Chapter 13

Eight days later, Shuu headed to Ildana and met Iris at their usual café terrace. As expected, she brought up the topic of Ymir Barad.

"Mr. Shuu, do you know that Ymir is dead?"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is."

Of course, Shuu knew but pretended to be unaware. Even though it had been eight days, the death of a promising paladin near Ildana was a significant event. It was inevitable that it would cause a huge commotion. Moreover, Iris had been aggressively pursued by Ymir.

The death must have left a deep impression.

"Was he killed by a monster?"

"No, it's likely a murder. There were marks of being slashed by a very sharp blade, so it's believed to be the work of a magus."

"Wow, even criminals can be magi."

"That's the military's job, so we don't get involved. However, there seems to be a terrorist organization that advocates for the freedom of magi."

Paladins follow the church's doctrine and primarily focus on slaying monsters. Since Iris's job is also that of a paladin, even if a fellow paladin was killed, it would be the military's responsibility to investigate. The military's duties include national defense and apprehending criminals. Additionally, there are criminal organizations that oppose the state's control over magi, so they often deal with such groups. The state relies heavily on magi, so it cannot afford to let them act freely.

"Speaking of which, is it an obligation for magi to serve the state?"

"Yes, but since the Kingdom of Ramza is a vassal state of the Holy Grinia, there is also the option to become a paladin of the church. However, in most cases, they join the military. Magic is a gift from the god El Magia, so magi are expected to serve the god and guide humanity, according to the main tenet of the Magi religion. Therefore, it is reasonable for the state to manage magi."

"Does that mean it's a problem if those in a guiding position act on their own?"

"Yes. That's why vassal states of the Holy Grinia do not allow independent magi organizations."

The Holy Grinia is a large country that houses the headquarters of the Magi religion, and all magi serve the church. While top-tier magi can still be called paladins, other magi serve under them as squires. As a religious state, the church controls all military forces.

In vassal states of the Holy Grinia, while they can have their own armies, local churches also have some magi as paladins. In churches outside the Holy Grinia, there is no squire system, so those without the necessary skills must join the military. The same applied to the Kingdom of Ramza.

Since the Magi religion is the state religion in vassal states, those who become magi are obligated to guide humanity. Allowing independent organizations to develop would be inconvenient.

"Until a few decades ago, some magi would flow into the Empire. But recently, the Empire has become unstable. I've heard that the prolonged oppression might lead to a civil war."

"Speaking of the Empire... it's the country with the largest territory on the continent, surpassing the Holy Grinia, right?"

"That country rapidly gained power by exploiting its vassal states. Due to its meritocratic nature, talented magi from vassal states, even those with S or A ranks, aim for the capital. If they rise to prominence and gain citizenship, they can live a comfortable life."

"In that case, the Empire's efficiency in gathering strong magi is several times higher than the Holy Grinia's."

"The Holy Grinia doesn't force vassal states to do anything. If anything, it only makes the Magi religion the state religion. The religion values compassion, respect, and wisdom, which has led to an improvement in the quality of life, according to some data."

Shuu knew that religions were generally troublesome, but the Magi religion seemed more coherent than he expected, at least for humans. As a monster, he was a target for extermination, so he needed to be cautious. In that sense, the Empire might be safer for him. He realized he knew very little about the world.

"Well, getting back to the topic, it's for the best that Ymir is gone."

"Though it's insensitive, it really is. Ymir had the magic to turn invisible, so I was always on edge, fearing when he might attack."

"I see. That's scary."

"He was truly the enemy of women."

Of course, Shuu knew. He had fought Ymir and felt the threat firsthand. Moreover, the magic power gained from killing Ymir was considerable, indicating that Ymir was indeed strong. As a new paladin, Ymir was already formidable, and a few years later, the battle might have been more difficult. Shuu's lack of combat experience had been a fortunate factor.

"Well, try to do your best with a fresh start."

"Yes. The church is in a panic over the death of a promising paladin, but personally, I feel I can work more comfortably."

If Iris benefited from the situation, then the attacks were somewhat justified. Shuu thought this without realizing that he was gradually acquiring a more human-like mindset.

◆◆◆

Thanks to Shuu leaving Ymir's body near the town, the El德拉森林基本上没有受到人类的干预，时间就这样流逝了。浅层地带因为生长着大量的药草，所以经常有人来采集，但从中层开始就几乎没有人迹了。

这实际上意味着怪物们的和平。

自从五年前，Shuu开始守护鬼系和猪鬼系的怪物以来，已经过去了五年，也就是说，他与Iris相遇也已经超过五年了。

在这段时间里，聚落变得非常大。

一些小鬼已经进化为高级小鬼王，中位级的猪鬼和高级猪鬼的数量也大幅增加。它们主要通过进食来积累魔力，所以进化速度较慢。

尽管如此，许多怪物的等级已经接近Shuu。

不过，能够使用魔法的Shuu仍然是最强大的，作为聚落的首领统治着。

然而，聚落达到如此规模，对人类来说就构成了威胁。

高级怪物，即使是B级魔装士也难以对付。如果聚落中住着大量这样的怪物，那将是一个相当大的威胁。

而在神聖グリニア的首都マギア，神子预言了这一危机。

“南方有凶星闪烁……”

神子姬是拥有未来视魔法的教会直属少女。

扩展型未来视魔法。

这种魔法将人类天生的未来预测能力扩展到预知的层面。人类通过五感获取信息，不断进行未来预测，这几乎是无意识的行为，大多数人甚至没有意识到自己在进行未来预测。

例如，在人群中行走时，能够不碰撞他人，是因为通过五感信息预测了周围人的动作，并提前一步避开了。

神子姬的未来预知也是如此。只不过，借助魔法的力量，她能够无意识地获取普通情况下无法感知的信息，并进行预测。

“那里长满了治愈之草……”

神子姬的未来视仍然是预测的范畴。

因此，获取的信息不同，预测的准确性也会有很大差异。

时间上和距离上，越远越抽象，越近越具体。

“可以看到两扇门……一扇是木制的”

未来视显示的内容，连神子姬自己也不清楚。她只是将魔法力量在脑海中浮现的内容说出来。

“另一扇则是由骨头、血肉、腐肉，以及怨恨和绝望构成的”

即使出现令人作呕的景象，她也不会动摇。

在预言过程中，她处于一种类似出神的状态，意识和情感在某种程度上是分离的。因此，即使看到令人不适的景象，也不会产生情感上的反应。

“人们可以选择通过任意一扇门。选择的日子已经临近”

说完这些，神子姬倒下了。

陪同的女性神官跑过去，将她抱起。

“神子姬大人？”

“看来只是因为魔法的反作用而失去了意识。”

“那么，我们把她送到寝室吧。”

“明白了。”

两位女性神官将神子姬抬走，同时，同在房间内的主教们开始商讨。内容当然是刚才的预言。

“有记录吗？”

“有的。这次的预言相当抽象。她说‘选择的日子已经临近’，所以可能是关于一个较大的未来。距离应该很远。”

“‘南方有凶星’。难道是怪物？”

“既然预言中用‘凶星’来形容，应该是灾祸级的怪物。甚至可能是毁灭级的。”

预言的内容暗示了强大力量的怪物即将出现。

这是所有人的共识。

如果是B级魔装士可以对付的高级怪物，不至于需要预言来警告。但灾祸级怪物需要多名A级魔装士或一名S级魔装士才能讨伐，属于超规格的存在。更不用说毁灭级怪物，需要多名S级魔装士才能对付。

“问题是具体指哪里……不过”

“应该不是神聖グリニア国内。如果是这样，预言会更具体。”

“那么，应该是某个属国。”

“‘长满了治愈之草的地方’。简单来说，应该是药草产地。”

“南方的国家中，药草产地应该可以缩小范围。”

地点几乎已经确定。

那么，这次预言中最重要的一部分应该被提及了。

一位主教沉思片刻后开口。

“……选择”

这是所有主教都在意的问题。

从可以解读的意义来看，需要做出某种选择。

“木制的门是什么意思？”

“想象中很平凡。也就是说，如果选择得当，事情可以顺利结束，对吧？”

“相反，如果选择错误，就会出现骨头和血肉四溅，怨恨和绝望的场景。难道是绝望级……”

“别开玩笑了……那是‘王’级怪物中的顶级！国家会灭亡！”

“我们不能选择错误。”

主教们七嘴八舌地讨论着，但有一位老人始终没有开口。

这位老人的打扮比主教们更华丽，但不至于过于奢华。可以推测，他是所有人中地位最高的人。

比主教更高。

也就是说，老人是魔神教的教皇。

“各位，先安静一下。”

教皇的话让主教们立刻闭上了嘴。

教皇继续说道。

“这次的预言很可能是指‘王’级怪物。目前，斯拉达大陆上唯一的‘王’级怪物是不死王泽农·莱夫。然而，不死王居住在遥远的西边，属于帝国领地。这意味着，新的‘王’级怪物即将诞生。

因此，我们不能置之不理。立即进行调查，尽早消灭可能成为‘王’的怪物！通知所有教会，各地主教要严加防范。”

主教们同时点头。

在魔神教认定的敌人中，‘王’级怪物拥有特别的力量。不能放任不管，也不能让其诞生。

当天，各地就收到了通知，预计会出现魔王的地区将派遣调查的圣骑士。

当然，著名的药草产地埃尔德拉森林也在其中。

关于怪物的分类：

杂种级：即使不是魔装士也能轻松击败

低位级：F级（候补生）以上可以讨伐，普通人也可以讨伐

中位级：D级以上可以讨伐

高位级：B级以上可以讨伐

灾祸级：大都市会毁灭，多名A级或一名S级可以讨伐

毁灭级：军队无法讨伐，多名S级可以讨伐

绝望级：国家会毁灭，多个国家派出大量高级魔导士才能讨伐

？？级

总结就是这样的。绝望级以上的情况仍然是秘密。