Black animal carcasses, desolate forest branches, and the land filled with the smell of death, this is the scenery that Zela and the others saw along the way.
"How could this happen...it was obvious before..."
As he circled past from above, a trace of unbearability flashed across Mavis's little face, and he murmured uncomfortably.
Looking down from the air, they could clearly see that all of this looked like the traces of some terrible creature that had moved, and there was no grass growing wherever it went.
(…‘The Curse of Anxeram’…)
Zella, who knew what was going on, couldn't help but narrowed her eyes. It seemed that some things she thought were too simple.
(Just a will that does not exist can make a person immortal, and even reverse the realm of 'life' and 'death'...)
(Is this the realm of "God"...)
(…)
"Go back quickly, Zella!"
"Um!"
Hearing Mavis's call, Zella pursed her lips in a depressed mood and increased her flying speed again.
…
"It's so slow. Where are the two eldest ladies?"
Sitting around the camp where the campfire was lit, Yuri put his head in his hands and leaned back on a fallen tree stump.
A hot-blooded idiot always recovers quickly, and Warlord and the others couldn't really leave this guy alone.
Anyway, I'm used to it in some aspects.
"Haha, maybe they just left because they disliked you Yuri for holding them back."
"After all, Zella can fly."
He casually threw a branch into the fire, and the honest-looking Warlord also made a 'joke'.
"……seriously?!"
Only this time, someone really panicked.
"Probably not...how should I put it...this..."
The wizard companions who were talking nonsense while covering their heads and finally found them are about to be disbanded for such a ridiculous reason before their adventure to show off their skills has even begun?!
"Don't panic, idiot."
Precht, who was concentrating with his eyes closed, couldn't stand Yuri who started to make a fuss, so he stopped him by speaking out.
"Do you think they're the kind of people who would leave without saying goodbye?"
Analyzing calmly, it is estimated that only this blond single-celled creature here would worry about this kind of problem.
"Really?"
With hopeful eyes, Yuri raised his head to get confirmation.
"ah."
Precht replied noncommittally, and Warlord also relaxed his shoulders.
"...Okay! I will apologize properly when they come back!"
Yuri clenched his fist with great energy and jumped up from the ground with renewed energy.
The other party is a new wizard, so he still has some sense of teamwork.
It was just a voice that just happened to come from the sky, telling him that it was no longer necessary.
"...We will accept this sentence. It seems that you are not hopeless yet."
"Zera! Mavis!"
Seeing them, Yuri, who finally stopped worrying, seemed to have dropped a big stone.
"Yuri! Precht! Volod! Are you okay?"
Shouting and jumping down from Zera's back, Mavis glanced around and then asked anxiously.
Finding that the feather-eared girl's expression was unusual, the trio also realized that something special might have happened.
"We're fine, what happened?"
Standing up and looking at Mavis, Warlord asked with some confusion.
"I'll explain this later. Anyway, let's get out of here first."
After giving instructions, the brown-haired girl flew into the air again.
Feeling the flow of magic around her, Zella knew that they had caught up for the time being, but the terrifying shadow in her perception was still slowly approaching here.
Now we have to leave this area quickly. Even if that person has no intention of fighting, the curse on him will not distinguish this.
"Ah?! What are you talking about all of a sudden? It's so late. Where are we going to leave here?"
Wrinkling his eyebrows, Yuri admitted that it was indeed his fault before, but he would not accept such a 'willful' behavior without a proper reason.
"...It's black magic."
"We found traces of black magic in front."
Time was tight, and knowing that failure to explain clearly would reduce efficiency, Mabis had no choice but to explain briefly and comprehensively.
"What? Dark magic?!"
After hearing this, the three people all looked in disbelief. In this era, this is not something that can be said nonsense.
"Hey, hey...I said..."
She lowered her face in confusion. Before Yuri could express his opinion on this, Zera, who had been on alert in the air, suddenly changed his face and shouted at the people below.
"Get down!"
"——!?"
After following the instructions out of trust in his partner, a black halo of light suddenly erupted in the dark forest, corroding everything around him at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"..."
(It’s just the aftermath...)
As if the nightmare-like fluctuations were fleeting, and observing the tragic situation caused in an instant, Zella slowly descended from the air worriedly.
Telling them to get down was actually mainly for Yuri and the three of them, because she was worried that the three people who did not know magic could not withstand the impact of such a high density of magic.
Zella, who is familiar with black magic, knows very well that if she just stands and endures it, even though it should not be fatal at such a distance, she will not be able to escape from a serious illness.
Mebis has a system of light attributes and is protected by magic power, so he is the one who is least affected.
"Hiss—what exactly is this..."
They got up from the ground in a daze. When the three of them realized what had just happened, they all gasped.
One second they were sitting in a dense forest, and the next moment, the place turned into a wasteland like a tomb, which would scare anyone.
"Such a joke is not funny at all..."
Swallowing their saliva, the three of them were still confused, but this did not prevent their instinctive warning.
Something terrible is approaching!
...
"...I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I didn't expect there would be anyone else here..."
Just as they were secretly on guard, a gentle and apologetic male voice came from the broken branches of the trees, and a young man wearing a vintage robe walked out with a gloomy expression.
"Never approach me, please get out of here quickly."
Deliberately keeping a distance, the young man promptly reminded everyone.
Then he seemed to remember something again, shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"...Yes, it has nothing to do with you. It's me who should leave."
It caused others to mutter to themselves inexplicably, and the young man's whole person was filled with a sense of disharmony, which was still obvious under the starry curtain of dead leaves.
"'The Black Magic of Anxeram'..."
Subconsciously speaking out his guess, this phenomenon was exactly the same as the spell his friend once mentioned, which also allowed Mabis to determine the source of the other party's wonderful "contradiction".
It is one of the ancient curses, also known as the "Curse of Contradiction".
In other words, the more he respects life, the more he releases evil energy that spreads death.
"...You are really knowledgeable. This is the first time I have met someone who can tell this spell."
A surprised expression appeared on the young man's face, and then changed back to a gentle smile.
"What the hell...what's going on?!"
Realizing that someone knew about the current situation, Yuri and the others looked at Mavis, hoping to get the answer from her.
"Hmm...specifically, I just heard what Zela said..."
Shaking her head, Mavis actually didn't know much about black magic, because the only knowledge in this area in the library was 'sealed' by her friend.
"...Really, that's what it turns out to be..."
His expression became a little surprised. After seeing Zera standing next to Mebis, Yuri and the others may not understand yet, but as the strongest black mage in the history of the magic world, he has already come up with the answer he wants.
.
"...I was just a little nostalgic for the magic reaction I am familiar with in the generation nearby. I didn't expect to meet someone who is pursuing the same magic path as me."
"I hope you won't take the same path as me in the future..."
"——!"
...
For Zella, this was not a pleasant encounter.
Although the other party didn't say it clearly, the girl knew that the black-haired boy had seen through her 'intelligence'.
That is the fact that she is also possessed of "black magic". (To be continued)