So much so that it could not even be produced. But it was said that dimensional transfer required an amount of mana incomparable even to spatial transfer.
For that reason, even great mages who prided themselves on having overcome the limits of magic would first shake their heads at the mention of dimensional transfer.
And yet such dimensional transfer had been successfully accomplished by none other than Acrofont….
“According to his theory, dimensional transfer can sufficiently overcome space. In other words,
it means one can designate a destination, go there, and then return here. However,
there is one most essential prerequisite. That is a sufficient source of mana.
According to Acrofont’s writings, returning here from another dimension consumes
at least ten times more mana than the total amount required to go there.
Therefore, our Intelligence Department suspects that the reason he could not return was likely
a lack of mana.”
“But among the countless dimensions that exist, to select only the place where Emperor Croshen lived
and travel there—wouldn’t the possibility be far too slim?”
Sergei smiled faintly, as if to say there was no need to worry.
“Acrofont had already completed his research on that as well. According to his writings,
as long as one has a medium that existed in that dimension, one can travel there as much as one wishes.
In other words, if we can obtain an item that belonged to Emperor Croshen, it is a matter
with sufficient possibility. We have already resolved that issue in secret.”
After finishing his words, Sergei clapped his hands. Then a knight stepped forward and set down
the box he was holding. When the lid of the box was opened, the gazes of the rulers all at once
focused inside it.
The contents of the box were ordinary. A thin fragment of a sword broken in half. And a very
strangely shaped, tattered robe. A filthy rag that one might guess had originally been a cloth shoe.
Roughly five such items lay neatly arranged inside the box. They were shabby objects that did not
match the splendid box at all.
“These are the belongings of Emperor Croshen. They are items he brought from
the dimension where he lived. Our Intelligence Department went through considerable hardship
to obtain them. But obtaining these does not mean the problem is over.”
After ordering the knight to close the lid of the box, Sergei turned around.
“For this dimensional transfer to succeed, we need multiple high-ranking mages of at least above the 6th Circle,
as well as Dragon Hearts. After all, the only thing capable of supplying
the mana required for dimensional transfer is a Dragon Heart.”
At those words, the rulers’ faces hardened one by one.
Dragon Heart. Literally the heart of a dragon, it was a substance that possessed an immeasurable amount of mana.
Outwardly, it took the form of a jewel radiating brilliant five-colored light, and its value was so high
that it could hardly be calculated. It was an excellent reagent without equal for magic training,
but even in and of itself, it held value surpassing diamonds.
Thus, no matter how powerful a kingdom’s national strength might be, its ruler could scarcely possess more than one.
As for the rulers of small and medium kingdoms with weaker national power, they could not even dare to lay eyes on one….
For that reason, the existence of Dragon Hearts possessed by each kingdom was kept utterly secret.
However, all the rulers knew well that the king of one country among them possessed
at least two or more Dragon Hearts.
“Th-then are you telling me to hand over every Dragon Heart I have?”
As all the rulers’ gazes converged on him, the king in question stammered as he opened his mouth.
He was none other than the king of the wealthy commercial nation of Tranbel. A man fanatically fond of jewels,
it was said that the jewels he had collected were enough to purchase an entire country.
The enormous taxes collected from wealthy Tranbel were more than sufficient to support such a hobby of his.
There was no way such a man would not covet Dragon Hearts. On occasion, very occasionally,
when rumors spread that a young dragon had been hunted, he poured out gold without stint
to purchase the Dragon Heart.
As a result, the king of Tranbel had managed to get several Dragon Hearts into his hands.
It would have been better if it had ended there, but the king of Tranbel was an unusually ostentatious man.
His habit of boasting to the rulers of other kingdoms whenever he had the chance about the Dragon Hearts he possessed
was now returning as the source of his trouble.
“B-but.”
He tried to avoid handing over the Dragon Hearts by making all manner of excuses. At that,
Rosengart IV’s eyes suddenly turned cold.
“If we cannot overcome the present crisis, Tranbel’s wealth will not exist either. If all human nations
are destroyed, do you think Dragon Hearts will still be considered treasures? Therefore, I too intend to hand over
the Dragon Hearts I possess without hesitation. If we think of the fate of mankind,
we must offer treasures even greater than that.”
The rulers of each kingdom remained silent, like mutes who had eaten honey. Dragon Hearts were one problem,
but securing mages of the 6th Circle or higher was by no means easy either.
A 6th Circle mage was a person of such ability that in most kingdoms, he could readily occupy
the position of court mage. Therefore, for the rulers, it must have been exceedingly painful
to hand them over obediently.
But because the reality they faced was so urgent, the king of Tranbel ultimately had no choice but to hand over
his Dragon Hearts, like swallowing tears and eating mustard.
Thus, the plan to invite a person from another dimension and overcome the crisis was set into motion.
Shrekheimer likewise raised no particular objection to it. However, he set forth one condition instead.
“I will participate as one of the envoys.”
The rulers accepted that proposal without a second word. The holy magic possessed by Shrekheimer,
if compared to magic, was at least at a level far surpassing the 6th Circle. Since they were in a position
where even a single mage was precious, the decision was made quickly.
Afterward, Sergei stepped forward to explain the final problem.
“The problem with Acrofont-style dimensional transfer is precisely that time is not reflected. In other words,
spatially, we can accurately find that place, but the selection of time must rely solely
on coincidence. If we are lucky, we can go to the very era in which Emperor Croshen existed.
In order to invite the strongest person of the age in which he lived, that is. However, we must also assume
that this may not be the case. In other words, to make all preparations, we must send envoys composed of
at least five or more parties.”
The belongings of Emperor Croshen they possessed numbered five in total. Therefore, it was decided that mages
selected from each kingdom would form five parties, and that each party would take one Dragon Heart
and move to the unknown other dimension.
“Then each ruler should hasten to select and send mages. Since the dimensional transfer magic must be taught to them,
the sooner, the better. Also, I will personally send the Royal Guards to Tranbel and Esther.
So entrust the Dragon Hearts you possess to them and send them along.”
“U-understood.”
After finishing his words, Rosengart IV cast a glance at Shrekheimer.
“To the High Pontiff, I will specially attach Benitez, the court mage of our Icarot. Therefore,
I ask that you carry out the mission without the slightest error.”
“Understood.”
The gathering of the rulers thus came to an end. The rulers hurriedly rose from their seats
to prepare the mages and treasures assigned to each of them.
Having explained the entire process, Shrekheimer looked at Dokgo Seong with lonely eyes.
“This is the process by which we came to go to a place called the Central Plains.”
“So that was how matters unfolded.”
After speaking, Dokgo Seong let out a long sigh. Only then did he finally understand all the circumstances.
Their attempt was not blameworthy in the least.
To go to another dimension and ask the strongest human there for help, that was.
However, in the crucial matter of choosing their target, they had made an enormous mistake.
Even if Dokgo Seong wanted to help, he had no such power. He was now nothing more than a middle-aged old man
without any strength. As if trying to erase his sorrowful thoughts, Dokgo Seong threw out a single remark
as though spitting it out.
“But why did you decide to bring me?”
“That is…”
Shrekheimer began to explain in detail what had happened after they arrived in the Central Plains
through dimensional transfer.
“The dimensional transfer truly occurred in an instant. The moment a mysterious light wrapped around our entire bodies,
we had been moved elsewhere in the blink of an eye. Taking spatial transfer into consideration,
all of us had prepared Aviation—flight magic—thoroughly, but there was no need for it at all.
Unlike spatial transfer, dimensional transfer precisely exchanged the space above the magic circle itself
with that of another dimension. We were somewhat startled by the climate changing in an instant,
but everyone in the envoy was safe.”
Shrekheimer looked at Dokgo Seong and continued.
“As soon as we arrived, we searched extensively for the distribution of mana in this place.
It was to find a powerful expert. As a result, we were unexpectedly able to discover a place where many masters
had gathered. Far too easily, in fact. At the time, we did not doubt that it was Lord Verhazel’s grace.
Rejoicing, we headed there without delay.”
Those whom Shrekheimer had discovered at the time were none other than the pursuit party of the Sahwang Cult.
It was the moment when Sa Junhwan had mobilized experts on a large scale from the main headquarters
to track Dokgo Seong’s escape route in order to capture him after he fled.
After hearing from Shrekheimer about the nearby terrain and the warriors’ attire, Dokgo Seong realized
that they were none other than the cult’s pursuit party.
“At the time, we were greatly surprised. We had never seen so many masters before.”
“Then you people can detect the presence of experts even from afar?”
“That is correct. The magic we cast was Seek Mana Force.
Because it detects the absolute amount of mana stored within a master’s body,
finding them was not difficult.”
However, he said, matters did not proceed smoothly. Upon discovering them, Shrekheimer first had five mages
attempt to speak with them. When the mages dispelled their concealment magic and approached,
it was only natural that the opposing warriors became extremely wary.
The mages first cast translation magic for communication. But that became their decisive mistake….
“When the mages cast their magic, the expressions of the opposing warriors suddenly turned fierce.
They did not wait for the incantations to end and attacked first. Astonishingly, they threw things like daggers
or throwing stars from a distance and killed two of the mages instantly.”
Dokgo Seong thought to himself.
‘They must have thrown hidden weapons. Well, for the cult’s warriors, waiting for an opponent’s incantation to finish
would be a fatal mistake, so it makes sense.’
“One startled mage unfolded a shield, but the power of the throwing stars they cast was truly terrifying.
The throwing stars they threw leisurely pierced through the shield and inflicted a fatal wound on the mage.
The remaining two mages immediately cast concealment magic, so fortunately they were unharmed.
Even when they approached the mage who had collapsed while injured, we had not abandoned the hope
that we might be able to attempt dialogue. But that was fundamentally our mistake.”
There was something like regret in Shrekheimer’s voice.
“They appeared to ask the mage something, but at the time, he probably could not answer.
There was the fact that casting translation magic takes time, but he was also gravely wounded.
When words did not get through, they…”
At that point, Shrekheimer hesitated for a moment.
“They brutally cut off the mage’s head. Without the slightest hesitation.”
“They likely did. That bastard is more than capable of doing such a thing.”
Shrekheimer’s eyes widened.
“Pardon? Then are you saying you know those men?”
“I do. They were originally my subordinates…. But that damned bastard Sa Junhwan raised a rebellion,
stole my position, and not content with that, staged that relentless pursuit to kill me.”
Only then did Shrekheimer understand why Dokgo Seong had been chased so desperately.
But there were still points he could not comprehend….
“Th-then your subordinates rebelled? To steal your position?”
“That is so. Despicably, the bastard had already won over a considerable number of my subordinates.
Because I had never anticipated it, I could only be miserably defeated.”
“Oh, God.”
Shrekheimer was left speechless. At the very least, he was a person of Truvenia, where the spirit of chivalry prevailed.
Therefore, he could not possibly understand the idea of raising a rebellion and usurping one’s lord’s position.
Until now, even though the rulers of each country had repeatedly misgoverned, he had never dared to think of resisting.
In this place, loyalty to one’s lord was the greatest virtue.
“How could such a thing… It is utterly unbelievable.”
“I suppose it would be. In the world where I lived, strength is law….”
“Th-then does this sort of thing happen often?”
“It does. More times than can be counted….”
Shrekheimer remained silent for a while. In some ways, his own choice may have been wrong.
The very existence of people with such a way of thinking was a tremendous danger, after all….
But when he thought of the circumstances of the Truvenia continent, which stood on the brink,
Shrekheimer could do nothing else.