Chapter 223: The Way Back (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 223: The Way Back (2)
“Is this what you were looking for?”
“Yeah.”
Deep within a cave on the Snow Mountain lay a massive cavern.
Alon nodded at Evan’s question and stared at the object before him.
It’s been a while. Good to see it again.
It was an item he had always made sure to obtain whenever he played Psychedelia.
‘Linked Circle.’
The Linked Circle consisted of two rings joined by a chain that emitted a mysterious glow.
As Alon stood there quietly observing it, Evan, who was standing beside him, spoke up.
“It doesn’t look all that special.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. I mean, two rings connected by a chain is a bit unusual, but the design of the chain and the rings themselves doesn’t feel like anything I haven’t seen before.”
“Well—the appearance itself isn’t meant to be particularly striking.”
“So, what is it used for?”
[Hmph—you don’t even know that?]
It wasn’t Alon who answered Evan’s question, but Basiliora.
“Then do you know?”
[Do not mistake me for a common existence like yourself.]
“So, what is it?”
[Why should I tell you?]
“If you’re not going to tell me, then why are you mouthing off, you snake-head?!”
[Hmph—to ridicule a mere human who lacks even basic knowledge.]
Sure enough.
As soon as a conversation started, the two began bickering over the most trivial things.
Alon, now far too accustomed to this sight, turned his gaze back to the Linked Circle.
Linked Circle.
Among players, it was simply called the ‘Circle.’ To put it simply, it was a mana conversion adapter.
It had the function of substituting the mana of the person wearing the other ring for one’s own.
Of course, it has its limits.
In the late stages of Psychedelia, the player’s magic damage far exceeded that of any other companion character.
Because of this, while warriors might not have cared, almost all mage players used this artifact.
Even with its limitations, it was essential for preventing the player from running out of mana.
It was especially necessary for ‘glass cannons’ who poured everything into magic damage at the expense of their MP pool.
……In a sense, it’s something I’ve needed from the very beginning.
Nevertheless, there was a reason Alon had waited until now to retrieve it.
The Linked Circle was an item that only truly shone within the mechanics of a game.
To use this artifact, the partner had to be right next to the user.
Furthermore, while the mana was being transferred, that partner would be left completely defenseless.
In essence, it turned someone into a walking mana battery.
In a world where an ambush could happen at any time or place.
Fighting while protecting someone rendered helpless by the transfer process was much harder than it sounded.
Moreover, unlike in a game, it was incredibly difficult to find someone willing to stay within the one-meter range of the chain and wear the ring at all times.
In a game, you could just equip it on a companion.
But in reality, finding someone with enough courage and trust to remain defenseless and just hand over their mana in the heat of a desperate battle was no easy task.
The range of the chain didn't even look to be a single meter.
Because of these various constraints.
He had waited until now to collect the rings.
While it was difficult to use in active combat.
It was perfect for charging ‘The Night Running Through the Past,’ which required the user’s mana to be filled to activate.
Having finished his thoughts, Alon led Evan and Basiliora—who were still glaring at each other as if they wanted to kill one another—out of the cave.
“I really feel this every time, but how do you know all these things?”
“What do you mean?”
Evan, who had been grit-teethed and fighting with Basiliora just a moment ago, looked at Alon with wonder.
It was a natural reaction.
The cave Alon and Evan were currently walking through—
“This place is a maze, isn’t it?”
Was indeed a labyrinth.
Alon naturally turned his head to look around.
The sight of dozens of stone bridges arranged in a complex web, looking like a series of connected cliffs.
To anyone unfamiliar with this ‘Labyrinth of Vertigo’ where the Circle was hidden, the complexity was enough to make them click their tongues in dismay.
To make matters worse, monsters native to the Snow Mountain lurked beneath the cliffs and in the surrounding areas.
There were even creatures that, while weaker than those in the jungle, could clearly be classified as variant species, further adding to the sense of despair.
However, the reason Alon could remain unfazed while looking at all this.
Was because he knew the walkthrough for the Labyrinth of Vertigo.
In fact, calling it a ‘walkthrough’ was almost laughable.
In this Labyrinth of Vertigo, as long as you stubbornly insisted on taking only the right-hand path from the moment you entered the cave, you could reach the end without much trouble.
Thanks to this incredibly simple method, Alon had been able to come to the cave without any real burden.
“You just have to keep going right.”
“No, that’s not what I was asking……. Well, whatever.”
“What do you mean, ‘whatever’?”
Evan started to ask something else but then just shrugged his shoulders.
“I just briefly forgot that I should just accept it.”
Alon felt a bit strange at the familiar reaction.
[Kkyu?]
Blackie, tucked inside his shirt, tilted his head cutely.
* * *
After exiting the cave—no, the Labyrinth of Vertigo—Alon took a carriage toward Calliban.
“Finally, Calliban.”
Having arrived back in Calliban after a journey that took about a month.
Alon reviewed the knowledge he had gained from his trip to the North and organized his future tasks.
First, the priority is reaching the 5th Tier. After that, I need to ask Kailas about the Horizon and Defying Heaven. Then, I should go to the Colony and ask the Dragonkin to fix Ruby.
While organizing his to-do list, Alon thought once more about a word that had been on his mind for the past few weeks.
“Foreign Body …….”
When he first heard it, he had just let it pass.
But after hearing it again at the Horizon, the word had slowly begun to bother him.
Even Alon didn't quite know why it nagged at him.
It was just that, like something caught in his throat, it kept coming to mind even when he tried not to think about it.
Alon had an intuition.
That this word was incredibly important to him.
Furthermore, he had recently begun to feel a sense of déjà vu regarding the term ‘Foreign Body.’
It was like the sensation he felt when he looked at Yutia standing among the evening primroses in full bloom.
Just what was it?
As Alon was lost in thought for a moment,
“Mentor—!!”
Oof!
As soon as he stepped off the carriage, he felt someone leap into his arms.
Because they were clinging to his waist and hugging him tightly, he couldn't even see their face.
[Kkyuek—]
Blackie, caught in the unexpected ambush(?), let out a strange squeak from inside his shirt.
However.
“……Seolrang?”
From that uniquely cheerful voice, Alon had no trouble guessing her identity.
“Mentor! It’s been so long!”
As if she had been waiting to be recognized, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Alon stroked Seolrang’s head as she rubbed her cheek against him like a puppy.
At the same time, a look of confusion crossed his face as to why she was in Calliban.
It had been about six weeks since he had come down from the North.
* * *
The Northwest.
A massive wall built between the United Kingdoms and the Empire.
In a small house situated in a small forest within sight of that wall.
Inside the house, which boasted a landscape as beautiful as something out of a fairy tale, a man and a woman were facing each other.
One was a barbarian of the North and one of the Seven Strongest whose name was frequently mentioned in the United Kingdoms—Thousand Year Ice.
Sitting across from him was a girl who looked to be about twenty, with large fox ears that naturally drooped down.
She had long silver hair that reached down to her waist and wore the traditional clothing of the Eastern Country.
The girl was staring straight ahead with a characteristically indifferent face.
Thousand Year Ice, who had been silently meeting her gaze, scratched his head as if feeling quite awkward and asked.
“Uh, am I not a very pleasant guest?”
“No.”
She replied bluntly with a blank expression, naturally resting her fluffy-looking fox tail on her lap.
“You’re welcome here.”
“……Are you really welcoming me?”
“Yes.”
Another dry, monosyllabic answer.
Thousand Year Ice scratched his head again with a groan.
She said he was welcome, but—
From Thousand Year Ice’s perspective, it was far too difficult to discern her true feelings.
She had always been, and still was, fundamentally indifferent to everything.
I wonder if she even has emotions…….
Thousand Year Ice thought to himself as he looked around the interior.
“Anyway, you’re still living in the same place as always.”
“There’s no need to move.”
“……Instead of living in the forest like this, wouldn’t it be much more comfortable to join some other organization? With your abilities, the kingdoms would be dying to welcome you.”
What Thousand Year Ice said was true.
Though she lived alone in the forest now.
She was someone who had reached the rank of the strongest, just like Thousand Year Ice.
In fact, among them, there were only two people who could even stand on equal footing with her—no, with the Sword Saint.
Essentially, among the seven strongest, she was a master who ranked within the top three.
“For someone saying that, aren't you also living alone?”
“Well, in my case, it’s unavoidable because of the person I serve. I don’t even know if the others are alive or dead, and the ones I can still contact all have their own reasons, but that’s not the case for you. You don’t have any particular responsibilities.”
The girl replied without a single movement.
“It’s just because it’s a hassle.”
“Then couldn't you just go to the Eastern Country? If you go there, you’d be treated as a noble guest without any hassle at all.”
At those words, the Sword Saint, Historia.
Stared at Thousand Year Ice silently for a long time.
Eventually.
“So, why are you here?”
Her voice broke the silence that had settled in the air.
It was a topic completely unrelated to Thousand Year Ice’s previous question.
It was a somewhat strange conversation, but Thousand Year Ice shrugged his shoulders as if he had no choice.
He knew that her avoiding the question meant.
That she had no intention of talking about that subject.
Thousand Year Ice then began to continue the conversation according to her lead.
“It’s nothing else, I came because I have something to ask.”
“About what?”
Historia tilted her head.
Thousand Year Ice recounted in detail what had happened when he met Elivan before.
“Anyway, such an absurd guy has appeared in the world, but since there’s no information on him at all. I came to see if you might know anything.”
“I haven’t left this place in over ten years.”
“I know that, of course. But what I mean is, have you heard anything in the past? I’ve investigated personally, but no matter how I think about it, his tracks are too suspicious for someone with that kind of strength.”
Muttering, ‘Of course, I haven’t investigated everything,’ Thousand Year Ice continued.
“Anyway, even if you don’t move around much, you know many of the strong ones, so I asked just in case. It doesn’t seem like such a monster would appear from under an ordinary person.”
As he added that, Historia, who had been listening without any change in expression, tossed out a question.
“What’s his name?”
“His name?”
“Yes. If you don’t tell me anything, I can’t even think about it.”
A name—
Thousand Year Ice opened his mouth, recalling the information he had heard from his contact not long ago.
“He seems to go by the name Elivan—”
He couldn't finish his sentence.
Because Historia, who had been sitting idly and indifferently until just a moment ago.
Suddenly kicked back her chair and stood up.
“!?”
Furthermore.
As if her expressionless face had never existed, her ears were pricked up high and her eyes were wide open.
Thousand Year Ice was incredibly shocked by that sight.
Because she had never once shown such a rich display of emotion.
No, it wasn't just in front of him.
Even the Black Tiger, who had known her for the longest time, had said he had never seen her emotions change or be expressed.
And yet, to see such a vivid change.
She definitely knows something……!
Thousand Year Ice was certain that she knew Elivan.
Furthermore, he was certain that Historia was very deeply involved with Elivan in some form.
Otherwise, there was no way she would react so violently.
Therefore, Thousand Year Ice asked with anticipation—
“Do you know something?”
“I only know the name.”
“……?”
He was momentarily bewildered by the answer, which was different from what he expected.
“……You only know the name?”
“Yes.”
“……Then, why are you so surprised if you only know the name?”
I mean, really.
It wasn't a reaction one would show just from knowing a single name—
“Alon.”
“……Pardon?”
A single name suddenly dropped.
Historia’s ears twitched as she spoke the name once more.
“Do you know anything about Palatio Alon?”
Thousand Year Ice couldn't help but be even more horrified than before.
Swish, swish—
Because Historia’s long tail was wagging incessantly, filled with great expectation.