The Key to Tolpierre's Dungeon
I moved with Barzet to a private room. Fwoosh. The soundproofing magic activated, and Barzet, settled comfortably in a chair, pulled out a cigar. He lit it and turned to me with a question.
“It feels ridiculous to ask this now, but that thing you showed us before—that was your unique magic, right?”
“Naturally.”
“Good.”
The corner of Barzet’s mouth curved upward. He seemed pleased by the addition of such powerful support, but I cut straight to the important matter.
“How exactly do you plan to release the barrier?”
“The barrier, huh.”
Barzet tapped the armrest. He was lost in thought. After a moment, he spoke slowly.
“It won’t be easy to tell you that. It’s essentially everything I possess. To be blunt, you and I only met for the first time recently. Trusting each other would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”
“If you can’t trust someone, wouldn’t it make more sense not to bring them onto the team in the first place?”
“Hmm.”
Barzet stroked his chin. My words seemed to carry some weight. He continued in a measured tone.
“Since we’ve already decided to work together, it comes down to either trusting or not trusting. That’s reasonable enough.”
“So how do you release the barrier?”
“How much do you know about Tolpierre?”
“As much as the average person.”
The eccentric alchemist’s legacy was so enormous that traces of it were carved across the entire world. Most people knew quite a lot about him, and I was no exception. At the very least, I didn’t know any less than the rest.
At my answer, Barzet’s lips moved.
“Tolpierre was a grand mage, but at his core he was an alchemist. Someone who spent his life endlessly creating things in his workshop.”
“That’s true.”
“So after he vanished, many people wondered: somewhere in this world, might his workshop still remain? A place where all the legacy and knowledge he gained right up until his final moments had been gathered?”
“And that’s what the dungeon is?”
It was true that among all the theories about Tolpierre, the dungeon hypothesis was the most common. To live in seclusion one needed a base, and a base created by an eighth-circle grand mage would be extraordinary. That was the usual line of reasoning.
But Barzet shook his head at my words.
“No. It’s a little different.”
“In what way?”
“People think this dungeon is simply a base he built for everyday living, but I see it differently.”
“Why?”
“Because Tolpierre was an eccentric. A completely mad mage.”
That… was actually a very convincing reason.
“Tolpierre committed countless bizarre acts, but every single one of them can be summed up with one word: ‘romance.’ Even after becoming a grand mage, he lived while clinging to the dreams of his childhood.”
“Creating a floating island in the sky would be impossible without carrying such dreams in your heart.”
“He made so many things. And every last one of them came straight out of stories. Therefore, that dungeon is the same. It isn’t a simple hideout. It’s a genuine ‘dungeon’ that Tolpierre deliberately created with the express purpose of making a dungeon—one that future generations would discover and excavate.”
As I listened, I realized Barzet possessed an impressive depth of knowledge about Tolpierre. His interpretation was unique, too. Honestly, the idea that Tolpierre was a Peter Pan who couldn’t let go of his childhood dreams even after living for hundreds of years was something I had never heard before. Had he been chasing Tolpierre from the very beginning?
My gaze must have been a little too obvious. Barzet gave a faint smile.
“If you’re going to aim for a single big score, shouldn’t it at least be the legacy of a grand mage?”
“So you’ve had your eyes on Tolpierre’s dungeon for a long time.”
“More than ten years. For ten years I chased after him. And then—”
Tap. Barzet set something on the table and continued.
“I reaped the reward.”
It was an unusual structure. Small cubes connected endlessly in a peculiar shape. It looked exactly like a key.
The moment I saw it, I understood.
“That’s the key for releasing the barrier.”
“A magic tool left behind by Tolpierre to undo the barrier of his own dungeon. If you trace his life’s work, you’ll naturally come across it.”
“I’m impressed.”
What surprised me wasn’t the existence of the tool itself, but the fact that Barzet had obtained it. Tolpierre was a grand mage. An alchemist, no less. Every time one of his creations surfaced, entire nations trembled. Naturally, countless people were obsessed with him. The Magic Tower and various countries competed fiercely to track him down, yet a mere mercenary had beaten them all. That required more than ordinary tenacity and skill.
“I was lucky.”
“Luck is a kind of skill.”
“It helped that others failed to truly understand him. They only licked the surface and never thought to dig into his heart.”
I had wondered how he planned to release the barrier, but I never imagined he would possess an actual key left behind by Tolpierre himself. It was beyond anything I had considered.
Come to think of it—
“Didn’t you say there was an expert?”
“An expert? Of course. He’s right in front of you.”
“So you meant a Tolpierre expert, not a barrier expert.”
“You really should listen to people until they finish speaking.”
Well, it wasn’t that important. I let it slide.
“Then are we entering the dungeon immediately?”
“Not yet. The key can be used right away, but timing is crucial.”
Timing? What kind of timing?
When I tilted my head, Barzet raised a finger.
“Using this key will make the barrier disappear. But only in the immediate vicinity. The effect lasts roughly one minute.”
“That’s short.”
“Exactly. If we use it properly, only we will enter the dungeon while everyone else is left like dogs chasing chickens. We need to pick the perfect moment when no other eyes are watching.”
“I understand.”
In short, he wanted to seize a moment when only our group stood at the dungeon entrance.
“The problem is that once the barrier is released, the entire thing weakens. That’s why we must conquer the dungeon as quickly as possible before others break through the weakened barrier.”
“So that’s why you hired me.”
Even if we entered first, it would be pointless if we couldn’t clear it and the latecomers stole the rewards. He had approached me because I appeared to be an unaffiliated high-circle mage. Of course I was unaffiliated, but I wasn’t actually high-circle. Still, the important part was the impression. The effect was close enough to hiring a true high mage, so there was no real issue.
“You won’t drag things out too long, will you?”
“Of course not. I intend to enter the dungeon within three days at the latest.”
“Understood.”
Three days. I counted the remaining time in my head and spoke.
“Let me know when preparations are complete.”
*
“A key? I had no idea such a thing existed.”
“I was surprised too.”
I sat with my companions at the inn ranked number one for surprising stays—not some franchise chain, but The Place Where the Wind Stays—and we chatted comfortably. I shared everything I had learned from Barzet. After listening to it all, Leon stroked his lips thoughtfully. A moment later he spoke.
“If that’s the case, his confidence makes perfect sense.”
“You were suspicious of him?”
“At first, yes.”
It seemed Leon had been doubting Barzet the entire time. That was only natural. After all, a mere mercenary had boldly declared he would release a grand mage’s barrier. Doubting his ability was the first thing anyone should do.
“Lady Ruina. Lady Ruina.”
“Yes?”
“What about me?”
“Good question. Hmm… perhaps you could do some business?”
“It feels like my treatment has become rather harsh lately, hasn’t it?”
What could I do? Leon coin was about to hit its peak price, so it was time to start liquidating Chris coin.
“Speaking of which, have you abandoned the plan to use me for your business ventures?”
“Not at all? It’s still in progress.”
“There haven’t been any results, though.”
“Lady Ruina, this is a long-term project. We make people develop affection for you, then turn that affection into profit. The play was well-made, so we should start seeing some bites soon.”
“Good luck.”
I wondered how much money had been poured into that merchandise business. I might as well write it off as gone. Honestly, my fight with the Evil God’s priest had been several months ago. It was unlikely that interest still lingered. Cold stares would surely follow soon, so Chris had better prepare herself mentally.
I drank the honey wine in one go. Sweetness spread through my mouth and my body grew pleasantly limp. It felt good.
“Still, it can’t hurt to investigate a little more, just to be safe.”
“There’s no downside to caution. I’ll look into Barzet myself. Leon, please investigate the other factions.”
“Understood.”
“Sir Leon! Sir Jerry! I’ll help too!”
“Then Miss Chris, please stay with Leon.”
Listening to their conversation, I put a pipe between my lips. I watched the smoke drift toward the ceiling for a while, then stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“For a walk.”
I gave Noa a vague reply and left the inn, stepping out into the street.
There were people everywhere. With Tolpierre’s dungeon drawing so much attention it was only natural, but crowds always gave me a headache. It wasn’t pleasant.
Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone just stayed shut inside their houses? That would be perfect.
Huu. I exhaled smoke and spoke.
“Sir Ferant, Raizel—why are you following me?”
“Huh? Are we not allowed?”
“It’s not that you’re not allowed… never mind, it’s fine. What about you, Raizel?”
“I got worried seeing you wander off alone.”
“Do I look like a child to you?”
What ridiculous people. I tapped out the pipe to extinguish it and continued down the street.
I had told the others it was a walk, but if I was being honest, it was mostly because I was bored. I had hoped to wander the marquisate and find something to kill time with, but perhaps that had been naïve.
There was nowhere interesting in the entire marquisate. Or rather, there were places, but every single one had closed its doors. What did Tolpierre’s dungeon have to do with a chess club that they’d shut down?
I sighed. With nothing better to do, I decided to head back to the inn and drink until I couldn’t stand.
—Right then, someone came flying at me. I dodged.
With a loud crash, the wolf beastman who had fallen in front of me stood up and roared.
“You damn crow bastard, how dare you!”
Crow. The moment I heard the word, I glanced sideways. My eyes met a pair of black ones. The crow beastman lifted one corner of his mouth in a rather ominous smile.
I muttered to myself.
These guys came all the way for Tolpierre’s dungeon and instead of behaving themselves, they’re causing trouble. Well, that’s beasts for you.