◈ Episode 229. The Maw of Ruin (1)
Marcelo set down his quill and let out a breath.
“This is truly not easy, sir.”
Theoretical magic.
A concept that could organize every existing spell into theory. Yet the 『Reversal Magic』 founded by Hoyeol alone did not easily fit within the framework of theory.
“I have been at it nonstop since yesterday.”
Marcelo had temporarily set aside his duties as chief.
No matter how fascinated he was by organizing Reversal Magic,
turning his back on the chief’s duties was unthinkable for Marcelo.
Which meant there was a proper reason.
“It is good to see you awake after all.”
Yes, because the Tower Master had returned to the Magic Tower.
Marcelo had entrusted his absence to the Tower Master.
Someone might ask if that was not insubordination.
But the Tower Master himself had pushed his work aside
and was slacking off.
“I never taught you this, little chief.”
The Tower Master, his cat body stretched out limply,
licked his fur with his tongue.
His appearance was the very picture of laziness.
“More importantly, I am an injured party. The internal injuries I suffered on the day I ran berserk have still not healed. Ugh, even now, every joint aches. Refrain from animal abuse, chief boy.”
Contrary to the words he spoke,
the swaying of his tail could not be hidden.
The Tower Master, lying down and moving only his tail, truly did not seem to have any intention of working. ‘I suppose it cannot be helped.’ In the end, Marcelo used his last resort.
“According to Sir Hoyeol.”
“……?”
“They say there is such a saying in the adventurers’ world. He who does not work, neither shall he eat.”
Quoting Hoyeol’s words directly.
Stiff!
The Tower Master’s tail instantly went rigid, and he spoke.
“What? Are you saying you will starve me?”
“Of course not. How could I possibly starve you, Tower Master? However, now that sir has instructed me in the manifestation of anomalies, I, too, have become proficient in the use of anomalies.”
“T-that is……!”
What Marcelo took out was none other than a smartphone. In the 『Magic Tower』, using a product of [science]
was precisely an anomaly.
Infected by Hoyeol’s sophistry, Marcelo continued.
“Did you know? With just a single flick of a finger, I can summon goods to the front of the office. It means I can summon the items I desire without consuming mana.”
“……
Is that true?”
The Tower Master’s eyes went round.
It was because it was a method of use he had never seen even while being with Jesse.
Well, it was certainly fascinating, but.
“What does that have to do with skipping meals?”
Point—
The moment the Tower Master pricked up his ears,
Marcelo moved his finger.
“Popular cat treats.”
“……
Treats?”
“Have you perhaps heard of Chureup?”
Slide—
The higher the transformation magic, the more completely one took on the nature of the transformed target.
Following his instincts,
the Tower Master had no choice but to twitch his nose at the scent wafting over.
“What is that?”
That was right.
What Marcelo took out from the drawer was a long stick.
An anomaly, a bonito-flavored Chureup ordered by rocket delivery.
Dash!
Drawn by instinct, the Tower Master pounced at Marcelo, but it was no use.
With the curse of his limited lifespan lifted,
there was no way Marcelo, who had regained his vigorous stamina, would have a Chureup stolen from him by a mere cat.
“He said, he who does not work, neither shall he eat.”
“If you give it to me first, I will work.”
“Tower Master, you are still one who has not worked.”
“……
Nyaa.”
Instinct could not be overcome.
Press—press—press—
In the end, the Tower Master had no choice but to stamp his cat paw on the parchment.
Marcelo once again took up his quill and continued organizing Reversal Magic. ‘As you can see, there is no need to worry about the Magic Tower, sir.’ So very brief.
A week of rest.
I sincerely hope you find what you desire....
Yusra.
The Golden Palace.
Hakuna, the king of Yusra, wiped away beads of sweat.
Though he had taken up the sword late, he felt as if he had some talent himself.
The number of exchanges he could trade increased by one each day.
Hakuna smiled faintly. ‘If I continue to devote myself, I should be able to do my part.’ I, too, must be of help to my benefactor.
As Hakuna made that resolve during his rest,
he was startled by Harkon’s words, who had been assisting with his training.
“His Benefactor has vacated his post at the Magic Tower as well?”
“That is correct.”
“I was certain he would be busy with the Magic Tower’s duties…….”
It was only natural.
Hoyeol had also conveyed his intention to rest to the Yusra Kingdom—to him.
Of course, the duration was extremely short, only a week.
But the fact that there had been no precedent for it carried great significance.
As Harkon tended to his sword, he thought. ‘As expected, there must be something, sir.’ Hoyeol’s furious aura that he had felt at the Demon King’s Castle.
It had been unfamiliar even to Harkon.
That was why he could vaguely guess. ‘Something connected to Sir and Claudi.’ Harkon found his current situation of having fallen into this place regrettable.
If this had been the Arcana Continent,
he would have run to the imperial capital, Antonium, and obtained from His Majesty permission to enter the War Archives.
The 『War Archives』.
A sanctuary of knowledge that had supported the Empire.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the history of the Arcana Continent itself lay asleep there.
Naturally, from what the meaning of Claudi was, to any answer to the questions Hoyeol held regarding Claudi, he could have learned it all.
As he swallowed a sigh, Hakuna continued.
“It truly is painful, being unable to help.”
“I think the same.”
“We must become stronger.”
Hakuna clenched his fist.
Only now had he overcome the past and begun to hold the sword properly.
He knew it was impossible for him to face demons right away, but……. ‘If only I could have joined the expedition.’ Then I, too, would have been able to know what had happened to my benefactor.
But he had to spare even the time spent in regret.
Hakuna gripped his sword.
“Harkon, I ask that you continue my training.”
“You are brimming with motivation.”
“I cannot keep relying on others forever, can I?”
“My, those are the words I should be saying.”
Clang—
Swords that held the same resolve collided.
*
As if the Magic Tower were not enough, I had submitted a leave of absence to the Yusra Kingdom as well.
Was there a reason I suddenly wrote a leave request out of nowhere?
What else? Something more important than work came up.
That was right.
Because Skal had sought me out.
Saying that his Dragon Knight class quest was shining!
Now that I knew dragons and Claudi were related,
Skal’s quest was no longer someone else’s business.
Of course, scribbling a rejection on Bensch’s application to leave the tower and looking over the faces of the Yusra Kingdom were important as well. But this was no different from an emergency. ‘By the way…….’ The cluster of portal light receded.
When I saw Skal’s mansion revealed before me, I nearly fainted.
From our first meeting, I had thought he used excessively noble speech…….
But contrary to what one might expect, didn’t he have extremely refined tastes? ‘Putting aside the fact that it’s huge, isn’t it way too antique?’ Why were there so many statues starting from the yard?
And they were not ordinary statues either.
That much was clear from the fact that no barbed remark burst from Granfell’s mouth.
“Excellent.”
A compliment came out instead?
The meaning of those words was simple.
It meant that each and every statue was a masterpiece that would go down in human history.
Did he spend all the money he earned as rank one on things like this?
I was lost in vulgar thoughts for only a moment before I heard a sound.
Clop, clop—
I wondered what horse hooves were doing here, and it was Skal.
“It is something I should have come to you for, and yet I am deeply sorry, Sir Hoyeol!”
That, that way of speaking, more extreme than a historical drama.
As expected, hearing a player call me “sir” was not something I could easily get used to.
However, was there any chance this iron mask would show an emotional change?
I answered calmly.
“Do not concern yourself. It was not an unpleasant sight.”
After bluntly appraising the statues for a moment,
Skal immediately dismounted from his horse and guided me in.
The inside of the mansion was even more grand.
More than anything, with portraits hanging everywhere,
it was no different from a true noble’s mansion. ‘Naturally, I should feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable…….’ This damned formality really is something.
The fact that I felt not only comfortable in such a grand mansion,
but even familiar with it, made me think all sorts of thoughts. Truly.
In any case, my idle thoughts ended there.
As I said, even after submitting a week-long leave of absence,
and even going so far as to visit Skal’s mansion,
there was another reason I had come running.
“Sir Hoyeol, you said you would not believe it, and I am sorry.”
“There is no need to apologize for that.”
“Your understanding overwhelms me. Then I shall tell you the matter at hand.” ……
If anything,
that way of speaking was so overwhelming it felt as if I might collapse.
With an utterly serious face, Skal continued.
“The Convocation of All Dragons, said to have been led by the Old Dragon, has ended.”
Time on the Arcana Continent flowed about four times faster than reality.
No matter how much had been discussed,
I had thought that by now, things would have roughly concluded.
However…….
“That is…… first, I will share the quest objective!”
I flinched when I saw the updated quest objective.
Dragons.
Just what did those people gather together and do…….
[Class Quest: Convocation of All Dragons (全龍召集)]
The Old Dragon cried out.
That the “Great Family” had returned to the Arcana Continent.
All dragons wish to ascertain the truth of the matter.
—Witness the dragons gathering on the continent. (Failed)
—Encounter the dying Old Dragon, Yunaxus. (In Progress)
‘It’s suddenly saying Yunaxus is dying……?’ I could guarantee at least this one thing, if nothing else.
Yunaxus had not been hostile toward Hiel.
Far from getting angry at Hiel, who had climbed onto the bridge of his nose,
he had even sent telepathy to me as I watched.
—“There is no need to worry. Everything is Mother’s will. Even if I die, there is no reason to grieve. O Dawn.”
They say no younger brother surpasses his elder.
Yunaxus, are you saying you will keep the words you spoke too?
If not,
did something unexpected happen at the Convocation of All Dragons?
There was no way for me to know.
But what was certain was,
“You refused to bend your will in the end.”
I, too, was the type to not merely keep the words I spoke,
but to carry them out no matter what.
When I heard the telepathy Yunaxus sent,
I had murmured as such.
—“The will of the World Tree, you say. Your misunderstanding is excessive.”
—“There is no parent who wishes for the death of their child.”
—“It seems we need to talk, Yunaxus.”
In other words, what I had to do was already decided.
I looked at Skal.
Skal was fidgeting anxiously, his leg trembling.
“This is bad. The number of dragons I can ride will decrease by one…….” ……
The direction of his concern seemed wrong, but it did not matter.
I declared to Skal.
Starting from the [Evil Dragon Hunter] quest,
it somehow seemed like I kept stealing quests, but still.
“Skal, I must ask for your understanding.”
“Sir asking for my understanding—what do you mean……?”
“I have a conversation I must have with Yunaxus.”
“Yunaxus……. Is that perhaps the name of the Old Dragon?”
“That is correct.”
“!”
You’re surprised?
It seemed he had not expected me to know the name of the Old Dragon specified in the quest. In truth, I had only learned it while peeking at the continent through the [Evil Eye’s Telescope]…….
But Granfell was not one to bother correcting overestimations.
“As expected, you were far ahead of me.”
Even when Skal spoke in an extremely gloomy voice, I could only listen.
But before I could say anything to comfort him, Skal opened his mouth.
“To tell the truth, I was prepared.” ……
Your eyes are brimming with tears. Are you sure you were prepared?
“As expected, it must be a matter related to pride. If so, I can yield as much as needed. Of course, if I become unable to live up to the name of Dragon Knight, I will be terribly sad, but…….”
I wondered what he was so worried about.
So he had been worried he might not be able to ride a dragon?
What a straightforward way of thinking, Skal.
“In truth, I know that it is far too early for me to face a dragon. Even if I forced myself to follow Sir Hoyeol, I would only be a hindrance. After all, the reason my class quest suddenly progressed was thanks to Sir Hoyeol.”
Skal nodded as if he had made up his mind.
“Please, I hope you encounter Yunaxus in my stead, lacking as I am. If it is Sir Hoyeol and no one else, I can trust you and entrust a dragon to……. you.”
I could feel the anguish in the drawn-out end of his sentence.
Even so, thank you for understanding, Skal.
Because I was grateful, I could at least answer a question.
“However, were Yunaxus and the other dragons not on the Arcana Continent? With the knowledge I have, there is no method to access the Arcana Continent…….”
Because I was grateful, I wanted to give him a refreshing answer.
But the truth was, I was not entirely sure yet either.
However, the one who always brought to fruition the words he spoke,
our Lord Granfell, had declared it, had he not?
That he would return to the Arcana Continent.
“There is nothing for you to worry about.”
Someone is full of worry, but his mouth sure speaks well. ‘For me, going is a problem, and not going is a problem too.’ If I go, the Claudi Family weighs on me.
If I do not go, Yunaxus weighs on me.
In the end, I would have no choice but to act according to the results. ‘If I find a way, then I’ll go.’ A way to enter the Arcana Continent.
Searching for that method was also one of the reasons I had submitted my leave of absence.
From now on, I had to find a means and method with all my strength.
Should I start by purifying the spoils of the Demon King dropped by Andras? ‘Who knows if there might be another effect like [Man. Tong. Ji]?’ To purify a demon’s item,
a demon was required.
It seemed I would have to focus on my main job as a demon hunter for the first time in a while.
“My, in my haste, I overlooked etiquette. How about even some black tea……?”
“I refuse.”
“Gasp.”
Do not misunderstand, Skal.
It was not because of any special feeling.
It was simply because I disliked black tea. ‘If it were green tea, I would have gladly accepted and drunk it.’ It was the moment I rose from my seat, leaving Skal behind.
Bzzzz—
Suddenly, I felt a vibration.
A message from Park Minjae, the AAU’s South Korea branch manager.
Depending on how one looked at it, it was a text from a coworker.
Now that I thought about it, I had not submitted a leave of absence to AAU. ‘There are far too many things I’ve become younger about.’ Was Granfell not stricter about rules than anyone?
No matter how busy I was,
I would have to carry out the role of head of the Yusra Branch as well.
After checking the text, I stopped dead in place. ……
Seriously, there was no such thing as a greater maw of ruin.
As Granfell spake,
when he said he would return to the Arcana Continent—
—Raymon Sean has sent a message to Chief Lee Hoyeol……! ……
Raymon Sean, who had gone missing, had returned.