Chapter 22
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: An Unwelcome Disturbance
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Pernyan didn't have much time, nor could he afford to make a scene.
The eyes of professors, teaching assistants, and even students. He faced many constraints, but Pernyan solved them all with money.
Using all sorts of artifacts and magic potions, he erased his presence and mana signature as much as possible.
He moved deep underground, preparing for any contingency.
Despite all this, one major hurdle remained.
‘How to find the cave once I reach the lake.’
Pernyan had already searched every lake once.
It was clear that conventional methods wouldn't work, and to make matters worse, he didn't know how much longer Verian could hold up Aint.
So, Pernyan thought and thought again.
How could he find the cave in time?
How could he avoid being discovered?
And he reached a conclusion.
‘It’s impossible to do both.’
If he moved cautiously to avoid detection, he wouldn't be able to find it before Aint arrived.
But if he acted recklessly, it was only a matter of time before the professors and assistants caught him.
So, Pernyan decided to attempt a middle ground.
First, he activated an artifact purchased from the Dragon God Cult. A translucent barrier enveloped a portion of the lakebed around him.
It was a device designed to prevent mana, noise, and debris from leaking out. However, it wasn't omnipotent and couldn't contain anything beyond a certain threshold.
‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’
He opened his subspace again.
*Crack—*
A giant hand emerged from the fissure. It widened the crack, followed by a foot, then a head and torso.
It was a five-meter-tall artificial giant—a golem.
The pinnacle of magitech, a culmination of countless magical technologies. And the essence of a merchant, born from an immense fortune.
The golem's eyes glowed as it moved smoothly, even underwater.
Pernyan placed his hand on the golem's body and traced a formula. Mana shimmered, and a link formed between them.
‘Spreading my mana to search the area was impossible.’
Using grand magic to shake the very ground was also out of the question, as it would inevitably draw attention.
That left only one option.
‘I’ll have to use equipment to dig up the entire lakebed myself.’
The golem's movements would kick up clouds of spray and silt, but it was undeniably the best method available.
Of course, this was only possible because there were no monsters in the lake. While controlling the golem, he would be virtually defenseless.
‘Shall we begin?’
Hoping Verian would buy him as much time as possible, he sat down and began to control the golem.
With the golem's movements, the once-calm surface of the lake began to ripple.
* * *
"If you want to pass, you'll have to go through me!"
- You heartless fool! He's going this far, and you're just going to leave him behind!
- How can a descendant of Armian be so narrow-minded!
‘...Ugh, this is so annoying.’
Aint clutched his throbbing head.
In front of him, one person was whining and blocking his path, while at his hip, a sword vibrated and chattered incessantly.
‘If I could just fight him, I’d knock him down and be on my way...’
Before, such a thought would have been unimaginable, but that's how he felt now.
"Cut it out, Verian. You know we can't fight, so stop being so childish."
"Childish? Did you just say what I think you said?"
For a moment, Verian's face twisted into a menacing scowl.
"If you don't like it, then let go and get out of my way. Do you know how long I've been stuck here because of you?"
But Aint didn't back down, growling in response.
"You think I like this...!"
"Remember, Verian. One hour. If you can't even last that long, the Inquisitors will pay a personal visit to your home."
Verian, who was about to shout, swallowed his words.
Being ignored by Aint was nothing compared to the horror of being captured and tortured by the Inquisitors.
"...do."
"What was that?"
"I said I like doing this, you son of a bitch! Come at me!"
"You've really lost it...!"
Aint flared his aura once more and kicked off the ground—in the opposite direction from where Verian was blocking.
"Where do you think you're going!"
But Verian wasn't one to be trifled with. A swift sword strike cleaved through a section of the forest, and falling tree trunks blocked Aint's path.
In that brief moment, Verian once again stood in Aint's way.
This had been repeating for some time now.
"I told you, you're not going anywhere until you fight me, Aint. Don't you ever learn?"
"I could say the same to you! You've lost twice already, just get lost!"
Even though Verian had lost their duels, his skills were genuine. Escaping his grasp through pure speed, without resorting to force, was incredibly difficult.
- Aint, use your full strength.
- Don't let your heartlessness wound that boy any further.
- If you're not going to fight him, then just end this quickly!
‘Why is that my fault?!’
Regardless, if he truly wanted to get away, he had no choice but to go all out.
Unnecessary conflict might arise, and someone could get hurt, but he figured the professors and assistants would probably let it slide.
He'd been held up for about an hour; they must have seen the whole thing.
A golden aura, like the first light of dawn, enveloped Aint's entire body.
"If you won't move, then brace yourself. I'm not responsible if you get hurt."
Then, without waiting for a reply, he charged forward.
He was like a mad bull, and Verian flinched instinctively. Just like that, he let Aint pass.
"...Ah."
He belatedly realized his mistake but simply slumped to the ground.
"Dammit, I did my part."
Verian checked his pocket watch and sighed deeply.
"At least I made it past an hour."
He had held out for an hour and ten minutes. Fortunately, he hadn't failed to meet the cutoff.
"How many more of these demands will he..."
...make? I need to find another way...
His words trailing off, Verian drew his sword with a *shing* and turned around.
There stood a monster, reeking of a foul, gamey stench.
A three-meter-tall frame, massive yet sharp claws, and a ferocious killing intent. It was a Grizzly Bear, one of the forest's long-standing denizens.
"Damn it, can't I get a break...!"
The Grizzly Bear charged.
* * *
Meanwhile, Aint was trudging through the forest path.
"I'm not too late, am I? If it weren't for Verian, I wouldn't have been delayed this long."
In his rush to shake Verian, he'd actually run farther away from his destination.
Verian Calburden was, in many ways, not a helpful person to him.
- It's fine. You have a whole week, after all. If someone could have snatched it in a matter of a few hours, it would have been gone long ago.
"True, that makes sense."
It was a provision made a thousand years ago. If it wasn't there, it was safe to assume it had vanished long ago.
- And besides, you're here now.
- This might even be for the best. There's no one else around.
Gardner was right. There was no sign of anyone nearby.
Well, there was a teaching assistant, but it didn't matter.
Even if he jumped into the lake, they'd assume he was trying to catch fish, not obtain a legendary herb.
Aint dove into the lake and tore a breath scroll he had acquired beforehand.
A rugged bottom of stones and pebbles, faint clouds of silt rising gently, and fish swimming all around.
To him, it was just a peaceful lake. Every part looked the same, and it was hard to believe the first emperor's legendary herb was hidden here.
‘Are you sure it’s really here?’
- Are you suggesting I would lie?
‘Of course not.’
- Good. Now, search the entire lakebed.
‘What? Didn’t you know the exact location?’
- I only know it's at the bottom of this lake, not its precise location. The mana signature has been almost perfectly erased, so at your level, you'll have to find it by foot.
- That's why I insisted you buy the breath scroll.
‘...Good grief.’
No wonder he'd been told to buy such an expensive scroll despite his tight finances. There was a reason for everything.
Still, if he could obtain the herb, this much trouble was nothing. And fortunately, it didn't take too long.
- Here.
After about an hour of searching, Aint found a small crevice. From the outside, it was impossible to tell it was the entrance to an underwater cave.
‘You’d never find this unless you were specifically looking for it, would you?’
The entrance to the underwater cave was that well-hidden.
- Of course. If it were easy to find, it would have been stolen long ago.
‘Right, that makes sense.’
A fissure between the jumbled pebbles and the lakebed, one that hardly looked like an entrance. But Aint didn't hesitate and pushed his body through.
There was no reason for Sir Gardner Alpenparsen to lie to him, and he had already experienced a dungeon like this when he acquired Sir Gardner.
Just as expected, the small crevice, contrary to its appearance, swallowed Aint whole.
He found himself inside the underwater cave.
"This is a bit different from the place where I first met you, Sir Gardner."
- It's just a few layered spells to hide the cave entrance, not an artificially created dungeon.
He swam a little further and then up, revealing a proper cave. It was incredibly dark inside, but by enhancing his vision with aura, he could see a long, straight passage.
- The magic lamps must all be broken. Well, it's been a thousand years in a place like this, so that's to be expected.
- You're not going to say you can't go on because it's dark, are you?
"No problem."
Aint strode forward. Though it was dark, the path was straight, so there were no particular threats.
After walking for some time, Aint came to a halt.
"...Up ahead."
- There's something there.
He could feel a massive presence.
- Go on, for now. Suppress your presence as much as possible.
"Yes."
Aint's steps became much more cautious. When he reached the entrance of a large cavern, he saw it.
"Jackpot..."
It was the legendary herb.
On one of the cavern's far walls, he could see the herb, blooming precariously.
It exuded mana so dense it filled the entire cavern, making it clear, even without being told, that it was of the highest quality.
"Is that the... you mentioned?"
- Shh. Look below it.
Aint's gaze shifted slightly downward.
He saw a long, thick body covered in sapphire-like blue scales. The creature was coiled up, its eyes closed.
The strong, bloody scent from freshly picked bones and its steady breathing indicated that the creature had just finished a meal and was now sleeping.
"...A snake?"
- It's a Water Dragon.
"You mean a dragon?"
- It's slightly different from a dragon. They are spiritual beasts that primarily live in lakes or seas. They might have some minor authority, but they possess no magical abilities whatsoever.
- They don't typically harm people unprovoked, but...
Gardner clicked his tongue.
- A thief is acting like the master of the house. This is a problem.
It didn't take much thought to figure out why the Water Dragon had made its lair here.
The creature was clearly after the legendary herb as well.
"Then what should I do? Can I win if I fight it?"
- It's too much for you to handle. It would be best to retreat for now.
- We'll have to come back another time.
"But what if it eats the herb in the meantime? It'll be all over, won't it?"
- Are you planning to serve yourself up as dessert?
Aint fell silent at the blunt remark. Even he didn't think he could defeat the Water Dragon right now.
"Understood. Then for now..."
It was then.
*RUMBLE—!*
A very faint noise could be heard.
At the same time, the cavern began to vibrate.
"What is this?"
- An earthquake?
The small tremor quickly grew, spreading throughout the entire cavern. Stalactites on the ceiling couldn't withstand the shock and came crashing down.
Some fell to the floor, and others onto the massive body of the sleeping Water Dragon.
- ...Listen carefully, Aint.
"...Yes."
Aint swallowed nervously.
The steady breathing had suddenly stopped. The closed eyelids lifted, revealing bright yellow pupils.
- Run! Don't even think about looking back!
"I'm running!"
Aint spun around.
At the same time, the Water Dragon, its slumber disturbed, let out a long roar.
* * *
*Rumble—*
The ground shook, causing some rocks to fall.
"Oops..."
As the aftershock spread, Pernyan winced. He had accidentally hit a weak section of ground, causing part of the cave to collapse.
Fortunately, he wasn't hurt, but the vibrations were spreading beyond the wall.
‘Did they hear me?’
Pernyan held his breath.
Just then, faint noises came from beyond the wall.
A human voice, and the roar of a monster. The minor tremors caused stone debris to crumble down.
"That's a relief."
It seemed they had already met and started fighting. In that case, he didn't have to worry about being discovered. Aint wasn't strong enough to sense his presence while facing a Water Dragon.
“Still, a spiritual beast is a spiritual beast. To think it woke up already after eating so many chunks of meat laced with sleeping drugs.”
Pernyan refocused on mining the Mithril. The collapsed debris made things a little inconvenient, but it wasn't a major problem.
"Fight for a long, long time."
Thinking of the brilliant Mithril and the magic lamps he'd dismantled earlier, he couldn't help but hum a little tune.