Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 59

59. Ego Forest (2)

Rakhyun’s impulsive behavior didn’t stop there.

Clang!

The sudden sound of metal clashing. A sound all too familiar to me.

‘Those idiots!’

They must have drawn their weapons.

“Come out! You monster bastards! I know you’re hiding!”

Once again, a shout echoed through the forest. Even Drew’s eyes were wide with disbelief at Rakhyun’s outburst.

“D-Don’t you think that’s wrong? Making so much noise, and with weapons too…!”

They violated two fundamental principles of the Ego.

“Yeah. They’ll be here soon.”

The residents of the Ego must have heard it too. There was no way their sensitive senses would miss such a commotion.

“S-Should we run away?”

“…I think it’s too late.”

The grass around us was subtly swaying, in many places simultaneously.

Rustle. Rustle.

There was no wind in the forest, so it had to be the presence of something strange. It was definitely the Leaf Folk, secretly roaming the forest.

‘Well, it’s come to this.’

I wanted to avoid conflict with the residents here, but the situation had become unavoidable.

“Drew, don’t panic, and absolutely do not use magic.”

“O-Okay.”

I had to stay calm. Dozens of presences surrounded us. The Leaf Folk, drawn by Rakhyun and his group, must be watching us too.

“Alright. You’ve come out. You damn bastards!”

At that moment, Rakhyun’s voice rang out again.

“Ever since that day, I haven’t been able to sleep because of you! I’ll wipe you out!”

In that instant, light flashed.

Whoosh!

A light flared from the direction of his voice.

‘He’s really going all the way!’

Soon, embers began to spread throughout the Ego Forest. Even I was taken aback by the sight. Using fire magic here was tantamount to declaring war on everyone living in the Ego.

“Kyak!”

Eventually, those hiding throughout the forest revealed themselves.

[So many have gathered.]

Humanoid in appearance. However, their bodies were covered in green scales, and they had large, leaf-like hands. It was difficult to distinguish their presence in the bushes. They were the Leaf Folk from my memories.

‘Haa. I wanted to make a good first impression.’

They were shouting at the spreading flames. The red shadows reflected in their green eyes. It must have looked like a disaster to them, as this was their home.

“S-Stop it!”

“It’s a human!”

Voices filled with shock erupted in unison. At that moment, a figure darted out from among the Leaf Folk.

“Everyone, calm down!”

A low voice soothed the panicked Leaf Folk.

“Have these young humans watched over. The rest of you, follow me and provide support over there!”

A being with leaf-hands twice the size of other Leaf Folk. Its appearance clearly revealed an extraordinary presence.

‘A bit young to be a chieftain.’

[Looks like the number one warrior.]

Even though the Leaf Folk were relatively weak in combat, the number one warrior was a different story.

‘At that level, he should be able to stop Rakhyun’s group.’

A title given only to the strongest warrior of each race. He could easily subdue Rakhyun, a 5-star mage.

‘Truly a guardian of the forest.’

At his command, the Leaf Folk shot forward rapidly, moving as if they were using teleportation magic. They navigated the numerous obstacles in the forest with incredible speed.

That left only five Leaf Folk in front of us. Just enough to keep Drew and me contained.

“Young human, what is your purpose in coming here?”

The closest one reached out a leaf-hand. As it moved, all the surrounding plants turned towards us, weeds seeming ready to bind us at any moment. It was the Leaf Folk’s signature technique, allowing them to synchronize with the surrounding plants.

“We have nothing to do with those people. I just came to see you.”

“Came to see us?”

“Yes. I need your help. I need to go to the Hall.”

The name ‘Hall’ escaped my lips.

“Wh-What?”

It seemed to have come as a fresh shock to the Leaf Folk, separate from the commotion Rakhyun had caused. The Leaf Folk’s large eyes were wide with surprise.

“…Young human, how do you know about that place?”

A space located deep within the Ego. The fundamental reason why different races came to live here.

‘Humans these days don’t seem to know about it.’

Even a thousand years ago, it was a place known only to a small number of humans, but recently, it was a place that could not be found in any literature.

“Speak! How do you know about it!”

For that name to come out of the mouth of an unfamiliar young boy, it was no wonder the Leaf Folk were taken aback.

“We must take him to the chieftain!”

“No, we must kill him before things get out of hand!”

The Leaf Folk were quite agitated. Even those gentle creatures were not hiding their aggression.

I was wondering where to start explaining when…

Thump!

A vibration shook the entire forest. A fierce current suddenly swept through the trees.

“Wh-What is it!”

“It’s where Klal-nim [respected title] went!”

“Strange power!”

The shockwave strongly shook the earth and vegetation. It was not a technique used by the Leaf Folk, nor was it an energy that someone like Rakhyun could create.

‘Could it be…!’

There was only one thing I could guess.

‘Rakhyun has really gone crazy!’

I quickly shouted to the Leaf Folk.

“You have to stop him quickly!”

“Wh-What! Young human, do you know what this is?”

“It’s a mana bomb!”

“M-Mana bomb?”

“You have to stop him quickly! If that explodes, this entire area will be devastated!”

The Leaf Folk were rapidly panicking, but…

“Young human! Are you trying to trick us so you can escape!”

They didn’t seem to be willing to let me go easily.

‘Ah, I don’t have time!’

I immediately activated the bracelet on my wrist.

Whoosh!

A portal suddenly appeared in the forest. It was only natural that the Leaf Folk’s attention was drawn to this strange sight.

“What are you doing…?”

Horror was etched on the faces of those who were wary.

“T-That’s!”

“Our mark!”

A thing that popped out of the subspace portal. A small scale that was now in my hand. It was the uniquely shining green scale.

“You know better than anyone what this is, right?”

It was the Leaf Folk’s mark. Like the stone that the Suin [beast-like race] girl had given me a while ago, it was an object given only to the race’s righteous person.

“H-How can a young human!”

However, the reason why the Leaf Folk were horrified was not simply because I had taken out the mark.

“A shining mark!”

This shining scale in my hand was something that only the chieftain could bestow.

‘Let’s use your favor.’

An object I received for helping the Leaf Folk’s chieftain in my previous life. That object, which had been kept as a trophy in Ias’s residence, had appeared in the world after a thousand years.

[I’m using this here.]

Of course, even if they were descendants of the Leaf Folk, it would be difficult to recognize at a glance that this scale was a thousand years old.

However, the shining scale mark was undoubtedly something that only the chieftain could bestow.

“Doesn’t this prove that I am the Leaf Folk’s righteous person if I have this?”

The atmosphere was instantly reversed.

“B-But, there’s no way our chieftain would have given this to a young human!”

“He’s someone who doesn’t meet humans!”

The Leaf Folk started to stir. They mistakenly believed it was given by the current chieftain, not the chieftain of a thousand years ago.

‘I’ll explain later.’

Now was not the time to unravel that old story.

“Let’s go quickly! Ego is in danger!”

Even at this moment, a vast energy was raging.

“If you don’t want to see a disaster befall Ego, quickly lead me there! You won’t be able to escape if you guys hold me and take me!”

Another roar followed. Only then did the Leaf Folk, who had been wavering, steel themselves.

“Y-Yeah! Let’s take him first!”

“Let’s take him directly!”

“You won’t be able to escape!”

The Leaf Folk quickly approached us, grabbing Drew and my hands.

“Ian! What are these people trying to do?”

Drew widened his eyes, looking uneasy. He was the one who hadn’t said anything yet after listening to the precautions I gave him.

“You’ll know when you see it. It’ll be a little fast, so it’s more comfortable to close your eyes…!”

Before I could even finish speaking…

Whoosh!

Just as my vision flashed, the scenery in front of me changed.

‘It’s still the same.’

They moved at lightning speed as long as they were in the forest. It was possible if they became one with the numerous trees.

It was the first time in a long time that I had experienced the Leaf Folk’s ability. But there was no time to indulge in sentimentality. Rakhyun and his party were not far away.

The rapidly changing vision quickly stopped.

‘As expected……’

My brows furrowed involuntarily.

Some Leaf Folk and humans were lying around, injured. But it wasn’t just because of that. It was because of the object in Rakhyun’s hand, who was confronting the Leaf Folk.

‘My guess was right.’

A red bead the size of a fist. It was absorbing the surrounding energy at a terrifying rate. That was the reason why my brow narrowed.

[It’s a mana bomb.]

A tool that instantly absorbs and detonates the mana scattered around. It was a prohibited item to manufacture because it could lead to a major accident.

[Did he buy it on the black market?]

Depending on the amount of mana around it, it could cause an explosion equivalent to an 8-star fire magic.

‘This is the worst.’

It was too big of a threat to Ego. There was plenty of mana, and there were many trees that could burn.

‘Is that why he was acting up?’

Rakhyun’s venomous eyes scanned the Leaf Folk.

“You guys are doomed today!”

And the Leaf Folk, who could not easily approach Rakhyun, were terrified.

“Human! What are you up to! Stop it!”

Even Klal, the Leaf Folk’s number one warrior, was hesitating, unable to respond.

[There’s no way.]

Once activated, there was no way to stop the mana bomb unless the caster deactivated it. It would be easy for Klal to kill Rakhyun, but if he did, there would be no way to stop the mana bomb.

‘Ha. He doesn’t even know what he’s trying to do.’

I was disgusted by Rakhyun’s triumphant appearance. It meant more than just the death of a few Leaf Folk.

If the Ego Forest was damaged to that extent, the other races would not end it by simply taking Rakhyun’s life.

“You! Do you want another great war!”

Like Klal’s angry voice, it was a problem that could escalate into a war between humans and other races.

“I don’t care! I just need to kill you guys. You’re the one who made my eyes like this before!”

“That’s because you were trying to kidnap a Leaf Folk child!”

Even during their argument, the mana condensed by the mana bomb did not stop.

‘It’s about to explode.’

I called one of the Leaf Folk next to me.

“Hey.”

The Leaf Folk couldn’t take his eyes off the imminent situation. He didn’t even realize I was calling him.