Chapter 74
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Chapter 74
* * *
After spending several days soaring through the sky observing the Forest, I concluded that the western region possessed significantly stronger magical energy compared to the east. Even from above, the higher-tier magical beasts were predominantly distributed throughout the west.
"We'll begin subjugation from the east, where the difficulty is relatively lower. 1st Squad."
"Yes, sir!"
All members of the 1st Squad responded loudly to Claude's call.
"We'll divide the squad in half. Team 1, which I'll lead, will advance eastward. Team 2, led by Raven, will handle the lower-tier magical beasts in the surrounding area and clean up any stragglers that Team 1 misses. Meanwhile, the 2nd Squad will guard the Military Camp and remain vigilant of the perimeter."
"Understood, sir!"
"Lucian, you'll join 1st Squad's Team 2 to purify the lower-tier magical beasts. It would be good for you to gain practical experience before facing stronger monsters."
"Understood, sir!"
Lucian responded with equal enthusiasm.
"Then, all members of the 1st Squad, prepare yourselves."
As Claude finished his briefing, all the squad members of the 1st Squad began preparing to enter the Forest.
I took Lucian's hand and stood beside Raven.
"Lucian, the Forest is dangerous, so you must never let go of my hand. If you do let go, you must stay right beside Raven. Do you understand?"
"Okay!"
Soon, Claude's order came down. Lucian and I walked into the Forest together with the members of Team 2.
"I sense magical energy nearby."
"Which direction?"
"Eleven o'clock. There are quite a few of them, but they're not particularly strong."
At my words, the soldiers drew their swords.
Pitter-patter.
The sound of something moving came from a distance.
Soon, what appeared was a blue-colored slime.
True to the entrance of the Forest, it had a rather insignificant appearance.
"Auntie, is that a magical beast?"
"Yes."
"It looks cute."
"You mustn't let its cuteness fool you. Because slimes...."
In an instant, a sticky liquid spurted out from the slime's body with a splat.
"Capture their enemies with an incredibly viscous liquid."
The creatures, having detected their enemy, began their attack.
"Lucian, slimes aren't very scary, are they?"
"Nope. They look so stupid it's just funny."
"Then, would you like to try purifying one?"
"Yeah!"
Lucian nodded and rolled up his sleeves. Then he extended his hand toward the slime and shouted.
"Hyah!"
With the shout, light burst forth from Lucian's hand.
The light spreading across the ground created white flames the moment it touched the slime.
Whoosh!
"Screeeech!"
The slime dissolved into a handful of ash under the brilliant light shaped like flames.
The viscous blue secretion that had made the entire area sticky vanished without a trace.
"Goodness..."
The squad members who had witnessed Lucian's power firsthand gasped in admiration.
"Ahem!"
Lucian's shoulders shot up to the heavens—there was no containing his pride.
I patted Lucian's backside affectionately.
"Well done, Lucian. Just keep it up like that from now on."
"Yes! I'll purify everything in sight!"
"Save your purification ability for difficult monsters, not small fry like slimes. If you waste your power like that, your stamina won't hold up. And—"
Raven, offering his counsel, placed a hand firmly on Lucian's head.
"Well done, youngest."
Lucian's face brightened instantly at the praise he'd so desperately wanted to hear.
* * *
Raven and the squad members swiftly dispatched the monsters that appeared.
Lucian and I did little more than point out where monsters were hiding or purify the few that slipped through their grasp.
"Monsters aren't a big deal, are they? I'm not scared at all!"
The moment Lucian returned to the Military Camp after finishing the purification of the mana-corrupted ground, he began boasting.
"Ha."
Raven let out a dry chuckle watching Lucian.
"Listen here, youngest. You're bragging after just one day's work? The deeper parts of the Forest must be teeming with monsters far more terrifying than you could possibly imagine."
Xenon spoke with an intentionally menacing expression. Since he already looked frightening by nature, even I—an adult—felt my legs weaken at the sight.
"It's not bragging! I'm really not scared at all!"
"Is that so? Then..."
Xenon's eyes narrowed. His face showed he was itching to tease Lucian.
"Xenon, that's enough."
It was Claude who stopped him.
"We still have mountains of work left. Do you want to frighten him on top of that?"
"I haven't frightened him yet."
"Your face is frightening."
...
"Lucian, we have work remaining. Come along. You as well, my lady."
Claude moved forward without so much as a glance at the thoroughly wounded Xenon.
"I'll be back soon, Xenon."
Feeling inexplicably sorry for him, I gave his shoulder a gentle pat before leaving.
"The subjugation finished early today, and Lucian still seems to have energy to spare."
Claude led Lucian and me toward the mages.
"Would you care to experience flying through the sky with Lucian today?"
"Yes! I want to! I can do it!"
Though the question was directed at me, the answer burst forth from Lucian instead.
So desperate was he to soar through the sky that he shot up from his seat, bouncing with unbridled enthusiasm.
"Lucian, as Xenon said, there are plenty of terrifying monsters lurking in the Forest. Are you certain you won't be frightened?"
"Yes!"
"And I still have plenty of energy left to use my purification ability!"
"Of course!"
"Good. Then let's give it a try."
Claude, a faint smile playing on his lips, draped a telescope around Lucian's neck.
Ahin then handed Lucian a device that resembled a walkie-talkie and began his explanation.
"This is a communication artifact we procured with considerable difficulty. It was developed by borrowing the principles of electrical magic and utilizes radio waves to...."
"Ahin, Lucian is seven years old."
"Ahem, well, to get to the point."
Ahin cleared his throat at Melissa's rebuke and continued.
"Simply press the button on the right side and speak, and your message will reach us. You can use this artifact to tell us whether you'd like to continue or return."
"If you speak loudly, the monsters will notice you, so use the artifact instead. Keep it quiet so the monsters don't discover us."
Lucian nodded as Melissa crouched down to meet his eye level and explained.
"When I point out a place where I sense magical energy, you just purify it all away. Simple, right?"
"Okay."
"I'll hang the artifact around your neck, so don't drop it. If you wander too far, it'll be dangerous. You need to stay right beside me. Don't recklessly use your ability just because you trust it."
"Ugh, here we go with the nagging again."
Lucian's face scrunched up in displeasure, tiny wrinkles forming across his smooth nose.
"Don't think of it as nagging—take it to heart."
"Melissa, can't we start soon?"
"Alright, alright."
Melissa chuckled softly and exchanged a knowing glance with Ahin.
"Since there are two of you today, we'll each take one. I'll handle Lucian, and Ahin will handle Lucella. Does that work?"
"Yes. That's fine."
"Then let's begin!"
Melissa's expression, which had been tinged with amusement until now, turned serious. At that very moment, Lucian and I lifted off the ground into the air.
"Wow!"
Suspended in the sky, Lucian flailed his limbs about excitedly.
"Auntie, look! I'm flying through the sky!"
"Our Lucian has such good balance. When I first did this, I was floundering all over the place."
"I'm good at everything!"
I smiled as I watched Lucian puff out his chest with pride. His delighted expression was utterly endearing.
Yet Lucian's laughter was not destined to last long.
"Lucian, do you see that over there? That's a goblin. Looks pretty scary, doesn't it?"
"...."
"Lucian?"
There was no response. I lowered the telescope from my eyes.
"Ugh...."
Lucian's face came into view, contorted with discomfort. His complexion had turned a sickly pale.
"What's wrong, Lucian? Afraid of goblins?"
"No, that's...."
"Then what is it?"
At my question, Lucian opened the eyes he'd been clenching shut.
"I'm scared."
"Of the werewolves?"
"No. Not the werewolves...."
The child glanced downward for a moment, then squeezed his eyes shut again.
Lucian gripped the cord attached to the telescope like a lifeline as he opened his mouth.
"This place is too high...."
"...."
"I'm scared because it's so high...."
That was it. Lucian had acrophobia.
"I think I'm going to be sick...."
I should have realized it from when he started feeling nauseous.
Since there had been no reason for him to climb to such heights before, I'd never known he suffered from a fear of heights.
"Aunt, can't I go down?"
"But we haven't even started the subjugation yet?"
Watching Lucian turn ashen was difficult for me as well.
However, if I wanted to end the monster subjugation quickly and return home faster, it was something I had to do.
"I really can't do this."
"Lucian...."
"I'll just be a coward instead. Let me be a coward...."
Lucian's voice pleading to be called a coward was desperate.
"Fine. Let's go down."
In the end, I had no choice but to activate the communication artifact.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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