Crimson Moon Forest 2

My name is Yuna, and right now, I’m trapped. Our caravan was just ambushed by bandits. All the guards we hired have been defeated, and now only we passengers remain.

Our guards were just Obsidian-ranked adventurers, but even so, they shouldn’t have fought this poorly. During the battle, their formation fell apart. Their teamwork was terrible, and their individual skills were unreliable.

From the beginning, I noticed several mages casting protective spells even though there were no attacks aimed at them. The sword-wielders weren’t any better. They swung their swords at empty air multiple times. Some of them were literally fighting with nothing.

Only Gurin fought normally. He was battling the bandit leader fairly well, though his attacks were often too slow. He would strike at spots his opponent had already left.

I feel like we chose the wrong guards. They never tried to protect us or create an opening for us to escape. They were hopeless. Even if they were just Obsidian-ranked adventurers…

Wait. Even if they’re Obsidian, they’re still registered adventurers. The guild wouldn’t accept people whose skills were this bad. Attacking empty space like that is clearly beneath guild standards. Unless…

"What did you do to them?"

"What do you mean, miss?"

"You must’ve done something underhanded."

"Harsh words, miss. There’s no way we’d cheat. If you’re wondering, we merely hid our swords and arrows while showing them what they wanted to see."

"You talk too much, Beri."

Showing them what they wanted to see… I get it now. They must’ve used illusion magic. That explains the guards' bizarre behavior. For adventurers to unknowingly fall into an illusion means there’s at least an intermediate-level mage among them.

"Relax, Dani. Even if this girl saw through your illusion, there's nothing she can do. All the guards are down, aren’t they?"

"Don’t underestimate your prey. She didn’t fall for my illusion. That could make her dangerous. Finish her quickly."

"What are you saying? I don’t want her harmed. Among all the passengers, she seems the most valuable. We could make a fortune selling her."

Beri and Dani started approaching. So did their men. They were confident the fight was over.

I looked toward the Crimson Moon Forest. It wasn’t far. A desperate move, maybe, but hope still lingered there.

"I’m going to try something. If an opportunity comes, run into the forest."

We probably couldn’t win. I could only use healing magic. That’s the reason I’m on this journey—to study magic at the Finalia Magic Academy. I had no physical strength or combat skill. But maybe... just maybe, I had a chance.

I planted my staff into the ground and began chanting. A red magic circle formed beneath me. It slowly expanded, and tongues of flame began to rise from the earth.

"Stop her, Beri! That magic looks dangerous!"

"ARCHERS!"

Their expressions changed. Maybe they recognized the spell I was casting—fire magic capable of burning them all at once. Though I must admit, the spell had a weakness.

Several of Beri’s men fired arrows. That’s the first weakness—the long casting time. It gave the enemy plenty of time to interfere. But arrows weren’t enough.

Dozens of arrows flew toward me, but none reached me. Each time an arrow entered the circle, it burned to ash.

Beri raised his hand, and flaming doves appeared, soaring toward me at his command.

It was useless. The moment they entered the circle, the flames lost shape and were absorbed into the spell.

The heat grew more intense. Some of Beri’s men began running away in fear. A wise move. Once the spell was complete, everything here would burn—bandits, earth, trees… even the wagon and passengers. That would be disastrous, if it happened. If I could even finish it.

"We’re backing off too, Beri."

"Wait."

Beri narrowed his eyes. He noticed something. The fire had turned deeper red, and cracks had appeared in the magic circle. As a fire-element mage himself, Beri probably realized what that meant—my spell was starting to lose control.

This was the spell’s greatest weakness: I didn’t fully master it. The cracks widened, and the flames turned wild. One of them curled toward me, licking my hands and burning them. It hurt, but I could heal that. The real problem was coming.

The magic circle shattered. Flames exploded outward. The blast was strong enough to burn both my arms—but too weak to reach the bandits. Thick black smoke filled the air.

That was what I had hoped for. Instead of completing the incantation and incinerating everything, including the wagon, this was the better result.

"NOW! RUN INTO THE FOREST!"

I could only hope they understood what I meant. The thick smoke would block the bandits’ view and give us time to flee into the Crimson Moon Forest.

I ran toward the forest. The smoke worked. I couldn’t see the wagon or the other passengers anymore. I just hoped they were doing the same.

But just steps from the forest, a strong wind blew, sweeping away the smoke and dust. Beri had pointed his hand at me. A magic circle hovered before his palm. That wind—it was his doing.

Damn it.

I stopped right before the Crimson Moon Forest. My distraction and failed spell were for nothing. No one had followed me. The passengers hadn’t moved. They were still sitting in the wagon, motionless, with blank eyes.

An illusion. I should’ve guessed the passengers were caught in it too. Or maybe they were just too scared to enter the Crimson Moon Forest. Either way, I miscalculated.

The fleeing bandits returned. Some still looked terrified, others furious. That anger was aimed at me, of course.

Sorry. There’s nothing more I can do for you now.

I turned and ran, leaping into the forest.

"STOP, BERI!"

I made it into the forest, which meant I was safe. But Beri didn’t want to let me go. He conjured a large fireball and hurled it at me. Dani tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The fireball flew straight toward me—but it was useless. I was already inside the Crimson Moon Forest. The fireball hit a tree and vanished instantly. No flames. The tree stood unscathed as if nothing had happened.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, BERI?! IF EVEN ONE TREE BURNS, WE'LL BE KILLED!"

Even from within the forest, I could still hear Dani’s voice. He sounded truly furious.

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