Imperial agents had been killed.
Although they had concealed their identities, launching an ambush in this manner felt deeply unnatural.
‘It could only mean they were targeted from the start.’
The attack had come almost immediately after they left the forward base.
The agents had mounted some resistance, but it seemed the enemy had been far more thoroughly prepared. Or perhaps simply stronger.
‘There’s no way a grudge formed at the forward base alone would drive someone to act this meticulously. They knew these were Imperial agents and still went through with it.’
In other words, there existed a force that did not want the Empire involved.
‘The first thing that comes to mind is foreign intelligence operatives.’
Even though the world had ostensibly entered an era of peace without war, that did not mean all nations got along harmoniously.
They smiled on the surface and engaged in diplomacy, but at any moment they could sink a blade into one another.
Such under-the-table maneuvering was commonplace.
Even so, crossing the line this blatantly was rare—especially even if this was the New Continent, far from prying eyes.
“Foreign agents should be ruled out.”
Casey spoke, having seemingly reached the same conclusion as Ludger.
“In international politics, the Empire’s position is solid. Giving even the slightest pretext would disrupt diplomacy. Agents dispatched this far would know that. To avoid harming their homeland, they’d try to avoid clashing with Imperial agents.”
“That’s exactly right. There’s no reason to plan and execute such an overt ambush.”
“Yeah. Anyone willing to do this wouldn’t care that the target was the Empire. People not bound by any nation. And people who harbor hostility toward the Empire.”
“If that’s the case, there are quite a few candidates that come to mind. The very reason Imperial agents were urgently dispatched here in the first place.”
The most representative example was the remaining remnants of the Bretus Theocracy.
With branches scattered across the continent, they had splintered into cells after the fall of the Theocracy.
Some fled, some concealed their identities and lived new lives.
But most continued their extremist activities, dreaming of the revival of the Lumenis Church.
Those who have once tasted power do not easily let it go.
All the more so when it was taken from them against their will.
The next most likely candidates were the Demon King’s followers.
The Demon King had instilled fear into the world—but conversely, he had also captivated countless people.
From Ludger’s perspective, it was utterly absurd.
‘Defending someone who practically plunged the world into war.’
But no matter where you go, extremists exist.
Above all, the very name “Demon King” carried an intense resonance.
Most feared the Demon King—but not everyone.
Some were fascinated by the name itself. They idolized his achievements and became intoxicated by his power.
To them, whether the Demon King was good or evil did not matter.
What they sought was power—pure power.
Pure power possessed a charisma so overwhelming that it could dominate people by its mere existence.
And the Demon King had played a decisive role in toppling the Bretus Theocracy, once the absolute pillar of the world.
With only a small number of followers, including a few key executives, he had overturned an entire nation.
To those who pursued power, that was a light—a destination they longed to reach.
That was how the Demon King’s followers came to be.
Overturning the rules of the world with overwhelming strength.
Deciding everything through nothing but raw power.
An ideology that ran counter to the modern age—a regression against the flow of time.
‘Whatever the case, it’s clear that an extremist religious group and an extremist militant group are involved.’
Judging from the condition of the agents’ bodies—no visible wounds—the remnants of the Bretus Theocracy seemed the more likely culprit.
Of course, black mages also had to be considered as a secondary possibility.
“The problem is that all the agents who were supposed to relay information from the field are dead.”
That made things troublesome. They had only just arrived in Hyperborea.
They knew nothing yet—what the terrain was like, how large the area was, how many people had gathered there.
They were completely in the dark.
Ludger turned his gaze toward Hans.
“Hans. I’m going to need you to work.”
“Haaah. So it comes to this after all.”
Hans scratched his head with a sigh, as if he had half expected this outcome.
With no agents on site, there was no more effective way to gather information than that.
Meanwhile, Veronica was retrieving an insignia from each of the bodies.
Her expression was stiff, her movements solemn.
“Agents operating in places like this cannot reveal their existence to the outside. That is why they carry nothing that could prove their identity.”
After collecting all the insignia, Veronica looked down at the cold corpses.
They were all people who had worked for the Empire.
Faced with their deaths, Veronica felt a crushing sense of grief.
“Anyone who is human wishes to make their name known. Yet these people hid their identities and devoted themselves to the Empire. Yes—more loyal than anyone.”
Crunch.
Veronica clenched her fist. The tightly clenched hand trembled with rage.
“They knew this mission was not safe. Knowing that, they still came here of their own will, fully resolved. Are they not truly admirable people? That is precisely why this is unforgivable.”
Cold fury raged within Veronica’s eyes.
Ludger had expected her to explode in fiery anger. She was bold and, in some ways, straightforward.
But Veronica’s anger was not a volcano—it was a deep, freezing blizzard.
Ludger understood then why she could serve as the vice-captain of the Coldsteel Knights.
Yes. Veronica was a woman who suited cold steel better than anyone.
After meeting her gaze, Ludger stepped toward the bodies.
“Will the bodies be returned to the homeland?”
“No. In the current situation, that isn’t possible. It would be nothing more than greed. They were prepared for this.”
Veronica turned to look at Ludger.
“I ask you.”
“Understood.”
Ludger took out his staff and lightly struck the ground.
From the earth, plants sprouted—trees and vines growing to wrap around the bodies.
The densely woven vines transformed into coffins, each holding a single corpse.
Ludger buried them. The vine coffins sank smoothly into the ground, as if being swallowed by a swamp.
After laying them properly to rest, Ludger shaped simple grave markers from stone.
It was the best he could do.
“Thank you.”
“I merely did what needed to be done.”
Ludger turned to Casey.
“I think I know where they were headed.”
Casey’s gaze shifted in one direction.
The direction the Imperial agents were believed to have been heading toward.
Deeper into the Hyperborea Continent.
The reason they had been forced to move in such haste lay beyond that point.
After a brief moment of silent prayer for the dead, the group departed immediately.
The method of travel was simple.
Ludger created a small boat with plant magic, and Casey drew in water to propel it forward.
They needed neither sail nor wind.
They sped across the land in a boat faster than any automobile.
Along the way, Hans exerted his influence over as many beasts as possible.
Hyperborea lay beyond the Northern Continent and seemed desolate—but even here, life was born.
From small rats, to fox-like predators that hunted them, to birds soaring through the sky.
The beasts affected by Hans’s resonance conveyed everything they saw, heard, and felt directly to him.
The information they gathered was astonishing—and extremely valuable.
One such revelation was just how rich Hyperborea was in mana.
“The density of mana is high. Growing in such an environment, the beasts’ bodies are saturated with mana, and some are close to becoming spirit beasts.”
Hans spoke.
From the excessive mana in the atmosphere, to the plants growing in the frigid environment—everything contained significant mana.
From the insects that fed on those plants, to the small animals that preyed on the insects.
Beasts that had accumulated mana over long years were far smarter and stronger than ordinary ones.
“What’s surprising is that even these creatures have been pushed out of the food chain. The deeper you go inside, the stronger the predators become.”
Hyperborea was saturated with mana, and the deeper one went into the continent, the denser it became.
If Hans’s guess was correct, there would be several beasts inside that were likely spirit beasts.
“Spirit beasts, huh. That’ll be a bit of a nuisance.”
No matter how strong Hans’s communion with animals was, it did not extend to spirit beasts.
If anything, spirit beasts might react even more sensitively to Hans’s presence.
“No wonder an ancient civilization exists here. With this much mana, something is bound to exist.”
Casey muttered as she felt the mana filling the air.
At that moment, Hans—borrowing the eyes of an ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) eagle—reacted as if he had spotted something unexpected.
“Hm? No... wait, could this be—”
“Hans. What did you see?”
“There’s a massive forest in the direction we’re heading.”
“A forest?”
Was it even possible for a forest to exist in land bordering on a glacial climate?
Even Hans himself looked puzzled by his own words. But what he had seen was unmistakably a forest.
The question did not linger long.
As the fast-moving boat crossed several ridgelines, they could see it with their own eyes.
“It really is a forest.”
Beyond the snow- and dry-grass-covered plains stood a forest.
It looked like a tropical rainforest—utterly incompatible with the frigid climate.
Even more surprising, the closer they got, the more the air—once bitterly cold—began to warm.
“It’s not an illusion. I can feel intense vitality throughout the entire forest. There’s an enormous amount of water too.”
Casey sensed countless underground waterways flowing through the forest.
Massive groundwater formed from melting snow and ice ran beneath the entire woodland.
“I see. So that’s where the ancient ruins are.”
It had looked enormous even from afar, but as they drew closer, its scale became tangible.
The forest spread wide on both ends, reminiscent of an elven woodland.
The sticky mana emanating from it reminded Ludger of his first visit to the Kasarr Basin.
Upon reaching the forest, the group disembarked.
In this dense woodland, traveling by vehicle no longer seemed feasible.
From here on, they would have to walk on their own two legs.
“This is insane. Even I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Casey prided herself on having traveled all over the continent, but even for her, this sight was unprecedented.
A tropical rainforest in such a frozen land.
It was no different from fire and ice coexisting.
Perhaps this environment itself was the influence of the ancient ruins.
“More importantly, what do we do? Going inside looks pretty rough.”
They had come to Hyperborea, but never expected to be exploring a jungle. Naturally, they had no equipment suited for this.
“Finding a path itself isn’t difficult.”
Ludger looked at Hans.
Veronica and Casey’s gazes naturally followed.
A forest brimming with life was home to countless beasts.
In such an environment, Hans’s constitution truly shone.
“You really plan to work me hard.”
Hans sighed. He had thought he would just tag along—but never imagined he’d be the one working the hardest.
Well, that’s my lot in life.
Muttering to himself, Hans extended his influence to the surrounding beasts.
The animals inhabiting the forest were caught in his senses.
As expected, the rainforest’s beasts were stronger than those outside.
Astonishingly intelligent—and highly resistant to his resonance.
Still, they had not yet become spirit beasts.
While exerting influence over them, Hans quickly gathered information about the forest.
Then it happened.
“...Damn it.”
Hans’s expression stiffened.
His ever-expanding resonance abruptly slammed to a halt at a certain point.
And that wasn’t all.
“Boss. We’re in trouble.”
“What is it, Hans?”
“I thought we’d be fine since this was the forest’s outskirts... but it looks like we picked the worst possible draw.”
Ludger immediately understood what Hans meant.
In fact, anyone with half a brain would have noticed.
From beyond the forest, an enormous presence had detected them—and was approaching at terrifying speed.
Crack! Crunch!
Trees began toppling one after another, like falling dominoes.
As the trees fell, birds took flight in panic.
Nearby beasts fled desperately, trying to get as far away as possible.
“A spirit beast. And a very aggressive one at that.”
Taking Hans’s resonance as a territorial intrusion—and a challenge—the spirit beast unleashed its fury.