Chapter 38
Chapter 38
The place we followed the lord to was a tower on the western side of the main castle.
According to Noah Rohaim, the magic portal gate was an extremely important device, so it was hidden inside the tower.
For something that important, the security seems rather lax.
There was no one guarding the tower, and the door didn’t even have a lock.
Instead, intricate patterns were carved all over the door. Even at a glance, they didn’t look ordinary.
Standing before it, Calix Krauvel lightly cut the tip of his finger with a dagger.
Then he let a drop of blood fall onto the patterns carved on the door.
Thud—
The moment the blood touched it, the heavy door opened with a deep rumble.
Inside was another door, which was unlocked in the same way.
It’s a magical locking mechanism.
The sight was fascinating, but it also sent a chill down my spine.
Why did they design it so the lock could only be opened with blood?
“Come in.”
Calix Krauvel entered first, and we followed behind him.
Inside the tower, there was nothing except an arched gate-like structure.
That arch must be the magic portal device.
Standing before the gate, Calix Krauvel took out a fist-sized red gemstone.
Isn’t that the same thing that the cultist man in District 9 had?
It was much larger than the one he carried, but the shape and color were similar.
“Sir Rohaim, is that Arcana?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Then was the thing the man dropped when he collided with me also Arcana?
No way.
Arcana was incredibly expensive. There was no way someone would handle it that carelessly.
It must have been something else that merely looked similar.
When Calix Krauvel inserted the fist-sized Arcana into the slot at the center of the gate, a bright flash erupted and a heavy vibration filled the air.
Soon, light began flowing into each of the symbols carved on the gate. Blue and red lights overlapped, and the space inside the gate slowly distorted.
Like a mirror submerged in water, the surface warped—and then a completely different landscape appeared beyond it.
“It seems to be activated. I’ll go first.”
Noah Rohaim bowed slightly to Calix Krauvel and stepped into the portal.
His body fragmented like a mosaic—and then vanished completely.
Wow. It’s like watching a movie.
The sight was so astonishing that I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Thinking that I would experience the same thing made my heart race, and my palms grew sweaty.
“Your turn.”
“Ah, yes!”
Clutching my luggage tightly, I cautiously stepped into the portal.
I imagined it would feel like being sucked into water, but I felt nothing at all. It was no different from normal walking.
What? The magic portal isn’t anything special—
“…Huh?”
Instead of disappearing like Noah Rohaim, I simply walked out the other side of the gate.
My eyes blinked rapidly in confusion.
“What? Why did she just pass through the portal?”
“That’s strange. I’ve never seen anything like this…”
The officials who came with us murmured among themselves.
Even Calix Krauvel looked slightly taken aback, raising an eyebrow.
“Try again.”
“Ah, yes.”
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the portal again.
But the result was the same.
Since people said things should be tried three times, I attempted it once more—but nothing changed.
What’s going on?
Is there something wrong with me?
Feeling uneasy, I clenched my hands tightly.
“Viscount Gordon. You try entering.”
“Understood.”
When Viscount Gordon stepped into the portal, his body shattered like Noah Rohaim’s had—and disappeared without a trace.
“The magic portal is functioning normally.”
Calix Krauvel frowned as he looked at me.
“Then why do you simply pass through it?”
How would I know?
Today was the first time I had even seen a magic portal, let alone entered one.
I shook my head to indicate I truly had no idea.
Calix Krauvel let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
“Send word to Marquis Smith that an unexpected problem has arisen.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The official who received the order quickly left the tower.
“Aileen, you go outside as well.”
“Ah, yes!”
Just as I was about to leave the tower—
“Where do you think you’re going? You should be coming this way.”
A chilling voice sounded.
Someone suddenly grabbed the back of my neck and yanked hard.
“Ah—!”
My balance collapsed instantly, and my body tilted toward the portal.
Calix Krauvel, who happened to be approaching the gate, quickly grabbed my arm.
But the force pulling me from behind was too strong.
In the end, we both fell toward the magic portal gate.
Flash—
A blinding burst of light exploded outward, completely enveloping Calix and me.
As the world turned pure white, the only thing I could feel was the firm grip of his hand holding my arm.
The hand that had violently grabbed the back of my neck had already vanished.
Strangely, the way he held on so tightly—like he had no intention of letting go—felt reassuring.
After a moment, the white light faded and my vision gradually returned.
The first people I saw were Noah Rohaim and Viscount Milan, who had entered the portal earlier.
“You’ve finally arrived, Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
Behind them stood several unfamiliar men.
Among them, a middle-aged man who looked the most distinguished smiled kindly at me.
“Welcome to Nubiar, Miss Aileen.”
[Main Quest Complete.]
At that moment, a system window appeared before my eyes.
[2-1. Quest Success! You will receive 10,000 points as a reward.]
Judging from the quest notification, we had indeed arrived in Nubiar.
Why did it suddenly count as complete?
Still slightly dazed, I looked at the magic portal gate.
[2-2. Investigate the cause of the Raed River flooding in Nubiar.]
[Reward: 30,000p]
While I was still thinking, the next Main Quest appeared.
Once again, it was related to Nubiar.
The reward is much better than Chapter 1.
Which probably meant the quest would be more difficult.
Considering how things had progressed so far, the Chapter 2 quests would likely take place here in Nubiar.
Will I be able to finish them before returning to Belheim?
If I failed, the remaining quests would all incur penalties.
I prayed desperately that such a disaster wouldn’t happen.
“How many days do you plan to stay, Your Grace the Grand Duke?”
While Aileen was lost in her thoughts, Calix Krauvel conversed with the Smith Marquis.
“Well. About a week, perhaps.”
“What? Only a week?”
The Smith Marquis asked in shock.
“One week seems far too short to identify the cause of the Raed River flooding and find a solution.”
“Shouldn’t you have already discovered the cause yourselves?”
Calix asked with a cynical smile.
“We came only to propose a solution.”
The marquis fell silent, unable to respond. The officials of Nubiar also watched the situation nervously.
“It’s amusing that you expect us to find the cause and solution when even you, who’ve lived here for decades, couldn’t.”
“Well, that is…”
The marquis tried to make an excuse, but Calix raised a hand to stop him.
“Ten days. That’s the absolute maximum.”
“Th-Thank you.”
The Smith Marquis, who had managed to gain three additional days, sighed in relief.
Yet he also smiled bitterly, saddened by the humiliation of having to behave so submissively.
“I’d like to rest for today.”
“…Pardon?”
Since they had traveled by portal, there should have been no fatigue.
The marquis and officials, who had intended to start discussing countermeasures immediately, looked confused.
“What’s wrong? Surely you weren’t planning to make your guests work the moment they arrived.”
“Ah, no, of course not…”
“Then show us to our rooms. You’ve prepared them, haven’t you?”
“…Of course. I’ll guide you there immediately.”
Knowing he could never change Calix’s mind, the marquis gave up early.
“Aileen.”
“Ah.”
Aileen, who had been lost in her thoughts, let out a small sound and looked at him.
“Let’s go rest.”
“I’m not particularly tired, so I’m fine. Instead, could I see the records of the Raed River flooding?”
At her unexpected request, the faces of the Smith Marquis and the officials brightened.
“Of course! We’ll show them to you immediately!”
Calix, however, frowned.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at Aileen.
Though the look seemed to reprimand her for acting on her own, Aileen forced herself to ignore the chill running down her spine.
They only had ten days in Nubiar.
If she wanted to complete all the Main Quests within that time, she couldn’t afford to waste even a single minute or second.