How to Raise a Transcendent Archmage

Chapter 5: Pursuit of the Uninvited Guest

A morning that didn’t feel like morning arrived.

The dark clouds, unmoving from the spot I saw yesterday, churned and tangled above the horizon.

The sun within the clouds still hung over the ridge of the western rocky mountains, but its light was so dim that, unlike last night, it cast no shadows.

Among the scarred, leafless trees, flat rocks, and sharp, thick bushes growing on parched ground, dead grass jutted out.

Through this, Elinore, the swamp monster, trudged heavily.

I cautiously followed behind him.

A lukewarm breeze carried a faint rotten smell in the air, but for some reason, there were no signs of demonic beasts or monsters appearing.

The forest was unnaturally silent, not a single bird in sight.

As we entered the dense underbrush, the path grew dark and uneven, with dead branches stretching overhead like skeletal fingers.

We hastened our pace, speeding up on downhill slopes and slowing on steep inclines, trying to escape Magridon’s demonic reach as much as possible.

“Elinore, how far is it to our destination?”

“We’ve taken a detour, so it’s still a long way off. We need to keep moving steadily.”

The question of why we weren’t using magic to travel rose to my throat.

But seeing Elinore’s grim expression, I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

Instead, I carefully steered the conversation toward lighter topics to ease his mood.

“Elinore, how did you meet my father?”

Elinore was silent for a moment before speaking quietly.

“The first time I met him, we were enemies.”

“Enemies?”

“Yes, I thought he was a greedy mage who came to exploit this forest’s mana. And I wasn’t entirely wrong.”

“The forest’s… mana?”

I thought of the swampy muck clinging to my feet, the grotesquely twisted trees, and the forest’s mutated creatures.

If this forest’s mana was involved, it seemed fit only for cursing someone.

‘Was Father… perhaps a follower of demons? Did he change his mind midway and betray the Great Demon-’

My imagination ran wild with thoughts of Father’s past, but Elinore, his face covered in mud and foliage, frowned and spoke.

“I can guess what you’re thinking, but this forest wasn’t always like this. Though it looks menacing now, Ulian was once a lush forest filled with mana springs, Entri, and harmonious flora and fauna.”

A mana spring brimming with nature’s pure mana.

The Entri, a carefree race living in the forest without worldly concerns.

Elinore, their forest guardian, first met Jinred at a time when the Great Demon’s onslaught swept across the continent like wildfire.

It was the moment Jinred sought the mana spring to heal an injured comrade.

His expression softened briefly with nostalgia, but he soon looked at the altered environment and his own body with self-deprecation.

“My kin rejected Jinred. They feared that he and his companions, pursued by demons, would expose this forest to their wrath.”

Living peacefully in isolation didn’t always carry positive connotations.

It meant they could become conservative and selfish in the face of worldly crises.

“Jinred fought the demon hordes in our stead and threw himself into protecting the mana spring. Even until my kin belatedly joined the war against the demons.”

I felt a solemn weight in his voice, thick with regret.

And I understood why Elinore was going to such lengths to help me.

“Differences in race or appearance don’t matter, Claude. If the heroes and factions of the last great war had realized this sooner, the demons wouldn’t have run rampant as they did.”

Elinore turned to look at me.

And gave a faint smile.

“Don’t feel burdened, Claude. I’m not expecting you to be like Jinred. I just hope you share his heart.”

His swamp-like hand patted my shoulder as he passed.

He urged me.

There was no need to recklessly chase the heroes of the previous generation.

For now, I should focus solely on surviving.

“Your father’s comrades will surely help you. I’m not the only one he aided.”

“Yes…”

He said there was no need to feel indebted for receiving help from those who came before.

Even Shukain Tarutoro, whom we were heading to, would have perished early in the great war without Father’s help.

“It’ll get dark soon. Let’s find a place to camp nearby.”

In a brief silence, we moved to a flat area, walking along a riverbank until we reached a spot where the water flowed slowly, forming a calm pool.

Shwaaak- Shwaaak-

Elinore waded into the center of the river. And then.

Boom-!

He struck a boulder in the center with his massive fist, and soon, two plump silver fish floated to the surface, bellies up, from the shadowy depths beneath the rock.

Whoosh- Whoosh-

Two fish landed at my feet.

Boom-!

Elinore moved to another spot and struck again.

His efforts to avoid using magic, despite my hard-learned fishing lesson, felt almost futile.

Did he mean to show that problems could be solved without relying solely on magic?

‘Or perhaps…’

Shwaak-

Elinore emerged from the riverbank, holding the remaining two fish.

“This should be enough for tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast. Let’s go start a fire.”

***

Crackle, crackle.

On a hill under the moonlight, smoke rose from a small round fire pit beneath a large tree.

Fish skewered on branches roasted crisp, their savory aroma spreading into the night air.

It was an ordinary mealtime, no different from before, but somehow…

Watching the red flames flicker under the starlit sky, the tension and wariness I’d carried began to ease, if only slightly.

Elinore sat quietly on a fallen log across from me, looking like a true part of nature.

“They’re done. Eat.”

“Ah, yes.”

I bit into the fish.

It was bland but filled my mouth with a clean, subtle flavor.

As I tore into the fish, I spoke to Elinore.

“Elinore, shouldn’t we start using magic to some extent now?”

With a bit of ease, I felt comfortable asking questions I’d held back.

I’d avoided bringing it up, worried it might sound like whining about minor inconveniences while fleeing.

But I couldn’t shake the thought that magic could help us escape this place faster.

Elinore nodded as if he understood.

“Hmm, yes. It must have been inconvenient. You probably thought it foolish not to use magic.”

He took a deep breath and began to explain.

“The main reason I’m not using magic right now is that it leaves traces the moment mana is used. Demons are sensitive to the scent of mana, so they can quickly track us by following the lingering residue.”

“That’s…”

“Bear with it until we reach the north. We also need to conserve strength for the dangers ahead.”

It was hard enough to face demons without miracles, yet they could track us by the scent of magic—a truly bizarre and terrifying race.

I stared blankly at the night sky.

Bow-

I slowly closed my eyes.

I wanted to rest before dark thoughts consumed me.

“You must be tired from all the traveling. Rest now.”

“What about you, Elinore…”

“I’ll be here, so don’t worry.”

Unable to resist the heavy weight of my eyelids, I leaned my head against the tree.

My vision blurred.

***

“Claude. Claude.”

“…Ugh?”

I didn’t know how much time had passed since closing my eyes, but I jolted awake as someone shook me.

Elinore’s grotesque face appeared right before me.

The fire pit had gone out, and only the eerie, silvery moonlight illuminated the surroundings.

“Something’s wrong. It seems Magridon has begun acting in earnest.”

I sprang to my feet at his words.

The area was already neatly cleared.

Crack- Crack-

An ominous sound of something snapping echoed from afar.

Trees in the dense underbrush tilted, and the ground trembled at regular intervals.

“It’s massive.”

“That’s…!”

Elinore glared into the forest.

“It’s at least as big as the Deinos we faced before.”

He fell silent for a moment before muttering.

“Likely even stronger.”

Swish-

“Tch, we need to move fast.”

Crunch-

Elinore scooped me up, placed me on his back, and bolted down the hill.

“Kikikikik.”

A chilling, grinding laughter echoed behind us, and a red aura rose from where we had been resting.

As it reared its long body, a massive, grotesque silhouette, too large to be hidden by the forest’s trees, loomed under the moonlight.

“A Great Venompede!”

“Did Magridon summon that monster?”

“Probably.”

It slammed its elongated body into the forest, rising and falling repeatedly as it pursued us.

Though Elinore’s running speed wasn’t slow, the creature’s writhing advance was unnervingly fast.

“We’ll have to fight it. Claude, prepare yourself.”

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-

Leaving the wooded area for a moment, Elinore stopped in an open hilly region, and a massive cloud of dust erupted behind us.

I quickly climbed onto a large rocky outcrop nearby.

In that moment, I saw Elinore grappling with the Great Venompede’s pincers, pushing it back.

I had to stop it.

With only what I could do now.

‘…’

I read the flow of mana in the surroundings.

I synchronized my mana with it and envisioned a new form in my mind.

‘I don’t know if it’ll help…’

Following the shape of mana I pictured, an invisible catapult launched a boulder toward the creature’s body.