130
My Villains Chapter 130
34. Soul Sorcerer (2)
As we descended the steep slope of the ravine, a spacious pit came into view.
"Is this really a mine?"
"It seems so."
As the whispers behind us suggested, this seemed to be a kind of mine. In addition to the fragments of the cart we had seen at the entrance, the various boxes, pickaxes, ropes, carts, boards, and wooden pillars scattered throughout the pit further confirmed this.
Through a simple search, we were able to obtain unexpected clues.
I questioned while closely examining the lumps that the archer Cole had handed over.
"...Gold? Golden?"
"Probably."
"Isn't it just like copper or something?"
The one who answered my question was Simos.
"There are hardly any minerals that are this yellow and opaque. There are cases of pyrite, but this is definitely gold."
Convinced by her assertion, I held the lumps up to the torch. There were about a dozen or so irregularly shaped gold fragments, ranging in size from a fingernail to a finger.
"And if they can pry out gold lumps of that size, it means the profitability is unbelievably high."
As I gave her a questioning look, Simos continued.
"Gold ore often looks just like ordinary rocks at a glance. For such gold lumps to be falling out like that... Is definitely not a normal occurrence."
I returned the gold fragments to Cole and asked, "Where did you find these?"
"They were hidden among the junk in the corner."
"Was it a miner who hid them?... A person?"
"There were some clothes and gloves, but no person."
"...No body?"
"No body."
It seems like I've gotten involved in something complicated.
Suddenly, I remember the meaningful conversation I overheard when Dionea was hiding...
-Even just considering the debt I've already owed the Count, my back is about to break. If I reach out any further, everything, the mine and all, will be taken away from me.
-Brother, this is not the time to be greedy!
-Isn't this all for your sake? Do you want to live in a tiny plot of land, like me?
It was a conversation between Baron Malory and another man. At the time, I didn't have the chance to think about it, but now, upon reflection, it seems very suspicious.
The debt owed to the Count, the mine, the man who calls Malory ‘brother’...
After pondering for a moment, I shook my head. The important thing now is not to uncover the backstory behind this mine, but to track down the flow of the strange magical power.
After descending for about an hour through the pit, thick beams and pillars supporting the ceiling began to appear. Seeing the traces of artificially breaking the rock and digging into the ground, this place was clearly a mine.
It wasn't long after entering the tunnel that we encountered several points where the path branched off. But there was no risk of getting lost.
"Is the left one the way?"
Ellen, who was following behind, quietly nodded her head.
Magical power was flowing out of the left tunnel. The mercenaries, who were unfamiliar with magic, could also feel the very dense magical power.
After turning into the left tunnel, a very strange landscape unfolded before us.
"...What is this?"
The tunnel, which had been as dark as darkness just a moment ago, was filled with a bright blue light. The ceiling seemed to be waves of the sea, and the floor was like an expanse of sky - a beautiful but incomprehensible sight.
It is natural for light to weaken the farther it is from the source, but this strange blue light was abruptly cut off at a certain point. The pitch-black darkness of the tunnel and the bright blue light beyond were facing each other in a clear line.
"It's a rift."
"Ellen, be careful."
Leaving my voice behind, Ellen flew towards the line separating the darkness and the blue light. The cautiously outstretched hand touched something with a ‘pong’ sound.
"What's wrong?" Ellen, who had been frowning for a moment, opened her mouth.
"I've read about it in the palace."
"What?"
"The method of summoning a dimension artificially."
The world of blue light was surrounded by a membrane-like barrier. Ellen stroked the membrane and continued her explanation.
"It seems like a point in the spirit world has been grafted onto the material world. The rift created in this way is allowing the spirit world to pour in."
"Pouring in? Like water?"
"Yes, like a river bursting through a breach in the dam."
"So the magical power of the spirit world is flowing in?"
"No, the spirit world itself is flowing in. The characteristic of the other dimensions except the material world is this - fluidity and instability..."
Druid Zhanabas stepped forward.
"This is the work of Akanku Karamek."
"What the hell is that bastard doing this for?"
"He was the greatest soul sorcerer of the Steppe. Especially skilled in handling the souls of beasts."
Beasts' souls, huh. So he's a summoner.
"Karamek has violated the taboos of sorcerers."
"Taboos?"
Utequais, who had a stone hammer on his shoulder, answered instead.
"He captured a human soul."
"Captured?"
"He made it unable to leave. She could not return to her mother's embrace."
"She?"
"Karamek's wife."
"...He captured his wife's soul?"
Sigh, what kind of crazy talk is this again.
"So, he used his wife's soul for spirit magic, is that it?"
To my question, Zhanabas shook his head.
"Not quite. Karamek tried to turn his dead wife's soul into a spirit."
Ellen let out a hollow laugh.
"Turn a soul into a spirit? That's impossible, isn't it?"
"Karamek believed it was possible. He had experience in turning animal souls into spirits, you see."
Ellen's mouth opened slightly.
"...So he made a soul that was not chosen by nature into a spirit? Artificially?"
"Yes."
"How can that even..."
"As I said, he was the greatest soul sorcerer of the Steppe."
At a loss for words, Ellen was added to by Utequais.
"That's right. That bastard was the greatest sorcerer since the Steppe was created."
...Wait a minute, the greatest soul sorcerer of all time? This is starting to make me uneasy. Come to think of it, when did I raise a soul sorcerer?
As I fell silent, pondering, Atalante asked Zhanabas.
"So, why did that bastard bring the spirit world here?"
"Six years ago, Karamek failed in his attempt to turn his wife's soul into a spirit. The fact that he was holding her soul was exposed, and he was banished from the Steppe."
"And then?"
"He probably didn't give up. Since it's difficult to spiritualize a human soul in the material world, he must be trying to do it in the spirit world."
"So, if we leave this as is, what will happen?"
"There are three possibilities. The current state may be maintained, the point of contact between the dimensions may be severed, or..."
Ellen, who had been lost in thought, spoke up.
"The dimensions may completely overlap. That's a dimensional collision."
Atalante, who had been listening carefully, scratched her cheek and expressed her doubts.
"Hmm, if the current state is maintained and the connection between the dimensions is severed?"
"Nothing would happen."
"Then if that Karamek guy makes his wife a spirit and severs the dimensional connection again?"
Ellen frowned and cut off Atalante's words.
"That's nonsense. A mere human can't control dimensions. Besides, the power of the spirit world is already growing little by little. It will soon lose control."
"O-oh..."
Just then...
Atalante fell silent, closing her mouth.
Grrrrr.
A strange sound came from behind the tunnel, the path the party had just passed through.
"...What is that?"
"Is it a person?"
The strange cries that burst out one after another began to echo all around. By the time the party had finished preparing for battle, the torches held by the mercenaries began to cast shadows on the far side of the tunnel.
Grrr!
The fierce cries burst out, and the shadows began to charge. What was dimly visible seemed to be in the form of a human.
"Here they come!"
"Arrows, shoot arrows!"
Clearly sensing the hostility, Amias shouted out.
Ellen's frost spikes, Atalante's void spears, and the archers' arrows tore through the tunnel.
Ugh-
Glancing at a few figures falling to the ground, I drew my Blood Blade. As Hrunting scattered crimson sword light, the figures of the creatures were revealed.
"Damn it."
Charging with mouths agape were something resembling humans. While the head, torso, and limbs were clearly human, traces of beasts or plants were sprouting all over their bodies.
Having leaves growing on the chin or claws curved like hooks was considered the better end of the spectrum.
There were all sorts of horrifying monstrosities - one with roots like things growing from the shoulders, one covered in stiff fur all over the body, one with a wet lump of stone instead of a head, and so on.
Grrr!
"Ugh, what are these things?"
While expressing my shock, I instinctively moved my body. Every time I thrust my shield and swung my sword, the human-like monsters fell one after another.
It didn't take long for the over thirty monsters to be completely felled. Despite their horrifying appearances, they weren't particularly strong.
Druid Zhanabas examined the corpses of the creatures and paled.
"Dreadful. These are people who have been corrupted by the spirit world."
"You mean these are people?"
"They were people. At one time."
Zhanabas looked around the party with a cautious tone.
"It seems the spirit world is closer than expected. People without magic power may be in danger."
"What do you mean?"
"Without magic power, they cannot resist the corruption."
Zhanabas pointed to the blue-tinged world beyond the rift.
"Especially near the rift, it will be worse. They'll probably turn into those corrupted forms in less than an hour."
The faces of Amias' group turned pale. Well, who would want to become such mindless monsters.
"Anyway, we have to go through the rift, don't we?"
"...To stop Karamek, yes. We have to go in."
"Only those with magic power should go in, then."
"Those with even a little magic power will be able to withstand it much longer than ordinary people. Especially someone like you, Ellen, with your vast magical power, the chance of being corrupted is very low."
As people's gazes turned to Ellen, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"What are you all looking at?"
As the gazes dispersed, I sighed and said,
"Then there's no choice. The people without magic power will stay here."
There were no objections.
Those left behind were a total of eight - Amias' group, warrior Agos, and Vittorio.
Just as the rest of us were about to enter the rift, leader Amias gave a wry smile.
"...Huh, in the end, I couldn't be of help."
As I remained silent, Utequais, who had already painted his face for battle, patted Amias' shoulder.
"Guard the rear."
"The rear?"
"That's right. If someone collapses the tunnel, we'll be buried alive."
"I see."
Amias smiled wryly and nodded.
"Have a safe trip."
"Alright."
I chuckled and then led the seven members of the party into the rift.
The inside of the rift was, in a word, another world.
At first, it felt like we were walking in the sky. The transparent floor was filled with the color of the sky, and when we looked up, the sea was undulating above.
It was a scenery that could never be found in reality, like a dream.
"This is the spirit world..."
"To be precise, the spirit world has flooded into the space of the material world."
Pondering Ellen's explanation, I suddenly realized something.
Originally, the spirit world was an experience that could only be had by clearing the campaign and playing the 'Expedition' content.
The scenery I had seen back then was similar to what was unfolding before me now. Of course, the graphics fragments that appeared on the monitor and the reality in front of my eyes were incomparable.
As we walked and gradually adapted to this strange landscape, "Hey, look up there!"
Atalante shouted, pointing to the sky.
Swoosh-
The sea that had filled the sky above was pouring down!
"Damn, what the hell is this-"
"Ugh,"
Stunned by the majestic sight of the falling sea, we couldn't even think of resisting.
Roar!
However, contrary to the expectation of being turned into dried fish or swept away by the raging torrent, the sea parted to the sides, centering on us.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The sea that split right above us crashed down like a waterfall, spraying in all directions. It was as if a massive amount of water was being poured over a plastic umbrella. Looking down, the sky had been replaced by a deep blue pool of water.
Overwhelmed by the strange sight of the sea pouring down and the deafening roar, we were frozen in place, unable to move.
"Phoenix."
Ellen, who had now curled up in my arms like a baby bird, was trembling.
"It's okay, it's okay."
I gently stroked her arm with my shaking hand.
Rumble.
After how long, the roar finally subsided. We floated slowly, as if in an air bubble, deep in the sea.
And finally, the air bubble we were riding surfaced above the sea.
Swoosh.
Standing on the blue surface, we looked around with uneasy expressions.
"...I'm completely disoriented."
"Marta'ae."
As we gradually regained our senses, another air bubble surfaced nearby.
"There-"
"What is it?"
The water sprayed, and a man with his entire skin painted white emerged.
"At last, finally, finally."
He wore a magnificent cape decorated with stars and bones. Like folded wings, the white cape draped down over the water surface.
"You have come."
The earrings carved from bone and the iridescent pendant, the stone tablet in his left hand, caught our attention.
"My first foresight."
The man slowly turned his body. He was a handsome man with a broad forehead, thick eyebrows, and a slender jawline.
"Those who will retrieve my love."
His eyes, blackened even in the whites, looked towards us. It was a gaze that had once peered into my soul.
"Welcome."
The man, the soul sorcerer Akanku Karamek, smiled at us.