Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 153
Only Noblemtl
Episode 153: The Shadow of the Great Mountain Range (2)
If the standard for a ferocious beast is defined as an animal that causes harm to humans, then the evil species could be said to be the most terrifying form of beast.
Even the most sloppy of evil spirits would never be able to be caught by an ordinary person without proper equipment, and above all, evil spirits absolutely hate humans.
This is the same for humans, and when they see evil spirits, they instinctively feel disgust as if they are seeing something dirty.
This is why the by-products of evil spirits are not used at all.
At least the leather and scales are very strong, so they may be useful, but even touching the by-products from the corpse makes me feel bad, so they have no commercial value whatsoever.
That’s why Galen and Lilia weren’t actually happy riding wyverns.
It’s just that the fast travel is so appealing that I endured the disgust for a few hours.
Even those who can play with wyverns like toys are like that, so what about the average person who is treated like a toy by the wyverns?
Flying, fast, strong, powerful, and repulsive. It’s almost the epitome of fear.
In short, he didn’t ride a wyvern and descend directly into the city. If he returned home in glory like that, it would be a story he would tell for the rest of his life.
Naturally, he got off at a suitable place and walked. He was even meticulous in disposing of the wyvern’s body cleanly, in case the villagers were anxious after hearing rumors that a wyvern had come down to the bottom of the mountain.
We had spent the whole day crossing the mountains, so it was already night when we reached the walls of Abaca, even though we had not walked very long.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to close the gates.
The unfortunate thing was that there were strangely few people trying to get through the gate.
“…Why is the city atmosphere like this?”
When she got off the wyvern, Lilia’s face, which had been lively, had darkened as if following the change in time zone.
Galen, who had spent most of his time here in the frontier zone but had also spent more than ten days in Abaca, felt a sense of unease.
“Even though the sun has set, there aren’t many pedestrians. If it were winter, it might be because it’s cold, but it’s early summer now.”
“Right? And considering the date… it’s not a time when things are this dull.”
“What date?”
Damus asked. Although he was in charge of the East because there were not enough Archbishops, his base was in the Northeast. The East was where Roald was acting as a proxy, so he heard about it from a different place. He couldn’t immediately associate it with the word date.
“Did you know that Abaca and the Pioneer Zone are only connected by regular flights?”
“I know.”
“There are regular flights every fortnight. To be exact, there are regular flights from Abaca on the fortnight and the last day of every month. The schedule is five days long. And when the regular flights sent from here arrive at the first village on the other side, there are regular flights from there as well.”
The road connecting Abaca and the pioneer zone was hardly a proper road; it was a forced access road dug between the mountains.
This was a measure taken because it would be a headache if a procession of at least several hundred people started from both sides at the same time and met in the middle.
“Today is the twenty-seventh day of the early summer month, so the regular train from the first village should have arrived the day before yesterday.”
“Most of those who returned from the pioneer zone were mercenaries who had completed their missions or merchants who had completed their business. It’s strange that it’s already become quiet after only two days.”
Galen added, naturally accepting Lilia’s words. Damus’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“That makes sense. If these hundreds of people who went to the wilderness returned to civilization with money, it would be natural for them to spend it lavishly.”
“I hope it’s nothing serious.”
“Let’s go quickly.”
Lilia tried to keep a dignified expression, but her steps were filled with worry. Her pace was almost alarming.
There was no need to wait, as there were virtually no pedestrians. Originally, priests almost always had a free pass in any city.
“Huh, Priestess Lilia?!”
“Bishop, Inma. Haven’t you heard the rumors?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Bishop!”
“It’s okay. It’s been a while.”
The guards at the gate recognized Lilia and greeted her happily.
Even before she met Galen, she was already one of the most famous people in Abaca. It’s hard for a super genius priest with overwhelming looks to not be famous.
Lilia observed their expressions for a moment, then replied with a light greeting and passed through the gate.
Judging from the expressions on the guards’ faces, they seemed to know the situation in the city, but there was someone who could give more detailed answers without having to ask them.
“Excuse me… … .”
“Is it a carriage?”
“Yes? Oh, yes!”
“Please guide me.”
Near the city gate, there was usually a place where the coachmen waited. In modern terms, it would be a sort of taxi stand. When a city was big enough to be called a city, it took a while to get around on foot.
Because it was night, there were not many carriages, but there were some. The most diligent coachman got lucky.
The carriage headed to the church in Abaca.
“It really has grown a lot.”
Damus muttered as he took in the night scenery outside the window.
“Have you ever been here?”
“It was over ten years ago. Well, maybe twenty? It was so long ago that I can barely remember. Back then, it was really, how should I put it, a large village with a wild feel. It’s refreshing to see it grow into a full-fledged city.”
“I see. This is the first time I’ve seen it in this condition. To be honest, I don’t have a good eye for it to tell the difference… … .”
“There are some buildings I’ve never seen before.”
Lilia, who had been observing the street through the window on the other side, returned to her original position and said.
“It’s been almost two years, so I think the city has developed a little bit. It’s not as dead as I was worried about.”
“At least it doesn’t seem to be a long-term problem.”
“If something like that had happened, I would have been informed long ago. Of course, I was away for a couple of months because of the ordination ceremony.”
“I was just wondering because there was work to be done in the Southwest.”
“Surely there are more people like that?”
It seems that Lillia, who had seen several villages devastated by orc wizards, suddenly thought of the plague when she saw the city being quiet.
Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. The atmosphere within the city wasn’t particularly ominous. It was just a little quiet?
If there were no regular flights, I might have just let it go. It’s just strange because there are now.
“They all came.”
“Thank you for your effort.”
The four men who had paid the groom went into the church.
Unless there is an emergency, public service does not continue into the night. The church, where only priests and nuns remain, is quite quiet.
“This way.”
Lilia took the lead. As the largest church in the East, the grounds were quite large, but Lilia, who had lived here since she was a baby, could literally find her destination with her eyes closed.
The place we arrived was the accommodation building located within the church grounds.
While there were priests who lived outside and commuted to work separately, Myra lived within the church.
But there was absolutely no light coming through the window.
“Hey, you’re not asleep yet, are you?”
Lilia tilted her head and knocked cautiously on the door.
There was no response. The door was locked.
“He’s not here.”
Galen said, quietly closing his eyes and opening them again. The sense of the water flow manipulation and spiral circulation informed him that there was no movement in the room beyond the wall.
“Are you working overtime? No, the lights in your office were turned off too… … .”
“He might have gone on a business trip for a while.”
“I wonder if it has something to do with the city’s atmosphere.”
After thinking for a moment, Lilia went to find another place to stay.
Luckily, this time the landlord was inside.
“Who are you?”
The eyes of the woman who opened the door and came out opened wide.
“Sister Lilia?”
“Sister Jenny!”
Lilia, who had forgotten her worries for a moment, smiled brightly and hugged Jenny. Jenny, who had been awkwardly embracing Lilia, soon had her expression filled with joy.
“When did you come?”
“Now!”
“At least send some news in advance.”
“They’re coming, right? We’re faster!”
“You’re still the same, Sister. How have you been?”
“yes!”
Damus, who had been watching the two people chatter happily, slightly left out, tapped Galen on the arm. Galen leaned over and spoke softly.
“She’s like an older sister who took care of me since I was little.”
“ah.”
Damus understood immediately. He didn’t even remember the name, but he knew that there was a priest that Lilia considered family.
Only then did Jenny notice the shadows behind Lilia. Lilia also came to her senses and turned around.
“Well, this isn’t the time for this.”
“It’s been a while, Jenny Gong.”
“Oh, Brother Galen. Sorry. I was out of my mind for a moment… … .”
“It’s okay. This person is more important than me.”
“Haha, how could I interrupt a family gathering? I’m Damus. This is my assistant, Larry.”
“Day―”
Jenny’s brain, which had been trying to repeat it absentmindedly, spun around like a magician at that moment. In the gap of a split second, the face she had seen in the portrait struck her mind like a thunderbolt.
“Your, Your Eminence the Archbishop?!”
Jenny was so shocked that she almost fainted after saying it out of her own mouth, but Lilia quickly took her in and gave her sexual power.
Jenny, who had almost been forcibly calmed down, looked at her with her waist bent at a right angle.
“Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t know!”
“I already found out. I feel more sorry. I surprised you so much.”
“I, not at all! It’s all my fault. You should, you should take me inside… No, it’s too shabby… … .”
“How could I carelessly enter someone else’s house at this late hour? Could I talk outside for a moment? Doing this in the hallway would be rude to others.”
“Of course!”
Jenny, who was barely able to come to her senses thanks to Damus’ easygoing attitude, led the group out.
There was a quiet place in front of the accommodation building, decorated like a small garden.
If the archbishop, who was as good as heaven, suddenly fell from the sky and told her, who was already in a state of panic, that Lilia had become the archbishop, it might make conversation itself impossible.
Thinking so, Damus decided to get to the point.
“As I was coming, I noticed that the atmosphere in the city seemed a little subdued. I tried to ask Bishop Myra about this, but he was gone. Do you know where he went?”
“That is… … .”
“Is there something you can’t say?”
“Oh, no. They are one problem… … .”
Jenny’s face, which had been slightly pale from tension, regained some color. It wasn’t because she was happy, but because it had darkened from worry.
“Something went wrong at the city level, and Bishop Myra was absent. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Actually… the regular flight that was supposed to arrive the evening of the day before yesterday hasn’t arrived yet.”
“yes?”
Lilia was startled. Galen and Damus’ expressions also hardened.
It was immediately clear why the city was so quiet. It would have been noisy if regular flights had arrived, but since they hadn’t arrived, there was no one physically to make a fuss.
“How often has this happened?”
“As far as I know… this is a first. There have been rare instances of being attacked so violently, but to the point of having no news at all… … .”
“What about Bishop Myra? No way?”
“He said he would wait for contact until this afternoon, and then he would have to check it out himself… and he left a few hours ago with a small group.”
“this.”
Damus snorted.
Doesn’t Myra know how dangerous it is to go somewhere where you have no idea what’s going on?
But she was the only gold power in Abaca. There was no other gold nearby to borrow power. There used to be one in the neighboring city, but he joined hands with the devil and died.
There was no other way. He knew it was dangerous, but he thought that checking it out himself would be the best way to minimize the damage. If she, the bishop, was in danger, sending the silver or bronze ranks below her would only increase the casualties.
“If only you had come a few hours sooner… … .”
“I guess that’s fortunate.”
Lilia turned around and said.
“I’ll go after it.”