela would pick a fruit that stained your mouth and fingers red with its juice when you ate it and used it to pretend to wear makeup, while her master would use it to pretend as though she were covered in blood. One time, when they approached a fluffy furball that had fallen on the ground, they discovered it was a bird monster’s chick, and it almost pecked them. That incident imprinted on Mariela’s young mind that she wouldn’t survive if she wasn’t careful. Letting yourself be fooled by appearances was a mistake. When the chick’s mother came looking for it, her master turned both mother and chick into “fire-roasted bird,” which then became part of their dinner. As Mariela ate that evening, she felt she’d learned a valuable lesson about the survival of the fittest. While the Fell Forest was home to many perils, Mariela’s time living with her master revealed to her that there were many delicious and fun things to be found in those woods as well. The forest had an abundance of gifts, but every once in a while, there would be a day when Mariela and her master couldn’t harvest anything. During such times, Mariela’s master would kick a sacred tree growing in the forest repeatedly while muttering something to it. Strangely, when she did, a bird flying nearby would drop prey it had caught next to her, or a sudden gust would blow and immediately knock down rare fruits from the nearby trees. When Mariela imitated her master and drove her foot into the sacred tree, a gargantuan hairy caterpillar fell on her instead of food, and her master burst out laughing. “It’s making fun of you.” Mariela apologized and gave the sacred tree water to make amends. After that, a leaf lightly landed on the top of her head, giving her the impression she’d reconciled with the great plant. In hindsight, Mariela realized the Fell Forest was filled with far more than monsters. It was also where the breath of the spirits could be found in the vegetation and even the light that slipped through the canopy. That reminds me, I think there was a small spring in the garden of that cottage in the Fell Forest… Mariela had possessed hardly any magical power when her master first took her in. She couldn’t cast Water enough to handle the cooking, washing, bathing, and medicinal herb garden watering. Seeing this, her master went out on a night of a full moon and sang and danced around as she steadily tapped a rhythm with the heels of her shoes, and the next morning, a small spring had appeared there. Mariela remembered how every time her master turned, her red hair and fluttering clothes billowed out, and the glittering decorations at her waist rustled and sparkled in the light of the moon. It was all lovely. Perhaps due to the abundantly gushing fountain, the garden’s medicinal herbs grew lush even without being watered. The spring water was cool even in summer, and fruits and vegetables soaked and cooled in it were extraordinarily delicious. Admittedly, drawing up the liquid was a bit of a pain, but it was thanks to that mysterious fountain that Mariela and her master were never in want of water in their cottage in the Fell Forest with no nearby lakes or ponds. As Mariela’s magical power increased, she quit the chore of fetching pails from the spring and instead began to use magic to supply water. Before she knew it, the small spring in the garden became hidden by the medicinal herbs’ dense foliage. It wasn’t long after that the little fountain vanished entirely, as though it had sensed that its job was done. By then, Mariela could use enough lifestyle magic to manage the garden, and she could also cool ingredients quite quickly by using alchemy skills, so she’d forgotten for a long time that there had ever been a spring. “That’s the way I lived in the Fell Forest, so I’m not really scared of it,” Mariela stated matter-of-factly as she swayed on the back of Koo the raptor. The troupe was proceeding in a straight line through the Fell Forest, with Edgan in the lead. Behind him were Yuric and Franz of the Black Iron Freight Corps, and Mariela, who rode between Donnino and Grandel. Nick and Newie, two slaves who possessed low combat capabilities, had been left to house-sit back in the Labyrinth City. Since the entire party was riding raptors, they progressed unhindered through the untamed foliage of the Fell Forest. Between Mariela’s handmade monster-warding potions and a set of three magic circles—Forest’s Welcome, Obfuscation, and Delusion—the plants moved aside to open the way as if to invite them in, and their presence and magical power were concealed from monsters. Even on the rare occasion that a monster sensitive to sound noticed the group, it couldn’t overtake them due to the effects of the Magic Circle of Delusion, so it was a surprisingly smooth journey even to the Black Iron Freight Corps, who had traveled the main road of the Fell Forest many times over. As you might expect, Edgan and the others held Mariela in high esteem because she’d been taught by the Freyja and had lived in the Fell Forest. Mariela had shoddy riding skills—she could barely have the raptor walk—but she traveled through the obstacle-ridden Fell Forest like the open plains. No matter how exceptional the troupe’s pursuer, they likely wouldn’t be able to catch up easily. Yes, even if that person was Siegmund, the A-Ranker who bore the Spirit Eye. 02 “Sieg’s such an idiot! I can’t believe this. I never thought he was that kind of person…” Mariela’s muttering was frightening. Little wonder. Her eyebrows were curved upward in anger because Sieg had thrown away Slaken without her permission. “Yeah. Throwing away a living thing is unthinkable,” Yuric added. It’s never right to throw away another person’s belongings, no matter how long you’ve lived together. Sieg diligently stashed away items Mariela only saw as trash, but she didn’t toss them. Above all, Slaken was alive. Moreover, due to its nature as a Slime-in-a-Vial, it would weaken and die in a few days if it didn’t regularly receive magical power from Mariela. It was understandable that Yuric, an animal tamer who loved raptors above all else, would support Mariela 100 percent in this matter. In general, Mariela’s peers were too indulgent with Sieg. Illuminaria, the spirit of the sacred tree connected to Sunlight’s Canopy, showed preference to him over Mariela, her own friend. Once in a while when he used his Spirit Eye, spirits of all shapes and sizes were drawn to him. Even the salamander Mariela summoned would turn toward Sieg and wag its tail. The raptor Koo liked Mariela more than Sieg, but its favorite person was Yuric, so the only pet who favored Mariela had been Slaken. Coupled with her daily jealousy—“No fair it’s always Sieg”—his returning home yesterday carrying the empty slime-rearing vessel caused Mariela to explode in anger. Sieg desperately attempted to explain, but Mariela didn’t want to hear his excuses. She flew off the handle at him and then fled Sunlight’s Canopy. She was a runaway. “I’m going back to my real home.” Except Sunlight’s Canopy was Mariela’s only home, and she and Sieg weren’t even married. A year had passed since the Labyrinth’s subjugation. Still, the relationship between Mariela, who happily made potions every day, and the good-for-nothing Sieg had hardly progressed at all, so you could say this huge fight was a significant change. Despite removing all obstacles in his way, Sieg was still unable to advance on the fortress that was Mariela. However, it wasn’t fair to make light of this battle as if it were some small trifle. Mariela usually had terrible luck. But she’d survived the Stampede two hundred years ago, made potions with reckless abandon in the Labyrinth City after she awoke, significantly contributed to the Labyrinth’s subjugation, and eventually even made the Elixir. She was someone who could do anything if she tried. Of course, she’d received rewards worthy of her achievements, so she had excellent economic power. Thinking that now was the time to spend some of her tremendous fortune, Mariela had hired the Black Iron Freight Corps, led by Edgan, as her escorts to “go back to her real home.” That was how she and the others had wound up riding through the Fell Forest. Except her cottage in the Fell Forest, which you could call her real home, had been destroyed in the Stampede and no longer existed. “When I say ‘my real home,’ I mean where my parents are. And an alchemist’s parent is their master, right? My salamander says he knows where my master is.” Although the salamander liked Sieg, it also favored Freyja, perhaps because of how many times she’d summoned it while she was in the Labyrinth City. What a fickle lizard. Speaking of fickle, Edgan… No, Erotigan…er, which one was it? Anyway, ever since the Labyrinth subjugation, he’d developed a reputation for himself in the Labyrinth City as a massive flirt. After his spike in popularity, scores of women had claimed compensation and child support from him, and he was now broke. According to the Black Iron Freight Corps members, he rose to fame around a year ago, yet women with two- or three-year-olds and ones who had never even held hands with him had come to collect. Evidently, poor Edgan had been duped. The man himself believed he was popular and didn’t doubt the many women, even after being stripped of most of his things. As you would expect, the Black Iron Freight Corps found this problematic and discussed it. They agreed they would accept gold coins and blood relation potions, which reveal any familial linkage between two people, as compensation for Mariela’s job. That way, they could sort out the whole Edgan situation. Mariela had agreed, and thus she, Edgan, Yuric, Franz, Grandel, and Donnino were following a salamander riding atop a raptor’s head down a trackless path. Since it was an animal trail, the iron carriages couldn’t get through, so Grandel, who found even armor too heavy to wear, let alone a shield, served as the rear guard, riding on a raptor and sitting inside armor resembling an iron box. He was more luggage than man. “Say, salamander. Do you think we’ll reach my master’s place soon?” Yesterday the group had departed around noon and camped for the night in a less dense part of the Fell Forest. And now the sun was sinking again. They were far deeper in the woods than they had been the previous day, so the thought of setting up camp now was a little scary. “Ar? Rawr!” The salamander looked puzzled as it indicated the direction they should travel. “Oh yeah, the Fell Forest is the monsters’ territory, so we can’t communicate…” Mariela could speak with the salamander in the Labyrinth City, and when she’d told it her goal, “I want to go to my master,” it answered, —Rawr, I know where she is. This way.— However, after they entered the Fell Forest, it became as though the two no longer spoke the same language. All the fire spirit could do was indicate which way to move. Mariela thought they were in a very deep part of the forest already, so how much longer would it take to reach their destination? We haven’t crossed onto another ley line. It’s still the same one as in the city, so why can’t we talk? Mariela pondered these things while mounted on her raptor when suddenly, the salamander began to noisily shriek, “Rawrawr!” “I wonder if that means we’ve arrived?” The place they reached shortly thereafter was a gloomy marshland that abruptly cut the thickly grown trees short like it had swallowed them up. Although it wasn’t raining, the surrounding air was damp and heavy. Perhaps because the sun was setting, the trees of the Fell Forest blocked the light, and the group couldn’t see below the water’s surface. Trees and tall grass grew all the way to the edge of the bog filled with black water, which resembled a gaping hole in the middle of the forest. Monsters needed water, so this was probably an important place for them, but the surroundings were eerily silent; Mariela couldn’t even hear the howls of rampaging beasts. When she happened to glance at the opposite shore, she saw an imposing monster with four horns emerge from the trees. She couldn’t see details at this distance, but it appeared to be an extremely powerful creature with an enormous body and sharp claws and fangs. “Get back…” Sword at the ready, Edgan instructed Mariela and the others to retreat. However, the monster drank water from the bog, then glanced their way before quietly going back into the forest. “Maybe this is some sort of sanctuary.” “The air is rather stagnant for a consecrated locale.” “At any rate, it’s fine if the monsters don’t attack us, right?” Franz muttered as he gazed in the direction the monster went, and Grandel answered from within his armor. Meanwhile, Edgan looked around and offered his usual half-hearted assessment. This water gives me a real bad feeling… The monster drank it, so the liquid held neither poison nor any other kind of harmful substance. The air around the marshland was damp and heavy like rain had just fallen, but Mariela detected no rotten smell or other foul odors. Even so, she had a feeling this bog was wholly corrupted. If monsters didn’t attack, then the spot was a safe zone, but even so, Mariela didn’t want to stay here longer than necessary. Why would my master be here? Wanting to start looking for Freyja right away, Mariela looked at the salamander, who stared at a particular spot on the bank of the mire and cooed as if to urge the group onward. “Over there? Is that…a roadside shrine?” Crumbled boulders lay in a heap, covered in moss that made the structure blend into the surrounding greenery from a distance. As Mariela and the others approached, they saw traces of human influence—the ruins of a shrine from an ancient era. There was an opening under the heap of stone that was big enough to enter. The base was probably also made of rock, but given the distance and all the moss covering the shrine, it was difficult to tell. Upon closer inspection, they saw the floor was made from a large boulder. Under the light of illumination magic, they discovered the shrine had a stone door that led underground. “Rawr!” “So my master’s here!” When Freyja left, she’d had a Magic Circle of Suspended Animation, so she probably went to sleep in the cellar under this shrine. Since the magic circle would spontaneously resuscitate you when danger had passed, there was no doubt Freyja would awaken if the door was opened and fresh air let in. “Master! Rise and shiiine!” Mariela’s master was resting down below. Just that thought alone somehow put a spring back in Mariela’s step, and she pulled on the stone door with a grunt. “Rrrrr, it’s stuck.” Although she pulled and tugged until she was red in the face, the door didn’t give an inch. “Want help?” “Let’s help.” “I shall assist.” “Leave it to me.” “Then I’ll help, too.” “Rar!” Yuric, Franz, Grandel, Donnino, Edgan, and even Koo the raptor tried to lend a hand. They tied a rope around one side of the barricade and pulled hard on it. “Rgh, even with all this, it won’t open…?!” Try though they all did, the door remained stationary. Mariela gave up attempting to wrench it free, and she leaned on it to catch her breath. That’s when… Clunk. The stone door opened inward, and Mariela tumbled down into the dark. Apparently, it was a door you had to push, not pull. As Mariela was busy thinking Dang iiit at this clichéd development… Plop. The shrine had been on the bank of a bog, yet Mariela was now sitting in a deep pool of water for some reason. No, that wasn’t entirely accurate. Mariela’s excess flesh would probably have given her the buoyancy to rise to the water’s surface if it had been normal water. “Glub, glub, cough.” Mariela uttered horrid sounds as she sank. Deeper and deeper, as though the mire was bottomless. She looked up toward the place she’d fallen from and saw from very far away a tiny sparkle resembling moonlight. It seemed to be sinking in the sky as the real moon would have. When Mariela looked around, she saw others descending with her in the gloom. Could everyone else have fallen, too, even though she’d been the only one to lean on the door? Maybe they had come down to help her? The one demonstrating proper technique as he paddled to escape was undoubtedly Edgan. But although he swam his best, it seemed to have the opposite effect, as he was drawn farther and farther below. Master… It’s so cold. I’m freezing… Although the mysterious place didn’t seem grounded in reality at all, the chill of the water cut through Mariela’s body like a knife. She managed to bend her frozen limbs and curl up into a ball before losing consciousness.