Chapter 67 Am I Being Guided?
The day of the operation to defeat Nord, a Unique Individual.
The 72 of us, the explorers, Lady Eva and the 3 other collaborators, gathered at the Seal Temple early in the morning and teleported to the 36th floor, the "Snowfield Floor".
From there, we marched for nearly 2 hours towards our destination, joining forces with the guild's scouts who had been monitoring Nord from a distance. We confirmed that Nord hadn't moved from his previously reported location, and began preparing for the operation.
With Lady Eva and the 3 other collaborators at the center, we divided into 4 groups, each moving to take position at the vertices of a square surrounding Nord's suspected location.
On the Snowfield Floor, where the terrain is flat and there's nothing to obstruct our view, we can confirm each other's positions with a glance, as long as the snowstorm isn't too intense. However, to activate the barrier magic and to coordinate our attack, it's essential that we maintain communication with each other.
After all, not only Lady Eva and her guards, but also Nord Restraint Squad, Magic Squad, and Cutting Squad, are all divided into 4 groups.
This is to prevent us from being caught off guard and to surround Nord with a pincer attack.
In any case, we, divided into 4 groups, were moving cautiously, taking turns to communicate with each other through the wind magicians assigned to each group.
"――If you look at it visually, you can see Nord, right? I wonder if he doesn't notice us?"
Fiona, who was moving with me, asked while exhaling white breath.
"Nord is hiding in the snow, so he's not reacting to visual cues, but rather to sound and magical energy. And we're on the outside the range of his magical energy sense, so he shouldn't notice us until we deploy the barrier."
I replied, casting a glance towards Nord's suspected location.
Nord will react sensitively if we get too close, but he won't move unless it's certain it's been discovered. I've confirmed this myself through several battles.
At this distance, it's unlikely that we'll be detected. We're using Wind Magic to communicate, but the magical energy response is small, so it shouldn't be noticeable.
Of course, the barrier magic we're using in this operation is different.
"――Everyone, stop here. Lady Eva, is this the designated point?"
Io said, communicating with the other groups using Wind Magic.
Lady Eva, asked, stood still, saying "Just a moment, please," and closed her eyes quietly. Her hands held a long staff, planted in the snow like a spear.
It was a different staff from the one we used when setting up the teleportation circle on the 46th floor.
However, it was also made entirely of metal, with a large magic stone embedded at the tip――not a gemstone. Unlike the staff specialized for setting up teleportation circles, this one was designed to assist with magical energy.
Since magic activation speed slows down, most battle magicians don't use it, but magic can also be activated using the magical energy of a magic stone. The staff Lady Eva and the others brought was for that purpose, and it would consume magic stones like hot water to maintain the barrier for a long time.
Lady Eva used her staff to cast magic, but not barrier magic.
Space Magic――[Space Sense]
Even being this close, the extremely thin magical energy that spread out from Lady Eva was barely perceptible. Compared to the Wind Magic we used for communication, the magical energy response was much smaller. Even with a very keen sense, you wouldn't notice it unless you were right next to the mage――that's how subtle this magic was.
The effect was literally grasping the space within the range of the magic, understanding the structure within that domain, and sensing the relative positions. Additionally, it could perceive all sorts of energy reactions, including magical energy, auras, heat sources, and more.
You can imagine just how massive the amount of information is that's being poured into a brain. A normal person wouldn't be able to process all that information at once, but that's what makes the [Four Great Families of the Seals] and the divine bloodline so special.
At first glance, it may seem plain, but it's actually an incredibly advanced magic.
Lady Eva, who had used that magic to confirm her position relative to the group, slowly opened her eyes.
"――here's no doubt about it here."
"Understood."
Lady Eva nodded in response to Io's words, then looked around at us.
"Then, except for the 8 people who will remain as the lady's guards, please move inside the barrier."
"""Understood."""
The barrier, with Lady Eva and the 3 mages at its center, began to deploy in a "square" shape.
We, who would be fighting Nord directly, had to enter the "square" before the barrier was deployed.
I, Io, Fiona, and the other 7 explorers moved to a location closer to Nord than where Lady Eva was standing. On the other hand, the 8 guards moved behind Lady Eva to avoid getting caught in the barrier.
Then Io reestablished contact with the other groups using Wind Magic, and soon confirmed that they had all reached their designated points.
"Alright... then, Lady Eva, we're counting on you."
"Understood. Fiona, everyone, good luck. ...Then, let's begin."
Lady Eva closed her eyes again, her staff still standing upright in the snow.
It would take a few minutes to construct the magic circle and activate the barrier.
In the meantime, we also began preparing for battle――or rather, making our final checks. As each of us checked our weapons and armor, I happened to look up at the sky.
"――Huh?"
Io and Fiona also looked up at the sky a little later.
The sky above the labyrinth, which was like a vast, blue dome.
"What a despicable guy."
"I don't know if it's a guy, but it's definitely not a good thing to be peeking in like that."
"Don't think about trying to sneak in halfway through, okay?"
What I had noticed was a gaze that seemed to be peeking in at us.
But I've had a feeling about this gaze before. It's the same gaze I felt when Chloe was taken hostage and I was dragged away to Hellem Wilderness. Just like back then, I have no idea where this gaze is coming from.
The worst part is, as Fiona said, we might get interrupted halfway through our mission to defeat Nord.
If the owner of this gaze is the same as the one in Hellem Wilderness, it's probably surveillance using Space Magic. In that case, it's highly likely that we'll face some kind of interference along the way.
Still――
"We can't just stop the mission now. We have no choice but to keep going."
"Yeah, that's right. All we can do is be on guard against unexpected interference."
Changing the subject, it's unlikely that our next move won't be seen by them. It's clear they're keeping an eye on our plans.
So, we have no choice but to keep going.
"Do you think the other groups have noticed? Should we inform the escort team too?"
"Hmm... That's a good point, Fiona. I'll take care of it."
Fiona nodded in agreement, and Io began to contact the others using Wind Magic.
As we talked, the others seemed to realize they were being watched too, and their expressions turned stiff and tense. Lady Eva's escort team was the same, but they looked a bit uneasy as they glanced around.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
I said it with a carefree tone, but I carefully stored my Black Radiance in my Storage Ring. Then, I took out a different wooden sword.
It was a thin, semi-transparent wooden sword with a dark blue tint.
I had made it by whittling down the core wood of the Gravity Elemental Treant, which I received from Lady Eva.
"Is that... already usable?"
Fiona looked at the wooden sword I took out, her eyes slightly distant.
That's because Fiona was in the workshop when I made it, and she had seen the strange properties of the Gravity Elemental Treant's core wood.
In a real battle, I'd need to undergo rigorous training to handle this.
"Well, it's doable, I guess."
I created it about 2 weeks ago, and I've only been able to train with it for that long. But even so, once I got the hang of it, I think I've reached a level where I can use it in actual combat.
On the other hand, creating it was a real challenge.
When I made the "Jadeite," I had already grasped the technique to carve the "Attribute Treant's core" using "Silver," so I had few failures and was able to complete it quickly. Well, there were some differences in quality, so I did fail a few times, but they were within an acceptable range, so it was okay.
However, the "Gravity Elemental Treant's core" had a completely different property from both "Jadeite" and "Silver."
To put it simply, it had the property of "absorbing aura and turning black, becoming harder and heavier," while also having the property of "absorbing magical energy and turning white, becoming softer and lighter."
Furthermore, its absorption efficiency for magical energy and aura was incredibly high, so just by using the [Hand of Meister]'s aura, it would absorb aura nonstop.
As a result, the "Gravity Elemental Treant's core" became almost impossible to carve even with the [Hand of Meister], and it would become too heavy to hold and work with.
So, you might think, "Why not just use normal tools to carve it without using aura?" But that was exactly the trap.
In its normal state, the "Gravity Elemental Treant's core" appears to be a dark blue color. If you observe it closely, you'll notice that it's actually a mix of black and white areas, which is why it looks dark blue.
What this means is that the material has vastly different hardness levels in different areas, even though it's the same material. In other words, if you try to carve it as is, it would crumble and fall apart like dirt.
So, to process this material, I had to use magical energy or aura to uniformize the material's hardness before carving it.
However, if I were to infuse it with aura, it would become too hard and heavy anywhere. It's a hardness that even I couldn't shave off. Therefore, I had no choice but to make it softer by channeling magical energy into it.
――But that was a trap too.
It's true that channeling magical energy makes it easier to process, but the problem lies in the properties of the white Gravity Elemental Treant.
If it's in its white state, it's certainly easier to process, but the crystalline structure itself is similar to that of the Ice Elemental Treant or Wind Elemental Treant, making it prone to breaking when processed with existing tools. Moreover, its strength is decreasing, making it even more prone to breaking than the Ice Elemental Treant or Wind Elemental Treant.
――But that's not a problem for me?
I don't need to use any tools when I'm shaving wood, anyway.
In other words, I just need to infuse magical energy into it with my left hand while using my right hand to deploy the [Hand of Meister] and shave it.
Of course, the aura gets absorbed and hardens the moment the [Hand of Meister] touches it, but I discovered that by filling the material with magical energy beforehand and continuously flowing it, I can neutralize the hardening to some extent.
That means the property of the slightly hardening Gravity Elemental Treant becomes easier to process instead.
By manipulating both magical energy and aura simultaneously, I succeeded in processing the 'Gravity Elemental Treant's core wood' into a wooden sword.
By the way...
Since magical energy is something that even children who haven't awakened to their Jobs yet possess, anyone can do something like channeling magical energy into an object, regardless of whether they're a magician or not. It's only natural, since magic tools that activate using one's own magical energy instead of magic stones are quite common.
I was having a hard time converting magical energy into aura and controlling it inside my body, while also manipulating the magical energy itself.
But after I finished, I realized that if I had divided the workload with someone else, it would have been easier. Fiona still can't use [Hand of Meister], but she can flow magical energy, after all.
...Well, whatever. It's not like it matters now. I'll just make sure to apply this realization next time. I'll think of it as a good training experience. Anyway, to use the ≪Gravity Elemental Treant≫ wooden sword in actual combat, I need to be able to control both magical energy and aura at the same time.
――Anyway.
So, I've finally completed the new wooden sword.
I've named it "Black-White".
When I filled the thin, dark-colored "Black-White" from the Storage Ring with magical energy――it transformed into a pure white color.
In this state, "Black-White" is almost weightless, and I can't feel its weight. However, it's extremely fragile, so I can't use it for direct attacks.
Moreover, carrying it around in intense battles is also a concern, as it might break easily. It could shatter with just a slight impact.
So, I filled the "Black-White" with magical energy and then flowed a strongly controlled aura into it.
I flowed the aura from the hilt to the blade, but avoided the middle part of the blade. I only dyed the hilt and blade parts black with the aura.
"Black-White" is now divided into 2 colors, black and white.
The blade's core is white, while everything else is black. To be precise, there's a thin white part that continues from the hilt to the blade, which is used to channel magical energy. I need to constantly control and flow magical energy and aura to maintain this state.
It's become somewhat heavier, but it now has a strength that won't break easily.
"Can you really...use that in actual combat?"
Fiona looked at the "Black-White" and asked, her face scrunched up in concern.
She must have realized how much trouble I'm going through just to maintain this state.
"Yeah, it's definitely hard to handle, but I need this for our current opponent."
As a weapon, it's quite difficult to wield, but to restrain Nord, I need the gravity attribute that "Black-White" possesses.
In other words, if I didn't have "Black-White," I would've had to rethink my entire strategy for this mission.
I can't help but feel a sense of fate in this situation.
It's unclear whether I needed "Silver's" power to defeat Ignitor, but in the Unique Individual battles after the "Great Outbreak," "Jadeite" was incredibly useful. Honestly, if I didn't have "Jadeite," the battles would've been much tougher.
And now...
The "Gravity Elemental Treant" core I obtained by chance before Nord battle――I carved it down to create "Black-White."
Against the enemies I face, the wooden sword with its effective abilities has somehow ended up in my hands...
Is this really just a coincidence...?
"Maybe I'm being guided or something..."
"...Huh?"
As I muttered to myself, gazing at "Black-White," Fiona gave me a suspicious look.
"What do you mean by 'guided'?"
"Don't you get it?"
"I don't get it. What's going on, all of a sudden?"
Well, Fiona is still new to being a Wooden Swordsmith, so it's not surprising she doesn't understand.
I just chuckled and explained it to her.
"It means that maybe, just maybe, I'm being led to the materials I need."
"What do you mean?"
"The god of wooden swords."
"......"
It's possible that the god governing wooden swords is manipulating fate to bring the necessary materials to me. I can't help but think that's the case.
While the existence of gods is proven by numerous historical facts, this is the first time I've felt their presence so close.
Maybe the god of wooden swords really does exist.
As I grew more convinced, Fiona said,
"You shouldn't say that out loud, especially not in front of others. You'll get scolded from all directions..."
I naturally nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I get it. The existence of the Wood Sword God will be secretly spread to those who are worthy."
If the existence of a new god that nobody knew about until now is revealed, it could cause chaos in society. So, the existence of the Wood Sword God should be carefully spread.
"I don't get it at all..."
Fiona muttered something with a puzzled face at that moment.
"Everyone! Focus! It's about to start!"
Io said, giving a sharp glance.
As he said that, Lady Eva behind him was pouring an enormous amount of magical energy into her staff, which was stuck in the snow.
This amount of magical energy would undoubtedly catch Nord's attention.
But before Nord could make a move, Lady Eva's――no, Lady Eva's group's magic was activated.
Space Magic - [Four-Square Boundary Disruption]
Light burst out from Lady Eva's staff.
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