Chapter 256: Open World (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 256: Open World (5)
Fallen Scholar's signature flame spell was as relentless as his reputation implied. Even with countless helpers gathered from all over the city, all they could do was keep the flames from spreading further. In the end, the fire was extinguished only after the masters of seven different schools came together to cast a spell.
Shaaaaaa!
Rain poured down as if a hole had opened up in the sky.
"Woohoo!" Some cheered at the sight of the fire finally losing its strength, others were silently relieved, and others slumped down to the ground like they had no energy left to even shout. For reference, I was in the latter group.
"...Goddamn it."
It was finally over. My overheated body quickly cooled and the tension in my muscles instantly released. I collapsed on the spot, flopping onto the ground, and immediately regretted it.
"Ha."
The ground was lukewarm and wet. The ash that had been flying around all night had mixed with the rainwater, turning into a sticky mess. It was a habitat any human would be uncomfortable in. However, I couldn't be bothered to get up again. How long did I stay like that with my eyes closed?
"Oh, what the heck! I thought you were hurt!" When I opened my eyes, I saw Raven above me. "...But you're not actually hurt, are you?"
"I'm just exhausted and resting, so don't talk to me."
"If you're going to rest, you should go home and wash up properly—"
"Later."
"...Okay. Since you worked hard..."
After lying down for a few more minutes, I got up. The water was up to my ears now. The drainage wasn't very good here.
"...You look like a mess."
"I don't think you're one to talk, Mr. Yandel."
We made our way to the city's untouched district with dark lye dripping from us. I could see people here and there. There were those desperately searching for people they'd lost, and those combing through the wreckage for any survivors. Everyone was in a similar state to us.
"What time is it, by the way?"
"It's almost noon."
Noon on June 2nd, huh? It was kind of funny. Normally, the only people in the city who looked like this at this particular time were adventurers.
"The rain stopped."
The wizards appeared to have released the spell as the dark clouds that filled the sky broke up and warm rays of light began to shine through.
"Bjorn!" I caught sight of Missha in the distance. Ainar and Erwen were by her side. They must have come here after hearing the news in the middle of the night. Seeing as they were in a similar state to us, it seemed these guys had also been working hard all night to put out the fire. "...You're not injured, rrright?"
I was worried she would nag me a bit, but Missha surprisingly didn't say anything. It was probably because of the people around her.
"B-Baronet Yandel...!" These were the few survivors I had rescued last night. I was sure she couldn't bring herself to ask why I did so in front of these people.
"Why are you still hanging around here?" I asked in confusion. "You should all be resting."
At my question, the survivors hesitantly thanked me and left. What, did they really wait here this whole time just to say those few words?
At least don't be intimidated by my noble status.
I chuckled and kept walking. Before long, the eastern district, which hadn't been swallowed by the fire, appeared. First, I got an inn nearby. We couldn't take a carriage home looking like this, could we? Plus, it'd take at least a few hours to get home and I just wanted to rest for now.
I wonder how much it costs to stay a night in Karnon...
Since this was the imperial capital, I expected it to be much more expensive than the commercial district of Kommelby, but I wasn't able to learn the price today because our room was free.
"Our manager has instructed us not to accept money from anyone today." All nearby inns were offering rooms free of charge for citizens and adventurers who had come to fight the fire. "Before you head up, I'll need you to sign in... Baronet Bjorn Yandel...?!"
"Yes?"
"I've heard a lot about you. That you worked the hardest out of everyone today... I want to thank you on behalf of the city."
I didn't know if it was because of my title or reputation, but the staff at the counter reserved the biggest remaining room exclusively for me. Apparently, the unit on the other side of the hall was being shared by fifteen people. Because our accommodations included one living room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms, we could share it comfortably between the five of us.
"Bjorn, you should go ahead and use one of the bathrooms firrrst. We'll take turns using the other one."
"Thanks." I didn't turn down my team's generosity and went to the bathroom to wash up. Even though I showered as quickly as I could, it still took about an hour.
I'll wash and return the equipment I borrowed later...
I gathered the equipment I took off in a corner of the room, lay down on the bed, and closed my eyes. Like you would expect from a hotel in the imperial capital of Karnon, the bed was soft. Fatigue set in at once.
Anyway, I wonder how things went in the labyrinth. Did the army win? I'm curious about things on that end too...
Well, I was sure I could look into that tomorrow. That was my last thought before sleep came to me, and by the time I opened my eyes the next day, the royal army that had ventured underground had already returned.
"It's the army!"
And as a result, my mind was boggled.
What exactly happened down there?
As I stared down at the army marching down the road toward the palace from my window, I couldn't find any evidence that they'd been in a battle at all.
***
In an area deep underground that was untouched by the light of day, thousands of people were walking in a line, relying on torches. All were inhabitants of Noark.
"This way." An unfamiliar old man was at the front of the pack leading the way, and the ruler of the city, the castellan, was following right behind him.
"My Lord, we do not know who this man is. We need to leave now while we can—"
"Watch your mouth. Right now, this man is the only person we can trust."
"But how could he know a shortcut even we didn't know about? It's much too suspicious. This could be a trick from the palace—"
"Stop." The castellan sternly cut the vassal off. It was understandable that they would be suspicious of the old man, as well as incredibly anxious, but a trick from the palace? That was too much of a leap. If it weren't for this old man, everyone here would have disappeared along with the city of Noark. "We have no choice. Just trust him," the castellan muttered, clearly drained as he recalled the events from earlier.
At least don't be intimidated by my noble status.
I chuckled and kept walking. Before long, the eastern district, which hadn't been swallowed by the fire, appeared. First, I got an inn nearby. We couldn't take a carriage home looking like this, could we? Plus, it'd take at least a few hours to get home and I just wanted to rest for now.
I wonder how much it costs to stay a night in Karnon...
Since this was the imperial capital, I expected it to be much more expensive than the commercial district of Kommelby, but I wasn't able to learn the price today because our room was free.
"Our manager has instructed us not to accept money from anyone today." All nearby inns were offering rooms free of charge for citizens and adventurers who had come to fight the fire. "Before you head up, I'll need you to sign in... Baronet Bjorn Yandel...?!"
"Yes?"
"I've heard a lot about you. That you worked the hardest out of everyone today... I want to thank you on behalf of the city."
I didn't know if it was because of my title or reputation, but the staff at the counter reserved the biggest remaining room exclusively for me. Apparently, the unit on the other side of the hall was being shared by fifteen people. Because our accommodations included one living room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms, we could share it comfortably between the five of us.
"Bjorn, you should go ahead and use one of the bathrooms firrrst. We'll take turns using the other one."
"Thanks." I didn't turn down my team's generosity and went to the bathroom to wash up. Even though I showered as quickly as I could, it still took about an hour.
I'll wash and return the equipment I borrowed later...
I gathered the equipment I took off in a corner of the room, lay down on the bed, and closed my eyes. Like you would expect from a hotel in the imperial capital of Karnon, the bed was soft. Fatigue set in at once.
Anyway, I wonder how things went in the labyrinth. Did the army win? I'm curious about things on that end too...
Well, I was sure I could look into that tomorrow. That was my last thought before sleep came to me, and by the time I opened my eyes the next day, the royal army that had ventured underground had already returned.
"It's the army!"
And as a result, my mind was boggled.
What exactly happened down there?
As I stared down at the army marching down the road toward the palace from my window, I couldn't find any evidence that they'd been in a battle at all.
***
In an area deep underground that was untouched by the light of day, thousands of people were walking in a line, relying on torches. All were inhabitants of Noark.
"This way." An unfamiliar old man was at the front of the pack leading the way, and the ruler of the city, the castellan, was following right behind him.
"My Lord, we do not know who this man is. We need to leave now while we can—"
"Watch your mouth. Right now, this man is the only person we can trust."
"But how could he know a shortcut even we didn't know about? It's much too suspicious. This could be a trick from the palace—"
"Stop." The castellan sternly cut the vassal off. It was understandable that they would be suspicious of the old man, as well as incredibly anxious, but a trick from the palace? That was too much of a leap. If it weren't for this old man, everyone here would have disappeared along with the city of Noark. "We have no choice. Just trust him," the castellan muttered, clearly drained as he recalled the events from earlier.
It had been just after midnight when Rafdonia's troops attacked, right when all of Noark's troops had left for the labyrinth. The royal army destroyed the barrier protecting the city all this time and began its advance.
"My lord, the royal army has invaded!"
"Take all civilians to the shelter."
Stunned for only a moment, the castellan gathered everyone remaining in the city and hid in the shelter under the fortress. The shelter had been built by a royal in the distant past to be a refuge that could accommodate thousands of people. At the time, Noark's castle had functioned as the home of the royal family, back around the same time the witch's curse brought destruction upon the world. Humanity had come together from all corners of the continent, established a city underground and, using a protective barrier, survived there for a long time until they eventually ventured back out onto the surface. That was also the origin of why there was a portal to the labyrinth underground.
For better or for worse, the palace's troops showed little interest in their shelter. Their reasons were understandable. Once the portal opened at noon, adventurers would come out. The palace's top priority was to defeat Noark's adventurers. They would have no issues destroying the shelter afterward.
"Yes, they have set up camp in the square and aren't making a move. It seems they are waiting for the portal to open."
"Send word aboveground."
In the end, the castellan requested support from aboveground, at which point the Fallen Scholar started burning down the imperial capital to draw their attention.
Stubborn bastards.
The troops did not retreat to the city. Even their last hope, the Fallen Scholar, lost contact at some point. Time continued to pass in a similar fashion until there were about twenty minutes left before the portal opened and the forces sent into the labyrinth returned.
The castellan commanded his remaining troops with the spirit of a man who had been driven into a corner. At the time, that had been the best he could do. He had no idea how many people would be killed, but this was the only way for at least a few more people to survive.
"Open the gate!"
Just before the hour hand pointed to twelve, the castellan led his troops out of the shelter. Ferociously breaking through the line of soldiers lying in wait for them in front, they headed toward the square. It was even more hopeless in person. Thousands of knights, even more soldiers, and wizards and priests were in position everywhere, but it was already too late to turn back. Soon, blue light gathered in the center of the square, and a portal opened, spitting out a stream of adventurers.
"The portal is opening!"
"Prepare yourselves!"
"W-What the hell!?"
"Army! It's the royal army!"
"Damn it! No wonder no one was inside!"
The adventurers from Noark had been shocked by the troops greeting them upon their return to the city, but the sense of wrongness they'd noticed inside the labyrinth allowed them to quickly get up to speed.
"What are you doing!? Are you going to die like this?"
"Hurry up and take out your knife, you bastard!"
The adventurers immediately took out their weapons and prepared to retaliate, and the castellan led his troops as close to the outskirts as he could. As he did, he gave only one order:
It had been just after midnight when Rafdonia's troops attacked, right when all of Noark's troops had left for the labyrinth. The royal army destroyed the barrier protecting the city all this time and began its advance.
"My lord, the royal army has invaded!"
"Take all civilians to the shelter."
Stunned for only a moment, the castellan gathered everyone remaining in the city and hid in the shelter under the fortress. The shelter had been built by a royal in the distant past to be a refuge that could accommodate thousands of people. At the time, Noark's castle had functioned as the home of the royal family, back around the same time the witch's curse brought destruction upon the world. Humanity had come together from all corners of the continent, established a city underground and, using a protective barrier, survived there for a long time until they eventually ventured back out onto the surface. That was also the origin of why there was a portal to the labyrinth underground.
For better or for worse, the palace's troops showed little interest in their shelter. Their reasons were understandable. Once the portal opened at noon, adventurers would come out. The palace's top priority was to defeat Noark's adventurers. They would have no issues destroying the shelter afterward.
"Yes, they have set up camp in the square and aren't making a move. It seems they are waiting for the portal to open."
"Send word aboveground."
In the end, the castellan requested support from aboveground, at which point the Fallen Scholar started burning down the imperial capital to draw their attention.
Stubborn bastards.
The troops did not retreat to the city. Even their last hope, the Fallen Scholar, lost contact at some point. Time continued to pass in a similar fashion until there were about twenty minutes left before the portal opened and the forces sent into the labyrinth returned.
The castellan commanded his remaining troops with the spirit of a man who had been driven into a corner. At the time, that had been the best he could do. He had no idea how many people would be killed, but this was the only way for at least a few more people to survive.
"Open the gate!"
Just before the hour hand pointed to twelve, the castellan led his troops out of the shelter. Ferociously breaking through the line of soldiers lying in wait for them in front, they headed toward the square. It was even more hopeless in person. Thousands of knights, even more soldiers, and wizards and priests were in position everywhere, but it was already too late to turn back. Soon, blue light gathered in the center of the square, and a portal opened, spitting out a stream of adventurers.
"The portal is opening!"
"Prepare yourselves!"
"W-What the hell!?"
"Army! It's the royal army!"
"Damn it! No wonder no one was inside!"
The adventurers from Noark had been shocked by the troops greeting them upon their return to the city, but the sense of wrongness they'd noticed inside the labyrinth allowed them to quickly get up to speed.
"What are you doing!? Are you going to die like this?"
"Hurry up and take out your knife, you bastard!"
The adventurers immediately took out their weapons and prepared to retaliate, and the castellan led his troops as close to the outskirts as he could. As he did, he gave only one order:
"Run! Aboveground!"
The best plan of action he could come up with was to save his own skin, to save as many people as possible for the sake of the future. But it seemed that got someone's attention.
Before long, a knight appeared in front of him. The dazzling aura covering the knight's sword was a testament to his identity.
"So, this is what the head of the insolent insurgents looks like. I'm surprised. You're more normal-looking than I thought."
"The Knight of Light...!"
It had been the captain of the First Royal Guard, Jerome Saintred. Possessing the nickname of Guardian of the Palace, he was a talented knight who was a very significant figure in Rafdonia.
"Don't worry. You're not going to die here. I will cut off your limbs just in case and take you with us alive."
The Knight of Light swung his sword. The castellan, who had only spent a few years as an adventurer in his twenties and had reached the fifth floor, could do nothing more than watch.
Whooom!
A flash of light marked the sword's trajectory and stained his vision white. But when the flash died down and he opened his eyes, the castellan found that nothing had happened to him. His arms were moving and his legs were still intact and standing. But how?
Just as the question formed in his mind, the mysterious old man appeared several feet up in the air.
"You still have work to do."
The battle around him had stopped at some point, and not voluntarily. The Knight of Light still had his sword aimed at the castellan's neck, but his hands were trembling as he fought against some invisible force. No one in this space seemed to be able to do anything to harm another like it had suddenly become law.
"Then since everyone is here, let's get going. Fortunately, this thing still works fine."
When the old man flicked his wrist, a huge, city-sized magic circle etched into the ground began to glow. This was his first time feeling such a powerful mana in his life. As the old man began to murmur, the world around the castellan blurred.
Flash!
When he came to, he was in a dark underground passage, and he wasn't the only one there. Everyone on Noark's side who had been in the square was in the passage as well.
"W-What have you done!?"
"Mass Teleportation? But it's impossible to transport so many people at once..."
Although very few, some knights ended up coming along with them.
"Looks like I made a mistake while trying to move so many people at once. Ah, I didn't bring them on purpose, so don't mind me and just kill them."
Like a man possessed, the castellan had complied with the old man's suggestion and ordered his people to slaughter the knights. He started following the old man, who just smiled mysteriously at his questions about where they were. Hours passed.
"Are you the person I think you are, sir?" The castellan was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of a man's voice. Surprisingly, the leader of Orcules was talking to the old man in a respectful tone.
"Well, without questions, there can be no answers."
"So you're saying I should think for myself. All right."
The leader who had torn Noark in half and clashed with them on many occasions meekly bowed his head and withdrew. While that was a strange sight in itself, it further raised the castellan's suspicions about the old man.
Who is this man?
He even debated asking the leader of Orcules. The moment they were teleported to this place, Orcules' leader immediately ordered his members to stay put and not do anything rash. That had to be because he knew something.
But there's no way this man will cough that information up willingly.
Instead of asking the leader about the old man's identity, the castellan approached the old man himself and actively attempted to engage him in conversation, something he hadn't been able to do before out of a strange sense of unease. Surprisingly, the old man was very friendly.
"Oh, you mean that teleportation spell? I just borrowed the power of an ancient magic circle that was already in the city, so don't think so highly of me. The same goes for being able to temporarily stop the battle. That's just how well-designed Noark is as a city."
"I had no idea something like that even existed..."
"Haha, it would be strange if you did, so don't be too hard on yourself. So, are those all your questions?"
The castellan asked the old man whatever came to mind, and the old man answered every question he had except for the question of where he was leading them. A long while later, the narrow passage they were in gradually widened, and a sloped road appeared up ahead.
"We have arrived."
"Where are we...?"
As they climbed up a hill, the outside world appeared before them. The castellan could say with conviction that he had never seen something like this before—the shining sunlight, the forest, the flowing stream, the chirping birds, the worms squirming on the moist ground. And above them...
"No walls...?"
The castle walls that should have been visible no matter where they looked were not there. Put simply, that meant they were not inside Rafdonia, which was commonly referred to as the Final Citadel.
"W-Where is this place...?" the castellan breathed, turning back to the old man.
Through the sliver of his chin visible under his hood, he could see the old man smiling. "Congratulations. You will now go down in history as the first people to leave the city in thousands of years."
June 2nd, New World 154: the age of living trapped within the castle walls had finally come to an end, and a new world had begun.
"Run! Aboveground!"
The best plan of action he could come up with was to save his own skin, to save as many people as possible for the sake of the future. But it seemed that got someone's attention.
Before long, a knight appeared in front of him. The dazzling aura covering the knight's sword was a testament to his identity.
"So, this is what the head of the insolent insurgents looks like. I'm surprised. You're more normal-looking than I thought."
"The Knight of Light...!"
It had been the captain of the First Royal Guard, Jerome Saintred. Possessing the nickname of Guardian of the Palace, he was a talented knight who was a very significant figure in Rafdonia.
"Don't worry. You're not going to die here. I will cut off your limbs just in case and take you with us alive."
The Knight of Light swung his sword. The castellan, who had only spent a few years as an adventurer in his twenties and had reached the fifth floor, could do nothing more than watch.
Whooom!
A flash of light marked the sword's trajectory and stained his vision white. But when the flash died down and he opened his eyes, the castellan found that nothing had happened to him. His arms were moving and his legs were still intact and standing. But how?
Just as the question formed in his mind, the mysterious old man appeared several feet up in the air.
"You still have work to do."
The battle around him had stopped at some point, and not voluntarily. The Knight of Light still had his sword aimed at the castellan's neck, but his hands were trembling as he fought against some invisible force. No one in this space seemed to be able to do anything to harm another like it had suddenly become law.
"Then since everyone is here, let's get going. Fortunately, this thing still works fine."
When the old man flicked his wrist, a huge, city-sized magic circle etched into the ground began to glow. This was his first time feeling such a powerful mana in his life. As the old man began to murmur, the world around the castellan blurred.
Flash!
When he came to, he was in a dark underground passage, and he wasn't the only one there. Everyone on Noark's side who had been in the square was in the passage as well.
"W-What have you done!?"
"Mass Teleportation? But it's impossible to transport so many people at once..."
Although very few, some knights ended up coming along with them.
"Looks like I made a mistake while trying to move so many people at once. Ah, I didn't bring them on purpose, so don't mind me and just kill them."
Like a man possessed, the castellan had complied with the old man's suggestion and ordered his people to slaughter the knights. He started following the old man, who just smiled mysteriously at his questions about where they were. Hours passed.
"Are you the person I think you are, sir?" The castellan was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of a man's voice. Surprisingly, the leader of Orcules was talking to the old man in a respectful tone.
"Well, without questions, there can be no answers."
"So you're saying I should think for myself. All right."
The leader who had torn Noark in half and clashed with them on many occasions meekly bowed his head and withdrew. While that was a strange sight in itself, it further raised the castellan's suspicions about the old man.
Who is this man?
He even debated asking the leader of Orcules. The moment they were teleported to this place, Orcules' leader immediately ordered his members to stay put and not do anything rash. That had to be because he knew something.
But there's no way this man will cough that information up willingly.
Instead of asking the leader about the old man's identity, the castellan approached the old man himself and actively attempted to engage him in conversation, something he hadn't been able to do before out of a strange sense of unease. Surprisingly, the old man was very friendly.
"Oh, you mean that teleportation spell? I just borrowed the power of an ancient magic circle that was already in the city, so don't think so highly of me. The same goes for being able to temporarily stop the battle. That's just how well-designed Noark is as a city."
"I had no idea something like that even existed..."
"Haha, it would be strange if you did, so don't be too hard on yourself. So, are those all your questions?"
The castellan asked the old man whatever came to mind, and the old man answered every question he had except for the question of where he was leading them. A long while later, the narrow passage they were in gradually widened, and a sloped road appeared up ahead.
"We have arrived."
"Where are we...?"
As they climbed up a hill, the outside world appeared before them. The castellan could say with conviction that he had never seen something like this before—the shining sunlight, the forest, the flowing stream, the chirping birds, the worms squirming on the moist ground. And above them...
"No walls...?"
The castle walls that should have been visible no matter where they looked were not there. Put simply, that meant they were not inside Rafdonia, which was commonly referred to as the Final Citadel.
"W-Where is this place...?" the castellan breathed, turning back to the old man.
Through the sliver of his chin visible under his hood, he could see the old man smiling. "Congratulations. You will now go down in history as the first people to leave the city in thousands of years."
June 2nd, New World 154: the age of living trapped within the castle walls had finally come to an end, and a new world had begun.