Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Maids of the Rift
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That was just the beginning.
The magic circle Leon had created began to glow, transforming into a different shape and soon undergoing a bizarre change.
The thin magic circle started splitting into countless layers, as if transitioning from two dimensions to three.
The number? Roughly fifty.
Melissa turned to the elf maid who had been staring wide-eyed and mumbling incoherently since moments ago.
"Do you know what that is?"
"Um... I'm sorry. I don't really know what kind of magic it is..."
"I see. Hmm..."
"But... it's definitely not an ordinary magic circle. My magic teacher was a 5th-circle mage, and..."
According to her, it contained more mana than even the single magic circle her 5th-circle teacher could barely handle.
"Those magic circles? Isn't that expected for 6th-circle?"
"No... Each one of those split magic circles."
Melissa fell silent at those words.
A magic circle that a 5th-circle mage could manifest only at their utmost limit. And now, fifty of them, each infused with even more mana.
And the number was still increasing.
"I... I might be mistaken, but to create that insane number of magic circles, you'd need an unimaginable amount of mana and incredibly precise control."
"He's doing it."
"That's... what I can't wrap my head around. Do grand mages normally pull off stuff like this? Even accounting for the gap between 5th and 6th circle, this is clearly abnormal..."
Even the maid, who had some training in magic, couldn't hide her bewilderment.
Melissa immediately grabbed the maid's arm and dashed out.
Hiding behind a statue in the rear, she shouted.
"Leon!! If you wreck the mansion, you're dead meat?!"
Yet she couldn't fully mask her fear and anxiety.
Finally, Leon clenched his outstretched hands tightly.
Kuuuung!!!!!
At once, the magic circles of varying shapes resonated in unison, coalescing into a single spell.
The spell was Corruption magic.
But its scale and depth were utterly unlike any ordinary version.
The barrier resisted the otherworldly pressure, sparking wildly, but as its surface began to corrode from the outside in, its resistance soon faded.
Kwachang!!!
With the barrier fully shattered, the magic circles dispersed like mirages into smoke and vanished.
"Wha... what? Did it work?"
"Yeah."
Leon calmly kicked open the firmly shut door.
A scorching heat immediately billowed out from within.
"Ugh?!"
Melissa reflexively raised her arm to shield her face, but Leon swiftly spread a veil of chilling aura infused with cold energy.
Much more comfortable now, Melissa slowly lowered her sleeve and said with a stiff expression.
"What... was that? Did a rift just open?"
"Seems like it."
A rift.
A subspace phenomenon occasionally discovered across the continent.
Though rare even on the continent, it was somewhat familiar to Melissa and Leon.
"Why is a rift like the ones in the Demon Realm appearing here..."
Leon gazed at the blue box lying open beneath where the rift had formed.
"Looks like they brought a landmine home."
It appeared the blue box Tibel had taken from his mansion had opened, spawning the rift.
"No way! How does a rift appear outside the Demon Realm?!"
That was precisely why rifts were known on the continent but rarely seen.
Rifts occur when natural mana, atmosphere, or some unknown element condenses extremely within a space, causing it to warp and connect to another dimension.
Aside from the Demon Realm filled with unique atmospheres, they were practically nonexistent in reality. The Cascadia mansion had never detected one before.
In such circumstances, panic was inevitable.
Melissa grabbed Leon's neck with both hands and shook him wildly.
"You lunatic! What the hell did you bring back?!"
"It said lifeform, but it wasn't—it came with a rift."
[Lifeform detected. Confirmed to be within the rift.]
Leon relayed the librarian's explanation verbatim.
"The lifeform in the box seems to be like the boss of this rift. More importantly, why bother with the sword? You wait here."
"What? We need to clear the rift fast to avoid a disaster."
"Charging into the command center without scouting what's inside? Where'd you get that idea? I'll go check. You wait."
Melissa had no retort and clamped her mouth shut.
Leon promptly picked up Black Night Sword No. 1, which had been discarded in the corner of the room.
"No need for a staff? I heard mages need staffs for high-circle spells."
"Was what you just saw beginner magic?"
"Fair point. Still, wait up. We're a family that manages the Demon Realm—we can't just dive in without protocol."
With that, she gathered supplies stored in the mansion.
Mostly provisions for troop entry, but among them were key magic items for rift subjugation.
"No need for extra personnel."
"Just in case. If the clear condition requires multiple people, no amount of your tricks will help."
Leon pointed to the Death Knight preparing its sword nearby.
Melissa pouted and tossed aside some supplies.
"Then we'll scout first. Check the rift's energy output and internal status before entering—that's basic protocol."
As Leon watched her set up magic devices near the rift...
Sususu...
A strange noise echoed from within the rift.
Leon instinctively reached out, yanking Melissa back by the scruff of her neck.
"Eek?! What're you—Leon!!"
Startled by the sudden move, Melissa tried to yell, but her expression twisted into shock and confusion at what followed.
No sooner had he pulled her than bizarre, tentacle-like appendages burst from the rift, wrapping around Leon.
"I'll be right back."
Though the Cascadia family, managers of the Demon Realm, had access to vast rift knowledge, this case was unprecedented.
Leon offered no resistance, grabbing only a nearby artifact before being sucked into the rift.
"Don't do anything stupid. Just wait."
Spang!!!
That was all he left behind.
Entering without checking internal conditions was extremely dangerous.
Even Leon's Sword Master father had stressed that point must be followed.
One ancestor had neglected it and perished in a rift despite being a Sword Master.
In short, rifts could turn deadly depending on their nature.
Thus, entering while maintaining tension...
"What is this place?"
What Leon saw first was...
-Welcome. We are honored by your visit.
A bizarre scene: dozens of girls in neat maid outfits lined up in two rows, bowing toward Leon.
When faced with an incomprehensible situation, people rub their eyes.
What is a rift?
A subspace distortion typically born in special areas like the Demon Realm, usually teeming with monsters inside.
Though not fully researched, the origin of those internal monsters remains a mystery.
"Even so, this is the first case after all this time since rifts appear."
No monsters, but a space with clearly intelligent beings?
And they could even converse?
I rubbed my eyes from the sudden brain freeze and poked my head out of the rift.
Melissa, who had been tensely watching the rift, freaked out upon seeing me.
"Wha... what?!"
"Hey, come in."
She scowled at my words.
Then she grabbed her weapon from the maid and strode over, hurling herself into the rift.
"Uh..."
She too stared blankly at the sight before her, mirroring my expression.
"Leon, this is a rift, right?"
"I'm starting to doubt if it's even a rift at this point."
Melissa, still on high alert, looked utterly incredulous.
-Allow us to guide you. Please follow me...
We exchanged glances as a maid approached politely, hands clasped demurely, bowing deeply.
Hey, say something.
What? This is awkward for me too.
Nobility has its levels. The courtesy from this maid was the kind reserved for royalty—extreme deference even high nobility rarely received.
No hostility detected, so Melissa and I quietly followed the maid.
We arrived at a grand dressing room.
-This establishment has a dress code. We will assist you in changing.
A line of girls surrounded us as she spoke.
Melissa tensed, hand drifting to her sword at her waist.
"Push back?"
I asked her opinion. She shook her head.
"No. This seems like the trigger for clearing it. Sometimes it's not combat—the subspace has its own rules."
Melissa's guess was spot on.
Our guide bowed politely.
-If you wish to proceed, we kindly ask you to follow our rules.
We locked eyes briefly, then nodded.
Rifts often yield valuable loot.
Plus, the decorations we'd passed— all adorned with jewels and gold.
Handled right, they'd all be spoils.
More money is always better, so neither Melissa nor I had reason to refuse.
The maids prepared something far more refined and stylish than expected: sleek black formal attire.
They assisted with uncanny skill and speed, styling my hair in moments.
The whole process was astonishingly swift.
-Is it to your satisfaction?
"Yeah. Looks good."
Their formality made casual speech feel awkward.
The girl showed no emotion on her face.
'Hey, Librarian.'
[Confirmed.]
'Are these lifeforms too?'
[No. They are illusions created by some phenomenon. No ego or soul exists within them.]