Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: The Blood Palace
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That evening, Arsen had a long conversation with Hetia about high knights and the paths to achieving that rank.
He couldn't be entirely sure about the exact methods of growth, though.
The next day, the group packed up to leave Gal aio and gathered at the castle gates.
Blasett, who had arrived early in the morning, came to see them off.
"It's a shame to let you go just like this."
The hardest part about leaving the estate had been turning down Blasett's offer to provide a guide for the journey out.
From Blasett's perspective, he figured these novices who could barely navigate the desert wouldn't make it on their own, and a guide really would be helpful.
But for Arsen's group, who planned to excavate ruins, it was an offer they couldn't accept.
Arsen simply bowed his head in response.
"Then, I hope we meet again."
"Are you sure you don't need a guide?"
"Yes. We can't just send a single guide back alone after leaving the estate, and we don't want to borrow several and cause trouble."
That was the excuse Arsen gave.
They had already debated the merits of accepting the kindness versus refusing it enough times, so Blasett shook his head as if acknowledging their stubbornness.
"If that's how it is, no helping it... Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, absolutely do not head northwest. That's the sand predators' territory."
"Yes, I remember well."
Arsen changed the subject with a question.
"By the way, I don't see your brother today."
Blasett gave an awkward smile at the question.
"He's deep in training. He realized how lacking he is..."
It seemed getting beaten by Arsen had quite the impact. Fair enough—even if the opponent was a high knight, getting pummeled without resistance by some kid five or six years younger would sting.
Especially in front of several knights and his father, the estate lord. It was impressive he wasn't harboring any grudges.
"That's impressive skill already, so tell him to train without hurting himself."
It was an odd bit of advice coming from Arsen, who had toyed with Dieb like it was nothing, but Blasett smiled and said he'd pass it along.
After leaving those words of encouragement, Arsen's group turned west, leaving the red earthen castle behind.
"Ah, the sunlight's brutally bright. And the sky's all red—gives me a bad vibe."
"But it's cool, right?"
As they stepped outside, they reactivated their 'air conditioning.'
The desert's size was about the same as other estates, maybe a bit larger.
A short while later, Maroon asked,
"The castle's out of sight now. Should we turn?"
"Yeah."
Once the estate's walls were no longer visible, they changed direction. About 45 degrees to the right of their original path.
That direction led to the sand predators' territory, the one Blasett had warned against.
* * *
"Hm?"
In the bright daylight, one soldier squinted slightly.
The scorching weather meant he wasn't wearing armor, just the white cloth garments like the locals.
He had to leave the main group's cool air for reconnaissance.
"Found it!"
A subtle trace of shifting sand.
The soldier's shout reached the mage in the distance, who shot a flare into the sky to summon the main group.
Soon after, the main group arrived, and the soldier could bask in the cool air again.
"Where is it?"
"Over there!"
At the soldier's words, Arsen spurred Jin up the dune.
Beyond the dune, sand flowed in an eerie pattern.
Like a whirlwind raging across the ground.
More precisely, a hole in the ground relentlessly sucking in sand.
"Is this the fourteenth one?"
"Hard to keep track of the days anymore."
"But this one's definitely it. Way bigger than anything we've seen so far."
The desert housed magic beasts called sand predators.
In simple terms, they were like massively enlarged antlions—the larvae of dragonflies—their habits similar too.
They dug massive funnel-shaped pits in the sand and devoured anything that fell in.
According to Maroon, the ruins' entrance looked just like one of those sand predator funnels at a glance.
More accurately, it emerged above ground for a few hours each day in trap form.
This area with the ruins happened to be prime sand predator territory, so the locals treated the estate's northwest as forbidden ground.
That was why the ruins had gone undiscovered until now.
Bazkal and Anun, approaching beside Arsen, let out gasps of admiration.
"Whoa, the trap's size... Nothing like the ones we've seen before."
"But just in case, let's check. Jumping into a sand predator's maw would be suicide."
Agreeing with Anun, Arsen nodded and turned to Eloise.
"If you would."
"Sure."
Eloise immediately pointed her staff at the vortex.
Moments later, the staff tip glowed red with flame, then orange mixed in.
Once ready, she turned and asked,
"Detonate now?"
"Yeah. Make it big and flashy."
At Arsen's command, Eloise launched the orange fireball into the hole.
It slipped smoothly inside like a free throw, then exploded.
A deafening roar forced them to cover their ears as massive flames erupted from within.
It looked straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster.
"Ooh..."
This spell, blending two magics, was one she'd crafted herself from a spellbook obtained in the ruined city.
Its power was tremendous—even a knight would take serious damage head-on.
Of course, no knight would let her cast and fire it, much less stand there and take it.
Once the explosion faded, thick black smoke billowed up.
But the hole continued sucking in sand unchanged.
"Any reaction?"
Anun shook his head at Arsen's question.
"None at all."
"Confirmed, then."
Even a powerful sand predator would react to that magic attack.
They'd stop sucking sand and either attack the group or flee.
That was the result from testing the smaller vortices they'd encountered so far.
No reaction, just sand flowing in, proved this was no predator—it was the ruins' entrance.
"Let's go in."
As he said it, Arsen glanced at Maroon.
Maroon was grimacing, chewing something sloppily.
"Sir Maroon?"
"Yes?"
"Can't have you go the same way as last time—that'd hurt your pride. Let's take it easy this round."
Back at the Eden weapon depot ruins, Maroon's acrophobia had nearly broken him until Arsen kicked him in.
It dredged up painful memories, but Maroon's expression was unexpectedly resolute. Even a bit smug.
"No worries!"
"Oh?"
Impressed, Arsen watched as Maroon shouted confidently.
His voice brimmed with certainty and courage.
"Not scary at all! Not even a little! Right now, I feel like..."
Maroon was chattier than usual, like someone mildly buzzed. He was talkative anyway, so it was hard to tell.
Then he turned back and yelled,
"Thanks, Miss Jisharan! Works like a charm!"
Arsen glanced at Jisharan.
Then he instructed Maroon,
"Impressive. Let's head in right away."
"Of course! First one in—!"
With that, Maroon leaped boldly into the sand trap.
He lost balance, tumbled across the sand, and vanished into the hole.
A faint scream echoed from within.
Confirming it, Arsen turned to Jisharan, who stood frozen nearby.
"You sure that was just a harmless herb?"
"Yes. It's only a hemostatic."
She looked baffled too.
Maroon had jumped in so confidently because Jisharan gave him what he thought was a fear-banishing herb.
Actually, on Arsen's prior orders, she'd given him a random harmless herb—a hemostatic—and lied about its effects.
He'd asked ahead if such a thing existed, hoping to use it for real, but sadly, no courage-boosting herbs existed.
"Didn't expect this much."
He'd hoped for a placebo effect, but not this dramatic.
Moments ago, Maroon had been utterly fearless compared to normal.
Like he'd done drugs or something.
'Mages don't react differently to herbs, so what the hell...?'
Truly, a guy who always sparked questions.
Arsen shook his head and murmured low,
"Keep it secret that the herb does nothing."
"Got it."
He signaled the other knights who'd overheard, and they nodded silently.
Thus, the herb's truth stayed buried.
Soon, Arsen dismounted Jin and stepped into the sliding sand trap.
After a few steps, sand slithered between his legs, toppling him and dragging him inward.
Arsen let it happen without resistance.
'Not as bad as I thought...'
Armor protected him from the sand's scrape and heat—like riding a sandy slide.
The slide was only about ten meters, so it ended quickly.
A black hole welcomed him; Arsen jumped in without hesitation.
* * *
"Sir Arsen? You're a bit late."
At the voice calling him, Arsen stood from his crouch, having softened the landing.
Crunchy snaps of brittle yellowed bones breaking sounded.
Looking up, he saw sand trickling from nearly ten meters above.
The hole he'd fallen through.
Ahead, Maroon stood with his usual dopey expression.
"You made it down safely too, Sir Maroon."
"Yeah! That herb from Miss Jisharan—don't know the name, but amazing. Courage just surges from my chest like crazy."
Arsen nodded silently, indulging Maroon's excitement.
He didn't say it was just a hemostatic with zero such effects.
Meanwhile, he surveyed the surroundings.
The bone pile that had cushioned his fall.
Mostly magic beasts, but occasional human-looking skulls.
Likely remains from ages ago who fell here.
As he took it in, screams soon followed.
"Gaaahhh—!"
"Eeeeek—!"
Two mages dropping through the hole.
Arsen and Maroon, prepared below, leaped and caught one each successfully.
Another pair jumped and were caught, bringing all four mages down.
"All down."
"Yeah!"
Only six joined this ruins delve: Arsen, Maroon, and four mages.
Mounts couldn't come, so someone had to guard above—and this desert was far deadlier than Eden's cliff top.
To prepare for powerful magic beasts, Eloise-level mages stayed topside.
"Alright. Prep to move."
Only one path forward, no getting lost.
Ancient ruins' signature pure white mana light illuminated it, warding off gloom.
At the path's end lay the ruins.
"We're here."
Walls evoking the estate's red earthen castle, but strangely dark red—more blood-like and ominous.
The blood palace greeted them.
They admired it briefly.
"No way."
The panicked voice was Maroon's.
He was frantically flipping through strategy notes.
"It was definitely... definitely blue..."
"Blue?"
At Arsen's question, Maroon, still flustered, explained.
His voice dripped with panic; the earlier courage gone.
"I thought I misremembered... but the ruins we're supposed to raid have blue outer walls."
"You mean?"
Even asking, Arsen's mind had the answer.
The only clue to these ruins: inside a massive hole in the northwest, mimicking a sand predator trap but far larger.
No other visible identifiers.
"No way..."
Did they mistake it for different ruins?
Arsen swallowed the words.
He didn't want to voice what that implied.
Now, without backup, just two knights and four mages to excavate an unknown ruin.
Possibly harboring dangers even successor privileges couldn't block, like the last Wigon ruins.
'Still, uncharted ruins should have something special, unlike cleared ones.'