"This Recording Stone was found by several other Patrol Teams who rushed to the scene after hearing the news, using magical tracking."
"Aside from this Recording Stone, every member of that patrol squad—including their clothes, equipment, even their footprints, and so on—vanished without a trace... This Recording Stone was preserved only because that brave patrol officer threw it into a pool, hiding it among a pile of pebbles."
"Our Patrol Teams found no danger signals in that area—including the strange noises from the Recording Stone, the stench recorded on that patrol officer's parchment, and the abnormal footprints. No anomalies were discovered."
"The only thing we can confirm is that we have lost a brave patrol squad, and some terrifying, bizarre entity has appeared Deep within the Silent Forest..."
A capable male wizard held a report and quietly added further explanations for all the captains seated on either side of the long table.
Avery recognized him. He was a captain who had not originally belonged to Genie's Hut—the North District was vast, and among its tens of thousands of tricksters there was no shortage of sharp and capable talent. Those who had promptly joined Colmar's command had been given important positions, just like the old hands from Genie's Hut such as Avery.
It was simply that, having arrived only recently, they still felt somewhat like outsiders.
Thus, these newcomers often carried out Colmar's assignments with greater enthusiasm and stronger determination. Avery was not at all surprised that the vanished patrol team had belonged to these "outsiders."
The briefing was short, and the information it provided was no richer than that contained in the Recording Stone. Once the capable male wizard had finished his report, he quickly took his seat.
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
Only the mountain of candles