How could you not know?
I’m a black magician
It wasn’t a strong energy, but what the old man and the tree people felt was definitely demonic energy.
Judging by the appearance, it seemed that he was descended from a tree spirit as they said, but I couldn’t understand why he had demonic energy.
‘Is it corrupted… ?’
But I didn’t think it was too much of a threat.
Asmodeus was by his side, and to be honest, he was confident in fighting those who dealt with demons.
… ah. Except for that monstrous half-human, half-horse swordsman.
I still get goosebumps on the nape of my neck when I think of that time.
“How can you not know when you openly exude demonic energy like that?”
I kept my body tense so that I could fight right away.
My body is stronger than before, but my mind is still only a temporary measure, so to be honest, I didn’t want to use the magic power as much as possible.
At that time, the old man suddenly regained his demonic energy.
“You seem to be different from those humans.”
Apparently, the old man was the leader of the group. When he reaped the magic, all the tree men around me behaved the same way.
However, I still spoke without letting go of my guard.
I don’t even know what I’m doing here in the first place, and I’m at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.
Although they said they didn’t show any hostility right now, it was something that could change suddenly.
“… … Are those humans? Are there any other humans besides me who have come here?”
I didn’t think there would be, but now at the timing… ?
The old man nodded and said.
“Yes. Won’t you talk about it as soon as you go? We invite you to our village.”
“… … All right.”
Didn’t you intend to fight from the start?
Judging from the fact that he didn’t jump in first even though he had plenty of chances, he might have been trying to check his liver from the beginning.
Whatever it is, I have no intention of loosening the boundary.
I don’t know why there is a space like this inside the academy, but a wooden human living in that space along with it… … .
Isn’t it a very suspicious situation from anyone’s point of view?
The other tree men led the way, and the old man and I walked at the very back. The old man, who was stepping hard on his branch-like feet, suddenly asked me.
“Are you a drunkard by any chance?”
“… … .”
I didn’t bother to answer. Although entry is prohibited, this is inside the academy.
It was something that other students other than me might enter.
“I must have asked something useless. Oh, don’t get me wrong. We have no intention of enmity with you unless you show us enmity. Everyone has become quite sensitive because of the humans who have recently arrived here. From our point of view, we have no choice but to be extremely wary of outsiders who invade without a word. I hope you understand.”
Is that why you followed me?
“It can be. I fully understand.”
“Thank you. After all, you look distinctly different from them.”
“Who the heck are they?”
“… Hmm. Where should I start talking about this?”
“It’s a lot of time. Please speak slowly.”
The tree old man looked at me with a warm smile.
“we are… … .”
The old man slowly began to tell his story.
The race called Drent is said to be the descendants of the tree spirits who lived here before the academy was founded.
To be precise, a hybrid born between a tree spirit and a human. I don’t know how the hell that’s possible, but they say it’s their roots anyway.
The Drents, who have settled here since the distant past, said that when the academy was built, they made a promise with Salmon, the founder and first transcendent.
Instead of establishing an academy on this land, the academy protects them and they do not leave the academy. That promise had continued until Ashtar, the current chairman of the board.
The identity of the mysterious magic that surrounded the forest was a barrier to prevent outsiders from entering.
However, for some reason, recently, the barrier began to crack, and outsiders began to enter.
“They seemed to be looking for something. At first, it was very favorable. We were also human beings whom we hadn’t seen in a very long time, so we welcomed them very gladly. There seemed to be something wrong with the barrier, but I was a guest anyway.”
It is said that the Chief of Drent did the best he could. I don’t know what they’re looking for, but they generously applied for a guest they haven’t seen in a long time.
I informed them of the surrounding terrain and attached a guide to those who went out for exploration to avoid getting lost.
Compared to the facilities of humans, they are not enough, but they even gave up their own home.
It was literally treated as a guest in the village.
Since he was of mixed blood between a tree spirit and a human, he didn’t want anything from the human guest he hadn’t seen in a while and just did a favor.
Even though they were only half, they were also compatriots with the same blood as them.
If it ended safely like that, everyone would have been happy, but this world wasn’t a place where only good stories existed.
After staying for several days and exploring the surroundings every day, they finally found where the object they were looking for was located.
Residents who first heard the news congratulated them enthusiastically, but soon changed their attitude after hearing the location.
A temple located in the deepest part of this forest.
It has what they are looking for in it.
It was a sacred place to the Drents. A sanctuary where outsiders are never allowed to set foot, no matter how much they call it a guest.
The old man, the chief of the Drents, vehemently dissuaded them, saying that they could allow everything else, but that they should never enter that place, and they also eventually bent down as if they understood.
However, he says it didn’t take long for him to realize that it was all acting.
They immediately showed their true colors.
Attitude changed in an instant.
As if to prove that all the good looks they showed at the beginning were false, despite the chief’s dissuade, they secretly broke into the temple.
Naturally, in the process, there was friction with the Drents who were guarding the temple, and they killed the Drents without hesitation.
From the beginning, this was their true face.
“I didn’t believe them in the first place. It’s all my fault… . A lot of young people died because of me. I’m just an incompetent old man who doesn’t even have the qualifications to be a leader. I… I have brought disaster.”
A magician who can handle cold and fire.
For the Drents, who are tree people, they had the worst relationship, and the Drents died helplessly.
However, the disaster did not end there.
“You asked why we, the descendents of the tree spirits, feel demonic? Of course, it wasn’t like I was able to handle demons from the beginning. The god who saved us was just a demon.”
“… … What do you mean?”
“Do you think our Drent built a temple in the deepest part of the forest?”
“… I do not know.”
“It is to honor the god who saved us from disaster. Strictly speaking, it is not a sanctuary. It is the source of the calamity that drove our clan to destruction.”
The place where the temple was built was said to have been a cave that emitted tremendous heat and cold in the past.
The heat was so strong that it engulfed the surrounding area day by day, and the forest, their home, was reduced to ashes.
The same was true of Hanki. The cold wave that engulfed everything, including flowers, trees, and grass, made even the earth in a form in which life could not survive.
A phenomenon whose cause and reason are unclear.
Drents also tried their best to solve this, but there was no harvest.
In the first place, it was because of their inherent limitations that they were weak against fire and ice.
At this rate, it is only natural that we will face destruction. The head of Drent asked for help from the academy with the feeling of catching a straw, and Salmon, the founder who had signed a contract with them in the first place, came here and solved them.
At the time, the head of the Drents couldn’t hide his surprise, and when he asked Salmon how he had quelled that intense fire and cold, he said that he answered like this.
-I had a friend who loves to eat sealed there.
Since then, the Drents have erected a temple there and expressed their gratitude to Salmon, who saved them from danger, and to the unknown being who is still consuming the disaster.
Even after they soon learned that the unknown entity they had prayed for was actually a demon, they maintained their steadfast attitude.
Even if it was a demon, the fact that he saved them from the brink of destruction would not disappear.
That’s how he got magic.
“However, because those outsiders disturbed the temple, disaster is starting again… . At this rate, we will perish… .”
“… … .”
After hearing his story, I was convinced. If Salmon had entered this place himself, there would be a high probability that Lemegeton was there.
It makes sense that the unknown being who put their catastrophe to rest was a demon god. And the human wizard who slaughtered the Drents.
‘Probably the black magicians of the coalition.’
If they had come here on their own, the clues would have been gathered.
that buck that buck
The head of Drent suddenly stopped and looked at me.
“So I’m sorry, but I’ll ask you a favor. could you help us?”
I also stared at him.
desperate expression.
However, its sincerity was questionable. Why do they, who trusted humans and were betrayed by humans, ask humans again?
What the hell do you believe in?
“… why me? I must be a human no different from them.”
A moment of silence passed.
“… I’ll be honest. No matter how hard we try, we can’t stand those humans. Ironically, in the end, we have no choice but to borrow the power of an outsider.”
“I understand the circumstances, but can you trust me?”
“Even after you found us, you didn’t attack us right away, and tried to solve it through conversation. I didn’t let my guard down, but I didn’t even attack first. We also released our child. Seeing that, I decided that there was ample room for negotiation. and… … .”
An old man who suddenly stops talking and shuts his mouth.
“Hmm. I’m sorry.”
“Just tell me.”
With a troubled expression on his face, he sighed and spoke again.
“I know you wouldn’t believe me if I brought this up out of the blue. Even when I look at it, I can only hear it as a floating talk, so I can’t easily get out of my mouth.”
“it’s okay.”
“Okay. Let it flow in moderation and listen to it. A human with a similar appearance to you has visited in the past. He was a man with eyes sparkling like jewels. He was a friend who often said incomprehensible things, but he was naive and kind. We all accepted him as a friend. There was something he said right before he left.”
“What is it?”
“They said that if the disaster were to wake up again in the not-too-distant future, a human with a face similar to him would solve it. A human with black hair and purple eyes. At the time, I thought it was just a joke from a friend who likes to joke, but after seeing you and talking to you, I was convinced.”
“Do you remember the man’s name?”
The old man frowned. It seemed like he was searching for memories.
“hmm… … . now… Hart. Zion Sieghart… . I guess that was the name.”
Surprised, I asked again.
“Shion Sieghart? Are you sure?”
“Yes… . Are you someone you know?”
I nodded.
My head was complicated. I never imagined that I would suddenly hear the name here.
Moreover, according to the old man’s words, Shion Sieghart seemed to have known in advance that I would come here.
‘What the hell are you doing… ?’
hero of legend. Dragon Slayer.
A person who overcame demonic nature with a human body and attained divine status.
The first apostle of the drank Asmodeus.
The more I listened to him, the more my unanswered questions grew.
Before I could even ask Asmodeus, I heard an answer.
【I do not know either.】
After walking for a long time, lost in thought, I arrived at Drent’s village before I knew it.
“ruler. This is our village.”
A village made entirely of wood.
It had a poor environment that was embarrassing to call it a village. Looking around, I found a somewhat familiar human being.
A red-haired woman sitting at a table in the middle of the village, with one leg raised, eagerly eating a mysterious porridge.
A long scar on one cheek.
An ordinary human woman that cannot be found in the village where the tree people live.
“Housemaster… ?”
She hurriedly ate her meal and looked up at me.
“yes? What are you doing here?”
A red lion who is the head teacher of the dormitory and the general supervisor of the entrance exam.
It was Bella Trey.