Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Land of Ruin - 1
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Very young, in my childhood.
When I was old enough to reveal my abilities. The sage we visited to gauge my exact aptitudes examined the Great Library's ancient tomes with a trembling voice.
"My lord, this is nothing short of a miracle. All three of the young master's abilities are 'legendary grade.' And they're the kind that would only appear in the era of the gods."
"Is that true?"
The era of the gods!
The primordial tales where all humans rode rainbows through the skies, subjugating mighty dragons and spirits beneath their feet.
I never expected those stories to come up now.
"…."
‘I thought it was just some ordinary founding myth. Like how they fed mugwort and garlic to a bear, and it turned into an S-rank beauty with animal ears from the province—.’
But it seemed like serious business.
The sage had never joked about knowledge.
With a grave expression, he continued.
"Yes. And the consecutive years of bountiful harvests since your son's birth, along with the increased yields from the mines and forests—they're all blessings from these abilities."
"My god. Not the luck bestowed by the Morning Star Goddess? It was my son Lucius's power?"
My father—the previous lord, Antonius—went wide-eyed. I, just a little kid back then, widened my eyes in wonder too, amazed that those harvests were thanks to my abilities.
"!"
‘I'm a living fertilizer totem or something.’
To us father and son in shock,
the sage presented transcribed stone tablet inscriptions from ancient texts.
"Blessing of the Sky and Blessing of the Earth. Both appear in myths far predating the city's walls. Such immense power was seen not as mere abilities, but as blessings from the gods themselves."
"Hahaha—! Unbelievable. Two blessings from the gods!"
Father asked with a thrilled face.
"Then what about the last one?"
"The final one, where the letters twist like mist, isn't entirely clear. But it resembles something from ancient lore."
The greatest gift from the Morning Star.
The legendary ability held by prophets in myths: 'Blessing of Knowledge.' It ensured one never forgot knowledge and granted exceptional insight into magic.
The sage ranted excitedly.
"The young master's brilliant mind seems influenced by this ability. In effect, he bears blessings of abundance, longevity, and knowledge—all three at legendary grade!"
"!"
Having heard this far,
Father burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! My son Lucius's radiant beauty must have enchanted the goddesses of sky and earth, even earning the greatest gift from the Morning Star Goddess herself! Truly the lover of the goddesses! Hahaha—!"
"…."
I didn't take those words too seriously.
‘Parents always think their kids are handsome when they're young.’
Anyway, Father sat down, head spinning from it all. He pulled me, standing beside him, into a hug and ruffled my hair every which way.
Father made a promise.
"I swear it, Lucius. The next lordship is yours without question."
"Father."
"No more heir candidates. With the Blessing of the Sky protecting its lover, you won't need siblings to challenge your birthright as eldest. I won't sire any."
"…!"
I was stunned.
It was an unprecedented declaration.
In this world, lords sired many children and let them compete, just like nobles from my past life. Father had risen that way too.
But now he vowed otherwise.
‘Like pulling an SS-rank must-have character from ten free inaugural gacha rolls and calling off rerolls.’
Even the sage, who would later become my mentor, fervently agreed. Their eyes blazed with passion as they said.
"Lucius."
"Young master."
-You are this city's hope.
-You are this city's hope.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Why did that memory suddenly surface now?
"…."
‘Because of the news about the black snake?’
I looked up.
Sure enough, everyone around me had gone pale. Especially Sir William, who had sprinted back and forth at full speed across over ten kilometers in thirty minutes—his face was utterly blank.
‘Even a seasoned hunter like old William is this rattled.’
Sir William said,
"The border of the land... beyond the misty lake's horizon, I saw a colossal serpent. Even through the thick fog, at a distance where not even swimming sounds should reach—it was so massive I felt its gaze! The black snake has revived—!!"
"…."
At those words,
color drained from everyone's faces nearby.
I asked,
"Anything else unusual?"
"Goblins!"
"Goblins?"
"From the lake's depths... goblins crawling out endlessly. Shaking off mud, they're ascending the land along the river's downstream. So much mud, the whole area's turning into a swamp."
"Numbers?"
"Unknown. Too many... I tried counting to the end, but after confirming over a thousand in the horde, I pulled the scouts back."
"…."
I clenched my fist.
"Their direction?"
"Straight toward Walled City Baran."
"…."
The approaching black snake.
Hordes of goblins filling the land.
A scene all too familiar.
‘Damn it.’
I immediately unrolled a map of the area near the city. A document not shown to outsiders beyond the military. No time to mind climbers just standing by slack-jawed.
‘Besides... once battle starts, they'll have to fight too, so some commentary's in order.’
I pointed to Walled City Baran at the map's center.
"Here. From Baran's walls to the land's border, 'Lake Beyond the Mist,' it's a straight twenty kilometers down the Midval River's downstream. Point out what you saw."
"Here!"
Sir William pinpointed the lake's edge precisely. Where the river's downstream ended. From the city's view, they were just setting off.
‘Still at the entrance. Just starting upstream against the current.’
I asked,
"Marching speed? Not the goblins—the entity presumed to be the 'black snake.'"
"I-I'm not sure. Too enormous...!"
"Estimate if you must. That's an order."
"Uh... w-well—. We observed for over ten minutes from arrival to departure, but it hadn't emerged from the lake's central fog!"
"…."
‘Didn't exit the fog in ten minutes post-sighting? Slower than a fish. Battling the river current upstream, maybe?’
Essentially stationary.
Or crawling at a snail's pace.
Crossing twenty kilometers would take hours.
‘Even factoring goblin speed, they're just past the entrance, pushing upstream.’
With the situation clarified thus far,
someone muttered,
"Great Catastrophe... ."
"!"
"!"
"!"
At his murmur, Milla and Luciana—who'd lost Father to the Great Catastrophe—showed despairing faces. Those remembering the past squeezed their eyes shut.
‘Can't blame them; the situation mirrors that time too closely.’
A chill silence fell.
A despairing silence. But we couldn't let it fester. Despair blooming inward forfeits the fight before it begins.
I slammed the conference table.
BAM!
"Snap out of it—!! The situation isn't over yet!!"
"Lord...!"
"Lord...."
I said sharply, deliberately.
"Luciana! Sir Jayden! On your feet!"
"Yes!"
"Lord's command. Assemble all guards and subjugation force soldiers at the water gate. We're riding the Midval River down to prepare for battle!"
"The river...!"
"Full armament for all within ten minutes—!! Move!!"
"Yes! Understood!"
Sir Jayden and Luciana bolted out, barking orders everywhere as they went. Emergency bells began tolling across the city.
-Emergency!
-Emergency!
-Ring the bells—!
DONG! DONG! DONG!
I drove the panicked masses onward, one by one.
"Warehouse keepers, open the grain stores for supplies! Water gate keepers, prep to open within the hour! Requisition all city boats and ready them for boarding!"
"Understood!"
With that, Milla, Albert, and the officials moved to their duties, bowing for permission.
"Then we'll... ."
"To your posts."
I eyed Sword Empress and Niva, their faces grave. Then an infuriating alert blazed before my eyes.
"!"
📜 WORLD QUEST 📜 ‘Repel the Demonic Beast Invasion’
📍 Quest Objective: Block the entity rising from the lake.
‘No, you bastard, are you for real messing around?’
Could've notified sooner.
A sigh escaped me.
But raging now gained nothing.
I forced calm as I addressed the two.
"Looks like the world quest has started. Objective: Repel the entity ascending the Midval River. A massive one pushing upstream from the lake beyond the mist."
"Understood."
Sword Empress clasped her hands in salute.
"I've heard about the Great Catastrophe from townsfolk. I'll rally the climbers and prepare at once."
"Please do."
She exited the conference room swiftly.
Now just Niva and me.
Niva said gravely,
"Great Catastrophe... so the 'black snake' from back then has returned? Then I'll guard you while the quest plays out. If that 'black snake' is a mighty boss as you say, it'll be dangerous."
"No."
"?"
I replied,
"It's not confirmed as a Great Catastrophe yet."
"What? But the goblin horde and black snake... ."
"Only I've seen and slain the black snake directly. Others are just scared by vague tales."
"You saying it might be a misidentification?"
"Plus, goblins have always been multiplying. Could be dungeon overflow coinciding by chance."
"!"
Niva's jaw dropped.
"That's... ."
"So I must check personally. Whether it's merely black-snake-like or truly revived."
"…."
"Can you assist with Warp?"
Niva sighed.
"Always."
She extended her hand.
"We'll bail if it's risky."
"Music to my ears."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The black snake was enormous.
Roughly fifty meters. When it reared up its thick body, its shadow plunged everything into momentary darkness. Its maw could swallow an adult whole.
But...
not this enormous.
‘What is this, some kaiju flick?’
Downstream in the river.
As that snake-like behemoth moved, the Midval River—five hundred meters wide—overflowed and surged. The water's roar thundered.
Roooar—!
Trailing the giant.
Far off, goblin hordes marched slowly too. Innumerable, yet toy soldiers compared to the titan.
"…."
‘Water snake... similar motion, but fog obscures it.’
The watchtower built for sighting beyond the mist.
Niva muttered beside me.
"Heavens. What kind of body length—."
"…."
Shadow alone suggested over a hundred meters. The 'black snake' I'd seen before would look like a hatchling beside it.
‘Did the black snake have a separate adult form?’
Hard to say.
But I wanted to test something.
"Let's attack that black snake once."
"!"
Niva didn't freak; surprisingly composed, she asked back.
"To see how it reacts?"
"…."
‘Veteran gamer; she's done this before.’
I said,
"Yes. If it's the black snake... the instant it's hit, it'll spam elemental magic everywhere. The one that came before did."
"But how do we halt it?"
I pointed mid-river.
Slightly ahead of its path.
"Erect a temporary barrier there with Earth Fortress. We can dam the river briefly."
"!"
Niva gripped my hand tight.
"Warping us river-center then."
"Yes."
Vision flickered,
and soon we hovered over damp river waters.
The titan loomed dead ahead.
As we began to plummet—
I clenched my fist.
"Earth Fortress!"
Rumble rumble...!
Whoosh—!
A hundred-meter barrier.
Pushing back the river, a massive dam erupted from the bed in seconds. Like a hidden one unearthed. Waters pooled, slapping against it.
Niva, holding my hand, cast Warp.
We teleported atop the newborn dam.
But Niva hesitated.
"Whoa, Lucius, careful! It's shaking bad!"
"Ngh! Doesn't seem sturdy enough for the current."
As we teetered on the dam, the slowly advancing entity slammed toward us ferociously. A colossal impact hit, nearly toppling us entirely.
BOOM—!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the dam.
Niva yelled at a crumbling edge.
"Eek?! Lucius! Grab on—!"
"Not yet! It's rearing up!"
Instead of fleeing hand-in-hand with Niva, I locked eyes on the beast's face as it slowly rose.
That black snake's face from before.
Its voice.
「Ye who defy death, groan in agony.」
Its gaze,
its glare,
the remnants of an eternal nightmare...
Confirmed.
"!"
It wasn't a snake. And I knew this one.
-Grrr...!
Enormous, yet it growled low like a beast, smashing at the dam. No magic—just fins on its face, swung threateningly.
Groooar—!
The instant before it collided—
"Hya!"
Niva yanked my hand, forcing Warp.
Pop!
We landed in the lord's manor conference room.
The misty lake's dampness vanished like a lie.
"…."
"…."
‘Scouting that far in ten minutes.’
Niva sighed.
"Learn anything?"
"Yes."
"Yeah? The black snake after all?"
"No."
I answered.
"It's an eel."
"What?"