Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
Wolves, gather in the forest
Chapter 1 – The forest priestess
“Well, that’s the last one.”
He finished readying himself for another hit, he hit Cleo in the nose this time, she let out a
faint groan. They were in the forest, sunlight was pouring down through the trees. The trees
were several meters high and organized into groups——they weren’t far from the main road,
but this wasn’t a tourist attraction. In the future it would have been refreshing to take a stroll
in this forest——except Cleo bought herself a purple sweater and shorts at the local market.
She had to buy new shorts since her old ones were dirty, naturally Cleo was angry——
Orphen chucked at this. He was a black sorcerer around twenty years old, and he was
laughing. He had black hair, black eyes, a medium build, he didn’t look all that special. Most
of his clothing was black, he wore a silver pendant, a dragon wrapped around a sword. It
looked sharp——and sinister, it gave off a poisonous vibe.
He put a bunch of wooden strips onto the ground, then proudly said:
“I won the game——any objections?”
“No……”
Cleo said reluctantly, as she lowered her voice.
“I’m getting sick of this!”
“Losing can be hard.”
He said, as he rubbed the scarf on his head.
“But now we get to the best part of the game, since you lost ten rounds you have to do what
“Of course——how could I forget? I’ll just go and make something terrible to eat.”
Cleo said, as she kicked a bowl in his direction.
“Easy, I was only joking.”
She glared at him, holding her sword all the while.
“Don’t think a little fencing training can make you a match for me, I was trained in the Tower
of Fang, remember?”
Orphen pulled out his dragon pendant. It was a dragon wrapped around a sword, proof that
the wearer was from the Tower of Fang.
“From weapons to magic, I was taught it all. You are no match for me.”
“Well, that’s nothing but pure rhetoric to me. We won’t know who the best is unless we have
a little duel. What do you say?”
“You’re starting to sound like that Vulcan guy……”
Orphen could see that her eyes were half open, he sighed.
“Okay, what else do you propose?”
“I know!”
Cleo said angrily, as she grabbed her sweater.
“Well——I’ll go and chop firewood or do the dishes.”
“No, I don’t want to have to go looking for you. Or have you doing something easy.”
Orphen thought for a moment, he knew he had to give her something to do.
“……Your statement is very suspicious. Are you saying you want me to do all the work?”
“Simply put, yes.”
Orphen slowly walked towards the wagon, he pointed his finger towards a simple chest.
“What do you mean?”
She asked, Orphen could feel her muscles twitch.
“You asked me what I meant! This is what I meant! Last time I told you to help me sew the
broken shirts, and that’s exactly what you’ll do.”
“What? None of that was my fault, you can’t make me do all that work. This is slavery!”
“I won the game, this is your punishment. So don’t try and change the subject.”
“I didn’t try and change the subject.”
“Good answer. Now get to work.”
Cleo was full of rage.
“Well, don’t blame me if all the clothes are sewed back together with handkerchiefs!”
“Quit your whining!”
Orphen shouted. But he wasn’t a stranger to handkerchief stitched clothes, when he was
young his sister would do this all the time. One time he received a pretty handkerchief patch
was a present from his sister, he had always wondered if this was intentional, since there
was a lot of rags she could have used instead.
“Ah, as expected——it really is a huge forest.”
The thick piece of paper he was holding was a map, it displayed the entire continent. The
region he was looking at was the Fenrir Forest, which accounted for more than twenty
percent of the continent. One of the last places which hasn’t been fully explored on the
continent.
“There should be all kinds of wild beasts in this forest.”
The blond haired boy with green eyes said. He was almost fifteen, he wore a black shirt,
black leather trousers, most of his outfit was black, and it really didn’t suit him at all. But
nevertheless he wore it.
(Someday I’ll earn this attire.)
He optimistically thought, since he would have to wait until he became a decent sorcerer.
“According to the legend, the goddess of existence should be here, but the powerful dragon
race guards it……”
He said as he looked up. The forest was a lush dark green, trees and bushes were
everywhere.
He unconsciously said.
“There’s a spring.”
He wasn’t near a river——nearby there was a swamp but it was too dangerous, so he
avoided it.
The young boy walked until he reached the spring, most of the lush trees and bushes were
gone now, suddenly a spring appeared in front of him. The water was calm, there wasn’t
even a trace of ripples in the water. It was more like a small lake than a spring actually, there
was plants under the water, this gave it a wonderful colour.
He got closer to the water, and gently stroked his finger in it, causing some ripples. Then
suddenly——
It sounded like something fell behind him. A few meters away was a long serpent, it came
down from the tree above.
He subconsciously raised his hand and said:
“Nice meeting you here——”
The serpent responded to his sentence——it saw it as a challenge and moved quickly
towards him, it’s black scales glistening in the sunlight.
Instinctively, the boy waved his hands and shouted:
“Sword of light, whom I do release!”
A wave of light and heat appeared in front of the teenager, the serpents jaw and lower body
was blown off by the explosion, it went into spasms for a while before finally dying.
“This forest really is dangerous.”
He said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“Great, I did it just like Master. I must remember how simple it is.”
He then took a look around. The use of fire in a forest is very dangerous, he was lucky the
forest had adequate moisture, otherwise he might have caused a blaze he wouldn’t be able
to control.
He thought about this, then all of a sudden he heard a voice.
“A Sorcerer……”
The boy looked around for the origin of the voice. He opened his mouth, but he was unable
to speak.
There was a woman standing on the opposite side of the water——or rather a young girl, he
estimated that she was about the same age as him, maybe younger. He looked into her
eyes, he could feel a powerful force peering out at him.
(Did she step out of the bushes to fight……?)
He didn’t know why he thought that, maybe he was just surprised by all of this.
The girl continued to look at him, she wore an expression of dismay on her face. Majic
thought that maybe it would turn into a beautiful smile. Her black hair was really straight, it
went all the way down her back. Her dress was even more surprising——it looked like her
body was wrapped in a thin bathrobe made out of silk.
“……Excuse me, Miss?”
He was wondering if the girl could even speak.
“You are a sorcerer, right?”
“Me? Well, no——I’m just a trainee.”
He hastily replied.
“I see……so you are just a trainee?”
“Yeah, my Master is much more powerful than me.”
“Oh…so you have companions with you…”
The girl muttered, then she fell silent. Majic felt a little bored, he scratched his head.
(This woman gives me the feeling of isolation, her attire is also bizarre considering we are in
a forest.)
“Well, what’s your name?”
“Fiena……”
“That’s a good name.”
He said some flattering words, she faintly smiled when she heard them.
“Thank you, what’s your name?”
“A-Are you a noble?”
She——Fiena noticed the colour of his hair, ordinary people didn’t have blonde hair.
“No, I’ve got nothing to do with nobility, I was just born this way.”
While he did find it flattering, he would always object to people thinking he was a noble.
Fiena came closer to Majic, he did the same.
As she walked, she said:
“……Why are you here? People from the human world don’t come here, it’s a secret place.”
As she was walking, her shoulders moved left to right. Majic replied:
“I was walking, I guess I got lost.”
He then took out the map from his pocket and showed it to her.
“Okay……I’ll bring you out of here. The forest is very dangerous. It can make
people……dream.”
“Thank you——but, what do you mean by that?”
Majic stopped and asked. She just shrugged and didn’t answer.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Majic crossed his arms.
“What are you doing in the forest?”
She answered him right away. It was like——she was waiting for this opportunity.
“My strength lies with my contact with the forest, I can’t leave.”
“……Ah?”
Fiena solemnly continued:
“In the forest, I can use my power. Just like you.”
“You can do that sort of thing?”
Majic asked, she nodded her head.
“Yes. I’m…… suffering from a dominant force.”
“Oh. So you must be a priestess.”
Majic exclaimed as they walked in the forest. Of the continent’s most well-known three
goddess of fate, Fiena appeared to be a member of a frontier faith.
(Master should know more about this, though I’m sure he would probably laugh at the
uncivilized religion or something like that.)
“I guess being a priestess is pretty tough.”
Majic said in a relaxed tone.
“I’ve……become strong.”
She said in a low voice.
“The power, it……”
Majic patted the back of her head, he said slowly:
“Is this stuff really important?”
“Yes, to me it is.”
Fiena’s answer was a little ambiguous, she looked at Majic, then said:
“You have companions, so can you ask them for help?”
“Yeah……I guess so.”
Majic thought about his Master——Orphen.
A shadow appeared over Fiena’s eyes.
“I can’t. I can only obey.”
“Ah……?”
Majic didn’t understand what she was saying. He gave her a puzzled look, then followed her
Suddenly, she turned around and grabbed her chest, then she said:
“You came from the outside? The outside world.”
“Outside……you mean outside the forest? Yeah, we came from there.”
Majic didn’t know how to answer her. Fiena continued to listen, her eyes shimmed in this dull
moment. Her black hair fluttering in the wind.
“What has become of the outside world? There is a village nearby called Sorichian, did you
pass it?”
“No, though we might be heading there next. We came from the south.”
“The south——you say?
Fiena mused for a moment, she wanted to know more about the outside world.
“Where else did you come from?”
“Well, I came from Totokanta, then we spent some time in Alenhatan and Kink hall. Me and
my companions have been all over the place.”
He said as he looked at the map. Fiena leaned towards him, she looked at the map too.
When her bare arm touched his elbow, Fiena curiously asked:
“I can see the Tower of Fang on that map, did you study there?”
She looked at Majic’s black sorcerer clothing. Majic shook his head and put away the map.
“Though one day I would like to study there, they offer good scholarships.”
“By the way, you said your master is powerful?”
“Yeah, he was once a candidate for a top position in the Tower of Fang.”
“Is that true?”
Her tone was like that of a joke. Majic had a wry smile on his face.
“I’m joking——if that was true, I would be the disciple of the continent’s strongest sorcerer.”
She immediately agreed.
“Isn’t it better to be just a disciple?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Majic simply answered. This was from his heart, he didn’t want to be under someone
Fiena gently said:
“You don’t sound too positive.”
Her eyes seemed infected with a muddy colour for a moment, then they went back to
(It seems this girl has two different faces, a priestess and a normal girl.)
“I’m guessing you are a native to this place.”
She gently nodded, Majic said brightly:
“You can’t possibly live in this place, don’t you live in a nearby village?”
If this was true, Majic intended to go to this village. But she shook her head, and answered in
a priestess’ voice:
“In this forest, there are villages. Although they aren’t on the map.”
“There are?”
Majic asked, she made a gesture towards the surrounds, then said:
“The people in the villages say the forest has power……we call it the great heart.”
“The great heart……”
Majic repeated the name.
Frontier religions, in fact not all exist in the frontier regions——many of them exist on the
outskirts of cities like Totokanta. So you’ve just got to look for the presence of these
religions. In fact, a new religion was created in the city of Kimurakku only a couple of
hundred years ago.
(This great heart, it may turn out to be a third-rate religion or piece of art.)
Fiena went onto say:
“Don’t you like it?”
“I do, it sounds interesting.”
Majic didn’t know how to answer. Fiena spoke in an invitational tone:
“I’m certain that you would be welcome in the village.”
“……Ah?”
Majic felt very strange. Fiena continued talking:
“You’re beautiful, I’m sure you’d make a good priestess if you stayed.”
Upon hearing this, Majc fell head first, tumbling into the ground.
He said, as he stood up and brushed the soil from his body. His face became a little
contorted, he didn’t know how to react.
“You’re not a girl, are you?”
“Occasionally people seem to think so.”
“Don’t worry, boys are still welcome.”
“Well, let’s hope these villages are really interesting.”
Majic said. Fiena smiled.
“I was also surprised when I first came here six months ago……although I wasn’t born here,
I think of it as my home.”
Fiena began talking as they walked, her tone was kind of monotone. Then all of a sudden
Fiena stopped, her face became serious.
“What’s wrong?”
Majic asked. She looked at the surrounds, then said:
“I’m sorry.”
“……What?”
Majic didn’t know what she meant, he stared at her motionlessly.
“There’s still time, you should escape……”
She whispered. Then suddenly, whispers could be heard in the forest.
“Compassion is a virtue, but don’t betray us, Fiena.”
A voice said.
Majic was surprised, he tried looking for the source of the voice. Then, a tall man slowly
stepped out of the lush vegetation.
Two other people followed soon after. The three men looked like farmers, they were holding
hatchets and spears.
One word instantly appeared in Majic’s mind, trap.
“W-Why?”
Majic faced Fiena, she shook her head and didn’t answer him. She then spoke to the tall
“Like fish in a river. The sorcerer has companions, they will search for him soon enough.”
“Two birds with one stone, eh? Good work, Fiena.”
The man began to walk towards Fiena at a slow pace. He had a pointy beard on his chin, a
solemn look on his face, looked around thirty or forty years old, his sharp eyes would also
make anyone uncomfortable.
He smiled at Fiena, then said:
“The sorcerer must be punished, we can’t let him get away.”
“And——”
Majic suddenly felt another man approach him from behind, he turned to face him. This one
was different from the others, he clearly seemed to be military, his outfit was a leather shirt
and jacket, but the military badges were obviously removed. He also had a vast assortment
of knifes on his jacket, and a scabbard at his side.
“We’ll be ready to meet his companions.”
The tall man went on to say:
“The forest belongs to us, anyone who casually enters it must be punished.”
“But I though the forest’s management rights belonged to the Kimurakku church and the
Royal Family?”
The tall man laughed.
“Haha! Are you expecting that to mean something?”
“You mean——”
Kimurakku was the church’s headquarters, they have a presence all over the continent. The
Royal Family——they are the combined forces of the aristocracy, to say the least.
“We have Fiena.”
Then, the tall man placed a hand on her shoulder. Fiena winched in fear. Now all the men’s
faces were filled with smiles.
(These people, they are strange……are they some type of mad cult?)
Majic thought.
(I don’t think I’ll receive any mercy. If master was here, he’d certainly wouldn’t stay.)
“But……”
Majic sounded smug.
Majic slowly walked towards the tall man, he tried to remain calm.
“Am I allowed to shout?”
“……Huh?”
The man in the army jack didn’t react. The tall man said:
“Calling for help is useless. Your comrades won’t hear you.”
“Oh, I know that.”
Majic made an innocent smile.
“Just for a moment, I want to shout.”
“You are a strange guy……what are you going to shout?”
“It’s——”
Majic looked towards the man, he then took a deep breath and shouted:
“Master, you are a fool who occasionally gives me something decent to eat.”
He said with all his might, he then grabbed Fiena by the arm. He pulled her from the man’s
arms, then took a few steps backwards.
“……What did you just shout?”
“I was just nonsense.”
Majic smiled and shrugged.
At this point——the men were stuck in a daze, then large pieces of black stuff started to fall.
“Aaaaaaah!”
The men started to scream. Falling from the tree was a serpent, it had fallen off one of the
trees branches.
“Ahhhh!”
It suddenly landed and crushed one of the men, they were flung into a panic.
“Makudogaru!”
That seemed to be the tall man’s name, though Majic didn’t really care.
“Just run away——”
Majic pulled Fiena’s hand. She didn’t fully understand what was happening, she blinked and
“W-What’s going on?”
“It’s magic. I just shouted and it was converted into an incantation, it broke the branches.”
Not just black sorcerers, but any human on the continent could use magic as a sound
medium. In other words, the contents of the incantation doesn’t really matter, as long as your
voice is used a medium, the magical effect will still launch. However, it does require a certain
level of concentration.
Majic glanced at the snake fighting the men, he seized Fiena’s arm.
“We’ve got to run away, now!”
“B-But——”
“What!?”
Majic unconsciously shouted.
“My success rate with magic isn’t too high! I won’t be able to use the same trick twice. We’ve
got to move.”
“We won’t make it.”
Fiena’s voice was full of doubt. Majic became annoyed, he pulled her arm.
“Don’t you understand, if you stay you’ll be a priestess forever!”
“……Huh……?”
Fiena blinked her eyes a few times, she was bewildered. At that time——
It was a loud sound. Majic suddenly felt strange, he had let go of Fiena’s hand.
“What happened……?”
Majic looked backwards, the men had stopped panicking. Makudogaru was staring directly
at him, his face filled with anger.
Majic stared at him motionlessly, he felt a silent horror come over himself. Makudogaru
pointed something that was made of metal towards him.
Bang——
A flash came from the piece of black iron, at the same time, Majic felt a strong impact on his
stomach——all of the pain was concentrated in one point, it was enough to send him
crumpling to the ground.
“Ahh……!”
Fiena’s scream sounded so far away. He felt like he was being sucked into a never ending
hole into the ground, it was an unrelenting feeling.
“…………!”
His vision quickly degenerated into an array of white light, at this rate he would soon lose
consciousness, but the footsteps of the men kept him awake a little longer.
“…………!”
It sounded like the men were in a bitter quarrel——it seemed to be about Fiena.
Endless chills were now going through Majic’s body, he knew if this feeling continued he
would probably die. In his last seconds, Majic heard Makudogaru say something.
“Fiena, give him treatment.”
She responded in a very low voice, he couldn’t hear exactly what was being said.
At the same time, his cold and trembling body was suddenly surrounded in warmth. This
feeling——is it her hand? ——Somehow she was injecting heat into his body, soon it would
flow throughout his entire body……
(Endless falling——Fiena——can’t escape——forest——priestess ——man——in his
hand——black iron——)
In the chaos that was Majic’s consciousness, he finally realized——
It was a pistol.
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen
Wolves, gather in the forest
Chapter 1 – The forest priestess
“Well, that’s the last one.”
He finished readying himself for another hit, he hit Cleo in the nose this time, she let out a
faint groan. They were in the forest, sunlight was pouring down through the trees. The trees
were several meters high and organized into groups——they weren’t far from the main road,
but this wasn’t a tourist attraction. In the future it would have been refreshing to take a stroll
in this forest——except Cleo bought herself a purple sweater and shorts at the local market.
She had to buy new shorts since her old ones were dirty, naturally Cleo was angry——
Orphen chucked at this. He was a black sorcerer around twenty years old, and he was
laughing. He had black hair, black eyes, a medium build, he didn’t look all that special. Most
of his clothing was black, he wore a silver pendant, a dragon wrapped around a sword. It
looked sharp——and sinister, it gave off a poisonous vibe.
He put a bunch of wooden strips onto the ground, then proudly said:
“I won the game——any objections?”
“No……”
Cleo said reluctantly, as she lowered her voice.
“I’m getting sick of this!”
“Losing can be hard.”
He said, as he rubbed the scarf on his head.
“But now we get to the best part of the game, since you lost ten rounds you have to do what
“Of course——how could I forget? I’ll just go and make something terrible to eat.”
Cleo said, as she kicked a bowl in his direction.
“Easy, I was only joking.”
She glared at him, holding her sword all the while.
“Don’t think a little fencing training can make you a match for me, I was trained in the Tower
of Fang, remember?”
Orphen pulled out his dragon pendant. It was a dragon wrapped around a sword, proof that
the wearer was from the Tower of Fang.
“From weapons to magic, I was taught it all. You are no match for me.”
“Well, that’s nothing but pure rhetoric to me. We won’t know who the best is unless we have
a little duel. What do you say?”
“You’re starting to sound like that Vulcan guy……”
Orphen could see that her eyes were half open, he sighed.
“Okay, what else do you propose?”
“I know!”
Cleo said angrily, as she grabbed her sweater.
“Well——I’ll go and chop firewood or do the dishes.”
“No, I don’t want to have to go looking for you. Or have you doing something easy.”
Orphen thought for a moment, he knew he had to give her something to do.
“……Your statement is very suspicious. Are you saying you want me to do all the work?”
“Simply put, yes.”
Orphen slowly walked towards the wagon, he pointed his finger towards a simple chest.
“What do you mean?”
She asked, Orphen could feel her muscles twitch.
“You asked me what I meant! This is what I meant! Last time I told you to help me sew the
broken shirts, and that’s exactly what you’ll do.”
“What? None of that was my fault, you can’t make me do all that work. This is slavery!”
“I won the game, this is your punishment. So don’t try and change the subject.”
“I didn’t try and change the subject.”
“Good answer. Now get to work.”
Cleo was full of rage.
“Well, don’t blame me if all the clothes are sewed back together with handkerchiefs!”
“Quit your whining!”
Orphen shouted. But he wasn’t a stranger to handkerchief stitched clothes, when he was
young his sister would do this all the time. One time he received a pretty handkerchief patch
was a present from his sister, he had always wondered if this was intentional, since there
was a lot of rags she could have used instead.
“Ah, as expected——it really is a huge forest.”
The thick piece of paper he was holding was a map, it displayed the entire continent. The
region he was looking at was the Fenrir Forest, which accounted for more than twenty
percent of the continent. One of the last places which hasn’t been fully explored on the
continent.
“There should be all kinds of wild beasts in this forest.”
The blond haired boy with green eyes said. He was almost fifteen, he wore a black shirt,
black leather trousers, most of his outfit was black, and it really didn’t suit him at all. But
nevertheless he wore it.
(Someday I’ll earn this attire.)
He optimistically thought, since he would have to wait until he became a decent sorcerer.
“According to the legend, the goddess of existence should be here, but the powerful dragon
race guards it……”
He said as he looked up. The forest was a lush dark green, trees and bushes were
everywhere.
He unconsciously said.
“There’s a spring.”
He wasn’t near a river——nearby there was a swamp but it was too dangerous, so he
avoided it.
The young boy walked until he reached the spring, most of the lush trees and bushes were
gone now, suddenly a spring appeared in front of him. The water was calm, there wasn’t
even a trace of ripples in the water. It was more like a small lake than a spring actually, there
was plants under the water, this gave it a wonderful colour.
He got closer to the water, and gently stroked his finger in it, causing some ripples. Then
suddenly——
It sounded like something fell behind him. A few meters away was a long serpent, it came
down from the tree above.
He subconsciously raised his hand and said:
“Nice meeting you here——”
The serpent responded to his sentence——it saw it as a challenge and moved quickly
towards him, it’s black scales glistening in the sunlight.
Instinctively, the boy waved his hands and shouted:
“Sword of light, whom I do release!”
A wave of light and heat appeared in front of the teenager, the serpents jaw and lower body
was blown off by the explosion, it went into spasms for a while before finally dying.
“This forest really is dangerous.”
He said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“Great, I did it just like Master. I must remember how simple it is.”
He then took a look around. The use of fire in a forest is very dangerous, he was lucky the
forest had adequate moisture, otherwise he might have caused a blaze he wouldn’t be able
to control.
He thought about this, then all of a sudden he heard a voice.
“A Sorcerer……”
The boy looked around for the origin of the voice. He opened his mouth, but he was unable
to speak.
There was a woman standing on the opposite side of the water——or rather a young girl, he
estimated that she was about the same age as him, maybe younger. He looked into her
eyes, he could feel a powerful force peering out at him.
(Did she step out of the bushes to fight……?)
He didn’t know why he thought that, maybe he was just surprised by all of this.
The girl continued to look at him, she wore an expression of dismay on her face. Majic
thought that maybe it would turn into a beautiful smile. Her black hair was really straight, it
went all the way down her back. Her dress was even more surprising——it looked like her
body was wrapped in a thin bathrobe made out of silk.
“……Excuse me, Miss?”
He was wondering if the girl could even speak.
“You are a sorcerer, right?”
“Me? Well, no——I’m just a trainee.”
He hastily replied.
“I see……so you are just a trainee?”
“Yeah, my Master is much more powerful than me.”
“Oh…so you have companions with you…”
The girl muttered, then she fell silent. Majic felt a little bored, he scratched his head.
(This woman gives me the feeling of isolation, her attire is also bizarre considering we are in
a forest.)
“Well, what’s your name?”
“Fiena……”
“That’s a good name.”
He said some flattering words, she faintly smiled when she heard them.
“Thank you, what’s your name?”
“A-Are you a noble?”
She——Fiena noticed the colour of his hair, ordinary people didn’t have blonde hair.
“No, I’ve got nothing to do with nobility, I was just born this way.”
While he did find it flattering, he would always object to people thinking he was a noble.
Fiena came closer to Majic, he did the same.
As she walked, she said:
“……Why are you here? People from the human world don’t come here, it’s a secret place.”
As she was walking, her shoulders moved left to right. Majic replied:
“I was walking, I guess I got lost.”
He then took out the map from his pocket and showed it to her.
“Okay……I’ll bring you out of here. The forest is very dangerous. It can make
people……dream.”
“Thank you——but, what do you mean by that?”
Majic stopped and asked. She just shrugged and didn’t answer.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Majic crossed his arms.
“What are you doing in the forest?”
She answered him right away. It was like——she was waiting for this opportunity.
“My strength lies with my contact with the forest, I can’t leave.”
“……Ah?”
Fiena solemnly continued:
“In the forest, I can use my power. Just like you.”
“You can do that sort of thing?”
Majic asked, she nodded her head.
“Yes. I’m…… suffering from a dominant force.”
“Oh. So you must be a priestess.”
Majic exclaimed as they walked in the forest. Of the continent’s most well-known three
goddess of fate, Fiena appeared to be a member of a frontier faith.
(Master should know more about this, though I’m sure he would probably laugh at the
uncivilized religion or something like that.)
“I guess being a priestess is pretty tough.”
Majic said in a relaxed tone.
“I’ve……become strong.”
She said in a low voice.
“The power, it……”
Majic patted the back of her head, he said slowly:
“Is this stuff really important?”
“Yes, to me it is.”
Fiena’s answer was a little ambiguous, she looked at Majic, then said:
“You have companions, so can you ask them for help?”
“Yeah……I guess so.”
Majic thought about his Master——Orphen.
A shadow appeared over Fiena’s eyes.
“I can’t. I can only obey.”
“Ah……?”
Majic didn’t understand what she was saying. He gave her a puzzled look, then followed her
Suddenly, she turned around and grabbed her chest, then she said:
“You came from the outside? The outside world.”
“Outside……you mean outside the forest? Yeah, we came from there.”
Majic didn’t know how to answer her. Fiena continued to listen, her eyes shimmed in this dull
moment. Her black hair fluttering in the wind.
“What has become of the outside world? There is a village nearby called Sorichian, did you
pass it?”
“No, though we might be heading there next. We came from the south.”
“The south——you say?
Fiena mused for a moment, she wanted to know more about the outside world.
“Where else did you come from?”
“Well, I came from Totokanta, then we spent some time in Alenhatan and Kink hall. Me and
my companions have been all over the place.”
He said as he looked at the map. Fiena leaned towards him, she looked at the map too.
When her bare arm touched his elbow, Fiena curiously asked:
“I can see the Tower of Fang on that map, did you study there?”
She looked at Majic’s black sorcerer clothing. Majic shook his head and put away the map.
“Though one day I would like to study there, they offer good scholarships.”
“By the way, you said your master is powerful?”
“Yeah, he was once a candidate for a top position in the Tower of Fang.”
“Is that true?”
Her tone was like that of a joke. Majic had a wry smile on his face.
“I’m joking——if that was true, I would be the disciple of the continent’s strongest sorcerer.”
She immediately agreed.
“Isn’t it better to be just a disciple?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Majic simply answered. This was from his heart, he didn’t want to be under someone
Fiena gently said:
“You don’t sound too positive.”
Her eyes seemed infected with a muddy colour for a moment, then they went back to
(It seems this girl has two different faces, a priestess and a normal girl.)
“I’m guessing you are a native to this place.”
She gently nodded, Majic said brightly:
“You can’t possibly live in this place, don’t you live in a nearby village?”
If this was true, Majic intended to go to this village. But she shook her head, and answered in
a priestess’ voice:
“In this forest, there are villages. Although they aren’t on the map.”
“There are?”
Majic asked, she made a gesture towards the surrounds, then said:
“The people in the villages say the forest has power……we call it the great heart.”
“The great heart……”
Majic repeated the name.
Frontier religions, in fact not all exist in the frontier regions——many of them exist on the
outskirts of cities like Totokanta. So you’ve just got to look for the presence of these
religions. In fact, a new religion was created in the city of Kimurakku only a couple of
hundred years ago.
(This great heart, it may turn out to be a third-rate religion or piece of art.)
Fiena went onto say:
“Don’t you like it?”
“I do, it sounds interesting.”
Majic didn’t know how to answer. Fiena spoke in an invitational tone:
“I’m certain that you would be welcome in the village.”
“……Ah?”
Majic felt very strange. Fiena continued talking:
“You’re beautiful, I’m sure you’d make a good priestess if you stayed.”
Upon hearing this, Majc fell head first, tumbling into the ground.
He said, as he stood up and brushed the soil from his body. His face became a little
contorted, he didn’t know how to react.
“You’re not a girl, are you?”
“Occasionally people seem to think so.”
“Don’t worry, boys are still welcome.”
“Well, let’s hope these villages are really interesting.”
Majic said. Fiena smiled.
“I was also surprised when I first came here six months ago……although I wasn’t born here,
I think of it as my home.”
Fiena began talking as they walked, her tone was kind of monotone. Then all of a sudden
Fiena stopped, her face became serious.
“What’s wrong?”
Majic asked. She looked at the surrounds, then said:
“I’m sorry.”
“……What?”
Majic didn’t know what she meant, he stared at her motionlessly.
“There’s still time, you should escape……”
She whispered. Then suddenly, whispers could be heard in the forest.
“Compassion is a virtue, but don’t betray us, Fiena.”
A voice said.
Majic was surprised, he tried looking for the source of the voice. Then, a tall man slowly
stepped out of the lush vegetation.
Two other people followed soon after. The three men looked like farmers, they were holding
hatchets and spears.
One word instantly appeared in Majic’s mind, trap.
“W-Why?”
Majic faced Fiena, she shook her head and didn’t answer him. She then spoke to the tall
“Like fish in a river. The sorcerer has companions, they will search for him soon enough.”
“Two birds with one stone, eh? Good work, Fiena.”
The man began to walk towards Fiena at a slow pace. He had a pointy beard on his chin, a
solemn look on his face, looked around thirty or forty years old, his sharp eyes would also
make anyone uncomfortable.
He smiled at Fiena, then said:
“The sorcerer must be punished, we can’t let him get away.”
“And——”
Majic suddenly felt another man approach him from behind, he turned to face him. This one
was different from the others, he clearly seemed to be military, his outfit was a leather shirt
and jacket, but the military badges were obviously removed. He also had a vast assortment
of knifes on his jacket, and a scabbard at his side.
“We’ll be ready to meet his companions.”
The tall man went on to say:
“The forest belongs to us, anyone who casually enters it must be punished.”
“But I though the forest’s management rights belonged to the Kimurakku church and the
Royal Family?”
The tall man laughed.
“Haha! Are you expecting that to mean something?”
“You mean——”
Kimurakku was the church’s headquarters, they have a presence all over the continent. The
Royal Family——they are the combined forces of the aristocracy, to say the least.
“We have Fiena.”
Then, the tall man placed a hand on her shoulder. Fiena winched in fear. Now all the men’s
faces were filled with smiles.
(These people, they are strange……are they some type of mad cult?)
Majic thought.
(I don’t think I’ll receive any mercy. If master was here, he’d certainly wouldn’t stay.)
“But……”
Majic sounded smug.
Majic slowly walked towards the tall man, he tried to remain calm.
“Am I allowed to shout?”
“……Huh?”
The man in the army jack didn’t react. The tall man said:
“Calling for help is useless. Your comrades won’t hear you.”
“Oh, I know that.”
Majic made an innocent smile.
“Just for a moment, I want to shout.”
“You are a strange guy……what are you going to shout?”
“It’s——”
Majic looked towards the man, he then took a deep breath and shouted:
“Master, you are a fool who occasionally gives me something decent to eat.”
He said with all his might, he then grabbed Fiena by the arm. He pulled her from the man’s
arms, then took a few steps backwards.
“……What did you just shout?”
“I was just nonsense.”
Majic smiled and shrugged.
At this point——the men were stuck in a daze, then large pieces of black stuff started to fall.
“Aaaaaaah!”
The men started to scream. Falling from the tree was a serpent, it had fallen off one of the
trees branches.
“Ahhhh!”
It suddenly landed and crushed one of the men, they were flung into a panic.
“Makudogaru!”
That seemed to be the tall man’s name, though Majic didn’t really care.
“Just run away——”
Majic pulled Fiena’s hand. She didn’t fully understand what was happening, she blinked and
“W-What’s going on?”
“It’s magic. I just shouted and it was converted into an incantation, it broke the branches.”
Not just black sorcerers, but any human on the continent could use magic as a sound
medium. In other words, the contents of the incantation doesn’t really matter, as long as your
voice is used a medium, the magical effect will still launch. However, it does require a certain
level of concentration.
Majic glanced at the snake fighting the men, he seized Fiena’s arm.
“We’ve got to run away, now!”
“B-But——”
“What!?”
Majic unconsciously shouted.
“My success rate with magic isn’t too high! I won’t be able to use the same trick twice. We’ve
got to move.”
“We won’t make it.”
Fiena’s voice was full of doubt. Majic became annoyed, he pulled her arm.
“Don’t you understand, if you stay you’ll be a priestess forever!”
“……Huh……?”
Fiena blinked her eyes a few times, she was bewildered. At that time——
It was a loud sound. Majic suddenly felt strange, he had let go of Fiena’s hand.
“What happened……?”
Majic looked backwards, the men had stopped panicking. Makudogaru was staring directly
at him, his face filled with anger.
Majic stared at him motionlessly, he felt a silent horror come over himself. Makudogaru
pointed something that was made of metal towards him.
Bang——
A flash came from the piece of black iron, at the same time, Majic felt a strong impact on his
stomach——all of the pain was concentrated in one point, it was enough to send him
crumpling to the ground.
“Ahh……!”
Fiena’s scream sounded so far away. He felt like he was being sucked into a never ending
hole into the ground, it was an unrelenting feeling.
“…………!”
His vision quickly degenerated into an array of white light, at this rate he would soon lose
consciousness, but the footsteps of the men kept him awake a little longer.
“…………!”
It sounded like the men were in a bitter quarrel——it seemed to be about Fiena.
Endless chills were now going through Majic’s body, he knew if this feeling continued he
would probably die. In his last seconds, Majic heard Makudogaru say something.
“Fiena, give him treatment.”
She responded in a very low voice, he couldn’t hear exactly what was being said.
At the same time, his cold and trembling body was suddenly surrounded in warmth. This
feeling——is it her hand? ——Somehow she was injecting heat into his body, soon it would
flow throughout his entire body……
(Endless falling——Fiena——can’t escape——forest——priestess ——man——in his
hand——black iron——)
In the chaos that was Majic’s consciousness, he finally realized——
It was a pistol.
