It all began with a rumor.
In the distant northern reaches of the Empire.
Rumors spread that traces of an ancient vampire had been discovered.
A story like that of an urban legend.
At first, the rumor didn’t attract much attention since tales of ancient races often circulated in those circles.
However, once it became known that the source of the rumor was Shane, the one who had opened the path for exploration in the Great Mezaiya Forest, interest surged rapidly.
In the coalition, the holy land of adventurers.
The mages of the Magic Tower were especially interested.
Shane’s name was already well-known among the mages, and significant research had already been conducted on magic that harnessed the life energy typically used by elves.
Around the time the accuracy of the rumor’s source was being questioned.
Another rumor began to spread.
It was said that the Second Princess Anastasia, the lord of northern Arunvida, had personally confirmed the discovery and had requested reinforcements from the Empire, only to be refused.
Of course, to the coalition, it might have seemed irrelevant whether the Empire accepted or refused that request.
However, anyone familiar with the market situation and history couldn’t help but be on edge.
“Wh-What? Orcs moving south?”
“A monster wave?”
“And they didn’t even send an investigation team? Are they out of their minds?!”
Fifty years ago.
At that time, the northern regions had largely fallen to the orcs. It was an event that devastated the entire continent’s economy.
Even back then, the coalition was the heart of the continent, and the Empire that played the most important role inside the coalition saw its northern territories overrun by orcs. This led to a steep decline in the value of imperial gold coins.
The collapse in the value of imperial gold, which was central to the market economy, dealt a fatal blow to the coalition’s economy.
As a result, it was only natural that nobles from various countries who were sent as representatives rushed to the Empire’s nobles to demand answers.
Unfortunately, the nobles affiliated with the Empire within the coalition had no knowledge of the situation.
Given time, they might have naturally obtained relevant information, but the Empire itself didn’t take Mimir’s report very seriously.
They simply thought it was the Second Princess’s attempt to draw the imperial family’s attention.
“How can we prepare if you don’t tell us anything?”
“How long are we supposed to wait?”
So when foreign nobles raised their voices in frustration, the Empire’s representatives had nothing to say.
It was a shocking situation for the imperial council members.
They couldn’t share anything because the only information they had was the rumors circulating in the city.
At this rate, they feared they would only be seen as incompetent bastards by the other nobles.
During this time, a letter arrived from the Clayton family; the family that Shane belonged to. It was addressed to the Empire’s representatives.
For the nobles in the council, it was like rain after a drought.
Those who confirmed the letter wore bright expressions as they rushed to the council.
“They say they’re bringing clear evidence!”
“Is that true? Evidence of what?”
“They’ve captured an orc using blood magic and are bringing additional footage of the battle.”
“So the rumors were true!”
“Then the announcement…?”
“They said they’re holding a separate conference under the name of Elder Caden of the Kabeer Magic Tower. The location, of course, will be Magical Wisp.”
“Hmm…!”
The atmosphere in the council grew even more tense.
If the rumors had been false, they could have simply dismissed it as just another event, but since the letter came directly from the Clayton family, it meant the rumors were true.
This opened up a wide range of political options.
This meant that the nobles would now have to engage in a very dangerous tug-of-war game.
As a result, those with little influence on the council or weak family power saw this as an opportunity, while those with much to lose began to strategize and try to make the best possible decision.
And there was one common thought running through all their minds.
“Why did the central political nobles of the Empire reject the request from the north…?”
It was at that moment that distrust toward the Empire, which had dismissed this situation due to insufficient evidence, began to take root.
***
“You never cease to amaze me. Haha.”
Caden smiled at Shane whom he hadn’t seen in months.
He was someone who always welcomed exceptional talent, and from his perspective, Shane’s visits were always accompanied by remarkable discoveries.
“But blood magic, huh… Dangerous magic has been surfacing frequently these days.”
As a mage, Caden knew all too well how dangerous black magic and blood magic could be, and he naturally expressed his concern.
However, Shane shook his head and spoke.
“I’m starting to think we should bring these magics into the open.”
“Why is that?”
Though it was something that would shock most people, Caden calmly asked Shane.
He knew that the young man before him had an unusually broad perspective.
“Ignorance of danger is the source of calamities that leave us defenseless. When humanity first began to awaken to magic, there was a time when those who deemed themselves chosen recklessly abused their powers, wasn’t there?”
“Hmm. That’s true. I’ve heard that there were quite a few cases like that in the very early days of the common era.”
“The same applies to black magic and blood magic. We must make people aware of their dangers and establish an institution specifically to address them.”
“Hmm. Certainly, there’s truth in what you say. But we must approach this cautiously, as many still remember the war with black mages 36 years ago.”
“Do not worry.”
Though Shane spoke confidently, Caden couldn’t hide his unease. The statement Shane had just made carried considerable risk.
In any case, the conference began soon after.
Even though it was typically held just once a year, this was the second time it had convened this year, and still, many mages were in attendance.
This was understandable. The magic research using elven essence that Shane had announced some time ago was very popular.
Mages who had already established their own theories were gaining significant support from various nobles and merchants.
There was no reason to think this time would be any different, so a diverse group of mages gathered and all eyes were fixed on Shane as he stood on the podium.
Moreover, some unexpected figures made a rare appearance at the magic conference.
These were the political nobles from the coalition who had been plagued by rumors in recent days.
[Greetings. I am Clayton R. Shane. It is an honor to see you all again after several months. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the council members who have joined us today.]
Unlike before, Shane began by presenting the results he had brought with him.
This was because there were not only mages present in the audience.
[Now, we will watch the evidence video recorded by Mage Clayton R. Shane.]
As the host spoke, the room gradually darkened and soon the crystal ball Shane had prepared began to project a battle between orcs and a cyclops into the air.
The orcs fought with sheer madness.
Was it bravery or was it recklessness to charge at the enemy with no regard for their own lives in the relentless pursuit of killing the enemy?
In any case, the outcome spoke for itself.
Despite the deaths of many orcs, they succeeded in wounding the cyclops without a moment’s hesitation, and gradually the tide of battle began to shift in the orcs’ favor.
When the orc leader finally plunged its sword into the Cyclops’ giant single eye and brought the beast to its knees, the gathered council members and mages were left speechless.
The orcs had indeed used magic.
And it was through some bizarre method unknown to humans that this huge cyclops was brought down.
The Cyclops should be resistant to magic. They were beings that ordinary mages couldn’t even scratch.
At this, the mages let out a deep sigh.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
What followed was the orcs’ ritual.
An orc, having drunk the blood of the dead Cyclops, went berserk and then the orcs who had fought alongside it killed the frenzied orc, only to drink its blood in turn.
It was indeed a bizarre ritual befitting blood magic.
As the vision came to an end, the time for questions arrived.
As expected, the first question was about the ritual that took place at the very end.
“What was the meaning of that ritual they performed at the end?”
[According to what we later discovered, the orcs absorb the magical power contained in the blood of the monsters they kill by consuming it. However, in doing so, they also take on the wild nature of the monster, so they choose a sacrifice to contain that wildness.]
“They purify it by sacrificing the life of one of their own…”
[That is correct.]
Afterward, Shane revealed all the information he had obtained from Arunvida without holding anything back.
He explained the methods and results of the blood magic used by the orcs, as well as their critical weaknesses.
Finally, when he spoke about the witchcraft spell cast by the orc shaman, the expressions of several mages grew serious.
Such witchcraft was similar to magic, so they understood just how terrifying the orc shaman’s spell truly was.
“Imbuing illusions with physical force… And it activates as soon as the target uses magic? Isn’t that condition far too easy?”
“Magic may be dangerous if you’re ignorant of it, but witchcraft spells are especially lethal.”
“Imagine this kind of spell being unleashed on an army…”
“It would complicate things. The stronger the force, the more likely they’d fall victim.”
The fact that even Felice, who had reached the formidable level of a third-rank master, was helpless against it struck fear into the hearts of the mages.
In these times, magic was something that humans couldn’t live without.
As the mages began murmuring among themselves, Shane placed another prepared item on the podium.
[This was discovered at the orcs’ forward outpost.]
When the translated text that was written in orc language on the leather was revealed, the faces of those who read it began to darken.
The message written in blood stated:
“Is it true that they plan to launch a monster wave and overthrow Arunvida?”
“Are we truly on the brink of war with the orcs?”
The council members who realized that what they had been most worried about was becoming a reality shouted out like that, and the mages began to understand the contents from a magical perspective.
“They’re controlling monsters through totemic rituals…”
“To be precise, it’s closer to luring them.”
“No matter how we defend, we need to know the effective range of the totems.”
“Since the effect is activated just by moving the totem, you never know when or where it will happen, right?”
“Hmm… this is troublesome.”
Even the mages who had initially come with curiosity about the new magic soon grasped the gravity of the situation and grew serious.
The mages also knew well how much money was needed for research, and most of them still remembered the disaster that occurred 50 years ago.
At that moment, one of the council members raised a hand.
“In that case, what measures is Arunvida currently taking?”
[Unfortunately, with Arunvida’s current manpower alone, it is not enough to thwart the orcs’ plans. As you can see, the orcs have already formed a wider encirclement than Arunvida with their vast numbers. According to what’s written here, there are a total of 184 outposts made up of battalions like this one].
This was the terrifying aspect of the orcs.
A strategy of overwhelming numbers.
Not only that, but they were also employing totems and Gordon’s blood magic to execute more tactical maneuvers than Shane had known in his previous life.
“Is there no way to stop them?”
[We requested help from the Imperial Family regarding this matter, but they refused. That’s why I’ve come to the coalition with this evidence.]
“But in the end, this is an issue occurring within the Empire. It doesn’t make sense to drag the coalition into solving it.”
It was true.
No matter how much the Empire’s currency influenced the coalition’s economy, using it as leverage to get through this crisis lacked sufficient justification.
In the end, the Empire needed to take the lead for the coalition to follow suit.
“The Empire will not stand idly by this time.”
At that moment,
As someone opened the door to the assembly and spoke, all eyes turned in that direction.
A woman with golden hair like an autumn barley field stood there.
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