Ch.432Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

A heavy downpour fell from the gray sky. The drizzle that had been moistening the ground had transformed into thick streams of rain.

A sentry who had taken shelter under the eaves surveyed the desolate land. His gaze across the red desert, widely known for its wondrous mysteries, was utterly indifferent.

As fierce raindrops loudly pounded against the sand-colored bricks, his impassive eyes fixed on the end of the pathway.

“Private, are you alright?”

The machine gunner replied to the sentry’s question with a trembling voice.

“N-no problem, sir.”

He was perched on the roof of the vehicle. The worn tactical vehicle was both the transport that had brought the squad to the checkpoint monitoring the road leading directly to the border, and simultaneously, a defensive measure protecting this place.

The gunner was soaked through from the rain as he guarded the vehicle positioned on the road. Even as water dripped from the edge of his helmet, he continued to shiver with his body tightly hunched.

“Just hang in there a little longer. Someone will come to relieve you soon.”

“Yes, sir…”

A dispirited reply came through the raincoat.

A gust of wind swept past the building as if to comfort the sentry. The peacekeeping force’s flag mounted on the sand-colored bricks caught in the gust and surged upward.

Seeing the precariously fluttering flag, the sentry lowered his gaze to look at the desert. Then, after scanning the horizon with indifferent eyes, he pulled out the radio attached to his bulletproof vest.

“Something’s approaching from 1.5km out. Can you see it?”

“Yes, I can see it.”

A voice flowed from the radio.

“It’s a vehicle.”

“Was any vehicle scheduled to arrive today?”

“No, sir. No scheduled visits.”

“……”

A peacekeeping soldier guarding the border area of the Mauritanian continent. The soldier anxiously picked up the binoculars placed beside his rifle.

In the distance, a city situated at the edge of the desert came into view. Through the thick mist created by the heavy rain, bright headlights were beaming.

The vehicle that had crossed the wilderness reached the checkpoint just as the soldiers had armed themselves with guns and made full preparations.

A peacekeeping soldier, adjusting his grip on his rifle, approached the vehicle through the downpour, knocked on the window, and asked:

“Where are you coming from?”

The window slid down smoothly.

A red-haired woman lowered the passenger window and answered.

“Headquarters.”

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

Checkpoint No. 31 near the border area. The peacekeeping soldiers who had been guarding it were on their way back to the outpost after completing their shift.

A subtle silence hung inside the vehicle. While the driver steered toward the outpost, the squad leader glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror. There sat the woman who claimed to have been sent from headquarters.

After examining the back seat, the squad leader cautiously tried to deduce the woman’s identity.

A scarf to shield against the sand winds and scorching sun, civilian clothes that prioritized mobility over formality. Her eyes gazing out the window were calm, and she seemed quite comfortable sitting in a seat that felt the uncomfortable vibrations.

She looked ordinary. Unremarkable, even. But what caught his attention was the robe the woman wore.

That alone made it easy to infer that she was a mage. Perhaps she could be a sorcerer, but it didn’t matter.

Whether mage or sorcerer, everyone knew they were just as threatening as people armed with guns. Perhaps even more dangerous.

Although a dangerous person who could potentially destroy the entire squad with a single gesture was riding with them, worry was nowhere to be found on the peacekeeping soldiers’ faces. Rather, the soldiers were glancing at the mage in the back seat with expectant eyes.

The squad leader, still watching through the rearview mirror, began to question the mage.

“Are you a mage?”

“Ah, yes. I’m a mage.”

“I see. So you are.”

The squad leader smiled broadly, confirming his prediction was correct. Turning his body to look at the back seat, he spoke with a voice tinged with slight expectation.

“Welcome. It’s rare to see mages in this area these days, so I’m glad to meet you. You said you came from headquarters? Are you affiliated with the Alliance or the Peacekeeping Force?”

The mage nodded. Her red hair vibrated up and down a beat later.

“You don’t seem to be from around here. Where is your hometown?”

“Well…”

The mage who received the question began to smile enigmatically. Then she gave a puzzling answer that was difficult to understand.

“Even if I told you, you probably wouldn’t know it.”

While it might sound rude at first glance, the squad leader didn’t mind. Mages were known to be peculiar and sometimes behaved in ways ordinary people couldn’t understand.

She probably came from a small country with an unfamiliar name. Resolving not to pry further into her hometown, the squad leader ceased his interrogation.

The outside scenery flowed past the bulletproof glass. The city viewed from the vehicle bore the full scars of war.

The adjoining walls and exteriors clearly showed traces of the long civil war. Even now, the city that had suffered from civil war until just a few years ago still displayed wounds of conflict everywhere.

Marks left by bullets and shells, ruins left collapsed and abandoned, people who had lost their vitality. The peacekeeping force’s armored vehicle silently traversed that desolate gray city.

The mage maintained her silence as she gazed at the scenery reflected in the window. With an expression that hinted at subtle tension. Perhaps sensing this atmosphere, a soldier tried to ease the guest’s tension with a broad smile.

“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“…Ah. Yes.”

“Since this is near the border, there have been various skirmishes, which is why it looks like this. But honestly, this neighborhood has always been this way.”

In response to the soldier’s joking manner with a grin, the mage smiled with a composed face.

“It seems quite dangerous?”

“You have no idea. Between the rebels and the militia, it’s absolute chaos. And now, to top it all off, monsters are crawling into the city? Until spring, they were just lurking at the border, but suddenly, for whatever reason, they’re appearing…”

“But don’t worry. The monsters don’t come down this far. We’re quite a distance from the border.”

On the way back to the outpost, the mage was now mingling with the soldiers, engaging in various conversations. From the security situation and conditions in the operational area, peculiarities, culture, to hometown, food, hobbies—all sorts of small talk. The atmosphere of the conversation was quite comfortable and cozy.

“I was happy to come to the desert because it rained too often in my hometown, but once I got here, the rain was no joke.”

“Just because it’s a desert doesn’t mean it doesn’t rain. Everywhere has a rainy season.”

“It’s inconvenient in so many ways. The food doesn’t suit my taste, there’s nothing to do, and because of religion, they don’t even sell alcohol here.”

Soldiers with interested faces began to ask questions. Where did she come from, how many came, could she possibly be from a magic tower?

Despite the succession of questions, the mage wasn’t flustered. She answered the soldiers’ questions with a smile and a calm voice.

“I started from Abas. I was supposed to come with scattered colleagues, but I left early, so I haven’t met them yet. I plan to relay the news as soon as I arrive at the outpost.”

“Abas? Is that true?”

“Yes. Ah, but I’m not from Abas. It’s just where I departed from.”

Ah—a small exclamation escaped. It was a disappointed reaction.

“I thought the army was coming from Abas, but I guess not… How many colleagues do you have?”

“About five, including me?”

“……”

Silence fell over the vehicle. An uncomfortable silence.

The awkward atmosphere was clear enough for even the person being questioned to feel it. The same went for those who asked the question.

“Well, five. Five…”

The soldiers nodded with ambiguous expressions. They tried to manage their expressions, but the mage glimpsed deep disappointment in their eyes.

“I see. Welcome. But why did you come here, Miss Mage?”

The woman smiled brightly at a soldier’s question.

“To help people.”

“Oh-“

Exclamations burst out simultaneously from all over the vehicle. In a place where survival had become a crude joke due to civil war and the threat of monsters, people with such pure intentions were a rare type.

On the other hand, the squad leader’s eyes narrowed. He turned to the mage and began with a tone that questioned her sincerity.

“You came just for that?”

The soldiers who had been laughing and chatting looked at the officer with surprised expressions. Despite the soldiers sending silent signals with obvious signs of embarrassment, the officer didn’t stop.

Sighing as if in disbelief, the officer spoke with a concerned voice.

“I’ve been deployed here three times, and everyone who worked with that mindset here ended up running away in terror.”

Every year, the Alliance sends mages to conflict zones around the world, but once peace departs, its return seems distant.

It’s the same even if major power governments provide substantial funding. Governments with the most powerful armies are reluctant to send troops to conflict zones. Instead of the major powers who pay blood money with cash, it’s the mediocre developing countries’ armies that are deployed to the battlefield.

“Peace, what peace…”

This time was no different.

The governments of major powers, represented by the Kingdom of Abas and the Empire of Kiyen, promised to send their armies to Mauritania. As members of the international community, they claimed they would contribute to world peace and security. However, tens of thousands of expeditionary forces remained in their home countries without even leaving the military ports.

Instead, they said supplies would come. The major power governments said they would build camps for refugees on humanitarian grounds and send logistical support and massive relief supplies. But only if their parliaments approved.

To put it bluntly, they were saying they wouldn’t help right away.

In this situation, it was natural for the citizens of the Mauritanian continent to curse the international community.

In a situation where hundreds die every day and hundreds of thousands of refugees swarm, it was practically impossible to rely solely on support that might never come.

The same went for the peacekeeping forces caught between the international community and Mauritania.

“Just go back. Don’t go looking for trouble. Romance and all that nonsense are useless. At the very least, you need to be alive to feel romance.”

With those words, the squad leader closed his mouth.

Amid the awkward silence that lingered, a veteran soldier who had been reading the atmosphere whispered in the mage’s ear with a small voice.

“I apologize. He probably doesn’t mean any harm. He once worked with adventurers, but things went wrong… I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

The mage smiled gently.

“I’ve had similar experiences.”

“…Ah.”

“But someone needs to stay here to protect the citizens, right? It’s a job someone has to do.”

The mage accepted the apology as if it were nothing. A strange silence fell just as the raindrops hitting the glass grew thicker.

-Rumble…!!

A massive ground tremor was felt.

As earthquake-like tremors began to shake the city, the area fell into chaos. Citizens, not knowing what to do, took shelter inside buildings, while soldiers in the shaking vehicle gripped onto objects and clenched their molars.

“What’s this! An earthquake?”

“Would it be an earthquake?!”

As thick raindrops fiercely knocked on the bulletproof glass, the squad leader, quickly regaining his senses, cast his gaze outside.

“This isn’t an area where earthquakes occur. There’s no reason for the ground to suddenly shake…!”

If it wasn’t nature’s wrath, there must be someone else causing it.

Just as he was surveying the surroundings, the culprit appeared before the squad leader’s eyes.

-Grrrrrr…!!

A pillar rose from beneath the ground. No, not a pillar, but a monster.

A creature resembling a mix between a fluke and an earthworm broke through the ground and emerged on the surface. The creature, reminiscent of a long tentacle, plunged its maw, lined with hundreds of sharp teeth, into a building.

Bang! The impact shook the area, followed by ear-splitting screams. Wobble, wobble. The maw embedded in the building swelled once, and then lump-like objects were sucked along the line connecting the maw to the body.

He didn’t want to know the identity of the objects that bizarre flesh mass was sucking in. He didn’t want to know, and it seemed like he shouldn’t know.

The machine gunner pulled the trigger, and the medium machine gun began to spit fire.

Amid the chaotic mix of gunfire and radio transmissions, the squad leader shook the driver awake.

“Request support from the base and retreat from the scene!”

“It’s hard to escape by car! All roads are blocked!”

The roads were filled with people fleeing from the monster. After confirming the congested roads, the squad leader issued another order.

“Abandon the vehicle! Everyone disembark and move- No, what are you doing there?!”

“Pardon?”

The mage turned her head and questioned.

“What do you mean?”

She was advancing toward the monster. A massive monster smashing roads and buildings, and a mage approaching the monster.

To anyone watching, it was clear she was setting out to hunt.

“Stop!”

The squad leader shouted.

“Facing that thing now is madness! What are you trying to do?!”

“Catch it, of course.”

The peacekeeping force advised giving up and fleeing.

The soldiers who had abandoned the vehicle were retreating while helping with the evacuation. Without fire support or mages, attacking the monster was practically impossible.

Of course, there was a mage here. But it was a futile effort.

What could a single mage do? Against a monster whose body that had emerged on the surface alone rivaled a five-story building, and which would escape back underground if not killed instantly?

That’s why the peacekeeping force urged retreat.

“Fall back! There’s nothing you can do!”

“We’ll see about that.”

“You’ll lose!”

The peacekeeping force’s voice sounded like a death rattle.

The mage, who had thrown off her robe, opened her mouth.

“I’ll win.”

With a tone full of certainty,

Red flames began to flicker in the air.