Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 076
Chapter Title: Labyrinth of Dreams
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Rockton clutched his forehead, slick with cold sweat, as he stepped out of the meeting room.
"...What the hell."
He'd managed to steer the conversation back to discussing Councilor Marshall's earlier plenary address, but he still couldn't shake the chills or hide his confusion.
"The city council?"
That meant someone on the council—or perhaps many—had secretly accessed the security files of government agencies in the 2nd Administrative District.
"......"
He'd initially thought it was just Marshall pulling strings.
That's why he'd tried to grab that tail by tracking down the contact.
But now it was clear: the trail starting from the Intelligence Agency's forensics team pointed not to Marshall, but something else entirely.
'Was that contact even Marshall's person to begin with?'
He couldn't rule out the possibility of someone else collaborating with Marshall.
And if that someone had simply passed along the forensics team's intel to him...
Rockton recalled the dozen or so councilors he'd just met.
Now, he couldn't tell friend from foe even within the council itself.
And as he left the room, one moment stuck in his mind.
'Martin.'
His footsteps halted abruptly, and piercing his ears was none other than Councilor Miles's voice.
'Don't get too worked up.'
'...!'
He had no idea what that meant.
Whether Miles knew everything and said it deliberately, or just noticed how off he looked and offered it casually.
'But one thing's clear...'
Something was brewing not just in the Luther Family, but within the city council too.
'What the hell's going on in this city?'
Then he remembered the written report from Gordon about the contact.
-According to Kyle Clark, the man in the basement said this city hides ugly secrets even Dun City's elite don't know about...
'The city's ugly secret.'
Rockton's face hardened.
'Is that the root of it all?'
What the hell could it be...!
He wiped his mouth.
'At least the military doesn't seem compromised.'
If the military had been fully seized, there'd be no need for the hassle of taking the Magic Tower...
'...!'
Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through Rockton's mind.
'No way.'
The border situation had worsened abruptly lately.
In that powder-keg atmosphere, most of Dun City's forces were deployed to the front lines.
The central army likely wasn't an exception.
'Just hypothetically...'
If those behind the secret saw Dun City's military as a mere nuisance...
'Did they deliberately escalate things with neighboring countries to divert the troops outward?'
Rockton shook his head immediately.
'No, that can't be...!'
No matter what, he couldn't imagine they'd go that far.
'Stay calm.'
He realized his thoughts were veering too extreme amid the sudden shifts.
"Councilor, are you alright?"
He raised a hand to his approaching chief aide and took a small breath.
'Back to square one.'
At first, he'd thought Marshall was simply plotting a coup with nobodies like Leverk.
Maybe propping up some Luther direct descendant as a puppet to seize the city.
Now, even that seemed too simplistic.
'Is that really all there is to it?'
No, from the start.
'I'm starting to doubt if Marshall's even the mastermind.'
The Marshall he knew didn't have that much sway over the other councilors.
But if quite a few—more than one or two—were in on whatever this was...
Rockton felt an inexplicable chill.
It was like an invisible malice permeating the entire city.
He swallowed and gathered his thoughts.
'...In the end, I need to confirm the Luthers myself.'
Not spokespeople or central secretaries— he needed to meet the real Luthers.
'The regular meeting's next week, right?'
If the mayor was still alive and well, he'd surely show up.
'Of course...'
That assumed a miracle happened at the Magic Tower today first.
As he let out a wry smile, a voice called out.
"Councilor Rockton?"
"!!"
He looked up to see an old man leaning on a cane.
"What are you doing out here?"
It was none other than Councilor Reinhardt Koster, who had once supported the vampire-hunting group 'Shield of Dawn'.
Bathed in that intense holy light, Rebecca and the other mages were speechless.
"Light attribute magic."
"In this world..."
"D-Does that mean he wields fire, lightning, wind... and now even light?"
Someone unwittingly swallowed hard.
"I've suspected since earlier, but could it be."
Like the legends of the Origin Mage.
"He's naturally gifted in all attributes...?"
"!!"
At that possibility, the mages felt an invisible shiver crawl down their spines.
Someone spoke in disbelief.
"A-All attributes...! That's impossible!"
If true, it would be talent surpassing even the Sage.
"...That's not all."
A mage from the Satein Family spoke up.
"Some of you might have noticed already."
His eyes narrowed.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't read his incantation process."
Not just the lightning magic he'd used.
The bizarre fire magic too—and even the light magic just now; he couldn't discern the incantation, let alone what spell it was.
Other families' mages groaned in agreement.
"So it wasn't just me."
"I thought he added extra formulas to hide the process."
Rebecca shook her head.
"No. The casting time was too short for that level of complexity."
"Then what is it?"
Someone's voice trembled.
"Is he using some completely new form of magic we don't know?"
Silence fell over the mages, as if on cue.
It was laced with shock, awe, and intense curiosity.
"...It's certain."
A direct descendant of the Thomerson Family muttered.
"If that great talent isn't a descendant of the Origin Mage, then what is?"
Even if not a true descendant, it was talent that appeared once every millennium.
In Sapientia, where magic was everything, he was nobility beyond measure.
"What irony."
Sapientia's gravest crisis in history.
"Only after facing it does a new horizon in magic appear before us."
The mages nodded in silent agreement.
Just then, the remaining minions screeched and retreated into view.
Perhaps they deemed further attacks a losing battle.
Kyle leaped back onto the Fleetwood Manor roof and looked down at the survivors.
"Is everyone alright!?"
"......!"
Rebecca looked up and shouted back.
"Yes! Thanks to you, we're all safe!"
'Oh.'
Special missions apparently granted extra skill points too.
'Death settlement.'
Kyle recalled dying a few times to the goat-headed minion.
'Does that count too?'
[Subspace]
Purified version of the goat-headed 'Capra's' unique ability 'Netherworld Subspace'. Can now store items instead of corrupted souls. Using this skill opens a subspace for freely storing items. Alert - Growth skill 'Subspace' improves with frequent use.
"...!"
He'd hoped, but deaths by powerful minions counted for settlement too.
Best to die once if possible, just to check.
Kyle immediately invested in 'Subspace'.
'Tired of lugging the holy sword around.'
Recalling how the goat-head used subspace, he frowned.
'Growth skills seem better to level early and use often anyway.'
Pouring skill points into [Subspace], another message appeared.
"!!"
Reading the enhancement, Kyle recalled the goat-head relocating its claws via subspace.
That tricky move was hard to fully evade even with [Hyper Perception] active.
'Not bad.'
The claw replication barrage might be unique to the goat-head.
Or an unrevealed subspace effect.
But this alone made backstabs far easier.
'Been thinking since the monsters and vampires...'
Demons like these could be rare ability farms, depending on perspective.
'Good's good.'
Landing before the mages, Kyle said to Rebecca,
"If we delay longer, they'll strike first. We need to move now."
"I agree."
Leverk was one of the Origin Five Families.
If they knew a Kempton direct was alive here, spatial transfer to the tower would come to mind easily.
'Less than two hours left.'
They had to head to the Kempton estate fast.
Kyle addressed them.
"Most mages stay to guard this relic's barrier."
Many wounded or near-exhausted mages were here.
"They'll likely target those climbing the tower directly... but they might take these people hostage."
Moving the barrier with them would be safer anyway.
It needed manpower.
"So, including Ms. Kempton, just three volunteers. Not forcing anyone. Only those with mana to spare who really want to go—step forward and state your attribute."
Two men volunteered without hesitation.
"Paul Satein of the Satein Family. Wind attribute, and I have more mana left than most here."
"Griff Thomerson, water attribute. The Thomerson Family fights with our benefactor to the end."
Kyle looked at Rebecca and them, asking finally,
"Warning you upfront: follow me, and you might die. Hell, dying might be the lucky outcome."
It was a demon descent ritual site.
Souls could corrupt, enslave, or shatter minds into madness.
'Me? Resurrection resets any curse or pollution.'
But not them.
Rebecca Kempton met his eyes with resolve.
"I'm prepared. As one of the Origin Five, I won't stand by while Sapientia falls."
"The Satein Family stands the same."
"We Thomersons have produced countless tower knights for generations. We're ready."
Kyle nodded.
"Good."
He continued,
"First, the plan."
Meanwhile, deep in the tower.
"I suspected as much."
Otto Leverk, adjusting incantations amid black pools, spat a voice mixed with awe and fear.
"Didn't think even Capra would fall."
That's why he'd warned such caution.
"The Butcher..."
Otto shuddered involuntarily at that unfathomable skill.
Walter Leverk's roar pierced his ears.
[Otto...! What the hell are you doing?!]
"Father."
[How careless do you have to be? The Butcher rampages inside the barrier, and even a powerful minion...!!]
Otto looked up, voice level.
"My apologies, Father. It's my failing."
[Lord Malphas is furious at losing his favored minion. Understand? No matter what, don't let the Butcher disrupt the descent!]
"Yes. That's why I was about to send the remaining minions and our family's core forces to the Kempton estate."
A Kempton direct among the uncursed mages.
Smart Rebecca Kempton would likely attempt spatial transfer from her manor.
"Striking first to intercept should buy more time."
Victory wasn't killing the Butcher anyway.
Just surviving until the demon descended.
[Yes, yes. Tell them to move now. No time to waste...!!]
"Understood."
[Oh, and.]
Walter smirked.
[Lord Malphas has granted us the great power 'Labyrinth of Dreams.']
"...! That's!"
[Heh, indeed.]
To Otto's wide eyes, his voice continued.
[If the dragon aura makes touching his soul hard, just shatter his mind instead.]
"!!"
No matter the relic's power, it was just a relic.
Unless the archangel's power descended directly, no resisting 'Labyrinth of Dreams'.
[So, son. Even if the Butcher reaches the tower before the ritual ends, fear not.]
Walter chuckled unpleasantly.
The Butcher was human, after all, no matter how skilled.
[His mental strength has limits too.]