The Ancestor's Legacy
The voice echoing from behind the sweet reward of victory kept speaking. [Just where did a guy like this come from? His Mystery, his abilities—everything about him is completely alien.]
To avoid provoking the speaker, I slowly turned around. But there was no one behind me. Still, the voice continued without pause. [He's like an onion that keeps revealing more layers the more you peel. He's got a princess ant through a taming contract, pulls out creatures I've never seen with summoning arts, and on top of that, he's an aura user himself.]
I swallowed dryly at the voice that had apparently watched our entire fight and laid out every card we held. Unless this place was actually some demon's laboratory instead of the founder's ruins—which would be insane—the owner of that voice could only be one person.
"...Could you be Lord Edenberg?"
[You've got decent instincts. As you guessed, I am Edenberg. More precisely, I'm that guy's lingering thought-form.]
My heart pounded wildly at the thought of meeting the great warrior who had been active a thousand years ago. His exploits had been passed down for ages through history books, fairy tales, and oral tradition. Having grown up hearing his stories as bedtime tales, I felt like a fan meeting their idol and straightened my posture.
"I-It's an honor to meet you! I'm Argo, a Bronze-class adventurer from the Adventurer's Guild!"
[Ah, right. I heard something about an Adventurer's Guild being founded in my later years. Looks like it lasted all this time.]
"It was built on the blood of our ancestors, so as their descendant, it's only natural to carry it forward! The Adventurer's Guild will continue to exist!"
Seemingly pleased by my polite attitude, a figure slowly materialized in the empty air. A flawless physique with not a single wasted movement. Powerful muscles rippled, the kind that could fold an opponent cleanly in half. The stone statue of a middle-aged man with a rough appearance glanced at me with a face full of scars and let out a fierce laugh. [Interesting fellow you've got here.]
Edenberg tapped my shoulder a couple of times, then stomped the ground with his foot. The arena, scorched black on one side from the Lesser Dragon's breath, twisted and shifted, transporting us to a brand-new arena.
"Where are we?"
[The real arena inside the ruins. The place you were in was a mirror world created by copying this space.]
"Did you make it, Lord Edenberg?"
[No? Something that complicated is beyond my simple warrior brain. I had some mage friends whip it up for me.]
I gave an awkward smile at Edenberg's blunt, unapologetic tone. Then I noticed mirrors lining the arena walls. The mirrors connected to the mirror world showed the expedition team fighting the golems. Thanks to being composed of elites, they were handling the golems calmly with their own methods. Since the opponents were only slightly stronger than themselves, they could win if they played it smart. Because this trial was designed to push people past their limits, it would be a valuable opportunity for everyone in the expedition.
While watching them fight the golems with burning fighting spirit, my gaze suddenly drifted to one particular mirror. Neon the black mage was battling a golem. Even though he was from the Central region, he'd spent several months rolling around in the North, so he'd supposedly grown tremendously. He should be putting up a meaningful fight as well. Curious about how a black mage would fight, I looked into the mirror.
- Ack! Ugh! Eek! Wait, that hit my bones!
"......"
I was an idiot for having expectations. Even though I wasn't the one getting hit, it was still embarrassing. I quietly looked away from Neon, who was getting pummeled helplessly by the golem, and the stone statue of Edenberg beside me burst into loud laughter. [Kahaha! That guy's hilarious. A black mage who's not even from the North being here is strange enough, but there's something oddly likable about him.]
"That much is true."
I reluctantly nodded at Edenberg's words. He was definitely a black mage, yet he openly shattered the common sense that they were all vile or scheming. The real problem was that he broke those prejudices so thoroughly I sometimes worried whether he could even function in daily life. Still, thanks to his good instincts, he never did anything that would make people dislike him, so there was never any reason to feel ashamed. Watching him throw his arm around complete strangers at the festival showed he knew how to handle social situations. At first, people might develop prejudices because he's a black mage, but after spending time with him, they grow fond of him and their wariness melts away. In a way, that might be Neon's real talent.
"He's going to become an officially recognized black mage soon, so you can go easy on him."
[This place was made to leave a legacy for my descendants. I have no intention of killing anyone.]
Of course I knew that. Someone of the founder's stature wouldn't have prepared a trial that could actually kill his descendants just to mess with them. I had only asked because Neon's screams sounded so realistic.
- Kueeeek! I'm gonna die at this rate! I'm seriously dying!
From the sound of his voice alone, it seemed like he was being completely overwhelmed. Even so, he was still firing off black magic left and right, fighting with everything he had. It was just that the words coming out of his mouth ruined the atmosphere. Adela, who had been watching quietly from the side, shook her head.
"His mouth is too noisy."
"Yeah. It'd be nice if he just kept it shut."
[That's a talent in its own right. No matter how serious the situation, that black mage opening his mouth will always lighten the mood.]
That could be useful. There were times when something became impossible depending on the atmosphere, so in terms of boosting morale, Neon was an irreplaceable asset. I nodded quietly and turned my attention to the mirror on the right, leaving Neon behind.
Beyond the mirror, a fight more desperate than any other was unfolding.
- Heh heh, hahaha! This is it! This is what a real fight looks like!
Veil Edenberg and the golem were trading punches. Even as their fists cracked and blood streamed down, they refused to stop, continuing their slugfest. The sight of them settling things with nothing but their fists—whether they'd sold their weapons or not—had a certain charm that made a man's heart race. Edenberg seemed to like what he saw as well, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. [I was disappointed when a sickly descendant showed up at my ruins, but at least his tenacity is admirable.]
"Even if he looks like that, he's single-handedly ruling the count's territory and running a merchant guild."
[If he can't fight, then he has to do that instead.]
Despite his gruff tone, it seemed the ancestor's stubborn spirit had won him over. I glanced at Edenberg, who looked like he was itching to jump in, and shrugged. I wondered what kind of reaction Veil would get if he told his ancestor that going down to the Central region would put him at apprentice knight level. He was only particularly weak among Northern nobles—Veil's actual skill wasn't bad at all. He compensated for his lacking physical abilities with technique, making him a tricky opponent in practice.
- My victoryyyyy!
[As expected of my descendant. That mental fortitude is impressive.]
Veil created an opening with a feint, landed the finishing blow on the golem, then looked up at the ceiling and roared. Finally, Edenberg smiled. Starting with Veil, one by one, people began emerging victorious from their battles. Edenberg summoned them all here one by one, and finally brought over Neon, who had won while looking like he'd been through a meat grinder.
Veil, who had been roughly catching his breath while setting his broken bones, spotted Neon collapsed on the floor and let out a small laugh.
"Looks like you had a rough time too."
"There were way too many things going on, seriously."
Whether Neon, who had become one with the cold floor, showed any intention of moving or not, Edenberg strode boldly toward the center of the arena. Thud!
"Eek!"
In the process, he happened to (?) step on Neon, who had been lying on the floor, but it was just an unfortunate accident. While the wronged-looking Neon glared at Edenberg before naturally softening at the sight of those rippling muscles, Edenberg, standing in the center of the arena, spread both arms wide and spoke. [Congratulations on overcoming the trial, descendants of warriors.]
At his words, the expedition team wordlessly struck their chests. They had instinctively realized he was the founder of the count's family and offered their respect. Edenberg responded by striking his own chest in return and looked at the expedition team with a satisfied expression. [You may be proud. You fought and defeated opponents stronger than yourselves. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you've broken through your limits.]
The atmosphere heated up at his words. Their battered bodies were proof of the fierce battles they had fought. They had all managed to surpass their limits. Even though they knew this was the arrangement of the ruins, in the end, it was their own will and effort that had carried them through. However, because I had used the loophole of Adela and my summons, I had won more easily than the others, which made me feel self-conscious. While everyone else had fought with broken limbs, I had only taken a few hits. Edenberg, knowing this fact, gave me a slightly dissatisfied look, but since summons were also part of my own power, he counted it as a victory.
[You have earned the right to receive the ruins' gifts. Come here and claim your rewards.]
Thud! When Edenberg stomped his foot, the center of the arena rose up, revealing a secretly hidden storage room. Inside the storage connected to a pocket dimension were all sorts of items. Weapons, armor, shields, elixirs, materials, and more. Edenberg pointed at the jumbled storage with his chin and grinned. [This is the collection I gathered during my lifetime. Each of you, take one thing you need.]
"Can't we just take everything?"
[No. The trial is set so that you can only take one item after passing. If you want something else, have someone else bring it for you.]
"So that's why the ancestors badmouthed the founder."
[If it bothers you that much, they should've become the founder themselves.]
"Fair enough."
At the spicy exchange between Edenberg and his descendant, the expedition team naturally put some distance between themselves and us. I quietly covered my ears. Veil, who had finished the conversation, looked at the expedition team and spoke. "You are warriors who have splendidly overcome the founder's trial. Breaking through one's limits is no easy feat, so it's moving to see that everyone here succeeded."
[Stop with the unnecessary posturing and just tell them to take the rewards from the ruins.]
"Aww, the founder doesn't know how to read the room. Even obvious things need to be shown off so people recognize them."
[If you have real strength, that kind of recognition will follow on its own.]
Another spicy exchange took place, but this time the expedition team didn't cover their ears. After wondering if what they'd heard was true, they eventually cheered and rushed toward the storage. Usually, the rewards from ruins were taken by the noble family, who then compensated the expedition team with equivalent monetary value. However, this time the rewards were given one per person, and since each individual had overcome the trial on their own, Veil had decided to generously distribute the rewards.
"We love you, Lord Veil!"
"You're the best!"
The rewards left behind by the founder for his descendants would naturally be precious. I looked around the storage while marveling at Veil's boldness in distributing them without coveting them himself. Even Neon, who had been lying on the floor, got up in an instant—there were that many tempting items.
"Gaiters that increase movement speed, gauntlets inscribed with auto-charging shields, armor imbued with electricity. Every single one is high-grade."
"Argo! Look at this! It's an elixir!"
Even Adela was excitedly running around. It meant there were items everywhere that even an ant princess would find tempting. After examining all the desirable items, I carefully considered my options. Grabbing something just because it looked good was what amateurs did. Experts picked items that would help in both the present and the future.
"Alright. I've decided on this."
After checking the items in the storage and thinking it over, I stood in front of one particular item and decided to take it.