Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Desert Caravan
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He was the type who only lost consciousness at the most critical moments. Given his usual personality, he didn't seem fainthearted in the slightest, so was he faking it?
Such thoughts ran through my mind as I stared intently at Durel. The boy sprang up in a flash and dropped to one knee.
"I'm sorry...!"
He apologized straight away without any hesitation or excuses. I was about to say something when I held my tongue. It was only then that I remembered Durel's age. He always acted so mature that I often forgot how young he really was.
'As long as he's not hurt...'
Durel had only just turned eleven. There was no point blaming him. I was the one at fault for leaving a child like him all alone. With a small sigh, I opened my mouth.
"All right. What happened?"
"I got caught by that rope."
"Cleanly done."
"Yes. I got taken out completely clean. I passed out right then and there, and when I opened my eyes, Master was here. I knew you'd come save me."
"...I need to train harder."
"I'll redouble my efforts."
At least he didn't make any lame excuses. It was refreshing and straightforward—a sight any real man could admire. I nodded as if to say that was enough, and Durel rose to his feet. He brushed himself off and came to stand by my side.
"Old man? Where are we?"
"No injuries, right?"
"Ah, yeah. Seems that way..."
Thankfully, Renila was also completely unharmed. She showed some memory confusion from the shock of fainting, but that would fade in time. Only then could I finally let out a sigh of relief.
A plume of dust rose over the scorching desert sands. It was heading toward the Hiyar branch building. They must have gotten the situation under control and were sending reinforcements.
As I watched the sight, Vasek's voice came from behind me.
"This favor... I won't forget it."
After rescuing Renila and Durel, we didn't return to the branch building. Its location had been exposed, and the barrier magic was shattered. There was a chance of another enemy attack, so we had to abandon the structure entirely.
"We can't guarantee the safety of the other branches either. Lady, how about heading for the caravan? Their caravan can get us safely to headquarters."
"If that's what you say, old man, then that's what we'll do."
"Why don't you all come along?"
It was Vasek's suggestion. There was no refusing it. This was a region crawling with mage-hunting factions. With the enemy's numbers and strength unknown, crossing this desert alone with just Durel would be nothing short of suicide.
"Very well."
With that, we joined up. We mounted massive lizards and set off racing across the sands. Vasek took the lead. Renila, riding behind him, whined that her butt hurt.
Vasek, who would normally have said something, kept his mouth firmly shut. Given the circumstances, he couldn't fully indulge the young lady's whims. For her part, Renila wasn't entirely spoiled either. She seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation, whining just a few times before falling silent.
"How much longer until we arrive?"
It was the first question I'd asked after hours of nonstop riding.
"The caravan never stops moving, so we have to find their hidden path. It's not an easy place to reach."
"Hidden path...?"
"An illusory space. It doesn't exist, yet it does—a truly bizarre realm. If you're not at the appointed spot, they won't appear no matter how strong a signal you send."
He was describing a warded enclosure in the most roundabout way possible. Mages gonna mage, I suppose, no matter where they're from. I stared wordlessly at the empty air. About an hour passed. A massive trace of magic etched into the sky was starting to grate on my nerves.
"Seems like it's nearby."
My muttered words made Vasek turn to look at me. A strange glint flickered in his narrowed eyes.
"You sensed it back at the branch too. Surely those eyes of yours... can see something?"
"If you're asking whether I can see the barrier dividing one space from another, then yes."
At that moment, Vasek—who had been riding ahead—raised his hand. It was the signal to halt for the rest of our group. Durel, riding in front of me, pulled on the lizard's reins in response.
The moment everyone stopped, Vasek spoke to me.
"If you're right, then the world will split open, and a sandstorm will pour out from within."
Vasek drew a small orb from his pocket. It was inscribed with mana flows. A familiar shape, though different in some ways. What Vasek held was a golem core.
It was tiny, with an absurdly low total mana capacity. That meant it wasn't suited for hauling cargo or combat. The moment Vasek tossed the golem core lightly into the air, it unfolded into the shape of a small dragonfly.
Flap flap flap—
The dragonfly golem circled our surroundings before flying off rapidly. Then, in an instant, it vanished. To ordinary eyes, it would have looked like it disappeared into thin air. But I saw it clearly.
The dragonfly golem piercing a transparent membrane and slipping into the space beyond.
"So it was true..."
Whoooosh—
The moment Vasek finished speaking, the wind's direction shifted dramatically. The sky was clear, yet the light around us seemed to be sucked toward a single point, plunging everything into sudden darkness.
How much time passed like that? With a sharp crack, the transparent barrier split open. A new space materialized in the empty air.
Whoooosh—
The desert silence shattered as a colossal presence rose from the rift. It wasn't water or waves riding the sands and wind—it was a massive ship.
A prow gleaming gold, a hull sheathed in the skull of some enormous creature—it seized the eye at once. Ornaments pieced together from rock and metal sparkled red in the sunlight. This was no ordinary vessel. Its size rivaled that of a great city.
And that was just the beginning. The ship didn't move on wind alone. At the front of its enormous hull, amid the swirling dust, golems forged of iron and stone began to emerge.
"Wh-what..."
Vasek had called it the caravan. I'd imagined something like a giant wagon or an oversized cart at best. But the spectacle before us far exceeded any expectation.
Speechless, I stared at the colossal ship. The fissure in space, the gray sands, the wind, and the ship emerging from it all—it was a sight beyond imagination.
Thump—
A strange reverberation spread through my heart. In that instant of beholding a new mystery, a natural smile crept across my lips. I knew the situation was dire, yet I couldn't hold back the grin.
The unknowable and the unimaginable—that's what makes something a mystery.
What I'd seen until now was merely a tiny fragment of this world.
At that moment, a set of stairs made of wood and iron came rumbling down from the deck of the giant ship.
Right after, a woman appeared at the prow. Through the swirling gray winds, her red hair sparkled in the sunlight.
-Hey, aren't you the mages from Hiyar? I was wondering who was calling me to such a weird spot!
The hearty voice boomed as it rode the wind, excessively loud. She'd infused it with mana to amplify the air's vibrations—a form of magic.
"Who is that?"
"The caravan's master. Captain of the Balram. Kallian de Versha. Permission to board has been granted. Let's move."
Vasek answered me, then raised his hand once more. Our group dashed toward the massive ship in response to the signal.
As the distance closed, the ship's details grew ever clearer. This was no ordinary boat. My eyes, drinking in the mystery, swiftly parsed its internal structure.
'Golems...'
Embedded in sections throughout the hull were golem cores. They appeared to be devices for special functions, each one churning with vast mana.
We climbed the grand stairs and boarded the ship. A woman in a sand-hued cloak sauntered over, red hair flying, escorted by attendants. She was Kallian, the caravan master.
"Well, well... if it isn't Vasek. Long time no see?"
"It's been a while..."
"And who's this bunch? Off to build a new branch or something?"
Vasek didn't answer the question. He frowned, his displeasure plain on his face. Kallian flashed a playful smile at him before turning her head. Her casual scan of our group carried a strangely sharp edge.
Our eyes met in that instant.
"You... what pretty eyes. Wanna sell 'em to me?"
The moment Kallian finished speaking, Durel's hand went to his sword hilt. Silence fell over the deck. Everyone stared at me and Kallian with tense expressions.
But I remained utterly calm. There was no greed in her proposal.
"They're not for sale."
Kallian raised an eyebrow and let out a light chuckle at my reply. She turned away and bellowed,
-Close the veil and turn the prow! We've got guests—prepare the feast!
Her laughter-laced, hearty voice spread across the entire ship, carried by the gray sandstorm winds.