“It was pure coincidence.”
Regarda opened the conversation with the word coincidence.
The one in charge of explaining in his stead, since he knew little about magic, was Freyja.
“We found it in the oldest temple of the red dragons.”
There was a reason Hio, who could see mana thanks to his trait, Genius of Mana Sensitivity, had failed to detect any strange flow from the top floor of the Magic Tower.
“It was designed for dragons from the very beginning.”
Because it was a passage that could only be discovered when seen through a dragon’s eyes, and thus made so that only dragons could use it.
Freyja, who had almost no memories as a dragon, had discovered it while roaming the temple in her true body.
An exceedingly trivial gap.
To put it in metaphorical terms, a scratch from a fingernail on a vast pane of glass.
And even that pane of glass was something only dragons could see; it was as if she had found a single nail mark on that barely visible glass.
That was why Regarda had called it a coincidence.
“It was a coincidence, but once I noticed something was strange, after that, everything connected and I could see it all.”
That was what magic was like by nature.
The first awakening was difficult, but after that, things linked together in succession and opened endlessly.
The pleasure of discovery, something only those who had learned magic could feel.
However, not every problem had been solved.
“The problem is that it was designed to suit dragons. My calculations say the pressure received while using the passage would be difficult for an ordinary human to withstand.”
“Then what’s the method?”
“We have to alter the passage to suit the level of humans. Of course, it’s impossible for me alone, but I think it’ll be possible if Uncle Hio helps.”
“Then I’ll need to see this passage first.”
The details could be discussed sufficiently on the way.
Having quickly reached a conclusion through the brief conversation, Hio swept his gaze around them.
Airaitz had already attached herself right beside Hio, and Vitalianus, too, had wiped the smile from his face and nodded briefly.
“Then I will return at once and report to His Majesty.”
“It’ll be an expedition on an unprecedented scale. Prepare it well.”
“Talks have already been concluded to receive support not only from the Empire, but also priests and holy knights from Hiberunia, logistical support from Achaia, and troops from various other nations. Do not worry.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
With that as the last word, they parted ways, without anyone needing to say who should go first, each heading off to do what had to be done.
* * *
The mystical place called the Dragon Temple.
The reason it had not been discovered by humans for thousands of years was simple.
It was located in an atrociously rugged land.
A vast mountain range that cut across the continent, a harsh region also known as the kingdom of monsters, and the place that sent an immense number of monster waves into eastern Verden every year.
Thus it had become one of the continent’s three forbidden lands, a place that even the Supreme Heavenly Demon within Ventair had been unable to reach the very center of.
The Grandina Mountain Range.
Its very heart was where the Dragon Temple was located.
It was a place so vast, rugged, and densely packed with monsters that it seemed impossible to ever reach, but flying there while riding on Freyja’s back after she manifested her true body made it impossible for the journey to be any easier.
At her tremendous speed and the presence she exuded, the monsters did not even dare to look up at the sky.
Well, by now, Hio could have gone there easily on his own, but there had been no meaning in it, so he had never bothered to try. To think the Dragon Temple had been situated here.
When he looked down, he could see mountain peaks jutting up sharply through the clouds.
Beneath them, the movements of countless living beings registered.
The active movements of monsters packed densely together.
After meeting only aberration-like things in the Abyss or at the Abyss Gates, seeing the continent’s monsters after so long made them feel endlessly mild.
『We’re here.』
How long had they flown like that?
At Freyja’s transmitted words, he looked down again, and a massive structure came into view, astonishingly enough for the center of a high mountain range.
『That is the temple of the red dragons.』
A texture similar to marble, and a faint red glow lingering around it.
Befitting a place where dragons resided, it was so enormous that a human would have to crane their neck back endlessly to look up at it.
That was the Dragon Temple.
『How is it? It’s incredibly cool, right?』
Freyja’s voice was thick with pride she could not conceal.
Of course, it was an impressive temple.
The red temple built atop the mountain range piercing through the clouds was, all by itself, enough to make Freyja feel pride as a member of the dragon race.
However, it was also true that it looked somewhat small compared to the temple in Veltesia’s sacred space.
“……It’s amazing.”
『Right? When I first saw it, my mouth was hanging open too. Hehehe.』
Still, he was not so lacking in social grace that he would speak his true thoughts in front of Freyja, so with an appropriate compliment, they landed before the temple.
“So the passage is here……”
『Let’s go inside. I’ll guide you.』
Following Freyja’s guidance, they entered the temple of the red dragons.
* * *
While Hio’s group headed to the Dragon Temple, Vitalianus immediately made his way to the imperial palace and reported the discovery of the passage.
Because of that single piece of information, the movements of the Empire changed drastically once again.
They accelerated the stabilization work that had reached its final stages, recalled the knight orders dispatched abroad, and at the same time sent official documents to every nearby nation.
They had found a way to end the terrible war against the Abyss.
The contents ordered them to begin offering support for that purpose.
The movements within the imperial palace were equally hectic.
Even the empress, who had seized perfect control of the Empire, was no exception, and she moved while steeling her resolve.
As if to show her determined will, she tied up her long silver hair.
When Sylvia, dressed in a uniform more concise than ornate, entered the conference room, the meeting began.
What they had to agonize over was the size of the expeditionary force.
“If we simply increase the number of personnel without thought, we may recreate the previous disaster.”
The place they had to go for the final war was the Abyss.
The only person who had experienced what kind of horrific hell it was was Hio Pavlenko.
Therefore, those gathered here had no choice but to rely on Hio’s words and their own feelings to speculate.
“Do we really need troops? Wouldn’t it be better for those people to resolve it among themselves, as with the current raiding party?”
“What irresponsible words are those! Bear in mind that the fate of the continent hangs on this matter before you speak!”
“No, is that not so? What was the reason we nearly lost Guardian Knight Hio Pavlenko? Was it not because the expeditionary force, instead, held him back? I am concerned about that……”
“This time is different in nature from a one-off raid. I am saying we must never think of it on the same line. This is a proper war. A war.”
“……Understood.”
Opinions split over the scale of the troops.
The absurd opinion that they should resolve it with only the current small expeditionary party was immediately dismissed, and everyone agreed on dispatching troops, but they could not help having many thoughts regarding the scale.
“If it becomes possible to enter and exit this passage, we will need forces to secure a retreat route, construct a base, and defend it.”
“According to the Guardian Knight, there is day and night there, and when night falls, aberrations swarm in without end. It will be difficult to handle with an ordinary number of people.”
“Even so, can we really take ordinary soldiers with us? It will be hard for them to maintain their sanity under that distinctive mental depression.”
“The Saintess of Hiberunia…… no, whether the new Apostle joins us will be important.”
The Apostle of Patience, Irina, reborn from saintess into apostle after Rifye’s disappearance was made known to the world.
While Hio had been holed up in the Magic Tower, Irina’s activities had been so vast and remarkable that words could not possibly express them all.
Not only did nobility and sanctity seep from her every action, but she had personally stepped forward against the Abyssal energy that had covered the entire continent and purified most regions herself.
And what of the holy effects she had displayed when purifying?
It was a splendor imbued with some power that made tears stream down of their own accord in those who witnessed it.
It was thanks to Irina that the disappearance of Rifye, which had seemed absolutely impossible to accept, and the birth of a new god were gradually being accepted among the people of the continent.
If such an Irina joined the expeditionary force headed for the Abyss, it was obvious that she would be an enormous help, not only to the army’s morale.
“Apostle Irina will join. Make your plans on that premise.”
And Sylvia was certain Irina would join.
If Hio was going, there was no way Irina, who was called his apostle, would not go.
The nobles, who had not the slightest doubt in Sylvia’s certainty, brightened and rejoiced.
“In that case, the plan will become even more refined.”
“It will be easier to organize the troops as well.”
What kind of environment the Abyss was, they could only guess from hearing about it. No one knew.
Even Hio Pavlenko, the person concerned, had said he could not be certain that place was truly the entirety of the Abyss.
Therefore, from the standpoint of an expeditionary force that had to prepare for every situation, the joining of Irina, who boasted immense divine power, brought with it countless possibilities.
“It would be best to divide the formation broadly into two. One formation to construct a base near the passage and secure a retreat route, and the main expeditionary force led by the Guardian Knight……”
The meeting did not end until a yellow full moon hung over the top of the imperial castle.
* * *
Regarda, as always, remained silently by Freyja’s side.
No matter how long Regarda had lived, there were clearly things he could not understand and did not know.
“Hmm…… So this is what a dragon’s sight is.”
This very moment was one such situation.
『I knew you’d understand right away, Uncle Hio!』
As she said that, Freyja glanced at Regarda.
Regarda naturally slid his gaze away.
“A world seen through mana. How mysterious.”
『Right? I explained this to Lord Regarda so many times, and yet……』
It could not be helped.
She had already given Regarda the same explanation she had given Hio several times, but there was no way Regarda, who could not see mana, could understand it.
From his position, Hio, who understood after a single explanation and immediately began to see the world with a dragon’s eyes, was the stranger being.
“A small distortion inherent within mana. They hid the passage inside it.”
『That’s right! No wonder I couldn’t find it even after searching for months with determination!』
“And yet you’re saying it was discovered by the previous lord of the Abyss……”
Since he could not understand what they were saying even if he listened, Regarda turned his gaze elsewhere entirely and began thinking about something else.
Leaving Regarda as he was, Hio and Freyja’s conversation continued.
Hio possessed the Genius of Mana Sensitivity trait, but even so, there was no way he could understand the words of a dragon, a species fundamentally different from his own.
Nevertheless, the reason he immediately understood Freyja’s words and found the passage was because he had gained an understanding of mana through Drisella’s authority.
Even when it was not activated, he already had memories of seeing and understanding mana.
Thanks to that, he was able to communicate with Freyja.
『What do you think, Uncle Hio? Do you think we can alter it?』
And judging based on that experience.
“I think it’s possible.”
It was complicated, but it did not seem impossible.
The problem was time.
They had to alter the passage as quickly as possible and enter the Abyss personally as soon as they could.
So.
“I’ll bring a helper.”
Theoretically, he would have to bring Furnel, a mage no less capable than Hio himself, here.