Magician in Type-Moon

Page 234

However, the concept of "transformation" has a different meaning in the church.

Those of you here are all agents, so you know this very well.

So even though it was only a short five-word statement, it already explained the usefulness of the Hanseatic League.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded at Hansa.

Because he's the only one here who explained it most clearly.

Finally, the dark-skinned old man spoke:

"My eyes are the eyes of the past that see magic, which can be included in what magicians call the sublime color."

Because everyone present was holding back, Calleber didn't say much about himself.

This beginning was downright appalling.

After a moment of silence, Calleber spoke up: "You should all be clear about the objective of this operation, right?"

"Fu Hai Lin. It is a creature with the ability to think, and it even actively hunts. Some researchers speculate that it may be related to the Realm of the High-Ranking Dead Apostle of the same name. Fu Hai Lin appears approximately once every fifty years, attacking groups of humans and using its immense magical power to ripen the fruit deep within its interior."

Wen Bingyongli answered calmly.

"That's right, but our target this time is only the son of Fuhai Forest."

Calleber nodded, his expression serious.

The Child of Fuhai Forest is a seed transformed from a fully mature fruit inside Fuhai Forest. After a period of dormancy, it chooses an evolutionary form different from its original form.

"So, our target this time is that snow forest?" Irmia asked curiously.

"Exactly. Our target is the Child of the Sea Forest, located in an icy environment. The Church doesn't have detailed records about it, so our top priority for this mission is to gather intelligence."

Calleber answered seriously.

"There are four agents here, yet their only objective is to gather intelligence? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Hansa, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked, his tone tinged with doubt.

Although Fu Hailin's son was classified as a secret figure in terms of the threat level posed by the Holy Church, he was ultimately just an appendage of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles.

Hansa had no doubt that Calleber alone, with his past-vision ability, could suppress that level of strangeness.

But now there are four agents, and the purpose of their mission is simply to gather intelligence.

That alone makes it highly suspicious.

“I understand your concerns, Hansa,” Calleber said slowly, his gaze sweeping over each of the team members.

"But that's the mission I received. If you have any questions, you can withdraw from this mission."

At this point, the atmosphere began to become somewhat delicate.

If a proxy were to voluntarily withdraw from a mission, wouldn't that imply a lack of trust in the Lord?

That old man is really wicked.

Hansa shrugged and said to the old man in front of him:

"Alright, let's focus on the investigation then."

Chapter 294 Snow Forest (Part 2)

Upon entering the forest, the group discovered that the snow-covered forest was a more severe challenge than they had imagined.

The cold air cut like a knife against the skin, accompanied by howling winds that made it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

With each step forward, his feet sank into the snow up to his ankles.

Shrub branches would occasionally peek out from unexpected angles from corners of the view that were closed off by pure white, making it difficult to move.

The frost that had formed on the tree trunks reflected a faint light, making it seem like a cold, desolate wasteland, devoid of any life.

"It's more troublesome than I imagined..." Wenbing Yongli said softly, her white breath dissipating in the wind.

Thanks to the cold-resistant amulet that Irmia took out of her luggage, the chill was alleviated a bit. Even so, the temperature was still so cold that you would freeze if you stopped walking.

Eri Fumie, Irmia, Callebo, and Hansa, the person from Matouchi's perspective, struggled to make their way through the forest.

With each step, my feet sank deep into the snow, making a "crunching" sound, as if an invisible force was slowing me down.

The snow underfoot was heavier than usual, and every step I took felt like I was expending ten times more energy than usual.

Calleber held a black key, using it as a medium for his detection magic.

A faint blue light flickered in his eyes; the power of his magic eye made his detection techniques even more precise.

This technique is an ancient method used in modern times to locate water sources or mineral veins, but in Caleb's hands, its precision far exceeds that of conventional methods.

His small-scale probes continued to expand outwards, attempting to track down the son of Fu Hailin.

But the appearance of the land didn't seem to match the view seen through the forest, making one tilt their head in confusion.

"It's strange, is this the kind of terrain we've been in? The landscape of this forest is completely different from what we saw before we entered."

Wen Bingyongli frowned slightly and said in a low voice.

He looked around and found that the trees were arranged very irregularly, as if they were distorted by some force, seemingly deliberately trying to confuse their senses.

"The terrain has most likely been manipulated in some way."

Calleber nodded heavily, a hint of unease in his eyes.

“As I mentioned before, the true Fuhailin manifests briefly every fifty years, like an unconventional enchantment. While the children of Fuhailin are similar, there is no record of the same phenomenon recurring. Their magic power is only enough to sustain one manifestation, after which it is exhausted and disappears completely.”

"...Is it a settled fact that the child won't reappear?" Wen Bingyongli muttered to herself, finding the statement rather absurd. "Generally speaking, don't children usually outlive their parents? Why did Fu Hailin's son only appear once?"

He frowned in thought, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.

In the wind and snow, this problem seemed unsolvable.

Calleber glanced at him sideways and slowly explained:

"It is said that the appearance of the children of Fuhai Forest is very brief, and the duration of each appearance varies greatly, as if each individual is different. They exist by relying on the magic power of their host, so once that magic power is exhausted, they will no longer appear."

“Individual differences… In other words, different sons of Fuhailin will have different lifespans?” Wen Bingyongli was still puzzled, her tone filled with doubt.

“Yes, the children of Fuhailin do not reproduce or grow like ordinary life forms.” Calleber’s voice revealed a calm analysis. “They are more like extensions of a fixed boundary, belonging to a specific phenomenon. Each appearance is like a ‘burning out,’ after which they can no longer maintain their existence no matter what.”

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

Irmia noticed that Calleber's eyes were flashing with light from time to time, and asked a question.

“Maintaining the magic eye used for investigation is a bit difficult in this forest. According to the magicians, the Great Source is not easy to use, but the situation is better than when we are in the Fuhai Forest itself.”

Upon hearing Calleber's words, everyone nodded slightly.

It also did not omit any key information—Caleb had a past experience visiting the Fuhailin body.

After a moment of silence, Hansa finally spoke:

"Even so, we cannot remain stuck in this blizzard, unable to move forward or backward."

Caleb nodded slightly.

At least on this point, everyone shares the same understanding.

......

"It seems we're almost there." Calleber's voice sounded steady amidst the wind and snow, but carried a hint of tension.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and pointed forward:

"Look."

He then gestured to Hansa, who was following behind him, and planted a black key in the snow as a landmark.

The black key stands out starkly against the pristine white snow, like a solitary little tombstone, seemingly about to be blown over by a fierce wind at any moment.

Things might go more smoothly than expected—when that atmosphere begins to emerge.

Caleb, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped.

"It seems that setting up those road signs just now has made us appear as intruders."

"Then we should be careful," Wen Bingyongli warned in a low voice, her hand already gripping the short knife tightly.

His gaze was fixed on his surroundings, the oppressive atmosphere in the wind and snow growing stronger, and the scent of magic faintly wafting in the air.

Just as everyone's attention was focused, a branch in the dense trees in one corner moved.

It wasn't bent by the weight of the snow, but rather it moved on its own.

"Watch out!" As soon as Calleber uttered the words, the branch bent sharply like a whip, quickly aiming at them.

The branches twisted and turned, tracing sharp arcs, as if possessing a demonic power, ready to pierce their bodies at any moment.

A sharp glint flashed in Wen Bingyongli's eyes; his reaction was astonishingly fast.

The short sword flashed like a cold light, cutting through the air in an instant. Just as the branch was about to fall, he dodged in a split second, swung the short sword down, and cleanly severed the demonic branch in one stroke.

The branch fell with a snap, as easily as tearing a piece of paper.

However, the cut surface did not remain still like a normal branch; instead, it twisted and tried to entangle itself again.

“This tree is a bit troublesome.” Wen Bingyongli frowned, steadied herself, and said, her short sword still dripping with snow water.

The others watched as new demonic branches sprouted from the other side of the blizzard, and they too assumed battle stances.

"Wow, that's really powerful." Irmia, dressed in a black nun's habit, uttered a line that seemed out of place for her status.

And as an ascetic nun, she had a rather overly prominent figure.

She had faint freckles near her nose and brown eyes.

Hansa's gaze lingered on her for a little too long, which bothered Matou Ike.

“Be careful, it’s best not to measure your Dead Apostle-related adversaries by the same standards of vitality as humans.”

The eldest, Calleber, looked around warily.

A branch, like a whip, lashed out at Sister Irmia without hesitation. Its sharp spikes gleamed coldly and carried the weight of a human head that could easily be severed.

However, Irmia's eyes narrowed, and she narrowly avoided the fatal attack.

She leaped forward, like a new moon rising in the darkness, graceful and swift.

In that instant, her leg sliced ​​through the air like a bird in flight, a fierce kick piercing through the continuation of the demonic tree branch.