Chapter 317: Ancient Ruin
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 317: Ancient Ruin
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
By the lakeside, where everything had returned to a deathly still, Barton’s eyes were wide, nearly blinded by that Illumination Spell. His face was twisted in a mask of hideous, impotent rage.
"An Illumination Spell? Muen Campbell’s ultimate move was a damn Illumination Spell?"
Curse him! How could it be an Illumination Spell?
With that level of mana surging, how could it possibly be a low-level spell that even a cat could learn?
And that intensity—it was bright enough to sear a man’s retinas. Who in their right mind would ever level up a mere Illumination Spell to such a terrifying degree?
With the resources of the Campbell family, there wasn't a powerful spell he couldn't learn. Why choose the most basic Illumination Spell?
It had to be intentional. He was doing this specifically to humiliate him!
Barton felt like a total joker, played like a fiddle by that thrice-damned Muen Campbell!
Humiliation! This was an absolute humiliation!
"Barton, don't move."
Fullar’s voice drifted through his still-blurred vision. "I’ll heal you."
"Get lost! I don't need your healing!" Barton roared. "You cowards! Spineless weaklings! Greedy vipers! Don't think I don't know what you were plotting. You had such a perfect opening just now, but you let yourselves get spooked by Muen Campbell’s pathetic little light show! If you’d moved sooner, he never would have escaped!"
"You!" Fullar’s expression instantly darkened. She withdrew her mana and retorted sharply, "You have the nerve to blame us? If Muen Campbell escaped, isn't it entirely your fault? If you hadn't been playing those nonsensical games, we would have captured him ages ago! And don't talk to us about being cowards—you were the one who was actually terrified just now!"
"Lies! All lies! I wasn't scared! It’s because you lot are too stupid! A trick that basic—a trick even a three-year-old could see through—you people are just—"
"Enough."
Suddenly, a calm, low voice cut through the air.
It wasn't harsh, yet it carried an undeniable authority that brooked no argument.
The rest of Barton’s filth-laden sentence died in his throat, choked back by that simple reprimand. A flicker of fear crossed his face. Even though he still couldn't see clearly, he turned his head toward the source of the voice.
There, the Priest—who had been standing as still as a statue in prayer for a long time—finally stood up. He closed the Holy Scripture in his hands, his expression compassionate and serene, as if he didn't care in the least about what had just transpired.
"You are right, Barton. We were never truly of one mind. Everyone has their own schemes and calculations, so it is only natural that our efforts were not unified. I do not blame you. However, it was because of you that Muen Campbell escaped, forcing us to expend more of our precious time and energy. Therefore, once this matter is concluded, you will forfeit an extra thirty percent of your payment. How does that sound?"
"I..."
Barton’s face flushed between red and pale, his expression shifting from ferocity to lingering fear. Finally, he lowered his head deeply and spoke in a raspy voice, "I have no objection."
"Very well. Fullar."
"Tsk. Only for the sake of the money." Fullar clicked her tongue in annoyance and waved her wand again.
Mana surged. Under the influence of the healing magic, Barton’s vision finally cleared. However, he kept his head bowed, hiding his expression. All that could be seen were his clenched... and trembling hands.
"Fa... Father."
The Hyena was prone on the ground, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. After a moment, he looked up, a hint of panic in his voice. "Ten... Ten Billion is gone! He's gone! I can't sense his scent anymore!"
"Did he use some method to mask his presence? I suppose it makes sense. From what we've seen, this Muen Campbell is far more capable and cautious than the Duke’s son described in our intelligence. But..."
The Priest looked up, gazing into the silent jungle where not even a single bird could be seen. A twisted smile finally curled at the corners of his mouth. He looked like a predator that had just woken from a nap, its hunger only sharpened.
"Under the gaze of our Lord, where exactly do you think you can run?"
*
Deep within the jungle, inside a pitch-black cave.
A small Glimmer lit up at Muen’s fingertips as he looked at the girl beside him.
"Are you alright, Liya?"
"I... I'm fine." Liya shook her head gently, though her chest was still heaving as she panted for breath.
After escaping using Muen’s ever-reliable Illumination Spell, the two of them had sprinted frantically to lose their pursuers. It wasn't until they stumbled upon this hidden cave that they ducked inside to catch their breath.
"Um... that."
"Hmm?"
"...My hand." Liya kept her head down, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Oh, sorry." Muen suddenly realized that in the heat of the moment, he was still tightly gripping the girl’s fair, slender wrist.
But Muen didn't let go.
"I'm sorry, but this is the only way to mask both of our presences at once. Just bear with it for a bit, okay?"
A faint, arc-like outline flickered across Muen’s skin—the Alchemy Domain activated through Elizabeth. At this moment, the domain was extending through that slender wrist to Liya, completely shrouding both of their auras.
"Okay," Liya whispered, saying nothing more.
It was a matter of necessity, after all. It wasn't like he was doing it on purpose. And... it was just holding hands. It wasn't like they hadn't done it before...
"Thank you," Muen said suddenly.
"Eh?"
"Back then, your Holy Light was so perfectly timed. It was a huge help." Muen smiled. "Even after I said those things to you... honestly, when I shouted that, I didn't have much hope that you'd play along."
"Be... because," Liya bit her lip and replied, "I didn't think you were the type of person who could actually do something that wicked, Muen. So I... I kept my wits about me."
"Is that so?" Muen’s eyes lit up. He puffed out his chest and said, "So you finally realize I'm a truly good guy and not the villain you keep calling me?"
"...Hmph." Liya puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, muttering, "Not... not at all. You're still a big jerk."
"Hey now..."
*
Using the Illumination Spell in his palm, Muen began to survey their surroundings.
The entrance to the cave was well-hidden, but the interior was surprisingly spacious. It wasn't as damp as he had expected, and there were none of the mutated snakes or insects he had been wary of.
"This doesn't... feel like a natural cave," Muen muttered, frowning.
"A... a trap?" Liya immediately grew alert.
"Unlikely." Muen shook his head. "If those people were so god-like that they could predict I'd duck into this specific cave, we wouldn't have escaped so easily with a single Illumination Spell."
Muen pondered for a moment, then, still holding Liya’s small hand, he cautiously led her deeper into the cave.
Under the faint light in his hand, they passed through a narrow passage before the space ahead suddenly opened up. What appeared before them was an unmistakable man-made structure.
A massive bronze gate.
"This is..." Liya gasped. "An ancient ruin!"
"An ancient ruin?" Muen blinked. He looked at the strange patterns carved into the bronze gate and scratched his head, muttering to himself, "Is this... a fortuitous encounter amidst a crisis? Since when did I start getting the protagonist treatment?"
So-called "ancient ruins" were the secret realms, tombs, and sites left behind by civilizations or powerful entities that had vanished into the long river of history. This was especially true for things left over from the "Ancient Era"—that period of dark chaos a thousand years ago that history books were notoriously vague about.
The discovery of any ancient ruin would cause quite a stir across the continent. The various ancient artifacts unearthed from them were priceless, not just for their historical significance, but for the bizarre and unique powers they contained.
"There’s writing on it!"
Once she saw the bronze gate, Liya’s attention was completely captured. She even took the lead, pulling Muen’s hand as she reached out to trace the time-worn surface of the door with fascination.
As she brushed away the rust and dust of ages, revealing the ancient script engraved beneath, she let out another cry of surprise.
"Can you read it?"
"I'll try!"
Liya’s fingertip traced the strange characters—which looked to Muen like a chaotic mess of tadpoles looking for their mother. A faint light flickered in her eyes, and soon, she successfully deciphered a coherent sentence:
"The Calamity descends, and we are powerless to face it. In the face of destruction, we have placed all that we possess here. Beyond this gate, danger and opportunity coexist. We hope that those of the future who possess the strength will be able to take our..." The words after that were too blurred to read.
A look of regret appeared on Liya’s small face. She couldn't find the name of the civilization that had left these words and the bronze gate. If she had, she might have been able to find a corresponding record in her memory.
"Well, we can at least figure out the origin of this ruin."
Muen rubbed his chin, studying the patterns on the gate intently. Now that the dust and rust had been cleared, and combined with the meaning of the text, Muen finally understood the mural.
Above a city made of bronze, a dragon that blotted out the sun descended from the heavens, raining down fire and destruction. Men took up swords to resist but were no match for the beast. Terrified women and children were turned to ash in the flames, and even the bronze itself was melted by the searing dragon breath.
That was the gist of it.
"So... this 'Calamity' they mentioned means the same thing we think it does," Muen said, exhaling slowly. "The Death-Calamity Dragon that dwells in the depths of this forest."
"Yes, that's what I was thinking." Liya nodded gently, her eyes filled with a complex emotion. "To think this vast forest was once a flourishing kingdom a long time ago... What a tragedy."
"No civilization lasts forever. They just find different ways to fall," Muen offered as consolation. He looked at the bronze gate and, suddenly remembering something, asked, "So, can you open this door, Liya?"
There were no obvious locks or mechanisms on the bronze gate. But if this destroyed civilization wanted future generations to discover their legacy, it stood to reason they wouldn't have made a door that was impossible to open.
"I'll try..."