Chapter 104
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104
It happened in an instant. A massive boulder, like a fragment of a meteor, came hurtling down from the sky.
It struck just as Ar and his followers reached the vicinity of the magic tower.
The boulder announced its arrival with a brilliant flash, tearing straight through the middle floors of the tower. As if that wasn't enough, it plowed onward, reducing the residential district behind it to utter ruin.
Smoke and debris shot dozens of meters into the air. The sheer destructive power was on a scale reminiscent of the Dragon Language magic, Star Fall.
And then, the upper section of the magic tower, its support obliterated, began to slowly tilt.
The tip of the collapsing structure was falling directly toward Ar and his group.
The magic scholars, who had been trailing Ar with their hoods pulled low, drew their staffs in a desperate response to the delayed thunder of the explosion. Some, deciding their robes would only hinder them, flung them aside and assumed proper casting stances.
Standing over a hundred meters away, they were safe from being crushed, but the real threat was the impending shockwave.
Rumbleeeee!
A colossal dust storm swept over them as the magic tower collapsed. Within the blinding cloud, tens of thousands of sharp fragments erupted outward like shrapnel.
"Block it!" a magic scholar screamed.
Though they belonged to the Third Eye—a group that cultivated an air of mystique, cloaked in robes—their panic in this life-or-death moment made them no different from any ordinary human.
Countless barriers manifested in rapid succession, layering over one another to meet the onslaught of debris head-on. Though they seemed to hold at first glance, the barriers were tearing apart and reforming by the second.
Ten agonizing seconds passed.
Once the immediate crisis subsided, a gust of wind magic swept away the lingering dust and smoke.
There were no casualties.
However, a few stray fragments had pierced the final barrier, leaving everyone with minor cuts and scrapes.
Blood trickled down Ar’s cheek, but his expression remained entirely blank, his eyes narrowed as he stared straight ahead.
Only after the dust storm settled and the thunderous echoes died down did Sturman speak.
"It has begun."
This was devastation beyond what even the masters of the other Great Evil Caves could unleash. Worse, this wasn't the result of a full-powered battle.
He was simply destroying the city on a whim.
With a single swing of his arm, thousands of lives had vanished in an instant.
There was no way to resist or escape this death. It was, without a doubt, a disaster.
"Captain, do you think Swallow might have spotted us?" Sturman asked, his voice laced with anxiety.
Ar gave a slight nod.
"The possibility cannot be ruled out, but…"
Ar—and indeed, all of humanity—knew next to nothing about Swallow. As Sturman suggested, perhaps the creature possessed extraordinary vision and had picked them out.
But.
"If that were the case, he would have used a far more efficient method."
This attack shattered Ar's core premise:
Swallow has descended upon the human settlement with a specific purpose, so he will avoid unnecessary destruction.
Now that this assumption lay in tatters, if Swallow had indeed spotted them, he would have used a much more decisive method to eliminate them.
"He likely hasn't noticed us yet."
Boom!
As if to validate Ar's prediction, the sound of another building collapsing echoed from afar. Judging by the direction, it was undoubtedly the Subjugation Agency.
"..."
A vast crowd would have gathered there, yet no human voices reached them.
It was impossible to tell if the deafening explosions had swallowed their screams, or if they had died before they could even utter a sound.
The only viable response was to flee this disaster-stricken land as quickly as possible.
"Is our progress affected?" Ar asked.
A magic scholar, who had been reading the mana of the earth, replied, "Only the upper floors of the building collapsed. The lower levels are intact, and the flow of mana remains stable. It won't affect the construction of the temporary hub."
"Then let us make haste."
The moment the words left his mouth, the magic scholars set to work. Sweeping the ground clean with magic, drawing foundational magic circles, and shaping the temporary hub—everything proceeded with seamless efficiency.
Spurred by survival instincts, these magic scholars were geniuses in their own right. They merely concealed their identities and refrained from displaying their true capabilities; in truth, every member of the Third Eye possessed skills bordering on those of a Sage.
In less than a minute, they reported that the temporary hub was complete.
Unlike standard teleportation hubs, which had a mechanical, structured appearance, this one possessed a fluid, shifting form.
"Deputy Ar, we require more time. Just as a standard hub stores mana within its crystals, we must accumulate mana within this temporary hub."
"How long?"
"...Ten minutes, at the very least."
"Ten minutes…"
A shadow fell over Ar's face.
Their plan was a series of tightly interlocking gears; if even one tooth slipped, the entire mechanism would grind to a halt or spin out of control. They had just hit that critical snag.
He turned his gaze to Sturman.
"How much time do we have left?"
"...About five minutes."
The reply came in a hesitant voice.
Less than five minutes remained until Uin was scheduled to cross over to Knecht.
If things continue like this…
He could not possibly leave Uin to fend for herself. The moment she arrived in Knecht, he would have to drag her back with him, no matter what.
Knowing Uin Historia's character, she would never quietly turn back and abandon a ruined Knecht.
She would try to fight.
She would throw herself into the fray, prepared to die to stop the threat. Hadn't she already proven that beyond a doubt in Riaze?
Because Uin Historia was a Hero.
She had been indoctrinated to think that way, and the foolish sense of justice she had absorbed reigned supreme over all her other beliefs.
"We've been cornered," Ar said flatly.
If they were forced to stay because of Uin, they would be utterly trapped.
"Captain."
Sensing Ar's dilemma, Sturman spoke up, his voice grave.
"...Please, give me the order to return to the teleportation hub."
Normally, when using a teleportation hub, the traveler materialized directly in front of the destination hub.
Uin Historia would inevitably appear right at that spot—the very spot currently guarded by the Blade Maid. This was one of the reasons Ar had been so desperate to return to Riaze before Uin even departed.
If Uin arrived, a clash with the Blade Maid was inevitable. Honestly, Ar couldn't even begin to guess who would emerge victorious.
But it certainly wouldn't be a quick fight. And if Swallow noticed the commotion and intervened, Uin would die without question.
"I already felt a heavy burden leaving my post to Sir Green. Allow me to take full responsibility and bring Uin Historia back."
Sturman looked around as he spoke. No one was approaching the collapsed magic tower. No sane person would willingly draw near a place where unknown dangers lurked.
"Sir Sturman, I have no habit of repeating myself."
"Captain."
"...I have always held your capabilities in high regard. Do not disappoint me."
"But—"
"Ten minutes from now should be more than enough."
Sturman looked up, trying to read Ar's face.
It was far from bright and certainly didn't shine with hope. The captain's expression remained as grim as ever, yet Sturman bowed his head deeply, his own composure unshaken.
"I, too, know that it is not yet my time to die."
*
Gwyn was the one who always stood by Ar's side as his personal guard. Though Sturman sometimes joined them, as he did today, he was always second in priority.
Ar Edelbreas Galf Rivisten.
He was a man who pursued his ideals with mechanical precision. Sturman knew all too well that Ar's emotions had never once overridden his reason.
In short, he was utterly immune to personal sentiment.
That Gwyn had been chosen as Ar's primary guard meant that, all things considered, Gwyn was simply the superior protector.
Sturman had never witnessed Gwyn's true strength, but Ar's words from earlier confirmed one thing: Gwyn was likely stronger than Sturman himself.
He was not a man who would fall easily.
—These were the thoughts that occupied Sturman's mind as he sprinted back toward the hub.
"...Ah."
Sturman came to a halt, a faint, hollow sound escaping his lips. He stood frozen for a moment before forcing his feet forward once more, taking slow, heavy steps.
The landscape was devastated. The ground was violently fractured and thrust upward, as if the earth itself had gained consciousness and gone on a rampage. The air was bone-dry, smelling of a recent, violent tempest.
He raised his head.
Two silhouettes stood before the hub.
With the sky darkening, it was difficult to make them out.
He drew closer.
The two figures seemed to merge into one.
One was swinging its arms in a frantic, repetitive motion. The other… lay sprawled on the ground, impossible to identify.
He took a few more steps forward. The figure swinging its arms came into focus first.
It was the Blade Maid.
Then the other one is…
If he took just a few more steps, the identity of the fallen figure would become clear.
Yet, Sturman did the exact opposite. He took a step back.
Because even with the briefest thought, he already knew exactly who it was.
Having finished her butchery, the Blade Maid stood up. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood from her face.
Though her maid uniform was drenched in crimson, she paid it no mind.
Sturman recognized it as a textbook execution for the Blade Maid.
Elementalists possessed a blessing known as the 'Blessing of the Spirit.' Unless they were thoroughly hacked to pieces, there was always a chance they could cling to life and regenerate.
The Blessing of the Spirit was a terrifying power—so potent it seemed to warp causality itself. There were times when a blessed individual survived even after having their limbs severed. Of course, the blessing did nothing to dull the agonizing pain of the process.
Standing with her back to the darkness, the Blade Maid raised her head.
Her eyes locked with Sturman's. Whether it was a trick of the light or reality, one of her eyes appeared pitch-black.
Casting a frigid glare, the Blade Maid muttered something.
Sturman silently mimicked the shape of her lips, deciphering her words.
"...How dare… you…"
It felt as though his sanity was slipping away. Barely suppressing his rising fury, Sturman gripped his hammer tightly.
*
For some reason, the lingering aftertaste of the alcohol he drank that day was the one thing he could never forget.
"I heard you're going to subjugate the Primordial Core."
Bern was the immortal Hero. He had left his mark on countless people, and Sturman was one of them. To be precise, they were comrades-in-arms.
"I heard His Majesty the Emperor has already given his approval. You always talked about it, but it seems you're actually going through with it this time."
"My, my. The official announcement isn't until tomorrow. I suppose a man's mouth really can't be trusted anywhere."
"Well, it's only because I am Sturman that I managed to find out first."
The two were strangely alike, yet polar opposites.
Sturman, his aging body failing him, had dedicated the rest of his life to defending the Empire. Bern, as a Hero, chose a path of endless progression.
Yet, they held the utmost respect for each other's chosen paths. Their bond was as deep as blood. Despite the gap in their ranks and ages, they were more comfortable around each other than anyone else.
"Seventy-four, was it? Bern, it's unlike you to bring so many companions… Though, considering it's the worst of the Great Evil Caves, I suppose the more, the merrier."
"They are companions I've bonded with while exploring countless dungeons. Demi-humans, dragons… even monsters of a gentle nature. Every single one of them is strong enough to watch my back, and they are the kind of people who would readily sacrifice themselves for their comrades."
"...I only regret that I cannot join you."
"There's no need to feel guilty. I don't blame you in the slightest, nor do I hold a grudge. After all, you are protecting the Empire in your own way alongside Ar."
They shared stories and toasted their glasses.
Sturman sipped his alcohol, quietly observing Bern's face. The Hero's expression was far from cheerful. He had likely been drinking before he arrived, probably after meeting with others.
"How is Ar doing?" Bern asked quietly.
His gaze drifted toward the moon. Though large and bright, thick clouds shrouded its light, casting a dark pall over the night. Since ancient times, such a sight had been regarded as an ill omen.
Paying no heed to the omen, Sturman answered.
"From your perspective, he possesses a warped sense of justice. He is closer to a villain."
"Bwahaha! He's your captain, yet you don't mince your words. I love your honesty."
Bern laughed heartily, seemingly letting himself succumb to the alcohol.