Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: 37. Magatia (2)
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3.
Magatia's underground laboratory.
Adventurers visiting this place for the first time were astonished by two things.
One was the indescribable vastness of the underground laboratory. It wasn't a simple metaphor.
“Magatia's underground laboratory is larger and more complex than Sleepywood on Victoria Island.”
It was bigger than most forests or mountains in the Maple World.
“And bizarre.”
The second thing that surprised them was the unidentified equipment filling the laboratory.
Even though it had worn out and broken down over a long time, making its original shape hard to discern, it was packed with uniqueness unlike anything seen anywhere else in the Maple World.
That was why adventurers shunned Magatia's underground laboratory.
“It's not suitable for adventuring.”
Full of unknowns, it was the same as being full of danger for adventurers.
Nevertheless, the reason adventurers ventured into Magatia's underground laboratory was simple.
“There's no better place to earn mesos.”
The fact that big money could be made there.
And what provided that big money was none other than the alchemists.
“Alchemists put enormous bounties on the things in the underground laboratory.”
From the perspective of alchemists lacking combat ability, they had to hire adventurers to get what they wanted.
For those reasons, Magatia's underground laboratory was filled with adventurers looking to make money.
“In some ways, better than tackling a Mystic Gate.”
In other words, the Mystic Gate wasn't all that appealing to adventurers who came to Magatia's underground laboratory.
“The portal has activated.”
That was why.
“It can't be a mistake, right?”
The moment El Pam's party and their guide Hayes saw the green Mystic Gate portal, they were convinced it couldn't possibly be a mistake or accident.
“Not to mention it's Green rank.”
Decisively, the currently activated portal was Green rank, a stage for 5th Circle adventurers.
Of course, such cases happened occasionally.
Cases where one entered a Mystic Gate to escape overflowing monsters.
It was surprisingly wise.
In extreme cases, if one encountered a Junior Balrog in Sleepywood, fleeing into a Mystic Gate was far safer.
“No one enters Green rank by mistake.”
But no one in the Maple World would consider escaping Magatia's underground laboratory monsters by entering a Green rank Mystic Gate as mere flight.
It was a position with clear intent.
Around that time.
El Pam examined the Mystic Gate.
“Additional entry is possible.”
What he confirmed right away was that the portal was still valid.
That meant those who had entered hadn't proceeded to the second floor yet.
“Boss, how many can enter?”
The problem was not knowing how many had entered.
In fact, it was the biggest headache.
If only one could enter? Then that one would have to fight the 32 beyond alone.
“How would I know? There's no way to know how many entered, right?”
But at this point, there was no way to find out who had entered.
“I know, I was just asking.”
It was certainly true.
“My estimate is 27.”
“What?”
“27 or 28.”
Yet El Pam stated the number quite accurately.
“How can you know that?”
It wasn't a vague guess, of course.
“Those who intruded into the Mystic Gate now approached from the opposite direction we came from. Through the monster corpses there and the traces of battle scattered around, I can gauge the number of skills and weapons. Plus footprints.”
It was a fairly accurate estimate based on the surrounding traces.
“Fortunately, the portal has been active for less than half a day. I estimate about 7 hours.”
El Pam had even roughly gauged the entry time of those who entered.
“It could be wrong.”
Of course, it wasn't precise.
“Number-wise, 30 is more likely.”
Even without filling the entry limit, gathering exactly 30 was adventurers' instinct.
And if it was 30, then only 3 more could enter.
Far from easy.
“One thing is certain.”
Moreover, there was the most important fact.
“Information has leaked.”
This place, which the Cygnus Knights had tried so hard to keep secret, was being raided exactly when El Pam's party intended to?
It couldn't be mere coincidence.
“It means there's a spy near Flame Knight Captain Oz.”
A very big problem.
“There's ample chance our information has leaked too.”
If those beyond knew about El Pam?
That made it even more dangerous.
“Boss.”
At this point, El Pam's party needed to know.
“Shouldn't we find out who died here?”
At least grasp whose tomb this was.
They needed that much to reduce the danger to some extent.
“That would be ideal.”
El Pam agreed.
“But we're late.”
“What?”
Here, El Pam thought.
“Boss, you're not thinking of entering, are you?”
To intrude here.
“It's too dangerous!”
He knew the risk.
“There's merit to match.”
“Merit?”
“As I said earlier, there's a spy near the Flame Knight Captain. They went for this place even at the risk of exposing that fact.”
But at the same time, El Pam knew how big a catch this was.
“If they're proceeding even after sacrificing a spy hidden near the Flame Knight Captain, it can't be ordinary.”
“Boss! Still, it's too dangerous!”
“Yeah! We can't rush in. Regardless of else, we won't be of help.”
“You two are right. It's Green rank. We're like scarecrows.”
“10 minutes.”
Yet the risk remained high.
“I'll decide in 10 minutes.”
That was why El Pam began to ponder, and his other companions did the same.
They began to ponder.
And their first question through that pondering was this.
“What tomb is this exactly?”
4.
“Whose tomb is it?”
At Cheryl's words, Flame Knight Captain Oz looked at her steadily instead of answering.
“If it's hard, you don't have to tell me.”
Seeing that, Cheryl spoke up, and afterward, Oz pondered for a few more minutes before finally opening his mouth.
“Others maybe not, but Cheryl, I think it's fine to tell you. And it's better if you know. In many ways.”
At those words, Cheryl's expression tensed.
If it was a secret even El Pam hadn't been told, it couldn't be an ordinary secret.
“It's the tomb of Mikhail's disciple.”
“What?”
And the name that came out shocked Cheryl, who had been somewhat tense, to that extent.
“Mikhail as in?”
“Yes, it's the Light Knight Captain.”
Light Knight Captain Mikhail—that name shone brightest even among the Cygnus Knights.
“The one leading us.”
And in truth, he could be called the true Knight Captain representing the entire Cygnus Knights.
He was also the one assisting Empress Cygnus most closely by her side.
“But he doesn't have a disciple, right?”
Until now, Light Knight Captain Mikhail had never taken a single disciple under him.
“Yes, he said he had no spare time to raise one while devoting himself fully to assisting Her Majesty.”
The reason was, as mentioned, to assist Empress Cygnus with all his might.
It was a supremely noble reason, and thus the world praised Light Knight Captain Mikhail even more.
Yet he had a disciple?
“So it couldn't be revealed. If it became known that Mikhail had a disciple, that nobility could be shaken. Especially if it's known there are three.”
“Three?”
Her surprise grew even more at the words not one, but three.
Surprising enough to have that many, but to have three without anyone knowing—not even the Cross Hunters' intelligence network?
“So it was hidden tightly. Of course, Mikhail hid his disciples not for his own honor. He didn't want them receiving special privileges just for being his disciples.”
The reason for hiding was clear, but Cheryl hadn't imagined it would be hidden so perfectly.
On one hand, she understood.
Why El Pam had been kept in the dark about this information.
And why, despite hiding the information and paying an enormous price, they were trying to retrieve the tomb's relics.
“Then, perhaps?”
“Yes, exactly. Mikhail's item is buried there. With his disciple's corpse.”
If it was none other than Light Knight Captain Mikhail's item, it was surely Legendary grade.
Moreover, its symbolism was, in some sense, equivalent to—or beyond—other Legendary items.
In other words, it was a Mystic Gate that even Light Knight Captain Mikhail's disciple couldn't conquer.
“It'll be dangerous.”
“I believe in El Pam's abilities. He's accomplished the impossible before.”
Of course, Flame Knight Captain Oz had willingly proposed this to El Pam because he trusted his skills.
That was why.
“I see his success probability as over 30 percent.”
“30 percent?”
“Yes. A very high probability.”
Evaluating El Pam's party's chances at a whopping 30 percent.
From El Pam's party's perspective, it wasn't a welcome evaluation, but Cheryl couldn't deny it.
If it was Light Knight Captain Mikhail's disciple, their abilities had to be extraordinary.
Decisively, the Cygnus Knights were an organization worthy of such evaluation.
If they were a group that couldn't even make that judgment, inferior to adventurers, it would have been impossible for Empress Cygnus to lead the massive Maple Alliance.
‘Not good.’
In any case, it was bad news for Cheryl.
First, from the Cross Hunters' perspective, El Pam was a benefactor. Though a transaction, the favors received from him weren't few.
And he was a reliable partner for no small matters ahead.
So she had introduced them.
When Flame Knight Captain Oz said she needed El Pam, Cheryl gladly acted as the bridge.
Believing it would benefit both sides.
‘He's going to die.’
Yet the bridge Cheryl provided might become a path to the afterlife for El Pam's party.
Of course, Cheryl wasn't entirely despondent.
‘For ordinary folk.’
Considering El Pam's party's demonstrated abilities, they would surely prepare thoroughly in some way.
With such faith, a man appeared before Cheryl.
The man, clad in a red robe like blazing flames, handed a letter envelope to Flame Knight Captain Oz without much word upon arrival.
Oz immediately pulled out the letter from the envelope.
The letter thus extracted was blank. Nothing was written on it.
Whoosh!
Then, flames rose from Oz's hand, enveloping the letter, and it turned to ash.
And those ashes swirled in the air, forming letters.
It was magic.
Magic for long-distance communication.
Of course, it wasn't magic anyone could use easily. The item required for this magic was extremely rare and expensive.
To the extent that a single short conversation cost at least 10 million mesos.
In other words, it was a matter of that magnitude.
Paying such an exorbitant price meant it was of utmost importance.
What that matter was, Cheryl soon learned too.
“The portal activated before El Pam's party entered the Mystic Gate?”
Someone had raided Mikhail's disciple's tomb first!
Oz and Cheryl's faces froze like ice upon realizing what that implied.
‘There's a spy!’
It meant there was a spy among Oz's closest aides.
An event that couldn't help but shock.
However, the shock didn't last long.
The ashes moved, forming letters.
[El Pam party entry]
“What?”
Letters that turned shock into astonishment.
And then a new sentence appeared.
[Additional fee to be charged]