Chapter 128
Chapter 128
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Business Trip Welcome, Nightmare's Here (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Northerners have always pursued practicality, simplicity, and conciseness. The place that best embodies those values is the annex of Everwhite Castle.
The annex situated at the gateway to Everwhite Castle.
The reception room, built to welcome esteemed guests.
It's different from your typical annex. Put a positive spin on it, and it's unpretentious; put a negative spin, and it's barren. The reception room in this annex truly contains only the bare minimum. Just two sofas for conversation, nothing more.
'A vast room with nothing in it but two sofas.'
An environment that summons awkwardness out of thin air.
There was one person who had to prepare to receive a guest in this utterly desolate annex.
The White Tower Lord, Celi Dvella.
"Hoo."
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave the interior of the annex a quick once-over. It was something she'd personally decorated with her own hands over the past few days.
'Of course, if I'd ordered my subordinates to do it, it would've been quicker and easier...'
But that wouldn't do.
To pitch to the precious guest she'd meet here—the talent who would greatly contribute to the future of the White Tower—she needed to leave a strong first impression.
'First impressions are everything, right? Yeah, they sure are.'
Unfortunately, she hadn't made a good one in the capital. So she had to make sure the one here in the North was stellar. It was of utmost importance.
And important things required personal effort. That way, there'd be no regrets. The result was the scene Celi now beheld in the annex.
The finest mana stones used to decorate the annex.
Ornaments crafted through alchemy she'd dabbled in after a long time.
Furniture fetched at great expense from master artisans.
It could stand toe-to-toe with the royal reception rooms. And since she'd done it all herself, the satisfaction was doubly rewarding. Celi smiled contentedly, nodding her head repeatedly.
"Haven't croaked yet, have you, Celi Dvella."
For a Tower Lord like her to be doing such menial chores... it stirred a mix of emotions, but it was worth it.
'Lania van Trias.'
For the sake of recruiting that prodigiously talented girl, this much effort was nothing.
"A perfect plan."
Celi tilted the teacup on the table.
It was coffee she'd personally brought from a cafe in the capital that Professor Lania was known to frequent. Savoring the rich aroma, Celi nodded.
'Before reaching Everwhite Castle, she has to get through the "welcome greeting"—in other words, the warriors' test. And that's no easy feat.'
Countless warriors had challenged the test so far.
Only a scant handful had passed.
The Northern warriors' test is brutal.
Its raw nature is alien to those accustomed to the capital's peace and rules. The unfamiliarity breeds panic, and panic leads to failure.
'And besides, it's a test for warriors, not mages.'
Mages hold value different from warriors.
'A mage proves their worth through magic, naturally.'
Judging a mage's value by a brute warrior's standards is absurd. Thus, the path for that capable young mage was already set.
"She'll come straight here."
Everything was going according to plan.
She'd have a brief chat with the girl here, then send her straight up to Everwhite Castle. No need for the test. She already knew the girl's value well enough.
'And plant a good impression before sending her off!'
A truly perfect plan.
Leave a great first impression and get her through the tough test "easily," creating a sense of debt in one fell swoop. Catching two rabbits at once.
"Heh heh."
The door to the reception room, soon to open.
Staring piercingly at it, Celi smiled. A relaxed smile of victory.
2.
The path to Everwhite Castle is never smooth. The untamed snow mountains serve as a fortress in themselves. The great warrior who scaled that path and claimed Everwhite Castle was the founder of House Grace.
These days, the route up to Everwhite Castle is maintained, and the snow mountains are a hunting ground for warriors... but not today, at least.
'It wouldn't be much of a test otherwise.'
The maintained path was closed off.
The warriors scattered across the mountains served solely as "proctors" for the test. Today, no one would aid anyone climbing the snow mountains.
The two ends of the snow mountains.
At the western end stood Lania; at the eastern end, Rak. They began their ascent in sync with the warriors' signal.
"Hm."
The chief proctor of the test, Oyacal, perched on the highest tree and observed Lania's movements. He spared no glance for Rak.
'No need to worry about the young master.'
To the young master, the snow mountains were like his own front yard. Born with the temperament of a first-rate warrior, he'd scale them with ease. The concern was the guest.
'...Just a young lady from an ordinary noble house.'
Oyacal was a warrior who could make at least basic judgments.
Skill in combat alone wouldn't earn him a spot among the Grand Duke's "Ten Elite Warriors."
'I might need to intervene if things get dicey.'
Oyacal was watching the girl in preparation for any contingency. He furrowed his brow. His wide-open eyes grew bloodshot. Soon, Oyacal's field of vision expanded.
The Grand Duke's Ten Elite Warriors.
Each of those so-called elite had at least one specialty. For Oyacal, it was eyesight.
Hawk-Eye Oyacal.
Thus named, Oyacal's vision precisely captured the girl far away.
And at that moment.
Whoosh.
The girl, walking forward, suddenly turned her head.
As if pursuing something. After scanning her surroundings, she tilted her head upward at an angle.
That gaze reached Oyacal.
The distance between them was vast. A distance only Hawk-Eye Oyacal could see. Yet the girl's eyes were fixed precisely on where he sat. No tremor in those eyes.
Bluish eyes.
Like a beast eyeing prey.
A chill ran up Oyacal's spine. Sensing the killing intent, he gulped dryly and flinched.
'...No way.'
She saw me from this far?
Just as Oyacal harbored that doubt, the girl turned her head back. She resumed climbing the snow mountain.
"......"
Oyacal silently observed the girl.
'There's something there.'
What you see isn't everything.
Interest flickered in Oyacal's eyes.
* * *
'What's that guy staring at like that?'
The gaze felt off.
Raniel lowered her arm, abandoning the idea of snapping her fingers.
'Doesn't seem like they want me taking them out.'
She could sense the presences.
But they were just watching her—no intent to block the path. No need to hurl spells willy-nilly.
"Hmm."
Raniel touched her lips and stepped forward.
The crunch of footprints in the snow didn't last long. She chanted a short spell.
Silence.
Light-weight.
No more footprints in the snow.
Raniel began walking silently. Snow mountains like this were familiar to her. During operations on the northern front, she'd stripped to the waist and tumbled through them.
'Well, technically shredded, but.'
The skullhead had planted altars across the snow mountains.
To dismantle them one by one, she'd had to scour the mountains like rats. She'd gotten snagged in traps here and there, ripping her clothes.
'Fucking skullhead.'
Hated to admit it, but... that skullhead had helped her grow in many areas. Trap detection, enhanced vision, mana sensitivity, and more.
'A fine... training manual.'
Especially Skeval's dungeon—it had been immensely helpful. Tossing students into a dungeon to learn didn't sound half bad. With such thoughts, Raniel pressed on.
"......"
How many steps had she taken?
"Oh..."
Raniel stopped unconsciously.
A path between trees. It looked ordinary at a glance, but Raniel saw it.
'Step on this, and it goes boom?'
Not a spell-based trap.
A handmade snare, like for hunting beasts... but Raniel could see the gaps in the trap. And how it worked.
Prod.
Raniel nudged it with her toe.
Thwack!
Snow sprayed up, and the net hidden beneath burst open with a snap. Made of sturdy wire, it looked tough to escape once caught.
"Oh."
Raniel snapped her fingers.
Spell-Smite.
Riiip! The straight-shot Spell-Smite tore the net apart. Raniel bent down and picked up a piece of the shredded net.
"Ooh..."
She unfolded and examined the torn net this way and that.
Then nodded in satisfaction.
'Gotta use this somewhere.'
...She never lost her learner's mindset, anywhere.
That was the foundation of a mage, the shortcut to growth. Analyzing the test so meticulously prepared by the Northern warriors, Raniel moved on.
Forgetting to pocket the torn net? Not a chance.
3.
Blink.
Oyacal closed and opened his eyes.
He rubbed them, blinked repeatedly wondering if his eyes were faulty. But nothing changed.
'What... is she doing?'
Wearing an inscrutable expression, Oyacal watched the girl climbing the snow mountains. When their eyes first met, he'd sensed her extraordinariness. When she erased her presence and left no footprints, he'd been impressed.
'She's adept in the snow mountains. Moves like a battle-hardened warrior. What you see isn't all there is.'
After the first couple of instances, he'd revised his initial judgment of the girl. But now... Oyacal just felt baffled.
"What in the world...?"
There were traps laid all over the snow mountains.
The girl spotted them at a glance. But she didn't leap over them.
She prodded them with her toe.
Admired the triggered trap with an "ooh."
Thwack!
Then shredded them.
She barreled straight through the traps, gathering the remnants like treasures. Glancing around suspiciously, like a thief.
'At this rate...'
It felt less like the girl was taking the test and more like they were the ones being tested...?
"Is this... right?"
Oyacal felt flustered.
Though he'd supervised tests for years, this was a first. He had no clue how to react.
'Maybe fix some traps first...?'
Oyacal descended from the tree.
Guessing the girl's path, he headed toward the next set of traps.
'They were pulled punches.'
Couldn't risk injuring the guest, so he'd stripped out all lethality, using only nets and such. Even those were loosely tied to minimize danger.
'Doesn't seem like the time for half-measures...'
Even at full effort, he doubted it'd tense up the guest. Oyacal gave a wry smile and positioned himself at the trap site.
Shing.
He drew his sword from his belt, cut the trap lines, and retied them taut. The closing speed would be double now.
"Hup."
The moment he finished modifying the trap and stood.
"...Huh."
Oyacal locked eyes with the girl standing opposite him. He hadn't noticed her arrive, but there she was, staring at him. Following her gaze, he looked down.
'...My hand.'
The girl's eyes were on Oyacal's hand.
In Oyacal's hand was his sword.
"Oh, so from here it's a duel with a warrior..."
The girl nodded with a hum.
As if she'd grasped the situation, she stepped forward. To Oyacal, it was clearly a misunderstanding.
"No, that's not—"
That's a misunderstanding.
As he moved to clear it up... Oyacal shut his mouth. He watched the girl approaching him.
'Unfathomable opponent.'
Beast-like eyes.
Possessing something beyond the visible.
'In other words, intriguing.'
Oyacal swallowed hard.
He never refused a fight that came to him. Even if born of misunderstanding... passing up a chance against an intriguing foe felt wasteful.
Northern warriors are challengers.
They face the unknown, earning the name "warrior."
Crack, pop.
The girl approached, cracking her knuckles.
Oyacal set his sword on the ground and assumed a stance. She was unarmed. Fair to meet her barehanded.
"Come at me."
Oyacal beckoned with his outstretched fingers.
The girl smiled. She looked thrilled. She took a light step forward.
Light. A light step.
No power behind it, not fast either.
No proper stance, so no real force. Dozens of ways to flip her flashed in Oyacal's mind. So many openings.
Yet, for some reason.
'I can't approach.'
Gulp. Oyacal swallowed dryly.
Openings aplenty, but unapproachable. His instincts screamed warning. Rush in sloppily, and he'd eat dirt.
And instincts became reality.
The approaching girl extended her arm. Oyacal tried to shake it off. But he couldn't. Her hand seized his collar.
'What strength...?'
No time to be shocked.
His foot caught. His body lifted. The floating sensation was brief. His vision flipped rapidly.
Oyacal saw it.
'Throw? Trip? Tripped?'
A movement incomprehensible even upon seeing it.
Unable to fathom it to the end, Oyacal's head hit the snow. His joints screamed with a crackle.
"Snow should cushion it, right...?"
That was the last thing Oyacal heard.
Thud!
With the impact, Oyacal's vision went black.
* * *
"Guhk!"
Oyacal lifted his head.
As if buried in snow, a cascade of white poured down when he moved. His mouth was full of chewed snow.
"Ugh."
His lower back throbbed.
Head spinning, neck bones creaking. Groaning, Oyacal rose. As he recalled events and looked around—
"......"
Oyacal fell silent.
"Ugh, guh... "
"I can't hear... "
"My arm, my arm... "
Warriors were buried in the snow.
Their groans filled the snow mountains.
"Uh..."
Broken weapons littered the ground.
One axe lay shattered, embedded in a tree. Some warriors were snared in traps. Even more lay buried in the snow.
"What in the..."
Oyacal yanked a buried warrior from the ground. He slapped the warrior's cheeks to rouse him, then asked.
"What happened while I was out?"
The warrior answered the question.
"Fearful... deep..."
He spoke in a voice thick with terror.
A beast-like warrior cowed by fear. Something had passed through here, teaching fear to those who knew none.
What was that entity?
The warrior said.
"...A nightmare passed by."
Incomprehensible words.
Author's Note
Lately, a mysterious skull gang has been watching me.
They toss coins and whisper to me with messages I can't ignore.
'Make Skeval great.'
'For the great Skeval.'
'We are always watching you.'
So many Skeval followers... it's just terrifying......