Illusion Sword Master

＜ Southern Flame Frenzy (2) ﹥

With an eyepatch covering one side of her face and a hook for a hand, Mенка still greeted me with a bright smile, despite having two unerasable elements.

“I’ve been waiting.”

I felt the same joy as I would when meeting an old friend, but I couldn’t react as happily as she did.

“It’s been a while, Mенка.”

I forced a smile and spoke.

“It’s been a while, Mенка. You’ve become even more beautiful since we last met.”

Bermuth, who had been watching from the side, chimed in. He had a more polite attitude than when he spoke to me.

I thought they must have known each other since they were from the same Southern faction, but Mенка tilted her head.

“Who?”

“···. This is Knight Bermuth.”

“Don’t know him?”

Bermuth’s face turned bright red as he tried to salvage the situation.

“Ah, yes? You, you don’t remember? We met before, when you came to the Southern faction. I was your escort.”

“No memory of that.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I gave you a detailed briefing about the Southern faction back then.”

“Oh, maybe you’re that annoying person who kept talking even though I showed no interest?”

“Veramus is talking to the Inspector, isn’t he?”

As Veramus continued to speak, Olec interrupted him. Veramus’ face scrunched up in annoyance.

“You’re the one who dares to cut off the knight’s words.”

“I wouldn’t have spoken to Veramus if I hadn’t intervened in the Inspector’s conversation.”

“Heh!”

While Olec scored another point against Veramus, Mencica gestured to me.

To be exact, she wiggled her hook.

“Follow me. There’s a good promenade.”

A promenade?

In this dense forest, where it was hard to pass through, there was only a charred fire scene where Mencica had walked by.

“What. Let’s go.”

Anyway, it was necessary for the two of us to have a quiet conversation.

I left Olec and Veramus behind and followed her.

#

As Mencica said, there was a decent promenade.

— Whoosh!

If you add “burning the surroundings” to the definition of “taking a stroll,” that is.

Mencica set fire to the trees blocking the path and said,

“This is great. It’s burning nicely.”

Despite the sweltering southern weather and the heat from the surrounding flames, she had a refreshingly bright face.

“It’s great. If I weren’t becoming an Inspector, that is.”

I used my magic to levitate Black Thunder beside me and fanned myself with a cross-shaped sword, feeling the heat dissipate.

— Whish!

The heat dissipated, and the sword wind felt refreshing.

“How was the Western Front?” Mencica asked, putting out the flames.

“It was terrible. The orcs were swarming, and the humans were just as terrifying. It was a dreadful place, just like before.”

“Hmm. Didn’t you enjoy it? You had a blast fighting the orcs last time, didn’t you? They kept coming no matter how many you burned, so it was fun. Want to go again?”

She spoke about her terrifying memory of charging into a crowd of hundreds of orcs during her trainee days as if it were an endless buffet.

It was a typical Mencica-like statement, a battle-crazed arsonist.

“How about you, Mencica? How’s life treating you?”

“It’s great. Much better than the suffocating Imperial Palace. There’s so much to burn, and no one to stop me.”

Mencica enthusiastically boasted about her life in the south, speaking in a way that was characteristic of her, with most of her content revolving around burning things or being allowed to burn them.

Still, it was clear that Mencica had adapted well to this place.

The Emperor and the knights also seemed to be actively encouraging her destructive behavior and empowering her.

“It’s rare to see her talk so much.”

The Mencica I knew was basically a gloomy outsider with poor social skills.

She only showed enthusiasm when she was satisfied with her destruction or battles.

Note: I’ve preserved the line breaks and formatting as per your request.

The vast southern forest, teeming with fierce knights and brutal demons, was like a paradise on earth to Minka.

“Looks like you’re doing well, thank goodness… Ugh, be careful, okay?”

“Careful about what?”

Minka tilted her head, questioning my sigh.

I pointed to her claw-like hand.

“What’s with that thing?”

I tried not to make a big deal out of our long-awaited reunion, but I couldn’t help but nag her.

“Minka, you can enjoy your fire play all you want, but you should take care of your body too. You know, that hand alone is quite a hindrance. If you want to achieve great things, you need to prioritize your own body first.”

My concern was genuine, but my words came out as nagging.

“Ah, this?”

Minka looked puzzled, holding her claw with her other hand and twisting it.

The claw came off, revealing her hand, which had been hidden under her sleeve.

“How did that come out of there?”

“Why wouldn’t it? It’s attached to my arm, after all.”

“That’s true, but… wasn’t your hand injured?”

“Yeah, look. It’s fine.”

Minka showed off her unharmed hand, opening and closing her palm.

“But why do you have that strange claw on? It’s inconvenient.”

“It’s stylish, and it’s more convenient than you think.”

Minka proudly displayed her claw-adorned hand again.

“Sigh.”

I let out another deep breath, this time mixed with relief and frustration.

‘Yes, it’s okay if you don’t have fashion sense, just grow up healthy.’

In this jungle, the captain’s hook-like claw was a weird sense, but at least her eyes weren’t blind, and her wrist wasn’t severed. That was a good thing.

“It’s not just stylish; it’s also useful. These trees have thorns and toxins, so if you touch them with your bare hands, you’ll get hurt.”

Minka scratched the nearby tree with her claw, and a dark, pungent liquid oozed out.

“You be careful too. Last time, I fell and accidentally grabbed this thing, and my palm got all scratched up.”

Minka, who said this, was still walking unsteadily, as if she might fall over.

With the obstacles in the terrain and the blindfold on, it was only natural.

‘Heh, this kid has a unique personality, but she’s not stupid at all.’

I reached out and lifted Minka’s blindfold.

“You’re walking around with your eyes covered, so you’re not falling…”

And…

‘Whoa, damn it.’

I froze, staring at Minka’s exposed face.

Something was buried under her skin, bulging out like blood vessels, and writhing in a reversed hexagonal shape under the area covered by the blindfold.

Although I had never seen it in person, I knew what it was. I had seen information about the incidents caused by the dark magician.

A curse.

A type of dark magic that inflicted permanent scars or pain on the victim.

“What happened to you?”

“It’s nothing. I just let my guard down.”

Mentka said, taking off her mask.

There was a rumor that dark magicians were active in the southern region, operating like guerrillas.

Mentka must have been trying to take care of a dark magician, but ended up getting hit instead.

What’s important now is not how I got cursed, but how to lift the curse.

“It’s nothing. Half of my face is covered, that’s all.”

“It’s really okay. Except for the fact that my eyes don’t see well and it’s a bit painful, it’s not that uncomfortable.”

“Mentka, that’s not okay, you know.”

There are a few ways to remove the curse.

First, use holy power to neutralize the dark magic.

Second, use an even stronger dark magic to suppress it, and third, capture the dark magician who cast the curse and force them to lift it.

In reality, the only reliable method is the first one, but there are only a handful of priests with holy power in the entire empire. It’s like finding a star in the sky to meet one and receive treatment.

“The emperor has summoned a priest. They’ll be here soon.”

“Thank goodness.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

‘Yes, if it’s the emperor, they’ll take care of it.’

I’ve been repeating worries and reassurances in this short time, like leaving a child by the river.

‘Whatever, it’ll be fine.’

Although some unease remained, I quickly regained my composure.

Since the emperor, who is notorious for being extremely meticulous, has taken action, does it even matter if I worry?

“I’ll kill that dark magician before that.”

Mentka’s one eye blazed with hatred. It wasn’t a metaphor; her emotions had truly ignited a flame that reflected in her pupils.

“Mentka! Are you there?”

Someone called out to Mentka from a nearby location.

Judging by the sound of footsteps, at least ten people were rushing towards us.

“Are the knights looking for us?”

“That’s right. They always do this, even if I’m just gone for a moment. They treat me like a child.”

“You are a child. You’re still in your fourth year of adolescence, including your time at the Military Academy.”

“What are you talking about?”

I had a long, tedious lecture prepared about the importance of having a realistic future design that isn’t self-destructive, but unfortunately, it was interrupted by the arrival of others.

“Mentka!”

The first to appear was a knight with a white head of hair. Several other knights emerged from all directions.

“Didn’t I tell you? When you leave your designated position, you should report and bring a escort?”

Nogi scolded Mentka, but his expression was filled with concern.

“It was just for a moment.”

“Just for a moment! Last time, you got hit during that moment, and… what about him?”

The man who recognized me late looked at me with a cold expression.

“You seem to be Inspector Edan.”

“Yes, I’m Inspector Edan. You must be the 3rd Knights Regiment of the Southern Army. Nice to meet you.”

The other party didn’t seem to be pleased to meet me at all.

They all stared at me with eyes that openly revealed their hostility.

“It’s worse than the Southern Military Headquarters.”

Back then, their gaze was like “Should I kill him?” but now it’s closer to “I must kill him.”

#

Mencar and I, who had met the 3rd Knight Brigade, arrived at their barracks. Even Vermouth and Olek, who had been arguing with each other, joined us late.

In the conference room, the knight commander, Nogi, was seated in front of me, his expression unyielding.

“It’s obvious.”

I knew this behavior was a common tactic to intimidate, so I thought for a moment.

“It’s a knight brigade.”

The place I saw on my way here was a small unit consisting of about twenty-five knights as the main force, with non-combat support personnel.

“I suppose it’s to carry out operations with a small elite team. After all, it’s difficult to efficiently move a large number of people in the dense forest of the Southern region.”

The ratio of knights to the entire army was overwhelmingly high, a unique characteristic of the Southern region.

“Commander Hermond.”

Nogi finally spoke up.

“Greetings, Commander Hermond. I’m Inspector Eitan.”

“I’ve heard of you.”

Hermond replied curtly, pouring himself a drink. He didn’t offer me a glass of water, which was also a way to intimidate.

“Inspector, I’ve prepared tea for you.”

Olek placed a fragrant teacup in front of me.

“Thank you. How did you prepare it? I suppose the unit’s personnel didn’t cooperate with you.”

“The mage warmed up the water in the kettle, so I could brew the tea leaves.”

Mencar, sitting in a corner, smiled slightly.

“…Mencar suggested it to His Highness, and as a result, he’s here, but as you know, we don’t welcome you. Not just us, but the entire Southern region.”

“I understand.”

“If you try to do something, it will become awkward for both of us. So, please just stay quiet and leave as soon as possible.”

“Thank you for your advice. I won’t cause any trouble.”

Hermond openly showed his dislike for me, but he was a decent person.

“How can he say only words that resonate with my heart?”

Wasn’t he saying that there’s no need to entrust me with anything, so just rest and leave?

Even if he gave me the entire world, it couldn’t be sweeter than this.

“Additionally, in the Southern region’s dense forest, it’s not unusual for something to disappear. It takes a long time to realize it’s gone. Especially for outsiders.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll stick around here so I don’t get lost.”

“Your answer is good. I hope your actions will be the same.”

“Hmph…”

I also pretended to be humbled, gritting my teeth. Hermond wanted to crush my spirit, so this much was a good response.

“Thanks to Mencar, I was able to get help.”

I had been worried for a while, but thanks to her requesting support from the imperial prince, I was able to get my first mission.

“Maybe I’ll ask for a small room and take a long nap.”

The vacation plan that wasn’t meant to be didn’t proceed.

“Who does what they want?”

Mentka, who suddenly stood up from her seat, expressed her discontent.

“Ethan is the one I called. The imperial prince gave permission, and the authority lies with me.”

Helmunt let out a sigh and said, “Mentka, I’m the commander here. The only thing I can permit is for you to stay here.”

“Why do you need permission? I received independent operational authority from the imperial prince. That’s why I came here in the first place.”

Helmunt was taken aback by Mentka’s words. It seemed he didn’t have the authority to give orders to Mentka.

“Let’s go, Ethan.”

Mentka, who approached me, stretched out her hook-like hand.

“Where…?”

“To catch the demon beast. There’s a huge and powerful one that we’ve been unable to catch. I need your help.”

Ha.

‘I didn’t think she would call me, looking at my face, and ask for my help.’

I realized belatedly that her lively appearance wasn’t just due to her high standard of living.

＜ Southern Blaze (2) ﹥ End