Ch#180
The arch-shaped tunnel leading to the Old Palace plaza.
"Aleric."
At the voice calling him, Aleric, who had been examining the blueprints at the end of the line, lifted his head.
"......Vice Leader?"
Ahead of him stood Tese tan, looking somewhat fatigued.
"What's the matter? I thought you were up front with the Leader."
Tese tan let out a sigh and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
"We're taking a short break. There are a lot of collapsed sections ahead. Basto's going to cut some trees to make temporary footing."
Aleric nodded.
As Tese tan said, most of the Old Palace was in ruins.
The ground was littered with shattered stone fragments, covered in brown and green moss.
Moreover, many parts of this arch-shaped corridor they were passing through had collapsed ceilings.
Because of that, Agavert was taking more time than expected just to approach the Clock Tower.
Aleric stowed the blueprints in his gear bag and asked,
"But are you not feeling well?"
Tese tan, who had been staring at Tie playing with the members in the distance, turned his head.
Then, with furrowed brows, he replied in a serious voice.
"Yeah."
"Where?"
"Headache. For several days now."
"Headache?"
Aleric frowned.
"Then you haven't been sleeping?"
Tese tan nodded.
"Haven't slept. Keep having these weird dreams."
"Wait a moment."
Aleric rummaged through his bag.
He pulled out a small vial and poured a bit of green powder onto Tese tan's palm.
"It's for headaches, take it for now."
Tese tan dumped the powder into his mouth. He grimaced as if it tasted bitter on his tongue.
Leaning obliquely against a pillar remnant, he muttered,
"Why the hell is this happening? Am I sick or something."
Aleric sat beside him.
"Sick? No way."
"Then. Have I really gone mad?"
Aleric stared at Tese tan reproachfully.
"Don't say such ominous things."
Tese tan ruffled his hair in frustration.
"Then why do I keep seeing weird hallucinations. The dreams are bizarre too......"
He gazed again at the members gathered in the distance.
In the midst of them, Tie was humming a strange song.
A weird song about magical beasts coming from the forest.
'......Well, she's a kid, so it's tolerable.'
The Necromancer King was definitely tone-deaf.
"But what kind of hallucinations are making you like this."
Aleric asked.
Tese tan replied with a troubled face.
"......A newborn baby."
"Pardon?"
"I see a hallucination of a newborn baby smiling at me all gummy. And similar dreams."
"......Hmm."
"That's not all. I'm coaxing and soothing the baby, even changing its poop diapers. Last night's dream, it even puked on me."
"Ugh."
"Do newborns just spew without warning? You have a niece, right."
Aleric grimaced.
"No idea. I've only seen mine as a bloody lump. But why so detailed?"
Tese tan stared intently at Aleric.
"Right? Doesn't it seem weird to you too? And the funny thing is, after waking up, I can't really remember the baby's face."
Silence fell.
Only after a long while did Aleric slowly scan Tese tan before replying.
"I'll look into whether there's a capable mental specialist back at base."
Tese tan's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"What's with that subtly upsetting tone."
"You're imagining it."
Aleric replied brazenly and left his spot.
Watching his retreating back, Basto's voice came from ahead just then.
"Alright, let's head out again."
Following quick footsteps, the Necromancer King appeared.
Tie spread her arms wide before Tese tan with a bright face.
"Vice Leader! Time to go again!"
Tese tan, whose expression had been dark, ended up chuckling at the sparkling green eyes.
He picked up Tie more naturally than before.
The child's question flew immediately.
"But, you really gonna piggyback me tomorrow too?"
"Yeah."
"Then the day after too?"
"Yeah."
"Then! Every day during the investigation?"
"Yeah."
"Uheheheng!"
The giggling child rubbed her face against Tese tan's shoulder.
Unaware of the smile on his own lips, Tese tan leaped over a large puddle more gently than usual.
Still holding Tie firmly in both arms.
Meanwhile, around the Old Palace.
"Your Excellency!"
Three Holy Knights ran up to Leonardo, who was perched on a felled tree stump examining blueprints.
"There's something you need to see!"
As Leonardo stood, the crack search team's knight captain immediately led the way.
"According to the Association's preliminary investigation, the mana stone is wrapped around the Clock Tower. Is that certain?"
"Yes."
The knight captain's face darkened.
"Then something's off. We found multiple plant-like things suspected to be mana stone around the Old Palace, not just the Clock Tower......"
Leonardo furrowed his brows.
He pulled himself together and quickly followed the knight captain.
At the distant outskirts.
Beneath a collapsed wall, five Holy Knights holding shovels were gathered.
"We thought you should confirm this."
Leonardo approached the pit the Holy Knights had dug, and his face darkened.
In the center of the dirt pile.
A rift about as wide as an adult man's height wavered.
Black smoke rose from the soil surrounding the rift, its core shrouded in untouchable darkness.
Sensing the ominous heat, Leonardo muttered,
"A rift opening means......"
"Yes. There's mana stone nearby."
Leonardo coolly scanned the surroundings.
Not far from the rift.
Sure enough, dark green plants densely covered the cracked wall.
The plants differed in shape from ordinary vines.
The surrounding weeds had already withered, crumbling to dust.
The knight captain reported in a tense voice.
"Your Excellency. The mana stone being plant-form means. Perhaps its range isn't limited to the Clock Tower......"
Leonardo turned.
He pulled out his Communication Orb and said to the knight captain following him.
"How many derived rifts in total?"
"Still investigating, but at least over twenty. Including mid-sized ones."
"Check every single one thoroughly. Whatever we can't finish today, continue tomorrow."
"Yes!"
As the sun set, the shadows on Leonardo's face deepened further.
* * *
"Finally back!"
At the Union Force base.
Veil stood as he spotted the scouting team returning just before sunset.
The horses that had traversed 50 die in three hours halted, breathing raggedly.
"Kid! You okay?"
Veil rushed to Basto's horse and took Tie down first.
"Yeah! Tie saw the Clock Tower! Not many bone friends there!"
Veil tilted his head.
"Really? But why do you look so happy."
Shouldn't she be sulky if there were few skeletons she could summon?
But Tie just giggled and shouted 'Secret!'
As Aleric and Libia, the last stragglers, entered the base, Leonardo closed the barrier entrance.
At the same time, the sun fully vanished beyond the ridge.
"So. Any harvest?"
Veil asked Basto.
"Leonardo. You look unwell."
Alexander and Edmund, who had arrived later, also approached the Holy Knights.
But Leonardo replied in a subdued voice.
"Not good. We found a variable."
He headed toward the meeting tent as if to follow him.
Only after confirming everyone had entered the tent did Leonardo speak.
"......First. We need to reorganize the siege team. Starting sieges tomorrow."
"What? Start sieges right away?"
Veil stepped forward in disbelief.
"What's so sudden? We agreed to do thorough preliminary investigations first. Rushing could cause accidents......"
"No other choice now. Can't waste more time."
But at that moment, Ardiana cut off Veil.
Ardiana's face darkened.
"The mana stone has proliferated. Far beyond what the Association investigated two months ago."
"What?"
"If left alone, it'll cover this whole area soon. Things will get far more complicated then. No time for preliminary investigations. We must start sieges immediately."
