Magic Barrier

"This is a Dark Moon Wolf. I never expected to find them in Spruce Forest. These beasts love to attack in packs, wearing down their prey until they're exhausted, then swarming in to tear them to pieces with their sharp fangs." Master narrowed his eyes and spoke gravely.

"No, these aren't ordinary Dark Moon Wolves. They're extremely ferocious, and I can feel the surging magic inside them. They must be the minions of some powerful monster."

With a Legendary Bloodline, he was naturally sensitive to magic and could quickly spot the difference.

"Mm! Looks like we've run into a tough one. Even an elite knight might not survive a bite from those things. We may need the lord to step in before we can escape. It seems the Overlord-class monster behind this is trying to wear us down with these Dark Moon Wolves."

After hearing Aurelian's words, Master's tone grew grave.

The knights around them were under attack from the Dark Moon Wolves. They used their shields to fend off the snapping jaws, then swiftly struck off the beasts' heads. Though they moved quickly, more and more wolves kept charging in, and they were gradually being overwhelmed.

"Master, go help them with Russell." Seeing that the situation was turning against them, Aurelian gave the order.

These knights had been chosen from among thousands. He didn't want to lose them here, or it would be a huge waste.

"But, my lord, your safety..." Master hesitated.

"I'm at Lower Rank Magic." Aurelian's expression was stern. He hated this kind of aristocratic nonsense.

"Yes, sir!"

Master nodded, turned around, and mounted his horse with Russell and the other knights who had been guarding their surroundings. They rode off to reinforce the front line.

"Kill!"

Master galloped forward and struck a Dark Moon Wolf's head clean off with one swing.

Perhaps their sparring match with Jeanne had further improved his swordsmanship, making him more decisive and incisive.

The addition of four Body Integration Rank knights and one Source Gathering Rank knight eased the pressure on the front line, and Aurelian breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help. He had something more important to do.

The high-level magical beast secretly directing all of this was the root of the problem. As long as they took it down, the Dark Moon Wolves would scatter.

"It's deeper in."

Jeanne spoke suddenly. She had already turned her head, her gaze fixed in another direction, toward the depths of Spruce Forest.

"Jeanne, what did you sense?"

For some reason, Aurelian asked without thinking. Even he found it strange, as if he could understand Jeanne's feelings right now.

"Who is it?"

"The master of Spruce Forest."

"This is my territory. It's occupied it without permission. Did it ask me first?"

Aurelian gave a wry smile and spoke as if mocking himself.

"It's been here much longer than you," Jeanne added matter-of-factly.

"Uh..."

Aurelian looked a little dumbfounded. She did have a point.

"Then, Jeanne, can you sense where it is?"

"Yes, but only the two of us can go in." Jeanne nodded and answered seriously.

"Why?" Aurelian asked, puzzled.

"I sensed a magic barrier. Only those who've reached Lower Rank Magic can pass through."

"A magic barrier? Does that mean there's a rich magical tide here? But why can't I feel it?"

Aurelian had read about magical tides in books. For one to form, it needed to be supplied by a powerful source of magic.

"Could the treasure belonging to the master of Spruce Forest be that source of magic? A source of magic could give birth to a Child of Frost." Aurelian guessed.

"Probably." Jeanne nodded, agreeing with his guess.

"In that case, the knights I brought will have to stay here."

"Master, Jeanne and I are going into the depths of Spruce Forest to take down that Lower Rank magical beast. You knights hold your position here until we return!"

"Yes, sir!"

Master struck another Dark Moon Wolf in two. Blood stained his silver-white armor, and his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

Aurelian and Jeanne exchanged a glance, then hurriedly mounted their horses. Time was running out. Master and the knights wouldn't be able to hold on much longer in this strange, freezing cold.

Once mounted, he and Jeanne spurred their horses onward, galloping toward the deepest part of Spruce Forest.

They raced through shifting patches of light and shadow. The trees grew denser around them, and mist began to spread, obscuring the path ahead.

The air had grown terrifyingly cold. Aurelian, riding on George's back, could even feel his armor freezing over, while the flow of magic inside him grew slower and slower.

"What's that?!"

Aurelian looked ahead, his pupils contracting. He quickly pulled on George's reins.

George let out a neigh unlike any horse's and steadied himself on the slippery ground.

Aurelian stopped, and so did Jeanne. A field of gray chaos lay before them.

"Is that a magic barrier?" he asked in confusion.

The magic barriers in his memory hadn't looked like this. Normally, there would be something like a doorway at the barrier's edge, an entrance into it. Only a powerful source of magic could distort the physical world and form a magic barrier.

"This is probably some kind of spell concealing the fluctuations of the magical tide. It seems someone discovered the source of magic here long before us." Jeanne frowned as she explained.

"No wonder. So it's magic. But where's the entrance to the barrier? Could it be hidden in this chaos?"

Aurelian finally understood. Magic was simply too mysterious, and he had never seen it with his own eyes.

"We just have to walk in. This spell is at least several hundred years old; it can't conceal anything anymore. I think that Overlord-class magical beast came to Spruce Forest because of these magical fluctuations." Jeanne explained.

"Mm. Hurry, we have to deal with it right away."

Aurelian spoke with confidence. After all, the unfathomable Jeanne was with him. And even if they couldn't win, they could still escape—that was enough to give him confidence!

Aurelian went into the chaos first. Ripples spread through space, and he was swallowed up. Jeanne followed him in, and the two of them vanished completely.

Breaking free of the darkness, Aurelian's vision finally cleared, revealing everything around him.

It was a blue world of frost. The sky was gray, yet snowflakes drifted through the air.