Chapter 153: Wavel (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: Wavel (5)
Although the auction house was run directly by the lord, the guards weren't all that impressive.
Aside from one intermediate-level Aura Expert, most of the guards I fought upstairs were just Aura Users.
So much for a force the size of a knight order.
Looks like the information from the Elmar Guild Master was wrong.
Of course, if a monstrous group on the level of a knight order had really been guarding the auction house, I wouldn't have been able to rescue the elves with my current skills.
I've read articles stating that even the rank-and-file members of European knight orders are B-rank.
...If there were only one or two A-rankers, I might have managed somehow.
I had no intention of gambling with my life, so I cleared my head and quickened my pace.
After grabbing and interrogating a guard, I found the stairs leading down to the auction house's basement.
The stairway leading down was like a crude cave, making it hard to believe it was part of the same building as the floor above.
Only the torches mounted here and there and the man-made stone steps proved that people had been here.
The basement wasn't deep.
After descending what felt like two floors, I came to a corridor. It was a maze-like place, tangled with multiple doors and branching paths.
Of course, finding my way wasn't a problem.
All I had to do was follow the traces of magic to find the source of the video broadcast.
“There he is! Get him!”
“What about upstairs?!”
“No contact. They must've all been taken out!”
Having heard the commotion from upstairs, armed guards burst out from the end of the corridor.
They were all small fry who hadn't even reached the highest level of Aura User.
I could wipe them out in an instant with magic, but using it in such a narrow corridor might cause the whole thing to collapse.
For now, the best option was to cut them down one by one with my sword.
I kicked off the ground and charged forward.
Formless Vajra Art, Formless Step.
I effortlessly dodged the spear tips thrusting at me and steadily sliced through their necks, one by one.
Formless Step, the footwork of the Formless Vajra Art. They say that once you master it, you can evade any attack aimed at you, and if you reach the ultimate level, you can even escape the world's interference.
Having only reached the second star, that realm was still beyond my imagination, but dodging a few spear tips was simple enough.
It was a strange sensation.
Not only was I evading the enemy's attacks with minimal movement, but I was also steadily advancing.
“Aaargh! Just get hit already!”
“An assassin! He's an assassin!”
“What kind of assassin attacks from the front?!”
Watching their comrades' heads fly off in real time, the guards were terrified, dropping their spears and scrambling to escape.
Of course, a few remained to try and stop me, but they were a tiny minority.
By the time the corridor was stained with blood, nothing stood in my way.
'Mana Detection, Detection.'
I used Mana Detection to sense the life signs of nearby creatures and Detection to grasp the layout of the corridor and the rooms beyond the doors.
Most were rooms holding slaves or storing something unidentifiable.
No sign of the elves.
Then again, it's unlikely they'd keep the highlight of today's auction, the elves, locked up in a place like this. They're probably being held near the auction hall I saw in the video.
My goal today wasn't something as grand as liberating all the slaves here, so I ignored those trapped in the rooms and pressed forward.
Besides, freeing them now without any plan offers no guarantee that a better future awaits them.
In the first place, I'm not some hero who saves everyone out of the goodness of his heart.
If it weren't for Iris and the World Tree's proposal, I wouldn't have tried to save Peledeia, nor would I be infiltrating this auction house to rescue elves right now.
Is that it?
After about three minutes of speeding down the corridor, following the traces of magic, Detection picked up a wide space, completely different from what I'd seen so far.
Thump. I kicked off the floor and accelerated.
The corridor ended, opening into a brightly lit, spacious area.
On the stage stood the dapper gentleman I had seen on the screen.
The auction seemed to have been temporarily halted, as the stage was now filled with armed guards.
I'd been wondering why I hadn't seen anyone else after first entering the basement. It looked like they had gathered all their remaining forces here.
There were about fifty of them, but not a single one was even an intermediate-level Aura User.
In fact, the majority were ordinary people who hadn't even reached the level of an Aura User.
“Sir.”
The gentleman, who appeared to be in charge, addressed me.
“A message from the lord. If there is anything you desire, we will grant it within reason. So please, let's end this here.”
“Does that fancy monocle of yours still see me as a 'sir'?”
“...This is problematic.”
As the tip of my sword pointed at him, the gentleman sighed and took off his fedora.
“The losses we've incurred from this incident are considerable. Therefore, for the sake of a little retribution and to preserve the lord's honor, you will have to die here today, sir.”
The moment he finished speaking, the guards charged at me.
There were many of them, but I didn't even need to dodge the swords and spears of ordinary men.
Still, my clothes could get torn, so I dodged lightly while lopping off their heads one after another.
...What is this?
As I continued the one-sided slaughter, swinging my sword, I felt a strange sense of unease.
Most of them were clearly ordinary people, and the few who could wield magic were D-rank or lower.
Of course, physical strength and mental fortitude are two different things, but for none of them to feel fear while their comrades' heads were being helplessly cut off was clearly abnormal.
Instead, they burned with fighting spirit, rushing at me eagerly.
Faced with such an unnatural sight, I focused my mind and drew upon my magic. Then, something I hadn't seen before began to appear.
Faint, thin lines were connected to the crowns of the guards' heads.
It didn't take long to realize it was magic.
“...Black magic?”
“You're quite knowledgeable.”
A smile curved the gentleman's lips.
Black magic. One of the Magic Tower's first-class forbidden arts, it uses black mana as a medium and operates on a completely different mechanism from conventional magic.
“I never expected to run into a black mage in a place like this.”
“And I never expected to have to use the black mana I've been gathering.”
Unlike regular mana, which is restored through meditation, the source of black mana is negative human emotions and human sacrifice.
I don't know if black magic is a forbidden art in this world too, but...
At the very least, I could understand why the Magic Tower despises and ostracizes black mages.
The black mana I could feel on my skin made my stomach churn. Something inside me was rejecting the black mage's very existence.
“That viscous killing intent... you are a mage, after all.”
“What makes you think so?”
“Because only mages or clerics react that way to a black mage.”
The gentleman gestured, and the guards surrounding me charged all at once. But their movements were completely different from before.
They moved in a proper formation, covering each other's openings.
It wasn't enough to concern me, though.
A minute was more than enough to break their formation and send all their heads flying.
No, it took a whole minute.
That was because even the ones who had been ordinary people just moments ago had started to wield faint traces of magic.
“Marionette. My great and beautiful magic that allows me to control others and draw out a portion of their potential. That aside, you truly are remarkable. For a mage to be able to move like that in close combat...”
Focusing magic into my eyes, I could see the thin lines extending from his fingertips.
They were the same lines connected to the crowns of the guards' heads.
“Magic that controls others... how very black magic of you.”
There's a reason black magic is a forbidden art.
From the process of obtaining black mana to the magic itself, it's all utterly unethical.
“How very black magic of me... On the contrary, I find the very act of distinguishing between good and evil in magic to be quite foolish.”
While the gentleman rambled on leisurely, someone emerged from behind the stage.
It was a muscular man with bronze skin and another with a slender build.
Both were armed and staring at me. The bronze-skinned man held a greatsword, while the slender one held a dagger in each hand.
Both seemed to have reached a considerable level among Aura Experts. To be precise, they were just a notch below the A-ranker I fought at the villa.
“These two were originally products to be sold at this auction. Top-grade products, at that. However, to stop you, sir, we had no choice but to accept the loss, bind their slave seals to the lord, and have them join the fight. Of course, if we can capture you alive, it will more than make up for the loss.”
I gave the smirking bastard the middle finger and raised my magic.
“Try me.”
“...Deal with him. Capturing him alive would be ideal, but if you see an opportunity, you may kill him.”
The moment the gentleman's order was given, the man with the greatsword kicked off the ground and charged at me.
His speed was surprisingly agile for his size.
The magical energy gathered around his greatsword was quite ferocious.
Blocking that head-on wouldn't be a wise choice. I used Formless Step to evade the attack.
CRASH! The greatsword slammed down with brutal speed, creating a small crater in the floor.
This guy was a top-tier B-ranker.
“Hey, isn't it humiliating to live as a slave? If you want, I can kill you. Just tell me his weakness.”
“Heh heh, are you asking a Warrior of the Plains to lose on purpose? Being captured by you detestable imperials and sold as a slave was humiliating enough. I swear on my remaining honor, I will cut out that snake-like tongue of yours.”
“Tsk.”
Just my luck. Nothing ever comes easy.
CRASH, CRASH, KABOOM! A relentless barrage of heavy strikes from the greatsword rained down. The man advanced on me with steps so heavy they made the ground tremble.
It wasn't an ordinary walk. His powerful, magic-infused body shook the surroundings, causing my Formless Step footwork to falter.
To avoid the greatsword that sliced through the air, I had no choice but to throw my body to the side.
But it didn't take long to realize that was a bad move. The assassin, seizing the opening, flew in from outside my detection range at incredible speed.
Sword Qi glinted from the daggers in his hands.
Having shown an opening to a skilled assassin, escaping unscathed was impossible.
“...Formless Vajra Art.”
But turning defense into offense was possible.
Formless Sword Art: Boundless.
As the Vajra Qi spread out and controlled the space, the greatsword warrior and the assassin froze momentarily.
“You cunning sorcerer, with your cheap tricks!”
“Ghk?!”
I gave the middle finger to the bastards who tried to pincer me and turned my head toward the gentleman.
“You shouldn't have made this place so spacious.”
“What do you mean...”
[Thought Acceleration]
Everything but me slows down.
My mana circle pulsed violently, spewing out magic, and in response, the activated magic circuits began to deploy a spell.
The immense flow of magic made the space tremble, and a magic circle forming on the ceiling of the wide hall began to glow red.
[Flare Rain]
Rain began to fall inside the hall.
A rain of crimson arrows, forged from flames that would burn everything to ash.