Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 96 - 93: Sorry, Someone Peeked at the Identity Cards
Things weren’t getting any better.
After dealing with the monsters, the investigation team inspected the entire village ruins. Beneath the moss, mycelium, vines, and trees were scorch marks. A great fire had clearly destroyed it all.
The eternal night in the forest’s Core Area had not lifted. Meanwhile, Master Humboldt and the other Tower of Forest apprentices still couldn’t use their senses, which remained blocked.
Rorschach suddenly realized that the eternal night here might correspond to the eternal day of the Sub-plane.
The forest fell quiet, but it was far from peaceful. After that, no other animals appeared. The Wood Owl that Humboldt Great Mage had summoned earlier flew away, hooting.
"It says the forest... inside... is terrifying. And we... are terrifying." Humboldt’s expression was as cold as ice as he translated.
Everyone’s spirits were low.
"There’s a mound of earth here." Cavendish considered digging it up, but Kou Bo stopped him.
"Kid, let the dead rest in peace." He patted Cavendish’s shoulder. "We’ll search other places first. We’ll only disturb these young Elven friends if we find no other clues."
"Elves? You mean..."
"Master Kou Bo is telling you not to be so eager to dig up graves," Rorschach said, pulling Cavendish aside. He noted that Kou Bo had also called the former inhabitants ’young friends.’ ’You old... Ahem. Just how old is this old gentleman, anyway?’
After a preliminary search of the ruins on the surface, the team took a break. It was time for a long rest.
Just as in the Sub-plane, it was easy to lose track of time in an environment without a day-night cycle. In times like these, it was crucial to rest on a regular schedule—especially after a battle, a battle... that had left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
For the first time in decades, smoke from a cookfire rose here once more. The trapped monster, which had been ramming against its cage, now grew quiet, staring blankly at the bonfire and the pot.
Peterson brought up a point. "The little boy’s... remains. Should we leave them here, or take them back to his parents?"
"It’s cruel, but this place belongs to the Elves. We should take him back to his family." Rorschach figured a white lie would be of no use to the couple now. If they became overwhelmed by grief one day and ran deep into the forest, they would just be getting themselves killed.
"The couple is still in the Hunter Village. There hasn’t been a Beast Tide for the past two nights." Fortunately, Master Humboldt hadn’t lost contact with his doppelgänger, just as Old Sir Kou Bo’s was also alive and kicking.
The milk from the inn was gone. Their emergency rations, when boiled in water, turned into a grain porridge with a milky aroma. They ate it with bread. Thankfully, they still had bacon; otherwise, it would have been nothing but carbs on carbs.
After dinner, Cavendish performed another stargazing session to ensure the accuracy of his "navigational map." The trees in the village weren’t as dense here, so he didn’t need to trouble Rorschach to raise an earthen platform for him.
Rorschach spread open a Communication Scroll to continue his letter to Kano, also sending over some tissue samples from the monster.
Peterson noticed what Rorschach was doing. "A Communication Scroll? Rorschach Mage, you seem to use that every day."
"Yeah, staying in touch with my mentor."
"But aren’t you sending them a little too frequently? Communications place a heavy energy drain on the main Magic Array. The one inside the Tower of Forest has to be recharged every day after use."
"Is that so? From what I’ve seen of the Magic Guild..." ’Rorschach actually hadn’t known that. And even if he had, he would have kept sending them. What he had was just a portable access point, after all. Since Kano had given him the communication address, he was going to use it.’
"Never mind. Maybe the Tower of Stars and the Guild have made better progress in this area. Our Tower of Forest has never been very good at it; our entire circuit system is an antique." Peterson shook his head and walked away.
...
Rorschach found himself dreaming of an uninhabited village. Low buildings had round roofs made of stacked clay tiles, and their bluestone walls were overgrown with plants, the leaves trembling rhythmically in the moonlight.
The largest house, in the very center of the village, was the only one built entirely from plants and wood. Standing on its leafy roof was the Deer-headed God. She gazed silently in the direction of the giant tree.
’Some deer is trying to act all mysterious.’
"You’ve come at just the right time," Rorschach said, stepping forward. For the first time, he felt genuinely happy to see Deryats in a dream and didn’t even feel like mocking her posturing. He had many questions that needed answers from the Deer-headed God:
"What’s going on with the monsters in the village? Why is it eternal night here? Is Master Humboldt losing his senses related to the strange changes in the forest? What dangers lie at the core of the forest, at the giant tree?"
Deryats contemplated for a moment before replying:
"These degraded imitations of Wood Elves appeared only after My fall; I do not know their origin. Perhaps the answer lies where I stand. According to Elven tradition, this is the Elder’s residence and the center of the settlement, where the Elder would impart the knowledge and poetry of the Elves.
As for your second question, you already hold the answer in your heart. When barrenness was separated from fertility, the sky’s yin and yang were also divided. However, the eternal night was not originally this vast. It may be a chain reaction from the strange changes in the barren lands.
As for your third question: originally, Druids—and those among you Exorcists who walk the Druid’s path—could command the spirits and Essences of the forest. This is the source of your sensory abilities. From what I perceive, two forces are locked in a struggle within the forest, and this place has become a silent battlefield. By the giant tree’s decree, the forest no longer opens itself to outsiders.
Finally, as the time draws near, I will tell you the truth: The giant oak at the forest’s core bears My power of fertility. It keeps this power from dissipating uncontrollably, while also keeping the land vibrant with life.
However, the Authority of fertility has attracted an ancient, surging, and distorted Mighty Power. The master of this Mighty Power... its name must not be known. It remains sealed away, able to seep out only a small portion of its essence, biding its time to corrupt the giant tree and My own lost Authority.
Originally, I only wished to return here to rest in peace. But now, things have changed. You must take the last remnant of my wandering soul to the source of the corruption and allow me to end all of this. Should you face danger, My Blessing will keep you from harm."
Her answer complete, the Deer-headed God drew the moonlight down upon herself, and the village began to vanish, bit by bit.
Her voice grew faint and distant. "Until the final moment arrives, I must gather my strength. Danger does not necessarily come only from without. I sense that among your party is a servant of the surging and distorted one. Their hidden aura sickens me."
"Peterson?"
Deryats nodded, then dissipated into the moonlight.
’And I was just taking a wild guess...’ When they first met upon entering the forest, Peterson’s praise for his student, Anastasia, had caught Rorschach’s attention. The man clearly hadn’t imagined that Rorschach had met Tassia, and had even acquired intelligence on the Sect.
’After that, the fellow’s behavior was completely unremarkable. Until today. After the fight, while everyone else was dispirited, he alone was unusually energetic, as if excited by something.’
’With this, the identity of the master of that foul power—the one the Deer-headed God had been so cryptic about—was practically spelled out. At least Rorschach now knew its cover identity.’
Rorschach woke the moment Deryats disappeared. It was still night. He opened his eyes, and the intact village from his dream was once again a crumbling ruin. What was more unsettling was how lucid he’d been, both in the dream and now. He wasn’t tired or sleepy, but he completely lacked the refreshing feeling of waking up naturally. Psychologically, it felt as if he hadn’t slept at all.
’Besides Peterson, could Ella, the one with the high Inspiration Value, also be a problem?’ He hesitated, then resolved to create an opportunity to speak with Humboldt or old Kou Bo alone. After being eavesdropped on by the Archbishop, he no longer trusted the [Communication Skill], especially when dealing with those from the Natural System, who were adept at Spiritual Sense.
Seeing that Peterson was already up—even earlier than him—Rorschach let out an inward sigh. ’What a shame.’ He crawled out of his sleeping bag.
"Old Sir, shouldn’t we try investigating underground? I feel that stone slab in the center of the village is rather conspicuous." The slab Rorschach mentioned was where they had laid the child’s body. It was also the site of the Elder’s house—the building made entirely of plants and wood had vanished without a trace, leaving only that square slab of bluestone behind.
