How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 43

Chapter 43: The Soot-stained Forest (4)

The ash-gray clearing was still silent. But the mass of light in the center was thrashing wildly, as if caught in a huge vortex.

Hwaaaack!

There was no strong wind, no loud noise.

But in the center of the clearing, there was a large explosion of light, enough to capture the attention of everyone present.

“What… in the world… is that…”

The swirling movement of light was dazzling enough to catch one’s eye, but since the surroundings were quiet, Jerit’s muttering could be heard clearly.

I continued to slowly reach out my hand. It wasn’t a living creature, but it felt like a welcome reunion, as if I had met someone after skipping a long time.

Ssst

The swirling vortex of light that was exploding was getting smaller and smaller.

From the size of a giant tree to an ordinary tree. From an ordinary tree to about the size of a human torso.

The swirling vortex of light, shrinking as if compressed, was now small enough to barely wrap around one of my arms.

Shwiiik!

Eventually, the swirling vortex around my wrist slowly disappeared, leaving only a small, faintly glowing pattern on my wrist.

The pattern, which shimmered faintly until the very end, soon faded away. Perfect equipment.

I nodded in satisfaction.

Kamuron’s Bracelet.

One of the legacies I hid long ago, an artifact that allows me to handle powerful heat.

Of course, there were many types of magic that could create flames. However, Kamuron’s Bracelet was a very rare item that allowed one to handle very powerful flames simply by infusing it with energy, without the need for separate chanting or hand gestures.

Of course, it didn’t just work with Magi.

Mana, Magi, and although I haven’t tried it before, probably Holy Power as well. As befitting a time-honored artifact whose origins are not exactly known, its biggest advantage was that it could be used with any kind of energy.

In addition, it even has the function of protecting the wearer from other flames. It was an object anyone would covet.

But after five hundred years, it has returned to me.

“…”

After taking one last look at the mass of light that had completely disappeared into my wrist, I raised my head and slowly looked around.

“H-Hiiik…!”

Two adventurers with completely demoralized expressions were looking on with terrified faces.

Thud.

I saw the adventurer who had laid down his weapon kneel. He had chosen to beg for his life rather than resist or run back into the maddening forest that was difficult to navigate.

“What… what did I just see?”

Jerit was just as surprised.

In his eyes, looking at me, who had effortlessly controlled and absorbed the mass of light that had burned and blown away an entire adventurer, there was a mixture of shock and admiration.

Swipe.

As soon as the shimmering mass of light in the middle of the ash-filled clearing disappeared, the temperature began to drop rapidly back to its original state. I wrapped the Inquisitor’s black cloak, which I had loosened slightly, around me again and said,

“Let’s go back to the village, Jerit. The incident here is over.”

🔹🔹🔹

There was nothing much to worry about in the aftermath. Or rather, there was nothing to clean up in the first place.

The energy that had been leaking from the bracelet had touched the Mana in the atmosphere, causing an abnormal heat in the forest. And with the recovery of the bracelet, the cause of the soot-stained forest, or rather, the Berenhith Forest’s temperature returned to normal.

Of course, the large ash-filled clearing deep in the forest and the soot on the trees wouldn’t disappear immediately. That was something that had already happened.

But now the cause was gone, and with some time, the forest would return to its original state.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

The Village Head, who had confirmed that the strange heat felt at the edge of the forest had disappeared, stammered his thanks to me.

I didn’t say anything like ‘Thank God, not me’ to the Village Head, who was even teary-eyed. After all, I was the one who solved the problem.

But that didn’t mean I bragged about what had happened in the forest.

“…”

I had acted for my own goals, and in the process, the villagers’ worries had been resolved.

Just that much sentiment. There was no sense of accomplishment or overflowing faith stemming from an act of goodwill.

Of course, no one blamed me for that. There was only one adventurer, bound with rope and with a sullen face, completely disarmed.

“Jerit, let’s depart.”

I didn’t accept the reward that the village had managed to scrape together, the money they had promised to give to the adventurers if they solved the problem.

I could easily request a small amount of money from the Inquisition, and Inquisitors who wandered the continent chasing traces of evil were not supposed to receive rewards.

Moreover, I had already obtained a valuable legacy left by a wicked black mage, Kamuron’s Bracelet.

“Everything was resolved well this time as well.”

Jerit said to me with a grin, his face filled with pride and joy.

I had retrieved the item that was my original objective, naturally completing the mission, and the adventurers who had initially attacked us were all dead, except for the one tied up behind us.

“Yes, it was resolved cleanly.”

I replied to Jerit and stroked the mane of the black horse that was waiting for me.

‘Except for one thing.’

Everything was clean, but one small question remained.

The seal on the bracelet that I had placed five hundred years ago had been somewhat loosened.

Of course, the seal wasn’t completely broken. If it had been, the uncontrolled energy of the bracelet would have rampaged, not just creating a clearing in the forest, but burning the entire forest to ashes.

The seal was damaged enough for the energy of the bracelet to leak out little by little.

I frowned and fell into thought.

‘Did someone sense the energy of the seal and try to break it, only to give up after realizing they couldn’t break it with their own power?’

Currently, that’s the most plausible guess.

I skillfully mounted the horse. Then, cheers erupted from the villagers who had come to the edge of the village to see me and Jerit off.

Ignoring Jerit, who was grinning to himself and waving to the villagers, I urged the horse forward.

There were some lingering questions, but it didn’t change anything.

Even though the energy was leaking out little by little due to the loosened seal, the seal hadn’t been broken until I arrived, and in the end, the bracelet had returned to my hand safely.

“We will pray to God for the Inquisitor-nim’s well-being!”

“Long live Hesterica!”

Leaving behind the cheers that weren’t so pleasant to hear, Jerit and I slowly began to move.

Above our heads, instead of the grayish-white ash that had been swirling in the soot-stained forest, pure white snowflakes fell softly.

🔹🔹🔹

Somewhere in the northeastern part of the continent.

A ferocious roar echoed through the deep underground where day and night were indistinguishable.

KwaaAAAAAAA!

Judging by its appearance alone, it was a hideous monster whose identity was impossible to guess.

The creature, which looked as if it had been made by patching together various creatures, was screaming with its three mouths located on its chest, not its face.

“This Mother’s adaptation is quite good.”

The old man muttered with a satisfied expression as he watched the scene.

His back, covered in a thick robe, was severely hunched with a protruding bump.

The old man’s bony hand, protruding from the robe and holding an grotesquely decorated staff, bore a strange pattern that looked as if it had been carved with a sharp knife.

An upside-down cross with blood vessels intertwined like black vines.

It was a cursed symbol that indicated affiliation with the Catacomb that served Caridad, the Great Demon of Charity, one of the Seven Great Demons.

“High Priest-nim, are you really…”

A black mage carefully approached the man from behind and hesitantly opened his mouth. He trailed off with a hint of hesitation in his tone.

Snicker.

The old man, the High Priest of the Caridad Catacomb, chuckled softly as he looked at the black mage. Turning his gaze towards the writhing monster in front, he opened his mouth,

“What are the movements of the other Catacombs?”

“There are none. Rather, the momentum of the Church is unusual. It seems like the Inquisitors are moving.”

At the black mage’s answer, the old man waved his skinny hand and said,

“Don’t worry about the hounds of Hesterica. It will be enough to deal with them after the Great Plan is complete.”

The old man continued, speaking to the black mage who bowed his head respectfully,

“Hurry the harvest in the ‘Garden’ even more. Mobilize all the remaining apprentices.”

“But then─”

The black mage, who was about to say something, lowered his head at the old man’s gaze and answered in a trembling voice,

“…Understood. I will inform the ‘Gardener’ immediately.”

The black mage politely answered the old man and slowly retreated.

“…”

There was a subtle mixture of emotions in his eyes as he turned and walked away.

“…Tsk.”

The old man stared intently at the retreating figure of the black mage, then turned his gaze back to the monster in front of him, screaming in agony.

KwaaAAAAAAA!

“It won’t be long now…”

Glance.

The old man looked down at the back of his hand with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

The flickering flames of the demon-shaped torches that decorated the altar were reflected in his eyes, causing a red glint to flash.

🔹🔹🔹

Crackle.

The flames crackled and burned the dry wood in the fireplace. The savory aroma of the soup filled with dried meat and beans, simmering in a large pot over the fire, filled the inn.

Thud!

With a rough sound, the old wooden door of the inn creaked open. A few men sitting near the entrance grumbled and pulled their collars up at the sudden rush of cold air.

Three guests entered the inn. An older man and two young men.

It wasn’t a particularly unusual combination, but a few sharp-eyed mercenaries immediately noticed something peculiar about their appearance.

The older man, unlike what one would expect from an adventurer, wasn’t wearing any equipment other than a thin leather armor.

An adventurer without weapons. Not a common sight.

Of course, the somewhat frightened-looking adventurer didn’t seem like a mage skilled enough to not use a staff.

“Phew, it’s a bit warm in here.”

The young man with a gentle impression murmured in a cheerful tone. The one who appeared to be the leader of the group simply glanced around the inn without saying anything.

“What will you have to eat?”

The innkeeper, who appeared yawning, asked in a slightly annoyed voice.

“Huh? Isn’t that Thomson?”

But before the young man could answer the innkeeper, a suspicious question burst out from someone nearby.

There was no separate answer, but a mercenary, who had risen from his seat and approached them, shouted with certainty,

“That’s right! Bearded Thomson!”

“…”

The young man in the black cloak slowly turned towards the mercenary.

Gulp.

The innocent-looking man who had spoken first took a step back and swallowed hard.

The young man slowly asked the mercenary who was muttering things like ‘No wonder he looked familiar.’ His expression was calm and cold, making it impossible to guess his intentions just by looking at his face.

“Do you happen to be acquainted with this person?”

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