Project: Oracle Demo (2) - Sanctuary

Dante and the girl arrived at a street blocked by a massive barricade.

It was clearly not a pre-existing wall. The traces of surrounding houses being forcibly demolished were everywhere.

"Whew~!"

The girl whistled, and a person's face peeked out from the top of the barricade.

Standing guard, perhaps.

Soon, the firmly shut gate of the barricade began to open.

"Mary! Why're you back so soon? And who's that guy next to you?"

As the two entered, the man from earlier asked with a heavily guarded expression.

Dante's first impression of the man was extremely rough.

A scar ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ran from his right eye all the way to his left lip, and he had a "metal staff" similar to the girl's slung over his shoulder.

The girl called Mary sighed deeply, as if she had no idea herself, and replied.

"Says he's a mage from the Council."

"A mage...? Yeah, he does kinda look like one of those priestly types."

Do I really look that dopey?

Dante ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Otter de Buwa felt his pride inexplicably wounded.

'Well, since it's come to this, I might as well commit fully.'

"Ahem, ahem!"

Dante cleared his throat.

Not to brag, but he was a genius playwright second to none in the Empire.

And such a playwright naturally had to have some acting chops.

He had to give precise directions to actors, and sometimes even take the stage himself.

He set his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠character as a "typical mage."

Cranky, self-centered, with barely a speck of social grace.

"You want me to prove it with some magic right here, like earlier?"

The man snorted in response.

"Hmph, all talk, just like those types. You gonna show up on time for once?"

"Better late than never. This time, we have to escape no matter what."

Escape? Didn't she call this place Sanctuary?

So why were they thinking of abandoning it?

There was still too little information he could grasp.

What kind of world this was. Whether the girl in front of him was "that girl" who'd spoken with Yujin before. Why they'd been suddenly thrown into this illusory space.

...And whether this was even a real illusion to begin with.

His mind was full of things to ponder.

First, the structure inside and outside the barricade was nearly identical.

It was as if a wall had just dropped from the sky onto an intact street.

Meaning, this place was originally connected to the outside.

Probably the same street.

Plus, the barricade wasn't that large. You could take in the whole area just by turning your head.

Combined with the conversation between Scarface and Mary, it was clear now.

'They're isolated.'

Yes. Far from its name suggesting sanctuary, this was a massive graveyard where they scraped by day by day.

Moreover, you'd realized there was no more mana in this region.

Of course, you knew that even without ambient mana, you could still cast magic.

Circles weren't just about handling external mana; they also depended on innate mana capacity.

That's why they brought you in without question once you claimed to be a mage.

In a world without mana, who could fake being a mage?

One spell demo, and it'd be obvious.

That was when it happened.

Tap. The girl walking ahead suddenly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came up beside you and spoke.

"We're here."

You look up at the massive building.

Round dome, entrances on all sides. A structure that ignored security entirely.

You recognize it immediately.

"A theater."

"Yeah, they used to do plays here sometimes. Now it's the biggest building in Sanctuary, so the Scavengers use it as HQ."

You give a wry smile.

Of course. In a world where mere survival was a struggle, cultural theater was a luxury.

As you entered the theater, a man with an eyepatch stood in the lobby.

"Ah...!"

Mary beamed happily.

She called him "Boss."

Quick on the uptake, you bow politely toward him too.

But as a mage, you don't bend at the waist.

"I'm Dante. From the Council."

Honestly, you weren't sure if this act would fly.

It was a choice you'd never make in reality, but hey, that mage in the library outside would handle something, right?

"Hm."

The eyepatch man scanned you quickly, then asked the girl.

"Mary, have you seen this man use magic?"

Thud. Your heart sank at those words.

No way! Even dragons don't come when you just mention them, but a question you hadn't even voiced got called out this fast?

If you weren't a seasoned playwright and actor, your lie would've been exposed right then.

"No? Never seen it. I rescued him from a Wendigo attack."

"Where'd you find him?"

"Commercial district."

"...That's the complete opposite direction from last time."

But whether busted early or not, it was all the same.

The one-eyed boss's sharp gaze pierced you.

"Show us some magic. Then I'll believe you."

We're screwed. As you sighed inwardly—

Click. Click.

Gears turning, and suddenly everyone but you froze.

The scene was like time had stopped. You panicked hard.

Then, knowledge flowed directly into your mind.

Yes. Anywhere else maybe not, but here, you were a full-fledged mage.

Time resumed flowing.

"What's with the panicked face, mage? Think we'd fall for that? Who sent you? Stragglers from Legion Command?"

The one-eyed boss pressed in with a threatening tone.

You spotted his right hand near the "compact" silver staff at his waist.

"Aire, Luce!"

Brilliant light bloomed from your fingertips.

The one-eyed boss, who'd been radiating killing intent, flinched back, and the girl beside you couldn't hide her shock.

"What?! He really is a mage?!"

"...?"

You were just as surprised, but didn't show it.

The momentum had clearly shifted your way.

"Didn't I tell you? You all have no patience. From the entrance onward—what's this treatment?"

You pressed the one-eyed boss, riding the wave.

He looked troubled for a moment, then offered a sincere apology.

"...Sorry. Things around here haven't been great lately, so I overreacted. Like Sanctuary, the last safe zone 'Legion Command' finally fell, and stragglers are showing up everywhere. Forgive me."

You'd gleaned another key piece of info.

Even outside the walls crawling with monsters, other people were surviving.

"Then, as agreed, we'll prep the 'Factory B Recapture Operation' quickly. Mary, show the mage to his quarters."

"Eh—? Me?"

"Yeah, who else? I'm busy—gotta go."

"W-Wait, Boss!!!"

The one-eyed boss bolted like he was escaping.

Maybe dodging responsibility for his rudeness.

'Not exactly a pillar of the community.'

You got the sense that Sanctuary and the Scavengers' organization might be looser than expected.

And the boss might not be all that noble or responsible.

After all, he'd dumped you on Mary, who was basically still a kid.

From the monster chase to now.

Your unintended guide grumbled irritably.

"Ugh, come on. If you were a mage, you could've handled that Wendigo yourself. Wasted bullets...."

You set off following Mary once more.