The Unraveling Secret
The next day, after the secret had been unraveled, Ed and his companions attended a meeting. The purpose was to address the rapidly depleting supply of Emerald Mana Stones.
The mining supervisor responsible for Emerald Mana Stone extraction gave a detailed explanation of the problems they currently faced. Experts from various fields gathered together and began debating potential solutions.
“Let’s go with Option 1.”
Several proposals were raised one after another, and they tried them in sequence. The results, as expected, were failures. If it had been a problem that could be solved so easily, the dwarves would have fixed it long ago.
“This isn’t easy.”
Options 2, 3, and 4 all failed in quick succession. Unexpected variables kept popping up, causing every calculation to collapse.
“Hold on a second.”
It was then that a sudden thought flashed through Ed’s mind. He asked when the Emerald Mana Stones had first been discovered. The mining supervisor replied that it was twenty years ago. And the location was none other than the very place Dagran had found.
The cave that only appeared at certain times due to the influence of a ‘magical singularity’! That was exactly why Dagran had been branded a liar.
“…I think I know the secret.”
Ed gathered everyone together. He began to explain what he had realized.
“This cave is a place that no dwarf had ever discovered before. Not until Dagran found it forty-seven years ago. But Dagran was labeled a liar. Because this cave is affected by a ‘magical singularity’ that only exposes the terrain at specific times.”
Ed made sure to emphasize the fact that Dagran had suffered an unjust accusation because of that magical singularity, imprinting it firmly in everyone’s minds. Then he brought up the core point he truly wanted to convey.
“But what about now? Anyone can enter and exit this cave with ease. It no longer receives the influence of the magical singularity.”
Elena’s mouth slowly fell open. Her expression suggested she had realized something. Ed then dropped the meaningful question.
“Doesn’t that seem strange? I heard the original reserves of Emerald Mana Stones here were enormous, yet the rate of depletion far exceeds the mining output. Why do you think that is?”
“……The magical singularity.”
“Exactly. The only difference is this: the cave no longer suffers from the effects of the magical singularity.”
Everyone nodded. It was a perfectly convincing deduction.
“Let’s rewrite the plan.”
Ed’s group began revising their strategy. They decided to recreate the magical singularity by referencing historical testimonies as closely as possible. Charlotte studied the cave’s properties and reported her findings to Ed, who then discussed them at length with Elena and the others. Eventually, they reached a single conclusion.
“There must be a formula inscribed inside the cave.”
A formula. For the cave to be affected by the magical singularity, a formula had to be carved into it—one capable of spreading external mana throughout the entire cavern.
And so, Ed’s group began searching for the formula. One day, two days, three days, four days. Everyone threw themselves into the task with fierce determination.
The result came at last.
“H-here! Over here!”
They had finally found it—the formula engraved within the cave.
“This is……”
Elena’s mouth slowly fell open. Her eyes traced the bizarre yet profound flow of geometric patterns. It was an ancient formula. The very same formula from the Black Empire that she had been researching for a long time. The technique that was said to have been lost when the Black Empire fell thousands of years ago!
"Ancient Formula of the Black Empire"
⟨ Mana Diffusion Array ⟩
“I think I’ve found the method!”
Fortunately, Elena was a genius when it came to formulas. Though it was an ancient formula no one else could decipher, she was able to reinterpret it in modern terms. Thanks to that, she could unravel the clues—what kind of formulas were inscribed in this cave, and what kind of influence they exerted over the entire space.
“……I-I think… I’ve realized something too.”
The moment she heard Elena’s explanation, Charlotte gained a sudden insight. In other words, she understood how to create an environment where Emerald Mana Stones could naturally generate. Having spent a long time tending to her garden and building miniature ecosystems, she felt an indescribable flash of intuition that couldn’t be put into words.
“Let’s begin.”
Working together, they successfully recreated the magical singularity. As a result, Ed’s group finally achieved their goal. The ancient formula, which had lost its function and caused the magical singularity to disappear, was now working once again. The phenomenon had returned to the cave.
“Just as expected.”
And the outcome was exactly as predicted. The Emerald Mana Stones began to form naturally once more.
“Edga Fix, you truly are the Blacksmith of Salvation.”
With that, Ed completed every single one of his objectives. He had uncovered the truth about Dagran and Layna, restored normal relations between the Dwarf Allied Kingdom and the Empire, and even secured substantial benefits for the dwarves—giving him the perfect justification to establish a solid alliance.
Everything had gone according to plan.
“There will be no more ‘exporting’ of dwarf weapons to other kingdoms. I give you my word!”
The Dwarf King declared that illegal weapon exports would never happen again. In truth, they hadn’t been smuggled—they had been sold openly—but he was opening his heart to the Empire and promising it would not happen in the future.
“Furthermore, we will supply Emerald Mana Stones to the Empire at the lowest possible price.”
They had also secured the ultra-rare resource known as Emerald Mana Stones at a bargain. On top of that, the King promised to provide them to Ed for free, exactly as he requested. It was an incredible jackpot.
“Hahahaha! You are all friends of us dwarves! Enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content tonight! We’ll open the entire warehouse!”
Having achieved such tremendous diplomatic success, Ed’s group set aside all their tension on their final night and threw themselves into the celebration.
That night, Charlotte appeared with her ancient-era hair straightened and her glasses removed, drawing everyone’s attention. However, she committed the outrageous act of asking Ed to teach her how to ‘dance,’ which earned her intense stares from Isabella and Enya. Even so, Charlotte didn’t shrink back or lose confidence. As long as she wore the diamond ore necklace Ed had given her as a gift, there was nothing in this world she feared.
‘I-I was the first one to receive a necklace from Ed!’
That was roughly the self-justification Charlotte used to fill herself with pride.
“Um… Your Majesty.”
While everyone was enjoying the party, Claris approached the Dwarf King with her request. She asked about the whereabouts of her uncle.
“Altarion, you mean? That friend left about two months ago.”
Just as expected, her uncle had already departed. He had returned to the elven kingdom of Eldar. He had joined the delegation after hearing that the Dwarf Kingdom was currently hosting visitors, but it seemed the news had reached him too late.
‘……There’s nothing I can do.’
Claris withdrew with a dejected expression. It looked like seeing her mother would have to be postponed a little longer. Still, there were plenty of other ways to meet her even if this method didn’t work.
“I-is this not right? Haha……”
In one corner of the banquet hall, Ed and Charlotte were awkwardly attempting to dance. Neither of them had any experience with dancing, so it was hard to tell whether what they were doing was actually dancing or just comedy. Isabella and Enya stuck right beside them, passionately insisting that wasn’t how nobles danced and offering to teach them properly.
“Ed!”
At that moment, Elena cut in. Enya and Isabella shot her sharp glares, as if declaring they would allow no further competitors. Elena laughed as if she found it ridiculous and approached Ed.
“Why are they so on edge? Anyway, I have good news.”
Elena led Ed off to a quiet corner of the hall. She then relayed the news she had just received.
“I submitted a report to the imperial palace about our achievements just now.”
“I see.”
“They’re preparing an absolutely enormous reward! Especially for you—they say they’ll give you something even bigger.”
“Oh… Really? What kind of reward?”
“Well, I didn’t get to hear the details either.”
“Heh heh. You’re just making me excited for nothing.”
“You can look forward to it. Sephilia— I mean, Sephelia swore with her mouth wide open that it’s a reward that’ll leave you speechless.”
“I’ll look forward to it, then.”
An enormous reward prepared by the imperial family. Ed had no idea what it was, but he smiled softly. There was no reason to refuse a reward.
“By the way, why is our dear disciple so outstanding?”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, all the achievements we brought back from the Dwarf Kingdom this time came from your plans. I’m supposed to be the one guiding and teaching you, yet you’re making your master look bad.”
“Haha… Well, I just got lucky.”
“Heh. That humility doesn’t even sound sincere.”
Elena grinned as she spoke. She took a sip of her cocktail, placed the empty glass in the collection bin, and said,
“Well, enjoy yourself. I still have work to do.”
“…? You still have things left to do?”
“Ah. Just some personal research. Don’t worry about it.”
With those final words, Elena left the banquet hall. She loosened the tightly cinched party dress and tied her hair back with a string. Since she had already shown her face at the party, it was time to do what she truly wanted.
It was time to study the ancient formula.
In the dead of night, while researching the ancient formula, Elena fell asleep. Her body thrashed violently. She was having that nightmare again—the one she always had.
The horrific dream of the Empire’s destruction. The sky burned red, thick smoke blanketed the earth. Corpses lay scattered everywhere, filling the air with the stench of decay. Thousands of pairs of demonic wings soared through the heavens, blotting out the sun.
And then—
Thousands of demons came rushing in. She desperately resisted with every spell she knew, but she ultimately couldn’t overcome their sheer numbers and fell to her knees. She had been defeated.
【This is the end. Die.】
And that was the last thing she saw. A dizzying pain flooded her vision with red blood. Her head spun, her body tilted. Her consciousness drifted further and further away. Her sight was swallowed by darkness.
…….
Everything grew distant. All the sensory organs in her body began to shut down. The desolate scenery around her vanished from view. The stench of rotting corpses no longer stung her nose. The horrifying roars of the demons could no longer be heard. All five senses were becoming paralyzed.
And so, the world turned into complete, scentless, sensationless darkness.
──────Flash!
At that very moment, a single point of light suddenly appeared within the darkness. A small rectangle floating in midair. There were clearly words written on that rectangle.
And the meaning of those words, written in the language of the Empire, was this:
[Reset all memories and begin again? (Y/N)]