Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: An Explosive Escape
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*Rumble!*
I stared blankly at the pile of rocks in the corner of the cavern.
"Ah... you useless chunks of rock. You had to go and collapse."
The entrance in the ceiling, which I had broken through with a pickaxe, was now completely blocked.
Naturally, the rope I had left dangling was nowhere to be seen.
This was all because of the statues that had gone on a rampage.
—See? You should have come in through the proper channels. Ah, but I suppose you couldn't, not being part of the Vertos family.
Hearing Alkheim’s laughter-filled voice, I felt a surge of irritation.
"Ugh! It's so annoying having something I can't even use follow me around."
—That's because you've become Calipe's contractor.
"Are you a stalker? Is that it?"
I had deliberately left the sword far away, but Calipe had somehow flown back to my hip.
Now I was forced to carry two swords.
I’d obtained a legendary sword, but it seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.
Especially since the Dark Spirit King was constantly eyeing my body.
Ignoring his voice, I began circling the perimeter of the cavern.
I had to find a way out.
Just when I thought it was getting quiet, Alkheim spoke up again.
—By the way.
"Why is a Spirit King so talkative? Can't you stay quiet for a second?"
—It’s just that I remembered an emergency escape device. Should I not tell you?
"...No, go on."
—I thought you said I was talkative?
"Ah, I take it back. Just spit it out already."
—Hehehe! The emergency escape device is behind the altar. There should be a magic circle on the floor. I saw the humans working on it for quite a while.
"You should have said so sooner."
I finally managed to pull my rope out from under the collapsed debris.
I used it to tie the chest to my back, which made moving around much easier.
No matter how heavy it was, I couldn't just leave the treasure behind.
"Oh... is this it?"
After venturing deep behind the altar, I found a space where all sorts of lines were engraved on the floor, just as Alkheim had said.
It was so faint that most people would have missed it, but I located the magic circle precisely.
The people of Riverune might not be true mages, but we are certainly competent magic users.
"But will this even work? It's been a thousand years."
After brushing away the dust, the complete form of the magic circle was revealed.
But I couldn't help but feel skeptical.
It was so old that its style was completely different from modern magic circles.
So much so that I couldn't even tell if it was properly constructed.
—I heard it was designed to last for thousands of years. That's what Troic said.
"Is that so? Well, it's not like I have any other options. I guess I have to use this."
I searched the area around the magic circle thoroughly and found the activation switch.
There was no guarantee that whoever needed to use this could wield mana.
As expected, my prediction was spot on.
"Here it is. Good job, Alk."
—Alk? My name is the great Dark Spirit King Alkheim.
"Is the whole title part of your name? Talk about narcissism. I'll just call you Alk. It's short and sweet."
—Why are you changing my name as you please...
"Quiet. Now, shall we escape this dreadful tomb?"
I pressed the switch on the wall and quickly stood in the center of the magic circle.
"..."
But no matter how long I waited, there was no sign of the magic circle activating.
Tilting my head, I tapped the floor with my foot.
*Thump, thump!*
Still, the magic circle remained silent.
"Hey, what's wrong with this thing? You said it was sturdy enough to last for thousands of years, didn't you?"
—How should I know? I was just sealed in the altar.
"Ugh, you useless bastard. Let's see. I have a rough idea of what's wrong..."
Usually, this happens when the mana circuit connected to the switch is broken or the energy supply is insufficient.
I couldn't just dismantle the emergency escape device, so I was in quite a bind.
But I had a much simpler solution.
'Why think so hard? I just need to supply mana directly to the magic circle.'
I gathered the surrounding mana and injected it straight into the circle.
Finally, I got the reaction I was hoping for.
*Rumble!*
"Ooh! It's working, it's working!"
The ground, along with the magic circle, began to rise, lifting me upwards.
It was quite slow, but there was no better or more comfortable way to escape.
I looked down at the chaotic mess of the imperial secret tomb and gave a bitter smile.
"Your Majesty, the first emperor of the Vertos Empire! Thanks for everything. Now, may you rest in pea—"
But just as I was about to wish him a peaceful slumber...
*Clank!*
With an ominous sound, the elevator magic circle came to a sudden halt.
Tilting my head, I examined the magic circle from all angles.
But there was no way to tell what was wrong.
"Hey, what's with this? I injected the mana properly. Slowly, so as not to overload it."
Just then, a thought flashed through my mind.
'Wait a minute, what if this magic circle was perfectly fine, just as Alk said? What if it was just an old model, and the mana supply was inherently slow...'
The moment that thought occurred to me, my eyes widened.
If that was true, then this elevator was currently overloaded with mana.
What happens when you pump a massive amount of mana into a perfectly normal magic circle?
And what if that magic circle was the emergency escape device I was riding?
"The manifestation would be explosive."
Just like now.
*BOOM—!*
"Whoa-ah-ah-ah!"
With a powerful jolt, the elevator began to shoot upwards at an incredible speed.
At this rate, I would reach the ceiling long before the door had a chance to open.
And what would happen then?
I'd be turned into a flattened piece of jerky.
'Ugh! I can't let my bright future end here!'
I quickly drew the Black Dragon Sword and raised my aura.
—Pahaha! What did I tell you? I said it was fine.
Alk's voice echoed in my head, but honestly, I couldn't hear a thing.
The situation was far too urgent.
Heaven-Severing Explosive Wheel.
I immediately unleashed the most appropriate technique for the situation.
The Heaven-Severing Explosive Wheel was the technique that created the most powerful explosion.
*Fwoosh—!*
The sphere, leaving a faint gray tail, flew towards the ceiling and vanished on contact.
A moment later, a flashing light was followed by a shower of countless transparent aura fragments.
*Shatter!*
A large hole, big enough for a person to fit through, was torn in the ceiling.
I adjusted my footing, positioning myself perfectly beneath it.
'Got it!'
The moment the accelerating elevator slammed into the ceiling!
I was launched into the air with a deafening roar.
*BOOM!*
"Whoa-ah-ah!"
As I shot vertically upwards for dozens of meters, a structure came into view.
I quickly grabbed onto it, stopping myself from flying off somewhere.
'Wow! I really thought I was going to die.'
Once I finally regained my composure, I was able to take in my surroundings.
Amazingly, after escaping the imperial tomb, I had ended up on the outer wall of Venderford.
On one of the iron pillars installed to enhance its defenses, to be precise.
Just then, an old box caught my eye.
It seemed I was able to spot it because I was dangling from the edge of the structure.
"Oh! What a windfall!"
I immediately tucked the unusual-looking box into my coat.
I hadn't let go of the chest from the tomb even while soaring through the air, so a small box like this was nothing.
Suddenly, I heard the angry voices of men from the side.
"Hey, why are you taking that?"
Blinking, I turned my head to see Franz and Ellington standing precariously nearby.
I directed a question at the princes.
"Why? What is this, am I not allowed to take it?"
"Ah, that's..."
"Hmph!"
But neither of them could answer my question immediately.
Which meant this box had no owner.
'Oho? Were they fighting to claim this?'
Whatever this item was, one thing was certain.
No one here could confidently claim ownership of it.
Instantly grasping the situation, I broke into a mischievous grin.
Then, letting go of the iron pillar, I gave them a light wave.
"Well then, I'll be taking this. Thanks for your hard work!"
My body immediately began to fall toward the ground.
But instead of accelerating due to gravity, I floated down gently like a feather.
That was because I had cast the 9th-tier magic, Feather Fall.
'As for the magic, I'll just say I have an artifact or something.'
And so, I was able to return with my hands full of treasure.
I'm feeling pretty good today.
I guess when you're destined for success, everything just works out.
* * *
Meanwhile, a strange standoff continued atop the iron pillar on the city wall.
Franz and Ellington stared down below with dumbfounded expressions.
They simply couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
"Brother."
"Don't call me that. I'm quite distressed."
"Should we just team up and deal with that bastard first?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea. But tell me."
The second prince swept back his red hair, which was fluttering in the wind, and tilted his head.
"How on earth did he know? It doesn't make any sense."
"Indeed. No one would have known that an imperial treasure was in a place like this. He couldn't have gone through the palace records as I did."
"So that's how you got the hint?"
"Oops! What a slip! But what does it matter now? The treasure has already been taken."
"Tsk! Let's just go back."
In the end, the two princes had no choice but to climb down from the iron structure.
Just then, they noticed a few pieces of gold lying at their feet.
"Hm? What's this?"
Franz and Ellington simultaneously picked up the dust-covered gold pieces.
Their eyes widened, and they looked at each other.
"N-No way!"
The items the princes had found were golden earrings.
The design was common in Troben, but there was a distinct difference from those sold on the market.
It was the clear crest of the ancient imperial family.
"This is definitive proof. The secret tomb of the imperial family is somewhere around here!"
"Now that I think about it, you're right. There's no way the treasure would consist of just that one small box, is there?"
Forgetting they were rivals, Franz and Ellington were overjoyed.
They had no idea that the items had fallen from the chest carried by Ray Carter as he shot into the air.