Chapter 204. Return (1)
Verden lightly flicked his fingers.
The sparks that leapt out gradually burned Brick's right hand. The loosened air, the crackling sound quietly lingered around his ears.
"Brother, is that man called Leonil not coming anymore?"
"Yeah."
Verden nodded.
"Since I changed the spatial coordinates, there won't be any chance of encountering him here."
His voice spread outward.
The one most shocked by this, was none other than Brick.
"Changed…?"
Once spatial coordinate transmission is activated, it cannot be stopped, nor can it be modified.
That certainty had clear grounds. Court mages who had deeply studied magic circles had firmly affirmed so.
But then what was this?
Brick shouted.
"Don't lie! To change spatial coordinates in the middle of activation, that's absolutely impossible!"
"Then why is Leonil not coming?"
For a moment, his words were cut off.
"…He must have pulled some other trick! That magic circle possesses exact functions. And yet you're saying you arbitrarily changed that framework? Something even Lord Leonil himself couldn't do, do you think it possible for a snot-nosed brat like you to manage such a thing!"
Brick's upper limit was always measured by Leonil.
As the kingdom's strongest, the might he displayed was nothing short of overwhelming. More so even than transcendents he had only ever heard of, never seen.
At least, to Brick, it was so.
'It makes no sense…!'
That the mage before his eyes had achieved something Leonil could not.
Even if it were just a fragment of it… there was no way he could sincerely acknowledge it.
Verden replied, with an emotionless gaze.
"Then keep believing that."
The claws of earth reflected in his eyes.
A sudden strike.
Brick instantly detonated a fireball beneath his own body.
Thanks to that, he avoided a direct hit, but his thigh was deeply slashed. And then came the impact of the explosion.
Hot blood flowed down.
Along with it, pain awakened his mind.
'…I, I'll die.'
An ancient fear long forgotten came surging.
Shivers wrapped his whole body, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
He did not know why spatial teleportation wasn't occurring. He did not understand it.
Even so, the fact remained that Lord Leonil was not here. It was as if he had become a prisoner awaiting execution.
'No, there's no way I die here!'
Not reason, but the domain of instinct.
Grinding his teeth, Brick gathered his magic power.
A burst of flaming light exploded from his body.
A spell that burned the surroundings, stealing the enemy's vision for a brief moment. Karans nearby was swept into the magic.
Immediately, Brick chained another spell.
Dark crimson blood dripped from his eyes and nose. Ignoring the burden on his body, he excessively heightened his calculation speed.
Fwoooosh!
His one remaining arm.
Above it, a massive fireball began to form.
Fifth-tier advanced, focused magic
In such a confined space, it was threatening.
The caster, Brick, might also die, but that only meant he could inflict even greater damage on his enemies.
'With this magic, I'll escape this place.'
Brick was convinced of his own survival.
But he overlooked two things.
First, the long casting time of focused magic.
His opponents were Verden and Edmon.
There was no way they would quietly wait for the spell to be completed.
And second, Guardian Elves are strong.
Craaaack!
A dreadful sound echoed, and the magic vanished.
"Ah…?"
Brick looked down.
Something was protruding out of his body. Grasping at his blurring vision, he saw an arm covered in tree roots, piercing through his chest.
"…! …!!"
Blood gushed from the back of his throat.
Perhaps because his lungs and heart had been fatally struck, he could not even scream, nor breathe. His legs collapsed without strength.
Somehow, he turned only his gaze to the side.
The Elf, who had fulfilled his revenge, smiled with glowing eyes.
'A, a mere experiment subject…!'
Brick's thought never reached its end.
A storm like lightning surged, vertically piercing through Brick.
His consciousness faded away.
Magic power leaked from his mana circuits. Soon, his bodily functions completely ceased, and his body sank into a pool of blood.
Court Mage, 4th Seat, Brick Medwor, dead.
In his eyes that lost their light, nothing was reflected.
***
'Crazy….'
Linus blinked blankly.
The court mages who had imprisoned him for so long had been brutally slaughtered. All of them mages of fifth-tier or higher. In adventurer terms, strongmen who surpassed the standard of mithril-rank.
'I'm sure I heard he was from a marquisate.'
The old mage called Edmon.
He seemed to know the court mages by face. Though it didn't look like they were on good terms… which meant, in other words, that he held a high position in the Kingdom of Estiria.
'Then why on earth did he come to save me?'
Could it be… to use him for another experiment?
If not, was he actually hostile to the royal family? A noble of the kingdom? And why an Elf was helping them, he could not understand at all.
Even turning it over in his mind, it was the same.
Linus was not particularly adept at such things.
'Anyway, it's a relief I survived.'
In the end, he stopped thinking deeply.
"Hoho, everyone worked hard. I'm truly glad no one was gravely injured. Are you alright?"
"Ah, I'm fine. Luckily, I wasn't subjected to physical torture."
"Mm, it certainly seems that way."
Linus was safe.
All the court mages in the laboratory were dead, and Leonil was not coming.
So there was no further danger.
At least, not at this very moment.
"..."
Edmon tapped his lower back and looked around.
The traces of magic lingered thickly.
In truth, the battle hadn't lasted long, but the opponents were fifth-tier mages. By the world's standard, they counted as strongmen.
'If I had faced them alone, it wouldn't have ended this easily.'
Of course, the outcome wouldn't have changed, but the laboratory would have collapsed midway. The fight would have dragged on, and he wouldn't have been able to prevent the spatial coordinates from transmitting.
Edmon glanced to the side.
Verden stood there without a single wound.
'This is the first time I've seen his true skill… and it's beyond imagination.'
Talent, effort, and even experience.
He was exceptional overall, to the point where it was meaningless to pinpoint any single aspect. Enough to understand why Calia held such unwavering faith in his strength.
Mysterious.
Edmon inwardly made that assessment.
"By the way, how on earth did you do it? Seeing how confidently Brick revealed the magic circle, he must have had considerable conviction."
The process of breaking the framework of a magic circle and altering its structure. To explain it in words would take a very long time.
It was something worthy enough to be written as a thesis in the magic tower. In the current situation, such an answer was unnecessary.
So, in summary.
"The level of the magic circle was low."
"Even though it was a magic circle related to space, and one used by a court mage?"
Verden pointed at what had been Brick.
No matter what anyone said, the result proved him.
Edmon laughed heartily, stroking his beard.
"Hahaha! Put that way, I really can't think of any rebuttal. Well, since this whole situation is something you brought about yourself… there's no need to waste breath explaining."
He was curious. He wanted to know.
But Edmon lightly suppressed that curiosity.
Now that they had taken a breath, there was no more reason to remain here.
It was time to return to Acrien.
Once they received the support of the marquisate there, and crossed over into the kingdom, their objective would be achieved.
At that moment, Karans cautiously raised his hand.
"Brother, I have one question."
"What is it?"
"You said you changed the spatial coordinates… then where did Leonil go?"
"Oh, now that I think about it, that's true."
Karans and Edmon pricked up their ears.
Linus was the same. Even Blue gave a sparkle of light, showing interest. Everyone except the spirit of the forest focused their gaze on Verden.
'Where did he go, huh.'
He had not sent him to long-range coordinates.
The farther the distance, the longer it took to set the coordinates. At best, sending him somewhere within the Kingdom of Estiria was the best option.
However,
'It'll be quite disconcerting for him.'
Verden faintly smiled.
***
Spatial teleportation.
The unique violet waves rippled.
On the once empty ground, a magic circle was etched.
And in the expansive shimmering light of magic power, a figure appeared.
Leonil Bertanas.
He, who had blocked his vision, walked forward.
Step, step.
A radiant staff tapped against the ground.
After a while, Leonil, having adapted to the change in space, slowly opened his eyes. His dry gaze swept his surroundings.
A silence wrapped around his senses.
Leonil tilted his head.
"…?"
He had clearly moved to the coordinates sent by Brick.
Naturally, the overseas laboratory should have appeared. And in front of it, the court mages in charge of disposal should have been lined up.
'Where on earth is this?'
A space without a trace of light.
Darkness alone loomed before his eyes.
And an acrid stench, enough to twist his face in disgust.
'Never once has this happened before.'
Something was wrong.
At once, he shut off his sense of smell.
Then, casting
Leonil's eyebrow twitched.
"…Abnormal species?"
There were even demi-humans visible.
No, it wasn't even worth separating demi-humans from abnormal species.
Giant insects clung to the walls in clusters.
At the center, a grotesque spider dripped acidic saliva.
On the ground were traces as though a Stone Eater had passed. Beyond that, a cave Ogre, catching the scent of humans, stomped heavily as it approached.
This was one of the kingdom's two great forbidden zones, the Cave without Light.
Among the coordinates Verden knew, it was the only place capable of vexing Leonil.
No matter that he was a sixth-tier Magus, if suddenly attacked inside a pitch-black cave, even he could not help but be unsettled.
Of course, Verden had subjugated it several times.
But their numbers had already replenished.
An abnormal reproductive capacity.
That was why this place was called forbidden.
[Kiiiiiaaaaaaaah!]
Hundreds of monsters.
Their eyes all gleamed with the light of the hunt, as they rushed at Leonil.
***
Linus's rescue was a success.
With the court mages disposed of, and even their traces completely erased, there was no risk of their identities being exposed. The only thing the enemy knew was Linus's appearance.
Verden used the Face of Deception to conceal Linus's face.
He also wrapped a robe around him to hide his missing right arm. Unless someone deliberately examined him, there was no fear of them discovering he was one-armed.
"Haha, good work."
Edmon handed money to the guard.
And just like that, they entered Acrien without incident. Smelling the city again after so long, Linus felt his nose sting.
"Huff, who knew the scent of people could be this fragrant."
"It only reeks."
"Hoho, let me savor the sentiment for a bit."
Exchanging small talk, they entered an inn.
It was the same place Verden's group had stayed before. They first ordered food, and rented the same top floor as before.
A room with a sense of coziness.
Luxurious dishes were laid out on the table.
Linus and Karans's eyes sparkled.
"To think it's been so long since I've seen food like this…! W, we'll eat well!"
"Hoho, don't eat too fast, or you'll get indigestion."
Linus frantically moved his hands.
Perhaps from deep hunger, his speed was no joke. Feeling a sense of crisis, Karans took a few dishes and quietly slipped over toward Verden.
'Quite a chaotic dinner.'
Just then, a presence was felt at the door.
Tok… tok tok. Tok.
An irregular knocking sound.
Edmon, setting down his utensils, spoke.
"Come in."
He did not check who it was.
That meant, it was someone from the marquisate.
The door opened, and a man in a brown robe, carrying a murderous aura, entered. Narrowing his eyes at Edmon, he said.
"To think you look so comfortable, Edmon-nim, when I gave up even my vacation to rush here."
"Oh, thank you for coming, Melzard."