'Found it.'
Sure enough, aside from all that complaining, the alchemist named Lamur had still left behind something useful.
[Lamur's Treatise]
A notebook recording Lamur's lifelong learning and theories of ancient alchemy
'Even after reading through all the information, I still couldn't determine Lamur's exact cause of death. The information he left behind also cuts off abruptly, almost as if he had suddenly dropped dead.'
But there was another possibility.
He might have angered Hyral Sols, and been killed by it.
This sealed underground Orichalcum chamber could withstand even Large Danger Beasts, but whether it could block out a soul was another matter entirely.
It was possible Lamur had already realized that Hyral Sols was, in fact, the forest itself beneath his feet.
And that was why Hyral Sols had silenced him.
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you!
From the moment the ancient alchemists entered this forest, they might already have been under Hyral Sols's watch.
In that case...
What about now?
Was Noah, just like those alchemists from a thousand years ago, also being watched from the shadows by Hyral Sols?
"It's lived for over a thousand years. Even a beast with no brains to speak of would become something uncanny after that long, let alone a Super Danger Beast whose intelligence could rival—or even surpass—human understanding."
Noah muttered a few words to himself.
He had no choice but to reassess the Forest Dragon's capabilities.
This time, he would have to think on the assumption that the other party's abilities far exceeded his own.
Noah packed up whatever he could, then climbed out of the underground chamber.
After giving one last look to this basement that connected two different eras, he lightly waved his hand, and the ground caved in with a roar.
Lamur, along with all of his grumbling words, was buried beneath the earth once more.
And this time, they probably would never see the light of day again.
"So... it didn't rain after all."
Noah looked up at the thunderclouds overhead, narrowing his eyes slightly.
That was because, several hundred meters up in the sky, he had spotted the presence of a figure.
'That is...?'
It was a little blurry, but judging from the outline...
'A person?'
Noah was a little surprised.
This was the first person in this world he had seen who possessed the ability to fly.
At that moment, Noah suddenly felt a heavy gaze fall upon him.
And the source of that feeling was directly above him.
He stared upward in surprise.
'I was noticed?'
That was unexpected.
Setting aside the distance between them, Noah was inside a thick forest.
Yet the other party had still managed to lock onto him in such a complex environment.
That person probably possessed a sensory ability similar to Touka Toudou's Flash Principle Eye, or something along those lines.
Or perhaps it was not a distinct sensory ability at all, but rather the kind of effect that could be achieved once someone's control over their own power reached a certain pinnacle.
Even users of entirely different power systems could sometimes arrive at similar results through absolute mastery alone.
In this world, there should not be any supernatural power aside from secret arts.
So if that person could step through empty air, they were probably some kind of Imperial Arm user.
The mist gradually began to thin. It looked like it would disperse completely before long.
And the figure overhead clearly had no intention of leaving.
'So I've been marked.'
It seemed the other person had also realized that the mist contained poisonous substances, which was why he was only observing from the sky for now.
Noah raised his guard and moved toward the edge of the forest at a normal pace.
The moment he stepped out of the forest treeline, his vision was immediately swallowed by a dazzling flash of light.
The sound arrived a moment after the light.
Boom!
It was thunder.
Noah raised a hand to shield his eyes, then slowly opened them after the lightning had struck the ground.
Standing before him was a burly man nearly one meter ninety tall, radiating an overwhelming sense of combat pressure.
Noah quietly used Appraisal on him.
His eyes widened slightly at once.
[Budo]
General of the Empire
The Empire's strongest
Imperial Arm user
Commander of the Imperial Guard
[Adramelech: King of Thunder's Fury]
One of the forty-eight Imperial Arms
Enhances striking power
Grants the ability to control lightning
'Budo?'
'So this man is the Empire's strongest general?'
'Why is he here?'
While Noah was observing Budo, Budo was doing the exact same thing.
His gaze was sharp.
At a glance, he could tell that Noah possessed no small amount of martial skill.
His steady footsteps, his breathing rhythm, the pristine state of his clothing in a poisoned forest—details like those alone were enough to make Budo take him seriously.
"Boy, answer my question. What are you doing in this forest?"
Budo questioned him from on high.
His attitude was lofty, but since he had asked what Noah was doing here, rather than what he had done here...
'I see.'
Noah answered calmly, "I'm a scientist. I came here to conduct some research."
"What?"
A look of astonishment appeared on Budo's stern face.
He stared at Noah in disbelief.
No matter how he looked at him, he could not imagine this boy qualifying as a scientist.
Besides, as far as Budo knew, the specific term "science" was only used by the Empire's underground Science Team.
Ordinary civilians should have had no way of knowing that word.
"How did you avoid the poisonous mist in the forest?"
"With this."
Noah raised the mask in his hand and explained, "This is called a gas mask. Wear it, and it filters the toxins out of the air, so you only breathe clean air and won't be poisoned."
Budo narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had seen such a device before.
The researchers from the Science Team wore things like this over their faces, and he had even experienced testing one himself.
The Science Team existed largely to support the other branches of the military.
They often produced strange-looking gadgets, but in practice, those things were often quite useful.
'This boy... could it be...?'
"Boy," Budo said, "do you know who I am?"
"I've never met you before, but I would guess that you are Great General Budo. Did I guess correctly?"
"Heh. And why would you guess that?"
Faced with Budo's test, Noah answered smoothly.
"A person's outward presence is usually influenced by their own power. The pressure—or rather, the sheer sense of presence—you give off is far too exaggerated. Combined with the fact that your appearance also matches the rumors, there's only one person I can think of."
"Good. It seems I don't need to prove my identity, then." Budo's tone sharpened again. "Then answer me this. Are you one of the Science Team?"
Because this time, unlike with the question of identity, he was speaking as a commanding general.
And when a man like that wanted a military answer, he would never ask politely.