Chapter 231: New Era (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 231: New Era (1)
The absolute monarch, called the First and Immortal King, was Ravigion III. Following his death after his thousands of years ruling over Rafdonia, King of the New World implemented many policies to shake off the deep-rooted remnants of his predecessor. The best example of this was his changes to the calendar.
To more conveniently calculate the cycle of the labyrinth, one month was set as thirty days, and a thirteenth month was created to hold any extra days. In addition, the labyrinth's cycle was changed to thirty-five days at the end of the year by updating the portal. Of course, this led to controversy among scholars. They claimed it wasn't practical to waste five days a year. However, the immovable King of the New World held a grand festival every thirteenth month and won over the public, and the controversy died down as the years went by.
The name of the era also changed twice. At first, it was referred to by the king's true name, but because of its long and difficult pronunciation, the public began to call the king by a nickname which the royal family started to use as well: New World.
On May 2nd of Year 154 of the New World, seven pillars of fire burst from each Dimension Square and covered the sky above Rafdonia. It was a disaster that would be recorded in the history books for years to come.
***
"God damn it."
Using whatever was nearby to support my weight, I struggled to my feet. Then I walked out of the room with the crutches that were resting by my bedside. Oh, these damned stairs.
"Bjorn! You should've called me when you woke up. Why are you sufferrring alone?" Missha, who was cooking on the first floor, spotted me and helped me out.
Now I really felt like a patient. Oh, I guess I was one. They did tell me I'd have to recuperate for a month. My arms and legs still felt weak.
"Come, sit. This is your first prrroper meal since getting out, right? I prepared one for the firrrst time in a while." While Missha went to get Ainar, I took a moment to catch my breath, spoon in hand.
It's been three days.
Three days had passed since that day. It hardly felt real. On the first day we returned, all of the survivors were dragged to the palace to testify as to what had happened inside the labyrinth. Afterward, I slept for days.
Deranged bastards.
I still felt chills go down my spine when I recalled the moment the pillars of fire exploded. To think they had been aiming to sneak in while we were away. I had never dreamed a trap would be set in the center of the square where the portal opened, and in all seven squares at that.
What's going to happen now?
The damage suffered by those of us who came out of the labyrinth the normal way was minimal, but the Third Royal Guard and numerous large clans had been practically annihilated. Of course, there were survivors among them, too. Some whose portals had formed on the outskirts of the Square had backed away as soon as the magic circles lit up and managed to save themselves with sheer luck—maybe one hundred or so? That was the total from all seven squares. It was a bit ironic.
"A great captain is not a person who makes the perfect choices. They're a person who makes the necessary ones."
The ones who had made the necessary choice were all dead, and those who had been left behind fought without rest for days and survived. Our situations had flipped overnight. If I had accepted that guy's offer back then and left without my teammates, what would have happened to me?
"I would be dead." The words unknowingly left my mouth.
I heard Missha's voice from behind me. "Hm? What did you say?"
"Nothing. Where's Ainar?"
"I slapped her on the back but she still won't budge."
"She must be very tired."
"Yeah. I'll just serrrve her once she wakes up later."
Geez, Missha must have been tired too. While the two of us just slept, she had woken up several times to serve us meals and help us focus solely on resting. She even found crutches somewhere. She was a teammate I could rely on in many ways.
"Why arrren't you eating?"
In the middle of staring blankly at Missha, I came to my senses and brought the spoon to my mouth. The taste seemed to herald the end of a hard day.
"...What arrre you going to do about Erwen?" Missha asked when the meal was almost over. After the interrogation on the first day, Erwen took her sister's body to the elven holy land.
"I don't know. She said she'd visit after the funeral, so I plan to discuss it more then."
"Hmm, is that so?" Missha said, her voice completely neutral. "Why don't we just brrring her home?"
What? Was she feeling me out? Or saying no in advance? Many thoughts along those lines crossed my mind in a split second, but her tone didn't seem to indicate that was the case at all. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well... you said she lived with her sisterrr? It'll be hard for her to keep living there. But I'm too worried about her living alone."
"So?"
"Unfortunately, we can't enter the labyrinth as six people, but I think we should take carrre of her until she gets back on her feet again."
Right, I forgot this was just how Missha was. Her intentions were praiseworthy, which made me want to tease her. "Didn't you hate elves?"
"Eek, what do you take me forrr? Spit out the meal I just worked hard to prepare. Spit it all out!" Missha snapped as she looked me up and down. How strange. Just a moment ago, it felt like my heart was being weighed down by all kinds of thoughts. "Why are you laughing? It's getting on my nerrrves."
"I'm just grateful."
"...Ugh, out of nowhere again." Missha averted her gaze in annoyance and gulped down her water.
I studied her silently. In truth, except for the ears on top of her head and her tail, she looked just like a normal human being. Her short red hair had grown a bit since we first met. She had a sharp nose and eyes that were angled slightly upward. You could tell she was down-to-earth and kind just by exchanging a few words with her, but when I first saw her face, I thought she would be the feisty and cool type.
Belatedly, I realized the room had gone quiet. A strange, awkward silence lingered in the kitchen.
"Um..." Missha parted her lips.
Knock, knock.
We heard a knock at the front door.
"I'll go see who it is."
"...Okay, I'll clearrr the table."
Walking on crutches and opening the front door, I saw a familiar person standing there. "Kyle Pevrosk."
"Haha, nice to see you. Did you get a good rest?"
"I fell asleep as soon as I arrived and only just woke up."
"Then does that mean you have time for a short conversation?"
"Of course. Come in."
As I stepped aside, Kyle came in. He exchanged greetings with Missha, who was clearing the table.
"Nothing. Where's Ainar?"
"I slapped her on the back but she still won't budge."
"She must be very tired."
"Yeah. I'll just serrrve her once she wakes up later."
Geez, Missha must have been tired too. While the two of us just slept, she had woken up several times to serve us meals and help us focus solely on resting. She even found crutches somewhere. She was a teammate I could rely on in many ways.
"Why arrren't you eating?"
In the middle of staring blankly at Missha, I came to my senses and brought the spoon to my mouth. The taste seemed to herald the end of a hard day.
"...What arrre you going to do about Erwen?" Missha asked when the meal was almost over. After the interrogation on the first day, Erwen took her sister's body to the elven holy land.
"I don't know. She said she'd visit after the funeral, so I plan to discuss it more then."
"Hmm, is that so?" Missha said, her voice completely neutral. "Why don't we just brrring her home?"
What? Was she feeling me out? Or saying no in advance? Many thoughts along those lines crossed my mind in a split second, but her tone didn't seem to indicate that was the case at all. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well... you said she lived with her sisterrr? It'll be hard for her to keep living there. But I'm too worried about her living alone."
"So?"
"Unfortunately, we can't enter the labyrinth as six people, but I think we should take carrre of her until she gets back on her feet again."
Right, I forgot this was just how Missha was. Her intentions were praiseworthy, which made me want to tease her. "Didn't you hate elves?"
"Eek, what do you take me forrr? Spit out the meal I just worked hard to prepare. Spit it all out!" Missha snapped as she looked me up and down. How strange. Just a moment ago, it felt like my heart was being weighed down by all kinds of thoughts. "Why are you laughing? It's getting on my nerrrves."
"I'm just grateful."
"...Ugh, out of nowhere again." Missha averted her gaze in annoyance and gulped down her water.
I studied her silently. In truth, except for the ears on top of her head and her tail, she looked just like a normal human being. Her short red hair had grown a bit since we first met. She had a sharp nose and eyes that were angled slightly upward. You could tell she was down-to-earth and kind just by exchanging a few words with her, but when I first saw her face, I thought she would be the feisty and cool type.
Belatedly, I realized the room had gone quiet. A strange, awkward silence lingered in the kitchen.
"Um..." Missha parted her lips.
Knock, knock.
We heard a knock at the front door.
"I'll go see who it is."
"...Okay, I'll clearrr the table."
Walking on crutches and opening the front door, I saw a familiar person standing there. "Kyle Pevrosk."
"Haha, nice to see you. Did you get a good rest?"
"I fell asleep as soon as I arrived and only just woke up."
"Then does that mean you have time for a short conversation?"
"Of course. Come in."
As I stepped aside, Kyle came in. He exchanged greetings with Missha, who was clearing the table.
"Oh! Mr. Kyle?"
"Sorry, Miss Karlstein. It looks like I've interrupted your alone time."
"Eek, don't tease! He and I arrre not like that."
"Hmm, no? Sorry about that, then." Kyle apologized as if he really hadn't realized.
Missha shot me a look, then whipped around and started doing housework. And so, we sat on the sofa in the living room.
"I meant to come find you earlier, but as you know, I had a lot of work to do."
"I understand. After what happened..."
"Yes, yes..."
An uncomfortable silence settled between us at the mention of that incident. Before long, Missha placed the cookies she'd bought earlier on the coffee table and headed back to her room so that we could talk freely.
"Oh, this is from Lanemouth Bakery."
"Is that so? It must be a famous spot."
The mood lightened thanks to the cookies. I spoke more comfortably then. "If you have time, I want to hear everything from the beginning."
"I have quite a bit of time before my next appointment, but what do you mean by the beginning?"
"Fallen Scholar. What happened with that old man?"
This was something I was curious about but hadn't had the chance to hear the backstory of. By the time I woke up in the labyrinth, it was just before the end of Day Seven and even that was spent taking care of Erwen. Not to mention what had happened after we returned to the city. Dimension Square had been a literal hell on Earth that day.
"Oh, that..." Kyle bit into a cookie and started talking.
There were some things I couldn't understand since it was a battle between wizards, but the gist of it was simple: he had lost one-on-one. Before he could even use his modified version of Awakening, which he had been preparing for years, he got driven into a corner by an overwhelming sequence of spells. Activating the spell in an incomplete state, he took damage.
"I thought that I had finally managed to catch up to him with all my effort, but that had been my mistake. No, on the contrary, the gap between us seems to be wider than before."
Kyle had faced a wall that could never be climbed no matter what. And what was even more humiliating was that he had still survived.
"...He said my talent was a waste. Isn't it funny? I wasn't even a match for him. If he hadn't decided to spare me, I likely wouldn't have even dealt the amount of damage I did." By the time he finished talking, Kyle's face was dark.
"That must have been a hard topic to discuss, so thank you for telling me."
"I thought you should know this as well: after what happened, they might end up targeting you."
Hah, so this guy thinks so too.
"Thanks to this incident, the palace has raised the threat level of the Fallen Scholar to another rank, right below a captain. To be honest, as someone who has faced him, I think he should be placed on the same level as a captain... But no matter how many times I say so, everyone else disagrees."
"They won't know until they experience it for themselves."
This was a wizard who could pierce my Mana Resistance, which I had struggled to grind, with a regular hit. How many of these monsters could there be out there in the world? If we ran into each other in the labyrinth by coincidence under normal conditions, I wouldn't be able to avoid getting annihilated within minutes.
"Oh! Mr. Kyle?"
"Sorry, Miss Karlstein. It looks like I've interrupted your alone time."
"Eek, don't tease! He and I arrre not like that."
"Hmm, no? Sorry about that, then." Kyle apologized as if he really hadn't realized.
Missha shot me a look, then whipped around and started doing housework. And so, we sat on the sofa in the living room.
"I meant to come find you earlier, but as you know, I had a lot of work to do."
"I understand. After what happened..."
"Yes, yes..."
An uncomfortable silence settled between us at the mention of that incident. Before long, Missha placed the cookies she'd bought earlier on the coffee table and headed back to her room so that we could talk freely.
"Oh, this is from Lanemouth Bakery."
"Is that so? It must be a famous spot."
The mood lightened thanks to the cookies. I spoke more comfortably then. "If you have time, I want to hear everything from the beginning."
"I have quite a bit of time before my next appointment, but what do you mean by the beginning?"
"Fallen Scholar. What happened with that old man?"
This was something I was curious about but hadn't had the chance to hear the backstory of. By the time I woke up in the labyrinth, it was just before the end of Day Seven and even that was spent taking care of Erwen. Not to mention what had happened after we returned to the city. Dimension Square had been a literal hell on Earth that day.
"Oh, that..." Kyle bit into a cookie and started talking.
There were some things I couldn't understand since it was a battle between wizards, but the gist of it was simple: he had lost one-on-one. Before he could even use his modified version of Awakening, which he had been preparing for years, he got driven into a corner by an overwhelming sequence of spells. Activating the spell in an incomplete state, he took damage.
"I thought that I had finally managed to catch up to him with all my effort, but that had been my mistake. No, on the contrary, the gap between us seems to be wider than before."
Kyle had faced a wall that could never be climbed no matter what. And what was even more humiliating was that he had still survived.
"...He said my talent was a waste. Isn't it funny? I wasn't even a match for him. If he hadn't decided to spare me, I likely wouldn't have even dealt the amount of damage I did." By the time he finished talking, Kyle's face was dark.
"That must have been a hard topic to discuss, so thank you for telling me."
"I thought you should know this as well: after what happened, they might end up targeting you."
Hah, so this guy thinks so too.
"Thanks to this incident, the palace has raised the threat level of the Fallen Scholar to another rank, right below a captain. To be honest, as someone who has faced him, I think he should be placed on the same level as a captain... But no matter how many times I say so, everyone else disagrees."
"They won't know until they experience it for themselves."
This was a wizard who could pierce my Mana Resistance, which I had struggled to grind, with a regular hit. How many of these monsters could there be out there in the world? If we ran into each other in the labyrinth by coincidence under normal conditions, I wouldn't be able to avoid getting annihilated within minutes.
"Anyway, that's why I wanted to tell you to be careful."
Hmm, but personality-wise, I don't think he'll bother to come to track me down out of revenge. Unlike Clown.
"What happened to Corpse Collector?"
"No news yet. I heard he took a critical hit from you before he left, but he's probably still alive."
"...I see."
At least the Clown situation was better, because he'd lost a corpse army of thousands during the battle. It would take a huge amount of time for him to recover that, so I at least had time to level up.
"Oh, so how many survivors were there?"
"Are you referring to those who used the portals to escape?"
"Of course. I think I heard that about a hundred people lived."
Kyle sighed at my words. "There are 103 to be exact, although I don't know if they can be considered alive."
"What do you mean?"
Once again, Kyle used professional wizard jargon to explain this and that. To summarize, it was like this:
"So, it was a unique spell imbued with black magic, so even treatment with divine power isn't working properly on the wounds?"
"That's right. They are all unconscious now. As for when they'll wake up—no, it's unclear whether they'll even wake up or not."
"That's one hell of a mess."
After discussing the survivors, we had a conversation about the incident itself. Just what was going on? Kyle, who was a rather high-ranking member of the palace, was open with me about everything he knew.
"At first, we were confused too. How did they manage to prepare a spell that requires several months of preparation to even activate in the square in one day?" This was the question all adventurers that had been there that day had, including me. The answer was really simple. "As it turns out, they drew the magic circle in the sewers to avoid prying eyes."
Like the tunnel people they were, they worked from below.
"Our investigation found that the barrier on Noark hasn't undergone any changes. That means that either these guys have a way to come outside or manpower that they sent out in advance."
I laughed awkwardly at his hypothesis. It was probably manpower that was sent out of the city in advance.
For example... Amelia.
A spy from Noark had infiltrated the city. Until now, I was on the fence about strictly calling her my enemy. I had thought her hatred was only directed toward the royal family and not me.
But it would be smart to see her as the enemy now.
That woman would continue to work under Noark. And if I got unlucky, I could end up losing my life because of that unless I decided to join Noark's side.
"Then let's get to the main topic at hand here."
"Main topic?"
"Currently, the situation in the city isn't good, because a great number of the important figures that maintained the city are dead. At this rate, the economy will collapse soon."
That was pretty much what I had been thinking. Adventurers were miners who gathered resources from the labyrinth. The knights may have been strong, but they were nowhere near as important as adventurers in this sense. The high-ranking adventurers were all dead—well, aside from some large clans who had been boycotting. High-ranking adventurers who didn't feel safe going in even after the identification tag system was introduced had survived too, but the real problem lay elsewhere.
"Those people likely won't enter the labyrinth anymore. That is, until they are convinced that the labyrinth is safe."
A "safe labyrinth" was a funny thought, but understandable. The number of survivors from this month was less than two thousand. Who would want to mine mana stones in a situation like this?
"...It's inevitable. Until now, the identification tags and presence of the Third Royal Guard had reassured adventurers, but the truth has been revealed."
The knights who had vowed to protect us from Noark had stooped to opening portals with the large clans and fleeing, leaving ten thousand adventurers behind.
"I'm embarrassed to say this, but someone said during the meeting that it might have been better if there were no survivors at all."
I laughed bitterly at Kyle's words. The more I went through, the more I realized how cruel this world was.
Well, complaining won't change anything.
"So, now I have to watch out for Fallen Scholar, Corpse Collector, and the palace?"
"Haha, of course not." Kyle waved his hand at my half-joking concern. "You may not know this because you've only been at home, but you have become a very important figure to the palace."
"...Elaborate."
"Even at this moment, stories about you are being spread through the mouths of the survivors who journeyed with us that day. In a few more days, there won't be anyone left in the city who doesn't know who you are. You are the rising star who single-handedly left Corpse Collector in that state, after all!"
"...Please don't spread rumors that I did it on my own anywhere."
"You're a humble guy."
No, it's not about being humble, it's an actual burden.
Being just a good guy who had led the way and worked harder than anyone else was enough, but this reputation Kyle described was hard for me to bear. The one fighting single-handedly had actually been Clown. Even as he fought our team, that guy had been pushing back the main team composed of senior adventurers with an army of corpses.
When I think of it that way, he really is a monster.
I sorted out the thoughts that briefly passed through my mind and returned to the topic at hand. "So what does that have to do with the palace? Adventurers of my level would be common there."
"But few as iconic as you."
"I don't know what you mean."
"There was already mounting distrust toward the palace brewing. It is inevitable that this incident will become a catalyst. The king has assessed the situation as follows: if you become the heart of the movement, it could lead to a bigger—"
God damn it.
"...Huh? Why do you look like that?"
I answered honestly. "For some reason, all I heard was that they are going to get rid of me." This was my 100 percent sincere assumption.
I wasn't sure if he was aware of where my mind was going, but Kyle chuckled. "Don't worry about a thing. The palace's approach to you was already decided during the meeting."
Decided? Oh, is that why he said I don't have to be careful?
"Stop stalling and tell me. I see now that this is why you came today in the first place."
When I prodded him, Kyle smiled as if he was the one who was more pleased between the two of us. "Congratulations. Soon, you will receive a very, very, very big reward."
So the king had decided to hand me a carrot.
"Anyway, that's why I wanted to tell you to be careful."
Hmm, but personality-wise, I don't think he'll bother to come to track me down out of revenge. Unlike Clown.
"What happened to Corpse Collector?"
"No news yet. I heard he took a critical hit from you before he left, but he's probably still alive."
"...I see."
At least the Clown situation was better, because he'd lost a corpse army of thousands during the battle. It would take a huge amount of time for him to recover that, so I at least had time to level up.
"Oh, so how many survivors were there?"
"Are you referring to those who used the portals to escape?"
"Of course. I think I heard that about a hundred people lived."
Kyle sighed at my words. "There are 103 to be exact, although I don't know if they can be considered alive."
"What do you mean?"
Once again, Kyle used professional wizard jargon to explain this and that. To summarize, it was like this:
"So, it was a unique spell imbued with black magic, so even treatment with divine power isn't working properly on the wounds?"
"That's right. They are all unconscious now. As for when they'll wake up—no, it's unclear whether they'll even wake up or not."
"That's one hell of a mess."
After discussing the survivors, we had a conversation about the incident itself. Just what was going on? Kyle, who was a rather high-ranking member of the palace, was open with me about everything he knew.
"At first, we were confused too. How did they manage to prepare a spell that requires several months of preparation to even activate in the square in one day?" This was the question all adventurers that had been there that day had, including me. The answer was really simple. "As it turns out, they drew the magic circle in the sewers to avoid prying eyes."
Like the tunnel people they were, they worked from below.
"Our investigation found that the barrier on Noark hasn't undergone any changes. That means that either these guys have a way to come outside or manpower that they sent out in advance."
I laughed awkwardly at his hypothesis. It was probably manpower that was sent out of the city in advance.
For example... Amelia.
A spy from Noark had infiltrated the city. Until now, I was on the fence about strictly calling her my enemy. I had thought her hatred was only directed toward the royal family and not me.
But it would be smart to see her as the enemy now.
That woman would continue to work under Noark. And if I got unlucky, I could end up losing my life because of that unless I decided to join Noark's side.
"Then let's get to the main topic at hand here."
"Main topic?"
"Currently, the situation in the city isn't good, because a great number of the important figures that maintained the city are dead. At this rate, the economy will collapse soon."
That was pretty much what I had been thinking. Adventurers were miners who gathered resources from the labyrinth. The knights may have been strong, but they were nowhere near as important as adventurers in this sense. The high-ranking adventurers were all dead—well, aside from some large clans who had been boycotting. High-ranking adventurers who didn't feel safe going in even after the identification tag system was introduced had survived too, but the real problem lay elsewhere.
"Those people likely won't enter the labyrinth anymore. That is, until they are convinced that the labyrinth is safe."
A "safe labyrinth" was a funny thought, but understandable. The number of survivors from this month was less than two thousand. Who would want to mine mana stones in a situation like this?
"...It's inevitable. Until now, the identification tags and presence of the Third Royal Guard had reassured adventurers, but the truth has been revealed."
The knights who had vowed to protect us from Noark had stooped to opening portals with the large clans and fleeing, leaving ten thousand adventurers behind.
"I'm embarrassed to say this, but someone said during the meeting that it might have been better if there were no survivors at all."
I laughed bitterly at Kyle's words. The more I went through, the more I realized how cruel this world was.
Well, complaining won't change anything.
"So, now I have to watch out for Fallen Scholar, Corpse Collector, and the palace?"
"Haha, of course not." Kyle waved his hand at my half-joking concern. "You may not know this because you've only been at home, but you have become a very important figure to the palace."
"...Elaborate."
"Even at this moment, stories about you are being spread through the mouths of the survivors who journeyed with us that day. In a few more days, there won't be anyone left in the city who doesn't know who you are. You are the rising star who single-handedly left Corpse Collector in that state, after all!"
"...Please don't spread rumors that I did it on my own anywhere."
"You're a humble guy."
No, it's not about being humble, it's an actual burden.
Being just a good guy who had led the way and worked harder than anyone else was enough, but this reputation Kyle described was hard for me to bear. The one fighting single-handedly had actually been Clown. Even as he fought our team, that guy had been pushing back the main team composed of senior adventurers with an army of corpses.
When I think of it that way, he really is a monster.
I sorted out the thoughts that briefly passed through my mind and returned to the topic at hand. "So what does that have to do with the palace? Adventurers of my level would be common there."
"But few as iconic as you."
"I don't know what you mean."
"There was already mounting distrust toward the palace brewing. It is inevitable that this incident will become a catalyst. The king has assessed the situation as follows: if you become the heart of the movement, it could lead to a bigger—"
God damn it.
"...Huh? Why do you look like that?"
I answered honestly. "For some reason, all I heard was that they are going to get rid of me." This was my 100 percent sincere assumption.
I wasn't sure if he was aware of where my mind was going, but Kyle chuckled. "Don't worry about a thing. The palace's approach to you was already decided during the meeting."
Decided? Oh, is that why he said I don't have to be careful?
"Stop stalling and tell me. I see now that this is why you came today in the first place."
When I prodded him, Kyle smiled as if he was the one who was more pleased between the two of us. "Congratulations. Soon, you will receive a very, very, very big reward."
So the king had decided to hand me a carrot.