Black Iron Magician

「Hey, Godo! It’s about time for lunch!」

The one who called out to him was his friend who’s also working with him. As dwarves, they are short, but their bodies are well-trained and they have the strength to bring down any trees with an iron axe. And the dwarf called Godo was just about to bring down a large tree.

「Oh, is it that time already? Wait a minute, I’ll bring this guy down now.」

「You sure are a hard worker. Being the one with the greatest strength in the village isn’t just for show, eh?」

「Hehe, stop teasing me. Well then, here I go. One, two――」

――――Zuuuuuun!

The roaring sound was not the sound of Godo chopping down the large tree. When he was about to swing his iron axe, a tremendously large earthquake occurred. It shook the trees in the forest, enough to finish off the tree, which was about to fall, instead of Godo.

「Gyaa! Gyaa!」

「W-What!?」

Wild birds flew out of the forest all at once, crying loudly. They flew at the same time as if it was arranged beforehand. Even two of them, who have lived in this area for many years, have never seen such a scene. Godo and his friend could only watch the birds fly south while being dumbfounded.

「Gii! Gii!」

「T-That’s the lord of the forest…!?」

Among the birds, there’s a vicious large monster. It’s a dangerous existence, a strong one that would prey on the birds flying around it, and even eat dwarves if they are unlucky. But now, it’s not even looking at the prey and is flying at full speed. Where are they going? Does it have something to do with the current earthquake? Godo and his friend tilt their heads.

「…… Perhaps, they are trying to escape from something that caused the earthquake?」

「E-Even the lord of the forest is? But, what exactly is that something?」

「There’s no way I know about that.」

There’s no sound of birds in the forest anymore. It seems that the group of birds, that are flying to the horizon, were all the birds in this forest. The strangely quiet forest is eerie and clearly an abnormal situation.

「Now is not the time to eat. We should head back to the village and make sure everyone is safe.」

「Yeah――」

The silent forest was suddenly filled with the sound of loud footsteps. The sound gradually became louder, and it finally passed by Godo.

「Whoa!?」

A deer ran past Godo, who put himself on guard. It keeps running as if trying to run away from the forest.

「A-Are you okay, Godo!?」

「Y-Yeah…. First birds, and now beasts. Really, what’s going on?」

「That one was the forerunner. The footsteps are heading this way. Let’s get the hell out of here.」

「We’ve got to let everyone in the village know…!」

A few moments after Godo and his friend left the forest, a crowd of beasts and monsters from the forest were rushing on the spot. They are running as fast as they can, heading in the same direction as the birds that had left the forest before them. Godo and his friend were worried that the village would be caught up in the rush of the beasts, but strangely enough, the beasts avoided the people’s dwellings. It was as if they didn’t have the time to mind about it, and it made the dwarves even more suspicious.

Furthermore, this abnormal situation was witnessed not only in Crocus, but also in various places of the Jiba continent. It’s not known what was appealing to their wild instincts. But, the only thing known is that they all seem to be heading in the opposite directions from the center of the continent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Galdevalan, the country of martial arts, was the first country to detect this phenomenon. Why did they notice it first? There are many reasons, but the first reason will be the same. The trauma that was once implanted there was not just for the soldiers. It was implanted in the country itself. This is a feat that’s possible only by Galdevalan, who has been mobilizing the entire country and is constantly watching the movements of Adelheit, trying not to overlook even the slightest change.

The ruler of this country is a transcendent person who is called the “Warrior King”. He is trusted greatly by his subordinates and the people who serve the country. In this country with an overwhelming meritocracy, he has risen to this position with his power. When he was very young, he killed monsters barehanded. He has defeated many famous geniuses and made them submit with his power. When it came to war, he took the lead and took down the enemy’s general by himself. His power is said to reach level 7, and he’s rumored to be stronger than the three heroes who were nominated the other day.

「B-Bad news!」

A soldier entered hurriedly into the solemn place, the audience room of the Galdevalan Castle that somehow has a Japanese-like atmosphere. He seemed to be at his wits’ end, and he came to report to the Warrior King who’s sitting on the throne.

Even in normal times, the Warrior King wears a war outfit, and he looks like a warrior most of the time even in the castle. He also wears a faceguard, so you can’t see his expression. Not knowing what he’s thinking makes his subordinates feel respect and awe at the same time.

「… What is it?」

The Warrior King’s voice was low, but loud enough to echo in the audience room. Just hearing this voice makes the soldier more nervous and his heart beats harder. Feeling such pressure, the soldier kneeled on the floor.

「We have a report from the head of the security division! A large-scale tremor was observed in the center of Adelheit, probably in the capital Diana! Based on the explosive flow of magic that was detected at that moment, it’s assumed that it was not a natural earthquake, but an artificial one! At the same time, there are reports that wildlife from all over the Jiba continent have begun to evacuate from the center! It’s an emergency situation, and we need your immediate instructions!」

「…… I see.」

The soldier swallowed his saliva and waited for the answer of the Warrior King, who’s silent as if thinking about something. The Warrior King wants the reports about Adelheit to the point of being excessive. It is to strengthen the defense of the country, and at the same time, it is a sign that he’s not giving up on challenging Adelheit, whom they were once lost to. Such a rumor was spreading among the soldiers.

(He’s preparing to fight again against the country where the Red Devil is. What a strong spirit the Warrior King has…! But…!)

There are many traumatized people among the strong soldiers who serve the Warrior King. They respect the Warrior King, but in their hearts, they don’t want to fight that country, no, that Red Devil anymore. That’s why they are afraid that the Warrior King would declare that now is the right time to attack.

「………」

「………」

The Warrior King still hasn’t given his answer. It’s not possible for an ordinary soldier to know what is in the mind of the Warrior King, but he could not stop believing that the Warrior King is thinking of something amazing he couldn’t think of. Now, let’s take a peek at the Warrior King’s mind.

(――Oh shieeeeeeet! A big earthquake occurred in the center of Adelheit!? No matter how you think about it, the cause is the 『Massacre Princess』 Nell Lemure, right!? Coincidentally, today is the day she would get married that’s written in the invitation letter. No, it’s absolutely not a coincidence. Yeah, it’s inevitable. I couldn’t hide my surprise when I heard that the devil is going to get married, and in the first place, there’s no way it’s going to be a normal ceremony. Also, why the hell did they send an invitation letter to me…. There’s no way I would go…. If I go, my trauma will…. If I don’t go, I don’t know what will she do by using it as an excuse…. What kind of harassment is this…? Please leave me alone….)

Not only the soldiers and the country, but the Warrior King is the same. He is also traumatized. Apparently, there will be no more conflict between Adelheit and Galdevalan.