Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Knight Commander's Choice

The procession advanced in an orderly fashion, and by noon, they had reached a small stream where they paused to rest. This allowed them to recover their strength, and also gave the stragglers a chance to catch up.

“Captain Hagrid is truly a good man. Without his help, we would have paid a steep price to pass through the Blackstone Forest,” the group remarked, unable to hide their admiration. The magical beasts encountered along the way were indeed far more numerous than before.

Normally, magical beasts would not attack so proactively upon seeing formidable opponents; most would only single out those who were alone. Yet now, these creatures seemed different: they had grown impulsive and irritable, eager to attack any enemy they saw, and their strength had also increased.

Chu Yun’s lunch was, as always, raspberries. He found it curious that, as they traveled, the number of magical beasts hunted had not increased but instead dwindled. This ran counter to the usual distribution patterns in the Blackstone Forest, and the knight order had dispatched more scouts to investigate.

“Paimon, have you discovered anything?” Chu Yun asked his companion.

Paimon replied through their contract, its words flowing naturally: “Eeya~ There are many powerful presences over there~”

For magical beasts, powerful presences typically referred to higher-level creatures stronger than themselves. Chu Yun glanced in the direction indicated by Paimon, but nothing seemed unusual.

He consulted his map and, correlating the position of the stream and their route, roughly pinpointed the area Paimon mentioned.

“How far is it from here?” Chu Yun continued.

“Paimon doesn’t know~ Paimon is too weak, eeya~” Paimon could only sense that there was something powerful in that direction; the specifics were beyond its abilities.

At that moment, the scouts from the Blackstone Knights seemed to have noticed something amiss as well, and hurriedly reported to Captain Hagrid.

Chu Yun returned to his carriage and then entered the Mirror World, heading to Hagrid’s location. In the real world, approaching the knights would have gotten him stopped, but in the Mirror World, so long as he kept a safe distance, Chu Yun’s keen hearing allowed him to eavesdrop on their conversation without much trouble.

“Reporting, Captain, there’s a large gathering of magical beasts on the northeastern shore of Blackwater Lake…”

“A gathering of magical beasts? Could there be some treasure in the lake? That shouldn’t be; adventurers frequent Blackwater Lake, and nothing like this has happened before,” Captain Hagrid said, clearly puzzled.

The newly appointed vice captain of the Blackstone Knights was a military mage, and he speculated eagerly, “Captain, the magical beast unrest must be related to the Falling of the Stars. Now these creatures are all gathering by the lake…”

“It might indeed be connected to the Falling of the Stars!”

Hagrid was tempted, wanting to investigate further. “It’s said that on that night, some were seen near the meteor’s impact point, but no fallen star was found.”

The vice captain dismissed the scouts and then smiled, saying, “That was no ordinary meteorite. In fact, our Truth Association is studying this event. Many theorize that what fell to the mortal realm were fragments of divine essence, the very core of the gods.”

“What? Divine essence?!” Hagrid exclaimed in shock.

“That’s right. If the prophecy is accurate, many gods have already lost their divine essence. Ancient ruins record that when divine essence falls to the mortal realm without a vessel, it cannot remain whole, usually shattering into numerous fragments.”

“If one collects these fragments and assimilates their power, even a mortal might ascend to godhood!” The vice captain spoke with excitement.

Many gods on the Pantheon were once mortals; it’s just that the path is arduous. Only saviors or infamous villains with legions of followers and believers have ever succeeded in forging their own divine essence.

But now, things were different. No need for such hardships—collecting fragments could grant one a full divine essence, and then faith could be harvested to steadily strengthen it.

Hagrid, however, grew worried upon hearing the vice captain’s words. “If your Truth Association’s theory holds, won’t the world soon be in chaos? While these fragments of divine essence are precious, they surely bring mortal peril as well.”

The vice captain nodded. “You’re right, and this news will soon spread across the continent. So, Captain Hagrid, what will you choose?”

Hagrid refused to answer but pressed on, “Are there any requirements to absorb these fragments of divine essence? Are those magical beasts gathering at Blackwater Lake in hopes of absorbing them too?”

“Each fragment usually retains a trace of its original divinity. If it belonged to the goddess of life, then someone with a lawful and good disposition and similar beliefs would find it easier to absorb. For those who are evil and chaotic, it takes much longer to purge the residual divinity before absorption.”

“Bear in mind, fragments may still contain divine magic, which can be used directly or studied. Purging it would be a waste.”

“As for magical beasts, absorption is very difficult, but fragments greatly affect them, increasing their strength and causing them to instinctively guard the fragments against theft.”

“This relates to the origin and birth of magical beasts; I can explain it in detail later if you’re interested. For now, it’s best to decide quickly—if someone else seizes the opportunity, it’ll be troublesome,” urged the vice captain. “Even if you don’t want them yourself, you could offer the fragments to the gods; I’m sure they would reward you generously.”

Though most gods were out of contact at the moment, some could still be worshipped.

Hagrid eyed the vice captain curiously. “Don’t you want the fragments yourself?”

The vice captain shot him a look. “Of course I do, but those magical beasts aren’t something I can handle alone. You’re the captain; with you present, I can’t command the others.”

“Even if we return to Blackstone City for reinforcements, those folks might not hand the fragments to me. It’s better if you go to retrieve them.”

“You can try absorbing them first; if it doesn’t work, give them to me. What do you say?” The vice captain laid out his terms.

This was outside the knight order’s official mission, so even the captain couldn’t demand his cooperation. A third-tier mage had a huge advantage against a horde of magical beasts.

Without the mage’s area spells, the knights would likely suffer heavy casualties, and that would be hard to explain to the city lord.

“The anomaly here will soon spread; by then, it’ll be too late,” the vice captain thought anxiously. Even if Hagrid disagreed, he intended to go himself.

Hagrid was torn. He was a true knight who upheld the code, and using public resources for private gain was forbidden.

“Sorry, I cannot involve the knight order in this battle.”

“But... I will take my personal guard and accompany you!” Hagrid said through gritted teeth.

The personal guard was not part of the knight order, but a team formed from his family’s retainers.

Hagrid instructed everyone else to remain and rest, then set off toward Blackwater Lake with his personal guard and Vice Captain Matthew.