Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Massive Black Castle
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There are countless legends surrounding the Floating Island.
The treasure island that captures the sky itself.
The herb island where every medicinal plant in the world grows.
People always spun tales whenever they caught sight of the Floating Island.
Yet not a single soul had ever actually reached it.
The Floating Island was always spotted high in the distant sky.
It would appear like a mirage, only to vanish in moments.
Even if one hurried after it, all that awaited was an endless desert.
That was why the Floating Island remained a legend, the dream of countless explorers.
In the Sunset Desert region.
Atop a dune piled high with crimson sands glowing like embers.
A single Shadow Wolf prowled forward.
Riding atop it were three figures, lined up from front to back: Lebon, Hanok, and Leyzon.
The other five had been left behind in Swordless Village.
No one knew when or where the ancient dragon might appear.
So during Leyzon's time traversing the desert, they were tasked with gathering information.
'Hot as hell.'
Even with all their preparations, the desert heat was relentless.
Normally, they'd travel comfortably inside the Shadow Wolf.
But Lebon's antics left them no choice but to ride exposed like this.
"Eyyy, the key to spotting the Floating Island is the sky. The sky!
You can't find it if you can't see the sky!"
They could see the sky from inside the shadows too.
But Lebon flat-out refused to go in.
Even Hanok, whom he treated like his own grandson, couldn't convince him. They had no choice but to give up.
"Water."
Finally, after staring at the sky nonstop, Lebon spoke up.
Leyzon pulled a waterskin from his bag and handed it to Hanok.
Hanok passed it straight to Lebon.
"Here you go, Grandpa. Have some water."
"Ah, yes, yes."
Lebon promptly handed the water right back to Hanok.
The old man doted on his "grandson" above all else.
[Leyzon, that old geezer's getting on my nerves.]
Syria was none too pleased.
The Shadow Wolf kept growling low in response.
She'd better not eat him in his sleep tonight.
"The Floating Island, huh? I'd love to see it myself."
Was it because Lebon had shared all those legends? Hanok's eyes sparkled with curiosity too.
"Eyyy, we'll find it soon enough. Don't you worry. The herb to cure your illness is there too."
Lebon said this while gazing intently at the sky.
Leyzon mulled over Lebon's tales in the meantime.
Lebon's grandson suffered from a rare congenital disease.
That was why Lebon had been searching for the Floating Island.
In truth, the boy's illness was treatable—at first.
But the key herb had gone extinct about a decade ago.
It had always been finicky to cultivate, and it couldn't adapt to the changing environment, so it vanished.
Thus, there was no cure for Lebon's grandson.
In the end, Lebon set out to find the Floating Island, said to hold every herb in the world.
And that wish became the old man's obsession.
He buried his grandson's death beneath dementia.
And carried on to this day.
In a way, this was Lebon's final shot at observation.
He'd be more desperate than anyone.
"Snore."
"Leyzon, Grandpa's asleep."
...More desperate than anyone.
Leyzon sighed as he watched Lebon snore away.
Even trying to stay positive like always.
Lebon's dementia had progressed further than expected.
It worried Leyzon too.
'I held back on sharing what I know about the Floating Island, thinking it might interfere.'
But seeing him like this, maybe he should hand over the notes he'd prepared.
[Leyzon.]
Just then, Syria reached out.
She'd better not be suggesting they ditch the old man again.
[Found the Black Castle.]
They'd spotted the Black Castle before the Floating Island.
* * *
The Moving Black Castle.
Its fame stemmed from something else entirely.
Once, it had wandered the entire world.
Sightings popped up everywhere.
No one knew why the Black Castle roamed the globe.
One thing was certain: at some point,
it ended its journey at the eastern edge, in the Sunset Desert region.
And it would appear and vanish there from time to time.
The Black Castle merely wandered, causing no real harm.
So the empire never bothered with it.
'Or rather, they didn't act because...'
They'd planned to study it later with necromancers in tow and claim it for themselves.
Aboard the charging Shadow Wolf.
Leyzon stared at the horizon.
Syria had located the Black Castle.
So now, Leyzon's group was heading straight for it.
"Faster than I expected."
[It's just so damn big.]
As Syria said, the Black Castle was enormous.
It was the fourth undead Leyzon had created.
First came Syria Nosferatu.
Second, the dragon Sa-ryong, Estelle Aragon.
Third, the cursed doll, Eden Yuphira.
Fourth was the Black Castle.
'We're running into them in the order I made them, by coincidence.'
Among them, the Black Castle had taken the longest to create.
Leyzon's intent was simple.
'I wanted a mobile undead fortress.'
He'd seen the nation-building ending in a previous run.
So for a future nation-building run,
why not craft a moving fortress? That's what he'd thought.
He'd drawn inspiration from an old anime and built the Black Castle.
'The problem is...'
Undead grew slowly.
Leyzon got around faster on his own than waiting for a fortress.
[Can't wait to see it again.]
Eden reminisced lazily about the Black Castle.
It had set off on its journey early.
So it had spent little time with the others.
'Someday, we'll all gather together.'
When that day came, it'd be lively.
[That thing's always covered in weird junk. Probably dangling even more now.]
[Hope it doesn't freak us out with something new.]
Syria and Eden gossiped about the Black Castle.
Suddenly, Leyzon recalled a long-held dream.
A harmonious family, laughing and chatting.
Leyzon had always wanted that.
It stemmed from his father losing himself to gambling and neglecting the family.
Maybe that's why Leyzon poured such care into his undead.
Proof he wanted to achieve that dream, even in the game.
'Family, huh.'
Leyzon was pushing toward the Dungeon Replay for the ending.
That goal included returning home.
Positive as ever, but this one goal left him uncertain.
Early on, nights brought vague fear.
The dread of never making it back.
But he'd spent considerable time in the Dungeon Replay now.
'A year's passed.'
He was growing accustomed to this world.
Syria, Eden, Hanok, Estelle, the five others.
His bonds with them were weaving into his life.
Lately, that fear of not returning home was fading.
The goal remained unchanged.
Even if it failed, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
'If I see the ending and still can't go back...'
He could just set a new goal.
That realization hit him.
'Getting more optimistic.'
Leyzon smiled faintly.
It was all thanks to those around him.
[Leyzon, you seem in a good mood.]
Syria noticed his smile.
"Guess so. Must be thanks to you, Syria."
[Heh heh, I am pretty capable!]
Capable indeed.
'Still, gotta achieve the goal.'
Once decided, he'd see it through.
That was Leyzon's resolve.
"Zzz."
The problem? The very man meant to find the Floating Island was out cold.
Lebon snored loudly, leaning on Hanok.
He wasn't fulfilling his role as observer at all.
'This is worrying. Real worrying.'
They'd veered off for the Black Castle first, sure.
But with their guide in this state,
Leyzon had plenty of reasons to fret about the future.
"Leyzon! Look, over there! Is that it?!"
Just then, sharp-eyed Hanok pointed at the horizon.
Leyzon looked up. At the edge of the horizon,
something pitch-black like a tower came into view.
A massive tower sitting alone in the heart of the desert.
No—a colossal tower piercing the heavens.
"It's grown way bigger than I remember."
At this size, it rivaled most mage towers.
[Right? Feels like city-scale now.]
Syria confirmed it.
Leyzon tilted his head.
It was huge, sure. But city-scale?
Not quite that big, was it?
That was when it happened.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
The entire desert shook violently.
The sands surged toward somewhere, like they were being sucked away.
It felt like a massive earthquake.
"Syria!"
At Leyzon's command, the Shadow Wolf swallowed the three riders.
Leyzon tumbled into the shadows.
"Eek!"
Hanok rolled around inside.
Good thing they'd grabbed Lebon properly.
"Snore."
Even now, Lebon slept on.
Once the old man with dulled hearing was out, he wouldn't wake easily.
Leyzon quickly looked up.
Crimson sands surged like waves.
A tidal wave of sand crashed toward the Shadow Wolf.
Syria's Shadow Wolf stomped the sand and leaped high.
It nimbly dodged, bounding over the dunes.
Mere sand couldn't stop Syria's shadow.
Moments later, the sand wave finally subsided.
"What the hell just happened?"
Leyzon squinted, still piecing it together.
The sand wave had kicked up so much dust it blinded them.
Whoosh—
A timely wind blew the dust away.
Soon, the scene cleared.
Leyzon's jaw dropped slowly.
"Whoa..."
He wasn't the only one.
Hanok stared blankly outside too.
Beyond the shadows,
an unimaginable sight unfolded.
A fortress.
Undeniably a fortress.
One that encompassed an entire city.
From the horizon's edge to right before them.
The fortress sprawled across the sands.
At its center stood the tower.
The massive tower Leyzon had spotted was just a tiny fraction.
Practically nothing.
Leyzon gaped.
Now he understood why Syria found it so quickly.
And what she meant by "city-scale."
That quake? The Black Castle stirring to life.
Buried in sand for so long, it had shaken itself free.
Just a brief flex of its body caused that tremor.
The Black Castle hadn't ended its journey.
It had simply grown too vast.
And stayed in the Sunset Desert.
'My kid's gotten too big.'
Too big to even recognize.
The Moving Black Castle
Pauli Poatrice
The moment Leyzon reunited with his fourth undead.