Chapter 20

Chapter 20

What was extending the front paw without even one growling sound was a bear that seemed half-rotted.

Faint light flickering at the tip of the claws causes afterimages.

Strong undead do handle a power called soul, but...

Wasn’t the color a bit more gloomy?

I kicked off a tree I had seen beside and withdrew while widely swinging the sword.

The claws passed right in front of the nose.

If it came in a bit deeper, the face would have disappeared?

A line was drawn on the forehead of the rotten bear.

As soon as I landed, I stepped back.

Because even though I split above the forehead, the guy who didn’t stop and charged swung the opposite arm.

Lowering the body, I came out splitting the guy’s belly.

From the wind pressure of the bear paw passing over the head, if facing with force, it seemed the arm would break in one go.

By the way, the feeling of cutting is quite strange.

I cut the bad-condition leather all the way, but it was a feeling as if the sword tip was scraping something hard.

For example...

“Armor?”

The guy stood still.

The head that was already rotten, when largely cut off, couldn’t maintain the form.

The bear’s skull fell, and the head skin also tore and flowed down.

And inside it, a rusted helmet was revealed.

The bear leather cut below the chest also slipped down with a slide and revealed the hidden medium armor.

Whether the magic maintaining the form broke, the remaining leathers wrapping the knight’s body instantly became mushy and fell to the floor.

The armor seemed not managed so dirty, but just looking at the style that fully styled with fine decorations or adding other metals, the owner’s status didn’t seem low.

“It wasn’t a beast?”

The light flowing between the decorations informed that mana was flowing in the armor.

Various defense magics would be wrapping the armor.

Like that, even if wrapping mana on the sword, one can’t easily cut.

Having become young and worrying about mana too, a separate matter.

At least the mana amount was not envious of others.

“Are you the owner here?”

I thought of resolving with conversation, but the opponent had no answer.

...Is it even alive in the first place?

At first it was the appearance of a rotten bear so not being alive was natural.

So I didn’t think strangely, but with the armor revealed like that and becoming human appearance, a great sense of incongruity was felt.

If a person, even just standing still, some degree of movement is revealed while breathing.

But that knight has no movement at all like armor hung on a stand.

But why is it staying still?

Taking one step, the guy extended his hand toward the flag stuck on one side.

Grabbed and pulled, lowered the body, and aimed at me with that end.

Was it not just a flag but a flag spear.

No choice.

“I’m also curious about inside the helmet.”

No choice but to fight.

However, there was a problem.

Becoming a knight from a bear doesn’t change the evaluation just before.

Even until a bit ago the claws passed right in front of the nose and I barely avoided, so with a weapon it would have become stronger than that.

Even the mana that was flowing around the armor is now flowing at the spear tip too.

The monstrous strength that seemed the wrist would break the moment bringing a weapon against will now be loaded on that flag spear and stabbed.

But it wasn’t without an answer.

If that was a person, I might have fled for now, but since not a living being, there was a gap to check.

The owner with bad taste who put on the terrible bear leather.

If that one is nearby, cut him.

I gathered mana at the fingertips and swung widely.

Mana enough to fill one wide room was evenly scattered around.

It might seem like trying to use magic, but no.

This is a procedure future detectives usually do when arriving at the incident scene, a simple way to check whether magic is involved in the incident or not.

Even with this simple method, one can confirm the residual of magic through the flow of mana, and a skilled mage can infer even what magic was used in one go.

I of course am not a mage so don’t have that degree of skill.

But if a mage is manipulating something or preparing to use some magic within the same space, up to there I could sufficiently grasp.

“Over there.”

A string of mana connected behind the knight’s neck was visible.

That string was connected to the bushes where the knight first popped out in the appearance of a rotten bear.

Before I knew it, the knight’s spear was aiming straight at my heart.

Lowering the body, I raised mana at the tiptoes, calves, thighs.

While avoiding the fiercely stabbing spear, I threw my body toward the bushes where the guy’s owner would be.

The place I entered raising the sword like that had no person.

The first thing visible was the cave in front.

The ceiling and floor were neatly cut and made into a small study, there was a desk and bookshelf, and parchments and thick books were organized and stuck.

The right was blocked by a rock hill, and turning the gaze left, all sorts of flowers and precious spiritual herbs were growing.

Between them one fruit tree was sparkling receiving the moonlight, and I almost had my gaze stolen for a moment by the leaves and fruits that seemed forged of gold.

No.

I scattered mana.

Turning my head, the knight’s spear that passed by the cheek was retrieved.

Found it.

The string of mana was connected to the white bead inside the box placed open on the table over there.

I ran and grabbed the bead.

This bead and that knight are connected.

It looks like a relay-like device, but such precise mana-based equipment has a high possibility of having magical countermeasures against instantaneous physical force.

The easiest way to break such an item is to push in as much mana as possible in one go.

I pushed in mana to the degree the hand tingled for a moment.

However, the string of mana extended to the knight doesn’t budge at all.

Thinking it didn’t work, I inevitably turned my body intending to strike.

With the sword in the right hand striking the spear, bringing the bead held in the left hand to the Magic Root to erode with magic power...

The knight that entered the vision was stopped as is in the posture of thrusting the spear in front of my chest.

“...The posture is really good.”

What not even a person emits such an air of a spear master.

I left the guy stopped still as is, and hurriedly examined around the table.

Stopped for now, but I had to find out what that is and how to handle it.

Opening one booklet, it was a journal.

[After the underground tomb of the wraith was destroyed, migrated from the castle built on top of it.

Since it’s a gloomy and unpleasant place, migrating is good.

However, whether because the goal that bound each other disappeared, opinions were divided in the migration process and split into several factions.

I decided not to choose anywhere and quietly seclude in the Spirit Vein Forest with the thought of waiting until their emotions settle.

...Since no one took the existing family’s flag, I took it and attached it to the spear.]

Quickly skimming and covering, I opened the journal beside it.

That seemed the next volume.

[Building a house is too bothersome! If there were nagging elders, they would have laid out the anecdote of the First Emperor who didn’t lose humanity to the end and said living like a person even after becoming a skeleton is the path of magic...

There’s no need for a house at all, why must one build it.

Not catching a cold even if wet in water, whether lying all day in the scorching sun or sleeping for three days in the snow field, nothing happens to this body with only bones left, why on earth is a house needed!]

At the end of that journal, I found what I wanted.

[I placed the Life Vessel well visible on the table, so I hope the later person takes it well and handles it. If by any chance those who don’t know well, to advise, infuse mana into the Vessel to recognize and command.]

I read up to there and was relieved.

The moment I infused mana, there was no need to worry more.

[If the Vessel breaks, it can no longer follow commands, because the intelligence itself to understand and perform human language disappears.]

By the way, it was fortunate the Vessel was solid.

I infused mana saying break, and almost caused a big incident.

[The Vessel is ownership and command right. If taken and mana flows in, the previous user’s commands are all erased.]

Nodding, I lowered my gaze.

[To make it remember my commands, I intentionally left part of my soul. It will understand even complex commands, but some traces of my personality may remain.

It means even if understood, it won’t listen to everything.

-John Berger.]

Berger. Is that the name of that knight.

I commanded Berger who was still stopped in the thrusting posture.

“Berger, take off the helmet.”

The guy changed posture and stuck the flag spear in the ground.

And took off the helmet.

A diagram densely engraved on the surface of the skull with blue light swirling was visible.

In the distant past, one who reached quite a high realm of a path of magic family engraved the path of magic power on his own bones enduring pain.

Probably any spiritual herb here won’t be more precious than Berger.

Obtained something unexpected.

But thanks to that, work increased.

Since I don’t want to let the world know that I obtained something like this, before leaving this place to the Duke, it seemed I had to cleanly organize the materials of this space.

***

“This is...”

When first discovered, I was really greatly surprised.

It looks like a book but can’t be unfolded.

A sense of déjà vu arose.

A form similar to the item I almost live wearing.

The Margo diagram stone tablet.

Should it be called a wooden board of similar size to that.

When flowing mana, clearly a diagram of magic arts was engraved.

Magic arts that change bones into the path of magic metal called ‘Rerilum’ that magic power can flow.

Magic arts that raise the regenerative power of bones.

Magic arts that copy characters or drawings, forms, etc.

Magic arts that can repair one’s own bones using minerals like diamond, amber, black jade and various animal bone materials.

Magic arts that melt into the surroundings and reduce the emotions of strangeness and discomfort to living beings.

Magic arts that solidify the soul, etc.

They prepared throughout their lives so that the bones of the whole body mutate and magic power can flow, and engraved the internal diagram on the bones through the copying magic arts.

And after all sorts of preparations, perform a rite called revival rite after death.

If a magic practitioner who drew all the above diagrams dies, they detach part of the bones during life and repeat recovering to create bone jade, called Life Vessel, and put the hardened soul in the vessel.

And infuse magic power into the corpse.

Then the blood and flesh are eroded by magic power and fly away, and the solid bones engraved with the diagram rise from the place and obtain a second life.

If the soul is well contained in the bone jade, one revives with mind and memory intact, but a considerable number never rose again, they say.

Sometimes the soul doesn’t properly settle in the Vessel and becomes a combat doll that just follows commands, and this was called Myos meaning ancestor’s bones.

“Amazing...”

The path of magic of the old era is certainly peculiar and strange.

Based on the First Emperor’s magic books, one who achieved something by luck or talent becomes the founder, and extending as side branches with that one’s interpretation as the root, unique bizarre traditions or methods remain like traces, I heard.

So even if touching an old path of magic, the story that blindly following that teaching is extremely dangerous...

This path of magic looked exactly like that kind.

Quietly reading Berger’s journal that was in the Spirit Vein Forest and examining all the materials here.

In fact, even until entering the Spirit Vein Forest, I didn’t know such a result would come out.

The spiritual fruits and spiritual herbs, spiritual trees growing beside.

Ancient diagrams and path of magic records exceeding ten fingers.

Moreover, even Berger who is the heritage of a magic practitioner itself.

The value of the items obtained here couldn’t be gauged at all.

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