Book 21 Chapter 7

Episode 201

To the Land of Decisive Battle!

The City of Beginning and End, The Decisive Battle of Raptas (5)

"Is that so? There were no problems on this route?"

Leesta asked.

After the southern invasion began, the Tri-Race Allied Army advanced southwest, and because the Adrion continent was extremely vast, its depth was thin and long.

What arrived in this vicinity were 3,000 royal guards from the Solond Kingdom, and their majestic appearance, led by elephant cavalry, was truly impressive.

"That's right, Hero. As you can see, it's very peaceful. We swept away a few demon remnants, but there was no significant resistance. From their perspective, elephants would be monsters."

Morris Ligwind, the prince of the Solond Kingdom, said, stroking the elephant's trunk.

Prince Morris's popularity was truly immense, as he himself rode an elephant instead of a warhorse, leading the vanguard and setting an example as a warrior king.

Furthermore, Morris was a direct disciple of the first Great Sage Emittsa Page and a descendant of Ligwind, the first Grand Archmage, and unlike Leonia, he was a mage of considerable skill.

"By the way, is that Archmage Lin? It's good to meet you. I am Morris Ligwind, a descendant of the first Grand Archmage. I am a master of sonic magic."

"…That shouldn't exist, it's a scientifically dangerous matter, um…"

"Hmm? What are you muttering about now?"

Leesta gave an awkward laugh to defend Lin, who was gloomily muttering without even making eye contact with Morris.

"He said he had a nightmare today. I apologize, Your Highness. Please speak comfortably with Lin next time."

In this manner, for ten days, they encountered dozens of units, asking about their recent activities and information, but failed to obtain any significant clues.

"Since then, there have been no clues about him. Damn it, spatial transfer spells leave no trace."

Preeda grumbled, holding her long pipe in her mouth. Leesta also sighed.

"Back then… I guess we should have forced ourselves to chase him, just like during the envoy of divine punishment."

"Forget it. How do we know what traps he might have set? Besides, it's starting to get even more suspicious. The fact that there haven't been any significant attacks since that avatar, Rje, disappeared."

[I saw it. The arrow, that guy, the moment he attacked the barrier.]

Kyess suddenly began to speak through the Baekchangung.

[Pillars… many, many pillars.]

"?"

[Kingdom on desert. Sea. Rain.]

Although not yet fluent in language, she could clearly convey meaning with just the arrangement of words, so it could be called a significant improvement compared to five years ago.

"Pillars, desert, kingdom, sea, rain?"

Preeda seemed to ominously retrace those words, then suddenly struck Kyess's crown repeatedly with her long pipe.

"Why are you telling me this important thing only now, you drunkard, you idiotic scoundrel! Ugh! You hopeless good-for-nothing, seriously!"

[(ㅠ△ㅠ)]

"Preeda, calm down! She might have been organizing her thoughts!"

While such important conversations were taking place, Tureyna was feeding corn to Pipi and Sval.

"Is it delicious?"

"Kkyuung!"

"Delicious, delicious, delicious."

Dried corn had become an excellent field ration, so they had obtained a lot of it every time they encountered a unit.

'Oh dear… now I'm even having nightmares… I can't even go to relieve myself at night…'

Lin, who was on meal duty today, trembled at her fingertips as she skewered pieces of meat.

'The source of this nightmare… I need to get rid of that evil spirit itself soon…'

Ugh, Dean…

You told me not to harm Ken Serman back then because you were afraid I would suffer from such nightmares.

Please forgive me for only now understanding your great will.

"Serwebon, the vision you showed Kyess… show it to us too."

Baekchangung Serwebon extended its verdant branch and touched Leesta's and Preeda's foreheads.

At that moment…!

A landscape from somewhere in this world, momentarily unfolded in their minds by the World Tree… Is this truly a pure white dream, a fragment of future observation?

'All I saw was a world of pillars where acid rain poured down… I must analyze this information in more detail.'

It was very brief, but that sinister impression was very clearly etched in their minds.

"How about it, Preeda. Do you get it?"

"I feel like I get it, and yet… it's strange. The mental vision Kyess saw, it really resembles <The City of 108 Pillars: Ralien>."

"The place we went down to back then? The one underground <Shuriganaqius>? Yes, that's right! It was similar! But there was no sea below it, was there?"

"Right… and it didn't rain like that either. Acid rain is the power of the ancient sea lord, not the lizard lord… so I really can't get a grasp of it. Should we go back to <Shuriganaqius>?"

In Preeda's mind, as she stuffed new tobacco leaves into her long pipe, countless thoughts and delusions frantically crisscrossed.

'Damn it, I don't know what's what. Is there any other clue? Or should I try thinking outside the box?'

At that moment, Lin, who was flipping skewered meat with a dazed expression, muttered.

"…Did it move? No, no matter how you look at it, that sort of thing shouldn't be possible…"

Preeda was startled.

'Lin, this guy's insight is truly…!'

Lin had muttered about Ken Serman's consciousness moving between people, but such a truth would be best buried beyond history.

'Yes, the avatar of Zernix clearly said it was a new capital then. Moving Ralien somewhere else?'

No way…

How could such a thing be possible…?

No, but if it's that crazy Zernix…!

"It's the sea! We have to sweep down starting from the coast!"

Leesta expressed concern about Preeda's conclusion.

"But Preeda, this is the central inland! To get through this sandstorm to the west… it'll take at least a month."

"It'll be late, but there's no other way. We don't know what that jelly bastard might be doing even at this moment."

Just then, Lin, who was finishing up the skewered meat, snapped his fingers with a look of delight on his face.

"Yes, Shuan… Let's ask Shuan."

Lin thought. If he consulted Preeda about this evil spirit problem, she would surely babble nonsense and tease him about being scared of ghosts.

However, Shuan is trustworthy.

They walked together on the path to seeking [The Strongest], and seeing that he is still diligently walking that path, he is almost naively steadfast.

'There won't be anything to tease him about.'

The hero party members, who had no way of knowing his true intentions, could only marvel at Lin's keen insight once again!

'Yes, Shuan… if it's him!'

'Lin, you truly are…!'

'You always teach us the right answer.'

Asrubha, the Ice Dragon, who had been eating corn while glancing at them, choked.

* * *

"Hey, Shuan! Where are you?"

"Shuan, you idiotic scoundrel! Where are you?!"

Lin and Preeda came screaming into the middle of the military camp.

It was the third line of the follow-up unit, a relief unit, and Shuan was meticulously caring for those who had been transported there.

By the time their shouts had repeated about five times, Shuan pulled back the makeshift infirmary tent over there and came out.

"Hello. For the two of you to come all this way through the sandstorm to find me, a man loved by the Archmage and the Oracle of the hero party… my popularity will surely skyrocket starting today."

"Whether your popularity skyrockets to the heavens or plummets to pierce the earth, I have absolutely no interest, so just answer the questions."

"Aren't you speaking too harshly? Apologize to Shuan. This is why oracles are such a bunch."

Pa-ak…!

For a traitor who commits acts of betrayal, there is only retaliation by an iron fist. Master!

"Idiot, idiot, Lin is an idiot."

Pipi sat and stood repeatedly on the huge bump that had sprouted on the crown of the fallen Lin's head, humiliating him!

"Ma-master isn't an idiot! Stop it!"

"Kkyuwoo-it!"

As Tureyna and Sval stopped the act of humiliation, Preeda quickly explained to Shuan the vision Kyess had seen and the current situation.

"A way to quickly move to the western coastal area…"

"Yes, there must be a way, right? Like lifting up a ruin like that time and moving it at super high speed."

"Even if you say something like that…"

"If you compare it to the Bible again, I'll kill you."

"Without even needing to compare it to the Bible, that ruin was shattered when it crashed into <Vanessis>… don't you remember?"

"No, you idiot, a similar method! Not the exact same thing. You would know the locations of all the ruins of the <Ones Who Came> scattered all over the world, wouldn't you?"

"Are you telling me to destroy all of my ancestors' legacies? That's too much, Lady Preeda! What kind of person do you take me for to say such harsh things! Please apologize!"

Pa-ak…!

Shuan, with a bump even bigger than Lin's sprouting on his crown, sniffled and said.

"Of course there is, but… it's not on the path leading from here to the western coast."

"Argh! You useless fellow! We spent three whole days coming all this way, and it was all in vain."

"But there is another way."

Pa-ak…!

A second bump sprouts on top of the bump! Master of bump-stacking!

"You said there wasn't one. Do you want to die?"

"Sniff… I only said there were no ruins. As you may have seen coming here, this unit currently has three wyverns left behind by the Red Dragon Legion for my escort."

"!"

"Let's use one of them. If Lady Preeda and Sir Lin protect the Red Dragon with a barrier, you'll be able to reach the western coast in an instant."

Preeda patted Shuan's shoulders vigorously and said.

"Great! You're quite good after all! In about 10 years, you'll have a similar level of experience as your ancestors! All right, then, see you next time!"

Preeda's very presence was like a storm, so after she left, a silence settled in, seeming both ordinary and yet more profoundly felt than usual.

"Haha, I meant I was going with you…"

Lin stealthily approached Shuan and subtly asked.

"Shuan, there's no such thing as a wraith in this world, right? I'm right, aren't I? Right, right?"

What is the intention behind that question?

Shuan hesitated for a moment but soon gave an answer close to a conventional truth.

"Wraiths, huh… it depends on their origin, but evil spirits originating from the abyss definitely exist."

"Th-they exist?!"

"Of course, there are no evil spirits in the form told in folk tales… like evil spirits that reach out from the toilet. Beings like Zernix can be called evil spirits of the abyss."

Lin didn't hear Shuan's last words.

The boy's pupils, with his head clasped in both hands, trembled uncontrollably, and his mind was filled with confusion.

'It-it's real?'

No, it's not!

That can't be!

Shuan, this guy, is ultimately just a liberal arts bum, so he believes in that kind of thing…

"I, I will refute it…!"

So I'll prove it.

That there are no such things as wraiths in this world!

'Preeda and Shuan are liberal arts geeks, and Leesta and Kyess are even worse, arts and physical education… This battle is my own battle. It's only natural for a science person pursuing reason to be solitary.'

Shuan, who had silently watched the scene of Lin's inner struggle, clenching his fists and turning fear into anger, was genuinely impressed.

'A will more unyielding than steel towards the fated enemy…!'

The image of Black Sun Kalenden making thorough preparations to defeat Yotos comes to mind.

'He's similar. So similar! Indeed, Lord Kalenden, who is more composed and cautious than anyone among the <Ones Who Came>, would have chosen him as a vessel!'