Chapter 121
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Trap (4)
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After washing up and changing into fresh clothes, my mood had improved significantly.
When I came down to the first floor, where dinner preparations were in full swing, the first thing I saw was the warmly glowing brazier, Ash sitting in front of it, and Ilenia wildly waving her hand at him.
Ash glared at Ilenia with wary eyes while crouched low, but the moment he spotted me, he came bounding over.
Liberic. I need to bite that hand.
"Hold back, Ash."
I soothed him. Even as he slipped behind my back, he didn't drop his guard against Ilenia.
A fearsome growl rumbled from his throat.
"Ash, is it? So cute."
Ilenia beamed innocently and beckoned him over with her hand.
Ash's growling grew even fiercer. It almost sounded like he was cursing her.
"Hmm, maybe don't dote on him too much. He's, uh, got a strong sense of pride."
Any more coddling, and he'd bite before I could stop him.
I calmed Ash down and sent him outside. It was probably better for everyone that way.
Ash backed out the door, never taking his eyes off Ilenia until the end.
"How's your ankle?"
Ilenia's left ankle was wrapped in several layers of thick bandages. The leg caught in the thorny snare was covered in small scratches.
"Oh, it's fine, totally fine."
She stomped the floor with her left foot as if it were nothing, then instantly winced in pain.
Shuren pulled stunts like that sometimes too. Was it a knight thing...?
"Anyway, things were so hectic I didn't even get to properly introduce myself."
Ilenia belatedly offered a handshake.
"Ilenia Cortis. Call me whatever's comfortable."
"I'm Liberic Eldrian. But really... you look just like the Red Guard Knight."
I worried it might be rude to say that to someone I'd just met, but the words slipped out anyway.
Fortunately, Ilenia burst out laughing. Even her smile was the spitting image of Red Guard Knight Merian Cortis.
"I get that a lot. Everywhere I go. My mom's pretty famous, after all."
Ilenia said it with a smile, but it didn't seem like she was truly amused inside.
"You two, mind helping carry these plates?"
I was about to change the subject when Makina, who was moving tableware, called out to us.
"Sure thing."
Ilenia answered readily. I headed to the kitchen with her to help prepare dinner.
Just as preparations wrapped up, the Silver Guard Knight and Shuren came down from the second floor, supporting Gordon.
Gordon was still nursing serious injuries, but his complexion had improved markedly since I'd first seen him. Wedin's holy magic must have worked wonders.
The Silver Guard Knight pulled out a chair and helped Gordon sit. He took the seat to Gordon's left, followed by Ilenia.
When I stood to fetch some water, Shuren grabbed me and made me sit next to Ilenia before going himself.
He was clearly fussing over her big time. I chuckled inwardly.
A moment later, a weary-faced Wedin came down, and Ash, who'd gotten his fill of fresh air outside, plopped down in front of the warm brazier.
As the three Mountain Patrol Squad members set out the hearty meal on the table, dinner began.
"That young holy mage threatened me that if I pushed myself now, I'd have to retire immediately."
Gordon pointed at Wedin.
"It wasn't a threat. It's the truth."
Wedin said defiantly around a big bite of meat. Gordon just chuckled.
"The wounds on your face, shoulder, and arm aren't minor. I've halted their progression for now, but you need to get to a medical center as soon as possible. Wandering outside or wielding a sword in this state will just make things worse."
"I agree, Sir Gordon."
The Silver Guard Knight nodded.
"Leave the rest to us and focus on recovering. You need the strength to make it back to Cophet."
"...If even the Silver Guard Knight says so, I have no choice."
Was this knight seriously planning to head back to the ruins?
Gordon looked visibly dejected as he slowly continued his meal.
"Ilenia, how are your injuries?"
The Silver Guard Knight turned to her.
"No problems. I'm perfectly fine."
"It's serious."
No sooner had Ilenia's cheerful reply ended than Wedin cut in coldly.
Ilenia pouted with a "tch."
"The wounds were deep with heavy bleeding. If you weren't a fire Arbat with exceptional recovery, it wouldn't have ended like this."
"I'll be fully recovered by tomorrow morning, Silver Guard Knight. Don't worry."
As Ilenia assured him brightly and Wedin shrugged, the Silver Guard Knight decided to check her condition again in the morning.
As the meal wound down, empty plates were cleared and cups of warm, bitter tea were placed before everyone.
"Very well, Sir Gordon. Please explain in detail to everyone what happened in the Nameless Era ruins."
"Mm."
All eyes turned to Gordon.
He took a sip of his warm tea with a heavy expression. He looked pained, as if reliving the events.
"We'd finished our preliminary investigation the day before departure, including on the magical beasts. Even the Shaika. We planned for Fren to prioritize defensive magic if we encountered a Shaika."
Everyone listened in tense silence. He recounted the events in detail.
The entrance to the Nameless Era ruins was a vertical cave, surrounded by rocks etched with patterns.
The group—Prius knights mixed with kingdom knights, led by the mage Fren—entered the ruins fully prepared, one by one.
The moment they took their first steps inside, the scene that unfolded before them was...
"A narrow, humid ravine appeared right in front of us. Even though we'd entered a cave. But even more baffling... we were all seeing different things."
"What do you mean?"
"Above my head, I saw a bright midday sky, and the rock walls were covered in moss. Damp moss and the smell of earth, the sound of running water..."
"But Fren said we were standing in a snowy forest with flurries falling."
Even the Silver Guard Knight, struggling to grasp the situation, was at a loss for words.
Gordon frowned and continued.
"One saw a dense forest deep in the mountains, another a barren wasteland full of rocks and dead trees. Impossible things were happening."
"So you were in the ravine, Sir Gordon?"
Shuren's voice carried confusion. Gordon nodded slowly.
"Fren said we were all trapped in our own hallucinations. He mentioned some ruins have such defenses against intruders."
"I've read about that in books."
I recalled what I'd read.
Nameless Era ruins were said to have various defensive mechanisms. Hallucinations and auditory illusions were among them.
Gordon went on.
"There was only one path anyway. Fren said even strong hallucinations stem from mana contamination, so we had to press on to the ruins' center. We should have turned back there."
Gordon sighed with deep regret.
"I walked down a gentle valley path, Fren through a snow-covered slope, others down forest declines. The temperature seemed to drop the deeper we went."
Gordon paused, lost in memory, then spoke again.
"Even now, I still don't fully understand what happened. It started the moment we entered."
"Just tell us whatever comes to mind."
"Suddenly, a Shaika appeared. A snowfield Shaika. Right in front of me."
Gordon gazed at the cabin wall as he spoke.
Among the many framed pictures hung there was a particularly menacing-eyed snowfield Shaika.
"I reflexively drew and swung my sword. It dodged and leaped to the opposite wall, then was behind me the next instant. I heard Fren scream and turned to see another Shaika there."
Everyone held their breath, hanging on his words.
"I rushed to save him. I slashed the Shaika's back, dropping it, and grabbed Fren, but he yelled it was no good, what had I done. His eyes... they were glowing. Flickering red."
"Sir Gordon, that was..."
The Silver Guard Knight trailed off in shock. Everyone else was horrified too.
"We all know well the evil things with glowing red eyes."
Gordon sighed deeply, rubbing his face.
"I had no choice but to think Fren wasn't in his right mind. We needed to get out immediately."
"While I blocked another charging Shaika from behind, Fren screamed and bolted downward. I tried to chase him, but the Shaika fired ice chunks at me."
Gordon's voice grew somber.
"I don't remember much after that. I heard collapsing sounds and screams, but one ear was deafened, so no sense of distance. I barely escaped with the thought of reporting and calling for backup."
"Gordon was found barely alive at the ruins' entrance. We used every medical supply here, and I wasn't sure even that would save him."
Makina added gravely, having listened with a serious face.
Gordon thanked her and the Mountain Patrol Squad members.
"Sir Gordon, so you didn't see what happened to the other knights besides Fren?"
Gordon groaned.
"I don't remember well. With Shaika popping up everywhere suddenly, they must have fought back, but I was the only survivor."
That was quite some time ago. It was almost impossible Fren or the other knights had survived inside the ruins.
Everyone's expressions darkened, sharing the sentiment.
"...Understood, Sir Gordon."
The Silver Guard Knight pondered for a moment.
"A few questions. Answer as they come to you."
Gordon nodded heavily.
"When the Shaika appeared, what did the surroundings look like? Still in the hallucination?"
"Well..."
Gordon strained to recall.
"It was chaos, so not clear, but nothing too unusual stands out. The battle happened within the hallucination I'd been seeing."
"How did Fren act? Did he use defensive magic when the Shaika appeared?"
"...No."
Gordon's face twisted in confusion.
"He kept gripping his staff but didn't cast any spells. Why... why didn't he? Defensive magic would have kept the Shaika at bay."
"Was the space you saw narrow?"
The Silver Guard Knight pressed on relentlessly.
"No, wide enough to swing a sword, but... Fren said it was a hallucination, and others saw much larger spaces. So..."
Gordon struggled to explain, then fell silent as the Silver Guard Knight placed a hand on his arm.
His face had gone pale, sweat beading coldly.
"That's enough, Sir Gordon. You've explained plenty."
The Silver Guard Knight had him sip some tea, then glanced at Wedin and Shuren.
"Wedin, help Sir Gordon rest and calm down. Shuren, assist him to the bedroom."
Both nodded quietly and rose.
Gordon, suddenly exhausted, let them support him back upstairs.
"Hallucinations..."
After they left, the Silver Guard Knight muttered grimly, sipping his cold tea.
He thought for a bit, then turned to me.
"Liberic, is there a way to dispel or block the Nameless Era ruins' hallucinations?"
"...I'd have to see it first."
Unfortunately, that was the only honest answer I could give.
The ruin books I'd read only covered general overviews, and even those might not apply here.
"No perfect way to block them, then."
The Silver Guard Knight sighed softly. If there were, everything would be simpler.
"Once we're there, give me some time. I'll analyze it as quickly as possible."
That was the best I could offer. He nodded.
"Well, at least we know what's waiting in there now."
Ilenia pointed out the silver lining, but the worry and unease didn't fade much.