Chapter 56: Briefing

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It had been one month since Starry Sky arrived in the royal capital. Through repeated discussions mediated by the Adventurers’ Guild, the contract with Dawn had finally been finalized, and plans for the future had begun to move forward. Seeing it as a convenient milestone, Vasily decided it was time to proceed to the main objective.

“Now then, we will begin the meeting regarding the strategy for conquering the Abyssal Forest.”

Eight people had been gathered. From Dawn: Marianne, Carla, Astrea, and Finn. From Starry Sky: Arianrod, Alicia, and Vasily. And lastly, Marcus—the head of the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters—had also been summoned.

“First, the conclusion. Our goal is the complete traversal of the Abyssal Forest. We will investigate what happened there and resolve the problem. Now that the Demon Lord’s army has disappeared, the greatest threat facing adventurers will be that forest. Therefore, the task has fallen to us, who are evaluated as the most outstanding among adventurers.”

“Originally, we of Dawn had also begun investigating that forest. However, the difficulty level is entirely different from other Tainted Zones. Even environmental surveys have barely progressed, so when Barbarossa-sama proposed this plan, it was like a blessing in disguise. That is why we agreed. We look forward to working with you.”

“We look forward to it as well.”

Following Marianne’s bow, the other three bowed their heads as well. Vasily resumed speaking with a wry smile as Aria reflexively bowed along with them.

“The Abyssal Forest is an environment far more unusual than other Tainted Zones. I have infiltrated it several times myself, but I never felt like I could reach the deeper layers. As a Dark Elf, I can say this with certainty, the influence of magic in that land is abnormally strong.”

“Ah… come to think of it, aren’t Dark Elves close to magic?”

“Yeah. Dark Elves are those who leaned slightly toward that side and ended up immersed in magic without losing their sanity. Though to be honest, I don’t know the full truth myself. I just know my intuition isn’t wrong.”

“Now that you mention it, I did feel a somewhat rough sensation. Was that the feeling of magic?”

“Hm… None of the other Saints have shown anything like that.”

“Maybe it’s something special? Honestly, Mari’s magic feels a bit strange.”

Vasily showed a suspicious expression at Astrea’s remark.

“Strange?”

“Yes. No matter how strong the monsters are, it erases them regardless. If the Church truly possessed such absolute power, Tainted Zones would have disappeared long ago.”

“I see. So the Holy Smite is that powerful.”

“I’m honored.”

In truth, no one had yet discovered why only Marianne’s magic possessed such strength. The Church had conducted investigations as well, but no matter what experiments they performed, they could not reproduce the results.

They even attempted to recreate the circumstances by using orphans under identical conditions, yet the same phenomenon never occurred. While the Church was still uncertain about how to handle Marianne, the group survived and rapidly rose to become Gold-ranked adventurers. In a rush, she was certified as a Saint and placed under the authority of a Cardinal. Thus, even the Church itself did not fully understand her power.

“That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if Mari is sensitive to things like that.”

“I see. Understood. If she is a special individual, that is all the better. What we seek are people who possess both excellence and uniqueness.”

Of course, if the cause could be uncovered, it would benefit the entire world. However, Vasily had absolutely no intention of pursuing such a thing. To begin with, special abilities were pointless to overthink. Given the countless absurd abilities she had learned about through the Knowledge, it was enough to assume it was simply something Johann didn’t know about.

“If the influence of magic is strong, what happens? Simply put, monsters become more powerful, and it also has negative effects on the body itself. If we reach the deeper layers… I’d rather not imagine what would happen.”

“Then we must prepare countermeasures. If only I could do something about it…”

“Marianne-chan’s power really is one of a kind… Can you create an area that’s resistant to magical influence?”

Asked by Alicia, Marianne thought for a moment before answering.

“It’s possible. However, it would be difficult without considerable power. If it were merely a barrier, that would be one thing, but if it’s a sanctuary, I could maintain it for only about half a day at most. That’s assuming I don’t keep pouring power into it continuously…”

“And in addition to that, there will be monster attacks. We should assume a forced march would be impossible.”

“…Can anyone maintain it?”

“No. Most likely, it would require a Saint or someone with comparable abilities.”

Everyone fell silent. The Church’s magic was fundamentally different from the magic circulating in the world. It required handling a specific type of magical power, and priests had to gradually transform the magic within their bodies into a form suited for such magic from childhood. Highly skilled mages could manipulate their own magical power at their fingertips to perform healing, but the difficulty of using offensive or defensive magic was on an entirely different level.

It was a technique even Vasily could not use.

“…We’ll think about that once we advance further. Based on Starry Sky’s experience conquering many ruins and labyrinths, leaving and returning later has little meaning. Quite literally, the environment resets itself. So for the time being, the main focus will be investigations in the name of conquest.”

“I think that is appropriate. It is not a place where we can afford to push ourselves.”

If they pushed too hard, they would die. Based on past experience, Dawn understood this well, while Starry Sky arrived at the same conclusion by recalling their travels.

“Monster data, environmental surveys, path creation, safe zones…”

“This is practically land development…”

Alicia muttered with an exhausted expression.

“Well, we’ll first traverse it ourselves and grasp the overall situation. After that, we’ll see. If it reaches a level where the Adventurers’ Guild can handle the investigation, handing it off entirely is also an option.”

“Nine times out of ten, that won’t be possible. If we assume the worst case, we might only manage to establish a foothold after several years.”

“With this lineup, if we still can’t make progress, we’ll just have to accept that humanity isn’t ready yet.”

Vasily shrugged at Finn’s words.

“…I can at least provide some information about the shallow layers. As for monsters, I’ve evaluated them using my own personal scale, and Astrea has been mapping the areas for me. The early stages should be easier.”

“Oh, that’s a huge help.”

Vasily smiled brightly, but then she noticed that the members of Dawn looked somewhat uneasy.

“Uh… hey Finn, your evaluation scale… you mean that one?”

“Hm…? Is there a problem?”

“Well… it’s not exactly a problem…”

“That is… it’s just not something that should be widely used…”

“What’s with you all? It’s pretty easy to understand.”

“It is easy to understand, but we don’t like it.”

“…What exactly is it?”

Seeing that no one was affirming it, Vasily couldn’t help but ask. The other three, except Finn, averted their gazes and pressed their lips together.

“Well… it’s like I converted my own intuition into numbers…”

“…And that’s easy to understand?”

“Yes… it is, in fact, easy to understand…”

“…I won’t deny it.”

“Alright then, I’ll receive it later. I’ll use it as a reference.”

“Sure. Ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

For Finn, a mere villager, to come up with the idea of converting intuition into numbers was entirely the result of Vasily’s education. After all, he had been personally taught by the very person who brought civilization to this continent. Doing something like that was only natural.

“Hm… aside from me, Alicia and Aria will be seeing it for the first time. I was planning to go scout the place tomorrow.”

“I see. Master, have you fought the creatures there before?”

“No, I usually moved carefully to avoid being detected, so I never fought them. Though I have carried out one-sided ambushes before…”

“Then I’ll accompany you. If there isn’t a shield bearer there, you’ll die.”

It was a serious suggestion. Vasily couldn’t quite measure the meaning behind the words, but no one from Dawn denied it. In fact, they nodded with grim expressions.

“…Understood. Finn, I’ll rely on you.”

“No problem. That’s why I’m here.”

“Just in case, I will accompany you as well. Is that alright?”

“Yes, that’s fine. In fact, why not have everyone come?”

“I’ll pass.”

“I will also refrain. Our firepower should already be sufficient, and we shouldn’t increase Finn’s burden.”

The burden on a shield bearer increased the more people they had to protect. Thus, Carla and Astrea would remain behind. The only companions would be Marianne and Finn, forming a lineup that made sense.

(…However, ‘you’ll die without a shield bearer,’ huh? It doesn’t look that dangerous to me. though)

It wasn’t that she doubted her disciple’s words. But based on her own senses, it hadn’t seemed that threatening.

(No, that’s not good. Assumptions like that only increase risk. I have to switch my mindset before facing it…)

Vasily was a Platinum-ranked adventurer. And because she had changed fate through the use of Knowledge, she understood that assumptions were what most easily robbed her of her composure.

Just how strong Finn had become? And how powerful Marianne, his companion, truly was? This scouting mission would also be a perfect opportunity to confirm those things.

(I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out…)

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