Alwen and Kolten hadn't gone into much detail, but one thing is clear—something big is happening in the northeastern part of the region.
Although he didn't know the full story, around two months ago, Mia and her team had been severely injured and were now recovering in a village up north. There was some kind of creature in the area, one that may not only be responsible for letting Kryle slip through the border defense but the same Kryle that ambushed Mia and the others and the ones that were responsible for the destruction of the village they were in just before Magnus arrived in this world. Upon hearing this, Major General Arbarth had, naturally, sent several platoons to assist, but the situation had only gotten worse.
Of the four platoons he'd sent—each led by Adept-level knights—one had been completely wiped out on the way, and another had been attacked. The survivors had taken refuge with Mia and her group in the village, but now they were all essentially trapped.
Whatever this creature was, it wasn't just dangerous—it was clever. It picked them off when they were isolated and attacked when they were at their weakest. Over the month after they arrived in the village, things had spiraled, and Arbarth was running out of time and options. They knew something was attacking, but they had no idea what it was. Anyone who had seen it was dead, leaving them without any real information.
And that's where Magnus came in.
Arbarth must've been desperate to ask for help before they'd even finalized their deal. But Magnus understood why. With everything going on inside Arlcliff City, Arbarth and his forces were already stretched thin, and now he'd lost four platoons, three of which were being held hostage by some unknown creature—one that might be letting more Kryle slip through the kingdom's borders at this very moment. Worse yet, he had nothing to show for it. He couldn't even request help from the Royal Court without knowing what was behind the attacks.
So, in the end, Magnus had agreed to help. Though their deal wasn't official yet, he figured this would at least put Arbarth in his debt. Plus, if Mia and the others ended up dead and he could've helped, he wouldn't feel that good about himself, even if it wasn't really his problem.
Anyway, the plan's simple. Finish up with the assignment with Seraline, and before I head back to Arlcliff City, swing around to help Mia and the others deal with whatever the hell is causing so much trouble in the northeastern section of the region. A win-win for all parties involved.
As Magnus thought this over, he noticed Seraline had started browsing through the assignment board, scanning something intently.
"Out of the ten assignments I picked, three take us to the northeast," Seraline noted. She seemed to have agreed to Magnus's extra request without asking for further details.
"Any of them works for me," Magnus replied. Seraline gave a nod in response.
"In that case, I think this one is our best option." Magnus couldn't see what she was looking at, so she filled him in.
"A village called Freyborn is having problems. They're near an area of the forest with plenty of game, so their main income comes from acting as a hub for hunters and guilds—basically tourism and trading what they've stockpiled during the off-season. But, with the recent monster surge, hunters and guilds aren't willing to take the risk of tracking over to their village. And with most of the trade routes between settlements falling apart, they can't trade either." Villages like that usually struggled with farming due to their location, but with all the game in the area, they'd managed to get by—until now.
With so many monsters overrunning the forest, hunting has probably become dangerous, and all the animals in their area are either hiding or being eaten.
All in all, a shitty situation.
"So it's a monster population kulling quest," Magnus summarized. Seraline didn't fully get his meaning but nodded anyway.
This is shaping up to be a win-win-win.
"Exactly. It'll take us about five days to get there."
"No problem. Let's get moving." He had already told Celia ahead of time that he'd be leaving the city for a while. She had wanted to join him at first, but he convinced her it would be too dangerous.
"Good, my family's prepared horses for us, so-" Seraline started, but Magnus's face went blank the moment she mentioned the word "horses."
Ok, so there might be a slight issue.
Registering for an assignment was straightforward. All you had to do was sync the assignment to your Sigilbrand, then head to the Academy Exchange Center, where one of Vira's many clones would verify it in the academy's system. Magnus and Seraline managed to finish all that in about ten minutes. It would've been a normal ten minutes, too, if not for the awkward silence between them.
As they prepared to leave the exchange center, the clone of Vira reminded them, "This is a fairly high-ranked Intermediate-level assignment, so please, be careful. Remember, there's no penalty for not completing an assignment if you don't feel capable."
Neither of them responded, simply nodding before heading toward the academy gate. The guards didn't recognize Magnus with his mask on, so they let him pass without a word. He'd already said his goodbyes to them a few days earlier, around the same time he'd told Celia. Eveline, though, he hadn't bothered telling—mostly because she already knew. And not because she was technically a professor, but because she had the unsettling habit of spying on him. The downside of having one person manage all the spells around you meant that privacy wasn't exactly a given.
Once the two of them reached the carriage waiting a little ways from the academy, the atmosphere shifted slightly. The Sostenza Family's crest—a white and black lion on a blue and golden shield crossed by ornamental swords—was displayed on the side. The coachman snapped the reins, and the horses started moving. That's when Seraline broke the silence.
"Can you really not ride a horse?" she asked, her disbelief barely hidden in her otherwise flat tone.
"Yes..." Magnus winced under his mask. Don't get him wrong—he'd read plenty of books from the academy's library. But not a single one covered horse riding. His modern brain just hadn't expected to need it after getting so used to being chauffeured around by carriages and hardly ever leaving Arlcliff City. It was bizarre to Seraline, though. Even if she hadn't been trained in some of the things most normal noble heirs learned, she still knew how to ride a horse. Everyone at the academy did, whether for special horseback events or combat training. It was as basic for nobles to learn horseback riding as it was for a child to learn how to ride a bike.
"In that case, you'll have to ride with me," Seraline offered. Magnus let out a silent sigh behind his mask and nodded.
I came here riding on the back of a horse, and now I'm leaving the same way... how poetic.
As their carriage came to a stop, Magnus stepped out first, noticing they were near one of the four gates built into the towering, shimmering wall that encircled Arlcliff City. It wasn't the same gate Mia and the others had brought him through, but it looked nearly identical. The area was mostly deserted, which made sense given the current state of the kingdom—no one was really willing to leave the safety of the city.
Scanning the area, he spotted a figure standing near the gate, next to two large black horses clearly bred for carrying loads. Each horse had a pack saddle and was loaded with bags and supplies. As Seraline exited the carriage and they approached the horses, she explained that the man by the gate was a servant from her family. They had prepared everything the two of them would need for the journey, including provisions and camping gear, such as a special mana catalyst—much more efficient than a firestick. With a single strike, it could generate flames, and was capable of boiling water almost instantly.
There was even a magic artifice map of the entire region, offering a live display of their location like a GPS, so they wouldn't get lost. By the time the servant finished listing everything they had packed, Magnus almost felt it was overkill.
But, I guess she is the heir to the family, so it makes sense. Outsiders might not be allowed to help students with assignments, but no noble family is going to send their heir out without being ready for anything—especially when they're as rich as hers.
"The entire Sostenza Family is hoping for your success, my lady. Please be careful," the servant said with a respectful bow. Seraline mounted her horse in one smooth motion and nodded in response.
"Tell my mother and father I'll be fine," she replied, glancing back at Magnus. He sighed, walking over to her horse and hopping on behind her. He didn't miss the strange look the servant gave him as he did so. Magnus could almost see the gears turning in the man's head, but before he could say anything, Seraline cracked the reins. The second horse, which had been meant for Magnus, was well-trained. The moment it saw the first horse take off with riders, it followed without hesitation. The two horses galloped through the overhanging gates of Arlcliff City, and just like that, they were off.
They had left fairly early in the morning, with the plan to cover as much ground as possible before the horses needed rest. Once they stopped, they'd set up camp and stay there until tomorrow. It didn't take long to clear the vast plains surrounding Arlcliff City—less than an hour, with the roads so empty. Once the city was out of sight, they slowed the pace to avoid exhausting the horses. A pleasant breeze blew through the forest as they traveled, and Magnus found himself enjoying the ride far more than his earlier experiences. Back then, he'd been so sore afterward that the discomfort lingered for days. But after everything he'd been through, his body was more resilient to the discomfort.
Man, after being stuck in the city for so long, being out here really makes me realize how stuffy it is. Even the air feels different.
Seraline seemed to be enjoying the ride to a degree as well. She had tied her hair back so the breeze didn't interfere with her steering. With the sunlight filtering through the forest canopy, the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the breeze balanced each other out perfectly. Occasionally, her eyes would wander to the forest on either side, spotting small animals that darted deeper into the foliage at their approach.
"Since there are animals around, we shouldn't have to worry about monsters ambushing us," Magnus remarked casually as he glanced around. He had learned that monsters had a habit of devouring everything in sight, so the presence of wildlife was a good sign.
"Hmm, I guess even with their numbers increasing, they don't want to get too close to the city," Seraline replied.
Makes sense. Even if they can't do much for the villages outside their reach, there's no way the City Council would allow monsters to roam freely in the forests around Arlcliff.
Magnus did his best to fill the time with small talk here and there. It wasn't easy, given that he was still playing the role of 'Cain' around Seraline, but she didn't seem like the type to question his sudden talkativeness, so he took some liberties. After a few more hours of traveling, the horses started to tire, their pace slowing as the sun dipped past its highest point and began its descent.
"We should find a place to camp. Can you check the map?" Seraline asked, glancing back at Magnus. He nodded and reached into a satchel on the side of the horse, retrieving the mana artifice map. The runes engraved in the paper glowed briefly, lighting up like veins beneath the skin. The map showed the entire Verdant Region, complete with landmarks. It also indicated their exact location, as well as Arlcliff City and several notable villages and towns nearby.
"There's a branching path up ahead that leads to a clearing near a river. It's still on our route," Magnus noted. It seemed like a good spot to set up camp, and Seraline agreed. When they reached the area where the path was supposed to split, Seraline brought the horse to a stop, with the second horse following obediently.
"Which way?" She asked. Magnus took a moment before answering, staring down at the map and then up at the paths in front of them.
"I'm not sure..." His confusion was evident, even through the mask. Seraline turned back to look at him.
"You can't read a map either?"
Her tone wasn't meant to be insulting; it was a genuine question, but it still caused Magnus to narrow his eyes as he replied, "I can read it just fine. The problem is, there are more roads here than the map shows."
Seraline furrowed her brow and gestured for the map. Magnus handed it over, and as she studied it, she saw what he meant. According to the map, there should have only been two paths in front of them. But when she looked up, she saw six, each heading in a different direction.
"Is the map outdated? Have new roads been built recently?" Magnus asked.
Seraline shook her head.
"No chance. My family wouldn't give me an outdated map, especially not a mana artifice."
"Something's not right..." She muttered.