Chapter 98 - What We Saw on the Expedition
Come to think of it...
I remembered something that had piqued my interest. Apparently, there was some kind of artificial structure—or rather, a set of ruins—within the Middle Forest. Something resembling a tall building could be seen peeking through the trees, whose branches had grown high toward the sky, despite the forest having long since engulfed it. She had reported spotting it using 【Far Sight】 from an extremely long distance.
( ...It looked like a building, Sir! Its sheer sides were smooth, so there was no way it could have been a natural rock formation, Sir! And... the ambient mana concentration in that area was extremely high! The long-range Detection Magic Tool you provided us with turned completely red, sir!! )
My memories of my previous life had flickered through my mind at the time. I found myself contemplating the world that had existed before the rise of the current Magical Civilization.
Perhaps some kind of advanced technology had gone too far, and an unforeseen trigger had thrown everything out of balance, resulting in the infinite proliferation of an unknown force called mana—a power beyond anyone's ability to control.
And if the Demonic Forest had come into being to restore that shattered balance...
Perhaps this was one piece of the reality of the past hidden behind the mysteries of the Demonic Forest.
I decided this was far more worthy of investigation than retracing the Imperial Army's route of advance. With that in mind, I spoke to the female archer.
"This map shows what we surveyed during today's expedition. Take a good look. Now, where were you when you spotted that thing you reported to me earlier—the one that looked like a tall building peeking through the trees, whose branches had grown high toward the sky, despite being engulfed by the forest?"
"Yes... Let me see... I believe I saw it from around here, looking in this direction."
She pointed to a spot on the map as she spoke. Her memory and sense of direction were exceptional, and she never lost her bearings, even in the forest. I marked the location with a writing instrument and drew an arrow indicating the direction in which she had seen the structure.
Hmm... It wasn't so far away that we couldn't reach it in a day's march. Even if we proceed cautiously, we should be able to make the round trip.
My interest had suddenly intensified.
"The planned duration of this expedition is one week. Since we also had to transport supplies to the bridgehead, we weren't intending to venture deep into the Middle Forest. I'd planned to spend a maximum of five days exploring. At the very least, I wanted to establish some guidelines so we could make this expedition worthwhile.
"Now I see. This is only a rough plan, but that structure certainly qualifies as one of the mysteries of the Demonic Forest. Can you lead us to the place where you saw it?"
"I believe I can."
"Then tomorrow and the day after, we'll head in that direction. We'll also need to compile a list of any potential problems we might encounter. Can I count on you to lead the way?"
"At your command."
Hmm. The direction also matched that of the Estarian forbidden land. Could this, then, be a trial set by the ancient Estal?
I couldn't meet with the Estarian elders without overcoming the trial, after all. Perhaps the message was that unless I unraveled the mysteries of the forest and came to understand the world's fundamental truths, they wouldn't even deign to acknowledge me.
I needed to change my way of thinking. I surmised that they wouldn't be satisfied unless I could meet them on equal footing, with a shared understanding of history and knowledge. That, I suspected, was the true nature of the trial.
"It's getting late. You should get some rest, too. I'll be turning in as well. That was an excellent tea. Thank you. I think I'll sleep well tonight."
"I hardly deserve such praise."
The archer's cheeks lifted into a shy, delighted smile at my words. She bowed and left the makeshift office.
What would we discover on the expedition beginning tomorrow? I hoped we'd uncover something new rather than encounter another grim reality like the one we'd witnessed today.
Well, it was time for me to sleep, too. A peaceful night's rest was essential for recovering both physical strength and mana.
―――――
―――――
The following morning, as I shared breakfast with the fully equipped members of the Special Task Force of the Vanguard Unit, I informed them that we'd be changing our exploration route.
There was no doubt that they, too, had been troubled by the grim reality we'd witnessed. Seeing their subtle expressions of relief made me feel as though a weight had lifted from my chest.
Our new destination was the central region of the Middle Forest, an area where ambient mana was particularly dense.
It wasn't somewhere we should venture into without proper preparations. I brought one of the wooden crates we'd transported to the bridgehead and set it before everyone.
I'd brought it along in case retracing the Imperial Army's route of advance proved too difficult. I hadn't expected to need it so soon, though.
Inside were face masks, a new type of magic tool I'd received from my friend. I distributed them to everyone.
There were twenty-one of us in total: the rangers, the archers, and me. My friend had given me twenty-five masks, which meant we'd brought along a few spares as well.
"To prevent the dense ambient mana from draining your stamina, I'm distributing these magic tools. They're face masks. Wear them beneath your helmets.
"If you experience any problems, report them immediately. The masks are complete, but they haven't been fully adjusted yet. Afterward, I'd like each of you to submit a written report on how they felt to use, including any issues you encountered."
"Understood!"
Once everyone had checked their equipment, we departed from the bridgehead and pressed steadily onward through the primeval forest.
This was an area where we often spotted beasts that posed no threat to us. We kept the face masks beneath our helmets lowered over our faces as we continued forward, constantly scanning our surroundings and surveying the terrain as we pushed deeper into the forest.
Leading the way was the squad leader of Archer Squad One. She made her way along the pathless terrain as confidently as if she were walking down the streets of a city, never once showing any sign of uncertainty. There was something faintly comical about seeing a squad of burly rangers following behind such a petite woman.
We took two short breaks and one long break, and avoided the signals of powerful magical beasts on six separate occasions.
By the time the sun reached its zenith, we had arrived at our intended destination. However, the dense canopy of branches obscured our view, making it difficult to see anything clearly from there.
Our objective during the campaign had been different, after all. The special task force had been focused on the Imperial Army, so we must have been looking in a different direction from this spot back then.
I wondered how she had even managed to notice that structure... There was no doubt that her eyesight was exceptional.
Fortunately, a little farther ahead, there was an open area that could be described as a raised overlook. Everyone was clearly struggling, but we would get nowhere if we stayed where we were. Pushing ourselves a little harder, we headed toward the high ground.
It was a cliff where a massive rock outcrop jutted outward, offering a view of the dense forest spread out below us. Since the spot was some distance from the river, the ambient mana was neither carried away by the current nor dispersed. Instead, it accumulated there.
The reason the view through our Detection Magic Tools always had a reddish tint was simply that the concentration of ambient mana was so high.
――― The female archer had been absolutely right.
Beyond the forest stretching out beneath us, we could make out a tall, slender object rising abruptly into the sky, roughly ten kūron-yards away by my estimate.
Despite the distance, it looked as though someone had thrust a thumb upward. Even from here, it was clear that the structure must be enormous when viewed up close.
And there was something else...
The area in that direction seemed to have an even higher concentration of ambient mana. The entire field of view was dyed red, so much so that even the glowing markers were no longer visible.
In other words... the ambient mana swirling around that location was comparable in quantity to the mana contained within a magical beast.
There was no doubt that this was an extraordinary place. However, we would have to abandon any attempt to continue our exploration for the time being. Our equipment was inadequate. The ambient mana was so dense that many of the soldiers were already showing symptoms of mana sickness.
"We can't go any farther like this."
"I don't believe we can, Sir. The ambient mana concentration is already considerable here. If we proceed farther in that direction, our exposure will become too great, and some of the men will begin collapsing."
"That stands to reason. Without taking some kind of countermeasure, further exploration will be difficult."
"Commander, are you experiencing any difficulty breathing or headaches?"
"My internal mana capacity is at the count level. It still exceeds the amount of ambient mana in the surrounding environment, so I haven't developed any symptoms of mana sickness. But it's different for the rest of you, isn't it?"
"Just as you say. To put it plainly, the mana sickness is severe. My internal mana capacity is at the baron level, yet even I'm in this state. Still, I am grateful that breathing itself remains easy."
"I see... Understood. Our equipment is inadequate. To explore any farther, we'll need equipment that can withstand this dense ambient mana and protect the soldiers from its effects. I understand the problem now."
I exchanged a few words with the older observer who served as deputy leader of the shooting squad.
The female archer seemed to be developing symptoms of mana sickness herself. Her steps had grown heavy, and she had become unusually quiet. It was plain to see that she was thoroughly exhausted.
This wouldn't do. If she became too depleted, it would be tantamount to blinding us and deafening us all at once.
If she could no longer reliably take in this view, then I had no choice but to decide that we should turn back.
Not only would pressing onward be dangerous; even remaining here could prove fatal to us in our current condition.
But... considering what lay ahead, we couldn't simply retrace our steps without doing anything else. Even if it meant altering our route slightly, I wanted to fill in the blank areas on the map between this location and the bridgehead.
――― I decided that we would return.
"This concludes our expedition for today. Our equipment is insufficient. I want you all to think about what you'll report regarding the new face masks."
The older observer, who was deputy leader of the shooting squad, nodded. He surveyed our surroundings, considered the condition of the exhausted soldiers, and calculated the distance we would need to cover on the way back before agreeing with my decision.
He was undoubtedly struggling himself. I could see the relief in his eyes as he looked at me.
If this was what we faced at the entrance to the Middle Forest, I could only imagine what awaited us deeper inside.
He then offered a brief comment on the situation.
"It's a magnificent sight, but it's rather hard on us, isn't it? I'm grateful for your decision, Sir. To be honest, I'd been considering recommending that we turn back myself."
"One must never push beyond one's limits. I understand that better than anyone. If we keep telling ourselves, 'Just a little farther, just a little farther,' before we know it, we'll have gone so far that we can no longer turn back. As your commander, I cannot allow your dedication to be wasted in such a manner.
"...Given how exhausted everyone is, we'll take a full day's rest at the bridgehead. We'll need it before returning to the fort. I'll hear everyone's opinions about this expedition at the bridgehead rather than waiting until we return to the fort.
"On the way back, we'll take a route a little farther east... Yes, we'll follow the riverbank. I want to survey the area between the Imperial Army's route of advance and the path we took today."
"Understood. As for who will lead the way..."
"Although she's exhausted and I suspect she's already beginning to show symptoms of mana sickness, I'll ask the leader of Archer Squad One to guide us. No one has a better sense of direction than she does. Give the men plenty of short breaks, even if you have to shorten the intervals between them. Under no circumstances must we let her collapse."
"At your command."
Until we had at least a rough map of the area, her abilities were the most reliable resource at our disposal. I felt guilty about putting this burden on her, but I couldn't leave her out when the safety of the entire special task force was at stake. Even under these harsh conditions, she continued to live up to my expectations.
I'm sorry for pushing you so hard, I apologized to her silently in my heart...
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