Ending Maker Chapter 110
Ending Maker Chapter 110
Chapter 40 — The Snow Queen
"Whoa."
They rode the elevator down into the underground complex.
Cordelia’s eyes widened in admiration, and even Yuder looked mildly surprised.
'It's definitely a relic of the Magic Kingdom of Magellan.'
Several buildings stood inside a vast cavity whose ceiling looked easily more than ten meters high, immediately bringing Endymion to mind.
More precisely, perhaps it was a miniature Endymion.
If Endymion had been a city, then the scene spread out before their eyes could be called a small village.
"They're elves."
When Cordelia pointed to one side and spoke, Yuder nodded. As she said, statues with the long ears characteristic of elves were lined up along the wall.
'The high elves of Magellan.'
It was only because the situation had been so urgent that they hadn't paid close attention, but there had also been several similar statues in Endymion.
'Was this facility built in the same era as Endymion?'
If Kaplan had been there, he would have excitedly poked around everywhere and answered Yuder’s questions.
But regrettably, Kaplan was far away, and Yuder did not possess enough archaeological knowledge to estimate the age of the ruins.
'Though there is a clue.'
When Yuder turned to look at the translucent woman, Cordelia suddenly poked him in the side.
'Ah, right.'
Don't look at strange places.
Because the woman was practically in a state of full nudity.
But her hair was so long that it covered everything that needed covering anyway.
'Hmm.'
While Yuder briefly agonized over where to direct his gaze, the woman was the first to open her mouth and speak.
"My...... masters. They are...... gone...... now. They went...... away......."
It was a gloomy voice that sounded as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
"I miss...... them, but I cannot see...... them."
When the woman, whose shoulders had finally drooped as well, began to sniffle, Cordelia tapped Yuder on the back.
It was a signal to let her down.
"Hold on."
As soon as Yuder quickly undid the wrapping cloth, Cordelia hopped down from his back and approached the woman.
"Are you okay?"
"I am not okay. But there is...... nothing to be done......."
Perhaps she was childlike.
The woman, who had spoken honestly, met the gaze of Cordelia, who was looking at her with sympathy.
"You are pretty. Even more than...... my masters......."
"Huh? Oh...... thank you. Hehe."
When Cordelia smiled brightly, the woman also gave a small smile, then turned back around and spoke.
"If you go...... to the center...... I become...... a little more...... clear......."
What was it that would become clearer?
Cordelia tilted her head, but Yuder somehow felt like he understood.
Because since they had descended underground, the woman's translucent form had become slightly, but noticeably, more distinct than before.
'Her voice has also started to carry a bit more presence.'
Perhaps once they reached the center, her very capacity for thought would improve.
"What is it? Why do you look like you know something? Tell me too."
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking that Cordelia really is incredibly pretty. Even more than the high elves."
"Hmph, well, obviously. It's Cordelia, you know?"
Cordelia, who had been shrugging her shoulders as if boasting, soon turned red in the face.
Either way, she herself was Cordelia. It was because she had suddenly become embarrassed.
'Because it isn't possession.'
Because it was reincarnation.
Because she had grown more aware that she truly was Cordelia herself.
"What are you getting embarrassed about again. It's the truth."
"Mmmph."
Cordelia, whose face grew even redder at Yuder's words, turned away as if to suppress her embarrassment, and Yuder stepped forward and spoke.
"Anyway, let's follow her. She's already gone way ahead."
"Hurry...... come......."
As though on cue, the woman urged them on, and Cordelia hurried after her.
"Here...... this way......."
The woman headed toward the center just as she herself had said, and after they advanced about thirty meters, a large cylindrical structure like an elevator appeared.
"Take...... this...... and go...... down......."
Deeper still, into the very heart of the facility.
Since they had already come this far, Yuder and Cordelia immediately boarded the elevator.
After perhaps a few dozen seconds—
Just when it felt like they had descended several dozen meters or more, the elevator stopped.
"Do not be surprised. It is not harmful."
At the voice that suddenly reached them, Yuder and Cordelia started in surprise and turned to look at the woman.
It was not drawn out like before, nor was it faint. It was a clear voice.
Moreover, even her appearance had changed.
She was still translucent, but unlike before, she was now wearing clothes like a pure white racing suit.
"I will open the door."
The woman even smiled softly at Yuder and Cordelia’s stares as she moved her hand. The elevator doors opened, and the two immediately understood why she had warned them not to be surprised.
"Whoa."
"A Dragon Vein spring."
The moment the door opened, a soft golden light poured in.
It was the golden current filling the place where the far wall of the underground cavity should have been.
"Wait, are we inside a Dragon Vein?"
They had seen Dragon Veins several times before, but the viewpoint was different now.
Until then, they had only ever looked down from above at Dragon Veins flowing beneath their feet.
But now it was different.
They were inside a Dragon Vein—not looking down from above or peering into it from outside.
"An aquarium...... no, it's more like an underwater hotel."
Buildings made by erecting glass walls in the middle of the sea.
"My masters built this facility inside the Dragon Vein."
The woman, who had spoken with a small smile, stepped out of the elevator just like that, and Cordelia hesitated for a moment before hopping out of the elevator.
"It's pretty."
It was not a simple golden light.
The flowing Dragon Vein was mixed with a variety of colors. Each brightness and depth changed according to the flow, and white light rose here and there, giving the feeling of stars.
"I'll say this in advance: you must not blow it up."
"I'm not going to, okay?"
"And you must not pop it either."
"I said I won't."
Cordelia puffed out her cheeks, but only for a moment. She suddenly clapped her hands with a pop and turned to Yuder and spoke.
"But, but Yuder. If we blew up the Dragon Vein, wouldn't crossing the Skyroof Mountains get easier?"
Because half of it would be blown away, like the rocky mountain of Rough Avalanche.
At Cordelia's pure idea, Yuder flinched and spoke.
"Ah, no. You demon. I said no."
What would happen if half of the Skyroof Mountains were blown away?
It would be a true catastrophe.
A tremendous great calamity.
"But there's no one living there anyway. No animals either."
It would cause chaos, but wouldn't no one die?
Yuder was momentarily tempted by Cordelia's words, but soon shook his head.
"No, what are you talking about. Do you have any idea what would happen if half of a mountain range this size were blown away?"
"Really?"
"Yes, really. So let's not do it. Okay?"
"Fine, fine. It was just a joke anyway."
Cordelia, who had smiled bashfully, spun back around, and Yuder looked at her with uneasy eyes.
And then the woman spoke.
"It is this way."
"Yees!"
As Cordelia scampered over, Yuder also headed toward the woman.
A large cylindrical pillar situated at the center of the cavity.
The pillar, entirely white, had several thin black lines drawn across it here and there, and they were a kind of magic circles with their own rules.
"What is this?"
At Cordelia's question, the woman gave a very faint smile, then made a motion as if taking a deep breath.
"First, let me introduce myself again. My name is Melissa. I am an artificial spirit entrusted with the management of this facility."
When the woman—Melissa—politely bowed, Yuder and Cordelia also bowed.
"I am Yuder Bayel."
"I'm Cordelia Chase."
Artificial spirits.
Beings that did not exist in nature, but were artificially created.
"I’m a spirit created to manage the facility, so I can’t maintain myself if I stray too far from the core."
"Ah, so that's why."
Because the Melissa they had met outside the facility had not only been unable to speak properly, but had not even been able to properly manifest clothes.
When Cordelia nodded as if she understood, Melissa continued speaking.
"As you can see, this facility is located inside a Dragon Vein. It is to directly use the power of the Dragon Vein."
That much could be understood just by looking.
The important thing was what exactly the power of the Dragon Vein was being used for.
Just as Yuder narrowed his eyes and began to ponder, Cordelia simply asked Melissa with a clear face.
"What kind of facility is it?"
It was a direct question with no frills whatsoever, but precisely because of that, it was effective.
"This place is a facility for creating a Spirit King."
"A Spirit...... King?"
"Yes, to be precise, an artificial Spirit King."
Melissa made a motion as if taking a deep breath, then spread both hands out to the sides and explained.
"My masters conducted a great deal of research to oppose the Infernal Lords. Among that research was also a plan to create a being capable of directly confronting the Infernal Lords—an artificial god, a god shaped by human hands."
As the Melissa before their eyes proved, it was the technological prowess of Magellan, which had even managed to create artificial spirits capable of thought on a level equal to humans.
Creating a being like a true god was naturally impossible, but if it was a Spirit King, the story was different.
"This place is a facility created as part of the Spirit King Project. It receives the enormous power needed to birth a Spirit King from the Dragon Vein."
Melissa, who had spoken up to that point, paused for a moment, then lightly moved her hand.
Then images made of light appeared in the air.
"It is a regrettable thing, but to give the conclusion first, the work of creating a Spirit King failed. What was created was merely a mass of powerful energy, not a proper spirit."
In the images, a blue mass and high elves with dejected expressions appeared one after another.
"However, instead of discarding the facility, my masters decided to wait and see. Because if enough time was spent, the possibility of a Spirit King being born was not entirely absent."
In the images, high elves leaving the facility and Melissa seeing them off appeared.
"I was created to manage the facility while my masters were away, and I have carried out that duty until now."
Pride and self-respect flickered in Melissa's eyes, but only for a moment.
"One day, contact with my masters was lost. The signals from the surrounding facilities also cut off one by one...... and not long ago, even Endymion's signal finally disappeared."
Magic City Endymion.
Cordelia flinched for a moment and turned to Yuder, and Yuder nodded.
Because even if they didn't know about the other places, the reason Endymion's signal had cut off was clear.
"Cordelia? Is there somewhere you are feeling unwell?"
"Ah, no! It's nothing!"
Cordelia, who had reflexively denied it, flustered and closed her mouth, and Yuder stepped forward and turned the conversation elsewhere.
"By the way, Melissa."
"Yes, Yuder."
"What is the reason you called us here?"
They had learned that the high elves of Magellan had tried to birth a Spirit King to oppose the Infernal Lords, and that this facility was part of that plan.
But why had Melissa gone out of her way to bring them here?
"I need help."
Melissa, who had answered immediately, changed the images again.
It was a space where complex magic circles were engraved not only on the floor but also on the walls and ceiling, and inside the pillar at the center was a round sphere wrapped in blue light.
"That sphere is the Spirit King that this facility has been creating—commonly called the Snow Queen. It is located below where the two of you are standing now."
By this point, Yuder roughly understood why they had been called.
"Something’s wrong with the sphere, then."
"Yes, because too much time has passed. The flow of the Dragon Vein has changed from before, and because of that, the stability of the facility is worsening day by day. If this continues, the balance will eventually collapse...... and in the worst case, the Snow Queen's power could run wild."
The Snow Queen had absorbed the Dragon Vein's power for at least several hundred years.
The power accumulated within it would truly be beyond imagination.
But a runaway reaction was not the only problem.
The place where the Snow Queen was located.
If things went wrong, the Dragon Vein could run wild and the entire Skyroof Mountains could be blown away.
"Wow."
To think a joke they had made could actually become reality.
"If that really happens, it will not be an ordinary problem. A great catastrophe will occur. But contact with my masters has been lost for hundreds of years already, and the signals from the facilities keep cutting off...... In my frustration, I went outside to seek help, but there was no one! And when I get far from the core, I become stupid!"
Melissa's voice grew louder and louder as she went on. She must have truly been frustrated.
"But then you appeared. You are my only hope."
Seeing Melissa on the verge of tears, Cordelia asked,
"Um...... how many years has it been......?"
"37 years, 9 months, 12 days, 8 hours, and 21 minutes."
"......That's worth crying over."
Because it meant she had been wandering the Skyroof Mountains, where no one came, for nearly forty years.
But Yuder focused on something else.
"You're saying nearly forty years have passed since the danger was predicted?"
"Yes, so now it is truly dangerous. Honestly, it would not be strange for a problem to occur at any time."
If not today, then tomorrow. Perhaps even right now.
Yuder, who had unconsciously swallowed dryly, turned to Cordelia.
The two of them knew the original work inside out, but the Skyroof Mountains had been a restricted area.
Neither of them knew whether the Skyroof Mountains had exploded as Melissa feared, much less when.
"What do we need to do?"
"You just need to separate the Snow Queen from the pillar. But I have no physical body, so I cannot do it."
Melissa had now simply started crying.
Talking about it seemed to have finally made all her pent-up grief burst out.
"D-don't cry. We'll help you."
Cordelia reached out to soothe Melissa using the same knack she had used to soothe Red Wind, but Melissa truly had no physical body. Far from hugging her, her hand simply passed through, and Melissa burst into even louder tears.
"Sob... why did they make me like this?!"
"C-calm down."
Cordelia made a motion as if hugging Melissa, like a mime, and Melissa made a motion as if leaning her body into Cordelia's embrace.
And Yuder waited, then spoke.
"Is it enough to simply remove the core?"
A facility on this scale was bound to have defenses besides Melissa.
'Like a guardian.'
A protector of the treasure.
A knight of steel guarding the Snow Queen.
And it was just as Yuder expected. Melissa, who had been sniffling, moved her fingers and created a new image.
"There is a guardian. My masters’ crest could neutralize it, but my masters never came back, and I can’t contact them... sob."
In short, it meant they would have to force their way through.
Because of that, Yuder examined the guardian in the image once more.
A huge white being crouching right in front of the pillar.
It had the head of a dragon and the body of a tiger.
But it looked familiar. And it was not only Yuder.
'Yalabaska.'
Cordelia, who had swallowed dryly, spoke with her eyes, and Yuder agreed as well.
The Mad Dragon Yalabaska.
A powerful monster that appeared in the middle part of Hero Legend 2.
One of the Seven Calamities.
With horns and wings added and its size multiplied several times over, that guardian became Yalabaska.
And because of that, Yuder and Cordelia could tell.
'It's just as Melissa predicted. A problem will occur with the sphere.'
'And in the middle of that, the Snow Queen fuses with the guardian?'
'Probably.'
And thus was born the Mad Dragon Yalabaska.
It differed depending on who you played as, but ultimately it was a powerful magic beast that killed either Red Wind or Kirara, or both.
'We have to catch it here.'
Before it becomes Yalabaska.
Before the Snow Queen runs wild.
"Can you help me?"
When Melissa asked through her tears, Yuder and Cordelia nodded.
Even without Melissa’s request, this was something they absolutely had to intervene in.
However—
"By the way, Melissa."
"Yes, Yuder."
"Is there something like a supply storage room? Or a treasure vault?"
"A treasure vault?"
"Yes, a treasure vault."
Because they had to collect what they could and claim what they were owed.
At Yuder's question, Melissa blinked, and Cordelia raised her thumb.
