[âââSo, youâre going to slip into the Holy Allianceâs Southern army as a mercenary?]
Erika looked astonished when she heard what I said .
After that talk I had with her, Seras and I immediately went towards Erikaâs room .
Telling her the situation...
[Erika doesnât have any right to stop you but...... Are you sane?]
She didnât stop us, but she began to doubt our sanity .
[If we can get through the Northern Demon Zone, we may be able to join up with the Southern Army, right?]
[Well, yeah . Moreover...... It seems that the armies of the countries that are going to join the Southern Army are aiming for the royal capital of Magnarâs, Synad . Therefore, I think thereâs a possibility that theyâre going to recruit mercenaries to bolster-up their army in that place . Considering the speed at which Neiaâs army is currently moving and the distance between where they are now towards Synad... Indeed, if you were to pass through the Northern Demon Zone, you might be able to make it in time . ]
A beacon of hope lit up in Serasâ face .
I could feel relief in her eyes as she glanced at me . n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âItâs still not too late . â
The person well-informed with the Demon Zone, the Witch of Taboos is the one who said that .
[However, thatâs only if you really can get through that place . ]
[You mean that time isnât the problem?]
The warm-colored light of the lamp illuminated Erikaâs appearance .
Erikaâs expression looks like she couldnât comprehend something .
Itâs probably not just because of the lightâs angle that made her look like her expression darkened .
[The problem is that if you can even get through the Northern Demon Zone . ]
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Erika held up her index finger .
[All of you came from Urza . That means that you came here through the Southern Demon Zone . ]
What Erika is trying to say...
âis probably...
[Is the strength of the monsters in the Northern and Southern areas different?]
[Correct . There are lots of those ferocious b*stards in the North . ]
The relief on Serasâ face began to waver .
[There are various theories as to why there are lots of them in that area, but Erika thinks that itâs simply because itâs the closest area where the Root of All Evil appeared . And, the powerful monsters in that area removed the weaker monsters from their territory...... I guess thatâs also the reason why the monsters were allocated around like the way it is now? Well, itâs all just a theory though . ]
[Umm, Erika-dono...... How about taking a detour through the Eastern or Westernâ-]
[If you go through there, itâs very likely that the main force will clash against each other before you arrive . What I mean is that you wonât make it in time . ]
[..................... . ]
I cast a questioning glance at Erika .
[Other than going through the Northern Demon Zone, is there any other way to join the Southern Army before the war starts?]
Erika shrugs her shoulders .
[Iâm afraid I canât think of one . ]
[Then, we just have to go north so that we could join up with the Southern Army huh......]
Seras looks puzzled at my words .
[However, Touka-donoââ]
[If Seras still feels the same, then our objective will not change . If the hindrance in our path is a monsterââ we just have to get rid of them . ]
[If itâs with Toukaâs Abnormal State Skill, it might not be impossible . ]
Erika continues .
[From what Iâve heard, youâre capable of fighting in groups, Touka . You also defeated that Soul Eater...... Cautiousness in battles is indeed necessary, but if you overestimate the enemy, you might also let a good opportunity escape . Itâs certainly not a good idea to be too afraid of the monsters from the Northern Demon Zone . ]
Then, Erika stood up and opened a drawer on the shelf .
The drawer was filled with parchments rolled up into a cylinder .
Picking out one of them, Erika spread it out on the table .
[This is a map of the Northern Demon Zone based on the information gathered by the Familiars I sent there . ]
The three of us peek into the map .
I had heard that it was impossible to map the Demon Zone .
However, thatâs possible for the Witch of Taboos huh .
I point towards one section in the map .
[Whatâs this line?]
[Itâs a route that could be used as a way out . In some areas where the larger monsters were moving around in packs, the terrain has also been accustomed to make it easier for them to move . ]
[Erika . ]
I raised my gaze .
[If youâve gone to the trouble of mapping out such a route...... Youâve been thinking that you would get out of this place sooner or later?]
Erika looks back at me .
[Even if I planned on leaving, it should have been something for around a hundred years from now though . ]
The way she said it kind of bothers me .
[You talk as if you canât leave this place for around a hundred years . ]
Seras looks like sheâs suspecting something .
No, rather than that......
Itâs like she became certain of her faint hunch .
[Erika-dono, you made a contract with some kind of spirit......?]
[ââ-Well, yeah . ]
With her hands on the table, Erika replied with affirmation .
[On the way here, did Seras see those magic energy gathering at the bottom of the lake?]
[Y- Yes . ]
[The one producing those magic energies is the spirit dwelling in the Sacred Spirit Tree, Runereed...... Itâs also the spirit living in this place . So, instead of letting it use its magic energy from protecting this place from the hands of Humans and monsters, Erika is making use of the magic energies produced by Runereed for my research and experiments . ]
(T/N: ã«ãã¦ã¬ã / Runouredo)
Iâve heard that the Elves arenât a race that arenât particularly good at manipulating their magic energy .
They are inferior to humans in terms of both the amount they can produce and the magic energies they could store .
On the other hand though, experimenting with magic tools and the like requires a large amount of magic energy .
Thatâs why the Witch of Taboos chose âthis placeâ .
[This mistress has also been blessed with the magic-related qualities of a Dark Elf...... But when it comes to the magic tool experiments designed by this Erika Anarveil, just that amount isnât enough . ]
[The one and only spirit that creates magic energy...... Iâve read about its legends in old books, but I never thought that it would be real......]
[Itâs because sheâs the shy one, thatâs why Runereed has been hiding its presence all these times...... As expected of a High Elf huh . You must have faintly sensed her, right?]
[Her spirit energy was too thin...... Thatâs why I thought it must have been remnants of some spirits that used to live in this place . ]
[Erika . ]
Interrupting their conversation, I have one thing I need to confirm .
[Is it that you donât want to leave this place? Or perhaps, you couldnât leave this place?]
After a brief pause, Erika replied .
[Itâs the latter . ]
I see .
Seras speaks, as if sheâs reconfirming her words .
[Erika-dono most probably had a contract that makes her âremainâ in this area...... And in return, she can use the power of Runereed, right?]
Erika sighs .
[Thatâs how it is . Therefore, Iâm sorry, but I canât come with all of you . ]
[Donât worry about it, Erika-dono . Iâm already grateful for showing us a map with easy-to-follow directions . ]
I began observing Erika .
She looked a little awkward .
And like that, we finished lightly reviewing our route .
[Iâll give this one to you . ]
Erika held out a map to me .
[Is it alright?]
[Do what you want with it . However, as you can see, this map isnât perfect either . Donât trust the information in it too much . ]
Erika poured water from a jug into her silver cup and drank it down .
After wiping her mouth, she spoke .
[Iâll think of something I can help you with by tomorrow morning . So, weâll talk about the details again tomorrow . ]
â½
In the early morning the next day, I visited Erikaâs room .
However, she wasnât there .
If sheâs not hereâ- then, was she in her lab?
I move past the door and that ladder Iâve passed through before .
Once I got down there...
Kerchak, clank, thud
Iâm hearing some kind of noise .
I turn my gaze towards the source of the sound .
......From that room huh .
Opening that door, I came upon a large room .
Itâs even bigger than that room where I used the Enhancer on Pigimaru .
The temperature here was cooler than the laboratory .
However, although the room itself is spacious......
There is so much stuff cluttered around in this vast space .
Could this be a junk warehouse filled with the items she scavenged from the Demon Zone?
As for Erika, she was plunging her upper body into a pile of miscellaneous items .
It looks like sheâs looking for something .
[Good morning . ]
With her buttock still showing over here, Erika greeted me .
[That environment and changes of scenery depending on time, is it so that you wonât lose your sense of time?]
[You know what theyâre for huhâ- So, what do you want?]
[I just want to have some quick words with just us two . Seras should still be asleep now after I invoked on her . ]
Just like a cat walking backwards, Erika pulled her body out of the pile .
[You have something to talk about?]
[First of all, why did you suddenly become so cooperative?]
[......Well, Iâm sorry about that . ]
Words of apology suddenly came out of Erikaâs mouth .
......It seems that she immediately figured out what I want to talk about .
[Did you suddenly feel guilty for being so uncooperative after we told you that weâre going to join up with the Southern Army?]
Raising both of her hands, Erika strikes a surrender pose .
[......I was being careless when I mentioned the Holy Kingdom of Neiaâs Princess . She looked so happy travelling with you, so I thought that sheâs already put her past behind her . ]
Erika showed a hint of remorse that she might have been insensitive when she mentioned the Princess .
[You never expected that Seras would react like that huh . ]
[I mean...... If you make a face like that, anyone can understand how strong Serasâ feelings for them are . I think Seras thought that she was hiding it, but she canât hide it at all . ]
Erika also saw through Serasâ acting .
[Thatâs why Erika felt so bad to her, so I stayed up all nightâ-]
[I know . Besides...... I think this would have been many times better off for Seras rather than knowing this when it was all over . The point is...... I came here to thank you . I think that telling her about Neiaâs Princess came out to be a good thing . I was a little surprised that you didnât try to stop us at all . ]
[Itâs because I could tell from looking at the both of you that there wasnât any point in stopping you at all . I feel like Iâm obligated to explain the difficulty of getting through the Northern Demon Zone though . ]
Erika dusted off her upper body .
[But well...... Thatâs why I said that last night, that Erika is going to support both of you as much as I can . ]
After Erika inhaled for a moment, she pointed to the back of the room with her thumb .
[Thereâs one thing Iâd like to show you, alright?]
Thereâs another door in this room that leads to the back .
Erika pushed the double door open with both of her hands .
Following her, I also stepped into the room .
[This is......]
That thing seated in the center of the room was...
[A carriage?]
[Rather than a carriage, I think this should be more of a chariot . ]
Itâs not that tank which has those caterpillar wheels or a gun barrel .
This so-called chariot kind of looks like those so-called war wagons .
However, since the passenger seats area looks like that, it felt like itâs more of a âcarriageâ for me .
On the other hand though, itâs no wonder that Erika called this a âchariotâ .
This is because its black frame looks like itâs clearly built to repel out enemies .
[This is the item Erika used when I entered the Demon Zone, the âMagical Chariotâ...... I was storing just in case I needed to use it for when Runereedâs contract ends though......]
[Are you probably giving this to us?]
[What . Do you want me to say, âLooky here!? See this beauty!? Say, Touka . Donât you feel envious seeing my chariot!?â or something like that!? Whatâs the use of showing off aside from useless self-satisfaction......]
I wonder if that small skit in between is necessary .
However......
[..................]
It has a fairly large frame .
I meanââ It stands out too much .
This will make it easier for monsters to find us while weâre on the move .
This isnât suitable if we want to move inconspicuously .
However, thereâs no way that Erika is unaware of this .
That means...
[Does this chariot have any special ability?]
[ââIt has Recognition Obstruction . ]
[You mean it has the ability to make this tank and its surrounding will be unrecognized by others?]
[Yes, I guess thereâs nothing wrong with that explanation . ]
Once again, I turned my attention back to the chariot .
[......I see . ]
Itâs ability certainly is exceptional .
[However, this magical chariot only has a third of its energy left . I used two-thirds of its energy when I came here . ]
[And I guess we canât just refill it huh . ]
With her hand on her hips, Erika hung her head .
[Magic tools like this one are making use of those Secret Arts from ancient times, each of them doesnât make use of the same energy . Therefore, I canât make a magic tool with the same energy as this one . No...... Neither the method to make this nor some way to refill it with energy, this Anarveil couldnât figure them out . Itâs quite vexing, I must say . ]
This is that so-called âlost technologyâ huh .
[So, is it alright to use the rest of its energy?]
[Itâs alright . Erika will just figure out another way to escape from here . ]
Erika approaches the chariot .
[The problem is that...... the magical creature that was pulling this magical chariot up here isnât usable anymore once I arrived here . And it takes a huge amount of time to make something like that . ]
That means...
[It will just be up to Slei huh . ]
[I think that the third form of that mysterious magical beast would be able to do it......]
Iâve shown Sleiâs third form a few days ago .
In the end, I didnât gain any new information though .
However, it certainly seems that the Witch of Taboos is checking out the magical beast, to the point that she would check out under Sleiâs tongue .
Erika puffs out her chest .
[In any case, wouldnât it be appealing, being able to advance about halfway through the Northern Demon Zone without being found by monsters?]
[..................... . ]
Itâs just a rough calculation but......
It may be possible to pass about halfway through the Northern Demon Zone without encountering monsters .
I must say this is definitely appealing .
We could also just abandon it after we got past the halfway point......
However, this magical chariot...... certainly looks quite aggressive .
I could also see a part that looks like it could shoot out spears .
According to Erika, it also has several offensive abilities in addition to its recognition obstruction .
Therefore, it may also depend on the usefulness of its offensive abilities whether we would abandon it or not .
[Other than this magical chariot, there are also other magic tools that were personally handcrafted by this Witch of Taboos . Theyâre still just experimental prototypes, so endurance might be an issue but...... Well, you can just pick out some that you can use and Iâll give them to you . ]
[So, thatâs what youâre looking for in that pile before huh . ]
Apparently, that pile earlier was a pile of Erikaâs handmade magic tools .
......They were sloppily piled up that I thought they were just junk .
[Most of them arenât really intended for long-term use, so just think that they were limited use items . ]
[They would be boosting our war potential so I would be really grateful even with that . By the way, can this tank be carried above ground?]
[Donât make me laugh . Iâm Erika Anarveil, remember? You think that I havenât thought about that? Donât worry, I will have the golems carry them . ]
âFuunnn...â she snorted .
[Well, thatâs to be expected of you huh . ]
[Ah, also...... When youâre going to slip into the army as mercenaries, you would name yourself as the âFly King Squadronâ, right?]
[? Yeah . ]
[Hold on a second there . ]
Saying so, Erika left the room .
After just a few moments, she returned with a golem in tow .
In their arms, they were holding unto what appears to be black clothing .
Erika unfolds one of them .
[While youâre at it, why donât you try facing them with a bang?]
The robe that was unveiled certainly looks like...... itâs giving off an atmosphere that was perfect for the Fly King and his subordinates .
Unlike the Great Sageâs robe that Iâm wearing right now, the robe presented to me certainly screams out like Iâm the evil boss .
However, it doesnât seem to be a bad match with my mask .
In fact, it increases my âevil bossâ factor until the smallest detail .
[Did you scavenge this from the Demon Zone?]
[The materials are . Erika tailored this using those materials . I was actually going this to you when youâre about to leave but... . What do you think? Isnât it cool?]
Her tone sounds somewhat excited .
I could also see some sparkles in her emotionless eyes .
Her breathing also sounds a bit wild .
She still doesnât have a smile on her face as usual, but she looks happy .
I could also see some clothes that I think were fitted for Eve and Liz...... .
I guess she originally liked tailoring clothes .
[Well, your hobby isnât that bad . ]
Erika shows me a lining in the robe .
How should I say this, it kind of looks like those mail order programs where things would be done with the push of a button .
[Itâs not just about looks, you know? I also made this to be perfectly practical . These were weaved with Black Lion Spider thread, so itâs both durable and fireproof . ]
Erika proudly continues her explanation .
I heard that she went through a lot of trouble making Seras and Eveâs coats .
I touched the injury in my shoulder, in which the pain has almost disappeared already .
If we had protective gear like that, we might be able to prevent taking injuries like this .
Moreover......
I compare my robe to the othersâ coats .
[............... . . ]
It even had a uniformed appearance .
It can be said that our âFly King Squadronâ has finally become more like them .
âAlright . â I said as I held out my hand .
[Erika Anarveilsâ handcrafted protective gears...... The âFly King Squadronâ will gratefully use them . ]