Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Sacred Door
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Chapter 100
Lander left Inebil with Guchi and walked toward the iron bars on the opposite side.
Women who couldn’t even groan were peering outside with dull eyes.
He unlocked the barred cell. At the creaking sound, a few of the women reacted.
“Come out for now.”
He said, letting his arms hang loosely at his sides. The women kept their guard up, gazing anxiously beyond the bars without moving.
“Is there anyone here who can talk?”
“Where are you from?”
The woman with the liveliest eyes stepped forward and asked.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Enelli.”
“Enelli. I’m Lander.”
Enelli gave a slight nod.
“I know roughly what happened here. I understand why you can’t trust us. It must be frightening just to move.”
A few women who had regained their senses exchanged glances. Enelli spoke up as their representative.
“What do you plan to do with us?”
“First, we’ll get you treated. After that, the officials being dispatched here soon will handle the rest.”
“You won’t kill us?”
“As long as I’m guarding this place, no harm will come to you. So, will you let me come closer?”
Enelli hesitated, then whispered a very quiet yes.
He approached a woman sprawled on the floor. Her breathing had stopped. He checked her pulse, searching for even the faintest sign of life, but felt nothing.
“How is she?”
Enelli asked.
“Too late.”
“She started getting worse two days ago. She was already frail. Those bastards, those monsters... they did this to us....”
That was when he heard Deong’s voice calling, “Lander!” It sounded like he was shouting from the top of the stairs. Urgent footsteps followed as Deong rushed into the basement.
“What is all this?”
Deong said, frowning.
“I’ll explain later. Treating these women comes first. Is the cleanup upstairs done?”
“We’ve cleared the bodies. Blind is handling crowd control with our people.”
“Take them upstairs for now. It’ll be better than staying here. Enelli, please go up with the others.”
There was a moment of hesitation, but realizing there were no other options, the women began to move with Enelli in the lead.
“Guchi. Go up with Inebil.”
“And you?”
“I’ll check the inner area before coming up. The mana’s all jumbled, so I need to look with my own eyes.”
“Got it. Call if anything happens.”
“Will do.”
He passed the cells on either side and went deeper in. Several corpses lay abandoned, bound hand and foot. They didn’t look old.
Just like in Blue Button’s basement, there was an altar at the deepest point. He scanned the blackened altar with his eyes, then turned away.
No survivors. No clues either.
He passed back through the bars and stood at the stairs. He descended the remaining steps. A magically sealed door blocked the way.
He sensed people’s presence inside. The wildly fluctuating mana made it hard to gauge numbers accurately.
“I didn’t touch it because it felt off.”
It was Deong.
“Step back. Let the people upstairs know too. There might be some shaking.”
“What are you planning?”
“I’ll open it.”
“You don’t seem like the type to listen if I tried to stop you, and I’ve seen enough to go along with it for now. Just wait a bit. Moving the women upstairs will take time.”
“Let me know when you’re done.”
“Will do.” Deong climbed the stairs.
He knocked on the seamless door.
“I know there are people inside. Open the door.”
No response. Lander knocked repeatedly and waited. After a few minutes, Deong called from higher up the stairs.
“Everyone’s evacuated.”
“Got it.”
“But are you really going to open it? Wouldn’t it be better to call an inspection squad mage? Forcing it might cause trouble.”
“Thanks for the concern.”
Lander took a step back and swung his sword. A repulsive force pushed back at the blade’s tip, but he ignored it and applied more strength.
He felt the scattered mana converging and tangling. It was a high-level barrier. But the resistance didn’t last long.
The sword traced a smooth line, and the tightly sealed door twisted open.
The room was entirely gray. Pushing aside the disorienting aura, he stepped inside. He saw figures kneeling on the floor. Their half-open eyes glowed with a hazy light.
Mages lost in the Imaginary Realm. He had seen it a few times before. Their complete lack of reaction to external stimuli meant they had delved very deep.
These must be the mages assisting Gilliuud. He approached one researching mage and gripped his shoulder.
Even mages with isolated consciousnesses usually snapped awake from any interference with their power.
The mage convulsed and toppled sideways. Lander waited until the mage emerged from the Imaginary Realm and settled back into his body.
“Why did you wake me? Has the promised day already come?”
“You know things I don’t. That’s enough.”
The mage’s eyes darted up and down. Realizing the situation wasn’t optimistic, his hand began inching toward his robe’s inner pocket.
“Don’t touch the scroll.”
Even with the warning, the mage’s gaze didn’t change. If anything, it sharpened.
A mage with zero combat experience. Nothing was more helpless than one whose moves were read.
He grabbed the mage’s right arm inside the robe, twisted the elbow backward, and snapped it. The mage screamed and curled up.
“Stay put. Otherwise, I’ll break your left arm next. Try to run, and I’ll cut off your legs.”
“Why are you doing this to me! If you got in here, that means you’re one of Lord Gilliuud’s followers too.”
“Lord Gilliuud’s follower. That’s a bit different from what I know. Didn’t you pledge to follow Sielder?”
The mage froze mid-hesitation, eyes on the entrance.
“Why is that door broken?”
His face looked like he’d seen the end of the world. Declaring it an impossible catastrophe, the mage crawled on his knees to the door.
Lander didn’t stop him.
“A door that should never open... why....”
“What did Gilliuud order you to do? What magic are they researching?”
“No. This can’t be. The sacred door that only the Foreseer can open....”
Muttering to himself, the mage glared at him. Forgetting the pain, he shook his dangling arm violently and stood.
“You are an evil that should not exist. A demon defiling the holy moment!”
Was Gilliuud a divine being to these mages? What did they seek through their faith in him?
He floored the charging mage.
“Until the promised time arrives, I shall wait in my immortal body! No matter what a demon like you does to block our holy will, you’ll never succeed! The Grand Flow will bring about what must come to pass, and then we shall know the true truth!”
The mage thrashed in a frenzy. Lander saw mana gathering in his body.
A power too vast for a human body—the mage was drawing it in, wagering his life.
“Gilliuud and you all use some strange magic.”
“Behold! The power granted to us by the Foreseer! My noble will to slay evil and pursue truth....”
Bright light emanated from where the mage’s body touched the ground. Formed mana began enveloping him. The mage’s face lit up with ecstasy.
“This is the power granted only to us! The supreme realm that breaks the laws! Ah, Lord Gilliuud. I have realized it. The greatness of this power. An intensity no mortal can withstand....”
He reached out, seized the mana enveloping the mage’s body, and tore it away.
Staring at the ripped-out mass of power, the mage’s mouth hung open, frozen. Lander returned the condensed mana to the ground.
“You draw power directly from the roots. The reason your body holds out even briefly must be thanks to the magic Gilliuud taught you.”
“How... how can you touch that power, that sacred power, with your hands?”
As he spoke, the mage’s teeth began falling out one by one. His under-eyes hollowed, his skin withered. Backlash had set in.
“This can’t be. I was to have an immortal body....”
“No one is immortal. Birth and extinction—that’s the first principle of mages, isn’t it?”
“I... I....”
The mage’s eyes rolled upward. His blue lips gradually turned black. He was dying. An irreversible death.
The mage’s body shook violently. A metallic rasp escaped his shriveled lips. Unbearable agony must be wracking him.
He gently lifted the mage’s head. Meeting his eyes, the mage pleaded desperately. Kill me, please kill me. It hurts so much.
“What did Gilliuud order you to do?”
“It hurts so much, so much.”
“Answer me, and I’ll end your pain.”
The mage’s pupils trembled violently.
“You’ve realized it too. This pain won’t end quickly. Your mind will sharpen, the agony intensify. You can’t endure it now—what happens as time passes?”
“Kill me, please!”
Lacking even the strength to writhe, the mage only worked his jaw to speak. Lander stared into his eyes and asked again.
“What did Gilliuud order you to do? Just tell me that. I’ll ease your suffering.”
“The Foreseer told us to wait here. When the era of upheaval comes and all roots converge, that day....”
The mage screamed through twisted lips. He gripped the mage’s throat.
“You won’t even lose consciousness. So focus and answer. What magic are you researching now?”
“A way to use pure mana directly! Without scrolls, just through connection to the Imaginary Realm!”
The mage’s speech slurred. His jaw joint seemed to melt. Kill me, he barely managed.
Lander withdrew the hand supporting the mage’s neck and stood. Faint groans followed.
“Lander. You okay? Some unnatural wave reached upstairs.”
Deong said as he entered the basement.
“And who are these?”
“Mages. Restrain them so they can’t use mana, then investigate.”
“What the hell was Sielder doing down here?”
“That’s for the inspection squad to figure out. Kaligo will hear about it soon too.”
“I hope the captain gets here quick. This is beyond what I can handle. But this one looks bad. Should we take him up for treatment?”
Deong said, eyeing the dying mage.
“You can leave him.”
Lander glanced down at the trembling mage and headed upstairs.
(To be continued)