Chapter 378: Paracelsus's Spirits (3)
Chapter 378: Paracelsus's Spirits (3)
Since it was a dungeon so classified that it hadn't even been given a name, the surrounding security was tight.
Of course, after showing the order written by Chancellor Milone, we were able to enter without any trouble.
At first glance, the building looked like a simple military facility. As we descended into its basement, a familiar cluster of blue light came into view.
I stepped toward the dungeon entrance, which looked like a ring of fire, and in an instant, we arrived in a completely different space.
"Oh... it's a bit chilly."
"The Great Forest is in the southern part of the continent, so it was warm there. You've essentially climbed a mountainside somewhere in the North in those same clothes, so it's bound to be a little cold. ...But if it's too cold, Master, why don't you try using the human heater, Carla?"
"Hyup."
"Kyaa!"
I ignored Carla’s sly grin and open arms, pulling her into a brief, dismissive hug before looking around.
The landscape was desolate; no matter where I looked, there was nothing but rock. Looking up, I saw jagged peaks covered in snow.
It was a common sight in the North. Just as the Lord of Life created the World Tree and the surrounding Great Forest to provide a habitable land for the elves, Clashing Steel had created mountains rich in minerals throughout the North. This place was likely one of them.
The dwarves would only care about the minerals buried underground, so they wouldn't even spare a glance at a cave halfway up a mountain.
That must be why Paracelsus settled here.
As I nodded to myself, I suddenly felt something soft and pillowy, yet incredibly heavy, against my back.
This sensation that felt like it was filled with dreams and hope...
"Senior Fay?"
I turned around as I spoke, and sure enough, Fay was clinging to my back, shivering uncontrollably.
What was this? Surely she wasn't scared? It wasn't like this was her first dungeon.
Under my staring gaze, Fay slowly opened her mouth.
"I-I'm cold...! Junior! It's way too cold here! It's not just 'chilly'!"
"Ah."
Come to think of it, Fay had the least mana among the group right now.
Possessing mana provides various advantages just by having it. It reduces minor illnesses, makes it harder to gain weight, slows down aging, and increases resistance to heat and cold.
Looking at it that way, it seemed to strengthen homeostasis. Naturally, the stronger the mana, the more effective these benefits became.
To Fay, who had the average mana of a Lower Mage, this place must feel much colder.
I worried she might blow her nose on my back if I left her like that, so I quickly pulled a robe out of my inventory.
It was the Transparent Robe Iris had made for me a while ago. I hadn't had much use for it lately, so I’d tucked it away, but Fay would find it useful.
"Put this on first. Besides invisibility, it has temperature regulation and basic defensive functions, so you'll feel better."
"Thank youuu..."
Only then did Fay go limp and slide off my back.
"But didn't you receive one of these from Iris too, Senior?"
"Ah."
Startled, Fay pulled an identical robe out of her own Subspace Pocket.
Then, with an awkward smile, she tried to hand my robe back to me.
"Do you want to use this instead...?"
"Forget it. Just give it back when we leave the dungeon."
"Okay!"
Nodding vigorously, Fay buried her face in the robe with her characteristic gloomy smile.
"Hehe... hehehe..."
...Did she actually know she had her own robe all along?
I had a reasonable suspicion, but I decided to let it go for now. It was time to start the dungeon raid.
"Elisha, Iris. You two said you'd take the lead this time, right?"
"Yes. We'll handle the fighting for the most part, but I'd like you to help out a bit if things get dangerous or if we need it. Right, Master?"
"Hmm? Oh, right. Since we're essentially jumping into a large-scale battle, there's no telling what might happen. Please look after Miss Fay well."
"...Master? We were talking about you helping us if we're in danger."
"Gasp! O-Of course! Even so, it'll be difficult for just the two of us to clear it, so it'll be reassuring to have the Master watching our backs!"
"You weren't listening, Master. It's fine to organize your thoughts, but please focus now. It's dangerous since we're about to fight."
"I understand. I'll keep that in mind."
Iris nodded slightly and pulled out her staff with a firm expression. Elisha, who had been watching her, shook her head and pulled out her own wand.
"So? Which way do we go?"
"It's simple. We just have to keep going straight up."
In H&A, you just had to move forward to see the golems and monsters fighting in front of the workshop. Since this was reality, we would surely hear the sounds of battle halfway there.
"From there, just follow the noise and you'll arrive."
"Hmm, hmm. I like that it's easy to understand. Master? Shall I lead the way?"
"...No. I will lead. A master cannot hide behind her disciple, after all."
With those words, Iris began to trot forward on her short legs. Elisha followed right behind her, and we moved along a short distance away.
How long did we walk? A faint shriek reached our ears. If I could hear it, a High Elf with sensitive senses must have heard it even more clearly.
Iris, who was in the lead, paused and raised her staff high into the air.
Woooong—
A wave of mana radiated from the staff. Iris, who had cast Wide-area Detection Magic, flinched slightly, then glared into the distance and spoke.
"It's over there. Let's go, Elisha."
"Yes, Master."
The two of them flew quickly using Flight Magic while simultaneously preparing other spells through Multi-casting.
The faint sounds gradually became clearer, and I could now distinctly differentiate between the roars of monsters and the sound of things breaking.
Before long, we arrived at a wide-open clearing. I took in the battlefield spread out at the end of it.
"Kieeeeeeeek!"
"Eat... youuuu!"
"Deshaaaaaaa!"
Massive, large-scale monsters were charging, each letting out its own cry. It was a sight that reminded me of the Solaris invasion.
On the other hand, the side opposing them consisted of knights who were, at most, about two meters tall. Compared to a human, they were quite large, but their size was pathetic compared to the giant monsters.
However, they swung their weapons calmly, as if they felt no fear at all.
That was only natural. Though they wore full-body armor like knights, they were golems.
Golems have no emotions. It was impossible for them to abandon their mission and flee the battlefield out of fear.
They simply maintained their formation as ordered, slaughtering the monsters one by one.
A creature that looked like a cross between an elephant and a wild boar. A hard carapace covered its impossibly massive body. A cursed race that had to eat constantly to maintain its bulk.
A Behemoth charged, trusting in its strength. The Golem Knights, unable to withstand the overwhelming weight difference, were sent flying like bowling pins.
But that was only for a moment. The surrounding Golem Knights moved organically, as if they were a single body, and formed a formation.
The chronic weakness of giant four-legged beasts. Three Golem Knights unhesitatingly dove under its belly.
A Behemoth's carapace is so hard that ordinary Aura cannot pierce it. However, golems were beings that couldn't produce Aura in the first place.
They had prepared their own solution for this lack of cutting power.
Vrrrrrrrrrr—!
Blades jagged like shark teeth began to rotate at high speeds with a menacing sound.
The golems holding these chainsaws were no different from expert butchers.
They shattered the carapace, tore through the hide, and ground through the flesh. The golems delivered a solid gut-stab to the Behemoth's belly.
"Gwoooooooooh!"
The Behemoth let out a scream at the unprecedented pain and collapsed onto its belly.
Boom!
The impact was enough to shake the earth. There was no need to ask what happened to the golems underneath it.
However, as if making it collapse had been the goal all along, the Golem Knights charged in unison toward the Behemoth's bent joints.
They thrust their chainsaw swords into the gaps of the knee joints and then forced their way inside.
No matter how big or strong it was, it couldn't move with two-meter chunks of iron wedged in its joints.
The Behemoth, unable to budge, was now nothing more than helpless prey.
A Golem Knight that had climbed onto its back hacked through its bones, while from a distance, golems whose arms had transformed into barrels fired mana cannons.
The Behemoth was currently writhing in an attempt to escape, but in time, it would lose its strength and draw its last breath.
However, not all golems fought this well.
They were helpless against Abomination Chimeras, which looked like various threatening creatures mashed together.
Against an Acid Slime the size of a small building—who knows where they gathered so many—close combat was impossible, and they were eaten whole while only being able to fire mana cannons.
It was a seemingly endless struggle between golems and monsters, each killing the other.
Elisha and Iris dove into the fray.
Their blue and white hair fluttered in the wake of their immense mana.
Perhaps because they had manifested all four major elements, the Elemental Shadows floating behind their heads were incredibly bright.
It looked as if they were wearing halos.
At that intense presence, all eyes on the battlefield focused on them at once.
The golems watched silently as if gauging something, while the monsters simply charged.
But the magic was already complete.
"Elemental Burst."
"Elemental Circle."
At those low activation words, the world momentarily whited out.