Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Main Scenario (4)
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"You're talking nonsense, so I guess you're not interested in a mana exchange?"
"Hehe, if I just keep my mouth shut, is that enough?"
"Please do. I like quiet. Keep your distance too."
"Yes, understood!"
Like raising a salute, Ahel brought his hand to the side of his head. His voice was bright and cheerful.
At that moment, the group gathered around Ahel.
"Ahel."
Wondering what was going on, I watched as Raoul and the others placed their hands on Ahel's shoulder.
Before Rashar could say anything, I quickly followed suit.
"K, Ahel..."
Rashar trailed off, nodding her head.
At the same time, my vision turned pure white, and a dizzying sense of falling washed over me.
It felt like being sucked into somewhere, or like flowing downward.
It was similar to the falling sensation in dreams sometimes, but far more intense.
That bizarre feeling cut off abruptly without any warning.
"Huh."
My floating body hit solid ground again, and I couldn't keep my balance.
I had to brace my legs to stand, but I mistimed it.
Raoul caught me just as I was about to stumble and fall embarrassingly.
The wind howled mercilessly from both sides, deafening my ears.
"You okay?"
Rashar's voice squeezed through the gaps.
I shook my head vigorously.
"...More or less."
"Everyone struggles to adjust at first."
I didn't need to ask to know that what I'd just experienced was spatial transfer magic.
The scenery visible right before my eyes had completely changed.
The rocks and trees perfect for hiding were gone.
A clear blue sky, pristine clouds, and wind so fierce it rang in my ears.
We stood atop a rather high cliff.
Far in the distance, a winding river and vast plains stretched out.
It was a sight that made my chest feel wide open.
Supported by Raoul, I stood straight and couldn't tear my eyes away from the view for a while.
But Rashar grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to turn around.
She met my eyes and nodded toward the back.
Following her gesture, I slowly lifted my gaze upward.
Towering behind us was a cliff several times higher than the one we stood on, standing firm.
Even from quite a distance, it was so dizzyingly tall that I had to crane my neck to see the top, with steep slopes to boot.
I'd spent my whole life in forests of skyscrapers, yet the sheer scale of nature's creation left me speechless for a moment.
It was that overwhelming.
"Welcome, K."
Rashar pointed downward as she spoke.
I obediently lowered my head in the direction she indicated.
"That's Habon, the Perel Resistance's foremost outpost."
At the base where the steep cliff began, something tiny like a grain of rice was visible.
* * *
-First, we need to see the division commander. He's the overall commander of the 2nd Division stationed in Habon.
It was only natural to get permission from the person in charge before an unidentified outsider entered a military base.
I nodded along to Rashar's explanation.
No, even if she'd said something unreasonable, I probably couldn't have reacted.
I didn't have the mental bandwidth to listen closely to her words.
The grandeur of the castle we encountered descending the precarious stairs along the cliffside was worth it.
'This must be what they call a fortress.'
The castle called Habon sat deep in a canyon.
Its position alone gave off an impregnable vibe, and the surrounding terrain was no joke.
Cliffs stretched out on both sides, embracing the castle like a bird's wings.
To reach the castle from the ground, you had to pass through a narrow passage just 6 or 7 meters wide.
Otherwise, you'd have to scale near-vertical cliffs.
With cliffs reaching toward the sky at its back, the castle was a natural stronghold through and through.
When had I, who'd lived in a concrete jungle, ever seen a sight like this?
By the time we reached the castle gates, I was gaping upward, too busy gawking at the view beyond the walls.
'Has to be at least ten stories high.'
Beyond the massive walls, buildings stacked like stairs filled my view.
At first, I thought they were just ordinary stone structures.
But they were different from the buildings I'd seen slaving away on construction sites.
'No seams.'
There were no traces of bricks laid with mortar, and the walls were smooth.
It meant all those buildings weren't stacked—they were carved.
Every building in Habon Castle was a single work of art sculpted from the cliff we stood on.
"Crazy..."
A pure exclamation escaped me.
Sculpting an entire cliff into a castle.
I had no idea which mad genius came up with it, but it was incredible.
I stood there like a country bumpkin, admiring the castle for quite some time.
Thinking it was taking longer than expected, I glanced toward the gates when Rashar finally spoke up.
"K."
"Hm?"
"To bring in the Meseo, we'll need to assign escort troops. It's just in case of any incidents, so don't take it the wrong way."
Reading between the lines was easy.
'Escorts in name only—监视 troops.'
I waved it off like I got it.
Left or right, all I needed was to reach the temple.
'If conversation with the system is really possible, I need to confirm it.'
Whether the inferences I'd made from the info I'd gathered so far were true, or just delusions.
My choices would change based on the response.
As I pondered what came after arriving at the temple, a small door beside the large wall opened.
We entered the walls, and a tense atmosphere hit us.
"Outsider..."
"Oracle..."
"Again..."
Not exaggerating, every gaze in my field of vision locked onto me.
'A bit overwhelming.'
Strangers I'd never seen before stared at me with complicated emotions.
It was hard to stay composed in that situation.
Just as I clicked my tongue inwardly, Ahel from behind called me in a small voice.
"K."
I turned reflexively, and his lips moved silently.
-Pallao.
Pallao? The god of charity?
'Why that name all of a sudden?'
Before I could question it, Rashar gripped my shoulder.
"K, let's go."
In that brief moment, armored figures in plate mail had closed in.
They surrounded Rashar and me in a circle.
A quick glance back showed Ahel waving.
Raoul and the others stayed by the gates, with no intention of following.
After staring at them for a moment, I soon started walking alongside Rashar.
Moving with the plate-armored soldiers only drew more stares.
My face hardened more and more, making a mockery of my thought that I just needed to get to the temple.
'Need to wrap this up quick.'
Just as I sighed with that thought, I spotted something unexpected amid the crowd.
A person with vertically slit pupils and a beast-like snout protruding slightly forward.
A pink inverted-triangle nose and perky ears twitching atop their head.
No matter how I looked, they weren't human.
Thanks to Rashar and Ahel, my surprise at the sight ended there.
'Ain.'
I'd vaguely guessed it from the times the two casually mentioned "Ainfolk."
That there might be intelligent beings besides humans.
So I was a little startled, but not thrown into shock.
I exchanged glances with those unique cat-like eyes for a few seconds before facing forward again.
Exchanging with that unfamiliar intelligent being wasn't the priority right now.
"Rashar."
She turned to me at once.
"There's something I want to ask about this division commander."
For now, let's settle meeting the person in charge and heading to the temple.
* * *
Habon Castle, once hailed as a natural fortress in the Perel Kingdom, was now the outpost of the Perel Resistance's 2nd Division.
Its overall commander was Greg Tembon, patriarch of the Tembon family and apostle of Temoria, the god of patience.
As always, he was handling administrative duties in his office.
Scratch, scratch.
Each movement of the fountain pen filled the room with a faint noise.
The seemingly peaceful scene had started at dawn and hadn't faltered for hours.
An outsider might mistake it for a painting.
The silence, so profound that the small sounds felt loud, broke around noon when the sun hung high.
"Division Commander."
Without a knock, the door burst open. He glanced lightly toward it.
Standing there was his adjutant, face flushed with excitement.
The man usually so stoic it was frustrating, yet so rattled—something major must have happened.
Having braced himself, Greg asked calmly.
"What is it?"
"Sir Bennet has returned."
Greg blinked evenly at the immediate reply.
The news meant Rashar Bennet, leader of the rescue op, was safe.
Four days ago, during retreat, they'd been spotted by enemies, fought, and Rashar had let civilians and company troops evacuate first, lagging behind with some.
Command had sent a rescue team, but the farm was already empty.
But among the stragglers was Ahel Beletia, who could use transfer magic without a magic circle.
So they'd hoped for survival and awaited news.
Today, their fates were confirmed.
That one of the few remaining apostles of Pallao lived was undoubtedly good news.
Their eyes were the key to finding hope.
But it wasn't "shocking" enough to rattle the adjutant like this.
Most of Pallao's apostles were born with genius talents.
Thus, their survival odds were high.
'Even if the company troops all died, Bennet would make it back alive.'
Wondering why his adjutant was so shocked, Greg blinked again.
Then the follow-up made it all click.
"And she claims at the gates to have brought an outsider."
Before the adjutant finished, Greg's movement stopped dead.
Ink leaked from the halted fountain pen nib, staining the document with a round blot.
Indeed, news worthy of startling even his impassive adjutant.
After a brief pause, Greg exhaled the breath he'd held unconsciously, set aside the pen and ruined paper, and replied.
"A precious guest has arrived."
If the one Rashar brought was truly the outsider from the oracle, "precious" wouldn't suffice.
"Where did you guide them?"
"The gate guards are bringing them here now."
"Then we'll meet soon."
Greg straightened his posture, calming his stirred emotions.
'An outsider...'
Since Mephroseta's apostle prophesied and died, many had claimed to be outsiders.
But all turned out to be con artists after church gains.
Thus, many began viewing the oracle with suspicion.
Over a year of false hopes had worn out the impatient first.
Lately, some even slandered Mephroseta's apostle as an enemy pawn.
Accusing false prophecies of toying with the populace.
The church's soaring prestige after the last apostle's death was now shaking.
Of course, most Ainfolk still pinned hopes on the oracle.
And now, in this time, another presumed outsider appears.
Would today's meeting truly sprout the hope from the prophecy?
'Or perhaps fan the flames of discord further.'
No way to know. Thus, he needed to steady his heart more.
He had no intent to glare suspiciously, nor to blindly embrace hope.
"Division Commander."
As he composed himself, a knock came from beyond the office door.
"Sir Rashar Bennet and... the guest have arrived."
Greg rose smoothly and replied.
"Come in."
He adjusted his uniform, and the office door opened.