The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 113

113

Harbardonia is nominally treated as a single terrain, but considering the biological and geographical diversity and scale of the land, it was easier to think of it as a continent.

After traveling for a month and a half, we finally arrived at the Frostfang Gorge and hurriedly unpacked.

Frostfang was originally the home of the Germia tribe, but now they seemed to have migrated south to join the Griffon, leaving the gorge desolate.

As night fell, the tribe quickly set up tents and lit bonfires all around. This was because the undead, drawn to the scent of life, feared fire.

“We are currently here, at Frostfang Gorge.”

In this extreme land where paper was a luxury, Chief Beduel spread out a map on a wide stone slab in front of the bonfire.

The geographical features of Harbardonia were meticulously carved into the rock surface. There wasn’t a map this detailed anywhere in the Empire, which was quite impressive.

“We need to go around to the right, follow the Roborun tributary, and reach Lavenfell (Winter Harbor).”

Lavenfell was a port city built on the eastern side of Silver Horn Bay, the southernmost part of Harbardonia—yes, the only city built in this arctic region.

Until the 8th century, before the White Wolves and the Beastmen turned their backs on each other, people from various walks of life traveled through the North Sea, and the city flourished greatly.

Merchants came to obtain high-quality oil and leather from walruses and seals, adventurers sought fame, and wizards and witches came for research.

“It’s very close to the Barrier.”

“Not just close, it’s about three days away from the Barrier. If we hurry, we can reach it in a day.”

It was a geographical landmark sufficient to gather all the tribes. That’s why a sense of unease arose.

“Will we be able to arrive on time?”

The southward migration speed was several times slower than Rein had anticipated, likely due to the tribal movement.

The terrain of Harbardonia was by no means kind to the elderly, the weak, and children. And if a blizzard struck or the sun set, they couldn’t move further due to the threat of the undead.

If they were too late… if the war had already begun, it was obvious that everything would be in vain.

“Can’t we just go straight through here?”

Casena, who seemed to be dozing off beside him, pointed to the map.

Specifically, she traced a straight line with her index finger from Frostfang Gorge, through central Harbardonia, and south to Lavenfell.

Immediately, Barlzain shook his head.

“We can’t go that way.”

“Why?”

“That’s the Shen Plateau.”

“Shen Plateau?”

“Haven’t you heard of it? This is why you hairless ones… That place is the land of nightmares.”

The Shen Plateau was a plateau formed as the Mountains of Madness stretched southward, gradually widening and lowering.

This meant that the ancient beings inhabiting the Mountains of Madness could descend along the mountain range, so the Shen Plateau had long been considered a forbidden land by the Beastmen.

The topic seemed to end simply with Barlzain’s objection, but Chief Beduel looked down at the map with a troubled gaze.

“Yes, it’s certainly such a land, but…”

Sensing a hint of unease in that gaze, Barlzain slapped the ground as if to snap him out of it.

“Chief, if you’re thinking something strange, stop it. You’re not thinking of going there, are you?”

“The blizzards are becoming unusually frequent. At this rate, we’ll run out of food before we even reach Lavenfell.”

“That’s… still, this is the Shen Plateau!”

“Yes, it’s a plateau. There’s no better land for moving.”

If there was one advantage to the Shen Plateau, it was that Harbardonia’s unique unstable terrain did not apply there.

The vast, flat plains stretched out, making it the most suitable land for large-scale movements.

In fact, it was said that Enuel and his shock troops marched north along this Shen Plateau at the end of the war.

“You know what happened to the tribes that went there for a moment’s convenience!”

“I know. And those tribes didn’t have companions like us.”

Beduel’s gaze, which had been arguing with Barlzain, suddenly turned towards us.

That gaze was asking… our intentions and will.

Hesitating, thinking it would be a nuisance, Rein nodded, exhaling white breath in the tension.

“If the only goal was to move quickly, I wouldn’t have made this decision. But Barlzain, that’s not the only goal now, is it?”

“…!”

“We need to get these children to meet the Griffon. Isn’t that right, Alakish?”

Alakish, who had been silently watching the conversation with his arms crossed, nodded.

「This Alakish has crossed the Shen Plateau many times. It is certainly a dangerous land, but if one can pass through it skillfully, it will be the safest path.」

“Safe? How can this place be…”

「Don’t you know? There is no truly safe path in this Harbardonia now. Something is wrong. The cold wind is becoming excessively harsh.」

That was a problem that Barlzain, who had lived in this land his whole life, knew well.

Something was strange, something inexplicable… The abyss mixed in the cold wind had become so dense that it caused an unpleasant cold sweat to break out.

And the dark clouds that had been covering the heart of the Mountains of Madness for some time were enough to fuel that vague fear.

「It is clear that some anomaly has occurred in the seal. I must take these children to the Barrier quickly, and this Alakish must go to investigate it.」

With Alakish’s words, the meeting seemed to have reached a tentative conclusion.

The gazes of everyone gathered in the room lingered for a long time on the word [Säén], ominously engraved on the stone slab.

Even Rein had to swallow hard because of the vague fear that had permeated the land, which seemed to be made up of a huge mystery.

Finally, Chief Beduel took a tense breath and decided the future of the tribe.

“Barlzain, tomorrow, head southeast. We’re going to the Shen Plateau.”

* * *

“See? There’s no one here either.”

The white wolf frowned, blowing irritably on his frozen hands.

“This patrol is a damn waste of time. Where else would the Beastmen be if they haven’t joined the Griffon by now?”

They were called wolves, but they were not wolves.

The name “White Wolves” originated from the pure white wolf fur cloaks worn by the warriors who guarded the in the Age of Origins.

In addition to the wolf cloaks, their clothing was entirely white for camouflage. Woolen clothes, leather vests, and leather boots….

As such attire was passed down through generations, the name was also inherited, and those who were here now were also called White Wolves.

“No, this one is a bit different.”

Another wolf, carefully examining the desolate, abandoned village, stated.

“There are bloodstains and traces of scattered embers everywhere.”

His name was Seanwell, a Limites (2-star) mage who had just graduated from the Winterhold Magic University this year. Despite being a newcomer, he was treated better than other wolves.

Gutt, a senior wolf who didn’t like that, narrowed his eyes and retorted.

“Bloodstains are just from those guys eating food raw like animals.”

“And it’s also strange that the tents are still there. The Beastmen usually take all their tents with them when they move as a tribe.”

“Hmph! They probably just made new tents and took them. I’d throw this old thing away too if I were them.”

An old wolf, Jared, who had been listening to the strange reports from his subordinates, finally nodded.

“Seanwell is right. Something is strange here… We need to investigate further. Returning to the main force is secondary.”

“Huh?”

“Gutt, we’ll camp here. The tents are already set up, so we just need to light a fire. Oh, and put stakes around the entrance.”

“Sleep in tents that animals used to live in? Ugh, I’d rather freeze to death in the snow.”

“Well said. If you don’t start preparing for camp right now, I’ll personally bury you in a snow pit so you can freeze to death tonight.”

As Gutt, grumbling, led the team to prepare for camp, it happened.

The wind… the wind that swept through the dense branches of the pine forest felt like a sigh.

Primal fear, chills ran down their spines.

The hunting dogs the wolves had brought began to bark as if their throats would burst, and the horses tied in the barn frantically kicked and snorted.

“W-what is it?”

Suddenly, something cold and damp landed on the wolves’ foreheads and heads.

Before they could even realize what it was, a blizzard, more violent than they had ever seen, swept in, extinguishing all the flames that had been rising from all directions.

Was it because of the blizzard, or…? The cold that penetrated their bodies was so sharp that they couldn’t even move for a moment.

“…?”

And into that blizzard, a primordial being beyond human imagination silently walked in.

The exquisitely beautiful boy, who appeared to be about seven or eight years old based on his physique, appeared wearing a dark blue robe with long sleeves fluttering, and strangely, there was an indescribable majesty in every movement.

“K-kid…?”

“What the hell…?”

However, the skin beneath his dark blue, shimmering hair was as white as a ghost, and strangely, there was an indescribable majesty in every movement.

「Doon oe piaris.」

The primal fear that consumed the mage Seanwell’s mind at that moment….

The moment he spoke the primitive words for “kneel,” the limbs of the sixteen wolves around the boy were torn to shreds and scattered around.

The heads and torsos were caught in a spiderweb-like substance and hung in the air, and the boy thrust his hand into each of those heads in turn.

Each time that bizarre and evil ritual ended, the wolves became horribly withered, as if they had been deprived of their nutrients, and their heads drooped.

‘I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die…’

Only that overwhelming fear moved Seanwell’s body.

In a panic, he formed hand seals and haphazardly fired 2-star ice spikes, but the boy’s body seemed to be pierced by the spikes, but… it wasn’t pierced.

To be precise, every time it was pierced, a spiderweb immediately sprouted and regenerated the pierced area. In the blink of an eye.

‘Ultra-fast regeneration?’

The only being in this world who can use ultra-fast regeneration is… Seanwell blankly turned and started running.

‘I have to tell them, I have to tell the main force. That thing, that thing…’

But why was he getting closer and closer to the boy the more he ran?

The answer was in the finger the boy extended, from which a dark, murky spiderweb flowed out.

As the boy’s face got closer and closer, primal fear exploded, and Seanwell, whose bladder had burst, let out a desperate scream.

“S-save me, save me, please, pleeaaase──!”

In the end, as the boy thrust his fingertip deep into Seanwell’s brain, who had been dragged to his feet, a dark energy flowed out of the victim’s body and was absorbed into the boy’s hand.

‘While the King was asleep, these lowly things have built up quite a force…’

Shar’khas, who was directly extracting memories from Seanwell’s brain, slightly raised his eyebrows.

Still, humans are humans.

So weak.

Shar’khas threw Seanwell’s corpse, which had been horribly and disgustingly withered after all the nutrients and vitality in his body had been sucked out, onto the snowfield.

‘I need another host. Something strong enough to obtain more information…’

But suddenly, Seanwell’s head, which had been thrown away, twisted in a bizarre direction and smiled at Shar’khas.

[You’re reading my memories now, aren’t you? How do you like the work I’ve created?]

Possession by a human, of all things….

Shar’khas flicked his finger, and in the blink of an eye, Seanwell’s head was cruelly dissected by a spiderweb and flew through the air.

Even as he flew through the air, spitting blood from his throat, Seanwell’s head laughed, “Huhat.”

[As expected, you’re amazing, just like the legends say. Even I barely saw that movement just now. My abilities are a bit diminished because I’m possessed.]

He spoke playfully and familiarly, but Shar’khas simply stomped on the head with his clog-clad foot with an expression devoid of any emotion. Until the eyeballs popped out.

「Shut that mouth.」

[Haha, don’t be so cold… I’m on Lord Baek Do-ryeong’s side.]

「Side? You should be honored that I even deigned to speak to a human.」

[Haha, by the way, how do you like my work? The Beastmen and humans are fighting. Aren’t those the descendants of those guys who bothered Lord Baek Do-ryeong? That’s right! I planned it all. It took about 400 or 500 years.]

「I won’t say it three times. Don’t open that lowly mouth carelessly until I allow it. Do you think I don’t know where your main body is right now?」

As Shar’khas pointed his finger in one direction, the smile disappeared from Seanwell’s lips.

Far away, cold sweat and a hollow laugh flowed from the mouth of a young man who was sitting cross-legged in the center, with the four directions, east, west, south, and north, covered by dark blue barriers.

Shar’khas’s murderous intent was accurately directed at the location of his main body.

‘That’s a truly unbelievable monster. How did that old hag defeat monsters like that?’

Meanwhile, Shar’khas silently looked down at the human corpses and narrowed his eyes.

You humans, you use the language used by the minions of the Creator God.

Shar’khas, who had instantly learned the Imperial language from Seanwell’s memories, found this very unsettling. In just a thousand and four hundred years, his lord’s kingdom had fallen into such disrepair.

‘The image that the King showed me before the seal was broken… Does that mean the King is being held captive there?’

I need to get information.

I need information to find the King.

But humans are too weak to use… They have few days to live, and the total amount of knowledge they can acquire is too small.

「A host.」

Perhaps flustered that Shar’khas had spoken first, Seanwell’s reply was slightly delayed.

[What host are you talking about?]

「I need hosts to devour memories. Prove your usefulness with that. If you can’t, I’ll take your brain.」

Then Seanwell hummed, as if lost in thought for a moment, and then created a mirage in the air with a short exclamation.

What appeared in the mirage was a Dragonkin, with hair as red as flames, crossing the snowfield.

[It’s a True Dragon that the Fire Dragon sent here. I believe he’s lived for over a thousand and four hundred years. He’s very troublesome.]

Fire Dragon… That was the left head of the three-headed dragon Asura. According to this human’s memory, it seems to have split off now.

Is that the guy’s clone?

The corners of Shar’khas’s mouth, which had not changed expression at all since he woke up from his long sleep, slightly turned up at that moment, as if satisfied.

「Hmph, that wouldn’t be bad.」

No sooner had those words been spoken than the sound of bones twisting disgustingly, “crack, crack…” began to be heard… and one by one, they began to rise.

Clearly dead… the White Wolves.

With 24 ribs wriggling grotesquely out of their bodies, crawling across the ground like spiders.