episode_0089

It is still a vivid memory for me.

Past life. I had duels with several people who were said to be absolute strongmen. I won’t say for certain that it was a one-on-one fight, but it is certain that there were countless fights that are difficult to count.

However, out of all the fights, if I had to pick just one memorable opponent, it would be it.

I can pick one without hesitation. An extremely powerful person who is deeply embedded in the mind and cannot be erased from memory.

Great Sage Merlin Gregory.

He is a former wizard from the warrior party, and when it comes to magic, he cannot be looked down on even by the magic tower lord.

When I first met him, he was the principal of Eden Academy. It wasn’t strange since he was the one who founded Eden Academy in the first place.

What was truly strange was his magical achievement.

‘Hellfire-!’

‘Meteor strike-!’

Only humans can freely summon natural disasters such as dragon flames and meteorites.

‘Big Bang!’

Soon, he would twist cause and effect, transcend limits, and even activate unprecedented magic, causing endless explosions to occur within his body. To think that a single human could unleash great magic that no dragon in history could unleash.

Who could have predicted?

I was able to endure it because it was me.

If it had been any other demon than me, the entire area would have been shattered into pieces and exploded in all directions at the first ‘explosion’.

No, even if it were a natural object, it wouldn’t be much different. If Merlin’s final blow had hit the earth, the continent would have been shattered in no time.

Merlin Gregory is such a being. A person who has achieved a level that surpasses elves, dragons, demons, angels, and even gods in terms of magical achievements and accomplishments.

Such a fearless Merlin Gregory… It’s in front of me now. He hesitated like an adolescent boy.

“Am I really human? How did it happen that people came to this magical forest…? .”

‘Merlin’ looks at me warily. No, to be precise, glasses so cloudy that I can’t see inside are staring at me.

Young ‘Merlin’ seemed very embarrassed by meeting me. It’s as if he didn’t expect to meet people in a forest full of monsters.

Well, what should I do?

Of course, the development of meeting Merlin here was not in my mind. My encounter with Merlin will take place in the distant future as part of the relationship between the principal and students of Eden Academy.

This means that no matter how much you try, you shouldn’t date Merlin, a boy who looks like he’s only in his late teens.

Should I just cut off my tail and run away? No, Merlin already recognized me. And I don’t know which direction that ‘perception’ will flow.

“Ho, aren’t you a magical beast disguised as a human? ? But I’ve never heard of a demon carrying a cross… . It’s not even an inverted cross… .”

Merlin’s glasses reflected the rosary in my hand. That’s right, demons couldn’t touch the rosary that symbolizes the Messiah and the Lord. I am an exception, having been given over directly by a saint.

… Let’s use this.

“You frail boy who has lost your way! How did you come into the demon forest?”

“Yes? How did you know I was lost?”

I don’t know how to tell, but Merlin was famous for his manners, to the point where he often broke into classrooms during class because he couldn’t tell the difference between the classroom and the way to the principal’s office.

Moreover, there is no sign of anyone other than Merlin around here, so if you use your brain a little, you can easily come to the conclusion that Merlin is lost.

Of course, we can’t just say this out loud. I have to work hard to make up a story.

“How often does someone as young as a boy come to Masurim! I must have gotten lost in the forest of the continent and somehow found my way back!”

“It’s true that I got lost, but… I came to Masurim of my own accord! I got lost after entering the Demon Forest… .”

“Is that so? A boy who still looks like he has a lot of life ahead of him enters a rough place like a demonic forest on his own! Indeed, young people these days are amazing at distribution!”

When in doubt, stand up confidently. When you have to act timid, you won’t go out of your way to avoid it, but a confident attitude without being intimidated is the best way to gain trust.

You can play the role of a poor lost wanderer like Beatrice, but… At that time, Beatrice was a resident of the Demon Forest, so she did it that way.

“My distribution is big… Thank you for your words, but that’s not true at all… ! Actually, this is my first time hearing such a thing!”

Merlin and the warrior party are uninvited guests in the Demon Forest. They need a guide to lead them.

I will take on that role.

If I become their guide who is ignorant of the demonic forest.

As per the original history, I can be the bridge so that the Nioh and the hero party can meet.

If he sees an opportunity, he can kill the warrior and all of the warrior’s party except Merlin. First thing to do is to catch the Dragon King Endros.

“Hahaha! Then how did the boy end up in such a dangerous place? At first glance, he looks like a wizard?”

“Uh, how do you know I’m a wizard…? !”

“You’re wearing a wizard’s robe!”

“Ah… ! My name is Merlin Gregory, a court wizard belonging to the Empire! Please feel free to call me Merlin… !”

“I understand! Merlin! A court mage of the empire, he was a much greater boy than he seemed!”

It’s also quite shaky.

Revealing one’s identity without protection in a place where one’s personal safety is not guaranteed is tantamount to suicide.

If I were someone who had a grudge against the Empire, or if I was someone who wanted to extort money from the Empire by using the court wizard as a hostage, Merlin would have already been subdued.

Nevertheless, the reason he so obediently reveals his identity may be because he is confident in his abilities, but it is more likely that he is simply naive.

The small shoulders were already hunched over from before. The gaze is only scanning my lower body and I can’t even think of raising it. Two hands with index fingers touching each other, with nowhere to go.

Each one reveals the personality of Merlin. It is quite a contrast to the old Merlin who shouted at me full of life, but since there was a time gap of about a hundred years, it is not unreasonable for his mentality to change a bit.

“But… Teacher, for some reason you are in Masurim… ?”

“I am the demon hunter Suoka! I came into the Demon Forest about ten years ago, and I haven’t been out of the Demon Forest even once for ten years!”

“Demon, a demon beast hunter… !? He survived in the forest for ten years… ? Hi… .”

“There’s no need to react like it’s so amazing! It’s truly an honor for a mere hunter to welcome the court wizard!”

“Yes? Oh no! I only know how to do some magic… !”

“… .”

As I recall, Merlin at this time was already a 6th circle wizard. Later, it reaches the 9th circle, but even at this point, it is at a level that most archmages would find difficult.

Ah, the 6th circle wizard knows how to do some magic. 90% of the continent’s wizards should go out and die immediately.

“But why did the court wizard come to the Demon Forest? Oh, is Merlin part of the ‘Hero Party’?”

“How did you… !”

“A hundred years ago, the empire sent a party of warriors to this Demon Forest! It’s impossible for someone as precious as a court wizard to arbitrarily upload something like this! Sometimes eccentric wizards take risks and come back to procure experiment materials, but Merlin doesn’t seem like that!”

“Ugh, uh… .”

I spoke a little longer in one breath. Merlin’s eyes twirled behind his glasses. Well, you would have to be very intelligent to be in the 6th circle. Did you not even understand this sentence?

“Ho, are you feeling burdened by me too, Mr. Suoka…? ?”

“Hmm?”

“Well, so… Everyone says that… Once everyone found out that I was the wizard of the warrior party, they felt like a burden and avoided me… So, I introduce myself first as a court wizard… .”

“Ah, if that’s what you meant, then you don’t have to worry. What else can I say?”

It’s not that it’s a burden, it’s that I don’t want to be involved. Who is trying to build a relationship with a party of heroes who are treated as a nuisance in the empire? If the Demon King invades and the hero party’s status reaches a level that rivals that of the Emperor, their attitude will change 180 degrees.

“Anyway, this is a demonic forest! Empire or anything else, it has no meaning in the Demon Forest! On the contrary, I’m just glad to meet someone after a long time!”

I think I understand why Merlin has a timid personality.

He was originally unfriendly, but since he was assigned to the warrior party, people’s changed views seem to have made him into a boy who is immature in human relationships.

This is the best news for me. Since I have decided to be with Merlin, and because I have to save him and send him out unconditionally, I have to become close to Merlin semi-essentially.

You can instill confidence in those who lack confidence. Then I think, ‘Ah, this person won’t leave me,’ so I trust and rely on him even more.

“Really? This is the first time I’ve met someone who said that even after knowing that I was part of a warrior party… !”

“Of course! Once I say something, it won’t go away even if a knife sticks to my throat!”

Look at Merlin’s complexion brightening in real time. Although the change in expression was not clearly visible due to the large circle glasses that covered half of the face.

I use a manly speaking style as if I were possessed by Nioh. This is to make me look like a veteran hunter who knows as much about this place as possible. There is nothing better than this to make wanderers trust and follow them.

“By the way, if it’s a hero party, did they come to catch the demon beasts? Just like the warrior party did a hundred years ago?”

“Yes, yes! Yes, that’s right! Do you know where the demonic beasts are gathered?”

“I guess you guys didn’t know. There are no more demonic beasts left in the southern part of the demonic forest. That’s because the warrior party from a hundred years ago was wiped out. Although he was eventually killed by the Seven Dragons under the Dragon King.”

“Yes… ?”

“I also found out that it was not true after I came here. Still, the Dragon King Endros is still alive and well, but aren’t Endros also included in your targets? If you don’t mind, I can guide you to the dragon lair in Endros!”

I have a feeling that things will work out easily. It seems possible to have the hero party fight Endros right away, as in the original history, without encountering the Seven Dragons.

In any case, this is the story of when young Merlin accepts my offer.

“Then we are grateful! wait a minute! I’ll look for my colleagues!”

bingo.

Merlin disappears into the bushes, not knowing that the place will be the grave of his comrades.

In the meantime, I giggled and returned to my group. I think if we just crack down on the situation a little bit, things will go very smoothly.

*****

A deep basin. There, seven dragon heads sit in a circle with serious expressions.

The reason it is called ‘head’ is because the dragon has seven heads but only three bodies. A dragon with one head, a dragon with two heads, and a dragon with as many as four heads were facing each other.

Thousands of monsters were gathered beneath the dragons, whose bodies were so large that only three of them could fill a basin. The types of monsters were all different. All kinds of monsters were gathered under the dragon, from low-level monsters such as orcs, goblins, and skeletons to high-level monsters such as gargoyles.

The one-headed dragon opened its maw.

“The forest ecosystem collapsed.”

What responded was a two-headed dragon.

“I know. Isn’t that why we are gathered here today?”

“We can’t just leave it alone forever. They just watched to keep the king’s order not to get involved in the food chain, but now they are threatening the entire southern part of the forest.”

“It has already been a threat for a long time. The monsters gathered here are all the remaining monsters in the south.”

“Even though we brought in those who were hiding, is it still like this?”

The two-headed dragon’s gaze carefully examined the monsters gathered around its feet.

There are thousands of them, so it is not a small number by any means, but the story changes when the range is expanded to ‘all monsters in the southern part of the Demon Forest’.

“Just a hundred years ago, tens of millions of monsters maintained the ecosystem and circulated the food chain?”

“Isn’t that why we gathered together?”

“… .”

“Both of you, stop talking nonsense.”

While the one-headed dragon and the two-headed dragon were talking about the current state of the Demon Forest, one dragon who had been quiet the whole time opened his mouth.

It was a dragon with four heads.

“… .”

“… .”

“One demon. Two humans. One prisoner. One goblin. And an unknown angel.”

Perhaps because the four-headed dragon had a higher rank, the other two dragons just listened quietly as the four-headed dragon began to talk.

“These are the main culprits in destroying the ecosystem. Originally, we should not have been on the front line since the King ordered us to be disciplined, but my conclusion is that we cannot just sit back and watch their actions any longer.”

“… .”

“… .”

“Six people, led by an unknown demon, define them as the main enemies of this forest. In addition, I will issue an order to kill all the demon beasts in the southern part of the demon forest.”

As the solemn declaration ended, the heads of the two dragons and monsters waved up and down in unison.

It was the moment when the three dragons under Dragon King Endros, the Seven Dragons, came to the forefront along with their demonic beasts.