Chapter 184
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: The Ancient Relic Rift
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They must have figured that successfully clearing the relic rift would give them a strong claim to ownership of the disputed territory.
Coral pushed forward with the operation, fully embracing the mindset of "If you're pissed off, then declare war."
On the other hand, Bata—wary of starting a war—couldn't just sit idly by, yet sending a subjugation force was a tricky call.
In the midst of all that, a certain person popped into her mind.
And that person was me.
The conditions lined up perfectly.
The maximum number of rift explorers was ten: five from their side, five from ours.
Whichever way you sliced it, it was clear Coral was dead serious.
"What is it Your Highness the Princess desires from me?"
"Could I borrow your strength? There was talk of slotting you in as the final member, but I wanted to respect your opinion."
House Cascadia had a decent relationship with the royal family. Helping out here could ensure continued royal support for Cascadia down the line.
Not a bad deal.
But I felt this opportunity was a bit of a waste for me.
I didn't care either way, but wasn't this the perfect chance to grind Melissa down?
"I shall move at your command. However..."
"Is there something bothering you?"
"It seems like a golden opportunity for my younger sister, Countess Cascadia."
She looked at me in surprise at my follow-up words.
"You mean Countess Melissa Cascadia?"
"Yes. There will be plenty of support personnel accompanying the explorers anyway, so I'll tag along as well."
"Understood. Then I entrust you with full authority over our side at the site."
"So, Coral threw a wrench into the relic rift exploration in the disputed zone?"
Melissa had no love for Coral.
She remembered how, during a past war with Coral, Grandpa had joined the fight and come back with severe injuries.
And Coral Kingdom hadn't always been that militarily strong.
Not until they started getting military aid, tech, and weapons from the Eastern Continent, anyway.
Whatever the case, Melissa had adored Grandpa as a kid, so she could never see Coral in a good light.
"According to intel from Bata, not only did Coral dispatch a ton of personnel to tackle that relic, but they even dragged in people from the Eastern Continent."
"Any intel on the personnel?"
"Just our side for now. Those who've expressed interest and have a certain level of skill."
The list I showed her had four names.
"Parel Berli... a mage from the Berli Duke Family. Linne Robel... a spirit user from the Robel Marquis Family. Ospa Deacon from the Deacon Count Family... and Gail Traban, eldest son of the Traban Viscount Family..."
She skimmed the list and asked,
"Yeah, these are definitely proven talents from Bata's perspective. The last spot..."
"They were fretting over it since there were plenty of concerns, so they reached out to me for help."
The Bata princess didn't know my exact capabilities yet.
But with the occasional reports filtering in, she at least recognized me as one of Bata's secured talents.
"Then just go yourself. Why dump it on me?"
"Real combat experience is crucial."
She narrowed her eyes and shot me a glare at my response.
"Getting your ass handed to you by Luna every other day and seeing your life flash before your eyes on my blade—isn't that real combat experience?"
"That's exactly why you need more real combat experience. You still can't gauge your own level properly."
No matter how much training I threw at her from all angles, true combat experience only came from the real thing.
Not drills—actual situations.
"I'll be straight with you. At your level, you won't get beaten up anywhere. And if things go south, I'll step in. No worries."
Of course, I'd have to bring Arsha along too, with her separation anxiety.
"What's the difficulty of that relic?"
"If they're limiting it to under 20 years old, the rift itself must come at a huge cost. It'll probably clear without much trouble."
She pondered my words, then nodded.
"Fine. If you think so, I'll trust you."
What Melissa needed most right now was real combat experience.
Not the brutal pseudo-combat from Luna and me, but genuine fieldwork.
Funny story, actually...
The difficulty Luna and I set was so high that actual combat would feel like a joke in comparison.
That's why Melissa was subconsciously intimidated by the idea of real combat.
And this expedition would shatter that hesitation in one go.
Of course, her Demon Realm runs gave her combat exposure, but those were more about holding position than fighting.
"Alright... got it."
Melissa grabbed her sword—whatever clicked in her head—and headed straight to the garden training grounds to swing it alone.
The border dispute zone was already swarming with people.
This wasn't some casual dungeon dive by adventurers; it was an official joint op from two nations. No way they'd send just a handful and call it done.
Flags from the Berli Duke Family, Robel Marquis, Deacon Count, Traban Viscount.
Not just family banners, but troops, knights, servants, maids, and even royal personnel—all present and buzzing with activity since they'd set up early.
The tents emblazoned with crests were impressively large, befitting each house's status.
In contrast, Cascadia's plot was still an empty lot.
To avoid unnecessary chaos, I landed Shadow Dragon Baril somewhere discreet, unsummoned him, and walked the rest of the way.
I'd brought minimal servants because I had help for the grunt work.
"Alright, let's get to it."
I kicked the shadowed ground lightly, and undead poured out from the darkness.
They rose in perfect formation, swiftly unpacking from my subspace and erecting tents in moments—done in a flash.
While a few maids and servants sorted luggage with the undead, I headed alone to the ancient ruins.
"Fascinating."
Ancient ruins or not, unlike typical ones weathered by time, the mana flow here moved independently of natural currents.
The ruins had existed for ages, but the rift was recent, right?
Something must have triggered its activation.
This rift differed from the sporadic ones across the continent.
It was born from the ruins themselves.
A massive spatial tear about five meters wide.
Like a shattered glass pane, enormous energy poured from within.
No entry limits per se, but exceed the headcount condition or bring in anyone over 20, and attacks wouldn't land.
Tempting to test it, but...
"What're you looking at?"
Luna's voice came from behind—when did she get here?
I turned to see her staring up at me blankly, Arsha piggybacked on her back.
"Big Brother!"
Arsha hopped down and toddled over, throwing herself into my arms.
"Arsha, anywhere uncomfortable?"
"No, I'm fine."
Good, no issues.
"Wanna peek inside quick?"
"I trip the condition."
"I know. That's why we're going."
Couldn't leave Arsha alone, so with her on my back, I stepped into the rift. Luna followed silently.
Inside sprawled a vast ruin structure.
But the moment Luna entered, the air shifted palpably—not just a feeling, the environment itself changed.
She looked like a girl under 20, but as an ancient being from time immemorial, she naturally triggered the restriction.
"Issues right at entry?"
A massive stone golem lumbered toward us first.
"Eek!! M-M-Monster!"
Arsha shrieked, trembling in terror. I lightly jumped and booted it away.
KABOOM!!!
A heavy impact rang out as its bulk flew back.
"Hmm..."
I'd felt odd resistance at my toe.
The golem rose unfazed.
A normal stone golem—even magically reinforced—should've shattered under that force.
No scratches?
The constraints were harsher than expected.
Just Luna's presence inside caused this much change.
The headcount limit probably worked the same.
Though the hit wasn't entirely ineffective.
Considering the abysmal efficiency, it rendered normal clears impossible, making it moot.
As the princess explained, expelling Luna from the rift restored normalcy.
Only golems so far, but reports mentioned limia armor and undead types too.
Mana flows split in layers, suggesting phased environmental shifts.
"B-Big Brother..."
Seeing Arsha quake in fear, I figured lingering wasn't wise.
"Arsha, ready to head out?"
"Y-Yes!"
I chuckled at her vigorous nod and raised the arm supporting her legs.
But first, one check.
"[7th Circle Lightning Strike]"
"[Astraphe]"
⟨ [Discharge] ⟩
KRZZZZT!!!
A spear of lightning, infused with immense thunder under the Word's influence, struck the golem dead-on, instantly charring and crumbling the stone golem to pieces.
Lightning magic struggled against stone golem types, but even their defenses couldn't withstand a Word-empowered thunder spear.
Still, the efficiency was atrociously low.
They'd layered restrictions thoroughly.
One shot gave me all the intel I needed.
"W-Wow..."
Arsha gasped in awe at the blinding thunder spear.
"Let's go, Arsha."
"Wait! Hold on!"
Arsha tugged my collar, sensing something.
"B-Big Brother! Over there!"
At her urging, I turned.
Opposite the path to tackle the rift—nothing but empty sculpture.
The stone golems blocking us earlier weren't pursuing anymore, proving it.
"Here?"
"It's calling... to Arsha from this way."
"This side?"
"Right!"
Arsha pointed her tiny finger from my back at the empty air.
Around the time Leon went for a prelim scout of the rift.
Melissa moved alone to meet her fellow explorers.
Already gathered, huh?
Entering the shared negotiation tent prepped by Coral and Bata, heated argument voices echoed fiercely.
"What did you say?"
Parel's uncharacteristic angry tone halted Melissa's steps briefly.
But she pressed on inside.
Four from Bata—two men, two women—and two in Coral uniforms, two in Eastern Continent garb.
One short?
"Want me to repeat? I said I'm disappointed. Your levels don't match. They hyped you as promising talents from Bata, but as expected from a minor nation—subpar."
"Does Coral lack basic manners?"
"Did I say anything wrong?"
Parel gripped her staff tightly, facing the boy who spoke coldly like to a servant.
What the hell?
"If you didn't like it, get stronger so we can't complain."
Parel grimaced at the provocation but held her tongue.
No need to ruin an official event over personal feelings.
"We're about to explore a rift of unknown danger. Your behavior is just childish interference."
He merely shrugged at Parel's straight talk.
"Ha... haha. Yeah, being weak means getting cold feet even at rifts like this. Your mental fortitude's rotten."
Melissa stepped forward, watching the spat.
What would Leon do?
Simple, when she thought about it.
"Is this how Coral handles diplomacy?"
"Who the hell are y—"
"Don't use informal speech. You my friend?"
Everyone's eyes locked on Melissa as she crushed his momentum with sheer presence.
Parel's eyes widened in recognition.
"Countess Cascadia?"
Murmurs rippled at her words.
Melissa dropped her smile, voice icy.
"You act like you're hot shit qualified to judge others, but you're not."
Who are you to judge, at your level?
If you wanna trash-talk and belittle, come back at Leon's level.
"Got beef? Let's throw down. I've been itching after all these losses anyway."