The Undying Magician - Book 2 - Chapter 43 - The Dark Forest Part I (Patreon)

You may ignore these lines as they are because a certain website is stupid and has made some stupid new changes.

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                                                               Nathan
                                        Year 2849 | Month 12 | Day 3

“None of us really know all that much about the Dark Forest. It’s been around since long before the fall of the Kingdom, but even back then very few people dared go inside,” Xavier says, surprising me slightly since I had kind of assumed that the Dark Forest originated from that disgusting bag of bone’s mortal death. “And of the ones that did go inside? None of them ever came back out. Not as a human at least.”

I can’t help but notice his eyes flickering to my own as he says that, but they return to the teacup in his hand right after.

Guess he still has doubts about the origin of my vampirism.

“All we knew about the place was that it had something to do with the late king, and that undead frequently left it, to the degree that the kingdom had to station guards year-round all around the forest to act as a buffer,” he continues while staring at his teacup like it was the most interesting thing in the world. “But after the kingdom’s fall, there weren’t any guards to cover the forest anymore. So the undead started moving out of it, along with the miasma they were wreathed in.”

Hmm. Very unfortunate. Miasma is a rather dangerous substance. It’s not poisonous or anything, but it will cause direct damage to whatever it touches. Including crops, fruits, and other stuff like that.

It’s one of the few substances created by mana that doesn’t share the properties of the mana it was created from. Which is why I’m apparently healed by death mana considering the king’s actions back in the Dark Forest but am still hurt by miasma.

“Eventually most of the vegetation had begun to die off around the Dark Forest. And even in the areas further away from it, the vegetation was close to dying off as well. At least, until it began to adapt to the miasma,” he continues, a conflicted look on his face as he speaks. “The vegetation started slowly becoming resistant to the damages of the miasma since it wasn’t enough to fully destroy everything that far out.”

My eyebrows rise at that little bit.

Huh. Didn’t realize something could develop a resistance to miasma.

Interesting to know, but doesn’t exactly do anything for me since my body won’t be able to develop that resistance.

The man finally looks up at me again, but this time with a determined look on his face as he finishes, “We didn’t know that the vegetation had grown resistance and had been living under the rule of other cities without them knowing about me, my mana being so weak back then that it was practically impossible for a Class C magician to discover me. So when we found this place we immediately made for an escape and moved here, settling this city.”

“Wait, how long ago was this?” I ask, unable to hold back my surprise. This city may not be anywhere near as big or fancy as regular cities in the Republic, but it still must’ve taken years to build. Maybe even a decade!

This time he just grins and says, “Five years ago.” And before I can even express my shock or ask how, he continues, asking me, “Now, you have news about the Dark Forest?”

I stare at him for a few seconds before nodding my head.

Yeah, it probably has something to do with his magic. Some sort of Special affinity that’ll help in construction, perhaps?

“I probably don’t even have to say who the Class S magician was that did this to me,” I begin, quickly noticing the man flinching at my words, “but I’m gonna do it anyways. Your king is still inside of the Dark Forest, and while he’s not breathing, he is alive in a sense.”

My last words seem to confuse the man.

“Apparently death affinity magicians can’t die,” I tell him, making his eyes grow wide. “If they do ‘die’, then the death mana in their body is used to bring them back, nourishing their dead corpse and mind even after death. So unless they completely run out of mana – which is unlikely in the case of a Class S magician – it’s impossible for him to die.”

Xavier stares at me with his mouth gaping open for several seconds, so I just decide to continue speaking, “Before I got there, the guy was sealed away in some prison inside his own lab. But he managed to break out while I was staying in his giant treehouse and decided to test out his mutagen on me. And this,” I pause while motioning towards my eyes, “is the result.”

The man just continues staring.

I wait seconds. Then ten. After a minute, I get sick of waiting and snap my finger in front of the man’s face, shaking him out of his stupor.

He quickly gathers his wits and asks, “Are you sure about this?” and right when I’m about to frown at him, he glances at my eyes and shakes his head, “Nevermind. Of course, you’re sure.” He then gets up from his seat and walks over to the desk to pick up a phone.

I just watch as he begins talking on the phone like I’m not here.

“Please call a meeting for one hour from now. Tell everyone it’s important and that they are not able to miss it no matter what.”

My enhanced ears manage to hear the words of what sounds like a young woman on the other end of the phone asking, “What should I tell them the meeting is about?”

“Tell them it’s about the possible survival of King Adalwolf Giese.”

Possible? Guess he doesn’t trust me completely. Which makes sense, but still.

I hear a gasp coming from the phone, and I can’t help but wonder if him bluntly saying that out loud was a good idea or not. Or at least, I wonder about it for the brief three seconds that I care, seeing as it doesn’t affect me.

After a few words from the lady – who I’m beginning to believe is his assistant or something – he slams the phone down, lets out a heavy breath, then turns around and drills his eyes directly at me as he says, “Tell me more.”

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