The Land of Artisans, Raoum
“Haa…”
Leoniss gazed up at the distant snow-capped peaks and began emergency treatment. His melted skin had fused with the robe he wore, forcing him to scrape away the burned flesh first.
Cold sweat beaded on his face as he endured the searing agony. When blood and sweat mixed and dripped freely, he wound clean white bandages tightly around his body.
If he hadn’t lost his belongings, he would have simply poured potions over the wounds and healed them on the spot. That was impossible now.
He carefully touched the area around his still-intact eye and let out a breath of relief. With his gear gone, the proper course would have been to seek a temple in a major city at once. Leoniss did no such thing.
Healing his body could wait. Reporting this to the Magic Tower came first.
He walked without end. Even when the bandages wrapped around both arms and his forehead turned crimson, his steps never faltered.
The place he finally reached was a solitary, dilapidated farmhouse standing alone in the middle of nowhere. Long years of bitter cold had left it abandoned; no one lived there anymore.
He made for the small shed behind it and tugged sideways on a slightly protruding stone.
A low grinding rumble rose from beneath the earth, and a hidden passage that had been invisible a moment before revealed itself. A safe house for mages. The Magic Tower had scattered such places across the land for those who suffered grave injuries while on assignment.
Leoniss descended the long stairway to its end. Waiting there was a small room with a bed, spare clothes, potions for treating wounds, and a modest pouch of gold coins.
He hurriedly treated his injuries, then picked up the small stone tablet resting on the table.
It was a Telecation, a magical tool capable of long-distance communication. Two-way conversation was impossible, yet it served as an excellent means for mages forced to use a safe house to inform the Tower of their situation.
The device was extremely expensive and single-use—its only real flaw. Leoniss did not hesitate. He set pen to the tablet’s surface and began to write.
Access Level:Class 1
Author:Battle Mage Leoniss
Rank:Imperial
Encountered and engaged the target subject ‘Ceris’ in the snow mountains of Kashipa within the Karuma Empire. Severe injuries sustained; recuperation required.
The target ‘Ceris’ is assessed to be an external mage who has constructed an independent magic system of her own.
Her magic and combat style closely resemble those of the Battle Mage lineage, raising strong suspicion of knowledge leakage from that school.
The powerful heat-ray magic she fires from her mouth possesses enough force to melt everything in a straight line. Extreme caution is advised.
Her physical capabilities are also far beyond what one would expect from a small girl. The defensive power of her mana shield rivals the walls of the Magic Tower itself.
Upon beginning to use magic, Ceris displayed unusual physical transformations. Combined with the simultaneous enhancement of her bodily abilities, she is judged to be a beastman rather than human.
— Conclusion —
Request additional support for confirmation of the Blue Veil’s barrier status and for the capture of the beastman Ceris.
My body, which had felt stiff and sore as if I’d pulled every muscle, recovered completely overnight. Enhanced physical ability had improved my healing as well.
I mounted Nightmare and began my escape from the Karuma Empire. Now that the mage hunting me had actually shown his face, I had no intention of leisurely sightseeing any longer.
Spreading a map across Nightmare’s back, I scanned the unexplored regions and soon found a place I had yet to visit.
The Land of Artisans—Raoum.
Geographically it sat right above the Holy Kingdom, so if I simply kept riding past the Karuma Empire’s border, I would arrive there naturally.
At Nightmare’s pace, riding without rest, I could reach it within a week. I tugged on the reins and turned toward the frontier.
As expected, the main road to Raoum thronged with people. Long caravans of merchants moved under the escort of adventurers.
I slipped among them from time to time and overheard plenty of talk: how goods from Raoum fetched high prices abroad thanks to their superior quality, and how a massive dungeon had recently been discovered inside an abandoned mine.
Rumors claimed skeletons, zombies, and even death knights—undead of every sort—roamed within. Unverified, of course; no adventurer truly believed them.
Besides, the dungeon was under the country’s direct management, so ordinary adventurers wouldn’t even be allowed near it.
The pure white snow that had blanketed everything melted away, revealing a plain thick with greenery. A cool wind stroked the grass, sending green waves rolling across the fields.
That lush forest lasted only a short while. After another day or two of hard riding, a desolate plain stretched before me. Towering rock mountains rose bare of even a single blade of grass, and the cracked earth reminded me of the savage lands of Greenfall.
I opened my adventurer’s guidebook and checked the entry on Raoum.
Once a land blanketed in lush green forests, Raoum lost the vitality of its soil to a black mage and was left a barren wasteland.
Yet the people who had made their homes here refused to abandon their land. Through endless effort they at last found an answer—the vast mines that made Raoum what it is today.
Raoum’s mines, known as Dwarf’s Breath, hold enormous mineral deposits…
Entry procedures into Raoum required an interminable wait. Of course, a well-placed bribe let me pass in an instant, just as before.
Anyone who waited for the official process would have spent another full day at the border. Those short on coin naturally chose to wait.
Nightmare’s massive frame and my tiny stature always drew stares. I had grown used to the attention, but the occasional troublemaker was still a nuisance.
Most of the swaggering idiots who approached us ended up with broken ribs courtesy of Nightmare’s kick.
Two more full days of riding past the border brought a colossal wall into view. Its surface gleamed so brightly it was clearly built not of ordinary stone but of some special mineral.
“Halt!”
“Stop right there!”
Nightmare’s enormous size often caused misunderstandings—especially among the gate guards of cities.
He had grown accustomed to the routine and knew exactly how to get us through without trouble.
He blinked his large eyes and put on an innocent expression, as if to say he was nothing more than a harmless ordinary horse.
The guards, of course, saw nothing of the sort. Only after I explained that Nightmare was a purebred Hairan horse were we allowed through the gates.
Despite its desolate surroundings, the nation of Raoum was dazzlingly opulent. Buildings forged from refined minerals glittered as they reflected the sunlight, asserting their presence with overwhelming force. From every direction came the ringing of hammers on metal and a wind heavy with heat.
To work as an adventurer here I would need a new rank plaque. I found a suitable inn and tried to lead Nightmare into the stable, but he dug in his heels and refused to budge.
Pruuuh-!
Apparently the recent incident with Leoniss still weighed on him. Still, what choice did I have? I couldn’t drag that massive body around with me all day.
“Be good and wait here. I’ll play with you tonight.”
Puhing-
Only then did Nightmare nod and head into the stable. He cast a smug glance at the ordinary horses belonging to the other guests.
Leaving the stable, I went straight to the Swordsman Guild. I approached the receptionist to apply for the examination, but he didn’t even notice I was there.
I rapped lightly on the counter to get his attention.
“Hello.”
“Hm?”
He looked up from his paperwork and peered down at me, scratching his head with the pen he held.
“What do you need, kid?”
“I’d like to have a rank plaque issued.”
“A rank plaque? Ah, do you happen to have one from another country?”
I nodded and produced the plaque I had received in the Karuma Empire.
“Silver…?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem. So you want a new plaque issued?”
“Yes.”
“Silver Rank?”
“No.”
“Then… Bronze Rank, maybe?”
“No. I’d like to take the Gold Rank examination.”
The receptionist’s face crumpled. He asked again, just to be sure.
“What rank did you say?”
“Gold Rank. Anyone can take it as long as they can pay the examination fee, right?”
“Well… you’re not wrong…”
“How much is the fee?”
“Twenty gold. You sure you can actually pay that?”
I nodded and handed over the coins. My purse was still comfortably full; this amount was nothing.
“Hah… Just so you know, even if you fail, this money isn’t coming back.”
“I know.”
“Hmm…”
He tilted his head at my answer, then pulled a small wooden token from his drawer and passed it to me.
“Take that token up to the third floor.”
Following his directions, I climbed to the third floor and found a girl sitting on a plush sofa, munching on cookies.
She was a little taller than me—around 150 centimeters, I guessed.
Just as I noticed her, she noticed me. She brushed her soft pink hair aside and asked,
“What do you want?”
“Ah, I’m here for the examination…”
“Examination…? Let me see your verification token.”
Verification token?
I held out the wooden plaque the receptionist had given me. The girl’s face immediately twisted.
“Did you apply for the wrong one?”
“No. This is correct.”
She shot to her feet at my reply, then yanked a jet-black greatsword from its place on the wall.
The raw strength was completely at odds with her small frame. While I stared blankly, she spoke again.
“Just checking… are you a half too?”
“Pardon…?”
“I’m asking if you’ve got dwarf blood in your ancestry.”
“Ah—no… I’m just…”
“Oh. Never mind, then.”
Disappointment flickered across her face, but only for a moment.
Shouldering the greatsword that was larger than she was, she started walking and called back over her shoulder,
“Well? Aren’t you coming for the exam?”