Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Antiros's Laboratory
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Just as Helen had said, the night operation was extremely dangerous.
It wasn't for nothing that Kudo had mentioned that barbarians weren't the only enemies in Kuberin, the Blood-Soaked Land.
Monsters, wizards, dark mages, unidentified entities, escaped criminals, and so on.
At night, all sorts of dangerous beings roamed freely, and one wrong move could lead to a silent disappearance without a trace.
Moreover, the already rugged terrain was swallowed by an impenetrable darkness at night, making it easy for even someone familiar with the geography to get lost without a compass.
Despite this, Helen had approved the operation because they had to grasp at straws.
If the Butcher Tribe were to abandon their surprise attack and launch an all-out assault, Bowden Fortress would have no choice but to face annihilation.
They were in a situation where they had to raid even a wizard's dungeon to find anything that could bolster their forces.
“Private Carlyle.”
“Yes, Commander Helen.”
“How many men do you need for the operation?”
“Hmm.”
Carlyle thought for a moment before answering.
“Four or five should be sufficient.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Helen nodded and turned to the reconnaissance team.
“Reconnaissance Leader Begman.”
“Yes, Commander Helen.”
“Prepare to carry out the operation immediately. The team will consist of five members: Reconnaissance Leader Begman, Corporal Kudo, Corporal Marder, Private Derrick, and Private Carlyle.”
“Yes, understood.”
With the team finalized, the operation proceeded swiftly.
Carlyle armed himself alongside the other scouts and left the fortress.
“If you sense even the slightest danger, abort the mission immediately and return to the fortress. Exploring the dungeon is important, but don't forget that your lives are more so.”
“Yes, Commander Helen.”
“Then, return safely.”
“We’ll be back before sunrise. Heh heh.”
Begman offered a smile to Helen, who was seeing the exploration team off.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Leader.”
The team immediately departed from Bowden Fortress and headed toward the operation area.
Toward the dungeon of the wizard Antiros.
* * *
The dungeon was located about five kilometers from Bowden Fortress.
For the scouts, it was a distance they could easily cover in an hour on flat ground in broad daylight. But moving through rugged, mountainous terrain at night in a heavy downpour was no simple task.
Furthermore, they didn't even use lanterns for fear of attracting the attention of dangerous things, so the team's pace was inevitably slower than usual.
For regular soldiers or non-combat engineers, conducting a night operation in such inclement weather would have been unthinkable.
It was only because they were the physically fit and combat-proficient members of the reconnaissance team that the mission was approved in the first place; otherwise, it would have been out of the question.
After nearly two hours, they reached the operation area, and Begman turned to Carlyle.
“You said the wizard’s dungeon is somewhere around here?”
“Yes.”
“How do we find the entrance?”
“You should see something like an engraving in a crevice between the rocks. It’ll be hard to see, so you’ll have to feel for it with your hands.”
The dark night and pouring rain made it impossible to see clearly ahead.
It was a small mercy that there was at least a faint moonlight; otherwise, the operation would never have been approved.
“Ugh. This is creepy. Something’s not going to pop out, is it?”
Russell said, uncharacteristically terrified for a scout.
“No matter how scared you are, don’t piss your pants. It’ll be a pain if you do it now.”
Begman chided Russell.
When Russell turned into a berserker, he would scream and rampage madly, so Begman warned him, knowing he could attract unwanted attention.
“I-I might get scared easily, but I wouldn't wet myself over something like this!”
“Then stop talking nonsense and find the seal carved on the rock.”
“Yessir…”
“What a coward.”
Begman glared at Russell, who was walking hunched over in fear, then began feeling the rocks for the seal.
‘If my memory is correct, it should be somewhere around here. The coordinates match.’
Carlyle also searched for the dungeon entrance, feeling the towering rocks one by one.
About thirty minutes passed.
“I found something here.”
Marder called the other scouts over.
“Yeah? Give me the lantern. You, rookie, come here. The rest of you, block the light so it doesn't leak.”
“Yes, sir.”
Begman lit the lantern inside the human wall formed by Kudo, Marder, and Russell holding out their raincoats.
True to his veteran status, Begman didn't forget the essentials of a night operation: maintaining stealth and enforcing strict light discipline to prevent any light from escaping.
It seemed he wasn't appointed Reconnaissance Leader for nothing, despite being an enlisted man and not an officer.
Of course, Helen was the only officer at Bowden Fortress.
“Is this it?”
“Yes, it is.”
Carlyle confirmed the crest Marder had found and nodded.
It was the very same crest he had seen in the wizard Antiros's dungeon while playing the game [Overlord].
“What do we do now?”
“We have to chant a spell to open the entrance.”
“A spell? You know magic too?”
“No.”
Carlyle shook his head.
“It should open if I inject mana while saying the password. Probably.”
“Hmm. Mana, huh. Then I can’t open it. I don’t know how to handle mana.”
“I can do it.”
Carlyle said, placing his hand on the seal and infusing it with mana.
‘The password… what was it? Ah, right. That was it.’
Carlyle dredged up the password from his memory and spoke it aloud.
“The thirst for creation, the courage to cross the taboo, the ecstasy of one who explores the divine domain, O masterpiece of evolution standing upon failures.”
As the incantation finished, the rock engraved with the seal split open from side to side as if by magic, revealing a narrow staircase leading underground.
“Hmm. So the rumors about the Sigmund family having a library were true.”
Kudo muttered, as if he couldn't believe it.
“To think a real wizard’s dungeon actually existed…”
“Is it safe to go in? We’re not going to die, are we?”
Marder and Russell also looked quite surprised.
“Let’s go.”
“H-Hold on.”
Begman grabbed Carlyle by the scruff of his neck.
“Is it okay to just walk in like that?”
“Should we not go in?”
“N-That’s not what I mean.”
Begman looked slightly flustered.
Even for a seasoned veteran who had survived nearly a decade in Kuberin—though he wasn't an old man—a wizard’s dungeon seemed to give him pause.
It was perhaps a natural reaction.
He may have fought barbarians, but he had likely never faced a wizard.
Besides, wizards were not common in this world.
Isn't the unknown enemy always the most frightening?
“The wizard Antiros was from 200 years ago, so he’s probably already dead.”
“He could still be alive as an undead, you know.”
“…?”
“You know, that thing. A Li… a Li-something-or-other.”
“A Li-something?”
“Li, Lige? No, Litchu?”
“Are you perhaps referring to a Lich?”
“Y-Yeah! That’s it!”
It seemed that even Begman, with no knowledge of magic, had picked up a thing or two.
“You don't have to worry about that. Antiros wasn't exactly sane, but he wasn't a dark mage.”
“Really?”
“That wasn't his area of expertise, so you can rest easy.”
“W-Well, that’s a relief. Ahem. Ahem ahem.”
Begman coughed awkwardly to hide his embarrassment and looked away.
“It’s not entirely safe inside… but I think we can manage with the information I have, so don’t worry too much.”
“Who said anything about being worried? I was just saying we should be careful since it could be dangerous.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“You little punk?”
“Let’s go.”
Carlyle cleanly ignored Begman's glare and descended the narrow staircase.
* * *
Inside the dungeon, or more accurately, the laboratory, it was very comfortable.
Despite being underground, it wasn't damp at all. In fact, it was dry and maintained a pleasant humidity, with no chill in the air.
It was even warmer than outside, almost feeling like being in a cozy home.
Dozens of lights made from magic stones were mounted on the walls, illuminating the laboratory's interior.
“Wow! Wizards are truly amazing! To be able to create such a cozy facility underground!”
Russell, who came from a rural backwater, couldn't hide his amazement, exclaiming in wonder.
“Shh.”
Carlyle cautioned Russell.
“It's not completely safe, so let's move quietly.”
“R-Right. Got it.”
Russell clamped his mouth shut.
“There might be traps, so everyone be careful.”
Marder said, scanning the surroundings with a hawk's eye.
“There probably aren't any traps. But there will be guardians, so we need to watch out for them.”
“Guardians?”
“Something like guards that protect the dungeon.”
Kudo added a comment to Carlyle's words.
“We should assume there are. A facility like this wouldn't be left unguarded.”
Carlyle’s steps halted at the end of the narrow passage.
“Why are you stopping?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Beyond this point is a large square.”
Carlyle pointed toward the interior of the laboratory just ahead.
“There are only five of us. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if we were surrounded by a large number of enemies?”
“I was being careless.”
Begman nodded in agreement.
The laboratory interior was quite spacious.
At a glance, it seemed to be about the size of Bowden Fortress's training grounds. Just as Carlyle said, if they were surrounded by numerous enemies in such a wide-open space, it would be difficult to avoid being wiped out.
“If you wait here, I’ll go scout ahead.”
“You will?”
“Yes.”
“But…”
Begman seemed reluctant.
He likely felt a sense of resistance, as if he were pushing a clueless rookie into a dangerous area.
“I’m not trying to show off. It’s just that I’m the only one who knows anything about this place, and I’m probably the fastest. So don’t worry about it.”
“Umm…”
“Well then, I’m off.”
“H-Hey! Rookie! Wait! Stop right there!”
Begman tried to call him back urgently, but Carlyle paid him no mind.
‘It’s not like I want to go.’
Carlyle grumbled to himself.
How many people in the world would willingly walk into the jaws of death?
Besides, for someone like Carlyle, who found even lifting a finger to be a bother, stepping up like this was not an easy thing to do.
He only volunteered because explaining the strategy would take too long, and he felt there was no need to.
‘It’s about time they showed up.’
Just as Carlyle thought this, having stepped into the laboratory proper.
Rustle, rustle.
A sound, as if something were moving, came from within the iron cages scattered throughout the laboratory.
Clank, clatter.
The iron cages opened on their own.
“Grrrk!”
“Grrrrrr!”
Soon, the beings that had been crouched inside the cages revealed themselves one by one.
“W-What in the world are those?!”
A startled Russell fell on his backside.
They were not wild beasts, and they certainly weren't monsters.
They were horrific and bizarre creatures that could not be found anywhere else in this world, existing only here in Antiros's laboratory.
In this world, those with magical insight had a specific term for those varied ‘things’.
Chimera.
That was the name for these cursed lifeforms, created through the use of magic and alchemy.