Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Wild Hunt
-----------------------------------------------------------------
About half a day after Ignatus had fallen into his once-in-a-millennium slumber...
—————!!
A familiar roar echoing through the dead of night jolted me awake.
An endless reverberation, like something crawling up from the depths of a bottomless pit. A demonic allure that instinctively stirred primal human fear and revulsion.
I'd heard it only once before, but it was a sound I could never forget.
"Shit."
And for good reason—that cry just now had been the scream of the Death Dragon Morteus.
The moment I sat up, I habitually checked my condition out of habit. Nothing seemed amiss. In fact, thanks to the short nap I'd just had, my body felt in peak form.
Still, just to be safe, I opened the window and peered outside.
"We're really fucked."
In the distance, I could see the magical barrier rippling. It was the anti-undead defensive spell installed on the Magic Tower.
As I clicked my tongue in annoyance, the door flew open with a bang not long after.
Kwaang!
"Young Lord!"
"You're up, Karen. Well, yeah. No one could sleep through that racket."
"This isn't the time for jokes! You need to get to safety right now!"
"...What?"
"I don't know the reason, but the Wild Hunt—which was supposed to happen much later—has restarted after just ten days! It's definitely some kind of anomaly!"
"Figures. Just like that dungeon overflow in the south kicking off again after a year."
"This isn't the time to stay calm! You must leave this place and head somewhere safe immediately!"
"No, I plan to fight as much as I can. Ignatus had breakfast and went to sleep, so he'll wake up around sunrise. If we hold out until then, we'll be good."
I clenched and unclenched my fists, circulating my aura. The last traces of sleepiness vanished completely, and my mind sharpened.
That let me grasp the current situation crystal clear.
But Karen apparently saw things a bit differently.
"We have no idea what might happen! And Patriarch, you're not the lord of this land. There's no need for you to take unnecessary risks here..."
"Karen, Karen."
I called her name in a low voice. Then I clapped my palm over her lips.
The soft give of her cheeks and the smooth touch of her lips came through my hand. I spoke to Karen, who had finally gone quiet.
"If we run, where to?"
"...Mmph?"
"We got here in one teleport. I don't know the way back."
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Yeah, yeah. We could ask the senior mages left in the tower to teleport us to Zahav... But what's the point?"
"Mmph?"
Karen blinked at me. I chuckled at her now-settled expression and let go of her mouth.
"Simple. The Magic Tower can't beat the Wild Hunt on its own. They might hold until dawn... but they might not."
"...It's unfortunate, but that has nothing to do with House Zahav."
"Short-sighted, Karen. Well, you did say you've lived almost your whole life in Zahav. Remember this: the south isn't the whole world."
Let's consider the worst-case scenario.
Whether because they'd burned through most of their stockpiled resources stopping the Wild Hunt just ten days ago, or because they lacked the power without Ignatus, or just plain bad luck...
If the Magic Tower fails to properly contain this Wild Hunt, what happens?
Obviously, that barrier shatters, Morteus and hordes of undead crawl out of the pit, and flood into the continent.
Ignatus, blissfully asleep and oblivious, would lose his life in the process...
And the dead Ignatus would rise as a new Bone Dragon, joining the Wild Hunt.
Could the Empire stop a Wild Hunt with two Bone Dragons, when even one was a handful?
Maybe. In this world where power flows through bloodlines themselves, the imperial family's might must be formidable.
But there'd be massive casualties for sure. A weakened Zahav would stagger right along with them.
And if even the Empire fails to stop the Wild Hunt in time?
That would be the absolute worst of the worst.
The Wild Hunt carries an immense aura of death, turning its victims into undead that join its ranks.
That's why they used inanimate dragon lances instead of knights, and why Ignatus himself stepped in if needed—to avoid any casualties.
In other words, a Wild Hunt that slips its containment window becomes a continental catastrophe.
A Bone Dragon at the vanguard, past heroes continuing their unfinished battles, devouring not just the Magic Tower's mages but all the brave souls of this era who stand against it—a legion of death.
"The continent would belong to the dead. The living would have to cower and hide... Zahav couldn't survive that."
Block the dungeon and the undead army? Even ignoring elemental matchups, we just don't have the capacity.
"And eventually, all the calamities the four grand dukes had been holding back would break free... Then Tragodea, sealed away undying, would awaken."
Unlike a thousand years ago, this continent has no power to stand against Tragodea if he descends again.
In the end, this world would meet the most tragic conclusion.
Obviously, my dream of being reincarnated into a fantasy world—wandering around, blowing through my secret funds on an exiled life of luxury—would go up in smoke.
"...That's a bit of a leap, Patriarch."
"Not really. You read me the continent's history yourself since I can't read yet. Know what I thought while listening?"
"What did you think?"
"Precarious. That's all that came to mind."
In my past life on Earth, 'crisis' meant running into a crazy mugger at worst, or some freak accident threatening your life.
Even imagining the most horrific outcome, maybe nuclear war wiping out humanity?
But nukes have no will of their own, and those who can launch them know the risks well.
This world, though?
A world that should have ended a thousand years ago, barely propped up by heroes and gods pooling their power.
Four calamities, any one of which could ruin the continent, and one in the east has already broken free long ago.
Luckily or not, its whereabouts are a mystery...
"You know? If you look at recent history in broad strokes, after House Calypso was wiped out and the eastern calamity escaped... dungeon overflows have gotten shorter, and Wild Hunts more irregular."
"...Pardon?"
"Sure, it might just be correlation, not causation. But like I said, we're considering the worst."
One calamity that could doom the continent with bad luck got loose. And now another one here?
"The continent as a whole might hold, but the Empire? No way."
Maybe because the changes crept in slowly over time. Or because they've grown numb living so close to ancient sealed disasters.
Karen—and most people I've met in this world—often forget they're miraculously surviving on the brink of extinction.
Well, I'm not seriously planning to avert every apocalypse myself.
But as long as nothing happens while I'm alive, that's enough.
"... "
Karen pursed her lips, lost in thought at my words.
Taking advantage, I grabbed her now extra-pouty cheeks and stretched them wide, grinning.
"And you said it yourself, right?"
"...Wh-what'd I sayyy?"
"A noble's duty is to protect the people from external threats."
"Ah."
I spoke in a flat tone to Karen, whose eyes had gone wide.
"The world's not full of truly complicated matters. They just seem that way—most are simple at heart."
A powerful enemy has invaded, and my new friend is fast asleep.
Fortunately, holding out until morning solves everything.
Not some ultra-tough transparent dragon... but a refreshed baby dragon after a good nap will handle it somehow.
But if we panic and turn tail for no reason, everything could collapse.
"So obviously, we hold the line here, right?"
"... "
Karen pondered for a moment, then straightened her clothes.
She returned to her usual prim attire and expressionless face, bowing her head.
"My apologies, Patriarch. While my role is to prioritize your safety, I was indeed short-sighted."
"Good, good. Lesson learned."
"So, what are your orders from here? I don't think the tower's system suits you..."
"Gotta go out and see first."
Their manual assumes burning through dragon lances, which doesn't mesh well with me having to fight up close.
But where is this? The continent's one and only Magic Tower.
In other words, some of the smartest people in the world are gathered here.
"Maybe the mages will figure something out."
I shrugged and stepped out of the room. Karen naturally followed half a step behind.
As we headed toward the main gate, the sounds of battle grew louder. Morteus's intermittent roars mixed with screams.
We passed busy mages sprinting about and their young apprentices providing support, arriving at the gate.
That was when I saw it.
■■■■■■——!!
Morteus thrashing against searing chains infused with Ignatus's mana, and mages bombarding the bone-shattering undead slamming the barrier.
Hey, they're holding up better than I thought?
The thought crossed my mind unbidden. Then, a bit higher up—the old mage I'd seen installing Thanatos's bed magic circle.
Ignatus's top disciple, basically in charge of the tower right now, spat up blood.
"Cough!"
And the chains binding Morteus slackened.
Yeah, I get it now. Those chains must be the magic artifact Ignatus mentioned, prepped for times he's away.
The anti-Morteus tool deemed a failure due to its finicky conditions.
And right now, it was proving exactly why it was a failure.
"Tch."
Clicking my tongue, I slid up the tower's outer wall like it was nothing, heading for the terrace-like spot above.
"Gahk! Wh-who...?"
Ignatus's chief disciple stared like he'd seen a ghost, but calmed once he recognized my face.
"...Duke Zahav. This place is dangerous."
"Seems dangerous everywhere."
I shrugged and looked straight ahead. The battlefield lay in full view. This must be the command post, coordinating all the tower's magic.
A quick glance back confirmed it: complex magic artifacts, and other elders busily pouring out mana to assist the chief disciple.
"No time to waste, so straight to it. How long can you hold that thing?"
"If this old man gives it everything, about an hour."
"Is that artifact something only you can use?"
I pointed at the ring on his finger spewing intense heat and mana. He shook his head.
"No. All of Master's disciples deemed skilled enough can use it... though not for long."
"I see. It can suppress Morteus briefly, but the strain's too much for anyone to endure."
The mana flow was so intense, even I—who knows little about magic—could tell.
That ring was just a gauge or key.
The real artifact generating the chains was the Magic Tower itself.
"What if other elders take turns using it?"
"We could hold until Master awakens... but what we're up against is the Wild Hunt, not just Morteus."
"So, full power lets you pin Morteus till dawn, but you can't handle the other undead."
"Correct."
"Good."
"...Pardon?"
I flashed a grin at the man blinking in confusion, as if doubting what he'd heard.
"Open the barrier. Not all the way—just enough for one person to slip through."
"What do you...?"
"The remaining undead, excluding Morteus? I'll handle them."
"I-impossible! Even for Duke Zahav, how could you alone face that many undead...?"
"You know? They say bullying is House Zahav's specialty."
...Well, I'm not Zahav.