The forest was eerily quiet, the scorched earth still steaming in places from the earlier battle.
Ashes blew across the ground, carried by a gentle breeze that felt unnatural after the chaos that had taken place.
With a flash of light,
Julius Novachrono and Marx Francois materialised at the scene.
Julius's usual cheerful demeanour was absent—his eyes sharp, scanning the surroundings with a calculating gaze.
"____"
"____"
Marx, meanwhile, covered his mouth slightly as the stench of burnt flesh reached him.
"What happened here…?"
Marx murmured, eyes on the charred, distorted bodies, some still twitching unnaturally despite the damage.
Ben turned toward them.
He stepped forward and began speaking with calm but urgency.
"I was on—clearing my head—and noticed some suspicious movement. A group of people walking unnaturally through the forest."
"When I confronted them, they attacked… like beasts. No rational thought, no pain reaction. I burned most of them down, but something was off."
He pointed to one of the twitching bodies, the white eyes still glowing faintly with cursed energy.
"These weren't just possessed. They were lifeless. Puppets. Possibly undead."
Marx stiffened.
"____"
Julius knelt beside one of the burned remains, placing his hand near the body and whispering a spell.
Wisps of black and purple curse energy lifted from the corpse, confirming Ben's claim.
"He's right…"
Julius muttered.
"These aren't ordinary cursed soldiers. This is advanced necromancy. Forbidden-class. Someone's playing with extremely dangerous magic."
Ben continued, crossing his arms.
"You know what this means. In all of Clover Kingdom, there are only three known undead dungeons. One has been cleared—barely. The other two are sealed because of how deadly they are."
"Even though the treasures inside were rare and valuable."
He paused, letting the weight of that settle before adding:
"But now, someone is walking around with the power to raise this kind of army—and they're using nobles as test subjects."
Julius's expression darkened.
"The undead… among civilians… that's beyond horrifying. The panic it would cause. The damage it would do. Whoever's doing this isn't just powerful—they're calculated. They chose a battlefield away from cities."
Marx swallowed hard.
Gulp~
"Do we have any leads?"
Ben shook his head and pointed deeper into the forest.
"Dont know but there is high chance there is a high chance a lead is present in this forest."
Julius rose, mana already swirling around his fingertips.
"You were right to wait. We'll search this forest. Marx—alert Fuegoleon, Nozel, Yami, Williams and Charlotte. Quietly. I want only the most trusted captains on this. And no public attention."
Marx nodded and took his magic communicator to contact the captains.
As the moon cast a silver glow over the scorched forest battlefield, the atmosphere thickened with tension.
Magic energy lingered in the air like smoke after a cannon blast.
Suddenly, a spatial ripple tore open beside Ben and Julius.
"Tch… what a pain…"
Came a familiar grumble as Yami Sukehiro stepped out from the portal, cigarette dangling from his lips, smoke curling lazily into the air.
Puff~
His black robes fluttered slightly in the breeze, and his katana was slung across his shoulder.
Behind him stumbled Finral Roulacase, clearly irritated.
"Captain, why do I get dragged into creepy forest at midnight? I swear something's always—"
SMACK!
"Zip it before I make you part of the forest."
Yami grunted, raising his fist threateningly.
Finral flinched, throwing his hands up in surrender.
Just then, another portal shimmered open nearby.
Out stepped William Vangeance, the stoic captain of Golden Dawn, masked and calm as always.
Flanking him was Langris Vaude, his vice-captain, eyes immediately scanning the clearing.
Langris's gaze landed on Finral—
And his face twisted in disdain.
"____"
"So even trash like you got invited to this mission. Don't trip over your own shadow, brother."
Finral scowled but bit his tongue, avoiding eye contact.
"____"
Moments later,
A gust of wind signalled the arrival of several figures descending on high-speed enchanted brooms.
Fuegoleon Vermillion, radiating composed authority, landed first.
His crimson cloak flared behind him as his boots touched the earth.
Beside him landed the fierce Mereoleona, her fiery aura almost visible in the air.
"So, what's the damn emergency that dragged me out of my volcano bath?"
She snapped, cracking her knuckles.
"This better be worth it."
Following close were Nozel Silva, regal and cold, his silver hair gleaming in the moonlight, and his siblings, Solid Silva and Nebra Silva—
Though Nebra lingered in the sky, clearly disinterested.
Charlotte Roselei descended gracefully, her face calm but eyes sharp as ever, with her vice-captain Sol close behind, giving the burning forest a curious glance.
The gathered captains stood in a semi-circle around Julius and Ben.
The air felt heavy—
Not just from mana, but from the unspoken understanding that whatever brought them here was no trivial matter.
Ben stepped forward.
"Thanks for coming on short notice. What you're about to hear and see can't leave this group. We're dealing with undead puppets, nobles among them, and someone is deliberately targeting the inner structure of our kingdom."
Julius nodded and waved a hand, projecting a time-enhanced illusion of the battle that had taken place earlier.
The captains watched in silence as images of lifeless figures running with monstrous hunger and taking blows without flinching played out before them.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Fuegoleon clenched his jaw.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
Mereoleona grinned.
Grin~
"Looks like it's hunting season."
"We suspect necromancy,"
Julius added.
"The kind sealed away long ago. And our king suspects there is a huge lead inside this forest. We believe with us we could find the—possibly the one controlling or producing these undead."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Yami cracked his neck.
Puff~
"Let's start it already."
"Not yet,"
Julius said sharply.
With grim determination, the group of Magic Knight Captains split up and began their search of the forest—
Each using their unique skills and mana perception to comb through the shadows, burnt foliage, and arcane residue that lingered after Ben's earlier battle.
Fuegoleon led his squad with steady precision, using his fire-based detection spells to scan for heat signatures or magical distortions.
His golden eyes burned with resolve, aware of the rising threat—
And the importance of finding its root.
But William Vangeance, while outwardly calm and obedient to the mission, had his gaze subtly fixed on Fuegoleon's neck.
"____"
Dangling from a finely crafted silver chain was a red magic stone—
Faintly glowing with ancient power.
William's breath hitched for a fraction of a second, hidden behind his mask.
'So that's where it ended up… the stone we tracked for so long… now hanging freely around Fuegoleon's neck like a mere trinket…'
He had known the item was powerful—
Sought after by their Eye of the Midnight Sun.
It was believed to be one of the catalyst stones capable of making their revenge and resurrection possible.
William's eyes narrowed slightly.
"____"
He had once planned to acquire it, alongside his more... covert allies.
But now, with the Wizard King himself present and observing everything—
And Ben, who had clearly grown sharper, stronger, and more authoritative—
Any rash move would be suicide or expose himself and his group.
'No… not yet,'
William told himself.
'I'll wait. The forest might offer more than just the undead. Perhaps it will give me an opportunity… or another key altogether.'
Meanwhile, Julius stood on a raised ridge, his eyes glowing faintly with his Time Magic. He was tracking mana pulses through the flow of time itself, watching echoes of past movements flicker like fading shadows.
"There's something buried beneath the northern slope."
He finally announced.
"It's faint… but it's not natural. Like a tomb, or a prison."
Ben quickly joined him, brows furrowed.
"That might be our lead."
Yami, still smoking, muttered,
"Great. Hope it's not another damn zombie party."
"Get ready,"
Julius said calmly.
"We may be standing right above the nest."
As the group silently made their way toward the shadowed northern slope, their footsteps softened by magic and instinct,
Nebra Silva subtly broke formation and sidled closer to Ben.
The forest's canopy rustled with a faint breeze, masking her approach until she was just beside him.
She leaned slightly, her breath barely audible above a whisper as she spoke near his ear:
"Ben… I wanted to tell you something in person."
He turned his head slightly, one brow raised in curiosity.
"____"
"In two days… It's my birthday."
She said, trying to keep her voice composed but unable to fully hide the light blush on her pale cheeks.
"I'm hosting a little party in House Silva's garden. Just friends… and I'd like you to come."
Ben blinked in brief surprise, then smiled warmly—
His eyes gleaming with that playful spark, Nebra had grown to admire.
"Of course, Nebra. I wouldn't miss my friend's birthday for anything,"
He said, ending with a teasing wink.
Wink~
That single word—friend—was enough to sting a little.
Friend.
Though their bond had grown over time, and her feelings is not a mere admiration into something deeper,
Ben's heart had always seemed a little too distant.
Especially with Charlotte around.
Nebra tried not to let it show, but her fingers twitched slightly near her grimorie.
Charlotte Roselei.
The ever-composed, ever-strong woman captain.
Though Nebra never voiced it aloud, she'd long seen Charlotte as her rival—not only in strength but in matters of the heart.
Even if Charlotte was awkward about it, her feelings for Ben were too obvious to miss.
But today, hearing Ben say he'd come to her party—
Invited personally—
Made her chest feel warm.
A small victory. A moment that belonged to her.
She gave him a soft, beautiful smile and whispered:
"I'll be waiting then."
Before he could respond further, Fuegoleon's voice called out from ahead, sharp and low:
"Over here. There's a clearing ahead—it might be the entrance."
Instantly, everyone shifted back into mission mode.
The slope ahead was dark, and the trees seemed twisted, almost unnaturally curved.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
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