Chapter 94
Chapter 94
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Shoot Towards the Dawn (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Aun Filla squeezed his eyes shut. A voice of utter despair leaked from between his parted lips, like that of someone announcing the deathbed of a parent or spouse.
“...The Tower Lord was devoured by Bajura last winter.”
“Pardon?”
Ronan furrowed his brow. The Mage Tower Lord devoured by a book? What nonsense was this? Aire's eyes widened.
“Then this illusion too...!”
“Indeed. It's one of Lord Rardan's specialties.”
The alias of Dawn Mage Tower Lord Rardan Monslei was Fire Shadow. It was a title earned through his use of powerful flames combined with sensory-deceiving illusion magic.
Aun Filla explained that countless enemies had thus far wandered lost amid the blazes and phantoms Rardan conjured, only to end up as piles of ash.
“...Yet it was never this potent before.”
But it was too much of a stretch to pin the past few days' chaos solely on Rardan. He was undoubtedly a master of illusion magic.
However, blanketing the entire tower in perception-impairing spells or fooling the eyes of a 7th Circle mage like Aun Filla or the high spirit Aire was a feat even specialist illusionists would struggle with. Aun Filla twisted his lips.
“Likely his powers were amplified when Bajura swallowed him. Whoever released the seal...”
“Damn it, spill the details. What the hell happened?”
Ronan pressed him. Aun Filla continued in a voice grown even heavier.
“The Tower Lord infiltrated the forbidden section on the very day he was set to depart for his pilgrimage. I alone, having sensed something suspicious beforehand, followed him. He disabled the defensive spells without a moment's hesitation.”
“Th-that can't be... Then I should've noticed...”
“It was the night of a full moon. Around midnight.”
“No way...!”
Aire's face hardened. Every full moon night, she reverted to her true form and basked briefly in the moonlight atop the tower. It was one of the rare times she was absent from the library.
“The Tower Lord knew your secret. He must have come fully prepared. Don't blame yourself too much.”
What followed happened in an instant. The Tower Lord headed straight to the deepest part of the forbidden section and awakened Bajura, which had slumbered there for centuries. By the time Aun Filla arrived belatedly, the situation had spiraled beyond control.
“I was too late. The Tower Lord had failed to subdue Bajura and was in the midst of being devoured. All I could do was seal him away before he fully turned into a monster.”
“Damn, why the hell would the Tower Lord pull a stunt like that?”
Ronan scowled. He recalled the gruesome state of the woman devoured by a forbidden book. After a moment's silence, Aun Filla spoke with a sigh.
“A reason befitting a mage. He believed himself prepared.”
“Prepared?”
“Indeed. Prepared to comprehend Bajura. You've surely heard the legends of that cursed tome as well.”
Ronan nodded. During his three-day drift through the sea of letters, the name Bajura had cropped up frequently enough.
Bajura of Destruction. The legendary forbidden book that beguiles and devours its readers, ushering in ruin—yet grants near-infinite power to those who truly understand its contents. Its author was said to be none other than a devil.
“Countless mages have challenged Bajura and its ilk over the years, only to lose their lives. The Tower Lords have mostly frowned upon it. In fact, calls to incinerate all malevolent forbidden books are a perennial agenda item at Tower Lord conferences.”
“And the Lord was on the opposing side.”
“Yes. He argued that even those wicked powers could one day serve humanity. He compared them to fire—immensely dangerous, yet indispensable.”
Tower Lord Rardan believed the forbidden books, often dismissed as mere byproducts of evil, could be harnessed beneficially. He sought to prove it by claiming the power of Bajura, their paramount leader—and failed miserably.
“I know. It was irresponsible and reckless. But I could never expose the truth while condemning him. How could I insult a pioneer who sacrificed his body to illuminate the dawn of knowledge?”
“Tower Mage...”
“That's how it happened. Forgive my sentimentality.”
Aun Filla bowed his head. Aire, about to offer comfort, clamped her mouth shut. Having heard the full story, Ronan twisted his lips.
'He wanted to honor the Tower Lord's will.'
The intentions were noble, but it ended in failure. The Lord, who championed their potential, ultimately couldn't handle Bajura and was devoured. If word got out, it would trigger the disposal of every forbidden book without question—a massive scandal. Ronan clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Fine. What's done is done. How'd the seal break?”
“That's... I truly have no clue. It wasn't a spell meant to fade naturally, even after centuries.”
Aun Filla explained he'd cast every sealing spell he knew. Bajura, caught off-guard mid-feast, was resealed along with the Tower Lord.
“I left it in essentially the same state as the original seal. If anything, it grew stronger—I'd stake my reputation on it never weakening.”
“So some idle bastard crawled into the forbidden vault and broke the seal.”
“That's the most plausible theory for now. But who...”
The conversation trailed off as Aun Filla's words petered out. Silence descended on the narrow, towering corridor. With a groan, he finally spoke again.
“...We should do what we can for now. Ronan, return to the safe zone immediately and wait there. Aire and I will restore the defenses as best we can, then follow. And...”
Aun Filla was midway through speaking when something dropped at their feet.
“Hm?”
All three looked down simultaneously. Something small and intricate gleamed at their feet. He picked it up, frowning.
“...Glasses?”
It was a cheaply made, broken pair. The remaining left lens bore thick, spindly cracks like tree branches. The silver frame was mangled.
“Huh?”
Aire tilted her head. She definitely remembered seeing them somewhere. Her eyes widened as she clapped her hands.
“It's the glasses Lord Rapista wore!”
“Who's that?”
“He helped manage the library with me. He was the first of the six missing people to vanish. Why is this here...?”
“...From one of the missing?”
Ronan felt the same sense of déjà vu. Squinting, he examined the glasses. Something shimmered on the frame.
“This is...”
It didn't take long to recognize it as residual mana—and what it implied. Ronan's mouth fell open softly.
“...Nebula Klazie.”
Rustle. A sound came from above. Ronan slowly looked up. High on the ceiling, a ragged man clung and crawled. Mana glistened from the bare skin peeking through his torn clothes.
“Aaaagh... Aaaah...”
Crack. The man twisted his neck at an unnatural angle, gazing down at them. Meeting his eyes, Ronan spat a curse.
“Fuck.”
Aun Filla and Aire, looking up after, gasped.
“Wh-what is that...?”
It looked just like the woman devoured by the forbidden book earlier. Ronan gripped his sword hilt without hesitation. Bang! As Lamancha arced through the air, a blade beam fired straight into the man's face.
“Kreeeek!”
Struck in the eyes by shards, the man screamed and plummeted. He tried rising with joints bending unnaturally, but Ronan stopped him. Thwack! Leaping forward, Ronan smashed the sword hilt into the back of his skull. Aire's cry came from behind.
“Be careful!”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the surroundings brightened. Sensing killing intent, Ronan whipped his head around. A magic circle about a meter wide flickered on the wall to his right. Geometric runes blazed as if ready to spew flames.
“Damn it...!”
Ronan was about to swing when a sparrow of flame grazed his cheek and slammed into the circle.
Pop! The magic circle decomposed into flames and was absorbed by the bird. Wheeling back, the sparrow perched on Aun Filla's shoulder. Ronan let out a dry chuckle.
“Not bad.”
“Two more.”
He said, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Eerie groans echoed through the corridor once more.
“Auu... ? Aaaah...”
“Hell, not even bugs.”
Ronan cursed. On the ceiling not far off, a man and woman hung upside down like bats, staring down. Mana rose from the robed woman's hand—she was surely the one who'd nearly blasted his head off.
“A... Aaaah...”
Meanwhile, the man chanted Fire Arrow. Six flaming arrows formed around him, ready to launch.
Ronan cursed again, preparing another blade beam. Crunch! Suddenly, wooden vines sprouted from the ceiling, wrapping the pair's torsos.
“Augh?!”
“Kek!”
Ronan's eyes widened. The translucent vines glowed faintly like moonlight. Aire floated up, blocking his path.
“I'll handle it.”
Slash! With a light gesture, the vines snapped. The tightly bound pair tumbled to the floor. Ronan rushed them, sword drawn. Aire shouted.
“D-don't kill them!”
“Not gonna. Step aside a sec.”
Ronan closely inspected the vine-bound man and woman. Fortunately, no shimmering mana. The Nebula Klazie suspect was only the first one, Rapista, who'd dropped the glasses.
'No way.'
Suddenly, the puzzle pieces clicked. The abruptly broken seal on Bajura. The first missing person tied to Nebula Klazie. Organizing his thoughts, Ronan pointed at the limp Rapista.
“Aire. You said this guy's the first missing person?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. Correct.”
“Exactly when did he go missing? Remember?”
“It was... late spring. Things started getting weird in the tower from the point of Lord Rapista's disappearance.”
“That fucker... I mean, the garden blowing up because of Nebula Klazie?”
“That was three or four months ago too... around the same time.”
“Goddamn it.”
A chill raced up his spine. All the pieces fit. From experience, Nebula Klazie never executed just one scheme at a time.
'The suicide was a feint.'
The real goal was surely unsealing Bajura. Rapista working in the library proved it. He'd exploited the chaos from the suicide to break the seal, then gotten devoured by a forbidden book.
“Shit, Aun Filla...”
Ronan was about to explain when an indescribably horrific voice reverberated through the labyrinth.
It was the same voice from the library. This time, all heard it; the three froze simultaneously. Suddenly, the corridor shook violently.
“Wh-what's happening?”
“Ugh...!”
It felt like being tossed into a giant's heart. They could barely stand. As Aun Filla tried to shout, a stone wall erupted, separating Ronan from the pair.
“Fuck, what the—?”
Ronan swung desperately. Slash! The sharp blade bit deep into the stone, but its thickness rendered it futile. Seeing the gash heal, he cursed.
“Goddamn it, Aun Filla! Aire!”
He yelled at full volume, but no reply came. Another wall blocked the rear exit. Ronan was utterly trapped. The voice echoed again.
Rumble! The wall before him suddenly slid back. The endlessly extending corridor stretched to a length that spanned the tower horizontally before the expansion halted. Ronan growled.
“What bullshit is this?”
“What?”
He demanded what they'd done to the pair, but no answer came. Then, low flames ignited on the ceiling, racing toward the corridor's end. Ronan scowled at the now-illuminated path.
“...Damn it.”
The staging reeked of intent. No choice but to advance. Gripping Lamancha's hilt, Ronan proceeded. Voices echoed in his mind the whole way through the heat-hazed passage.
Ronan instantly realized they were the forbidden books conversing. By the variety of voices, there had to be at least a hundred.
“Shut up, you sheets of paper.”
He walked silently down the corridor. Soon, an open space appeared. The desolate chamber of dark blue stone held only a solitary cubic altar.
Ronan's eyes widened at the sight. Aun Filla and Aire groaned, bound in iron chains.
“Ro-Ronan... don't come...!”
“C-can't... breathe...”
They were covered in blood, grievously wounded. As Ronan kicked off to charge, a geometric magic circle unfurled beneath him.
“Shit...!”
Vaster than the one in the corridor. Too late to dodge. Judging swiftly, Ronan slammed his blade into the floor. Whoosh! Flames tore in two, engulfing the room.
But it didn't end there. Magic circles materialized everywhere, unleashing inscribed spells. Over a dozen spears of flame thicker than ancient trees hurtled at Ronan.
'I can do this.'
He'd have despaired once, but not now. Hiss— With an eerie breath, red light climbed Lamancha's blade.
Calmly reading trajectories, Ronan swung. Slash! A sphere of slashing energy enveloped him. The flame spears disintegrated on contact. Having blocked all, Ronan spun his sword and quipped.
“Some host you are, no manners. Right?”
Now visible, a figure sat cross-legged on the altar. An old man in a lavish red robe like Aun Filla's held a thick book in one hand. He grinned at Ronan.
“Bajura.”