Chapter 276

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

The Evil Up North and Magic Gradually Declining

A long time ago, people discriminated against for their skin and hair color went on a long voyage, found this continent, and became this place’s very first settlers . With the abundant supply of food, the warm climate, and the docile nature of the animals, it was more than enough for them to survive .

「It is said that back then, this wasn’t a terrifying land where monsters pranced about . 」Wakamaru said .

「Are you talking about the ancestors of the native people? How did they find this continent? I doubt they went on a voyage, risking it all or nothing . 」

「Our ancestors actually lived near Vireocean a long time ago . There they discovered migratory birds bringing seeds no one recognized, the kind not found in Dew Roke . They then concluded that these seeds came from an undiscovered continent . 」

「Oh…」

Hikaru was genuinely impressed about their scientific way of thinking .

「Sounds like the first settlers were very skilled . 」

「Haha . Indeed . They’re our ancestors, you know?」

The old man continued his story . For several hundred years, these people lived in peace . But things changed for the worse little by little . Huge monsters started appearing, destroying forests, devouring animals, and continuing to grow . Eventually they appeared near the settlements, showing just how terrifying they were .

「Were there monsters from the start?」Hikaru asked .

「Yes, but they were confined in a very small area up north and never left . 」

「They never left, huh? Is it because of the environment? They eventually adapted and started moving to different areas . Is that it?」

Monsters evolved too . In the end, the only thing that differentiated them from regular animals was whether they brought harm or not .

「No…」Wakamaru said, pointing his skinny finger at Drake . 「Drakons happened . They were killing monsters in the north . 」

The drakons failed to kill them all, however . Wounded, they could barely heal themselves .

The increasing number of monsters in the north prevented the locals from scouting the place . Ever since then, they have never seen a drakon ever again .

『They probably died . 』Drake mumbled .

「The Young White Drakon can speak?!」

Even Duinkler’s eyes widened in surprise, not just Wakamaru .

『All drakons can speak, not just me . I think your ancestors talked to them too . 』

「Now that you mention it, perhaps . This tale that includes drakons was handed down from one generation to another . It’s safe to assume that the drakons asked our ancestors to do so . 」

「But why? I want to know . 」Duinkler joined .

「It’s not that difficult to guess . 」Hikaru could see the answer now . 「The monsters’ boss lives up there in the north and they want someone to kill it . 」

The boss was most likely an evil creature, and the drakons failed to kill it . Over time, the drakons lost all their strength and passed away, leaving monsters to run wild all over the place .

「The monsters in this continent are extremely strong . 」Wakamaru said . 「Killing their leader sounds unlikely . 」

「Let’s set that aside for now . Can you tell me more? What did your ancestors do after the monsters ran rampant?」

「I’m sure you already know . A little while later, people from Vireocean and Man Gnomes arrived and built a city . Venturing too close north led to their demise . Our ancestors then helped the survivors—」

「W-Wait a sec . What do you mean they ventured close north?」

「I mean it literally . The monsters noticed the existence of a city because of it . 」

「So if they stayed away from the northern side, nothing would’ve happened . 」

「Yes . Even now, monsters mostly just roam the north . This area around here is peaceful . Oh wait, I suppose a Yamamaneki did appear . 」

「Silver Face helped take it down . 」Duinkler said with pride in his voice for some reason .

「Oh, I see! Thank you! Spirit magic is still as powerful as ever I see . 」

「You know about Spirit magic?」

「Why, of course . People here could use it in the past . 」

「Wha…?」

「Hmm?」

「Whaaat?!」

「Why are you surprised, Duinkler?」

「I-I didn’t know about this . 」

「Then again, I can’t really use it . My father was able, although only a little . 」

As time passed, the people gradually lost their ability to use Spirit magic . In order to use magic, one had to have their Magical Power in their Soul Board unlocked . Those who had no points in Mana couldn’t use Spirit or Healing magic, no exceptions . As of the moment, Hikaru had not seen one person in this place who had Magical Power unlocked .

「I have a question . Were the first settlers able to use Spirit magic?」Hikaru asked .

「I don’t know about the first ones, but by the time my grandfather migrated, no one could use it . 」

「So staying in this continent makes you lose your aptitude for magic?」

「Who knows? I have no idea . 」

I need to look into this, HIkaru thought . It wouldn’t have been a problem if people simply didn’t inherit the ability to use magic . But that wasn’t the case . Even those who could use magic gradually lost the ability to do so . Lavia and Paula would lose their greatest weapons .

『It must be the doing of evil creatures . 』Drake said .

Wakamaru breathed a long sigh in admiration, as though he just listened to the words of an exalted person .

「I see . If the great Young White Drakon says so, that must be it . By evil creatures, you mean the monsters up north, yes?」

『Yup . I didn’t know this continent existed, though the elders back home might have . They probably couldn’t handle everything . 』

「What do you mean?」Hikaru asked .

Drake’s expression turned grave . 『Evil has spread widely on the other continent . But here, it’s even worse . Evil has plagued this land . 』

「I-Isn’t that bad for us?」Wakamaru asked .

『Humans can’t really do much about it . But let’s say evil completely takes over this whole place . If a creature that’s pure evil is born, even the other continent will be in danger . 』Drake growled, displaying his gums . 『The elders said that once the balance of truth is disrupted and God no longer grants his affection to the world, the world will forever be adrift in darkness . 』

No one understood the meaning of his words, including Drake, but they knew they meant a horrible future for the world .

「When will this balance be disrupted? Ten years from now? A hundred? Even longer than that?」

『I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure . Letting evil thrive like this is not good . I wouldn’t be surprised if something happened tomorrow . 』

「Oh, no…」

Hikaru heaved a sigh . This world was much more dangerous than he expected .

「Are drakons that rare?」Duinkler asked .

「I don’t know . Drake here is just a glutton . 」Hikaru replied . 「He might be a rare creature, but he won’t take down the enemy or anything . 」

「I see…」the plump man said, looking disappointed .

Perhaps he thought if there were plenty of drakons in Vireocean, they could go and catch some .

「Anyway, let’s talk about this continent . 」

Hikaru’s party were at a café . In a nation with a population of only ten thousand, everything was concentrated in one place, including the restaurants, cafés, and taverns .

Even in the morning, when one wouldn’t expect cafes to be full, the place was filled with people . Some were startled as they saw them, some pointed, while others tried to talk to them . Unfortunately, Hikaru couldn’t understand the language so he asked for a private room . His Mana Detection didn’t show any signs of being eavesdropped .

「What to do… If we believe what Drake said, then the world is steadily heading to its doom . 」

There were powerful monsters like the Yamamaneki here . To top it off, a traitor lurked in the central government . Calling for reinforcement was not an option as the seas were dangerous . It was overall a terrible situation .