3. Lorval>
“The barrier installation is complete for now.”
“That was fast.”
“Everything was already prepared while you were away, Mr. Sian. It was simply a matter of inserting the core.”
The moment the core was inserted, it began to breathe life into the tree, which had withered from being eroded by black energy. And at a tremendous rate at that. Whatever energy overflowed from that tiny core spread in an instant, and the energy that seized the tree sucked in the commoners’ Akra, resources from within the roots, and the energy in the atmosphere at a tremendous speed, rapidly restoring the tree. At the same time, the Kiculus that had come from the House of Duke Lorval took over feeding the energy into the barrier.
A bizarre vibration spread out from the tree, and then a massive resonance occurred centered upon it. It was not the grotesque vibration from when the infected Duke of Kaltenheim had tried to absorb energy, but a pleasant resonance. At the same time, Sian could feel the barrier’s energy, something he had been unable to sense before.
Twenty-one Kiculus resonated with one another, creating something that covered the sky.
“Hah… It’s a sight to behold. Tremendous.”
“My five years of effort are finally bearing fruit. Thinking of all the traveling I did for the Kiculus makes me want to cry.”
Sian stared at Conrad, who was putting on a show of sniffling, with a dumbfounded expression. Though the act suited his appearance quite well, it was a natural reaction for Sian, who knew that an old man several hundred years old was lurking inside that body.
While Sian was making such a face, another reaction occurred below. The Swarms that had been surrounding the tree as if guarding it began to scatter in all directions. Leaving behind only the minimum defensive forces, the Swarms scattered south, east, and west, dashing off in every direction. The sight of them running as strange silver waves unfurled and spread apart was downright bizarre.
“Where are those Swarms going?”
“They are going to clean up the interior.”
He had asked Conrad, but the answer came from Kiculus.
“Cleaning up the interior?”
“Now that we’ve blocked the Gerna from entering, there are still infected ones remaining inside the barrier, aren’t there? We have to clean them up as well.”
“Aha… I see.”
“Once they’re done, they will head north. We need to carry out a wholesale subjugation…….”
Feeling something odd about those words, Sian asked again.
“Hmm? Can they be wiped out that easily?”
“The frightening thing about the Gerna is when they’ve entered a host. And a powerful one at that. But the north doesn’t have such powerful races. There are those of the Rotan class, but… the Swarm should manage.”
“Then why until now…….”
“It was because we lacked the spare capacity to deploy the Swarm.”
And Kiculus explained to him about the fierce defensive battle taking place on the peninsula.
“Ah… Now that I think about it, I was told the Swarm and Murakan were also the Duke’s creations, so I had said there was no reason to block them… so that was the reason.”
“Exactly. That place is so fiercely contested that those below Duke rank are of no help. We stimulate them from the inside to raise them into Dukes, and once they become Dukes, they come to the House of Lorval to recruit them. Under the pretext of an ascension ceremony.”
“So that was what the ascension ceremony was for. But surely not everyone joins the House of Duke Lorval?”
As they were Dukes, their pride should have been considerable, but from what he had heard, it seemed they were all under the House of Duke Lorval.
At that, Kiculus shook his head.
“Only their rank is below Lord Lorval. In reality, they are rarely ordered to do anything. Except for one thing—the defense of the peninsula.”
“Hoo…….”
“They have an environment where they can fight to their heart’s content, comrades of similar caliber… and most importantly, there is a benefit. Most are hooked here. I wanted to live comfortably too, but I got reeled in here… Hmph…….”
Curious about the identity of the benefit after Kiculus let out a strange groan, Sian stared at him intently. It was probably that thing he had mentioned before that was good for the body and tasted good as well.
“Curious?”
“Yes.”
“Then join us. I’ll tell you. Heh heh.”
“Uh… No thanks.”
Having no intention of rotting away his youth working as a security guard in such a place, Sian decided to set aside his curiosity. It seemed to be a secret of the Lorval clan, and he had no desire to find out by going that far.
“Really? Everyone has accepted until now… Someone of your caliber would be tremendous help. What a shame.”
Seeing him give up so cleanly reminded Sian of Ragaope’s recruitment offer from before.
“Then has everyone accepted that offer until now?”
At Sian’s next question, Kiculus shook his head.
“There is exactly one person who refused.”
“Hmm……? Who is that?”
“Isn’t he right over there?”
Kiculus pointed at Conrad, who was finishing up by tweaking the completed barrier here and there.
“Hmm? Do you mean Mr. Conrad?”
“Yes. That friend is a, what, free… lancer? He brought some strange word from somewhere and used it…… He said he’d rather help freely than be tied to one place. He said he’d manage the inside of the wall and raise the human race. Since that wasn’t bad either, it was accepted.”
“So it’s not forced recruitment. I thought it was semi-forced since I heard everyone joined.”
“Oh my, this friend. Do you think we’re some thuggish gang? Everyone joins of their own free will.”
While Sian and Kiculus were bickering, Conrad finished installing the barrier and approached.
“What are you discussing so amusingly?”
“Nothing. Haha, is the barrier installation finished now?”
“There is nothing more for me to adjust. The remnants will be handled by the Swarm, and the barrier will grow and stabilize.”
“Ooh… then…….”
Sian’s expression filled with anticipation.
And Conrad smiled slightly, meeting that expectation.
“That’s right. Once the barrier stabilizes, I believe we can somehow send you and Mr. Steel to that continent. Later, when the barrier is lifted and the Kiculus have surplus energy, you’ll be able to travel back and forth much more smoothly then.”
If they wiped out the Gerna in the north, there would be no need to maintain the barrier any longer. Until now, they hadn’t had the spare capacity to withdraw the Swarm or Murakan, but the Murakans, innovatively strengthened thanks to Ragaope’s research this time, had given them the leeway to turn their attention to the Gerna.
“Ah, are you not installing a Lasharoa?”
Conrad smiled and said at Sian’s words.
“Now that Apental is gone too… Lasharoa is a spell formation for transporting large-scale supplies. There is no need to install such a large-scale formation just to send the two of you. It is possible, but to create that much spare energy, you would have to wait until the north is cleared and the barrier is lifted.”
“Ah… Now that I think about it, there is no need for that.”
Even if he were to come back here, he could simply use spatial movement; there was no need to go so far as installing a Lasharoa. If it became necessary later, the House of Duke Lorval would install one then.
“Then where shall we stay now, little brother?”
“Hmm…….”
“Ah, if you two aren’t occupied, how about coming to Kiculus Lorval?”
“Hmm?”
“We will be conducting the spatial movement from there. It is the largest and most stable Kiculus, you see. It also has the most spare energy remaining. Since you have to use a Kiculus to conduct spatial movement anyway, Lorval will likely be the most advantageous. Even accounting for the distance.”
“H-hmm… Let’s do that, little brother. I’m curious too.”
Steel persuaded Sian. But even without Steel’s persuasion, Sian had been thinking the same thing. He was curious about the House of Duke Lorval himself, and if they could conduct spatial movement fastest there, there was no need to go out of their way to stay somewhere else.
“Let’s do that, then.”
“Mr. Kiculus, will you be coming with us?”
Conrad asked, and Kiculus shook his head.
“I must control those Swarms over there. And if any are acting up, I need to get them all under control. I’ll make a long loop around before going. Go on ahead.”
“Understood. Mr. Sian, Mr. Steel, this way.”
Leaping lightly into the air, Conrad began to dash straight eastward, and Sian and Steel looked at each other before following after him.
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“So they’re coming.”
“Hoo… Have you received word?”
“Indeed. It won’t take many days.”
Duke Lorval had been testing the performance of the modified Murakan with Ragaope before him when he received Conrad’s message and informed Ragaope of the fact.
“I look forward to it. A new existence who has crossed the wall three times… To think there is a being that even those Murakans over there cannot handle…….”
The performance of the upgraded Murakan this time was beyond expectations. They had actually crossed the wall and reached Beta 1st stage. In common terms, existences that had crossed the wall once.
Originally, Murakans were beings that could not cross the wall. The achievement of turning those originally of the Narija class into the Rotan class through research was beyond expectations, but from Duke Lorval’s standpoint, he was slightly dissatisfied. Because no matter how great their numbers, if a two-stage gap formed, they truly became difficult to oppose. The great warriors mixed in among the attacking giantkin, or the princess of those strange merfolk, possessed such might that it was no joke. A difference of one wall could be suppressed with numbers, but against Beta 2nd stage beings, no matter how many Murakans that had not crossed the wall charged, there was a limit to how many could attack at once, so they were all sliced to pieces. Unless they numbered in the tens of millions like Apental, there was no way to gather such an army when it was already hard enough maintaining the numbers of Murakans that continuously died.
That was why they had to steadily gather Dukes in this manner. The occasional Beta 2nd stage being was handled by the wall-crossing Dukes pooling their strength while the Murakans coordinated their attacks. Since the Dukes were Beta 1st stage, they could defeat them.
But now that was unnecessary. The blood Ragaope brought this time had forcibly raised a Murakan that had been blocked by the wall by one level. It had taken several years of research, and they had succeeded in making only a single individual reach Beta 1st stage, but that was enough. As had been done in the past, the surrounding Murakans all rushed in and devoured the newly created one, succeeding in growing stronger by one level.
“Perfect. To think you’ve raised them to the limit of our control. Could they possibly grow even stronger?”
It was good that they had grown stronger, but it would be a problem if they grew stronger still. Power that could not be controlled was no different from a calamity.
Duke Lorval asked with a slightly worried expression.
At those words, Ragaope smiled and spoke.
“Unless they die and revive again, it is impossible. These fellows have reached their limit here. Please do not worry.”
“Hoo… Good. Then I’ll leave the finishing touches to you. I must prepare to greet the friends who are arriving.”
Duke Lorval shook his head and left, and though Ragaope was curious how Mr. Sian had changed after so long, realizing the urgency of the matter before his eyes, he focused on the Murakan research. Because it had been created not long ago, careful observation was necessary.
☆ ☆ ☆
“I can see it over there.”
“Hoo…….”
It had been several days since they started running following Conrad’s guidance. Seeing Lorval, the incomparably massive tree visible in the distance, Sian and Steel exclaimed in admiration. By now they should have been used to it, but the sight of the tree growing ever larger was truly spectacular.
“Is that the largest tree?”
“Hehe. Yes. You should have no more surprises now.”
“Truly tremendous… I heard that commoners do not even reside in that domain.”
The Kiculus of Lorval was so notoriously dangerous that commoners did not reside there. Which meant they couldn’t secure Akra, but its size was even greater than Bladek of Count Kaltenheim’s domain.
“Well… All combat personnel of the House of Duke Lorval are those who have crossed the wall… so having grown by feeding on their energy, it is only natural that it’s larger than a Count’s domain, in a way.”
“Are there unusual races buried beneath it as well?”
Sian made a curious expression. Beneath Bladek, the black snake Bladek had been buried. And it had become the nutrients for growing the massive Kiculus. Sian figured something like that must exist given its size, so he asked out of curiosity.
“Well… I haven’t seen it myself, but they say the number of Betas that die there in a year alone is considerable. They’re probably feeding all of them to it as nutrients. Ah… though since most of them end up as Murakan feed, perhaps not.”
“Ho……”
Hearing that, Sian realized just how fierce a battlefield this place was. Every last one of the things that invaded were beings who had crossed the wall—Betas.
“They’ve come out to meet us. To think Mr. Lorval came in person……”
Far off beneath the tree stood a man of sturdy build. The distance was considerable, but for the three of them it was a distance they could cover in moments if they ran, and soon the four were facing one another.
“Con
-rad, it’s been a long time.”
“And you as well, Mr. Lorval. Seeing that the Swarm has come as support… it seems Ragaofe’s research has progressed well.”
“Well is an understatement. It has gone beyond that. You’ve worked hard this time as well. To think you repaired the barrier so perfectly.”
Watching Lorval and Con
-rad exchange words, Sian wore a strange expression. It was not because of the awkward way the two spoke. Though they were allies, from what he had heard, Lorval had been alive since three thousand years ago; in that case, even Con
-rad would have to treat him with considerable deference.
There was another reason Sian was looking at Lorval with that odd expression.
Seeing Sian’s face, Lorval greeted him warmly.
“Good to meet you. I am called Lorval.”
“I’m Sian.”
Sian looked inside Lorval’s body with a curious expression. It was not because he was overwhelmingly strong or anything of the sort. The person before him had clearly crossed the wall by about one stage. He might be somewhat stronger than ordinary dukes, but the difference should not be tremendous. Even so, the reason Sian was examining Duke Lorval’s insides so intently was because the blood flowing within him was different.
He was human, and yet the blood seemed somehow not human. That blood was mixed throughout his entire body, circulating within him. It was not because he was a Beta. From within Duke Lorval’s body, Sian sensed the presence of something far more alien, and of a higher existence.
And receiving that gaze, Lorval’s eyes gleamed as he opened his mouth.
“Huh… It seems you can see something?”
“I can see something… but I don’t quite know what it is. I apologize if I was being rude.”
“Haha! Not at all, not at all. As expected, you are remarkable. To a being who has crossed three walls, everything is visible. Well, it is no secret, so I shall tell you later. For now, there must be plenty of other things to discuss.”
With a hearty laugh, Lorval guided the two of them inward.
“Mr. Con
-rad, aren’t you coming?”
“Hmm… I have much to say myself, so I’ll meet separately with Mr. Lorval this evening. I need to make preparations to help Mr. Sian return. It should take about… a week or two. Not because of the spatial transfer preparations themselves, but because the barrier has yet to stabilize.”
“Take your time.”
He had wandered within Apental for a hundred years. And five years had passed here as well. There was no reason he could not endure a mere two weeks more, so Sian nodded.
Lorval and Steel talked about this and that as they walked. In the midst of it, they saw a fierce battle taking place far in the distance.
Growing curious, Sian sharpened his eyesight and let out a strange sound as he looked at the two groups fighting in a tangled melee.
“Mm… What are those?”
“Ah… you mean the ones fighting over there?”
“Yes. One side must be the Murakan……”
He had only heard that they were grotesque; he had not heard what they looked like in detail. Thus Sian could not quite tell which of the creatures fighting far away were the Murakan. Both sides looked indescribably bizarre.
“The ones with no consistency to their overall appearance are the Murakan. And… the ones with fin-like things on their backs are the fishmen.”
“Fishmen? Do you mean mermaids?”
Hearing of a being that appeared only in fairy tales, Sian looked bewildered. They were somewhat different from what he had imagined. The mermaids he knew were demi-humans with beautiful upper bodies and fish tails, but those creatures looked nothing like that. Their bodies were covered in steel-like muscle, and their teeth curved inward so that anything they bit into could not escape. On top of that, their eight long, slit-like eyes stared in every direction as they avoided the Murakans’ attacks.
“I do not know what a mermaid is… but fishmen is a name I gave them. They are descendants of Liona. They are tremendously strong. It is only because they are outside the water that they can be dealt with… In the water, they are truly terrifying……”
Lorval shuddered as he recalled the past.
Originally, Lorval had intended to establish a defensive base on the continent beyond the peninsula. Because the peninsula split into two branches, it was difficult to concentrate their forces, and the defensive range was broad enough that some of the creatures would occasionally slip through. Every time that happened, chaos ensued.
But after seeing those things, he cleanly gave up on crossing over. Those mad creatures would let other monsters pass through just fine, but the moment Lorval’s side approached the water, they would attack like lunatics. The greater problem was that they were far stronger in the water than outside it. No matter that they had the Murakan and the Swarm, he could not bring himself to attempt crossing the water.
Fortunately, once those creatures came outside, they weakened, so they could be stopped. But when ones around the rank of princess appeared, everyone had to gather to stop them while being prepared for one side to be breached. Now, however, despite the absence of the Swarm, they were holding them off with remarkable ease.
As Lorval gazed at that scene with satisfaction, Sian was thinking of something else. ‘Liona, huh…….’ When the name he had once heard in Necra’s memories came up, Sian’s eyes took on a strange gleam. It seemed that Liona was probably a creature that lived in the sea.
The battle was already drawing to a close. The creatures called Murakan were relentlessly pushing the fishmen back. And as soon as they won, they began tearing into the corpses at a furious speed. On the backs of the Murakan that devoured them, small scales and fins began to sprout.
“Huh… So they eat everything like that. I thought they would put some under the tree……”
He had thought at least a few would be given to the tree as nutrients, but the Murakan were devouring the remaining creatures without hesitation.
“Lorval has already completed its growth, so it no longer needs nutrients. This way.”
The three, who had been watching the battle with interest, followed Duke Lorval’s guidance deeper into the nest.
“Hehe. Is there nothing you are curious about? You will be leaving before long.”
Lorval did not seem to have any intention of holding Sian back. He merely showed interest at having met someone strong.
“Ah… hm……”
There were many things he was curious about, but when asked so suddenly, Sian could not organize his thoughts and stumbled over his words.
After gathering his thoughts, Sian decided to ask about the building he had seen most recently. After all, that building was the most alien thing in this place. And so were the strange creatures that had been inside it.
“That… the building where I retrieved the core. What exactly is that building?”
“Ah… do you mean the research institute? The one on the western coast?”
“Ah… so that was a research institute. What were they researching? Was it research on that core?”
At a glance, it had certainly looked as though some kind of research had been conducted there. But Sian had not known its purpose, so he asked based on his guess.
“I do not know either.”
“Huh?”
“I have been there once, but I have never gone inside. Especially not as far as the place where the core is.”
“Huh… Did you not go in and take it out?”
Sian looked bewildered. The inside had been extremely dangerous. It was only because it was him that he had retrieved it as casually as taking something out of a pouch; an ordinary person would have been shredded in an instant. That was why Sian had thought there was no one other than Duke Lorval who could have taken the object out. In fact, it was known that the Kiculus Tree had been jointly developed by Duke Lorval and Marquis Kiculus. But from what he was hearing, that did not seem to be the case.
“Hmm… I received it as well. From the people who came out of there carrying the core.”
“Huh… There were people that strong? No… I had assumed that place was built by you, Mr. Lorval……”
Sian asked, his curiosity piqued. If someone had carried that thing out from inside, they had to have crossed at least two walls. In that case, there was a considerable chance they were still alive even now.
But Lorval shook his head.
“I did not build it. And they did not need to be strong. When you enter your own home, it is not as though you must be strong enough to break through the guards, is it? The person who handed me that core was someone who lived in that research institute.”
“Huh… I see. Still, to think they were merely guards… those things… Is this core really an object worthy of that?”
Thinking about it, to go between the underground laboratory and the research institute aboveground, one would have to break through all those monsters, which meant proper research should have been impossible. There must have been some means of making them attack only intruders and not the researchers inside. But to Sian, the core that had remained in the research institute did not seem important enough to warrant wrapping it in layers of Betas as guards.
“That is not it either. Of course it is an extremely important object, but not to that extent. From what I heard, the things inside were both guards and experimental subjects.”
“…
Experiments? What kind of experiments were they conducting?”
He could not even begin to imagine what objective they had that allowed them to capture Betas like that and use them for experiments. No, to begin with, they had taken them alive rather than killed them. And in such numbers, at that.
“Hmm… I believe there is someone who can answer that in more detail than I can.”
“Mm? Who?”
“Who else? A researcher who was there. Let’s see… wait a moment.”
Duke Lorval then contacted someone, and before long the door opened and a single figure appeared.
“Uh……?”
“Haha. Mr. Sian, it has been a long time. I did not think we would meet again like this. Though I did expect we would meet someday.”
The person who entered through the door with a smile was someone Sian knew well.
“Mr. Ragaofe… you were a researcher there?”
“Well… I was a lifelong contract worker. Hehe.”
Ragaofe sat down with a laugh, and with the appearance of this unexpected person, Sian’s curiosity only grew.