Volume 1 Chapter 48 Quest： Obsidian To Roses III
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After finishing their preparations and closing ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’──the group, now including the Pigfoot father and daughter, teleported from the back alley to the outer moat of a town on the eastern outskirts of the Franz Kingdom.
”Wow, so this is what the town looks like at night.”
Esther, who had never been outside at night since she was born, looked towards the empty training ground and said that.
She could see the white moon floating above the trees of the ‘Eastern Forest’ in the distance.
Kian wrapped his arm around her shoulder and crouched down to avoid being noticed by the guards patrolling in front of the raised drawbridge.
”Ah, K-Kian♡.”
”Shh…──Ms. Aliona, we’ll move east from here. Once we reach the rocks over there, please prepare the golem.”
”Got it. But Ms. Esther seems to be in trouble. Let’s keep some distance, Kian”
”Hey, Kian, even if it’s you, I won’t stay quiet if you lay a hand on my daughter. You understand, right?”
”Yes, of course… I’m sorry, Esther.”
He whispered low right next to her ponytail.
Esther murmured in a barely audible voice, “N-no…” Her face was bright red, though Robert couldn’t see it in the dark.
She was looking at Kian with a completely feminine expression.
Kian simply said, “It’s okay, I’ll protect you,” and moved away from her.
When he felt something bump against his back, he turned around to see Aliona smiling and crouching behind him.
(It seemed it was just my imagination.)
’You must be joking.’
The group quietly moved to the rocks, and from there, they rode on the golem created by Aliona, heading straight for the ‘Labyrinth of Roses.’ They arrived at the labyrinth about 3 hours later.
The group got off the golem in the field before the rain clouds thickened and put on their rain gear.
In the distance, they could see the towering black Roses Wall.
The air was cold, and the smell of rain was strong.
Adjusting the position of her rain hood, Esther looked up at Aliona.
”Um, what should I do?”
”I’ll perform a ritual to stop the rain in front of the Labyrinth of Roses. I’ll probably need a bit of your hair, so be prepared for that.”
”Y-yes, understood.”
”Kian, please protect me and Ms. Esther during the ritual. If things get really dangerous, I’ll interrupt the ritual and join the fight, but… in that case, we’ll have to start all over again.”
”Understood. Serena, Mr. Robert, are you okay?”
”I’m fine.”
”I only have this axe as a weapon. I might be able to deal damage to the tangible ‘Leanan sídhe,’ but I can’t do anything about the ghosts it summons. My limit is to light a fire and drive them away.”
”Got it. Not just Esther, but you’re also under my protection, Mr. Robert. Stay by Esther’s side and keep her safe.”
”I’m sorry, Kian, but I’m counting on you. Well, I’m good at swinging a torch. Plus, I have some confidence that I won’t die even if I get touched by the ghosts. I’ve had a high life force since my adventurer days, and I was known as the vanguard’s shield.”
”I won’t let the ghosts get close to Mr. Robert and the others. I’ll take them all down.”
Serena quietly said this while drawing the knife she borrowed from Aliona.
If it were just Kian, it would have been tough, but with her around, the number of ghosts to drive away would be halved.
Kian thought to himself how glad he was to have her as a companion.
He would never say it out loud, though.
”Let’s go. I’ll lead the way.”
With her white staff ready, Serena silently dashed into the wilderness.
Kian and the others followed closely behind.
* * *
”────.”
”…”
”Haah, haah.”
”Esther, be careful not to trip. Kian, what about the fire? Can we light it now?”
”Yeah. ──Ms. Aliona.”
Aliona pointed to the torch that Robert had taken out.
Suddenly, the torch ignited and began to blaze fiercely.
”Look!”
Serena, who was leading, called out sharply from the front.
She pointed the tip of her knife forward.
”It’s a Rain Wraith! Don’t let your guard down!”
As she said, several green phosphorescent lights flared up in front of the Roses’ Wall, and ghosts wrapped in tattered white cloth began to crawl out from the darkness.
Rain began to fall from above, starting to hit the hoods of the rain gear with a strong patter.
Kian raised his voice.
”Esther, Mr. Robert, get back! Serena! We’re going to drive away the Rain Wraith! Don’t let them get close until the ritual to stop the rain is finished!”
About ‘ghost contact’ and ‘Absorb Essence’.
Both actions drain life force, but there are differences.
’Ghost contact’ absorbs a small amount and only takes life force from the area it touches. It’s not strictly magic; it’s more like a physical predatory act.
’Absorb Essence’ drains a large amount of magic power from the target. First, it connects a path of magic power with the opponent, then it flows in enchanting magic power (casting charm magic), contaminating the mind to paralyze the opponent, making it difficult to resist once the path is connected. When completely paralyzed, the target cannot resist or escape, leading to endless draining.
For a non-corporeal ghost, if it absorbs too much magic power, the magic power sustaining its form becomes too diluted, causing it to collapse.
For beings with a physical body like ‘Leanan sídhe’, Kian, or vampires, they can continue to drain endlessly until the target’s magic power is exhausted.
Any excess magic power that cannot fit into their body will surround them and then naturally dissipate and disappear.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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