Ch. 123
Chapter 123: The Days Toward the Rostingia Marcher Lordship (7)
The party of the forest mage wasn't particularly grand.
It consisted of five guards who gave off a somewhat strange aura, three servants, and one elderly man who looked quite advanced in years.
That old man looked so full of wisdom that anyone who saw him would have shouted out that he was surely the mage. At least, in appearance.
“Whoa.... Is that the Sage of the Forest? He really.... looks exactly like a mage, doesn't he?”
“...What do you mean, he looks like a mage, Miles?”
“Look, look. Just look at that.”
Miles whispered while pointing his finger at the old man. With a grey robe, a luscious beard, and a long wooden staff, he certainly looked the part of a self-proclaimed mage.
Furthermore, look at the scene now.
“Lord Agpiel! Thank you for visiting us personally. It's an honor.”
“Lord Sage. I haven't been able to sleep properly lately. Do you think I'm possessed by an evil spirit?”
“Can you tell my fortune?”
“I heard you can bring trees back to life.... The family tree at my house was suddenly struck by lightning....”
Nobles were clinging to him from all directions, struggling to get a word of advice from the mage.
It was surprising in many ways to see those proud nobles acting like that, but then again.... considering the status of that mage, it made sense why they'd behave that way.
“Hmm. Why? Haven't you always been curious about mages?”
Just then, Branch Manager Marhen, who had been watching from the side, approached while wagging her tail.
Shatien was the one who had expressed curiosity about mages who handled the mysteries. Now that the opportunity to satisfy that curiosity had arrived, it looked strange to see him staying still.
At her words, Shatien shrugged his shoulders.
“Do you think my turn will ever come? Especially with all those people crowded around him.”
“Well, that's true. Besides, he has to meet Count Joberham soon to give advice... but then again, isn't now the only chance you'll get?”
“Well, won't we be heading to the cursed pagan temple together anyway? I'll have plenty of opportunities then.”
“Hmmmm.”
Marhen stepped closer and stared at Shatien suspiciously with those sparkling eyes characteristic of the cat-beast-kin.
“Usually, when you act this mysterious, you have some other intention, don't you?”
“Ahem. Ahem. Other intention? What do you mean.”
“Hnnng! It's not like we've only known each other for a day or two; do you really think you can hide it from me?”
This woman was saying some dangerous things.
Shatien was startled by Marhen's words and shouted.
“Now, now, what are you saying? Others will misunderstand if they hear you.”
“Nyaha!”
“Goodness....”
Seeing her fur stand up as she jumped, it seemed she finally realized what mistake she'd made. Shatien clicked his tongue inwardly.
“An-Anyway... Don't try to change the subject. Tell me quickly. You mysterious man.”
“Just. Hmm.... You mustn't tell anyone else, okay?”
“Are you about to say something serious?”
“Well, that's....”
Shatien looked around cautiously and whispered in a low voice.
“I don't think that mage is the real Sage of the Forest.”
“Nyah!”
“Cough. Cough, cough.”
The people nearby all started coughing in surprise. Especially Centurion Jenga, who kept coughing until his face turned red, while his eyes looked at Shatien as if he'd gone mad.
“Are you crazy?”
“Do you even know what you're saying?”
“Oh my God. Our captain has finally.... lost his mind. I knew he was doing too well lately....”
Shatien felt wronged.
He'd stayed quiet because he knew he'd get this kind of intense reaction, so why did she even ask!
“Ugh. You were the one who asked.”
“Still, the answer should be within the realm of expectation. This is.... a bit....”
“Ahem. Right. I think you're being a bit extreme.”
Well, dismissing the party of the mage who had traveled all this way as liars was indeed crossing a line.
What madman would impersonate a mage? Their head would roll for it. For the crime of insulting a noble, that is.
Oh, of course, there were some bold fools who did impersonate them.... but this was a different case.
“I'm saying that old man doesn't seem to be the mage. I'm not saying there isn't a mage at all.”
“Hmm?”
“What does that mean now?”
Everyone tilted their heads.
However, Shatien couldn't give a perfectly clear answer.
In truth, this wasn't an area that could be explained convincingly.
It was a matter of how it felt.
‘That old man.... I don't feel anything from him. He's just an ordinary person.’
Of course, his tone and way of speaking felt quite wise, but that didn't prove he was a mage.
It was the mysterious power.
Unlike his wise way of speaking, no power of mysterious power could be felt from that old man.
‘I definitely felt it from the elven shaman last time.’
Shatien knew it now.
Living close to the mysterious power had allowed him to sense the mysterious power itself. Had he not felt that blazing, wild shamanistic mystery at the fortune-telling site where the elven nobles gathered?
‘In fact, I feel the mysterious power coming from those guards.’
Whether they'd undergone some magical treatment or possessed weapons with magical power, a thick scent of mysterious power wafted from them.
In contrast, not a single bit of mysterious power was felt from that old man mage who called himself a mage and was sharing well-wishes and advice with the surrounding nobles.
However, he couldn't just explain it like that. Shatien tried to explain it as indirectly as possible.
“Branch Manager Marhen. Is that Sage of the Forest normally that social? As far as I know, there's no such thing as a social mage among mages.”
Originally, to awaken the mysterious power, one had to cross a wall just like the knights called sword masters.
An obsession with and understanding of the mysterious power that bordered on madness. And a tenacious desire for inquiry to see through all things in the world.
Only when these were established could one finally read the mysterious power of the world, handle it, and awaken to it. And would mages who had gone through such a process really be as social as ordinary people?
Shatien looked at it skeptically.
Even his own master was quite eccentric, wasn't he?
“Hmm. You're right. The Sage of the Forest is a real... oddball.”
“What do you mean by 'oddball'...?”
“He likes to play pranks on others. He loves to pull the rug out from under those who show off their knowledge, doesn't care much for the laws of the world, and is famous for not even kneeling before a king.”
“Oh...!”
He was quite a crazy guy.
Specifically, not kneeling before a king meant he was no ordinary madman. It was the same as trampling all over honor and face.
But conversely, the fact that he survived despite that.
“It means he either has truly outstanding magical skills.... or he's someone who gives truly excellent advice.”
“In fact, they say the sage's advice is worth a fortune. There are endless rumors that some can see the future, or that some can make any wish come true.”
“Then why is a person like that here?”
Marhen shrugged her shoulders.
“He's an oddball. He must have been interested in this phenomenon. Anyway, nyaha.... Looking at it from that perspective, that old man is certainly suspicious.”
“Ahem. Ahem. Exactly. Hey, Shatien? Should I try to pull a prank on him?”
“Don't even think about it! Just because that old man is a fake doesn't mean they aren't the mage's party.”
As he said repeatedly, a thick mysterious power was felt from the guards they brought along. At the very least, they were indeed the mage's party.
Though he didn't know which one was the mage.
“Huh? Then.”
“It means someone is in disguise. Waiting behind the scenes, watching this show, and waiting for the moment to pull a prank.”
At those words, the group all wore expressions of disgust.
What a terrible hobby.
Just then, a youthful voice from the side asked.
“Then are they acting in accordance with that intention?”
“That's right.”
“That sounds like quite a terrible hobby.”
“Well, aren't nobles usually a bit annoying? Pretending to know everything, pretending to be something they're not. From the Sage of the Forest's perspective, pulling a prank on those blowhards might have been quite enjoyable.”
Shatien answered while shrugging his shoulders. Then suddenly.
“Um... but who are you...?”
Shatien realized he'd replied a bit carelessly to this voice that had suddenly cut in.
It wasn't an acquaintance like Marhen or Miles.
It was a voice he didn't know at all.
He'd been replying without even realizing it.
“Hmm. That's amazing. I didn't expect anyone here to notice that.”
The person who newly cut in was a young guy who had been standing beside the mage as a servant. A handsome young servant with particularly impressive green eyes.
However, Shatien felt a sense of incongruity in that servant's smile.
He wasn't an ordinary servant.
And as soon as that judgment ended.
-Vrooooooom.
The mysterious power bestowed by Shatien's bloodline began to boil.
It was different from when the whole world turned red when he met his master previously.
With that young man at the center, the world was changing into a beautiful green color as if it had become a lush forest.
“Heh. Amazing. You. Unlike those with cow eyes, you seem to know how to look at the truth.”
Yes.
That young man.
An enormous mysterious power was boiling from him.
“Interesting. What's your name?”
“I-I am… Shatien.”
“Shatien! A good name I see. Isn't it a name used during the days of the ancient empire? Haha.”
When Shatien bowed his head to the young servant who had appeared suddenly, Miles and Centurion Jenga looked puzzled.
Wondering why that man was acting that way all of a sudden. However, Shatien couldn't answer that question.
‘An... enormous mysterious power.’
Is this a mage?
No, is he a mage who has reached the level of being called the Sage of the Forest? It was a pressure so great he didn't even dare to exhale.
“Oh my. I went too far.”
This young servant. No, the mysterious power the mage was expressing felt as if Shatien would fall to his knees immediately if it weren't retracted.
“I'm sorry. I saw something interesting for the first time in a while and got carried away.”
“No. Rather, I made a mistake. It seems I've spoiled the fun....”
“Hehe. Not at all. It's fine.”
The forest mage waved his hand and said it was okay. Then, Miles and Centurion Jenga, who were sticking close, secretly asked Shatien.
“Um, who exactly is he that you're acting like that?”
“Exactly. Who is this guy?”
Marhen didn't say anything, but she seemed just as curious. Shatien wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and answered calmly.
“He is.... No, this person is....”
“I should be the one to give such an explanation. Shatien. Oh, is it Sir Shatien?”
Then the mage gave a mischievous smile and struck the staff he'd suddenly pulled out against the floor.
“My name is Agpiel. The people of the world call me the Sage of the Forest. However, I often prefer to be called the Mage of the Arpen Mountains. Haha.”
And at the same time.
-Vrooooooom.
In an instant, green life manifested inside Count Joberham's fortress, which was covered in dull walls.