Chapter 63 : Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Erosion (5)

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“Arghhh!”

The Branch of World Tree pierced through the dark mage’s chest.

Screaming, he tried to pull the blade out with his bare hands.

But his hands, lacking strength, kept slipping, only causing more wounds.

The scales surrounding the dark mage fell to the ground in clumps.

The glossy scales on the ground looked almost like black gems.

Gasping for breath, he slowly died.

“You… what are you?”

“What do you think? The one who killed you.”

Killing a human, not a demonic beast or demon, left an unsettling feeling.

But if this happened again in the future, I would swing my sword without hesitation.

“Anyway… a guy like you… the Demon King…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

His body shuddered and then went still.

Stripped of all its scales, the dark mage’s body was as gaunt and unimpressive as when I first saw him.

As I turned away from him, someone tapped my shoulder.

“You worked hard. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

It was Eidon.

His body, panting heavily, was speckled with ice crystals.

The process of sealing himself and the dark mage’s clone in the ice coffin must not have been easy.

“No, thanks to you sealing one of the clones, I could fight without worry.”

It wasn’t an empty compliment.

If Eidon hadn’t restrained the clone, I could never have defeated the dark mage.

Then something strange caught my eye.

“Eidon, by the way…”

“Oh, this? I don’t understand it either. Normally, when a tune user dies, the tune’s effects should vanish.”

Even though the dark mage was dead, the clone Eidon had remained sealed.

“It might be the effect of the ice coffin. It’s a new spell I learned from the tower master, so I don’t fully understand it myself. I heard it has the power to seal a target for a certain time, but I didn’t expect this kind of effect…”

“That’s surprising.”

“So, here’s the thing. When we return to the tower, can I study this clone?”

“Yes, go ahead. I’m curious too. Please let me know the results.”

“Thanks, really. You saved my life.”

Eidon grinned.

The corners of his mouth trembled slightly.

Both Eidon and I were in rough shape.

“Let’s focus on getting out safely first.”

We supported each other and struggled to move.

But we soon had to stop.

We had spotted a cabin along the way.

It was undoubtedly the residence of the dark mage we had defeated.

“Should we check it out?”

“We should.”

Eidon and I cautiously entered the cabin.

Unlike other ateliers, there were no intruder detection spells or defenses.

“Maybe the erosion site itself is a terrifying defense mechanism.”

I nodded in agreement with Eidon’s words.

The cabin, befitting a mage’s residence, was a chaotic mess.

On the cluttered desk, I found the dark mage’s research journal.

“As expected of a mage, he kept meticulous records. This should go to the Frost Magic Tower…”

“You’re not thinking of taking it, are you? I’ll ask Lady Labella to analyze it.”

“Ahem, fair enough.”

We gathered the thick research journal, along with plenty of spellbooks and magical tools.

As we prepared to leave the cabin, the growling of demonic beasts echoed from outside.

“Polarin, do you know how to eliminate erosion?”

“Since it’s an environment artificially created by the dark mage, it should naturally dissipate over time. To speed it up, we’d need to eradicate all the demonic energy-infused creatures and completely overturn the soil.”

“That’s too much for the two of us right now.”

“Indeed.”

Phew.

Eidon let out a sigh.

For now, dealing with the demonic beasts gathering outside the cabin was the priority.

“Rest for a bit. I’ll handle them somehow.”

Eidon was exhausted too, but he was in better shape than me.

When I nodded, he handed me the dark mage’s clone.

“You hold onto it this time.”

Seemingly pleased that the situation had changed, Eidon chuckled and kicked open the cabin door.

The ice crystals he conjured shot toward the drooling demonic beasts.

I slung the clone over my shoulder and followed him.

But our laughter soon faded.

After the battle with the dark mage, Eidon and I had relaxed a bit.

We had even been joking with smiles.

“There’s a lot of them.”

“I’ll have to put the clone down to fight.”

“Hurry and do it.”

The ensuing battle was far from easy.

The demonic beasts, empowered by Myeolji, kept charging at us.

On top of that, the plants that hadn’t bothered us when we entered the cabin were now a problem.

Trees whipped their branches like lashes, and random weeds growing on the ground tried to entangle our ankles.

Both Eidon and I were in poor condition.

“Let’s hold on just a bit longer.”

“Yes, we have to.”

Could we really take down all the beasts swarming the cabin if we held on a bit longer?

Would we make it out of Myeolji?

I didn’t know.

But we needed hope, so we fought on, believing we could.

The bodies of demonic beasts began piling up around the cabin.

I didn’t know how I had swung my sword in this condition during the fight with the dark mage.

My broken bones seemed to scream, and my breathing was far from normal.

Still, I swung.

I unleashed [Flame of the Spirit] to burn the demonic beasts.

Eidon, gasping for breath, shot out ice.

Despite having no visible injuries, blood trickled from his mouth.

“We’re almost… almost done…”

Then a bear approached.

Standing on two legs, it bared its menacing claws.

Its eyes were blood-red.

It wasn’t a demonic beast.

It was a bear living in this forest, mutated by the erosion.

Roar!

The bear let out a ferocious bellow, more savage than most demonic beasts, and charged at us.

As I glared at it, panting, a silver projectile swiftly struck the bear’s neck.

Three more projectiles followed, slicing through Myeolji and embedding themselves in the bear.

Thud.

The bear collapsed dead at our feet.

“What was that? Magic?”

Eidon asked in a weary voice.

As he said, no projectiles were visible in the bear’s body.

“Wondering if it’s magic in this situation?”

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Eidon, it looks like reinforcements have arrived.”

* * *

The reinforcements quickly took control of the situation.

They slaughtered the nearby demonic beasts and uprooted the aggressive trees entirely.

It was support from the magic research department, led by Labella, and a few mages from the Frost Magic Tower.

Though research was their primary focus, the mages from the research department were quite adept at non-elemental magic.

As the name suggested, non-elemental magic lacked exceptional power but had the advantage of having no specific weaknesses and being easy to combine with other magic.

“Magic is hard to use in an erosion site, isn’t it? We need to study this environment more.”

“Let’s start now. I’ll record the standard density.”

The research department mages ignored my thanks, either investigating the erosion site or returning to the tower, citing backlog research.

Feeling a bit awkward, I stood there as Labella approached.

Despite the long battle, her appearance was impeccable, not a hair out of place.

“Thank you, Lady Labella.”

“If you’re taking on such a difficult mission, you should’ve asked for help.”

“…Yes, I’ll do that next time.”

Labella smiled as if to say it was alright.

Eidon was talking with the Frost Magic Tower mages.

“Did you come with Eidon?”

“He was a great help. If it weren’t for him, I… probably would’ve died.”

“Then I should be the one thanking him.”

Eidon, his earlier exhaustion completely gone, was telling the Frost Magic Tower mages about what happened in the erosion site and the dark mage’s clone.

Yes, if it hadn’t been for Eidon.

If it hadn’t been for Labella and the other tower mages, I wouldn’t have survived this place.

Watching Eidon and Labella shake hands, I thought as much.

* * *

The purification of the erosion site was handled by the magic research department.

Labella herself went back and forth to the site, actively participating in the purification efforts.

I later heard that when the Empire learned the princess had personally visited the erosion site, they offered to join the purification efforts, but Labella refused.

She reportedly told them sternly to stay out of it.

“There’s a wealth of valuable samples here. I can’t leave it to others.”

Labella explained the situation while visiting me at my bedside.

I was staying in a large hospital in Ostrum, and thanks to her help, I was assigned a spacious, comfortable room.

“I’ve already handled the necessary administrative work with the guild. Polarin, you’ve been promoted to a Grade 5 solver, and instead of 25P, you’ve been awarded 50P for your achievements.”

“Double the usual achievement points. Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything. It’s the reward you earned for your hard work. You didn’t just investigate—you took down the source of the erosion.”

Even so, without Labella, the verification process would’ve been quite cumbersome.

Looking at an empty bed, Labella asked,“Has Eidon returned to the tower?”

“Yes, he was itching to study the dark mage’s clone.”

Pfft, Labella covered her mouth and laughed.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, recalling Eidon clutching his head in frustration while I recovered in bed.

“By the way, was the research journal helpful?”

“Yes, it’s still being analyzed, but it was remarkable. The dark mage knew exactly how to amplify demonic energy and cause erosion. Thanks to that, I’ve learned a lot.”

Then Labella asked with concern.

“Judging by the research level, he seemed like a high-rank mage. How did the two of you manage to solve this?”

She seemed quite surprised by the dark mage’s research.

Indeed, considering he had saturated such a large area with dense demonic energy and possessed a tune, if his combat skills had matched his research prowess, neither Eidon nor I would’ve stood a chance.

“He might’ve been good at research, but he was clumsy at fighting.”

Using body enhancement magic without learning any martial techniques—perhaps that could be called a mage’s arrogance.

“By the way, the doctor was amazed. He said your recovery speed is incredibly fast.”

This battle had taken a heavy toll on my body, but the Dragon Heart’s ability to restore physical condition was faster than I’d imagined.

I was already well enough for daily life.

“Yes, I should be able to return to the research department soon. When I do, will you share the results of this research?”

“Of course. By the way…”

Labella hesitated, then asked with resolve.

“Polarin, have you ever considered learning magic?”

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