Book 6 Chapter 8

Episode 132

The West Gate of the <Snow Spirit Fortress> also had a Clear Waterfall Water Gate installed, but as the lintel of the water gate took in the sacred waterfall, the tunnel was wide open.

It was a path from this vast achromatic world to a world of vivid colors.

At the threshold of that path, Kiran Wolf Blado, the young man with dark reddish hair who was leading the procession of beastmen, hugged us tightly.

"You're safe… I was so worried."

There would be no need to explain how warmly those words resonated in my heart.

Kiran didn't ask what had happened beyond the Wall. Perhaps he considered our fatigue rather than asking that. Or perhaps he had heard the story from the warriors who arrived earlier.

Instead, he looked at Akilea sleeping on my head, gave a sad smile as if he understood everything, then surprised me by even bowing in a noble fashion.

"I greet the avatar of Lord Alakish."

Next, I spoke with Griffion, the leader of the warriors. With one wing severed, he could no longer fly.

"I heard you opened the Wall's gate. I don't know how to repay this debt."

"Please don't say such things. Compared to what you all have done for this world, it's merely a small repayment."

Kiran extended his hand to Griffion.

"You have suffered greatly fulfilling your mission for fourteen hundred years. Now we will inherit your will."

Griffion, who had been looking at Kiran's demeanor with surprise, finally took his hand.

At the same time, the wolves under Kiran's command shook hands with Griffion's warriors. It was truly a historic sight, no, it should have been a normal sight, but everything had been twisted.

What exactly was that 5-star possessed spirit that made me break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it…? I had to return to Imperial territory as soon as possible to investigate the full scope of this matter.

"If it were up to me, I'd let you stay here, tend to the wounded, and let you rest from the fatigue of the forced march, but…"

Kiran let out a bitter sigh, as if he felt ashamed.

Instead, Kiran brought out large quantities of expeditionary supplies such as winter gear, smoked ham, and oats from the West Gate's supply depot and loaded them onto wagons.

The Wall always had large amounts of food stockpiled, anticipating large-scale expeditions and sieges, and perhaps as a result of that preparation, there were enough supplies to fully fill thirty four-wheeled wagons.

"Kiran, is this really okay?"

"From the moment I opened the Wall's gate, I became a traitor who violated the Wall's military rules. Who would say anything if I violated them a little more?"

"But… just come with us!"

"No. Desertion is an enormous felony, so I'd be immediately beheaded without any protection from my family."

As if telling her not to worry too much, Kiran patted Casena's shoulder and then approached me.

I was sitting on the roadside, catching my breath.

Because of the wound in my side, pierced by Shar'kas, blood would gush out and I would become breathless even after walking a little.

"Listen carefully, Rain. From now on, you must lead the beastmen through Trident Point."

To briefly explain the geography of Trident Point, three capes existed side by side, literally like a trident, and were called First Finger, Second Finger, and Third Finger from left to right.

In Third Finger, close to the western part of the Empire, a port called the Far West Branch (極西支部) was established, and this is the base of adventurers exploring this cursed land.

To transport the beastmen to Imperial territory, they had to rent a ship here.

"Even if it's not as bad as Harvadonia, that place is also a considerably harsh land. I wanted to help somehow, so I searched through various books and tried to make a map, but…"

Kiran held out a scroll.

It was a scroll sealed with a sturdy leather strap, and it had approximate geographical information of Trident Point marked on it.

Touched once again by Kiran's sincerity, accepting it directly wouldn't be bad, but let's make sure to clarify so he doesn't worry unnecessarily.

"Thank you very much, but I'm fine."

"Hmm?"

"Frisvia gave us a guide. They should be coming from behind."

Frisvia… Kiran, repeating that name, let out a chuckle as if truly surprised and resigned, and patted my shoulder.

"For that notoriously fastidious person to help you, you truly have good fortune with people. It must mean you're a good person."

"Me? No, I…"

"You're perfect, even in your lack of arrogance. Well then, Rain, let's meet again later. I can buy you about two days."

Although it's unlikely that the White Wolf Brigade, which has already suffered devastating damage, would pursue the beastmen, no one knows what they might do, burning with hatred.

I was also worried about Kiran's fate, but given the current situation, it was best to quickly disperse and fend for ourselves.

As I took Kiran's hand and stood up, Kiran gripped my shoulder tightly and smiled gently.

"May the blessings of the gods be upon your path."

"You too, Kiran. Let's definitely meet again later."

While fifty or so wolves, led by Kiran, saluted, the large procession of beastmen left the West Gate.

The journey was not over yet.

They had to cross Trident Point, a land where ancient labyrinths lay open. A lawless land teeming with countless first-class adventurers.

* * *

Madellia Page stared blankly into space, then soon turned her head towards the window.

From the arched windows that filled all eight sides, warm sunlight and humid summer breeze flowed in.

In the relentlessly flowing time, without a moment to grieve, <Delighten> held its opening ceremony, and Madellia also returned to her duties after Marhena's persuasion.

"……"

She had returned, yes, she had returned, but because of her daughter's laughter echoing in her ears from time to time, she couldn't do anything.

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Thus, although she came to the university president's office, she mostly spent her days staring blankly into space like this.

"Like the Ludwig family, just hold the child's funeral. You can't let her go from your heart, so aren't you just destroying yourself?"

Marhena advised her so, but she absolutely could not follow those words…

To kill my daughter?

To acknowledge that my daughter is dead?

Fortunately, this aligned with her husband Uren's wishes, so Casena was still recorded as missing. Although Rain, whose funeral had been held, was officially recognized as deceased.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency!"

Just then, Kenny, her secretary, rushed in holding a letter. Madellia glared at him with an irritated gaze.

"That's enough. No matter how urgent the task, I would have told you to handle it."

"This, this you must see!"

"I said that's enough."

"Your Excellency, this is about Lady Casena! It states that the Lady is alive!"

Madellia's movement, about to wave her hand dismissively, and the thoughts in her head, instantly froze.

What?

What did he just say?

It took an enormous amount of time for her to process the signals transmitted to her brain via her auditory organs. In the meantime, Kenny approached and respectfully presented the letter.

"Kiran Wolf Blado sent it. It says the Lady has passed through the Wall."

Kiran? He's at the Arctic Wall right now, so how could he have sent a letter about Casena?

Kiran was the second son of the Blado Margravial family, an excellent young mage who enlisted in the White Wolf Brigade in the year he came of age.

But the place Casena disappeared was the Blade Peninsula, in the southeastern part of the Empire… Even as she thought this, Madellia continued to read the letter.

To Her Excellency Madellia Page.

Your Excellency, have you been well? Kiran Wolf Blado greets you after 10 years.

Forgive my rudeness in having to get straight to the point. I am sending this letter urgently before I am imprisoned in Backbone.

First, it may be hard for you to believe, but I will convey a most joyous truth.

Casena Page is alive. Although her face was swollen, perhaps from crying a lot, she passed through the West Gate today in the healthiest possible state.

The problem is that she is with two hundred thousand beastmen. And I opened that gate for them.

An unprecedented disturbance is expected in the West… and if it's not Your Excellency, who holds a position comparable to that of an Elector and is the leader of the Mage Alliance, there is no one who can mediate this situation…

In her blurry and wildly shaking vision, the rest of the content didn't register in her mind.

Alive?

Casena, that child, is alive?

How she got there, why she passed through the Wall, why she was with the beastmen—none of that mattered. Only this was important.

"Casena is alive…"

When she came to her senses, she had unconsciously risen from her seat. After steadying her breath for a moment, she immediately kicked open the door and rushed out.

"I'm going to the West right now."

That there was a mountain of work to be done immediately, or that Her Excellency had an academic schedule to follow after the opening of the school year, Kenny did not say such things.

He merely bowed his head in obeisance.

Because he knew what was most important to Madellia and the Page family right now.

"I will summon all the Mage Guards."

"Hmm, I'll take all the Guardian Knights too. I'll go with only elite forces. I'll give you one hour. We'll buy provisions in the cities we pass through, so quickly prepare only the soldiers and funds."

"I will finish within 30 minutes, Your Excellency."

* * *

Adventurers chase unknown fears.

What ordinary people would be reluctant to even approach, forgotten ancient labyrinths or the ruined fortresses of old kings, were merely their living grounds.

For these peculiar individuals who enjoyed the eerie thrill that only adventure could provide, Trident Point had been regarded as a sacred place.

I could instantly understand the reason even before setting foot there.

"It's a swamp everywhere…"

The ground was squelchily wet.

It was a sensation I had continuously felt since passing through the West Gate of the <Snow Spirit Fortress> two days ago and entering Trident Point.

Even if it wasn't as cold as Harvadonia, it was still a sufficiently cold land… yet the fact that the ground wasn't frozen at all was strangely ominous.

"There's no need to exaggerate. This is the surface (地表), and the vegetation and terrain are rather mild."

The boy in mechanical armor, Eldvih, retorted gruffly to my muttered remark.

He was a gold-grade adventurer provided by Frisvia as a guide, skillfully navigating through eerie swamps and silent jungles.

Given that his appearance was that of a demi-human whose growth stopped in adolescence, the possibility of him being in his twenties or thirties could not be ruled out.

"Then, are there worse places?"

"Trident Point is a land of labyrinths. There's a labyrinth entrance every short distance. There's one right there too."

The entrances to the labyrinths were either hidden by gloomily overgrown bushes or concealed behind strange rock formations.

However, if you kept staring at them, there was something ominous enough to send chills down your spine. The feeling as if an indescribable entity was staring intently…

Casena, who was next to me, clenched her fists tightly, revealing her excitement for this land of adventure.

"Don't you know? They say all the labyrinths in Trident Point are connected underground."

"Really?"

"Yes, so they divide the layers according to depth (深度)! First Deep Level, Second Deep Level, Third Deep Level… They say the Fourth Deep Level is the furthest adventurers have explored so far! And this here is the surface level!"

As she chattered with an expression flushed red with excitement, the smile suddenly vanished from her face, leaving her eyes filled with gloom.

"Aw, awwwooo!"

This was because Akilea, clinging to my head, vigorously waved her arms as if responding to Casena's excited voice, and presumably, the sadness of losing Alakish had overwhelmed her.

"How many levels has Frisvia explored?"

"Three levels. He could have gone deeper, but he did not like this place."

"Why?"

"Because there's too much to be careful about."

Too much to be careful about…? No matter what, could it be worse than Harvadonia, where beastman warriors, the dead, and ancient beings appear whenever they please?

Perhaps displeased by my tilt of the head, Eldvih gave me the answer with a huffy sigh.

"Humans, I mean you humans."

At first, I tilted my head, thinking he was joking, but there was no hint of playfulness in the voice emanating from within his optical helmet.

"Let me make one thing clear. You were able to persuade the beastmen and wolves because they were a group bound by a single mission or code. But adventurers? No."

"……!"

"Those ruffians live as they please. One day they might kill or steal from someone, and another day they might protect someone. It's all up to their own will. Those are exactly the kind of people you need to meet now."

Perhaps because she harbored illusions about the adventurer profession, Casena blinked her eyes as if confused by the reality of adventurers that Eldvih meticulously pointed out.

"Persuading one person won't be the end of it. If you can't give them what they want… it would be best to be prepared."