Reason for the Invasion
“Heeeek… I can’t go any further…!”
“It’s alright.”
Saying so, I used Heal on the horse and the coachman.
It wasn’t that difficult, as it wasn’t about healing their wounds, but rather relieving their fatigue.
Fwooosh-
As the Heal washed over the coachman and the horse, they began to regain their senses.
“…Crazy.”
The coachman spat out a curse, but it couldn’t be helped.
Our swift arrival in Baruk was more important than the coachman's well-being.
Besides, this was the same coachman who tried to attack us.
There was no reason to show him mercy.
With that thought, I settled back into my seat.
“Let’s go.”
At this rate, it would probably take another ten days.
Since I didn't have to worry about the coachman's health this time, I planned to keep pushing forward.
“…”
The coachman seemed like he wanted to say something, but perhaps intimidated by me, he held his tongue, grabbed the reins, and started driving the carriage again.
Clop- Clop-
The carriage began to move with the rhythmic clip-clopping of hooves.
I’d always thought so, but the sound of a carriage…
It was quite pleasant to listen to.
You could call it natural ASMR.
Lost in thought, I looked out from inside the carriage and surveyed my surroundings.
“The weather’s nice.”
There were rarely any bad weather days in this other world.
Of course, certain regions had perpetually bad weather, but still.
A gentle breeze was blowing, and the sunlight was warm.
It was the perfect weather for falling asleep.
But sleep wouldn't come.
I wasn’t someone who slept well in the first place, and I had just woken up, so it felt a bit off to go back to sleep.
Chirp- Chirp-
The sounds of sparrows reached my ears.
It was incredibly peaceful.
The coachman, as if proving his earlier exhaustion was a lie, was driving with renewed vigor.
Come to think of it, it was time to hunt down those necromancers and the dark magicians.
Personally, I held a bit of a grudge.
‘Thieves need to be caught.’
I wasn’t the type to seek revenge if someone didn't harm me, but last time, they went too far.
They stole the corpse of a Legion Commander.
For that, they deserved a lesson.
I felt confident I could handle them now, too.
“…Shall we speed things up a bit?”
“This is the fastest we can go…”
The coachman retorted.
However, he said that because he was unaware of my abilities.
So, I cast [Haste] on the horses.
And then—
Clopclopclopclop-!!
The horses began to gallop at breakneck speed.
“Whoaaaaaaa-!!!”
“Please, stay quiet.”
It wasn’t like he was seeing a mage for the first time, so why was he making such a fuss?
I couldn’t help but shake my head.
And so, we sped towards Baruk.
*
“…What is this?”
Returning to Baruk, something felt off.
It was as if something extraordinary had happened.
The land surrounding Baruk was scarred and cratered, resembling the aftermath of a bombardment.
“What the… Why is it like this?”
Violet, who had been sleeping beside me, had woken up at some point and was surveying our surroundings.
It seemed strange to her as well.
Something definitely happened here.
But just how serious was it?
For now, we decided to enter Baruk.
With that thought, we arrived at the checkpoint in front of the gate.
“…Security is tight.”
Security was incredibly strict.
It was as if they were trying to prevent anyone from entering.
Still, I had a house in Baruk, so they would let me in.
“Hello there.”
As I greeted them, stepping down from the carriage—
“Halt.”
The soldiers, their faces tense, pointed their spears at us.
“…?”
I decided to stay put for the moment.
I needed to figure out what was going on.
As we stood there, a soldier approached and began scanning my body with some kind of magical tool.
And then, a moment later…
“Pass.”
The soldiers parted, allowing us through.
What was that about?
They definitely seemed afraid of us.
With a puzzled look, I passed through the gate, leaving the carriage behind.
Naturally, I sent the coachman on his way.
While I was annoyed that he tried to attack us, it wasn’t as if he deserved to die for it.
Besides, backstabbing was practically the norm in this medieval world.
There was no need to be surprised.
“Something’s going on… Do you happen to know what happened?”
I felt like Violet might have some insight.
“How would I know? We’ll have to go in and find out.”
“Right.”
Agreeing, we entered Baruk and headed towards the Adventurers’ Guild.
As expected, the usual hustle and bustle of the guild greeted us.
‘I should ask Esily.’
Esily was likely to have the most information about these kinds of things.
With that thought, I approached her and asked,
“Has anything happened? The area around Baruk is completely devastated.”
“Ah…”
Esily glanced around cautiously at my question, then replied in a low voice,
“W-Well, a meteor suddenly fell from the sky. It’s suspected that a dark magician might have summoned it as a sacrifice.”
“…A dark magician.”
While there were several dark magicians capable of such a feat, one name came to mind.
“…I see.”
Thanking her, I left the Adventurers’ Guild.
Violet still had things to do, so we parted ways for now.
Looking around, I noticed many buildings in Baruk were damaged.
As if someone had carried out a terrorist attack.
“Why would they do this to a place where people live…?”
I couldn't help but sigh.
They didn't need to go this far; I was already planning to hunt them down.
This was like screaming for my attention.
With that thought, I arrived at my house.
As I descended into the basement—
Woom-!
An immense amount of mana washed over me.
“Haa…”
I saw Basil, drenched in sweat, swinging her sword in the air.
To think she was emanating this much mana…
Amazed, I took a step closer—
Wooong—
The air around me grew heavy.
It was as if my movements were being suppressed.
It was then that I realized what Basil was doing.
‘She’s been training.’
And quite intensely, at that.
To train amidst such a dense concentration of mana…
Impressed, I approached him.
Then—
“Hm…? Oh, greetings.”
Basil stopped her training and greeted me.
I handed her the tanghulu I was holding.
“Eat this while you train. Don’t overexert yourself.”
Basil only needed to focus on guarding the house.
Protecting it was paramount.
While I hadn’t been particularly attached to the concept of a home before, my travels had made me realize the comfort and peace of mind it offered upon returning to Baruk.
As I pondered this, my gaze fell upon the Griffin.
-Mage, you’ve returned.
The Griffin’s mana had increased significantly.
Basil’s mana had also grown.
‘They must have talked about something.’
There was no other explanation for their sudden increase in power.
However, I decided not to pry.
Both of them were bound to me by contract.
Unless they were stronger than me, breaking the contract would be impossible.
With that in mind, I patted the Griffin’s back.
“Keep up the good work.”
After giving them words of encouragement, I left the basement.
It was time to search for the dark magician.
I was already planning to hunt them down, but after this blatant act of aggression, I couldn’t just stand idly by.
I had to catch them as soon as possible.
[Memory]
I activated my skill to read the residual mana in the surroundings, hoping to glean information about what transpired.
The dark magician’s presence lingered in the air.
“…It seems they didn’t use a high-ranking sacrifice.”
Baruk wasn’t known for its robust defenses, so it was likely they used a low-level sacrifice.
“Haa…”
Baruk was a good place, but this was a problem.
Since they rarely faced external threats, their defenses were lacking.
I couldn’t protect them forever.
If it weren’t for me, they might have already been wiped out.
As I pondered this, I examined the barrier surrounding my house.
Wooong—
‘…Why is it so strong?’
Even with my current strength, breaking through this barrier wouldn’t be easy.
It felt like it was absorbing mana from the surroundings to strengthen itself.
It seemed the Griffin had taken additional measures.
‘Quite impressive.’
Impressed, I continued to explore the surroundings, utilizing [Memory] to scan for any traces.
Finding their tracks was crucial.
I wandered for a while, searching diligently.
“…Found it.”
Finally, I picked up their trail.
Suppressing my excitement, I carefully examined the residual memories in the area.
“…They infiltrated the city before using magic.”
Whether it was reckless or sheer confidence in their ability to escape…
They had infiltrated Baruk, studied the layout of the buildings, and then used the sacrifice to launch their attack.
Their objective remained a mystery, however.
What did they hope to gain by attacking Baruk?
There was nothing for them to gain here.
‘…There’s nothing here but people.’
And that was the truth.
But as that thought crossed my mind—
“Ah.”
A sudden realization struck me.
The reason why the dark magician attacked this place.
It all made sense now.
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