Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 185
>Chapter Title: Wyvern? Why? Me? Wyvern?
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A dark ancient ruin.
We were holding our position at the entrance to the long corridor, not venturing any further.
In the center, Mysern senior's expensive glowstone cast its light, stretching our shadows long along the walls.
A brief silence.
I spoke first.
"Trapped, huh?"
"……Yeah, looks like it."
"Won't open?"
"……That's for sure."
"So we're trapped."
"……Guess we are."
Getting into the ancient ruin had gone smoothly enough. But that massive iron door had slammed shut behind me alone and refused to budge.
Sure, I could Blink out……
But Mysern senior must have sensed my intent.
"If you're thinking of doing what you did before, I wouldn't recommend it. Looks like the barrier's back up. Can't open it from outside. And you'd have to account for the water pressure."
Water pressure. Right, that was the issue.
We'd made it here without incident thanks to Mysern senior's help, so I hadn't realized, but the pressure at this depth was intense.
Not enough to crush a person outright, but it could easily damage lungs or other organs.
I didn't know enough about it to take risks, so I shelved the idea.
That aside, how deep had we descended?
That was when it hit me.
"Sorry about this."
Mysern senior bowed his head in apology.
We'd all known the risks—except Chenbi, maybe—but being stranded like this still weighed on him.
Surprisingly, Chenbi was the first to respond calmly.
"It's fine. Everyone dies eventually."
Didn't sound fine to me.
Anyway, situation assessed.
Time to decide our next move.
'Getting out's off the table for now. Water pressure…… I could probably handle it, but opening the door's another story.'
So, what choice did that leave?
'Push forward.'
Right. Rescue the spirits inside first. We'll figure out escape once we've explored the ruin.
I relayed this to Mysern senior, Damian, and Chenbi.
Varied reactions.
Damian, predictably, had none.
"Adventures always carry risks. Times like this, when retreat's impossible, come with the territory."
Chenbi……
"It's fine, Aster. Like I said, everyone dies."
Finally, Mysern senior pursed his lips like he had no face to show, nodding grimly.
Direction set.
Now, to move ahead.
But first, something to check.
That odd sense of déjà vu from when Mysern senior pulverized the golems earlier.
I approached the thoroughly crushed golem remains and examined them, quickly pinpointing the familiarity.
'These…… aren't ordinary golems.'
* * *
Why weren't they ordinary?
To understand, you'd need a lecture on golem evolution. But I don't know it well, so let's skip.
Modern golems became practical thanks to the 'golem core' improvements, but golem-like artifacts had been unearthed from ancient times.
Yet every era's golems shared one trait: a 'core' and 'magic circle.'
A universal constant across history.
That's why these weren't 'ordinary.'
Clatter, clunk.
On a hunch, I rummaged through the debris.
Sure enough.
'……No magic circle.'
Even smashed to bits, traces should remain. But the scattered chunks were pristine.
Like ordinary rocks.
But here's the weird part……
'The core's still there?'
What?
I couldn't make sense of it.
I'm no magitech expert, but I knew golems needed a 'core' and a 'magic circle' binding it to the body……
Core present, but no binding circle?
"Hmm…… no way."
I glanced at Mysern senior, who'd approached unnoticed.
Did he have a guess?
"Ah, hold on. Not certain, but…… just a sec."
He poked at the golem wreckage he'd smashed.
It didn't take long for him to gasp.
"Whoa, come look at this."
"This is……."
"Picked the intact core. Take a peek."
Mysern senior handed me a crystal orb the size of an adult fist.
The thing from the golems' heads earlier.
But what was I supposed to see?
As I puzzled over it, an overlapping voice chimed in.
"It's a core, but……."
"No mana. Even powered down, golem cores absorb mana habitually. Nothing here."
Chenbi examined the core in my hand, then nodded confidently.
"Definite. No mana. You don't sense it, Aster?"
"I……."
No.
Precisely, I hadn't realized the absence of mana was the anomaly.
"Golem cores, across all eras, absorb mana as fuel. Why? That's a long story……"
"Boring?"
"Hmm, no. I was listening."
"Nah, I get it."
Chenbi expressed hollow agreement, then turned to Mysern senior.
"But what were you going to say? Sorry, I interrupted……."
"Nah. Same as you. Saved me from spellcasting to goblin ears."
Goblin ears? Meaning explaining to someone too thick to get it otherwise.
"Anyway, you covered half. Makes this easier."
"No, everyone dies anyway."
"……."
Ah, so it wasn't enlightenment.
Just bottled up.
Mysern senior's awkwardness passed quickly.
"Ahem. Everyone, gather 'round. Damian, over here. Hey! Don't touch that!"
With Damian scampering over from fiddling in the corner, we regrouped.
Mysern senior stroked his beard with a "hmm," opening his mouth in the gentle tone of a grandfather spinning old tales.
Or trying to.
If I hadn't interrupted.
"Ever heard of the Grand Elemental era? Ancient legend among spiritists……."
"Senior?"
"……?"
I lowered my raised hand and asked.
"History class?"
"……Heh heh."
Mysern senior chuckled warmly, his kind smile infectious.
'I'm a happiness transmitter.'
They say laughter extends life. If he lives long, it's thanks to me.
Warm vibes aside.
Chenbi spoke.
"Mysern, everyone dies."
So?
"It's just now for Aster. No need to hold back."
Chenbi, one mental reconditioning session booked.
* * *
Luckily, Mysern senior held his temper. Unavoidable, really.
I'd just asked innocently; it just irked him a bit.
Thanks to my tearful sacrifice, his history lecture condensed to three lines.
"Grand Elemental era. Known as the age of ten thousand spirits. Legendary to spiritists, when their civilization peaked……."
[Omitted.]
"……leading to artifacts like these."
The real point.
"Spirit golems."
"Spirit…… golems?"
Chenbi tilted his head at the unfamiliar pairing.
Makes sense. Spirits of nature and magitech constructs don't mix.
Mysern senior nodded understandingly, continuing.
"Spirit golems run on spirit power, literally. Core holds a spirit, not mana."
Simple principle.
Like regular golems use mana, these use the spirit in the core.
But despite simplicity, the method was lost.
Mysern senior, curiosity piqued as a spiritist, eyed the space with wonder.
"Thought it was myth. Like dragons or vampires. Fairy tales. But real……."
Hold up.
"Senior?"
"Speak."
Chilly glare this time.
But my question was serious.
"So the spirits who called for your help—they're trapped in these cores? And what happened to them?"
Sharp, apparently.
Mysern senior exhaled in surprise, frowning as he stroked his beard.
Hadn't considered amid the excitement.
He answered soon.
"No spirit aura in the cores now. Hard to sense without contract, but…… none currently. Probably escaped when bodies broke. Whether these are the ones who called…… not sure."
So, 'don't know.'
Whatever, we'll find out inside.
That aside.
'The age of ten thousand spirits…….'
I scanned the surroundings with fresh eyes.
Per senior, an era where spirit arts boomed over magic or martial prowess, golden age……
'Slaves…… ten thousand?'
Eyes popped.
Even I couldn't handle ten thousand slaves.
Regaining composure, I cleared my throat and looked away.
"Shall we…… head in?"
"Yeah. Priority's rescuing the trapped ones."
Exactly.
As Aster's group advanced.
Deep in the ancient ruin Baharmut.
The massive crystal orb atop the altar hummed "whirr—" and trembled.
Inside, invisible spirits writhed tangled together, wills clashing chaotically.
Coming. Here. Alone? Four? Friends? Humans? Why? Demon. Scary. Run. Can't. Save us. Freedom. Crave. Wyvern? Why? Me? Wyvern? Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange…….
The jumbled wills unified into one voice.
[Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange.]
[Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different. Different.]
Then, suddenly.
Drip—
The spirits' wills halted.
The orb blazed with blinding light.
When it faded, their voice was perfectly unified, expressing one will.
[Danger, eliminate.]
Grrrrrumble—
A massive, eerie roar echoed through all of Baharmut.