Chapter 111: Archmage Dalstream
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: Archmage Dalstream
The central staircase of the Public Security Headquarters.
A human woman, accompanied by her Lizard, Dwarf, and Elf companions, was fighting her way through monsters toward the third floor.
Magistrate Delphin.
She was leading her constables toward the Chief Inspector's office.
The Public Security Headquarters had a clear hierarchy: Constables at the bottom, followed by Inspectors, Magistrates, and then Consuls. While the Consul was the de facto commander, the Chief Inspector was nominally at the very top.
“Chief Inspector!”
The position of Chief Inspector was held by a retired Consul. He knew the headquarters better than anyone but was too old to serve on the front lines, so he oversaw administration instead.
But he was still a force to be reckoned with. A former Consul's experience was not to be underestimated, and he was far stronger than the rank-and-file below the Magistrates.
Click!
Delphin had planned to regroup her forces with the Chief Inspector.
“Dammit…”
But when she opened the door, what greeted her was the cold corpse of the Chief Inspector.
Delphin examined his wounds.
There were four deep gashes on his chest, as if he’d been torn apart by the claws of a bear-like beast.
‘Are there any monsters among the ones attacking the headquarters capable of inflicting a wound like this?’
She recalled the types of monsters that had swarmed the main lobby.
They were a mix from various floors. Like a bell curve, most were from the middle floors, but there was a fair number from the lower and upper floors as well.
The only silver lining was the absence of the hellfire-flavored monsters from the Abyss.
‘…But now, I can’t even be sure of that.’
The Chief Inspector was long past his prime, but he wasn't someone who would fall to a mere mob.
“M-Magistrate…”
The three constables who had broken through to the office with her fidgeted, glancing at her nervously.
“What do we do now…?”
Their faces were etched with fear.
All three were rookies. They had been trained according to the headquarters' curriculum and sent on Labyrinth adventures, but their progress was, at best, the first or second floor.
Their forces were severely lacking.
“You.”
With the Chief Inspector dead and the Consul outside, Magistrate Delphin had suddenly become the highest-ranking officer. She began issuing orders swiftly.
“Run down to the underground prison at full speed and release former Inspector Ennes. Tell him his sentence will be reduced if he helps defend the headquarters.”
He had been imprisoned for siding with Blackdog and ruining Neko’s operation.
“The rest of you, follow me back down to the main lobby. We’ll hold the line there until the Consul returns.”
But as she ran down, worry washed over her like a tide.
Compared to the incident twelve years ago, the current situation was more of a ‘disturbance’ than a full-blown Labyrinth Eruption, but the Public Security Headquarters was still desperately short on manpower.
‘Can we hold out until the Consul’s forces arrive?’
The Consul had taken two Magistrates and a large number of Inspectors and Constables with him.
Mages like Neko, who was part of that team, were especially promising. A promotion request for her to become an Inspector had recently come across Delphin’s desk, and she had signed off on it.
‘If only we had a few more like her.’
Since most of the monsters were from the middle floors, the headquarters needed fighters of at least that level.
‘Preferably on the front line.’
They were critically short on vanguards.
Among the constables currently descending the central staircase with her, and even among the forces fighting in the main lobby, there were very few mid-floor level vanguards.
Still, they had to manage with the personnel remaining in the building.
Several other teams led by Magistrates had been dispatched outside to protect the citizens. Excluding those who had been killed or seriously injured in the surprise attack, the remaining forces consisted of three Inspectors and fourteen Constables.
How should she deploy them?
Just as Delphin, weighed down by the growing responsibility, reached the main lobby…
What unfolded before her eyes was—
CRASH!
Something massive slammed into the ground, sending flooring and stone fragments flying.
A monster crushed beneath it spurted blood like a swatted mosquito.
‘N-No way…’
Delphin’s face lit up for a moment as she shouted.
“Consul!?”
“Huh?”
It wasn't him.
As the dust settled, a monk with a formidable build appeared.
“Ah, my apologies. I mistook you for someone else due to your similar size.”
Whoosh!
Monsters unleashed a volley of magic and arrows.
“Look out!”
Delphin tried to step in front of him, but Aimus was unfazed.
A giant steel parasol unfolded like a firework, blocking all the projectiles.
CRUNCH!
In that opening, a ghoul rushed in and bit the monk’s forearm, but surprisingly, he didn’t even flinch.
[Steel Veins]
The power of steel flowed through the monk’s every vein.
Thwack!
Aimus slammed the ghoul to the ground and crushed it with his iron staff.
“…”
Delphin finally remembered. Neko’s report had mentioned a monstrous monk in the civilian constable team led by the wizard Caleb.
“Monk!” she shouted, rushing to Aimus’s side. “Can I entrust a party to you on this front?”
“Do as you see fit.”
“You two constables! And Inspector Toppler! Re-form the line with this monk as your vanguard!”
His durability and area control were on par with a decent Inspector. Delphin had never seen a frontliner like him before.
“By the way, Magistrate,” Aimus asked while holding the line.
“Yes?”
“Are there no monsters in the Guild Village, below the Adventurer’s Guild…?” he asked, his face full of worry.
Aimus’s home was in the Guild Village.
He wanted to drop everything and run home to check on his family, but the situation was too dire for him to act rashly.
“The reason our forces are so thin is that we were already at half strength due to an operation, and we had to send out relief troops from there,” Delphin explained, raising her crossbow and firing over Aimus’s shoulder. “So try not to worry too much. However… if you’re concerned, you may go.”
“I’ll wait until the Consul’s team arrives. And,” Aimus said, stepping forward boldly, “I need to find my party’s elf, too.”
The Mantra of Karma radiated from the steel monk’s body.
*
Splash!
Outside the Public Security Headquarters, in the open lot where carriages and three-wheelers were parked, a puddle had formed on the ground.
The sapphire-colored water glowed, sharing the same properties as the Ethereal Galaxy. It had pierced the dimensional veil, creating a phase portal that transported a body through it.
“Gasp!”
Yernil, who had been on the verge of death after encountering the White Lion, emerged from the puddle. She shook out her wet hair and wrung out her clothes.
After checking to make sure the unfinished thesis Professor Dalstream had given her was safe, she thought, ‘Caleb.’
She closed her eyes and began to sense the surrounding sounds.
Caleb had to be rushing over from somewhere, bringing the Consul and the professors from the headquarters with him.
‘Where is he?’
But the Blackdog district and the Public Security Headquarters were quite far apart. Besides…
‘There are monsters in the city, too?’
Most of the monsters from the Labyrinth were from the middle floors. Their numbers were too small to be called a Labyrinth Eruption, but Sohen was still thrown into chaos, like a kicked beehive.
‘My god.’
Just then, a three-wheeler came tearing toward her, its wheels rumbling against the ground in a mad dash.
“Yernil!”
A professor from the Magic University leaped out of the three-wheeler before it even came to a complete stop.
Hailey.
Yernil had met her once before. She was the female elf professor who had been on Professor Meldini’s team during the message-sending game at the Berten estate.
“This way!”
Professor Hailey pulled a massive two-handed staff from the three-wheeler.
“Normally in a disturbance like this, we evacuate the citizens and order the low-floor adventurers to protect them.”
She led Yernil toward the main entrance of the headquarters.
“But you cleared the 4th floor recently, didn't you, Yernil? With Caleb’s team?”
Adventurers from the middle floors and above were not a defense force for citizens; they were an assault team.
“I can consider you part of our combat force, right? We need to eliminate the monsters inside the headquarters first.”
“W-What about the university?”
“Don’t worry about that. There are several other professors at the university, and the Dean is there as well.”
Unlike the Chief Inspector of Public Security, the Dean of the Magic University was still an active combatant.
“More importantly, we need to go save Professor Dalstream.”
“Professor Dalstream!” Yernil cried out. “He’s in danger! He’s in the archives, and some kind of lion monster came for him…”
“Calm down, Yernil. Professor Dalstream’s stamina may have declined from his prime, but he’s an incredible man.”
Hailey burst through the main entrance.
“He is, after all, the only Archmage at the Magic University.”
To become a professor at the Magic University, one needed a record of clearing at least the 8th floor of the Labyrinth.
Someone like Enver had essentially had the floor cleared for him by the White Lion.
Upon reaching the 10th floor, one was granted tenure. Professor Hailey was one such case.
A few of these professors would even venture below the 10th floor to experience the Deep Layer.
People like Meldini and Isilof.
And among them, an extremely small number…
Those who made monumental achievements—discovering new facts about the Labyrinth, inventing methods for binding magic tomes, surviving numerous trips to the Deep Layer, or providing significant aid in defending against Labyrinth Eruptions—were called by a special title.
‘Archmage.’
Hailey charged into the main building with Yernil.
*
“Is that the Consul!?”
Delphin shouted, almost in tears.
“Sorry, it’s Professor Hailey.”
“Professor! Thank you!”
“And one more.”
“Consul!?” Delphin yelled again.
“Sorry, it’s Yernil.”
“Yernil!” Aimus roared, smashing a snow wolf to pieces. “Over here!”
Yernil immediately activated Sentry Relocation, teleporting behind Aimus and drawing her bow.
“We’re short on troops, so I’ll be using some necromancy,” Professor Hailey announced, bringing her wand to her chest and casting a spell.
“Mass Zombie Resurrection.”
The fallen monsters on the floor began to rise, one by one, now fighting for a new ‘master.’
The bodies of the deceased constables also rose as zombies, creating a scene that bordered on desecration, but no one raised an issue.
“Dealing with these mobs won’t actually take long,” Professor Hailey said, having already assessed that this eruption was very small in scale. “The problem is we don’t know what other enemies might be lurking…”
BOOM!
Just then, a tremendous roar shook the very ground beneath them.
“It’s coming from the annex!” Yernil shouted.
“W-What is that?”
The constables stared up at the sky, their faces filled with shock.
*
“It’s the lake!” Isilof shouted.
The ethereal lake that had been flooding the archive floor had erupted, carrying Dalstream and the White Lion with it.
It burst through the archives and the annex, soaring high into the sky.
A massive, spherical body of sapphire-colored ether now floated in the air, as if an entire lake had been moved into a zero-gravity space. Within it, it held Dalstream and the White Lion.
“W-What in the world is that?”
Some constables muttered as they stared at the White Lion, while Meldini let out a sigh.
“Does he really have to use the lake?”
It was an 8th-tier Tome-Bound Magic.
[Tome of the Ethereal Lake]
That great magic was like a miniature version of the world where Wizus resided, the ‘Ethereal Galaxy.’
Of course, 7th-tier magic like Ethereal Swamp also summoned a part of the galaxy, but there was a crucial difference between it and the 8th-tier Tome-Bound lake.
The former was like bringing forth a single wave crashing upon a shore from the Pacific Ocean.
The latter, however, was akin to creating a miniature Pacific Ocean itself, giving the owner of the lake complete control over everything within it.
Therefore, it was no exaggeration to call such a wizard…
‘A small Wizus.’
An Archmage who had reached the final stage of wisdom attainable by a mortal.
“Professor Dalstream…”
The elder had played his strongest card.
But Dalstream was long past his prime. He was a man who now spent his later years teaching students and conducting research at the university rather than delving into the Abyss of the Labyrinth.
Simply casting an 8th-tier spell was a heavy burden, as he lacked the stamina for it.
In fact, Dalstream had never once brought out the lake during his travels through the inter-floor towns.
“The Ethereal Lake won’t last long,” Caleb said as he ran.
Even after witnessing such an overwhelming 8th-tier spell, he didn’t bat an eye.
“We need to back him up now!”
Fortunately, they had more reinforcements.
“That son of a bitch.”
The Orc Berserker, Krom, was heading for the Public Security Headquarters to avenge his past humiliation.
Former Inspector Ennes had once told Neko that it wasn't the Public Security Headquarters that protected Sohen, but Blackdog.
Krom agreed.
Not because he was a member of the organization, but because it was the truth. Just look at the Magic University’s Assembly.
‘I knew that monster would show its true colors someday.’
The Assembly and Blackdog had a non-aggression pact, but that didn't matter now.
The Labyrinth was erupting, and monsters were tearing through Sohen. Was it so strange for Blackdog to step in? Blackdog could only exist if Sohen existed.
Even if he killed the White Lion, Krom couldn't be blamed.
If the Assembly complained, he could just ask them if they were a monster organization all along.
“I’ll end this in one blow.”
*
I had one concern.
To what extent was the White Lion’s Assembly involved in this incident?
“…”
I glanced at Isel as we ran.
Realizing what I was suspecting, she started in surprise and waved her hands frantically.
“I-I didn’t know anything about this. I swear!”
Hmm.
She was probably telling the truth.
Because Edward Berten was out in the square in front of the headquarters, fighting.
“Father!”
“Isel!”
A brief, touching father-daughter reunion amidst the chaos.
“Father!”
Clorence joined in, and the three of them shared a hug.
There were quite a few monsters all around.
“The estate is safe. Everyone has been evacuated to the panic room or through the warp device. We have to save Sohen!”
“What about Avison?” Clorence asked worriedly.
“…”
It seemed Edward was just as worried.
“He’s a 1st-tier wizard too, Clorence.”
“…”
“He’s helping with the citizen evacuation. Over by the Guild Village.”
I see. So even that kid, who looked like he could barely protect himself, was doing his part.
And probably countless others I had met on my adventures.
Birtanen and Jikal, Priestess Emma, Paladin Bernard and the Halfling crossbowman Remus, Greg the Barbarian, the Dwarf wizard Astin, the swordsman Hijikata and Gildal, the Fox Spirit Shaman Soyul and the Kappa rogue Gadozumi.
They were all likely fighting hard wherever they were.
“Consul, please head to the Public Security Headquart—”
Before Edward could finish, the Consul charged forward in a frenzy.
His Magistrates, Inspectors, and Constables followed.
‘Should I go too?’
I had to find Yernil, find Aimus, and take down the White Lion.
Maybe I should start by regrouping my party.
“Help me out, Back Attack.”
“W-What should I do, boss?”
Back Attack was clearly tense, faced with a parade of monsters the likes of which he’d never seen.
*
CRASH!
The main entrance of the Public Security Headquarters burst open as if it were being shattered.
“Please be the Consul!” Delphin screamed.
“Right.”
Gasping for breath, his anger reaching its peak, the Consul stormed into the headquarters.
“I’m here.”
He had rushed ahead and gotten separated from the Magistrates, but they would arrive soon.
The two-handed sword of the Deep Layer adventurer, Consul Peterson, trembled with fury and bloodlust.
His heart pounded, but his mind grew cold and clear.
The Consul analyzed the situation and calculated his forces.
“Kyaaaah!”
A 9th-floor monster, a Hell Legion Commander, charged at him.
“Quiet.”
The Consul sliced the demon in two with a single stroke.
“All personnel of the Public Security Headquarters!” his roar echoed through the main hall. “This situation is hereby designated a small-scale Labyrinth Eruption. We will bring it under control immediately! Understood!?”