Chapter 69 – Baldur’s Nightmare (3)

— We don’t know. Since one day, it has been placed at the entrance of the village… At first, I thought it was Baldur’s nightmare.
— Well, you were wrong! I absolutely did not worship demons or study black magic! Please spare your life… !

Mareil’s memo only went to this point. It is said that the demon statue itself is widespread in this area, and that this phenomenon occurred relatively recently.

Goliath’s information power is barely comparable to mine. He was probably ordered to leave for Parencia urgently due to Liv’s actions before further investigation began.

Did you break your spine for no reason? If it had just been released appropriately, a little more information would have been released about this demon statue by now.

“No, it’s done.”

It was past her anyway, and even now, there might be an iron dog sent to Batudis province separately from her, so she decided to just do her job.

She tried to confide in the villagers about the source of the demon statue, but without much success.
What is a little unique is that this method is not used to train traitors who swear loyalty to the demons or slaves of black magic.

The most representative examples are the Necromancers of Baragal and the Witches of the Black Night.

They usually go into villages on the border suffering from famine and heal the sick or spread doctrine.
As brainwashing progresses little by little, it creates customs such as human sacrifice and cannibalism, causing confusion and spreading endemic diseases.
Finally, at the village cemetery, a ritual is held to summon Helzeb’s demon beasts and a lion is raised to create an army of death.

There are times when demon statues are used for such preliminary work, but in this case it was slightly different.
The village was not only peaceful, but it seemed to be even more prosperous economically by trading goods brought in by illusions.
Above all, so as not to be offended by the appearance of the Demon Goddess Statue, there is absolutely no use of illusion magic to turn it into a Goddess Statue.

〈The End of Magic〉 destroyed only the outer shell. In fact, there was no curse or black magic on the demon statue itself.

‘So that means that the purpose is simply to spread these statues throughout the Batudis region…’

Here my investigation came to a halt.
In fact, it was something worth praising yourself for making it this far.
I am a warrior, not an adventurer or a scholar. I can’t get to the bottom of the case with my brilliant reasoning skills, nor can I open the status window to find out the secrets hidden in this demon statue.

So what should I do from now on?

There is cause and effect in everything.
If someone jumped in with their bare body to go surfing in the middle of an ocean infested with sharks, it would have been a given that they would film a blockbuster ocean movie trilogy that would take the world by storm that day.
A blond gangster friend who was doing a live broadcast might run away screaming when she sees her lover next to her painting a pretty watercolor painting by releasing red paint into the sea.
The final ending concludes with the heroine, the lone survivor, carrying the harpoon that disposed of her shark and shooting a flare at her rescuers.
It’s a cliché story that anyone could think of.

However, it is a different story if a nouveau riche wearing a steel suit is among the members. Even if there are not only great white sharks but also mosasaurs floating in the sea, one hit from a divorced wife will tear them apart like an underground shelter hit by a bunker buster.

And I already have a record of destroying three magic towers.

“It’s a shame…”

I should have come to Vatudis then. The problem is that I skipped it because the weather here was so bad. Just do well from now on.
I started running slowly towards the source of the nightmare where the villagers moved the demon statue.
In the face of overwhelming power, magic was meaningless.

***

“Listen, Liv. The God of Storms. “You said it was really amazing?”

Perhaps because of the intimidation of the name, the second graders, who were afraid of Baldur’s nightmares, visited the Shrine of the Storm one by one and couldn’t help but praise it.
Karen was lucky enough to be there first, and with her eyes sparkling, she continued to talk about the magical principles she had discovered until she fell asleep.

“It’s not simply about throwing yourself into the remnants of the past. What can I say, it’s hard to explain, but for example, sound is invisible, right? However, in Baldur’s Nightmare, the magic can be polarized in a divided dimension and interpreted from multiple perspectives! I took a peek at the academic presentation at Megrez M Tower, which was the venue for the 13th regular meeting…”

Please. I don’t really want to hear it.

Liv, leaning against the bed, pulled the blanket wrapped around his lower abdomen up to his neck and turned his body around.
It was the first time that she, the wizard she was, had not been able to concentrate on her magic. Even when she came to the Magic Tower, where she had more opportunities to learn than anywhere else, all Liv’s mind was thinking about was Louis, Louis, Louis.
The boss became ill, and the flower buds that had just begun to bloom were withering because they could not drink water.
Rather than blaming all that longing for magic——

— Teacher and I love each other, so why are you interfering?

Liv just wanted to avert her eyes from all reality.

“Live?”
“No. “Keep talking.”
“Anyway, if you go in front of the shrine, there’s something like a big hole, right? It’s like a gate to a nightmare. Even though the weather phenomenon itself cannot be eliminated, it seems that the magic tower’s control department can control the concentration of magical energy to some extent. Even though I was so careful, the two people who went with me couldn’t get out on their own? Butapju held out his arm and forcibly took it out.”

Well, it’s worth it. Fantasy is so sweet——.

Listening to her friend’s story, which felt like it was just her dream, Liv tried to sleep.

***

Next day.

The atmosphere at the Magic Tower became quite busy. From the corridor leading to the dining room for breakfast, Liv sensed her bustling atmosphere.
She asked, grabbing one of her apprentices as he passed by, as did the other students and Professor Vincent.

“Is there some problem?”
“Oh, yeah? No, it’s nothing. “There will be an announcement from the higher-ups shortly, so students, please gather in the classroom today according to the schedule.”

Weeeeenn——!!

As soon as he finished speaking, a siren sounded from the top of the magic tower. An alarm sound that can be heard several times a day, indicating that Baldur’s nightmares have worsened.
Some second graders who had been hearing that noise for several days frowned, but that was it. Paying attention like that was the only way to prevent the residents living outside the tower from being dragged into nightmares.

Weeeee—— pop.

But Liv sensed something a little strange. It was probably the same for other people.
The alarm sound, which was supposed to sound for a long time and then go off, suddenly cut off at some point.
While I was eating with my head tilted, it occurred to me that this phenomenon had been going on since dawn.

‘Is there something wrong with the alarm system?’

I could only make wild guesses as I spooned a few spoonfuls of soup into my mouth. Even the professor took an interest in Liv’s eating, which was even smaller than usual.

“Liv Labre. “It’s morning and you have no appetite?”
“Yes? Ah, professor. It’s okay.”
“You look exhausted. Originally, the environment of the Magic Tower was unfamiliar and it was always bustling. “If you’re sick, you can rest in your room.”
“Thank you for your concern. “I can take classes.”
“Is it.”

In fact, Professor Vincent’s expression of concern for Liv was even darker. Having majored in orthodox elemental magic, he did not fit the personality of Pekda, who deals with invisible illusions called image magic.
Still, since he had the role of a guide, he handed Liv a Magic Tower access card and said,

“It is a regular meeting. “It’s your turn at 2pm, so don’t be late and go to the lake written on the card.”
“All right… Huh? “Me, professor.”
“What’s going on?”
“The location written here is…” … “It’s the upper level of the Magic Tower.”

In general, the majority of the magic tower was comprised of a few apprentices who settled in the lower classes and graduates who had just graduated and entered the tower.
The lower level was always crowded with people, and going up to the middle level, authoritative magicians and scholars conducting personal research trained students.
The upper floor is an area where only the Tower owner, sub-Tower owner, and their direct disciples can enter. Naturally, all interviews with academy students were held in the reception room on the lower floor.

“Hmm, I just relayed what I received. “Maybe your grades had an impact.”
“Sexual…”
“Okay. “It is rare for the top student of the grade to come to Pekda instead of Dubena Mizar.”

Both of the previously mentioned magic towers were at the top level in terms of schooling.
Perhaps that was why Professor Vincent’s gaze upon Liv, who did not choose Dube Magic Tower, was somewhat stinging. Maybe it was because she was a nobleman, barely above baronage, having barely risen from her commoner status.

“Be careful not to ruin the dignity of the academy. “Don’t be late.”
“… All right.”

With a heavy heart, Liv nodded his head and put the card in his bag.

***

Weeeee—— pop.

“Wow, that noise has finally stopped.”

I lightly pulled out my fist, which was stuck in the ruined ground. A huge amount of building material and several corpses scattered on the floor disappeared into a haze.

A demonic statue left standing on a barren land where everything had turned to ashes.
I lightly broke it in half and threw it away.

“It seems like there is a roughly determined location where something can be found…”

The three Moirai sisters said that the demon statue was their sign.
If these were to act as markers or catalysts for some kind of magic, their arrangement had to have a certain degree of regularity.
But since I don’t have a map, I need to know where I came from. I was just wiping out all the nightmares that appeared as I circled around the loudly whirring magic tower.
When the nightmare was destroyed and the alarm stopped, the demon statue left behind by the villagers could be found once every three times.

No matter what you plan to do, if you destroy all the demon statues here, they will come running to you from the other side.
Until then, I have no choice but to run with my feet, even if it’s a little annoying.

Slam!

This time, a small building that appeared to be a train station and a stable attached to it appeared. There is no pasture here to feed horses, so this is also an illusion.
Without further hesitation, I raised my fist as soon as I opened the door.

“Who are you?”
“I came to tell you good things.”

Kwaaaaang——!!