Chapter 52: Labyrinth City Lartania (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: Labyrinth City Lartania (1)
Archmage Heinkel.
She was the first Archmage to appear among humanity since the forgotten Age of Gods, and in Psychedelia, players knew her as the Riet Witch.
The reason she was called the Riet Witch was simple.
Basically, if you played as a Mage, you were almost guaranteed to encounter her. While she didn't directly influence the main story, the items you could obtain from her at regular intervals were a massive help to Mage players.
The problem, however, was her personality. Contrary to her doll-like appearance, she was incredibly eccentric. If you chose the wrong dialogue option during a conversation to get an item, she would kill you without hesitation.
By the third meeting, you’d be close enough that picking the wrong option would only result in a verbal lashing rather than death, but during the first and second encounters, she showed no mercy.
She even had a dialogue option where, if you said anything that suspiciously sounded like you were defending milk, she would become extremely offended and kill the player instantly. Because of this, she also earned the nickname "The Milk Witch."
Anyway.
Because of all that, Alon was currently very tense. Even though he knew which topics and phrases she disliked, her personality was so volatile that he couldn't rule out the possibility of something unexpected happening.
He had even come prepared with a backup plan in case things went south.
But.
[Eek...!]
This situation was something he hadn't predicted at all.
Alon stared blankly at Archmage Heinkel, who was looking back at him with an expression of pure terror.
As he watched her, one realization struck him.
‘She’s... really short.’
Looking at her now, her white pointed hat only served to make her look a bit taller; in reality, she was shorter than Alon. Quite a bit shorter.
“Excuse me... I’d like to solve the riddle.”
...Since he had only ever seen her seated in her in-game illustrations, he hadn't known this fact. Regardless, having acquired a new piece of information that wasn't particularly useful, Alon spoke to Heinkel first.
He had to solve her first riddle through conversation to receive the item.
However.
[I-I’ll,]
“You’ll?”
[I-I’ll give it to you! I’ll give it to you, so...!]
Heinkel suddenly blurted that out, and before Alon could even attempt a quiz, she thrust a jewelry box—which had flown in from somewhere—into his hands.
Then.
[T-There, happy?]
For someone who had appeared so loftily and arrogantly against the backdrop of the blue moonlight, she was now glancing at Alon like a frightened mouse.
[I-I’m leaving!]
She turned around and scurried away, quickly dissolving into blue mana and vanishing.
...Unlike her grand entrance, it was a remarkably undignified exit.
“...Wait, Heinkel?”
A bewildered Alon called out to her, but she showed no sign of reappearing.
Standing there blankly with the jewelry box, Alon wore a puzzled expression but canceled the magic he had been preparing just in case.
Ssssh—
As soon as Alon released the seal inside his pocket, the mana scattered like dust.
He stood dazed for a moment before snapping out of it and opening the jewelry box she had left behind.
“...It’s here.”
Inside was the very item he had intended to obtain by solving the riddle.
‘...What on earth was that?’
He thought back to her—how she had vanished so quickly, so unlike her in-game persona, handing over the item without the riddle.
‘...Behind me?’
It occurred to him that her gaze hadn't been fixed on him, but slightly behind him. He took a quick look over his shoulder.
“....”
There was nothing there but the library bathed in the blue moonlight.
“....”
In the end, Alon got what he wanted.
...It was nice to get the item so easily, but a small seed of doubt remained.
* * *
For the next few days, Alon attended the Magic Society, satisfying his curiosity by listening to various presentations.
For Alon, who had been self-taught until now, the theories presented at the society were quite helpful in their own way.
Furthermore, the experience of debating magic with Rian every night was a huge help in further developing his craft. Unlike Alon, who had a deep understanding of mana control, she had a talent for the actual manifestation of magic—designing the structures that turned mana into spells.
Because of this, Alon began to think he could finally try his hand at 4th Tier magic.
...Of course, since 4th Tier magic required so much mana that it was difficult to use even once, he didn't plan on using it immediately.
Then, exactly four days after Alon arrived at the Magic Society.
“...An Outer God appeared in the Labyrinth of Lartania?”
“Yes. I heard that monsters throughout the labyrinth have begun to undergo mutations.”
Alon received news that an Outer God had appeared in the Labyrinth of Lartania.
“...How much time has passed since the Outer God was discovered?”
“It’s not certain, but they say it’s been about five days. The information guild suspects it might have been about a week since it appeared.”
“How far is it to Lartania?”
“From here, it shouldn't be that far. Roughly... five days?”
At Evan’s rough estimate, Alon pondered for a moment before immediately pulling out some stationery and beginning to write a letter.
A short while later, having finished the letter, Alon spoke.
“We’ll move as soon as I send this to Lartania.”
“Pardon? Right away?”
“Yes.”
Without hesitation, he began preparing to leave the Central Magic Tower for Lartania.
* * *
After saying goodbye to Rian, who was disappointed he was leaving sooner than expected, and Penia—who, conversely, seemed strangely energized despite her words of regret when they crossed paths before he boarded the carriage—he headed straight for Lartania.
Five days passed.
After traveling non-stop by carriage, Alon finally arrived at the Labyrinth City, Lartania.
“Oh... it’s changed so much since the last time I was here. It’s gotten even more unique.”
Just as Evan remarked in natural admiration, the Labyrinth City Lartania looked far more exotic than any other territory Alon had visited.
The walls defining the city's interior and exterior weren't high enough to block the view of the buildings inside. Most of the buildings were incredibly luxurious and unique in style, which didn't quite fit the city's reputation as a hub for mercenaries and explorers.
To use a metaphor, it looked as if architectural styles from all over the world had been gathered in one place.
Of course, because of that, it didn't necessarily feel "mystical"; it just looked peculiar.
‘...The setting was that people from all over the continent, excluding the Empire, gathered here and built whatever buildings they wanted, right?’
Recalling Lartania’s lore, Alon entered the city.
“Things seem a bit restless.”
“Indeed.”
The atmosphere inside the city was a bit chaotic, just as Alon had expected. Perhaps because rumors of an Outer God emerging from the labyrinth had spread, some mercenaries could be seen leaving the city.
Driving the carriage through Lartania, they reached their original destination in the southern district: the shop ‘Merde,’ owned by Line.
As soon as they arrived, Alon couldn't help but be impressed.
“...Is this really Merde?”
“Uh—yes, it seems to be...”
The reason for Evan’s flustered response was simple.
The shop was massive.
To give an idea of the scale, the four-to-five-story buildings nearby looked like mere toys in comparison.
“...Wasn't this supposed to be a shop?”
“It should be.”
Alon stared at the building, his confusion hidden behind a stoic face. It was so grand that it looked more like a temple than a mansion. Evan spoke up.
“Uh... I heard the shop was big... but honestly, I didn't expect it to be this much.”
Alon nodded in agreement. He had heard from Evan that business was booming, but he hadn't realized she was doing this well.
‘Honestly, I thought it was strange that a Magic Appraiser could have so much power... but I guess this is how she gained influence in Lartania...’
Alon nodded to himself. He knew that whether in his previous world or this one, the truth that money can buy anything remained the same.
‘That’s also why I came to ask for a favor.’
Even though Alon’s primary goal was to deal with the Outer God, the reason he specifically sought out Line, the Magic Appraiser, was that he needed to borrow her influence.
“Let’s go inside for now.”
Alon and Evan began walking up toward the Merde building.
As soon as they reached the massive doors.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“...Do I need an appointment?”
A person standing in front of the door, likely a secretary, blocked their entry.
“It’s a bit urgent. Is it possible to see her right away?”
“To see her immediately, you must pay a fee.”
“...A fee?”
“Yes. To see Lady Line immediately without an appointment, you need 3,000 gold coins.”
“...3,000 gold coins?”
It was a price that could easily buy a mansion in a provincial territory, if not the capital of the Asteria Kingdom. Alon, momentarily taken aback, continued.
“...If I make an appointment, when can I see her?”
“If you book now... 10...”
“10?”
“It should be possible in about 10 months.”
Dizzy from the absurd wait time, Alon hesitated for a moment before trying to speak again.
“...Then, could you at least pass a message to Line? Tell her Count Palatio has come—”
“Good grief, you’re noisy with all that yapping. Just get lost already.”
He wasn't able to finish his sentence.
Alon turned his head to see a man who looked like a noble, practically radiating wealth, looking at him with a pathetic expression.
“Why is a penniless beggar loitering around here?”
Accompanied by a large group of mercenaries, the man spat out insults as if he possessed no intelligence whatsoever. Alon looked at him with an incredulous expression.
The man, acting as if Alon wasn't even worth his notice, walked up to the guide and casually tossed a pouch of money.
“Open the door.”
He commanded. After checking the pouch, the secretary bowed politely and immediately began operating something.
Rumble—
The massive doors began to open.
As the man prepared to enter, he looked back at Alon and gave a blatant, provocative sneer.
“Beggar trash.”
He began walking into the building, and at the same time, Alon could see the mercenaries following him also wearing thick scorns on their faces.
Alon frowned at the sheer lack of intelligence displayed by someone showing such blatant hatred without even checking who they were talking to. It didn't take long for him to realize the man's identity.
‘He’s the son of the Labyrinth City Lord.’
He didn't remember the name. However, he did remember the appearance of the City Lord’s son from the illustrations in Psychedelia—a bloated man with a rat-like mustache.
He had been a complete scoundrel to the player in the game, but experiencing it in person was truly absurd.
Just as Alon was about to say something.
“There’s no need for you to come in.”
Through the open doors, Line walked out, her green eyes shining.
“Oh, Line! Did you come all this way just for me?”
The scoundrel approached her with a smile brighter than anyone else's the moment he saw her walking out.
However.
“Get lost.”
Thud!
Line casually pushed the scoundrel’s shoulder aside, spat out the insult, and walked past him and his mercenaries out of the building.
She bypassed the secretary, who had hurriedly bowed her head, and approached Alon. Her demeanor was completely different from how she had treated the scoundrel.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Godfather.”
She spoke while bowing respectfully.
And everyone present stared at Count Palatio with stunned expressions.