Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Toward a Wider World
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Dense trees rustled with a variety of sounds between them. The air carried on the wind felt incredibly humid. After crossing vast plains, we'd arrived at a jungle thick with undergrowth.
They called this region Keter. It was a shortcut to the Parman Kingdom, the destination of this trading expedition. We'd chosen the outer path skirting the Keter Jungle, according to Kalam's explanation.
Muggy weather naturally amplified discomfort. I climbed out of the carriage and perched on the roof. The ride wasn't comfortable, but it beat the stuffy interior by a mile; at least the outside breeze offered some relief.
Flying insects swarming my skin weren't an issue. They dropped limply when I released mana from within my body.
'Maybe I should whip up a body temperature regulation spell.'
The first step is always the hardest. Once I had a concept, it wasn't difficult. What I needed now was a flash of inspiration to weave my imagination into form. I closed my eyes, felt the wind, and sank into thought.
Magic held infinite possibilities. I always savored these moments of devising new spells.
A smile crept unbidden to my lips.
The procession, which had been making good time, ground to a halt around lunchtime that day. My carriage stopped, and a booming voice from up front carried all the way to the rear.
"The bridge is out!"
The bridge is out. At those words, people craned their necks forward. Not that they'd see anything from there.
I stood and leaped down from the roof just as Durel emerged slowly from inside the carriage.
"What's going on?"
"The bridge is out, apparently."
"The bridge? Looks like the one ahead's collapsed."
With that, Durel unfurled a large sheet of paper. A quick glance showed it was a big map.
"If the bridge is gone, we'll have to take a serious detour."
I headed forward with Durel to check the span where the bridge had connected the cliffs. If the gap wasn't too wide, I figured I could patch it somehow with magic.
"Ah, Lumia! Good timing. Looks like we'll have to circle around a bit..."
I ignored Kalam as he approached and spoke, staring blankly ahead instead.
Towering trees blotted out the sky. An ancient stone bridge stretched between sheer cliffs. But it was no longer whole. The ravages of time, perhaps.
The critical central section had crumbled away. It wasn't something my magic could handle. The basic framework was gone; even slapping something on top, I doubted the remnants could bear the weight from above.
I leaned out and peered down beneath the bridge. An inky blackness stretched below, untouched by light, its maw gaping wide. Every so often, the wind conjured eerie sounds from its depths.
'Something's down there.'
The others wouldn't see it, but my constant Arcana spell picked up strange lifeforms stirring below. Large bodies brimming with mana. Definitely not ordinary creatures.
'What could they be...'
Curiosity gnawed at me, but there was no way to investigate. As I stared down the cliff for a long while, I suddenly realized every hair on my body was standing on end.
My instincts were blaring a warning.
That thing down there was extremely dangerous. No point poking at it.
I turned and headed back to the carriage.
"What were you staring at down there?"
Once back inside, Durel tossed out the question. He was curious why I'd been scrutinizing the depths. I gazed out the window and answered casually.
"Saw something down below."
"What'd you see?"
I didn't reply. Some things are better left unknown.
Soon enough, the halted carriage lurched into motion again. We were skirting the massive cliff to bypass the valley, it seemed.
I watched the passing scenery out the window, then closed my eyes.
Late evening, camp setup was in full swing. Even at best, the jungle floor made for lousy bedding. People scrounged whatever they could to fend off the cloying dampness.
The big cargo wagons and carts doubled as fine walls. Once the campsite took shape, wagons and carts formed a protective circle around it.
"Getting chilly now that evening's here."
"Yeah."
The jungle, sweltering by day, plunged into chill at night like a ghost. The surroundings shifted too. Insects vanished without a trace, while beastly eyes glinted sporadically from the depths.
The monsters probably kept their distance because the caravan was so massive.
-Hiaaaak!
-Kiiii!
Every now and then, monstrous shrieks rode the wind, sending shivers through the camp.
That's when the caravan staff rose with hefty pouches in hand. Curious, I watched as they pulled out powder, sprinkled it around the perimeter, doused it with water, and worked it into the soil.
"Durel."
"Yes?"
"What's that stuff?"
"Bone dust from high-rank monsters, probably. They say it's common in monster-heavy areas, but first time I've seen it."
"Keeps other monsters at bay?"
"That's the idea."
We hadn't needed it before because we'd stuck to busy trails. Sure enough, monster sightings had spiked since entering the jungle.
Mostly just distant stares before they vanished.
Late into the night, after dinner when most had bedded down.
I rose and clambered onto the roof of a large wagon. Sleep wouldn't come tonight, for some reason.
From the wagon roof, I gazed skyward. Amid the pitch-black vault, white starlight sparkled.
The stars felt like another world to me. Reaching out connected countless realms, and soon the surroundings blurred, leaving just me and the stars.
'I love this feeling.'
An immersion defying words. A dreamy floatiness stirred my mana. Mimicking the stars, twinkling lights swirled, gathering slowly to a single point.
That was the moment.
Thud-!
With the impact, the world lurched. The mana scattered, the ethereal sensation evaporated. Just a little longer and I might've grasped something. Shoving aside the regret, I bolted upright.
Right then.
Thud-!
[■■■■!]
Another massive jolt, paired with an unearthly wail no human tongue could mimic.
"W-what's that!"
"Earthquake...! It's an earthquake!"
Awakened by the shock, screams filled the air.
No, this was no quake. Mana surged wildly, converging on a single point.
Mana concentration signaled one thing.
The harbinger of magic.
"This is..."
Something colossal was invoking magic—simple, primal, bound by pure laws. No complexity. Instinctual, forged for one sole purpose.
Something like...
"Master...?"
"Durel."
"Yes?"
We had to brace somehow. But that overwhelming mana, that titanic spell—no countermeasures sprang to mind. What to do, what to do?
Durel rubbed his eyes, fresh from sleep.
I leaped from the roof and seized his hand.
"Anywhere...!"
Anywhere to take cover—that's what I meant to say.
When from the sky's far edge,
light flashed.
Fwaaaah-!
A colossal shockwave erupted in tandem. Trees snapped amid a deafening kwaga-gagak! Wagons and carts flipped. Through the flying debris, something enormous took to the sky.
Screams and Durel's voice faded into the distance. In their place rose the colossal entity's roar.
[■■■■!]
Each thrash of its enormous, elongated fins unleashed howling gales. Its sleek form, sheathed in jet-black scales, undulated like it was swimming through the night sky. Even with my senses and eyes, I grasped only a sliver of it.
From this distance, I couldn't encompass its full bulk in a single glance.
With a blaze of light, it rocketed from the ground into the heavens, vanishing beyond the clouds.
The blinding glow faded, and silence cloaked the ruined campsite. No one uttered a word.
Undeniably crushed by the sheer presence we'd just witnessed.
Sensation trickled back belatedly. Coming back to myself, I realized I was sprawled face-down on the ground.
Blown over by the wind? I stood, brushed dirt from my clothes, and called to Durel, toppled nearby.
"Durel."
"Y-yes...?"
"What the hell was that?"
"S-Serhati, maybe..."
"Serhati?"
"Wanderer of the deep skies... One of the ancient megafauna from primordial eras..."
"There are more things like that out there?"
"F-first time I've seen one myself... Actually, whether anyone's ever spotted a megafauna like that... or if that's really a Serhati..."
Durel trailed off, speechless. He tried to rise but slumped back down, legs giving out.
It sank in anew. In this boundless world, I was still an infinitesimally tiny speck.
The once-raucous jungle held its silence straight through till dawn.