Foreigner Volume 4, Chapter 40

Volume 4 Chapter 40, Discovery ~ 14

　That day, the Academy of the Wise in Ares was in an uproar from early in the morning.

　It was because a huge magical tremor was detected with its epicenter in the city of Ares.

　Magic Tremor.

　When more than 500 magic power is used at once, the shimmering becomes a unique waveform that is emitted to the surroundings. The higher the amount of magic power consumed at once, the larger the fluctuations will be, but on the other hand, in order to be able to detect the magic tremors, you need to be able to master the intermediate level of the spiritual system, which is usually only four or five people per country. However, this is Ares, also known as the City of Magic. The number of people who felt the tremors of the magic power reached three digits.

　Although it did not reach the historic scale of the magic tremor that occurred on the Dragon's Back 20 days ago, it was still a magic tremor of a reasonable scale. There was a rush of inquiries as to whether the academy was researching magic on an unfashionable scale. It was the head of the academy, Graham Coogan, who responded to the inquiries from neighboring countries as well as the country of Ares.

「My bad, my bad. I completely forgot to send out a warning. I've been working on it for the last 10 years and I'm so happy to have completed it.」

　There is no way to hide a magical tremor. It doesn't matter how powerful the warding is to hide it, it can still happen. If there is a distance between, the fluctuation will seem smaller, but if it happens in the city, it is not so easy.

　Normally, when you use magic at the level of a magical tremor, a warning is issued to the neighbors who might be affected. The people who had inquired about the matter took him up on his excuse that he had forgotten about the warning because he was an old man, shaking his luxurious white beard, and that Graham Coogan, the foremost magician of his day, had a point.

　As expected of Graham Coogan, his spirit is still alive and well, even though he is old. This was the result of letting everyone know that he was still capable of being the head of the Academy of the Wise in Ares, but of course the truth was not so.

　Even if he used all of the magic power of the magic stone, which boasts a considerable capacity, and spent all of his own magic power, he could not cause the magic tremor that occurred this morning. He himself was aware of this. Graham was smiling and apologizing like a good old man, but his gut was churning. He was jealous of the person who had caused a level of magical tremor that he himself could not have triggered.

　Still, he responded calmly. He dealt with the people who had come to inquire about it himself and wrote a letter of apology for the inquiries that would come.

　Leaving the future to his secretary, the High Mentor finally caught his breath and called the head of a certain department in secret.

「You wanted to see me, High Mentor?」

「Yeah, Sheryl.」

　The High Mentor could not hide his exhaustion, and Sheryl's eyes faded with worry. The High Mentor sensed this and stoutly raised his body to respond. He did not show the stagnant emotions in the bottom of his stomach.

「You are aware of the commotion this morning, right?」

「Yes, sir. I felt it too.」

　As if remembering, the High Mentor looked at Sheryl. She was also a talented woman who had mastered the intermediate spiritual system and was training for the advanced level.

「It's a scary amount of magic power. Thanks to this, I was prevented from sleeping in the morning.」

　Sheryl's face broke into a smile at the joking remark.

「The High Mentor's decision was brilliant. I can't let his existence be public knowledge.」

　The High Mentor nodded gravely.

　In this world, there is such a thing as a wanted man with a bounty on his head. But as of now, he has not committed any crime. They can't just put him on the wanted list because he's dangerous, and if they do that, they'll have an all-out war with Satoru.

　Satoru's existence is incredibly dangerous. If it were to become public, there would inevitably be a dispute between the nations over his powerful magical power. If that's all, it's still good.

　But what if he turns his magical power to destruction?

　What if Leia Löwenstadt, who seems to be in his shadow, also turns her blade against humanity?

　It's not just a matter of a country being destroyed. In the end, the High Mentor of the Academy of the Wise falsely claimed that he was the one who had done it, in order to keep the story under wraps.

「I don't know what's that man thinking.」

　He never thought that Satoru would use a art that could cause a magical tremor in the city. Every time he remembered it, he was horrified, and the emotions he had been hiding swirled around him with jealousy.

「It's frustrating, but I'm not capable of creating a magic tremor of that caliber. ......!」

「High Mentor ......`」

　It's not a small surprise to Sheryl when she hears the quiet but definitely negative emotions in his voice. It was the first time that the old man, who was always as calm as a calm lake and as warm as the sun shining through the trees in spring, had shown any negative emotion.

　At the sound of Sheryl's caring voice, he groaned and shook his head, holding his eyebrows.

「At last, the danger of this person has become clear. I don't know if it was him who caused the magic tremor, or if it was someone who was lurking in his shadow. So...」

「It seems that he is still staying at the inn. I suspected that he had left the country when I stopped detecting him, but he hadn't left yet. I know it's dangerous, but I'm sending a team member directly to the inn.」

　At this point, they are only dealing with Satoru as if he were a tumor. If they were to be found, it could lead to a serious situation, so they are only monitoring him very loosely.

　The High Mentor narrowed his eyes, showing understanding of Sheryl's actions.

「I'm sure you understand, but pretend that you don't know about the magic tremor. If the other party mention it to you, you may owe them a favor.」

「Yes, sir.」

　The High Mentor now gives a caring look to the flaxen-haired woman who nodded resolutely.

「It's become a difficult task. It pains me to use you in this way.」

　Sheryl gave a small smile and shook her head from side to side.

「Please don't worry about it, High Mentor. It is my pleasure to be of service to you, High Mentor.」

「...... I'm sorry.」

　Shaking his head from side to side once again, the High Mentor took out a small silver plate from the pocket of his long robe and presented it to Sheryl.

「Here, I'll give it to you.」

「What is this?」

「It's a charm for strengthening "Magical Resistance". There is a possibility that they will try to read your mind.」

　Sheryl accepted the charm with a smile. If the charm contains the art of strengthening of "Magic Resistance", it can reduce or eliminate the effects of not only "Mind-Reading" but also many other kinds of magic. The other two are monsters with extraordinary souls. There is a high probability that they will do something to her if they don't trust her. There are two main ways to counter "Mind-Reading": one is to resist the art itself, and the other is...

「I'll try to keep my head as empty as possible.」

　Simple, but difficult. Difficult, but hopefully effective.

　After Sheryl had bowed and stepped back, completely out of sight, the High Mentor muttered evasively.

「Damn ...... If only I had a soul like that.」

　It was a voice full of vindictiveness, without a hint of the good-natured old man.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

　Sheryl put on her protection charm and, dressed in the full attire of a patrol at the Academy of the Wise, she headed for the inn where her target was staying. She exchanged glances with a member of the team who was nearby on surveillance. It seemed that the target had not left the inn.

　She asked the innkeeper if there were any large young men or women in the inn, was given a room, and walked up the stairs.

(Empty your mind, empty your mind)

　She told herself over and over, took a deep breath, and calmed her mind. One breath in front of the desired door. She knocked, and felt a tingle of static electricity. The feeling of touching a "Ward" - Sheryl's heart became even more tense.

「Is Satoru-dono here?」

「I'm here」

　The voice from inside brought relief and tension at the same time. Sheryl put her hand on the doorknob.

「Excuse me.」

　Sheryl opened the door with a click, and at the sight of the devastation in the room, she stopped moving for a moment, as if time had stopped.

　Inside the room, Minerva was lying face down on the bed, naked, with a look of contentment on her face. The next moment Sheryl, stunned by the scene after the fragrant intercourse, ran out of the room, her face as red as a boiled octopus, and closed the door forcefully.

「G-Get dressed, put your clothes on!」

「You only asked if I was here!」

　She could hear Satoru's angry voice through the door.

　She had unexpectedly witnessed the scene after an affair between a man and a woman. Her cheeks are hot with shame. The naked upper half of Satoru's body is burned into the back of her eyelids. I've completely blown off the whole "calm down" and "lose your mind" thing, but maybe this is better.――She thought about it and shook her head in panic.

　A voice from inside room said, "You can come in", and Sheryl opened the door, intimidated by a different kind of tension than before. Minerva was lying on the floor wrapped in a sheet, and Satoru was wearing pants and a shirt. Sheryl breathed a sigh of relief.

「To-Today, I've brought you information.」

「Hmm?」

　Satoru raises one eyebrow in response to Sheryl's backward voice. She clears her throat and covers up the blush on her cheeks.

「I've been doing a lot of research, but even with the information network of the Academy of the Wise, I couldn't get any solid information on where the 【Immortal King】 Yarth is.」

「Hou.」

　Satoru's eyes narrowed. She almost looked away from his fierce gaze, but the information around here was perfectly safe to be probed.

「After all, the 【Immortal King】 Yarth is a legend among legends. It is said that he is the only existence other than the Five Dragons that has lived since the time of the Ancient Magic Kingdom, but his existence has not been confirmed for the past 200 years. The last time he was seen was on the Dragon's Back in Galhassan.」

　Satoru moved from the bed to the table and sat down in a chair. With just a glance, he invited Sheryl to join him. Sheryl complied and sat down across from Satoru. He poured water from a jug into the goblet, offered one to Sheryl, and drank the other in one gulp himself.

「The Academy of the Wise wants to get to know me?」

「I guess it's not too far fetched. At any rate, I just want you to know that we have no hostile intentions. As proof, I've come to give you some information.」

　Sheryl took a sip of her water, feeling uncomfortable under Satoru's probing gaze. The last time he had visited the Chalk Tower, Satoru had drunk the tea that Sheryl had served him, and now she needed to show her trust by drinking the water that he had served her.

　He shrug his shoulder a little at the sight of Sheryl's nervousness.

「Well, whatever. Is that the end of the information?」

「No. That's not enough material to convince you. The Academy believes that the 【Immortal King】 Yarth is alive and well, just not confirmed to exist.」

　It's not wrong either.

　The 【Immortal King】 is currently believed to be three people. Yarth, Leia, and Amon. Leia is on the Dragon's Back, Galmul's peak is thought to have been in the Deepest Labyrinth, Yarth is completely unknown, and Amon is known to be in Nevis.

「Near here ...... There are two large labyrinths that have not been conquered, although they are both some distance away, where a Yarth class (classes) would be hiding. If Yarth is anywhere near here, it's likely to be one of them.」

「Hou. Where are they?」

　Sheryl took out a map from her pocket and spread it out on the desk. Satoru leaned forward to look at it, too. It seems to be a detailed map of this suburb. It seems to have been surveyed well.

「One is "The Labyrinth of No Return". It's a magical labyrinth in the Dale Wood Canyon that has swallowed hundreds of thousands of adventurers. I know the entrance to this one. ...... It's around here.」

　Her fingers, thin for someone who is trained with a sword, stroked the map. The information that Rico brought yesterday did not reveal the entrance to the labyrinth, but it is honestly gratifying to know that it did. It would save him a lot of trouble.

　Sheryl, on the other hand, was puzzled by the male scent coming from Satoru. She had never smelled a bare male, beastly or otherwise, so close to her. Raymond is also a manly man, but not as manly as Satoru - and before that, Sheryl had never been embraced by Raymond.

　The image of Satoru's naked body that she had just seen flashed through her mind again, and Sheryl struggled to put it out of her mind.

　Satoru compared Sheryl's neat profile with her fingertips, and noticed the ring on her right ring finger. Rico had told him when she was picking out the ornaments that the ring on the left hand was a sign of marriage, while the one on the right hand was a sign of unmarried life. It's a very elaborate ring, but she wears it on her right hand - she looks about the same age as Satoru. In this world, it must be rare for someone in their mid-twenties not to be married.

　Satoru remembers that she said she was a former noblewoman. She must have had some kind of hardship.

　Sheryl's supple fingers extended further east from Dale Wood Canyon.

「The other is the "Labyrinth of the World Tree", ......, which is said to be located in the Dark Green Forest, but this is an area controlled by the elves. It is said that those without the blessings of the elves cannot reach the World Tree in the center of the forest. Even if they do, the World Tree is a testament to the faith of the elves. It would be difficult to get permission to explore the great labyrinth that is said to lie beneath the tree.」

「Hmm ......」

　The map shows a very large area of forest. At least several hundred kilometers square. It seems to be larger than Dale Wood Canyon. He doen't know what the elves' blessings are, but he can ask Leia later. But it would be suicide to wander through such a vast forest without a way to deal with it.

　Sheryl glanced at Satoru, who was stroking his chin while looking down at the map with a serious expression. He looked to be about the same age as her. He had black hair, black eyes, a fearless face, a big body, and the scent of a man.――After seeing and feeling all of this, Sheryl felt her cheeks redden.

　I was out of my mind. I'm not such a loose woman, am I? Sheryl gave a small shake of her head, managed to put away her worries, and turned her attention back to the map.

「If you're confident, you might want to take on the "Labyrinth of No Return" first.......If you are not, I think it would be a good idea to take on the "Labyrinth of the World Tree". ......Can I ask you two a favor?」

「Just say it.」

　Satoru took his eyes off the map and cocked his chin as he looked sideways at Sheryl.

「Elves are a proud race. They will do anything to provoke your pride, Satoru. But I want things to go as peacefully as possible.」

「Hmm... ......」

　In many fantasy worlds, elves are generally a proud race. They are usually blessed with more magical power and longevity than humans, but less physical strength and fertility than humans. The forest is their friend, and they don't interact much with other species - I haven't heard the details, but I'm sure it's much the same in this world. I guess it's a template, Satoru chuckled inwardly.

「I'm sure you'll kick the crap out of anyone who stands in your way, and if I'm going to ask you to restrain yourself from burning the city to the ground, this is the only time to do it.」

　Satoru crossed his arms with a grunt. In the future, there may be no chance of contacting the Academy of the Wise. Sheryl has a point on that.

「Well, I'll think about it. If they don't listen to me too well, I might smash them, but I'll keep what you said in mind.」

「Thank you.」

　Sheryl showed a blatant sense of relief. It's true that he was a little belligerent, but he didn't mean to be so unreasonable, Satoru thought with a small chuckle in his heart. However, if the other party is scared, there's nothing better than that.

「One more thing is...」

「Oh, I'm talking about items found in the labyrinth. As for the items found in the labyrinth, the finder has the right of ownership, but as for the ones you don't want, can you please give them to us if you can? We'll pay for it, of course.」

「I see. So you want me to be a surveyor as well? That's quite all right. You're going to pay for it. If you want, I'll give you 10-20% off the market price.」

「Is that true?」

　Originally, he was not interested in the treasures of the labyrinth. Surely Leia can tell him what they really need, and if not, he can make it himself, so there's no need to push himself.

　Since the other party has made a concession, Satoru will make a small concession as well. If there is mutual trust, a deal can be made.

「It seems to be a very valuable piece of information. I've only heard glimpses of the "Labyrinth of No Return", but you told me exactly where it is. At any rate, just knowing that the academy won't get in my way is a big plus.」

「I'm so sorry.」

　Sheryl bowed her head stupidly and honestly.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

「Hahahaha! That woman ...... ahahaha!」

　After Sheryl left, Leia came out of the shadows and reestablished her "Ward", and after holding back for a while, she couldn't hold back and suddenly started laughing. She was laughing so hard she was holding her stomach. Satoru couldn't understand what was going on.

「What was so funny?」

「No, you know what? That woman's head was full of my Lord's body.」

「Huh?」

　Eventually, she laughed with tears in her eyes and shook her head.

「It seems she's still a virgin at that age. She's a rare beast.」

「A rare beast?」

　He wondered what would happen to you if you had been a virgin for over 200 years, but as expected, he didn't say anything.

「She had the "Magic Resistance" charm, but she was unlucky with me here. However, if the inside of her head I could see was filled with naked men, my mind-reading would have been useless.」

　Both Satoru and Leia were completely oblivious to the magic tremor until it was triggered. In the town of Aletta, he had anal intercourse with Leia for keeping silent about magic tremor. This is not something that can be done in this world to "Grant Items" with 14 different arts at the same time.. Naturally, the level of magical tremors would occur. Satoru was completely oblivious to the fact that it existed in the first place, and Leia was too happy to have completed an incredible level of magic to think about it. It was only when it occurred that she realized that it was not good.

　Satoru and the others decided to stay in the room, with the exception of Rico, who went out to do the rest of the information gathering and shopping, considering the possibility of the magic tremor being mentioned. In doing so, he had a sex with Minerva, which was a good thing.

　However, Sheryl didn't mention the magic tremor after all, and Leia tried to read her mind from the shadows using the "Mind-Reading" art to find out what she was thinking, but the result was this.

「Leia's conclusion was that」

「I think the academy probably disposed of it privately. A magical tremor of that magnitude occurred, and they definitely knew we did it, yet they couldn't touch us. Unless they're too dumb to see it, that is.」

「Like you?」

「Ugh. ......」

　Leia, who had done many careless things in front of Satoru, couldn't reply strongly and hung her head down.

　However, her analysis was accurate. Satoru pats Leia on the shoulder and smiles at her while comforting her.

「My bad, my bad. ...... For now, it looks like we won't have to fight.」

「No, I don't know about that.」

　Leia dismissed Satoru's optimism out of hand. Satoru raises his eyebrows.

「If they really want to establish a relationship of trust with us, they don't need to show up with the "Magic Resistance" charm, which she didn't have yesterday. I don't feel like trusting unconditionally a person who has taken more precautions than yesterday.」

　Satoru relaxed his shoulders at the reason that made sense to him.

「I see. I guess you can't be too careful.」

　If they truly trusted Satoru and others, they wouldn't need any exaggerated equipment. It's not easy to say, "I trust you," when you're wearing bulletproof body armor.

　However, it is because of Leia that she was able to notice the presence of the charm. She knew because when Sheryl knocked on the door, the wards shook. The "Silence Ward" is automatically "Dispel" when a third party touches the relevant room. It was the same this time, but the shock when it disappeared was too much for that.

　The two of them decided that there was still plenty of potential for them to become an enemy.

　Minerva was still giggling in her sleep. Satoru looked at the ebony-like wooden bracelet gleaming on Minerva's right arm, and then back at Leia.

「Anyway, you haven't decided what kind of magic you're going to cast on the ornaments yet either, have you?」

　In case you're wondering, Rico is still undecided as well.

「Indeed......When the time came for me to create the art as I wished, I felt a bit lost.」

「It's okay, there's no rush.」

　Satoru laughed, "First of all, if we try to create it again, it will cause another magical tremor."

　It's not a good idea to use big magic in city. Satoru strongly cautioned himself against this.

Previous Chapter --- TOC --- Next Chapter

Join Our Discord Server