Chapter 58

- Perspective of the Commander of the 1st Knight Regiment of the Empire of Empelus -

25 magicians, with the 2nd Knight Regiment as their escort.

The 5th Knight Regiment for monster extermination.

I observe the gathered individuals.

The members of the 2nd Knight Regiment seem a bit tense.

The commander, however, does not appear to be so.

The 5th Knight Regiment is a combat group enhanced by magic stones.

They seem a bit excited at the prospect of a hunt.

"They say they will burn the forest."

A friend stands beside me.

It is rare for there to be no punishment for a failed mission, but it must have been a shock to the king.

The absolute power of the magic stones was broken.

A few days have passed since the 4th Knight Regiment returned.

The castle has shown an unusual silence.

And now, the gathered magicians and the 5th Knight Regiment.

It seems the king has decided to cut down the forest.

It is said that the forest is filled with magic power.

It is unclear if this is true, as it cannot be investigated by entering.

There is still much we do not understand about the forest.

Is it really safe to burn the forest?

"You seem worried. If the cause is eliminated, the problem will be solved, right?"

My friend seems to have doubts about my attitude.

If the problem lies at the center of the forest, burning it to eliminate the cause makes sense.

It seems very logical, but it is actually a very frightening decision.

How much do the people gathered here understand?

"If the king is the cause of the forest's anomaly, this might be somewhat effective."

"You mentioned this before, but the power of the gathered magicians is considerable."

Indeed, the gathered magicians are a group that boasts the top magic power in the country.

They must be confident they will not fail, and the king seems to have regained his confidence.

"Indeed, they possess remarkable power."

In the human world, their magic power is considerable, and its strength is terrifying.

This time, to burn the forest's barrier, they will combine their powers.

The power they will generate is likely something never seen before.

But that is in the human world.

"Can humans deal with something greater than the king?"

"Uh... that..."

Since hearing that the forest will be burned, I have been overwhelmed by an indescribable unease.

Something is happening quietly but surely.

"Commander, the sky..."

I hear the voice of my deputy commander from behind.

At his words, I look out the window and widen my eyes.

It was sunny today.

We even conducted training.

But now...

"What is that cloud..."

The sky visible from the window is being covered by an unusually dark cloud.

Boom

Rumble... Boom

A loud noise shakes the entire room.

Screams can be heard from all over the castle along with the sound.

The loud noise echoes repeatedly.

The room shakes each time.

The knights are unable to respond.

In the midst of this,

the windows of the audience chamber shatter with a crash.

Boom

Lightning enters through the window.

In an instant, the room turns into a hell.

Probably 1 or 2 minutes.

It was a short time.

Fires break out in various parts of the castle, and people are running around to extinguish them.

It is not a normal phenomenon for lightning to enter a room through a window.

I look at where the king is.

Then I shift my gaze to the king's feet.

There, the floor is black and charred where the lightning struck.