The purpose of this expedition was to confirm the possible existence of the Dragon Heart and to verify Shane’s theory on whether they could secure safety in the Great Mezaiya Forest and reach its center.
However, the real goal was to obtain the Dragon Heart, and the goal itself wasn’t much different from that of the imperial family and the organization.
So, what exactly was this Dragon Heart?
In reality, few people knew the true value of the Dragon Heart.
Most thought of the Dragon Heart as a treasure unprecedented in human history.
They only knew it as a treasure that could grant absolute power just by possessing it.
Therefore, few in the world knew the true importance of the Dragon Heart which was located in the Great Mezaiya Forest.
One of those few, Raviata, clicked her tongue as she watched the chimera army rush towards her. Though it was probably more appropriate to say that they were “pouring out”.
“Retrieving a true heart is really difficult. Fall back!”
All the knights of the Haiel kingdom, fighting behind Dilaila’s hastily erected earthen barricade, retreated at the sound of Raviata’s voice.
At that moment, a large number of red orbs slowly advanced from Raviata’s fingertips.
Flame Orb Haze.
Dozens of fireballs moved forward.
Each orb was densely packed with intense heat and they all exploded at the same time, causing the chimera army’s bodies to burst like liquid.
The overwhelming firepower was such that even the chimera’s bodily fluids evaporated instantly.
As a result, a red mist filled the cavity to the point where it was excessive.
With a delicate manipulation of her magic, Raviata filled the passage on the opposite side with the mist, then cast another spell.
Haze Bomb.
The red mist exploded once more, turning even the passage the chimeras were entering into a hellish inferno.
“Huh…”
Adam was speechless as he looked at the scene that had been cleaned up in an instant.
It was indeed the kind of firepower expected from a mage.
The firepower of the instant-cast spell, which would have taken an ordinary mage several minutes to cast, was beyond his imagination.
As expected of Raviata.
Until now, Raviata often went ahead alone to fight separately to avoid causing damage to the group, but seeing the scene firsthand left him speechless.
It was close to a natural disaster.
“Phew, the burning smell isn’t exactly pleasant. I’ll cast fire resistance magic on you, so let’s move forward again.”
“…Understood.”
“Yes…”
As a mage who also dealt with similar attributes, Dilaila seemed slightly weary as they continued forward.
The members of the expedition team all frowned.
“Something is strange.”
The sight of chimeras made from their dead comrades was something they never wanted to see.
However, aside from that, the condition of the dead chimeras in front of them was strange.
“It looks like they were squeezed to death by something. What could it be?”
From a certain point onward, the corpses of chimeras began to appear.
The members of the expedition team tilted their heads at the sight.
The chimeras, entangled in the trees, were dried and shriveled just as Adam had described.
“Well, I think I have an idea of what happened.”
Raviata’s words prompted a question from Adam.
“Do you have any guesses?”
“Yes. There are few people here capable of doing this. Hmm, this battle might end more easily than I thought.”
“…….?”
“You’ll understand as we go. But everyone, try to keep your expressions under control. You’ll be quite shocked when you see it.”
“Could you explain what you mean?”
Adam sighed and asked, but Raviata only responded with a faint smile.
As they continued walking along the path, they soon understood what Raviata meant.+
“An elf…?”
Dilaila and the knights of the Kingdom of Haiel were speechless at the sight before them.
With a burst of iridescent light, a small forest had formed in this underground cavity.
The lush grasses swayed joyfully as if celebrating the moment.
The leaves of the towering willow tree seemed to shield the woman sitting beneath it, gently rustling around her.
The way her shimmering platinum hair fluttered felt like sunlight filling the space.
Her eyes, reminiscent of a lake, gazed at the expedition team.
It was a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
However, the expedition team couldn’t remain entranced by the woman’s appearance.
The sight of numerous chimeras, shriveled and entangled in the plants around her, created a stark contrast that heightened their sense of danger.
In the midst of it all, the beautiful woman played a harp and greeted the expedition team.
“Ah, um, hello, right? Hello?”
The woman who seemed as if she was speaking for the first time in centuries smiled as she faced the expedition team.
Priscilla, the Queen of the Elves, greeted them with a smile.
“…Terrifying.”
Dominic clenched his teeth so hard at the sight before him that he thought they might shatter.
He prided himself on having experienced many battles as a knight.
How many horrific sights had he witnessed during the war against the black mages in the past?
However, no matter how much time passed, he could never grow accustomed to this scene.
“…”
“…”
The others couldn’t deny Dominic’s words either.
The team, led by Klein’s efforts, continued to battle the swarming chimeras as they advanced.
After some time, they arrived at a place that made them frown involuntarily.
“Kiirik.”
“Karrarar.”
The chimeras they had faced so far often shared the same faces.
Dominic deduced that there must be a separate mother body, and unfortunately, his judgment was correct.
The bodies of dead expedition members.
Of course, the bodies were not left intact.
Underneath the corpses, egg sacs repeatedly expanded and contracted.
These egg sacs, as if forcibly made from human skin tissue, were incubating the chimeras they had been fighting.
With ten in total, the foul stench and the horrific sight were enough to fill the team with dread.
They didn’t know who could have committed such an atrocity, but for the first time in his life, Klein felt intense rage.
“Ah…”
Dominic also couldn’t find words as he looked at his knights amidst the chimeras’ mother bodies.
He had always thought about it.
Indeed, any organization tied to the imperial family was not to be dealt with lightly.
Although now the scene was filled with dead bodies, who knew when this scene might extend to the empire.
Fortunately, Eleksa who hadn’t lost any members held her composure and spoke.
“Sir Dominic, I may not fully understand your feelings, but we can’t stay like this.”
“…I understand. It seems age has only softened my heart. I’m sorry, everyone. This is all my fault. Now, rest in peace.”
Fortunately, thanks to his past experiences, Dominic did not fall into panic.
Klein also wasn’t someone who moved purely based on emotions, and Anais was equally adept at controlling her feelings.
However, Dominic’s remaining knights still showed signs of shock, and seeing this, Dominic tried hard to hide his anguish as he shouted.
“Pull yourselves together, you fools! We need to let our comrades rest in peace…! Even those young kids are staying composed, so don’t show such disgrace!”
At his words, the knights barely managed to shake off their shock and showed fierce determination.
“I’m sorry. Let’s get to cleaning up right away.”
Even now, as they looked at the mother bodies still giving birth to chimeras, the entire group was about to charge in.
“Eek, sorry, I’m sorry. Even though they look like that, they’re still my siblings. I can’t just let you kill them as you please.”
When a light and thin voice came from above, everyone’s eyes turned upward.
At that moment, Klein reacted to the intense killing intent approaching him and swung his sword.
Clang—!
“Hehehe, I failed, I failed. As expected, you’re the strongest, aren’t you?”
“Who are you!”
The being that had rushed at Klein in an instant and failed in its ambush somersaulted and landed steadily on the ground.
“That …”
At the appearance of the revealed enemy, the group froze as if struck by cognitive dissonance.
The legs which were covered in a rough exoskeleton resembled those of a frog. The upper body which was covered in muscles was reminiscent of a gorilla, and the face was reminiscent of a spider with eight eyes.
A being that seemed to defy the laws of nature in every way.
“A chimera.”
“Hehe… Correct, correct.”
The spider legs attached to the creature’s head, covered in thick black fur, moved with a creepy noise.
“That’s a horrible look…”
“Eek, why does everyone make that face when they see me? Daddy, Daddy always tells me I’m pretty! Hehehe!”
After saying that, the creature brought forward the hands it had kept behind its back.
“So, I made everyone who made that face, all of them, just like this.”
“……?!”
In the gorilla-like hand was a human face. And it was crushed by its grip.
Eleksa who belatedly recognized that face screamed.
“Carlo!”
Only then did some in the group turn their gaze backward.
There lay a corpse with its neck forcibly torn off and a pool of blood surrounding it.
When on earth…?
In such a short time, the creature had killed a member of the expedition and then ambushed Klein.
The danger level of the enemy has increased within the party. They initially thought of it as a mere chimera.
At least, there was no one here with the skill to match this creature.
“Everyone, defensive formation!”
Though they had lost a comrade right before their eyes, Eleksa suppressed her intense emotions and gave calm orders.
Fortunately, her team members also collected their agitated thoughts, raised their shields, and reformed their ranks.
For now, the enemy was just one.
However, it couldn’t be considered an ordinary monster.
“Hehe, this is fun. Let’s play, play! play with meee!!”
Then, the chimera’s attack began.
As soon as they realized it was lowering its stance, the creature extended its legs and charged at Eleksa’s adventurer party with their shields raised.
Bang!
In that brief moment, its punch struck their shields.
Though they usually held their shields firmly, they were pushed back by the heavy and almost explosive impact of the attack.
They, who had so far kept the rear safe from any attack, were pushed back.
“What strength…!”
“Hehehe! My friends are a little, a little strong!!”
As the chimera kicked off the shields to create some distance, Anais frowned and spoke.
“Something’s wrong.”
“What do you mean, wrong?”
Klein asked a question in response to Anais’ muttering.
“I can understand why it killed the person in the back, but why didn’t we even notice that person falling?”
“Huh?”
Klein also felt puzzled.
The enemy was certainly stealthy and strong, but it was strange that the group hadn’t even sensed the commotion caused by the falling corpse.
“And look at that shield.”
“Ah!”
The shields made of magical power held by the members of Eleksa’s Adventurer Party were not as bright as usual.
“It’s not just strong. There’s something else.”
“Indeed…”
After he listened to Anais, Klein assessed the situation and let his magical power flow around them.
Then his magical power which should have flowed smoothly seemed to be disrupted as if it was obstructed by something.
“Perhaps, it has anti-magic equipment.”
Hearing Anais’s comment, Klein’s face also hardened.
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