Chapter 56 – Discovery of Magical Remnants
The various studies conducted in the Republic of Sages continued through the death of the female scholar.
The most pressing question that they wished to answer was,
「Why does magic create demons?」
It was already common sense to know that, through magic, ordinary animals demonify. But the principles surrounding the phenomenon remained a mystery.
But magitech eventually caught up to this question. After a long period of time, the sages finally uncovered the existence of “magical remnants.”
They discovered that the magical power conversion efficiency of modern magic was extremely poor. With this knowledge in hand, the sages travelled towards the forest of the elves, who have disappeared from the stage of history for centuries.
「There are no demons around the forest where the Elves are said to live, and there is no evidence that demons have existed there in the past.」
These rumors made their way into the center of the Republic through travelling merchants.
But the scholars did not believe them at first. They would say with conviction,
「If you use magic, monsters will surely be born!」
Though through the uncovering of magical remnants with improved magitech, a hypothesis arises:
「Perhaps the elven magic is one that produces very little magical remnants?」
There were pros and cons to this theory, so ultimately it was decided to send researchers to the forest of the Elves.
????
A large magical transport stops in front of the vast forest a long distance away from the Republic. A young man steps down from the vehicle.
「Are there truly Elves living in this forest?」
This young man is one of the researchers dispatched by the Republic.
The Republic decided to send researchers to Elven villages. But the Elves who had disappeared from the eyes of history for centuries were very elusive.
And so, the sages of the Republic came to a conclusion, which is to just throw people randomly until they get a hit. The young man that left the magical transport is one such researcher.
「Okay~, this distance should be good.
Now to just start the magic tool…」
The young man muttered to himself and hegan to activate the onboard magic tool.
Several hours pass.
The magical transport had antennas sticking out like a hedgehog. This car was a specialized model made for this dispatch, one which measures the density of magical remnants.
Of course it was not just the vehicle. The young man was also covered in equipment meant for measuring magical remnants.
The Republic was truly giving it their all to find the Elven people.
Once more a few hours pass, after the startup work is finished.
The area is covered in darkness.
The night should have been the time where demons were the most active, but the familiar sounds of demonic cries were nowhere to be heard. There was only the occasional howling of normal, not demonified wolves.
The young man looked at the forest from the vehicle’s window to explore the surrounding area. But regardless of how far the search magic spread, no demons were detected.
The young man silently pondered as he looked at the data coming out of the magical tools,
(Are there no demons after all?
Well there are two possibilities.
The most likely one is that there are no Elves living in this forest at all.
If there are no inhabitants, there are no magic users, so there is no way that demons could be born. Being located a distance away from other countries, the chance of demons ending up here is rather unlikely.
The other possibility would be that the Elven people do not produce magical remnants.
…this.. is n’t very likely at all. In the Republic, the great sages tried to improve magical efficiency time after time, but the greatest they could achieve was 30%.
I don’t know what kind of magic Elves use, but it seems that they cast their magical powers on to a magic circle to cast spells. I don’t believe there would be a large difference in conversion efficiency.
…well, even if there are no Elves here, it’s fine as long as others find them. So why don’t I investigate thoroughly without being so nervous.)
When the young man finished tomorrow’s preparations, he laid a quilt on the floor of the vehicle and slept.
…staring at that magic car were eyes from the depths of the forest.
When the “line of sight” hovered on the magic vehicle, the measuring device detected a miniscule amount of magical remnants and the scale moved a little, but the young man did not notice it.
????
Dawn came.
The young man got up to the rising sun and began preparing to delve further into the forest.
He carried a magic remnant measuring tool, and at his waist was a wand for combat magic in anticipation of the worst.
The clothes he wore at first glance appeared to be everyday work clothes, but they were actually the latest combat uniform covered with barrier magic.
The past folklore about the Elves did not depict them nicely. In those stories they looked down on other races, and would mercilessly attack any that entered their forest. For this reason, the sages of the Republic decided to arm the researchers they sent with the best defences they developed..
The young man completed a final check of his equipment for defects. Now assured, he proceeded to the forest entrance.
????
A few hours passed since the young man entered.
Even though it’s daytime, the forest was dim and the ground muddy. Undocumented insects stealthily fly around the young man, and some occasionally fall from the tops of tree branches.
The young man spread a thin barrier of magic around him and continued through the forest, careful not to get bitten by insects.
(Folklore tells of an Elven settlement at the center of this forest.
They say it’s “likely to be true,” because there haven’t been any documented visits to their village.
After the Elves first created magic, various nations had sent envoys to their settlements in hopes of studying from them. Though it seems like none of them returned.
Eventually countries and coalitions dispatched armed forces to steal the magic, but in the end they were annihilated to the last man.
No matter the size of the troop, the results were the same. Which is why no folklore can give a definitive position of the Elven settlement.)
The young man regularly used exploration magic to form maps, while steadily treading deeper into the forest.
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