Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Ritual of Descent
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I returned to the cabin with Hector, the dwarf leader, and Caron, but I couldn't get the story from them right away.
All three of them had reached their limit and passed out the moment they got inside.
“…I don’t think Caron’s was from fatigue.”
“Who cares?”
Compared to those three, we were in much better shape, but we decided to get some sleep since we didn't know when or what might happen next.
The four of us took turns standing watch.
And so, the first night of the special test—if you could even call it that anymore—passed.
The next morning.
I stepped outside for some fresh air and tilted my head as I looked up at the sky.
“…Is it morning? The forest is so dark, I can't tell.”
Mir said what I was thinking.
The place was already dark due to the dense canopy, but…
For some reason, it felt much gloomier than usual.
And I, being far more sensitive to the sun's presence, realized it without needing to peek through the branches.
‘The sun hasn't risen.’
I took the hourglass out from my coat.
About a third of the sand had fallen, meaning exactly one day had passed since the test began.
And since the test started in the morning, the sun should be up by now…
‘I hope it's just my imagination.’
But with a demon having already appeared, clinging to such wishful thinking felt like escaping reality.
First, cross-verification.
I returned to the cabin with Mir.
And I saw the hero aspirants huddled together in the cramped space.
“…It’s suffocating in here.”
Maybe because there were no windows.
For some reason, even breathing felt difficult, and I might have steamed to death if it were summer.
First, I looked at Hector and asked.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better. What about you?”
“Me?”
“Your palm was pierced yesterday, wasn't it? And there were burn marks…”
He's more observant than I thought.
He looked like he was about to collapse, but from the way he's talking, he must have seen my entire spar with Caron.
“I'm fine. It'll probably be completely healed by tomorrow.”
“I see…”
“How about you, dwarf?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
I stared at the dwarf leader for a moment before asking.
“Your name is…”
“It’s Basil Jul.”
“Right.”
Evan told me, but I forgot.
Basil muttered with a dejected look on his face.
“Evan and Charles here told me the general situation. I can't believe Pam is dead… In that case, I shouldn't hold out hope for Denma either.”
Words of comfort would be meaningless at a time like this, so I kept my mouth shut.
Finally, I looked at Caron.
Just yesterday, his face was so swollen you could barely make out his features, but the swelling had gone down a lot.
‘This guy's recovery rate is incredible.’
He must have eaten a lot of good stuff, just like Hector.
“By the way, what happened to your team members? Why were you alone?”
“…Our team decided to act separately.”
“Aha.”
Acting individually in such a dangerous place is insane.
But if it was Caron who did it, it made sense.
“So you were all going to wander around and earn points. Were you planning to sell potions using that Zeros guy's Blessing?”
“…”
Caron affirmed it with his silence.
Seeing that smug face of his made me want to mess with him more, but…
Before that.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention and then spoke.
“Before we continue, is there anyone here who knows a lot about the Dark Cult?”
Among the seven of us, Hector raised his hand.
“Then let me ask you something, big brother.”
“What is it?”
“Are any of the cult's rituals related to a solar eclipse?”
At my words, Hector's expression hardened.
“…Don't tell me there's a solar eclipse right now.”
“Probably.”
“This is not something to speak of lightly. Answer me clearly.”
I nodded.
“That's right. The sun has been devoured by shadow.”
“…”
Everyone turned to look at Hector's face.
His previously stiff expression was now ashen, like a corpse.
“Lord Hector?”
“Do you know what's happening?”
“From what I've learned in the texts… a solar eclipse that occurs in a specific area without any warning points to only one thing.”
And Hector's next words turned my speculation into reality.
“The Ritual of the Demon King's Descent.”
The Dark Cult.
It seems those lunatics are trying to summon the Demon King on Bednicker land.
* * *
The aspirants' expressions were, at first, naturally dumbfounded.
They nearly broke down just seeing a minor demon; hearing the name ‘Demon King’ seemed to have completely shattered their sense of reality.
“Y-You're joking, right? The Demon King's descent…”
“How could something like that happen here, on Bednicker territory of all places…?”
“Of course, it won't be a complete descent. They wouldn't have had enough time to prepare, nor enough sacrifices.”
“S-Sacrifices…”
That guy Basil, uncharacteristically timid for a dwarf, turned pale at Hector's words.
“What will manifest on this land will likely be a part of the Demon King's body.”
“W-Well, that's a relief, then.”
“A relief?”
Hector said with a faint smile.
“Do you remember the incident 20 years ago, when the great city of Pilpia was reduced to ruins in 27 minutes? Even now, that land is so corrupted by demonic energy that even high-ranking priests have given up on purifying it. What the cult summoned back then was merely one of the Demon King's fingers.”
“…I've heard of the Tragedy of Pilpia.”
Charles said.
“But I heard that hundreds of people were offered as sacrifices back then…”
“We have no way of knowing the cult's inner workings. What we need to focus on now is that the eclipse has already occurred, and the ritual has begun.”
I asked.
“So what happens now?”
“First, living creatures will mutate. Any being without resistance will be affected by the demonic energy, their bodies twisting and warping.”
“Affected?”
“There were originally no wolf-type monsters in this forest. The animals that lived here must have been affected, turning into what they are now.”
“Hmm…”
“Second, the appearance of demons. Most will be low-level demons with the intelligence of beasts, but they will pour out in hordes as the gates of hell open.”
Hector looked at me and said.
“Next is the solar eclipse phenomenon that you saw.”
“How many stages are there to the ritual?”
“As far as I know, there are four. In the final stage, the land itself begins to rot, spewing out a vile demonic energy. An energy so potent that even active heroes would struggle to withstand it.”
If it gets to that point, we're all dead.
Without even a chance to fight.
“…”
“…”
In any case, Hector's explanation instantly weighed down the atmosphere.
I was no exception.
I knew the situation was serious, but hearing the details, it was worse than I'd imagined.
‘A disaster of this scale… it's no wonder I died.’
Did Master foresee all this?
But this seemed to be beyond a matter of getting advice or not.
Could I really have grown strong enough in just one month to handle this situation?
Just then, Evan, who had remained relatively calm, asked a question.
“With an incident of this magnitude, there's no way the Bednickers don't know. Won't the family send support soon?”
“Support will come, but… we don't know when.”
“What?”
“There's a barrier with a 20-kilometer radius centered on the training camp. It was created by Archmage Asad himself, and it's designed to completely seal the area off from the outside.”
“Why would there be such a barrier…?”
“Without it, they couldn't have built a camp in such a dangerous place. The barrier not only prevents monsters from entering but also nullifies the forest's unique effects, like the loss of direction.”
“Ah…”
“The mastermind probably knows this as well.”
He didn't say it outright, but Hector must also know that the mastermind is an insider from the family.
“…It would be nice if there was a way to get word to the outside.”
“Isn't there someone with a Blessing for that? I mean, there was a guy who brought in outside items.”
At that, our gazes turned to Caron.
Whether he understood the gravity of the situation or not, the guy replied with an unperturbed expression and a blunt tone.
“…If you're talking about Zeros, that's impossible. His Blessing doesn't create a passage to the outside. It's just a massive storage space.”
It's amazing how he still talks so high and mighty after getting beaten like that.
I admired Caron for a moment before a thought suddenly struck me.
“Wait a minute. You said Archmage Asad was the one who cast the barrier, right?”
“Archmage Asad.”
“Right. Archmage Asad.”
Hector gave me a dissatisfied look before nodding.
“That's correct. Which is why any power lesser than his is useless against it.”
“The Family Head gave me a magic tool. Maybe it can break through that archmage's power?”
“A magic tool?”
I showed him my middle finger.
Not because I suddenly wanted to curse at Hector, of course, but to show him the ring on it.
“That's…?”
“He said if I infuse mana into this, I can go to the fifth floor.”
“Ah!”
Hector examined the ring closely, his expression brightening.
“A plain band with no jewels, not even any detailed engravings… Archmage Asad must have made it.”
“Oh.”
“With that magic tool, you should be able to pierce the barrier.”
“Ah…!”
Sighs of relief erupted from all around.
It was like a ray of sunshine on their deathly pale faces.
“Okay. Wait a moment.”
I immediately injected mana into the black ring.
…Vwooom-.
I was worried it might not work, but thankfully, the ring resonated with my mana without any trouble.
Mana flowed out from the ring, enveloping my entire body.
And then…
Fwit-!
In an instant, my surroundings changed.
“…Hm?”
I was suddenly standing in the middle of a shabby room.
The large room, which had no door, let alone a window, was lined with bookshelves filled mostly with ancient tomes written in an unknown language.
Come to think of it, didn't they say the scenery on the fifth floor changes every time?
That means the Iron-Blooded Duke must be here somewhere…
“What is it?”
I was startled, having felt no presence at all.
When I looked behind me, someone other than the Iron-Blooded Duke was sitting at a table.
A man wearing reading glasses, reading a book without even looking at me.
It was Archmage Asad.
“Ruan Bednicker, why are you here?”
“…What about you, Archmage Asad?”
“Is it strange for me to be in my own room?”
“It is. I was told this ring would take me to the fifth floor of the main house.”
“Ring?”
Asad finally looked up from his book and at me.
His weary eyes fell upon my ring.
“Where did you get that ring?”
“I received it from the Family Head.”
“Delac gave it to you? Hmm.”
Asad looked at me with suspicion, but soon spoke as if he'd lost interest.
“If you say so.”
“…So, where is the Family Head?”
“I don't know. You're disturbing me, so leave.”
As Asad said that and tried to banish me, I quickly spoke up.
“W-Wait a moment!”
“What is it?”
“Things are very dangerous right now. Because of your barrier, Archmage Asad.”
“My barrier?”
I explained the whole situation to Asad.
From the training retreat's special test and the casualties that had already occurred, to the signs foretelling the Demon King's summoning.
“…”
Asad closed the book he was reading.
He rested his chin on his hand, seemingly lost in thought, but his reaction was more nonchalant than I expected.
‘I thought he'd make a bigger fuss over a Demon King summoning...’
Come to think of it, don't long-lived mages become numb to human emotions and grow detached?
Living like that seemed incredibly boring.
Then, Asad spoke.
“I see.”
“…Um. Excuse me, but is that your only comment?”
“What, should I make a scene?”
“I didn't expect you to make a scene, but I did think you'd be surprised.”
“Why should I be surprised to hear something I already know?”
“…Excuse me?”
What did this man just say?