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Chapter 22

"Not at all skilled. I just tried what I saw somewhere, and it worked, that\'s all," Ian replied.

"But that was... well, If you say so... then, it must be true." Mev, thinking it was a joke, weakly smiled.

Mev gripped the hilt of her sword. As she struggled to stand up, she added, "Put the guard back on, Philip. I\'m going to fight."

"What...?!" Philip\'s head snapped up in surprise.

"Please reconsider, my lord!" said Philip. He continued, "You haven\'t fully recovered yet. Your wounds could worsen."

"I can handle a sword with one hand just fine. I\'m okay," Mev replied.

"But my lord," said Philip.

A smirk spread across Ian\'s lips. He hadn\'t expected another such farce. It was then that Mev turned to him.

"What do you think, Ian?" Mev asked.

"Well... there\'s some sense in what he says." Ian scratched his chin, and Philip\'s expression brightened.

"Exactly sir!" said Philip.

"...Is that also your thought?" Disappointment tinged Mev\'s voice.

"Well, you probably won\'t have to fight anymore tonight anyway,” said Ian.

Ian hadn\'t finished speaking, and Mev\'s helmet tilted.

"What do you mean by that? If you\'re suggesting you\'ll handle it all alone again—"

"It\'s already over."

"Again the same—wait, what?" Mev stiffened.

Philip, also widening his eyes, chimed in, "Then, the earlier commotion was because you were fighting the source of the corruption? Not the monsters?"

Ian shrugged.

It was right after this that Mev staggered, "Again... this has happened...."

Pushing away Philip\'s attempt to support her, she lifted her visor. Her red hair spilled out. Mev, not even bothering to wipe the blood from her mouth, looked at Ian.

"Can I hear what happened?" Mev asked.

"Not that you can\'t but..." Ian trailed off.

I\'m too lazy to explain it all. Ian looked away, soon finding the perfect person for the task. A man, eager to join the conversation, caught his eye.

"...You\'d better hear the details from that guy,” said Ian.

Miguel quickly approached, "Where would you like me to start?"

"From right after I collapsed," Mev replied with a serious look.

"That\'s what I was thinking. Please sit down, there\'s a lot to tell." Miguel continued his story, adding hand and foot gestures.

Mev\'s expression grew heavier and heavier, and Miguel, pausing for a moment, looked back at Ian.

"At the end, there was a pillar of fire and sounds of screams. Only Ian would know what that was about."

Always adding unnecessary comments at the end. Ian\'s gaze sharpened.

Miguel quickly shut his mouth, pretending to be distracted. It was then that Mev, brushing back her hair, looked up at Ian.

"The screams must have been from the creature corrupting the forest. What kind of monster was it?"

"An ancient tree. It seemed deeply resentful," Ian replied.

"Resentment infused with madness..." Mev murmured.

"Probably," Ian agreed.

"What about the pillar of fire?" Philip abruptly interjected.

“As you may have heard, I took the kerosene with me,” Ian calmly replied.

"Are you saying it was burnt with oil? But the flames were too intense for that. Don\'t you think so, Miguel?" Philip asked.

"Of course, that\'s nonsen—" Miguel, halting mid-reply, glanced at Ian before continuing.

"—sical, but there must be a secret method unique to you. Think about it, Ian has resolved requests before by setting fires. That was impressive too."

"Is that so...?" said Philip.

"It\'s an insignificant curiosity, Philip." Mev cut off Philip\'s skeptically rephrased question. She looked at Ian with eyes filled with what seemed like guilt.

"The real matter of importance is that Ian alone defeated such a dangerous beast. ...once again," said Mev.

"Well, it wasn\'t a complete loss for me either." Ian shrugged his shoulders and pulled something palm-sized from his pocket.

"I managed to grab some spoils too," said Ian.

"Seeds... really?" Miguel frowned.

"Yes," Ian replied.

"I\'ve never seen such large seeds before," said Miguel.

"I suppose not." Ian looked down at his clenched fist.

"These are seeds of an ancient tree,” said Ian.

A data screen appeared before his eyes, just like in the game.

[Consumption grants additional skill points.]

However, Ian didn\'t immediately consume it because the seed had a hidden linked quest. This option was sort of a bait. He had bitten the bait before, but this time he planned not to.

The reward for the quest is unknown, but it will probably be better than just eating it, thought Ian.

"If it\'s a seed of an ancient tree... wouldn’t it be also contaminated?" Philip spoke hesitantly.

"It doesn\'t matter. It\'s just a seed until it\'s buried in the ground. Nothing will happen before then," Ian replied.

"Hmm...." Philip mused.

While Philip and Mev were contemplating,

"So, have we seen all there is to see here?" Miguel interjected. The group\'s attention naturally focused on him.

"We came into this cursed forest to eliminate the source of the contamination. Now that it\'s dealt with, shouldn’t we go back to our original path... I suppose." Miguel ended his sentence, retracting his neck like a turtle, seemingly burdened.

It was right after that Philip clapped his hands.

"An excellent point! We have no reason to stay in this ominous forest any longer! Right, my lord? ...My lord?” Philip turned his head. His eyes blinked in disbelief after seeing Mev\'s face.

"My lord...?" said Philip.

"Not a wrong statement." Finally, Mev spoke. "However, if we investigate the source, we might find out the reason why this had happened."

"...." Philip\'s mouth fell open. Miguel also muttered to himself while clutching his face.

Ian was the only one not flustered. Instead, he looked at Mev as if he had found a gold coin on the road.

"But this time, asking for permission seems like the order. What do you think, Ian?" Mev shifted her gaze.

Amidst the eager stares of Philip and Miguel, Ian replied. "Just because the source is removed doesn\'t mean the forest is purified. There are still beasts beyond here."

Hope lit up on the two men\'s faces.

"So let\'s camp here tonight, and move out at dawn tomorrow. It would be easier to investigate that way." Ian added calmly.

"No, sir!" Philip exclaimed, looking as if he had been struck on the back of his head.

Miguel closed his eyes tightly. Instead of calling for Lu Sola this time, he just left a sigh of resignation.

"That\'s a fair point. Agreed. Let\'s do that." Mev nodded in satisfaction and immediately turned to Philip.

"Prepare the camp, Philip," Mev ordered.

"...Understood," Philip responded in a defeated tone and trudged away.

Ian turned to look at the enlightened Miguel.

“Stand guard tonight,” said Ian.

"Me? All night?" Miguel asked.

"If you don’t want to, you can go fight instead," said Ian.

"...I meant the two of us will do it taking turns. Philip! You take over after me!" Miguel hastily ran off.

Ian, finally sitting on the ground, took off his mace and lay down. Now he could finally relax. As he exhaled,

"We could have just turned back." Mev, sitting beside him, suddenly spoke.

"You were going to come back here anyway. It\'s more efficient to go together." Ian smirked.

Though Ian spoke nonchalantly, Mev\'s suggestion was also welcomed by him. He had been in a hurry last time, grabbing only the seed and fleeing. Maybe he could find more spoils this time. Unaware of his thoughts, Mev sighed as if moved by him.

"I will take the lead tomorrow. I hope you won\'t refuse this either," said Mev.

"Do as you wish," Ian replied.

There would hardly be any fighting anyway. Ian, swallowing the rest of his thoughts, closed his eyes without another word. He truly did not want to move even a finger anymore.

***

The next day, the journey back was as easy as Ian had anticipated. The forest was not purified, but most of the remaining beasts had hidden from the sunlight. After about an hour of dealing with the occasional carnivorous tree,

"What a mess..." said Miguel.

The group arrived at the center of the contamination. There was no need for Ian to announce it.

"I knew it would be bad... but not this bad,” Miguel continued.

The area was entirely ash gray, with the remains of an ancient tree standing out conspicuously.

"Did you set fire all around here? It\'s surprising the fire didn\'t spread." Walking on the upturned earth filled with remnants of the fire, Philip commented.

"It\'s because this place used to be a forest of fairies in the distant past, Philip." Mev, walking ahead, lifted her visor to reply.

"Trees in a fairy\'s forest hardly burn. That\'s why many of the kingdom\'s fortresses and strongholds are built in former fairy forests. Didn\'t you know?" said Mev.

"I didn\'t know that. So that\'s why...." Philip replied.

"Ian probably knew that. That is why he set the fire here," said Mev.

I had no idea. Ian just shrugged his shoulders.

Miguel, tying up the horses, looked uneasily at the ancient tree.

"Is that thing really dead? It looks more like it\'s been charbroiled. It\'s so dirty and ominous," said Miguel.

"Why are you asking me?" Ian looked back at him.

"Then who should I ask?" said Miguel.

"Are you here for a picnic?" Ian asked.

"I, I\'m here to work. I\'ll go check it out." Miguel immediately turned around. Philip, receiving the glance, sighed and followed.

"Report back whatever you find." Ian\'s pace finally relaxed as he spoke to their backs.

He had had enough of overtime work last night. Today, he planned to sit back and enjoy the ride. Mev walked alongside him.

Lost in thought, Mev suddenly spoke, "It seems someone else has incurred the wrath of a dark mage, Ian."

"What do you mean?" Ian turned his head.

"Yesterday, I was besieged by the corrupted essence bead. I was barely clinging to consciousness and couldn\'t resist,” said Mev.

That had happened yesterday...? As Ian raised his eyebrows, she continued.

"I felt his presence. Even his laughter. He whispered that if I wanted to live, I should turn away from here."

"So, he did not try to corrupt you but warned you?" Ian asked.

"I don\'t understand it either... but yes. He said everyone has their role and we should stop overstepping ours," Mev replied.

Their roles... Ian\'s eyebrow relaxed. He thought of Mev from the game. The kingdom\'s shadow had turned her into the Bleeding Avenger. Since the dark mage was likely in cahoots, he probably knows something.

"So. You said there\'s someone else who has also incurred wrath?" Ian asked.

"Yes. He said that the red outcast is troublesome enough. His last words were that the red outcast will pay the price,” Mev replied.

"...." Ian\'s eyebrows slightly raised.

"Red... probably referring to a mage. If we can identify who it is, it might be helpful in the future," said Mev.

A smirk finally appeared on Ian\'s lips.

You are not even imagining that the red outcast could be me. Despite the charred remains of the ancient tree right in front too.

Mev, mistaking his smile, added, "I didn\'t bring it up to ask for a favor, Ian. I just wanted to share what I found with you."

"In that case, I\'ll keep it in mind." As Ian nodded,

"Sir! You need to come and see this!" Miguel\'s shout followed. Mev turned her gaze.

"It seems they found something," said Mev.

"I\'ll go ahead. Follow at your own pace. I\'ll let you know if I find anything." Ian spoke calmly and turned around.

That bastard, he\'s caught on. Ian mulled over the conversation as he walked.

***

Behind the stump of the ancient tree,

"Damn... a bad start to the morning.”

"Were they hunting humans?"

The voices of Miguel and Philip came from between the two giant roots, stretched out like a serpent.

"Hunting what? Look at these traces. They were buried in the ground and surfaced. Do animals bury what they eat?" said Miguel.

Definitely not spoils of a hunt. Ian clicked his tongue and stepped between the roots.

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"We found bodies." Miguel turned to him.

"And there are quite a few, sir." Philip stepped aside and added.

The scene they were looking at became visible. Decayed bodies were protruding from the ground, unearthed by the roots.

"Definitely... a lot," Ian murmured, standing before them. His memories from the game faintly connected. Half-buried bodies around the ancient tree. But a pile of bodies at this point, when the forest wasn\'t fully contaminated yet?

Is there a setting I didn\'t know about? Ian mused.

"Do you also think they weren\'t hunted, sir?" As Ian started examining the skeletons, Philip asked.

"Yes. It looks more like... sacrifices." Ian replied.

"What do you mean by sacrifices?" Philip asked.

"It’s strange. Such a giant ancient tree in the middle of the forest, yet it\'s never been known before. Someone should have discovered it." Ian\'s eyes stopped at one spot.

"So someone was offering these bodies to grow this damned beast?" Miguel grimaced and asked,

"I don\'t know. It just seems more likely given the circumstances." Ian bent down.

Ian soon picked up something half-buried in the ground among the skeletons. It was a heavy, mud-caked iron shackle. He cleaned the dirt off the shackle.

"Did you find something?" Mev\'s voice came from behind.

"I\'m not sure if this is the clue you were looking for...” Ian threw what he held. He continued, "This. Found among the bodies."

Mev caught it reflexively, her eyes darkening. Mev, scraping one side of the shackle with her glove, eventually stopped.

"I had my doubts, but it\'s true. These are shackles from the kingdom. There\'s a seal on it." Mev extended the shackle.

On the part that locks the ring, a faint deer horn emblem was visible.

"Are these bodies... all criminals from the kingdom?" Philip asked in confusion.

"We\'ll have to check that now," said Ian. He then turned his gaze and continued, "It\'s time for you to do what you\'re good at, Miguel."

"What do you mean ...are you serious?" Miguel asked.

Ian nodded slightly.

"I\'ll go get a shovel...." Miguel sighed as he turned away.