Vortex (3)
“This is Raizel. He’s my older brother,” I said, introducing him to the others. Thanks to my introduction, Raizel offered a greeting of his own.
“…Raizel.”
“So this is Lady Ruina’s real brother. Hmm.” Chris looked him up and down, then muttered, “So Lady Ruina originally had this kind of vibe?”
“Please stop trying to find my original form in my brother. For the record, I’m something of a mutant, so I don’t really resemble my family.”
“Well, even your hair color is completely different.”
Raizel had the common brown hair found all across the empire, while I possessed star-silver hair that resembled Star Silver. The differences started right there. Our appearances diverged even more; comparing my looks before the burns with Raizel’s current face made it impossible to believe we shared blood. We had almost nothing in common.
I recalled the past I shared with Raizel. He had left home roughly three years before I decided to run away. After that, all contact ceased. I assumed he had died on some battlefield, but apparently he had survived quite well.
“Raizel used to give me meat.”
“Did he?”
“He always carried me on his back. I miss that.”
As I reminisced and spoke, Raizel scratched his cheek.
“I did, back then.”
“What have you been doing all this time?”
“Me? Oh, I just wandered the world at my own pace…”
I glanced at him. The sword at his waist and his overall outfit screamed typical mercenary. My gaze drifted to his right hand. There were no calluses. If he had been working as a mercenary since he ran away, he would be a ten-year veteran by now, yet his hands were pristine. It seemed he really had just drifted along. Or perhaps he had only recently become a mercenary.
I asked him, “What brings you here, Raizel?”
“Me? Obviously the Toltpier dungeon.”
“I see.”
Well, that was probably the goal of most people staying in the Paltran Marquisate right now. Nothing unusual about it.
“You here for the dungeon too, Ruina?”
“Yes.”
“Looks like you just arrived. Want me to share some information?”
“Is that all right?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? I’m moving alone anyway, so I can do whatever I want.”
“Then please do.”
For the sake of smooth conversation, I adjusted my soundproofing magic. Not only would our voices not leak outside, but all external sounds were now completely blocked. In the suddenly quiet inn hall, Raizel began to speak.
“The dungeon is currently sealed by an incredibly powerful barrier. No one can get in.”
“I had heard that much.”
“So various factions are slowly gathering to break the barrier, and it’s turning into a real headache.”
“Because of where the dungeon was discovered?”
“It really was found in the most ambiguous spot possible.”
The location where Toltpier’s dungeon had appeared wasn’t clearly part of the marquisate, the empire, or the Beastman Kingdom. It was in such a vague position that it was hard to claim definitively. Because of that, no one could assert clear rights over it, and now hyenas from all sides were rushing in to exploit that opening.
“Soon enough, even other countries will be swarming in.”
“It’s going to be complete chaos.”
“I hear even the Maritime Kingdom is sending ships from afar.”
“It is Toltpier’s dungeon, after all. No need to hold back.”
If it had been some minor dungeon, everyone except the discovering nation would have backed off politely. But this was Toltpier’s dungeon. It was worth clashing over. Of course they would still maintain some superficial pretense since it wasn’t their territory, but pretense was just that—pretense. Whether they poked around openly or secretly, the poking was the same.
From the sound of things, the Paltran Marquisate was definitely going to become a battlefield soon. Which meant I needed to either obtain the Holy Grail before that happened or survive the coming hell…
I asked something I was curious about. “What is the Paltran Marquis doing right now?”
“Staying neutral. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem particularly eager to explore the dungeon himself.”
If the Paltran Marquisate was sitting out the dungeon exploration, only two things mattered now.
“What about the Beastman Kingdom?”
“They’ve already sent a ton of exploration teams. They’re working on breaking the barrier.”
“And the empire?”
“The Magic Tower is sending loads of people, and I saw imperial mages dispatched separately. I watched them moving around earlier.”
I had a rough idea now. I crossed my arms. To summarize, the Beastman Kingdom, the Magic Tower, and the imperial family had already sent large numbers of people, and soon other factions would be doing the same. In this situation, what was the smartest choice I could make?
“Jerry.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know how to break barriers?”
“I do know how. Don’t you as well, Lady Ruina?”
That was his way of saying we were the same, so stop asking pointless questions.
“What about you, Muran?”
“…Barriers aren’t exactly my specialty.”
“Chris?”
“Lady Ruina. I don’t know magic, remember?”
“I know.”
Noa would be the same, which meant none of us could actually deal with the barrier. Ferant? Would he know? Still, just in case, I looked at him.
“I’m sorry.”
As expected. I wasn’t even disappointed. In the end, a barrier was only the first line of defense. Structurally, it was impossible for a barrier alone to perfectly block enemies, so eventually it would be broken. Waiting would let us enter the dungeon, but the problem was this:
“Do you think we can win against so many factions when the time comes?”
“That’s unusually pessimistic coming from you, Lady Ruina.”
“I’m very good at objective self-assessment.”
Compared to the other groups, we lacked both numbers and combat strength. Honestly, our headcount was absolutely insufficient. Wasn’t it arrogant for a single individual to even think about defeating organizations?
I scratched my forehead. What should we do? That was when Leon spoke quietly.
“How about investigating the dungeon first?”
Investigate first, huh. I thought for a moment, then nodded. As Leon said, sitting here worrying wasn’t going to produce any sharp ideas. Who knows? Maybe if we went to the dungeon we might find a gap in the barrier.
I answered slowly. “Let’s do that.”
Toltpier’s dungeon was buried at the foot of a mountain. Even that description wasn’t entirely accurate. A more precise way to put it was that the entire mountain wasToltpier’s dungeon. That was closer to the truth.
“It’s amazing it only got discovered now.”
“Right?”
The dungeon boasted an absolutely enormous scale. That was exactly why there were multiple entrances, and also why the Paltran Marquisate had chosen to remain neutral and abstain from exploration. It was simply too massive to control, so they decided not to exhaust themselves from the start.
I carefully examined one of the newly discovered entrances. I could feel the barrier. It was solid and organic—clearly not something that would break easily. Still, it was worth a try.
I held the lantern forward. A mouth and teeth formed within the flame, and the fire escaped the lantern to bite at the barrier ahead.
Crack!
Sparks flew as the flame’s teeth met the barrier. Then—
Crunch.
The teeth shattered. Predation only worked if it could devour something. If it couldn’t eat, neither predation nor digestion had any meaning. If it could consume even the tiniest amount, the barrier would probably break easily after that, but obtaining even that tiny amount was no ordinary task.
As expected of an 8th-circle archmage’s barrier. Even after hundreds of years, it remained rock-solid.
“Roaring Wheel.”
“True Lightning.”
“Spirit Heaven.”
The others attacked the barrier as well, but the results were negligible. I had harbored some slight hope when Muran sprinkled her potion, but it was the same. Nothing happened.
I pondered. Should I use Steel?
There were several ways to break a barrier. The most peaceful and standard method was to analyze its structure and drive mana wedges into its weak points to collapse it. However, that required deep understanding of the barrier. One had to be a barrier specialist. That was why most mages chose the following approach.
Hit it with magic so powerful the barrier couldn’t withstand it.
I was intensely curious whether my Steel could be endured by Toltpier’s barrier or not.
I scanned the surroundings. Perhaps because it was a remote entrance, no one else was around. In that case—
“Everyone, step back.”
“Lady Ruina is about to do something!”
“Run, everyone!”
The ground rumbled as trees burst upward, weaving together into a colossal dozens-of-meters-tall body. Thick trunks formed a half-finished dragon covered in flames, with incomplete wings, arms, and horns. The half-dragon roared. Flames gathered in its maw—then a blinding red light pierced the world.
In the world that had returned to normal, I clicked my tongue softly.
“No good.”
“What the hell was that just now?”
“Magic.”
The entire party stood there with their mouths hanging open. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had shown them Steel. I dismissed it and muttered, “So brute force won’t work.”
“Don’t you have any stronger magic?”
“I don’t.”
I wasn’t a jack-in-the-box; I couldn’t just keep pulling out new things forever. I rolled my eyes. We were back to square one. That left two options: wait quietly until someone else broke the barrier, or join a group that looked like they could break it. I hated both. Was there really no other way?
I frowned deeply, lost in thought.
“Using magic like that in a public place. How careless.”
I looked up. A man leading a large group was approaching me. He said,
“What would you have done if something had gone wrong?”
“What kind of problem?”
“The dungeon collapsing, for example.”
“Then the barrier would be broken, so that would be good.”
“I suppose that’s true. Are you unaffiliated?”
The man suddenly asked about my affiliation. Unable to read his intentions, I blinked. He continued.
“My name is Barzet. I’m a mercenary. I’ll be direct. Would you consider exploring the dungeon with us?”
“I’m Ruina. What mutual benefit would there be if I joined you, Sir Barzet?”
“Good question. We would gain a high-ranking mage, and you would gain the opportunity to enter the dungeon.”
“Are you confident you can break the barrier?”
“We have a specialist.”
I glanced at my companions. I was asking for their opinions, but most of them wore similar expressions: ‘Let’s put it on hold for now.’
I turned back to Barzet. “Please give me time to think.”
“One day. Decide within one day.”
“Understood.”
At that, Barzet examined the barrier once more before leaving with his group. I watched him go, recalling the last look on his face. Those eyes gleaming with naked desire were burned clearly into my mind.
Barzet, huh. It seemed I would need to look into him.