Illusion Sword Master

＜ Southern Blaze (3) ﹥

Mentka, who had left the meeting room, was pulling my sleeve with her hook-like hand and walking briskly.

‘A demon beast hunt? I came all the way to the south to hunt demon beasts?’

Once again, my rest plan was ruined, and I was being dragged along like a deflated balloon.

“But Mentka, exactly where are we going?”

“To catch the Manticoeur.”

“The Manticoeur…?”

“Yes, the strongest demon beast around here.”

Like the orc tribe leaders, who gave nicknames and names to remember, it seemed that in the southern front, they gave names to the extremely powerful demon beasts.

“I’ve tried approaching it or surrounding it with multiple people, but it always escapes, and I’ve failed several times. It’s a demon beast that makes me angry.”

Mentka’s eyes narrowed, revealing her hatred.

“Is it an intelligent demon beast?”

“Yes, it’s really infuriating.”

Demon beasts were ferocious creatures filled with infinite malice and violence towards other living beings. They would attack anyone, but they never ran away when faced with humans.

“When did it start?”

“No, the Manticoeur appeared recently.”

Just like the western region, where the orc king appeared and they began to use tactics, a ominous change was occurring in the south as well.

This was likely related to the dark wizards and their leader, the “Great Master,” just like in the west.

Perhaps, during the process of pursuing and defeating the Manticoeur, we might find a connection.

Hmm.

As I thought about this, I became even more reluctant to go. I had already faced enough darkness in the empire.

“But Mentka… Do I really have to go?”

“Yes, I have to go.”

Mengka replied firmly.

“But I’m really tired and want to rest?”

“Why? You never liked resting anyway?”

What kind of talk is this?

Unlike words that can turn people’s minds upside down, her question felt purely innocent, without any hidden intentions.

“Why do you think that way?”

“Because I’ve never seen you rest.”

That’s right. During my trainee days, I was always on the move, never having a proper day off. Even after graduation, it was the same.

“···It’s not that I don’t like resting, but I couldn’t rest.”

“Anyway, I’ll do as I see fit. I borrowed you from the Imperial Inspector.”

“The Imperial Inspector isn’t someone who lends people out like library books and takes them back.”

“Isn’t that so?”

Correct.

Looking back on my past actions, I was treated even more poorly.

Before long, Mengka led me to the conference room, where the knights followed closely behind.

“Mengka, you’re not planning to go catch the Manticore with just the two of you, are you?”

“That’s right.”

Mengka responded curtly to the question from the senior knight, Battalion Commander Hermunt.

“We’ve missed it several times already. As its vigilance increases, we need to approach cautiously with support this time.”

“If Eitan is there, we can catch it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Hermunt pondered for a moment at Mengka’s prompt response.

I hoped he would somehow persuade Mengka to cancel this expedition.

“There’s no choice. The damage from the Manticore is getting worse. From the battalion’s perspective, it’s a top priority to eliminate it. I’ll go with you.”

Unfortunately, he seemed to have given up on stopping Mengka.

“Instead of granting permission for the expedition, I’ll have a separate talk with the Imperial Inspector. Wait for a moment.”

Hermunt glared at me with a piercing gaze.

‘No, I’m the victim here.’

#

While Mengka was away for a moment, I was surrounded by the knights of the 3rd Battalion, led by Hermunt.

Hermunt opened his mouth.

“Mengka is a treasure of the southern region. She’s an irreplaceable, precious resource.”

I nodded in agreement.

‘That’s right.’

When skilled mages join the Emperor’s faction and are assigned to the southern region, Mengka, who was revered as a genius, volunteered to go.

Her extraordinary fire magic would be particularly excellent in attacking the threats of the Great Dark Forest.

Is Mengka just a genius mage?

A fearless warrior who leaps into the most dangerous places without hesitation.

Even the knights who looked down on mages as cowards couldn’t help but shower her with affection.

‘She’s socially awkward and has a bit of a weird personality, but her character isn’t bad, and she’s incredibly beautiful.’

I had fully expected her to receive a lot of love from the knights here. I didn’t know, but she would probably get idol-like treatment.

“You may have received some orders and come to the south, but if you try to deceive us with empty words or harm us, you’ll have to face all of us.”

The knights seemed to agree with Hermon’s threat, exuding an ominous atmosphere.

From my perspective, I felt a lot of resentment, but I composed myself and spoke.

“I have no intention of deceiving you. I don’t even think of harming you. As someone who has personal connections with the inspector from before, I want her to be safe more than anyone else.”

“Hmm, who would believe that?”

One of the knights sneered and muttered, looking at me with disdain.

“You’ve already told Minka. About the terrible things you’ve done.”

For a moment, I doubted my own ears.

‘Did I do terrible things to Minka?’

Wasn’t it the other way around?

“What exactly did you say to make her like that?”

“Why? Are you feeling guilty?”

Starting with this, the other knights chimed in one by one.

“Don’t you know best what you’ve done?”

“You’re not even a decent mage, just a worthless piece of trash.”

“You deceived that innocent, naive kid, and now you’re acting like this. Tsk, tsk.”

Why do I have to take the blame for something I didn’t do in this unfamiliar southern region?

Yes. I understand that these knights care about Minka.

That’s a good thing.

It means Minka has adapted well to her new position.

But for some reason, that affection is being expressed as hostility towards me.

‘I’m going to go crazy from the injustice.’

Who is the one about to get burned by Minka’s powerful, uncontrolled flames?

It’s me.

Who was the one who prevented that human weapon from causing trouble during our school days?

It’s me.

Who was the one who socialized that weirdo who would pick fights and try to burn down anything they saw?

It’s also me.

If it weren’t for me, Minka would have become a criminal before graduating from the Magic Academy. This is certain.

“I don’t know where it went wrong, but I…”

I tried to correct the misunderstanding, but…

“Why are you taking so long? Let’s go.”

Minka, who had returned, urged us to depart with a discontented face.

“I suppose that’s a warning.”

Hermon gave me a cold glance and picked up his sword. The other knights followed suit, repeating the same actions.

‘I’m so lonely.’

As I breathed, I felt the weight of the south’s hostility towards me, and the western front, which had been friendly towards me, came to mind.

“Ugh, it’s disgusting.”

It was just a memory, but it didn’t particularly feel nostalgic.

#

On a dark night, we moved deeper into the Great Forest to defeat the notorious Named Manticore, rumored to be terrorizing the southern front lines.

Our formation had Mencar, with the strongest firepower, at its center, surrounded by the rest of us as her guard.

Ten knights, including Captain Hermond, from the 3rd Knights Regiment of the Southern Army, maintained a scattered formation around her.

The distance between us was a bit too wide, but considering Mencar’s magic characteristics, it was understandable.

“If she starts using magic seriously, nothing will be left around her.”

It was an inevitable choice to prevent friendly fire.

My position was right next to Mencar’s. I didn’t choose the location; Mencar had stuck to my side.

If Mencar went wild, I could respond accordingly. My ability to sense mana was exceptional, and I had plenty of experience working with her.

“It’s not what I wanted, but…”

The use of magic was restricted until we reached our destination.

The reason was that Manticore had an exceptional ability to sense mana.

As we delved deeper into the Great Forest, the distortion of the monsters’ bodies grew more severe.

The monsters we had seen before had animal-like shapes, but as we approached our destination, they became grotesquely distorted, far beyond their original forms.

“Kiiiiik!”

The monkeys jumping from the trees had five arms and two heads each.

─ Pusshat!

Suddenly, arthropods with mammalian heads emerged from the ground, targeting our feet.

These ambushes were eliminated by the knights who were cautiously advancing and scouting their surroundings.

“You’re good.”

They were not only skilled as knights but also as hunters.

To avoid Manticore’s detection, they minimized the use of aura while efficiently removing threats.

It was a veteran unit, accustomed to the forest.

Thanks to the skilled knights, we could reach our destination without engaging in battle.

Our target came into view, about ten meters down the gorge.

“It’s disgustingly huge.”

The sleeping Manticore, unaware of its enemies, boasted a massive size unlike any we had seen before.

Even curled up, its body was as large as a decent-sized mansion.

“It’s disgustingly grotesque.”

Its appearance was also repulsive.

A lion’s body, a scorpion’s tail, and an eagle’s wings.

And, most of all, a human head with rotting flesh, stitched onto its body like a corpse’s face.

“Ethan, wait for now.”

I thought he would start casting magic immediately, but it was an unexpected suggestion. I followed his lead anyway.

If anyone knew how to deal with Manticore, it was Mencar, not me.

Meanwhile, Hermond sent a signal to the knights, preparing for a drop.

“Now!”

With Hermond’s shout as the signal, the knights simultaneously jumped into the gorge, wrapped their aura around their swords, and stabbed Manticore’s body.

【Aaah─Aaah!】

A scream that resembled a human’s, but was even more terrifying, accompanied by an eerie howl, made Manticore’s eyes gleam.

Despite being attacked by ten knights, it didn’t receive a single critical hit and immediately counterattacked.

It swung its front legs, flapped its wings wildly, and lashed its tail like a whip, creating an unstoppable offense that sent the knights flying.

“Ethan, now!”

Mencar took advantage of the opening between Manticore and the knights, stretching out his hand.

─ Whoosh!

A massive pillar of flame erupted, capable of engulfing the monster’s enormous body.

【Aaah─Aaah!】

Manticore burst through the flames and took to the air.

For an instant, it had endured Mencar’s flames with its entire body, and the tips of its wings were charred black.

【■■■! ■■■■─!】

The creature let out an inhuman scream in mid-air, a sound that was neither human language nor beastly howl, but an ominous cry.

It was similar to the sound a black magician makes when casting a spell.

A dark, crimson aura erupted from its massive body.

─ Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The sound drew in the demonic beasts from all directions, endlessly.

Manticore, having called for reinforcements, flew away into the distance.

‘I guess we couldn’t help but let it escape.’

As the knights formed a defensive line and faced the incoming demonic beasts.

“Ethan.”

Mencar stood before me, spreading his arms wide.

‘What’s the meaning of this embrace?’

I was taken aback, and he wore a bright, out-of-place smile.

“Let’s do an aerial bombing run.”

＜ Southern Wildfire (3) ﹥ End