Chapter 171: Magus Kailas (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171: Magus Kailas (3)
Inside a massive altar, resembling a pyramid, that had existed since ancient times.
Maracula, the shaman of the Great Tribe Kalmak—which had brought hundreds of tribes to their knees through sheer force—looked up with a look of astonishment.
The stairs were so high it took several minutes to climb them.
At the top stood Hazard, the god his tribe had served for generations. He was the being who had transformed Kalmak from a mere minor tribe into the Great Tribe that ruled all of Karamble.
Maracula could not see Hazard clearly.
All he could discern was a black silhouette, presumed to belong to the great god.
This was not unusual. Even as the high shaman of Kalmak, he was not permitted to gaze upon the great god’s true form. Only the 'Engraved'—those who had received Hazard's mark—were allowed that privilege.
Nevertheless, Maracula could tell.
He is in a good mood.
He could hear the great god’s voice clearly, and it was unmistakably filled with anticipation and excitement.
Just what was written in that letter?
Maracula grew curious about the contents of the letter Hazard had received.
He was merely a messenger and Hazard’s servant. He knew he shouldn't be curious about the letter's contents. However, since he began serving Hazard, he had never heard the god’s voice so saturated with such anticipation and excitement.
Maracula hurriedly covered his mouth as a question almost slipped out.
After a moment.
[Amusing. Truly amusing.]
Hazard muttered several times in a gender-neutral voice before naturally letting go of the letter in his hand.
The letter began to fall down the stairs.
Though dropped carelessly, the letter drifted down the steps as if guided by an invisible hand, folding itself neatly before landing in front of Maracula, exactly as it had first arrived.
[Servant, deliver this to the one who bears my engraving. Tell them to bring back an answer as quickly as possible.]
"…May I ask if this is to take priority over the previous command?"
[Yes. This comes before all else.]
"!"
Maracula was startled. To set aside the task he was about to send the Engraved for and handle this first? He had asked just in case, but he never expected such an answer.
"I… understand."
Though momentarily flustered, he quickly obeyed and stood up.
As Hazard watched his servant depart, he whispered to himself, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
[If you are truly alive—this is going to be very entertaining—]
Softly.
[—My one and only friend.]
* * *
The next day.
Alon finished his preparations to depart for the location Line had scouted, just as planned.
However, Line’s expression looked worse than usual.
"…Line, did something happen?"
"Oh, no. It’s nothing like that, Godfather."
"You say that, but you don't look well."
His voice was calm, yet it carried clear concern.
Line smiled slightly, as if her mood had improved just from hearing that.
"Please don't worry too much. It’s just because of a dream I had last night."
"…A nightmare?"
"Yes."
"What kind of dream was it?"
"Uh—"
Line hesitated to answer.
Seeing this, Alon raised a hand slightly.
"If it’s difficult to talk about, you don't have to."
"…I’m sorry, Godfather. It’s just… not a very pleasant memory."
"That happens. But if you ever have something weighing on your mind, tell me. I’ll help as much as I can."
Truthfully, he wanted to ask right now. Unlike the other children, Line generally didn't show much emotional fluctuation, so seeing her like this was a first.
However, since she was reluctant to share, he couldn't force it. Just as Alon turned away—
"…Um, Godfather."
"What is it?"
Line caught him.
When he looked back at her, Line seemed to hesitate for a moment before withdrawing her hand with an awkward smile.
"Never mind. I had something to ask, but I realized I’ve already figured it out."
"Is that so?"
It was an obvious deflection, but—
"Yes, let’s get going."
"Very well."
Alon didn't press her and turned back around.
* * *
After traveling east from Lartania with Line for about an hour, Alon soon reached a cave located at the bottom of a nearby canyon.
"This is the place I found. Is it correct?"
Alon looked around and nodded.
"It seems so. Let’s head in."
"Yes."
Evan, who was following behind Alon, scanned the cave's surroundings and suddenly asked a question.
"Marquis."
"Yes?"
"Do you know what’s inside this cave?"
"…Roughly?"
At Alon’s answer, Evan’s expression became a bit strange.
"I thought you would have known the exact location too, Marquis…"
It seemed Evan was recalling Alon’s history of utilizing information that others didn't know.
However, Alon’s information was always slightly incomplete.
The game didn't give such detailed locations, after all.
Most of his knowledge came from the game. In this case, he knew what was inside the cave, but he didn't know the exact coordinates. He only knew it was located within the canyon.
"Well, it’s that."
"That?"
"I didn't know the exact spot."
"…That’s a vague answer."
"Is it?"
[Kyu.]
Blackie joined in, adding to the awkward atmosphere for a moment.
"…It’s blocked?"
Evan, reaching the end of the cave, reported with a bewildered expression.
Alon stepped forward and felt the blocking wall, searching his memory.
A stone at the bottom right of the center of the cave.
Looking down, Alon spotted a very ordinary-looking stone and gave it a light kick.
At that moment.
Rumble—!!!
With a massive noise, the dead-end wall began to vibrate.
Lines began to appear on the wall as if bricks were being stacked, and soon, a staircase leading underground appeared.
"…Wow. I never would have imagined this."
Evan’s exclamation of awe echoed along the cave walls.
Descending the stairs, Alon’s group soon discovered a large waterway and a boat tied to it. Despite clearly being abandoned for a long time, the boat showed no signs of rot or wear.
"Let’s go."
They boarded the rowboat.
Using the faintly glowing luminant stones as markers, they began to move forward along the straight waterway.
After quite some time had passed.
"…Marquis."
"Yes?"
"I know you probably won't answer even if I ask… but how on earth do you find out about places like this?"
Instead of answering, Alon looked ahead.
Visible at the end of the waterway was a massive passage.
It wasn't just any passage; it was a place like a giant hollow that, while showing the passage of time, was quite well-maintained.
The floor was paved with aged marble, and the pillars were likewise made of dust-covered gray marble.
Taking in the view, Alon spoke.
"Let’s go."
As he stepped off the boat, he recalled the details from the game.
The royal palace of the forgotten era… was it?
Even in the game, there wasn't much detail about this place. Among players, it was simply referred to as the Past Palace.
The only reason players came here was to meet Outer Gods using the ability of the 'Feet Running Through the Past' to increase their stats.
Come to think of it, in the game, using the Feet Running Through the Past was just described as 'met an Outer God, received their power, and stats increased!' I wonder how it actually works?
As they walked, an altar began to appear in the distance.
Alon set aside his curiosity for a moment.
I’ll find out today.
The group arrived near the altar.
"Wait here for a moment."
"Understood, Godfather."
Leaving Line and Evan behind, Alon stood alone before the altar.
The altar, also made of marble, was covered in thick dust.
Ignoring the dust, Alon pulled the 'Feet Running Through the Past' from his robe and placed it on the altar.
Hummm—!
Immediately, with a strange mechanical sound, candles made of mana flames flickered to life.
Seeing this, Alon reached into his robe again and pulled out a piece of cloth.
It was a scrap of the clothing Kailas had left behind when Alon had dealt with him previously.
Placing it on the altar, Alon recalled the action descriptions he had seen in the game and placed his left hand in front of the Feet Running Through the Past.
Wooooooong—!
The moment a strange resonance began to ring in Alon’s ears, his vision was bleached white by a sudden surge of light.
Soon.
What filled Alon’s vision again was—
"…!"
A ruined world.
There was no other way to describe it.
A world in ruins. That single phrase was enough for the sight before his eyes.
The earth was parched and cracked.
A single small sapling, the only thing growing on the dead land, stood there, its rotten branches swaying pitifully as if its life had ended.
The sky was a chaotic swirl of gray and black clouds, radiating a deeply alien and apocalyptic atmosphere.
"…What is this place?"
Alon let out a low groan despite himself.
But at that moment.
"How absurd."
He reflexively turned at the sound of the voice behind him.
It was the voice of Kailas, whom he had fought in the Labyrinth—a voice far too familiar to Alon.
"!"
That wasn't all.
Alon’s eyes filled with bewilderment.
Standing there was not a goblin, but a human.
A man with long black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing Eastern clothing.
The face of the man, who had strange tattoos engraved on both arms, was utterly indifferent.
"Kailas?"
The moment Alon uttered the name as if to confirm.
The man, who had been frowning as if this situation wasn't particularly pleasant, spoke.
"Mage, was it you who called me?"
He quietly met Alon’s gaze.
And.
At the same time Alon met Kailas.
"Marquis!?"
Evan rushed toward the altar as Alon suddenly vanished.
Line—
"Aww, what? If I’d known he’d disappear like that, I would’ve shown myself sooner."
"…!?"
—turned around in horror at a voice that should never have been heard there.
"Hello, Line."
And then, she saw him.
"It’s been a while, hasn't it?"
…The Apostle of Greed.