Foreigner Volume 7, Chapter 115

Volume 7 Chapter 115, Magic Sword ~ 23

　From that day on, the office of the High Mentor, who presided over the Academy of the Wise, was occupied by a temporary master.

　Normally, when the High Mentor is absent, it is customary for the oldest of the eight mentors, according to the number of attributes, to take his place, but this time, for some reason, the youngest of the mentors, Mentor Areus, was appointed, and there was a bit of a commotion in the academy. Rumors had started that the High Mentor Graham Coogan, who could no longer hide his old age, had nominated him as his de facto successor.

　There is no doubt as to the fact. Graham Coogan, who had held the position of High Mentor for several decades, the longest of any Mentor in history, had temporarily entrusted the position to the younger and more mature Mentor Areus, rather than to Mentor Parcell, who was the oldest in terms of rank and age but somewhat narrow-minded, in case something should happen to him.

　It would be nothing if he could return safely. Of course, I don't expect him to fail, but if he does, I will be held accountable―that is, if he makes it back alive.

　Even as a deputy, a High Mentor has a wide range of duties. Fortunately, the chief secretary stayed behind, and with his help, Mentor Areus worked hard as a deputy. As Mentor Areus was signing the documents, a knock sounded in his ear. Without looking up, Come in, he responds to the knock and looks up, noticing the soft scent of the wind coming from the other side of the open door.

「Mentor Areus.」

　There she was, a beautiful young woman who serves as the leader of the watch list task force. Areus smiles softly at the beautiful woman.

「Ah, Maylander, the leader of the task force. Is there any movement in the target?」

　In the absence of the High Mentor, the report of the task force that is currently working under his watchful eye is one of the matters that Areus must deal with. The team and Areus had been given the Calling Stone that Graham Coogan personally had, so if it is faster to communicate directly with Coogan, she will do so, but otherwise, some matters require the approval of Areus as acting High Mentor.

　Sheryl bows to Mentor Areus's soft smile. In fact, Mentor Areus is over 40 years old and still single. Sheryl is unaware that her grandfather Graham is hoping for her to marry this Mentor, who's late in marrying.

「No, there is no movement on the target yet. In the meantime, the Head of the Holy Sword Clan, she will now proceed to the next stage」

「Oh, thank you for your report」

　He had heard that the head of the Holy Sword Clan would follow up on the day after the High Mentor's departure, so there was no problem there. However, the words that followed left Areus a bit puzzled.

「So, I would like to come with them.」

「.........」

　His usual smile remains the same. However, Sheryl sensed a clear change in the atmosphere beneath the smile and continued to wait patiently for Areus' response without losing her stiff and immovable posture.

　The reason she went out of her way to meet with him was probably to get permission to accompany the head clan, even though it was not a matter to be reported to Areus. Sheryl is the head of a department in the Academy of Wise Men, so she cannot leave the academy for days without proper permission.

「High Mentor Coogan has given me his word not to let the Maylander team leader leave.」

「.........」

　Grit, Sheryl bit her lower lip. Her grandfather must have known that Sheryl would think like this. After all, the enemy is a man who is said to possess a soul of unprecedented immensity. Danger could be lurking anywhere. Sheryl was good with the sword and with sorcery, but it was only natural that High Mentor didn't want to put herself in danger.

「Therefore. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.」

「......?」

　Sheryl was confused when Areus followed up. Without ceasing to smile his seamless smile, Areus returns his gaze to the High Mentor's beautiful-looking granddaughter.

「As the head of the watch list task force, you do what you have to do, and that's all that matters to me. I didn't ask. Okay?」

「......thank you very much」

　I'll let you go, so do what you want ― Sheryl bowed deeply to Areus' consideration. If it was all over and she went home safely, she would at least have to write a cleanup letter, but that's the least of her problems.

　After meeting Satoru, Sheryl, who had broken the rules and brought the matter directly to the High Mentor, felt that she had to see it through to the end. It was a courtesy to Satoru, who was going to be absurdly killed.

　Raising her bowed head, Sheryl gave a somewhat mischievous smile to the Acting High Mentor who had given her the opportunity to do so.

「Oh, Mentor. There is one thing I would like to discuss with you that is not to be left unspoken, would you like to hear about it?」

　At Sheryl's mention, Areus pulled back his smile a little. When you're told that you're not allowed to talk about something, it's human nature to want to listen. It might be a very dangerous story, but he responded with a look of blatant curiosity.

「...... I wonder what that is. I feel like I'm not supposed to listen, but as a researcher, I'm very curious.」

「How would you like to do? I don't have much time, though, as I plan to follow them soon.」

「Ugg...... mumumu. Okay, let's hear it.」

　Without much hesitation, Areus accepted Sheryl's invitation. Hearing from a beautiful woman about something that should not be spoken of ― there is a hint of immorality, but since she is willing to talk about such things, it seems that Areus has gained a certain level of trust from Sheryl.

　Although they had not had much contact with each other before, Sheryl had always respected this Mentor. She liked his gentle personality, which was not abusive toward others, and did not discriminate between people despite his high rank.

　Sheryl's expression softens as she maintains a straight posture.

「Have you met the head of the Holy Sword Clan?」

「Nope. I just saw what I saw. She's the woman with the mask and the winged lion (griffon), right?」

「Yes. That mask is said to be worn to alleviate a curse placed by an Ancient Demon King.」

「Oh, my goodness!」

　Areus leaned forward in honest surprise. The Ancient Demon King, the curses he had placed on her, the masks that alleviated the curses ― for Areus, as a researcher, each of these is a story worthy of study.

　The anecdote of the battle between the Demon Race and the Human Race that took place more than 1,500 years ago, before the establishment of the Ancient Magical Kingdoms, and the Demon King's defeat that was the outcome of that battle. It is a dark part of history. If you are a researcher, you must be fascinated by this story.

「It is said that the Ancient Demon King cursed the bearer of the Holy Sword to be the object of hatred by all living things. If you look at the head clan's face, you will want to kill her. The mask was designed to eliminate that.」

　Ohhhh, roared Areus, full of admiration. He can only guess how Sheryl obtained this information, but he can only assume that she must have gained the trust of the head of the Holy Sword Clan. And she probably also obtained permission to talk about it on the premise that she would choose the right person ― it would not be like Sheryl, who has been working hard on her duties as a member of the patrol team, to reveal the secret to a third party like this without the permission of the head of the Holy Sword Clan, and she must be aware of the danger of divulging the secret.

　Of course, once this matter is over, the head of the Holy Sword Clan will return to their base called 『The Land of the Beginning』. He will not get a chance to directly touch and study that curse. However, it is a great material to be able to alleviate the curse left behind by the Ancient Demon King with magic items.

「...... That's also interesting. The curse on the holy sword, and that aspect of it.」

　In the northern part of the continent, there is an area called 『The Garden of the Demon King』. For some reason, the circular space, which has a radius of about 10 miles, is considered a place where not a single plant or tree grows and where the living are not accepted. In fact, it is not known what is in the central region of the area. No one who has gone there to investigate has ever returned. As the name implies, it is said that the art may be the result of a curse related to the Demon King.

　The fact that it is possible to mitigate the curse placed by the Demon King, albeit in the form of a mask, is the best proof that human sorcery has the potential to surpass that of the Demon King. For Areus, who has set himself the task of investigating The Garden of the Demon King, being able to overcome the Demon King's curse is great hope.

　Sheryl straightens her posture with a smile.

「I knew the Mentor would say so. Of course, please keep this matter to yourself. Well, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything else, please contact the first stone. I have entrusted the rest to Chief Marquat, and I will ask the chief secretary to take care of the rest.」

　Areus gave a small chuckle as he stared at her back as she walked away resolutely, showing an impeccable courtesy that left no room for a single flaw.

「......As expected from the granddaughter of the High Mentor」

　From the beginning, she must have been laying the groundwork and making a difference to follow along. There would be no more calling stones in the countermeasures room, but that would only be a matter of passing the information on with the calling stones in Areus's possession. Areus was honestly impressed by the sharpness of her leadership.

　Areus knew that Graham Coogan wanted to marry his granddaughter to him ― in fact, Coogan himself had asked him before if he was interested in doing so.

　He had always believed that he was not the kind of person who would put his research first and take care of his family, so he had avoided such an idea so far, no matter how beautiful, smart, or family-oriented a partner might be, but she might be a good match.

　Areus was a little surprised at the thought that passed through his mind and returned to his duties as acting High Mentor.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

　After leaving Mentor Areus, Sheryl did not return directly to Isolde, who was waiting for her in the countermeasure room, but returned to her room and quickly prepared for her trip. She had originally prepared for the trip to see it through, so it didn't take her long. Next, she went to the stable maintained in the academy to prepare her horse. When it was decided that she would not be returning to Maylander's house, for the time being, Maylander's family had taken care of it and moved her horse here. The black gelding recognized Sheryl and came up to her, and she stroked her on the tip of her nose. A slightly older mare, she has a firm trust relationship with Sheryl and has no problem with the long journey. After saddling her and strapping on her luggage, Sheryl towed her beloved horse to the countermeasures room.

　Isolde was already prepared for the journey. She stroked the neck of the cavalry griffon and fed it chicken. While she was 【Shrinking】 the griffon, the griffon only needed to eat the right amount of food for its size, but Sheryl knew that if she did not take care of it as soon as possible when the griffon returned to its original form, it would be very hungry and difficult to feed it.

「Isolde-sama.」

「Oh Sheryl-dono. ...... horse? Don't tell me, you too」

　Isolde's voice was full of doubt as she turned around. Sheryl laughed pleasantly and said a few words.

「I want to see it through.」

　Without saying more, she looked firmly into Isolde's masked face. She had been told by Areus, the acting High Mentor, that he would let her go, but she had not even obtained Isolde's permission. It would be a bad idea to hide it from her. So she cut straight to the chase.

「.........」

　Isolde is also looking at Sheryl as if to value her.

　It is not possible for a stranger to join the Holy Sword Clan on their journey. In fact, Isolde has traveled all the way here alone. Although the clan rarely appears on the stage, they are unknown to the general public, so the journey was not difficult, and because she traveled alone, she was able to maintain her mystique.

　Isolde sighed behind her mask.

「Well, it can't be helped, can it? It was Sheryl-dono who first came into contact with Satoru. It is natural for you to want to see how it ends.」

　Perhaps out of consideration for Sheryl's feelings, Isolde awkwardly agreed to go with Sheryl. Sheryl's expression brightened. If Sheryl couldn't go with Isolde, she was going to go after her on her own. But in any case, Sheryl wanted to witness it from as close a distance as possible. And the best way to do that would be to go with her.

「Just, if the horse is ...... especially mares is not particularly good」

「Huh?」

「No, this guy. He might get excited and attack the mare.」

　Isolde murmurs as she strokes the griffon's neck.

「Ah ...... It's an eagle horse (hippogriff), huh」

　The griffon itself is considered the king of the beast of the sky, second only to the Flying Dragon, but its ecology is shrouded in mystery. However, they sometimes attack a mare and have offspring, which are called hippogriffs, a different race of beasts that are one size smaller than the griffon. The griffon has an eagle's upper body and front legs like a bird, while the hippogriff has only an eagle's head. Incidentally, hippogriffs are not capable of reproduction and are single-generation creatures. Although not as bad as the griffon, the hippogriff has a rough temperament and must be raised from childhood to be tamed. There are even fewer examples of taming the parent griffon, but the actual animal is right in front of them.

　Sheryl thought about going to the stable and borrowing a stallion managed by the academy, but for the carnivorous griffon, a stallion is nothing but food. Of course, Isolde may have tamed him, but the less risky the better.

　After a small twist of her head, Isolde shrugged her shoulders.

「It can't be helped. Hold on to my back」

　Sheryl was surprised. The griffon's stature is about 15 feet (4.5 meters), which is no problem for two women to ride on. However, riding with someone of such a proud position as the head of the Holy Sword Clan?

「Is that alright?」

「Don't be shy now. I will not be so careless with the one who has taken a single point from me.」(?)

　Pfff laughed Sheryl. After that incident in the bathhouse, Isolde is open to her. Sheryl took one, though she simply touched her blindfolded.

「So disciplined.」

「It's just a little out of order.」(?)

　Sheryl gave a small smile to Isolde, who responded discouragedly, and thanked her. She unbuckled the load that was strapped to her beloved horse and handed it to Isolde. Inside are only the camp equipment, a change of clothes, and food.

　She stops by the countermeasure room to inform them that she will be leaving on her own and asks them to return her horse to the stable. Sheryl left the rest in the hands of the elderly Chief Marquat, the third in line for the team. He is not a good practitioner and has a timid side, but he is a serious man who is devoted to his duties. There would be few omissions.

　With Isolde's help, she straddles the griffon's back. Sheryl is horrified by its size and height, which are overwhelmingly different from those of a horse, but she is not very shaken. It is unlikely that Isolde would ride in such a way as to shake Sheryl off in the middle. With a flick of her arm, Isolde lightly stepped over and took the reins. With a single, high-pitched "hai," the griffon flaps its great eagle wings, and the beastie in the sky carrying the two women floats softly into the air.

　Sheryl found herself a little excited, knowing it was inappropriate. In the blink of an eye, the griffon soared high into the sky, and the large city of Ares could be seen below. Sheryl was so taken by the overwhelming sight that she forgot to breathe for a moment.

　Sheryl is also a sorcerer in her own right, but she has never been this high up in the sky before. She is forbidden to look down on the Royal Castle of Strahltraun unless she is in a great hurry to do so. Isolde, whether she knows it or not, rides up quite high in the air and then maneuvers the cavalry beast.

「Sheryl-dono, we're only halfway there. You are only to see it through till the end.」

「Yes. I understand」

　Sheryl answered with a hand around Isolde's waist, feeling rude. She could feel Isolde's wonderfully toned physique in her arms. She felt a little ashamed of herself.

「Do not, by any chance, enter the circle that your grandfather is drawing.」

　Sheryl gulps as she hears the sound of the wind howling in her ears. The Forbidden Art of Magic Power Sublimation that Isolde had instructed to contribute to, the Reversal Magic Circle ― Of course, Sheryl does not know the details of this magic circle, or rather, very few people in the Academy of the Wise would even know of its existence. And yet, the Holy Sword Clan knew that the Academy of the Wise possessed and could use it ― how did they get this information?

「......I don't know the details of that circle, but can you tell me what kind of circle it is?」

　Sheryl asked, choosing her words carefully. Hmmm, Isolde groaned.

「It's an art to sublimate all the magic power in the circle. It's a very dangerous art, effective not only against labyrinths and objects but also against living creatures.」

　She was horrified. Not only people, but also animals, beasts, and even plants and flowers, all living things have soul and carry magic power in their bodies. If they are forced to sublimate their soul, it means that their soul will be extinguished. I know that the Acting High Mentor Areus has been researching and studying the barren land known as the 『Garden of the Demon King』, but Isn't that exactly what it is?―Suddenly, a small fear ran through Sheryl's mind.

「...... That means Isolde-sama is」

　Isolde waits for Satoru in the circle, that's what she must intend to do. If what Isolde says is true, even Isolde inside the circle might be in danger―But Isolde brushed off such fears with a sarcastic smile.

「As long as you possess the holy sword, sorcery and magic will not work on you.」

　Her voice is full of confidence.

　Right, that is why the Holy Sword Clan is feared by the world.

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