“The memories in the blood… I can’t read them…”
The Elder Shaman’s slow words rippled out like a wave.
Inside the collapsed outpost.
The place where the special scouting team alongside Shane had previously visited was already in a state where it could not function as an outpost.
Because of this, the Elder Shaman who heard the report tried to read the memories tied to the blood of the dead orc shaman, but nothing came through.
“How… is this possible…?”
“Hmm~ Who knows? Honestly, we don’t really understand the magic that old man created either~.”
The one who answered was a girl who looked no older than ten, yet she remained unfazed even in the presence of the much larger Elder Shaman.
“Who could have known? That sly old man Gordon would die so suddenly.”
Just like the girl said, the death of Gordon who had been a key executive in the organization within the Great Mezaiya Forest was a huge blow to them.
All the various researches for which Gordon had been solely responsible came to a sudden halt, and the Dragon Heart, which was to play a major role in the future, ended up in Raviata’s hands.
Because of this, they had come all the way to the north, even seeking out an orc who used the power of vampires.
At that moment, the man standing guard beside the girl burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha! It looks like we’ve been outsmarted by the humans.”
“Hu…mans?”
“Yeah. Their scent is faint, but I can smell it.”
The man had a sturdy build that didn’t lose out at all to the over two-meter-tall Elder Shaman.
He was dressed in a tight-fitting suit and he ran his hand over his bronze-toned shaved head.
Though the orc corpses had been there for quite some time, the man with the shaved head spoke with absolute certainty.
“Which way is the scent leading?”
At the girl’s question, the man with the shaved head pointed to a building that the former centurion orc had used.
“It’s that way. They went into that building.”
“As expected of a bloodhound!”
“Shut up before I rip that mouth off. I’m a bear.”
Soon, the Elder Shaman confirmed the items that had disappeared from the room of the dead orc shaman.
“It seems… the humans… have caught on… to our plan.”
“This complicates things, doesn’t it? The fact that they took some of the hides from here means they can decipher your language.”
“And judging by the monsters’ battle, it looks like they were trying to divert suspicion and shift attention elsewhere, huh?”
The Elder Shaman nodded at the man and the girl’s words.
“It seems… we’ll have to visit… the Great Chieftain.”
The humans had caught on to their plan.
Though small in number and short-lived, humans were highly sensitive to their own crises. It was possible that they were already preparing to disrupt the plan.
They headed back to their base just as swiftly as they had arrived.
To prepare for the imminent war with the humans.
***
Although Olicia had declared war, a war was not something that could be waged in just a day or two.
Summer was just beginning on the continent, and preparations were in full swing, with soldiers being equipped with warm gear for the northern campaign, decisions being made about how many troops to send, and discussions about who would take command of those troops.
The situation was somewhat different for the coalition.
Adventurers were used to roaming dangerous territories, so they were quick to adapt to such changes.
However, they wouldn’t act without proper compensation, so they wouldn’t move until the Empire presented an appropriate reward.
“They say it’ll take a month.”
Shane and Mimir listened quietly to Anastasia’s words,
“The imperial family intends for us to hold out as long as we can with the supplies they send ahead, for up to a month.”
“…Isn’t there any way to do it faster?”
“His Majesty’s health has considerably deteriorated. A faster expedition seems difficult.”
The only glimmer of hope was the portal that Shane had prepared.
If things became urgent, they could always request help from the imperial family, and First Princess Olicia had promised to send an advance party within two weeks.
“Still, it’s not all despair. If we prepare the reward plan quickly, the adventurers will likely arrive around the same time as the advance party.”
“So the next two weeks are important. The question is whether the orcs will trigger a monster wave before then…”
Mimir’s hopeful words were met with Shane shaking his head.
“The orcs will move.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“There’s an organization behind the orcs. They must have already realized that we’ve caught on.”
“An organization…”
Unlike in his previous life, after the intervention of “Nameless” the orcs’ movements had significantly accelerated.
Orcs that should have only started moving in earnest a few years later were already building forward outposts and taking clear actions.
It’s possible that, unlike in his previous life, a crucial part of their war preparations was already complete.
“Knowing that we’ve made the first move, the orcs are likely to start a speed battle before we can respond.”
It was highly likely that the orcs would make their move within a few days.
Because of this, Shane advised Anastasia to focus on defense inside the castle rather than rushing out.
Since her aide Mimir also agreed with Shane’s opinion, preparations proceeded at a rapid pace.
***
“Wow, this is really top-notch!”
“Yeah, I was worried these weapons might break at any moment.”
With the money earned from selling the monster materials they had collected, they purchased supplies and armed the villagers. Meanwhile, the trio of Kevin and the others were busy making rounds with the others while repairing the ditches in front of the castle walls.
The only other mage in the territory besides Shane was Mimir and he was also incredibly busy running around.
“This is… impressive.”
When Mimir looked over the report Shane had handed over, he felt his scholarly passion as a mage ignite for the first time in a while.
Shane’s report pointed out various issues inside the castle that could be repaired or improved with magic.
Not only that, but he had also included the magical formulas needed to address those issues in a way that Mimir could understand as a fellow mage.
Since Shane had been steadily preparing this report during his time in Arunvida, its level of completion was excellent.
“Looks like I’m definitely getting older.”
As a fellow mage, Shane was a unique individual to Mimir.
While most mages walked a well-trodden path, Shane constantly sought to carve out a different one.
That’s not to say he rejected the established paths.
Instead, he used those paths to pave new roads, to the point where, as an older mage, Mimir found himself feeling a bit ashamed in comparison. Shane was a truly progressive mage.
“Just following the formulas alone is going to take quite some time…”
Someday, if the opportunity arose, Mimir would love to discuss magic with Shane. But for now, he decided to prioritize the tasks at hand.
Meanwhile, Shane and Felice were heading out of the castle.
“Shit, some of us are stuck digging ditches here.”
“Yeah, it’s tough work.”
“You muscle-head pig! I told you to straighten your back after every hundred shovels!”
“That’s too harsh, Hackerts.”
The trio of Kevin and the others who were digging the ditchers in front of the castle walls muttered as they watched Shane and Felice.
But they didn’t pay them any mind.
Felice twitched his ears and asked Shane,
“Are we going to set up the magic circles?”
“Yes.”
This is why mages are so important in today’s society.
In a siege, a mage wasn’t just someone who cast spells from afar.
Shane unfolded a map, went to the pre-marked locations, and set up various magic circles.
How much time had they spent like this?
They had started when most people were still fast asleep.
“Your Highness, there is a report from the scouts.”
“Hmm…”
Anastasia who had been busy with long-distance meetings between the Imperial Family and the coalition’s leaders, as well as the necessary paperwork, listened to Mimir’s report with her eyes closed.
“They’ve detected monster movements half a day’s distance away.”
“Their numbers?”
“…The report says it’s difficult to estimate their numbers.”
“I see…”
The monster wave that occurs every year usually brings around a thousand monsters.
Even the scouts, who had become adept at estimating monster numbers by sight, reported that it was hard to count them this time.
The war was now truly just around the corner.
And the next morning,
A harsh winter began for the residents of the Arunvida territory.
***
With a graceful slash of the sword, the mud golem that had been holding its ground finally crumbled.
“Argh! Let’s end this already, you damn creatures!”
With one powerful stomp from Dilaila, the earth trembled and the heavy gremlins surrounding them screamed.
Countless earthen spears burst from the ground and they mercilessly pierced the legs of the heavy gremlins.
The attack didn’t stop there; bolts of lightning shot toward the heavily injured gremlins.
Though the gremlins were armed with tempered steel, the lightning magic charred them from the inside out.
Meanwhile, the battle students who had been fighting at the entrance also brought their fight to a close.
“Ah! It’s finally over!”
“Yeah… You all did well. Is anyone hurt?”
In response to Klein’s question, Al Ross who had just finished fending off the gremlins at the entrance answered with a grin.
“Of course not! Who do you think I am? Al Ross, of course! Haha.”
Behind him, a young mage girl wearing a large-brimmed hat approached, sighing as she did.
“Haah… You’re talking as if you did something amazing, but all you did was deal with a few gremlins at the rear.”
“Hey, Artia. Do you think the time you had to cast your spells just magically appeared? Alex and I nearly killed ourselves to buy you that time!”
“How crude. What do you mean ‘nearly killed yourselves’?”
“Ugh. Hey, Alex, say something!”
“Uh… no, it’s fine.”
“Ugh, seriously.”
“Hmph, if only you’d keep your mouth shut like him.”
“Whatever. You couldn’t even beat Dilaila.”
“…! Did you just say everything you wanted to say?”
“Yeah, I did! So what?”
Klein watched the two of them start their usual bickering and smiled awkwardly.
He had tried to intervene several times before, but maybe they were just too incompatible by nature.
Al Ross and the daughter of the Mage Union’s head Artia. They always seemed to end up in these arguments.
As he watched this, Klein approached the boy who was caught between them and couldn’t do anything.
The boy had a plain appearance.
He had met Klein and his big brother while they were returning to the Academy, during a dungeon wave that had put a village in danger, and that encounter led him to become Klein’s servant.
When they had just returned from the Great Mezaiya Forest, Klein saw Alex swinging a wooden sword alone in the backyard, and he started to teach him swordsmanship.
Klein was pleased with Alex who was naturally passionate and skilled with weapons.
After that, Klein took Alex along with him to various dungeons, and the latter began to grow rapidly.
Although his mastery of magic was still immature due to his late awakening, Alex blossomed in his talent and he was able to skillfully wield various weapons.
“Anyway, everyone worked hard. Let’s head back up now.”
For the past month, they had devoted themselves to clearing the ancient dwarven outpost.
Although they didn’t find the dwarves they were expecting, they did find and clear out the underground outpost that had been occupied by heavy gremlins.
However, contrary to their expectations, the dwarves’ report revealed nothing of particular value.
“Man, I was hoping to get my hands on some dwarven-made equipment.”
Al Ross clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Despite their hard work underground for the past month, there wasn’t much to gain.
“At least there are plenty of magic stones.”
“Yeah… Huh?”
At that moment, Dilaila noticed a square-shaped mineral in one corner and pursed her lips.
“Hey, I’ll give up my share of the magic stones if I can have that one. Is that okay?”
“Hmm?”
“Oh my, this is… “
Artia recognized the value of the mineral and leaned in for a closer look.
“Hmm… It might be worth researching from a magical perspective, but it’s not something I really need. Alright, I’ll pass on bidding as well.”
“What is that, anyway?”
Al Ross asked and Artia started to explain.
“It’s a shape-memory mineral. The ancient dwarves used it when building walls. It’s a very rare mineral nowadays… and it hasn’t been fully researched yet. It would probably fetch a decent price if put up for auction.”
“Well, it’s not something I could use either. I’ll pass too.”
“I don’t think I need it either.”
“Alright then, we’ll let Dilaila have it.”
“Yay! Thanks, everyone!”
When the group finally emerged from their month-long expedition, Al Ross pointed to a newspaper the newsboy was holding and said,
“Hey, Klein. Isn’t that your brother?”
“Huh?”
There, in large print, was a photo of Shane along with the headline:
[The Genius Mage Who Uncovered the Secrets of the Great Mezaiya Forest, Clayton R. Shane, Now Discovers the Blood Magic of Orcs in the North!]
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