I stood Yunes next to me, holding his right hand.
“Let’s go catch the sorcerer.”
“…But, I was given the order to follow Knight William.”
As I looked into Yunes’ pale eyes that were staring at me intensely, I spoke.
“I just saw it, right? That guy can’t use his power.”
Yunes trembled in both arms as he looked at me.
“…If it’s seen as an act of defiance and I get punished, can you take responsibility?”
Why should I?
I thought for a moment but decided I shouldn’t voice that out loud.
“Just focus on the results. If we catch the sorcerer, there will be no punishment. I have a surefire method.”
Yunes’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Y-you really have a surefire method?”
There’s no way.
I was just saying that to make him follow me somehow.
According to what the Archmage senior said, it largely depends on the individual’s magical ability.
“Yes, it’s guaranteed to succeed.”
“…Then, all right.”
Eh, it worked?
A half-hearted bluff.
Swish-
I opened my inventory and pulled out the potion bottle filled with the blood of the Orc battalion commander that I had collected yesterday.
After hearing the method to track the Orc sorcerer from the Archmage at the Gallery, the first thing I asked Recelin was where they had placed the Orc battalion commander’s corpse.
We were able to draw blood from the body that the soldiers had transported to the warehouse using a cart, to prove that the battalion commander had indeed been killed.
The blood and flesh of the Orc battalion commander.
That’s all the preparation we needed.
“Hihick!”
Yunes made a strange sound upon seeing the bottle filled with thick flesh and blood.
“Th-That… What are you going to use those for?”
I could tell his lips were trembling.
“Do you know about tracking magic?”
Yunes hesitated before nodding.
“I would call it basic… I’m familiar with tracking magic that uses blood as a medium. However, the Hemomancy of the third rank, Nobilis Revelare, which I know, can only chase entities with matching blood. To track an entire race with one individual’s blood would require much higher ranked magic. At least 5th or 6th rank.”
That was also what I had learned from the Archmage senior.
“But it is possible, correct? Regarding the Orc sorcerer.”
“Me?”
“As long as the magic to awaken the traces of the spell embedded in the blood is used correctly, we should be able to trace the location of the Orc sorcerer who cast those spells through Sorcery Tracking Magic.”
Yunes looked at me with a dazed expression.
“Only the Orc race leaves traces of sorcery in their blood after death. A battalion commander level Orc should have received quite a bit of sorcery markings from the Orc sorcerer, right?”
It was an incredible expression; a mix of confusion and seriousness.
“E-Eh, how can that be? There’s no way only the Orcs could have such a characteristic!”
It’s the same.
Last night at the Gallery, the Archmage senior’s comment, which he said was the expected reaction, continued to ring out.
– Archmage: No one would cry out that there could be such specific exceptions in the domain of magic.
– Archmage: However, it is because of such exceptions that it is magic. The realm of the miraculous. To make conclusions is an act of arrogance alone.
– Ah, I’ve seen this somewhere before. Wasn’t it the post someone uploaded when they were climbing the tower? It was adopted and pinned as an announcement, wasn’t it?
– Archmage: That’s right. When I reached level 30, I climbed up the terminal and gathered information unknown to non-mages, to prevent as many meaningless deaths as possible.
To tell the truth, up until that point, Master Archmage looked pretty cool to me.
Until the next comment was posted.
– ??? No, were you that person?
– ‘Invincible Iron-Blooded Magical Girl Ophelia,’ was that you? Damn, I was wondering where you’d gone.
– Hohoho, the nickname change was done well, but bragging about oneself and getting caught after decades, haha.
– Hohoho, it’s hilarious!
– Who’d have thought that someone who used that kind of nickname could become ‘Archmage’? Simple is best, an excellent development, haha! And yet, confessing and getting caught, wwww
– Pioneer: The hardcore difficulty newcomers probably all noticed but pretended not to. Why are you blowing yourself up now?
– Demon Dragon King: Beltoui- also knew, didn’t he.
After that, Master Archmage stopped posting replies or comments whenever I pulled up the Gallery.
Neither confirming nor denying anything, Master’s disappearance was akin to placing a massive weight on the scale towards confirmation.
“Stop saying you don’t believe it and just try.”
Yunes still looked at my words with half-belief.
“…Understood.”
Oh.
When I saw Yunes instantly pull out his magic staff, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
This ran contrary to what Master Archmage had expected.
– Archmage: Out of ten people, nine would likely ask which magic they should use, if you tell them to find traces of sorcery right away.
But he didn’t ask that question.
It was as if he already knew which magic to use, as he bowed slightly over the battalion commander’s flesh and stared at the blood swishing in the potion bottle.
“Do you know which magic to use?”
Yunes slowly nodded.
“The main area of my expertise is exploratory magic, so… I am aware that the magic that should be used in this situation is Arcana Revela.”
It was the same magic and name I had encountered in Senior ‘Invincible Iron-Blooded Magical Girl Ophelia’s’ comments.
Still, this person was smarter than expected.
After sprinkling blood on the flesh as I had instructed, Yunes began to cast the spell.
Yunes’ lips slowly parted.
“To reveal hidden truths.”
At the end of these words, a deep crimson radiance rose from the Orc battalion commander’s flesh.
Yunes’ complexion was gradually changing.
“There really are traces of sorcery engraved in the blood. I truly don’t understand why these characteristics only exist in the Orc race.”
All doubt and disbelief were now gone.
“Usually, the marks of sorcery and magical protection vanish when the recipient dies, but it appears that the Orc race uniquely retains them.”
A look filled with the curiosity of a mage was evident on his face now.
“It’s my first time tracking a sorcery caster, but I believe approaching it as I would when tracking a magical caster will work.”
Though the 3rd rank knight as backup was a failure, it was fortunate that a capable mage had come.
Sizzle!
As soon as another spell manifestation occurred with the spell circle, a momentary flash of blue light appeared before Yunes’ eyes.
“…I can see it. A blue line appears that indicates the direction. Though it appears that it’s only visible to me.”
As Yunes was speaking, his expression suddenly reverted to the blank look from earlier.
“Hihick! If this happens, I have to personally follow and guide you!”
I wasn’t at all surprised.
I originally intended to bring him along anyway.
“Guide me.”
“H-Hah!”
“I won’t abandon you to die.”
Just as I was busy soothing and coaxing Yunes, Risclein stuck her head out beside him.
“I’ll go as well, if we’re cutting the head of the Orc sorcerer.”
Yunes’ protection could be left to Risclein.
Though I might be turning into a bad person, there’s nothing to be done about it.
Risclein said she would prepare potions and simple food, and we’d depart in 20 minutes.
Hem!
The 3rd rank knight William, his face crumpled, glared at me while making a loud cough.
“I cannot fully trust your words, so I’ll focus my efforts on dealing with Orcs as they appear.”
Was it because he’d been openly embarrassed? Or because he took a few hits? The actions themselves weren’t problematic, and they were quite normal.
After all, someone must concentrate on defending this wall itself.
Since everything would fall apart if it breaks, my quest included.
“That’s a great idea, Sir Knight.”
Upon hearing my words, William suddenly trembled in his shoulders.
Why is he like this?
“Please do defend it well.”
I then moved forward, along with Yunes and Risclein, taking a Level 2 mercenary Lukerna.
Towards the front of the wall.
“At the very least, I must defeat the boss by tomorrow to attend the exchange meeting on the third-floor waiting room.”
Decisive action.
I made a quick decision to deal with the Orc sorcerer efficiently.
*
Kwaahaaaak!
An Orc’s scream-like shout pounded in my ears.
This one also exhibited an overly red glow in his eyes, undoubtedly an Orc that had received sorcerical protection from the Orc sorcerer.
According to what Risclein said, Orcs in a frenzied state.
There were no such Orcs with this look at the start of the forest.
I only started encountering them from midway through the forest.
[Mana Body Enhancement Lv.2 – Activating skill.]
I could feel mana spreading throughout my mana core.
With a black javelin, a dark single-edged knife, I vertically pinned the skull of the Orc charging from the left.
I swung my straight sword in a slash, severing the heads of the two Orcs rushing in from the right.
Blood and flesh splattered all over my armor.
Presently, my level had increased by 1, rising from level 8 where I started to level 9.
Unlike when killing just five to six monsters in the initial stages of the second floor would’ve increased my level, now, even after cutting down over twenty Orcs, my level hadn’t risen.
Still, I definitely felt an improvement in my battle sense.
As the Light Sword had said, sparring with the Golem mk2 was undoubtedly a great source of nourishment for me, but the fastest growth platform was actual combat.
And right after eliminating two frenzied Orcs who charged in without hesitation after seeing three of their companions die, I heard Yunes’ trembling voice from awkwardly standing beside me.
“We’re almost there. We’re getting close to an existence predicted to be an Orc sorcerer.”
Finally.
