Chapter 438 - Black Volcano (1)
Verden, piercing through the darkness with his gaze alone, swept his eyes around the pitch-black crater.
Even by rough estimation, the diameter exceeded 3 kilometers.
Compared to the Red Volcano's crater, its width was nearly twice as much.
Thanks to Verden's
"This is the crater...."
An exclamation close to astonishment.
Even though he had long assimilated into dwarven society, never once had he seen a volcano of such magnitude.
[Record name. Black Volcano.]
The moment Alpha realized it was on a scale too large to scan, he immediately summoned a Memory Golem and recorded the surrounding environment in vivid detail.
The boundary at the mouth of the crater was rugged and irregular, but the breadth itself was considerably wide.
More than enough space to lie one's body down, even to set up camps for dozens at a time, and there wasn't just one such spot.
The outer rim alone could accommodate a population close to that of a village.
Step, step, step.
Climbing up onto the very rim, Gharun looked around.
"Other than this crater, there doesn't seem to be any way down... why is there nothing here?"
No trace of anyone dwelling, nor any sign of descent devices being set up.
There were no footprints that the 1st or 2nd scouting parties should have naturally left behind.
It was even cleaner than the outside.
As though no one had ever set foot here before.
Verden compared the outer terrain with the crater using mana detection.
"Judging by the slight difference in texture, it's highly probable there was some geological change. Either the traces vanished because of it... or the scouting parties used an entirely different path."
"Hm."
"Either way, we'll know once we go down."
If they descended the empty crater, surely they would gain entry into the Black Volcano Fortress.
Just as it had been with the Red Volcano.
At this point, searching for another route would be nothing but a waste of time.
"Right, that makes sense. In the end, we'll only find the answer if we descend."
Gharun grabbed Markuab with one hand and slung it over his shoulder.
His muscles writhed.
As a test, he lightly kicked a small fragment of rock down below... yet no sound of it striking the ground could be heard.
Linus's eyes twitched.
"Just how deep is it?"
"At the very least, it extends beyond the range of my mana detection."
Verden unleashed the infinite Mado.
Kwa-d-d-d-duk.
With delicate precision, he separated a piece of the black rock and levitated it into the air, then placed Gharun and Linus upon it, adding gravity to fully fix them in place.
Outwardly it seemed simple, but embedded within it were intricate magical techniques no ordinary person could ever hope to understand.
"Let's not waste time, we shall descend immediately. No objections, I presume?"
"W, wait...!"
Linus hastily waved his hand.
When he glanced downward, there was a pit the likes of which he had never seen before.
His legs trembled of their own accord.
Sweat drenched his right palm.
Taking deep breaths, he finally nodded firmly, as if having steeled his resolve.
"O, okay, I'm ready now."
"Click, click, such frailty."
Gharun clicked his tongue in reproach.
Alpha, on the other hand, offered encouragement.
[No need for fear. By His Majesty's side. Safety foremost.]
Alpha half-hid his body inside [Ainber].
The little one held the Memory Golem tightly in its small arms.
'A hobby of sorts, perhaps.'
Whatever it was, it was fine.
If Alpha could grow more independent, Verden was more than glad to let him be.
Verden's body tilted forward into the air, slowly, until he was fully vertical, plunging straight down into the darkness in an instant.
Simultaneously, the floating stone carrying Gharun and Linus fell at the same pace.
"Ho, this is fun!"
"What's fun abo—uwaaaaaaahhh───!"
Gharun's laughter and Linus's scream were captured vividly on record.
***
Ownerless Land, Medilon's conference hall.
The place where representatives of each faction had gathered was filled with a stifled scream.
"How dare you utter that name?"
Isabella, pressing down on the thick neck of Cheolp, casually shook her arm.
"...!! Khh, uh...! Kkaagh...!!"
That alone made Cheolp's body shake violently as though struck by an earthquake.
Crack, crack.
An ominous sound began to rise from around his neck.
'I, I must, escape...!'
Sensing instinctive danger, Cheolp drew forth the energy within his body.
He was both Grand Lord and warrior.
In his youth, backed by a wealthy household, Cheolp had spent vast sums to hire a wandering knight to awaken his qi and learn the sword.
Power surged throughout his body.
He reinforced his physique, then pressed his arms firmly against the table.
At present, Cheolp's strength was enough to decapitate the very knight who had once taught him.
But it was futile.
"Wha...?!"
Kwa-d-d-d-d-duk!
Far from rising, he was crushed down even harder. Cracks ran through the table beneath his head.
As Isabella's alabaster fingers dug fiercely into his muscles, even his body reinforcement dissipated, leaving Cheolp's mouth gaping wide.
"Khrrgh, aaaaagh...! Aaahhh, aaaaaagh...!!!!"
The Grand Lord thrashed violently.
He barely managed to grasp Isabella's wrist, but it didn't budge an inch.
A grotesque sight.
A mage, relying solely on brute strength, was literally strangling the Count Cheolp.
As the moderator and the other factions looked on in shock, only Liam observed the scene with perfect composure.
Was she truly intent on killing one of the Eastern Grand Lords in this hall?
Reason said it was impossible, but Cheolp had no time for rational thought.
Bloodshot filled his eyes.
At this rate, his neck would surely snap and he would die.
"Gr...Grand...Warrior...! Kkh, khh! Grand...War...rior...!!!"
He forced the words out desperately.
That monster outside would never miss even the faintest sound.
Fortunately, his expectation proved correct.
Thud... thud... thud....
Several tremors echoed from outside.
With a resounding crash, through the collapsed wall of the hall where Cheolp's guard had vanished, a muscular man burst in.
The Grand Warrior from the far north of the Central Continent.
Bestial, bright yellow eyes locked onto Isabella, who was gripping Cheolp.
He bared a savage grin and leapt straight at her, swinging a massive zweihander without hesitation.
"You may be overdoing it."
South's Gideon remarked, as his guard, Ewic, stepped in between the Northern Grand Warrior and Isabella.
He thrust his rapier forward. The sharp point collided with the greatsword.
Accuracy close to the miraculous.
"Ugh...?!"
But the difference in raw power was far greater than expected.
His wrist ached.
The rapier tilted drastically. At this rate, he would be cleaved clean in two.
Ewic, flung back, barely regained his stance when the Northern Grand Warrior once again raised his blade high and brought it down with force.
The sword intent targeted Isabella's slender neck.
It was a merciless strike, but Isabella did not dodge. Instead, vast magic surged from her mana circuits.
Jjeooong!
"Haha, it's fine if hot-blooded youths exchange a few heavy blows and suffer some injuries... but killing each other crosses the line."
The Mercenary King stepped forward.
His dark-hued blade firmly blocked the brilliant greatsword. In the contest of strength, both edges trembled faintly.
"Mmm...! Stronger than I'd heard. One wrong move and I'll be the one to die."
Though the Mercenary King groaned as if strained, he did not lose that trademark smile of calm confidence.
Casting his gaze lightly over his shoulder, the Mercenary King spoke.
"Miss, if you don't release him, this won't end. Seems you've vented enough anger—how about stopping here?"
"..."
Isabella tilted her head.
With a little more force, she could snap his neck entirely, but she had no such intention. From the start, she had never planned to kill anyone in this hall.
Her objective had already been achieved.
Isabella silently sought Liam's opinion, and Liam nodded.
This was intended to outwardly show respect to him as a lord.
"Well, fine."
Barely freed from her grasp, Cheolp coughed violently. He collapsed into his chair, instinctively rubbing the back of his neck.
His cervical spine ached so much it still felt as if her grip lingered... a crimson handprint-shaped bruise was vividly imprinted on his thick neck.
The Mercenary King gauged Count Cheolp's injuries with his eyes.
"The pain may linger, but it doesn't look life-threatening. So, why don't you sheathe your sword as well? At my age, it's getting a bit difficult to hold on much longer."
The Northern Grand Warrior raised one eyebrow. After licking the room with his gaze, he relaxed his strength and drove the greatsword into the floor.
Likewise, Ewic withdrew his rapier... but he did not ease his vigilance toward the barbaric warrior.
Thus the clash came to an end.
And as if he had been waiting, Liam rose from his seat. He pushed forward the signed agreement for the competitive war to the moderator.
"The South made the proposal, the East, West, and we of the North have agreed. There's no longer any reason to remain here, so we shall take our leave."
Confirming the moderator's stammered nod, Liam walked away. The emotional reaction from earlier was gone without a trace.
When Isabella moved to accompany him as the North's escort, a low voice brushed her ear.
"You don't fear death, do you."
The Northern Grand Warrior bared his fangs.
"A bath in your blood would be quite refreshing."
His aura was ferocious.
No wonder the Eastern Grand Lords treated him like a secret weapon.
Isabella twisted her lips.
For the record, her blood was poison itself, and imbued with mado as well.
"There are many ways to commit suicide. I do hope that day comes."
The two of them left the hall.
"Damn, those sons of bitches...!!"
In the hushed atmosphere, only Cheolp's pained fury lingered.
"..."
South's Gideon.
His gaze followed the North.
***
The procession of carriages leaving Medilon passed through contested lands and headed north.
"Haaaahhh...."
Inside the carriage, Liam, protected by mercenaries he had once hired during the bandit suppression, let out a deep sigh.
As his breath grew longer, the tension bled out as well.
He straightened his posture belatedly and leaned his forehead against the window frame.
"All we did was talk, yet it's certainly not easy."
As North's ruler, Liam had focused entirely on maintaining dignity, and the pressure was heavier than he'd imagined.
Even managing his expressions had been no easy feat.
Isabella crossed her arms.
"Just not trembling in front of those self-proclaimed rulers of the Ownerless Land is fortunate enough. That alone means you did well."
"Is that so...?"
Liam scratched his cheek.
"To be honest, the Mercenary King, Lord Gideon, Count Cheolp... they're all people I'd only ever heard of by name from afar. I was tense, sure, but not to the point of fear."
It was his genuine truth.
Even if all the attendees of the conference were combined, they could not compare to the presence of the one person Liam knew.
"Well of course. Look at who we've got standing behind us."
Isabella smiled.
"In any case, as expected, there were fools who underestimated you, and through that, our display of power succeeded. A rising force humiliating an Eastern Grand Lord—the rumors will spread quickly enough."
At present, the North's forces were unbalanced.
Compared to other factions, their numbers were pitifully lacking, but their high-level power was abundant.
Cain, Unia, Adrian, Isabella... three 6th-rank Magi, and a swordsman acknowledged by Verden.
In small-scale skirmishes, they were confident they would not lose to any faction. Especially with communication devices and Memory Golems on their side.
But the disadvantage of being few could not be overcome.
There was always the option of conscripting citizens into soldiers.
In the distant past, when domains were more primitive, wars were fought with only a few dozen, perhaps a hundred people. Such remnants of old ways still existed in the Ownerless Land.
'Of course, I have no such intention.'
It was something Liam did not wish to do as a lord, and ultimately not what Verden desired either.
The soldiers would be mercenaries.
He needed those who would willingly step onto the battlefield without coercion.
The war of nerves in the hall had been a spectacular piece of propaganda, and with luck, it might even attract numerous patrons to invest in the North.
'A competitive war, huh.'
A three-way battle over a massive mine was unexpected, but hardly a bad thing.
On the contrary, it was good.
For a faction lacking in numbers, chaos was the best, the most favorable battlefield. He would plan thoroughly for it.
"By the way, I wonder what our lord is up to. He said he'd contact us when he had time."
Resting her chin on her hand, Isabella gazed out the window.
The mid-summer scenery rolled past swiftly.
Before long, autumn would come.
A life unlike last year's.
Isabella even found joy in waiting.
***
The deeper they descended underground, the colder the temperature became in proportion. The environment of the abyss was no different from that of midwinter.
And yet the air was not foul. Strangely enough, it was clearer.
Despite their long flight time, darkness still stretched endlessly. This pitch-black space made one lose track of time, robbed one of spatial sense.
Perhaps from the ominous, unsettling air, Linus kept silent, and Gharun frowned faintly as he gazed downward.
At last, the end approached.
Whooosh.
Verden braked in an instant and landed lightly on the bottom of the crater. The floating stone bearing the blacksmiths descended as well.
This was the very edge of the Black Volcano.
The source of heat the volcano once harbored was now nothing but emptiness.
[Scanning... unknown entrance detected.]
When Alpha cast light upon one side, a solitary passage leading elsewhere appeared.
Verden narrowed his eyes.
"Mana detection doesn't function properly here."
"Is it because of a mana-blocking device?"
"I don't think so. This is very different from the Red Volcano Fortress."
"Hmm, true enough, it makes no sense that such devices would still be operating without maintenance."
"Then... is this a characteristic of the underground environment itself?"
"Who knows, perhaps something is interfering."
There was only one path.
Verden's group entered the passage.
All around, traces of artificial structures lay scattered or embedded. Amid the countless fragments strewn about lay part of a fortress.
The remnants of a destroyed fortress.
"If its structure doesn't differ greatly from the fortress I know... the facility should be nearby."
A dwarven facility───a massive forge, requiring great power, would be located near the bottom of the crater.
A heavy stillness.
Only their footsteps echoed.
Following Gharun's guidance, they passed a total of four crossroads... yet no facility lay beyond.
Collapsed residential areas.
There, only half of the fortress's mid-level remained. The section with the clan leader's citadel did not exist at all.
"Damn it, what's with this layout."
Shattered strata.
Twisted terrain.
Ground caved in.
The fortress that had once been whole was now broken into countless fragments.
"Still, the facility is the most solid section of the fortress, so it wouldn't have been completely destroyed... but at this rate, finding it will take some time."
"Then we'll just ask a resident."
"True, that would be eas... huh? What? Resident?"
The two blacksmiths turned in succession.
Verden and Alpha were staring at a collapsed house... at the window of its second floor.
At that instant.
Dodododododo!
Something, with tiny footsteps, bolted away in a desperate escape.
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