Chapter 30: The Unstoppable Circle

Words : 1008 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 30: The Unstoppable Circle Finally, after a long pause, the mage Segoy, who had been speaking quietly with the others, stepped forward to speak on their behalf. Segoy was an older high-ranking mage, his brown beard streaked with white. "The attack by the large group of magical beasts last night must have come from that summoning site," Segoy said. "I believe the strange increase in the number of magical beasts we’ve seen lately is also because of that summoning circle. And last night’s massive swarm, the kind we’ve never seen before, was surely caused by the magic circle going out of control." "Segoy, if someone wanted to create such a summoning magic circle, how large would it need to be? And how much magical power would it take?" At Dominic’s question, Segoy turned to the mage beside him, exchanged a few words, and then answered. "It’s hard to say. Honestly, this kind of summoning magic circle falls under forbidden spells. It can change the balance of the world. But since it was drawn with fire on the ground, it must have been something very large and complicated. If it was meant to stay there permanently and keep sending magical beasts into our Rosaria, then... I’d say at least fifty mages would have been needed to create it." "The fifty mages who went to stop the runaway circle—none of their bodies were found. If the people Shiao Yi saw tangled in those blue-purple vines were those same mages...?" Dominic stopped mid-sentence, his throat tightening. Segoy picked up the thought and continued for him. "That means the summoning site was powered by the strong magic of fifty skilled mages and became even more powerful. That’s probably what caused that massive swarm of magical beasts." "Th-then... what about now?" one of the unit commanders asked, his voice breaking as he coughed. "If all the mages are dead now, and there’s no more magic feeding into the circle, then... does that mean there won’t be any more summonings?" Segoy shook his head, his tone grim. "We may not see another massive swarm like the one from yesterday. But I believe the magic circle is still open. From now on, magical beasts may continue to appear from it at any time and attacking us without warning." "No way..." someone muttered. "Curse Dalmasca! What were they thinking?!" The room erupted into worried murmurs and angry voices. "Dominic... there’s something I’m worried about," said Shiao Yi, who had been silent until now. His calm voice immediately brought the room to a hush. "If the army that set up the magic circle stops reporting in, the main military command will grow suspicious. They’ll likely send another unit to investigate. And since this is the front line, they’ll probably send a force of considerable size. If magic is involved, they’ll also send mages with strong magical power. If those blue-purple vines catch them as well, then... that means fresh magic power will once again feed the summoning circle." "Then... theagic circle could become even more powerful," Dominic said, stunned. "That magic circle has to be destroyed before that happens, or we’re in serious trouble! We don’t have time to sit around!" Louis burst out, unable to hold back any longer. His usually light tone suddenly sounded unbearably heavy in the tense room. "Shiao, when you went to the site, you said you were captured, right?" Dominic turned to the boy at his side, his eyes filled with concern. He needed to hear it directly from the one he cared for most. "Yeah. It felt like I was caught in a trap," Shiao Yi said. "Is there some kind of magic that builds a barrier to trap people or stop intruders?" "That was likely a ward," Segoy answered. "It may have been set up to protect the magic circle." "Can that ward be broken?" Dominic asked. "I was trapped once already. I couldn’t teleport past it. I’ll probably get caught again if I try a second time." Shiao Yi’s body trembled as if he remembered the pain from that moment. Dominic gently wrapped his arm around Shiao Yi’s back. He didn’t want him to suffer ever again, not even a little. He almost lifted the boy into his lap, but stopped himself when he saw Louis’s gaze. He was still in the middle of serious meeting and he had to act accordingly. As for the office—well, the office was more like his private room. That wasn’t the problem. "A ward like that can be broken by a stronger force or more powerful magic than what it holds," Segoy explained. "However, this particular ward seems to be tied directly to the magic circle. So to break it, you’d need magic even stronger than that. Honestly, even if all the mages here joined their power, and even with Captain Dominic’s strength added, I doubt we could break through it." "If we can’t even break the ward, then we’re completely helpless!" one of the commanders shouted, kicking back his chair. His face was full of desperation and frustration. It was Godefroid from the Third Division. He had a quick temper, but he was a good man at heart. Godefroid’s shout echoed the feelings of everyone in the room. They all felt it. They were powerless against this situation. "We’ll report the details to the royal capital," Dominic said. "We need to request backup troops and high-ranking mages to be sent immediately. Depending on the situation, we might even have to ask His Majesty to take action directly against Dalmasca. Whether it’s to ask for help, make demands, or even to condemn them, we’ll need more information and solid evidence. Hopefully, the summoning site won’t grow any larger than it already has." "To reduce the threat to the town, we should do something to stop the monsters from getting in," Louis said. "If we just wait for help from the capital, we won’t make it in time. We should do what we can now, even if it’s just a little."

Chapter 30: The Unstoppable Circle

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