023. Distortion (4)
Even as Owen responded to the call from the communication device and went out, he continued to be concerned about Lucia.
He had done it for now.
What thoughts or conclusions she had drawn from his words, he couldn’t know since he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. In many ways, it felt regrettable.
However, the situation was serious, so he couldn’t afford to neglect his duties and stay in the tent.
Owen sighed and resumed speaking.
According to the report received through the communication device, the location was in the central part of the forest, making it impractical to walk there.
Mounting his black horse, Owen immediately rode towards the destination.
To arrive as quickly as possible, he increased his speed, and reaching the central area didn’t take too long.
“…”
As Owen arrived at the reported location, he drew his sword immediately.
There was no time for hesitation.
The scene was already a mess.
About half of the search team members gathered were injured, and some seemed to be lying weakly on the ground with moderate injuries.
There were no fatalities, but it was still a gruesome scene.
Without hesitation, Owen had to act.
The members of the search team could handle only a small portion of the situation.
He had to deal with the gigantic monster in front of him immediately.
Swish!
With a jet-black blade, Owen swiftly pierced the heart of the large monster.
In an instant leap, Owen targeted the creature’s chest.
“Krrrk…!”
The monster, with its heart pierced, writhed and struggled, causing the ground to tremble as it rolled its massive body.
To aim for the chest, Owen had to make an instant leap, which resulted in the black blade piercing the creature’s heart.
“Move to support the injured.”
After dealing with the large monster, Owen immediately turned and gave orders to the search team.
“And they said we need to stop the hunting competition. They said a large monster is coming this way.”
“Yes, understood.”
In response to Owen’s command, the search team bowed their heads and replied. They then took care of the injured and returned to the headquarters.
Owen watched them leave for a moment and then assessed the surrounding situation. It seemed that a large monster suddenly emerged in the central area, and the surrounding monsters were also rampaging, unable to regain their composure.
He clicked his tongue and raised his black blade. Dealing with the approaching horde of monsters one by one with a sword was inefficient because there were too many.
He had no choice but to adopt the method he used before, sweeping the surroundings with the blade to extinguish all life.
The black energy emanating from Owen’s fingertips gradually filled the surroundings like thick fog. The air, dyed pitch black like darkness, soon began to swallow all life in the vicinity.
The monsters crowding around the carcass of the large monster, as well as the tall trees and the dense grass and flowers, withered in an instant.
“…”
As the black smoke-like blade engulfed all life in the surroundings, Owen clenched his fist.
The black energies that were flourishing disappeared as if lying, leaving only the corpses of the dead.
Owen couldn’t help but feel that this sight was strangely familiar.
Even though it should be the first time he experienced such a thing.
It felt like he had gone through it countless times, as if it were a long-standing experience.
-Dreadful.
At the same time, a voice that was unfamiliar yet somehow familiar echoed in his mind.
-I don’t want this ability, I really don’t.
It was the voice of a delicate and hesitant boy.
However, that voice was strangely familiar.
-Father, please….
The pleading voice was young and pitiful.
Next, the figure of a child appeared.
The child looked at most around twelve years old. Small hands and feet proved that they had not yet experienced adolescence. The voice, which had not yet undergone any adult-like changes, also indicated that.
-It’s noisy.
Despite the young child clinging, the one who appeared as the child’s father was firm.
The child’s father, who looked like an adult, sternly responded to the child’s clinging.
-Do you want a beating?
It was not a phrase that should come out of a person called a father. However, he did not hesitate to utter violent words.
And the child, trembling at the father’s words, bowed their head.
-… No, I’m sorry.
Upon closer inspection, the child’s body was already covered in wounds. They were cleverly hidden under the clothes, but if you lifted the sleeves, there were marks all over the exposed areas, evidence of being struck by something.
The body, filled with marks of punishment, indicated that the child had been suffering from abuse for a long time.
-Don’t disappoint me anymore. Go to the forest and practice more. You know that if you tell your mother about this, you’ll receive a punishment worse than mine, right?
-… Yes.
At the cruel words of the father, the child nodded.
Then, with little strength, they turned away and left the room.
After leaving the room, the child left the mansion and rode a horse.
With equestrian skills that were hard to believe for such a young child, they rode for a long time until they reached the forest, where they finally stopped the horse.
Without hesitation, the child moved towards the forest.
One step at a time.
Slowly moving their steps, the child entered the forest, and soon, from their fingertips, a black aura began to emerge.
The black aura resembled the one Owen had just created, but it was weaker and lighter.
The risen black aura gradually spread to the surroundings.
Unlike Owen, who had covered a wide area, the amount of black aura spread by the child was not large. Compared to what Owen did, it was only a fraction.
However, the destructive power remained.
The vegetation in the area covered by the aura withered, and the animals living there lost their lives.
-… Dreadful.
The child mumbled again.
In their hazy vision, there were the corpses of small animals that I had killed.
The child’s eyes were filled with indescribable sadness, self-blame, and self-loathing.
As if every negative emotion was directed towards themselves, as if they were a flawed existence.
[Your Excellency.]
Owen, who had been lost in thought for a while, finally returned to ‘reality’ at the sound of someone calling him through the communication channel.
“Ah… Speak, please.”
[There seems to be a commotion at the entrance of the forest… If you’re okay, could you come back right away?]
“At the entrance?”
When Owen asked, seemingly puzzled by the search team’s request to return to the entrance, a response came back.
[According to the overall report from the search team, ‘distortions’ have been found in three places. Strangely, large monsters continue to gather at the entrance.]
Owen remained silent at the news that monsters were continuing to increase at the entrance.
It was natural for the forest structure to distort when distortions occurred, unlike usual. However, if it was concentrated to a strange extent in one place, there must be a reason.
And the most fitting reason in the current situation was…
‘Bella.’
It was Bella, who had awakened as a saint.
If she passed through the entrance of the forest after just awakening and couldn’t handle her divine power well, it was natural for many monsters to gather in that area.
Distortions often occurred due to external influences, especially by divine power.
If she leaked divine power without attacking or defending…
They could sense that smell and gather.
[Thanks to Your Excellency’s message to stop the hunting competition, the knights and wizards have returned, and they are trying to stop it. However, there are too many, and it seems that everyone needs to come.]
At the mention of everyone needing to return, Owen expressed his doubt once again.
“Everyone?”
While he and some of the search team members were responding to the call, the rest of the personnel should have returned to normal.
In response to his questioning tone, the other party added more information.
[Yes. There are a total of three places where ‘distortions’ have occurred. One is where Your Excellency is located, and for the other two places, we needed someone to take charge. One is being handled by Lord Mage Tower, and the other is being handled by Countess Ceres.]
In other words, the transcendent individuals remaining at the entrance were all under Louis’ care.
In a quite serious situation, Owen immediately stood on the communication and said, “Alright. I’ll head back to the entrance right away.”
Having reached his conclusion, Owen quickly ended the call and raced back towards the entrance of the forest.
Urging his horse forward as if in a horse racing competition, he swiftly reached the entrance and could immediately spot the monsters and the group confronting them.
Among them, he also observed the worried nobles keeping a distance from the action and, naturally, Lucia and Bella were mixed in the scene.
Lucia was surrounded by noble children and youths, while Bella stood alone a bit away. Spotting the gathering of nobles, Owen headed straight for that place instead of joining the group dealing with the monsters.
As Owen approached, the faces of the two brightened. However, even before Bella could speak, Owen spoke up.
“Lady Bella.”
But his words drowned out Bella’s voice.
Even Bella’s voice was overshadowed thanks to Owen speaking at the same time. Everyone’s attention turned to Owen.
The one who spoke first among the two women was Bella.
“Lord Duke-.”
“Lucia.”
But along with her voice, Owen spoke, and Bella’s voice was buried.
Even Bella, who had just opened her mouth, looked at Owen with surprise.
“This place is dangerous. Make your way inside.”
Owen said this while grabbing Lucia’s hand, a sight that seemed unfamiliar to everyone.
Nevertheless, Lucia, as if his actions were something she was accustomed to, naturally took Owen’s hand. At the same time, she subtly leaned against him.
The intentional posturing was evident, done to be clearly visible to everyone.
“I couldn’t stay still in the tent because I was worried about Owen.”
Lucia’s appearance was like that of a cunning cat. In other words, it was a typical villainess-like appearance from a romance novel.
Owen once again found himself captivated by Lucia’s appearance, though he had been fascinated by her from the beginning.
“…You don’t need to worry. There won’t be anything for me to get hurt by.”
While the words might have seemed arrogant at first glance, no one could deny their truthfulness.
It was indeed a fact.
“So, just stay inside for now. I’ll take care of things here.”
“No problem. Shall we all go inside? It seems like it will take some time to settle things.”
At Owen’s words, Lucia quickly nodded and suggested to the people around them.
Even as she spoke, Lucia continued to rely on Owen. Her actions, while addressing everyone, seemed to convey the intention of engraving this entire scene into everyone’s memory.
“Yes, let’s go.”
“I guess that’s the way to go.”
“Alright.”
In response to her suggestion, everyone naturally nodded in agreement.
In the original work, it’s mentioned that everyone turns their backs on Lucia after Bella’s appearance.
However, among the people here, no one yet knew Bella’s true identity. At best, only Owen knew her identity, but currently, Owen had no mental capacity to reveal Bella’s identity.
Throughout the return, Owen had been preoccupied with worrying about Lucia, and now his thoughts were filled with the urgency to quickly deal with the monsters.
“Okay. Then, everyone, let’s quietly have teatime.”
The nobles who agreed to go inside began to move one by one.
“See you later, Owen.”
Even Lucia said her goodbyes to Owen and went back inside. Now, there was only one person left.
It was Bella.
